The Next Best Picture Podcast - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I absolutely love this podcast. The knowledge of the commentators are encyclopedic level of film history and present. The banter is spirited, and even when disagreeable, respectful and based in experienced opinion. I love movies and I have so much fun listening to these discussions to validate or decimate my own thoughts! You are all doing great work and I thank you. Let’s keep the spirit of movie experiences alive!!

This podcast has everything a movie lover but more specifically a fan of the Oscars could ever want! Great analysis and balance of reviews, interviews and commentary.

After being a devoted listener to TBP podcast for so many years I finally had to hang up kmy hat. The two hosts come ill prepared, gripe and complain constantly, and seemingly hate the Oscar’s and everything cinema. So refreshing that this past awards season I found NBP Podcast as you guys are wonderful and knowledgeable cinephiles and show up having done your homework. Also THANK YOU for the praise on the 95th Oscar’s - it was so well produced and deserved critics good praises (again as opposed to TBP where the whined about the show for 2 hours). I hate to compare the two but I do this only for those who are like me, searching for a replacement and reliable movie podcast. This is IT. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

NBP is my favorite podcast. Everyone celebrates film in a way that is positive and leaves space for every opinion and voice to be heard. I think Matt has created something really special. I love listening to the episodes when they drop!

At one point, NBP was my most listened to podcast of the year, and I listen to a lot of podcasts. It is with a heavy heart that I write this review. But there are several ways in which the podcast has developed that has fundamentally altered the listening experience.

There is a (strong and growing) disconnect when everyone on the podcast is able to watch dozens of films for free and early for press — and the film fans who listen. The disconnect between that level of access and average film fans who listen is palpable and significantly impacts the listening experience.

Moreover, I’ve noticed a number of times when the podcast discounts safety on film sets in favor of preserving film itself. I love film. NBP listeners love film. But when this podcast chooses to make commentary on the industry & filmmaking process, basic safety needs to be considered. And this podcast fails to do so. The biggest example was when the podcast discussed the Rust tragedy, two weeks after it occurred, when answering a user question. The podcast talked more about the cost it would place on independent films to implement policies that would prevent future incidents than the actual incident itself. That is a value statement I cannot get behind. Safety on film sets should be an a priori issue, and this line of commentary was disheartening. Another striking example is when Matt complained vehemently that CGI fire will never look as good as real fire (I believe in discussing Those Who Wish Me Dead). Fire is so insanely dangerous, and I, as a film lover, would much rather keep the people who make films safe and maybe notice the slight difference in the final film’s visuals (also CGI fire CAN look great, as in Dune…). It is deeply saddening this podcast’s hosts would not feel the same way.

Lastly, the podcast’s assessment of the economics of the industry is out of touch. I noticed this most when the podcast host/guests ranted about No Way Home’s box office. It’s fine to not like the movie. But its box office was a godsend for so many struggling movie theatre owners. To not notice or comment on the many long-running theatres that have closed is ignorant. 2020 was brutal. 2021 was slightly better for theatre owners. 2022 is improving, but theatres are not out of the woods yet. I would expect a podcast made by people who care about the long-term prospect of the theatre experience to address the topic with more nuance than they did.

I found the content interesting and the movie analysis compelling. However, while I tend to be fairly tolerant of podcast hosts with vocal fry - a habit/tic of an entire generation - the vocal fry displayed by one of the hosts is so grating and intense it felt like a parody of vocal fry. The vocalizations were so distracting that I couldn’t concentrate on the content, which is unfortunate because they were having a great discussion on “Juror #2.” I would either suggest the host hire a voice coach or the podcast find a new host. This is not ableism, as vocal fry is not an innate characteristic - it’s a cultural habit that can be unlearned with hard work. Unfortunately, not every voice is fit for radio, and for the first time in my entire life, I had to stop listening after 30 minutes due to vocal fry.