THE STORY – Maia Marten has built her life on being one step ahead — a sharp, resourceful, high-powered lawyer at the top of London’s legal world. During her routine morning run, a single phone call shatters her world: her son has been taken. The instructions to get him back are simple and merciless — keep moving, follow every command, and tell no one. Stop, and he dies. Forced to sprint through the city and obey a series of sinister commands, Maia must confront an impossible question: how far will she go to bring her son home?

THE CAST – Gal Gadot, Damian Lewis, Rory Wilmot & Alfred Enoch

THE TEAM – Kevin Macdonald (Director) & Mark Gibson (Writer)

THE RUNNING TIME – 84 Minutes

I hate running. I last tried to get into the allegedly good-for-you habit during quarantine, trotting around my city block in a frustrating attempt not to completely atrophy. Suffice to say, horror movies are my preferred form of cardio. In “The Runner,” Gal Gadot doesn’t share this hesitation. In fact, she’s none other than the titular role, and the film must be in contention for most accurate title of the year. In “The Runner,” Gadot plays the alliteratively named Maia Marten, and wow, does she do a lot of running. Dressed in athletic wear, she spends nearly the entire movie racing through the streets, underground, and buildings of busy London, but her jog is far from casual or even voluntary. She’s the victim of an elaborate plot to assassinate a key witness in a high-profile case, and thanks to a crafty antagonist on the other end of her phone line, she’s forced to trot, sprint, and hurdle to try and get to her target in time. Although the film’s distractingly busy editing and camerawork suggest a high-tension thrill ride, the ridiculousness of the script and Gadot’s typically wooden performance make this a workout worth skipping.

Maia is a high-powered attorney, doing an admirable job balancing her high-stress job with raising her son Noah (Rory Wilmot). One day, after sending him off to school, she receives a call from Noah while out on a run. Or rather, Noah’s number, but her son isn’t on the other end of the line. Instead, she’s greeted by the mysterious, malicious Caller (Damian Lewis, playing very much into typecasting). Working for an unknown employer, the Caller tells Maia she must kill the star witness in her latest big trial before he can testify. To convince her to go from being a killer in the courtroom to a literal killer, the Caller lets Maia know that he’s put her son into a diabetic coma by hacking his insulin-dispensing app. Maia is given one hour to achieve her goal. To get to the other side of town and carry it out, she must traverse London on foot as quickly as possible.

There’s no doubt that Gadot’s character is physically up to the task. She is Wonder Woman, after all. But while she may be perfectly cast for the many, many scenes of her running and dodging in pursuit of her bloody finish line, as soon as Gadot is forced to deliver dialogue, the illusion of performance crumbles. The actress has become somewhat infamous for her awkward acting abilities (I’ll never forget last year’s Venice Film Festival audience unabashedly laughing at her non-comedic performance in “In the Hand of Dante”), and “The Runner” doesn’t give her the chance to alter that perception. Her speech pattern is robotic, which actually makes the moment where the villain uses an AI replication of her voice more believable. And when she’s asked to deliver high emotion, it can’t help but feel forced. Any moment where she attempts to cry feels more like a child faking remorse to get out of punishment rather than a distressed mother experiencing the worst day of her life. And yet, this is far from her least successful performance. Perhaps it’s because so much of her time on-screen requires her to be jumping, dashing, and generally exerting herself. Still, she comes out of the film having delivered a decidedly middlebrow performance which, given her track record, can be called a half-hearted win.

However, director Kevin Macdonald really phones it in with this one (pun absolutely intended). It’s no easy task to direct a film that often centers around one actor doing nothing but receiving a phone call, but Macdonald’s solutions aren’t successful. He swirls the camera around Gadot with the abandon of a credit card commercial parodying cheesy action movies. This leads to several awkward shots, such as blurry close-ups of Gadot’s mouth, dizzying camera placement shifts, and unflattering angles of the actress captured from below her chin. The choppy editing only emphasizes the unpleasant cinematography, using jerky techniques like a repeated insistence on the step-printing effect – a distracting choice. Oddly, Damian Lewis is shot much more effectively, with heavy shadows and deliberately obscuring angles hiding his face. In fact, some of the most powerful moments in the film occur when his lips curl into a sneer in close-up during moments of triumph. Of course, it helps that Lewis is powerfully compelling as a villain.

Eventually, the film gallops toward a conclusion that’s meant to take the audience aback with an unplanned twist. However, it relies on hiding information from viewers that the main character herself knows, making it feel as if we’re being duped rather than enlightened by the climactic revelations. Furthermore, it’s unclear where the film stands on the overreliance on, and prevalence of, technology. At times, the Caller mocks Maia’s overly-digitized life, along with bemoaning society’s nose-to-the-ground phone addictions. When he plays a replication of Maia’s voice, he chides, “Isn’t AI amazing? Irresponsible to have unleashed it on the general public, really.” It seems as if the film takes a decidedly anti-tech stance, especially given that a good portion of the final twist requires analog techniques far from the digital cloud…but not entirely. Some part of these final drastic measures relies on the ubiquity of cell phones, leading to a muddled conclusion. 

Admittedly, the final montage revealing the true way of things is fun, until you start to think about it too long. The film isn’t elevated enough to support it; instead, Maia must commit a series of insane acts that most city-dwellers would ignore for their own safety. In fact, the film might have been more perversely enjoyable if it leaned into this nonsensical energy (although the fact that very few people address the bleeding head wound she receives about halfway through the film is unintentionally hilarious). I’d normally make some “walk, don’t run” joke about this film, but given that it’s being released straight to Amazon Prime Video, no method of exertive movement is required to avoid “The Runner.”

The post “THE RUNNER” appeared first on Next Best Picture.

Our 2008 retrospective has officially come to an end with our final podcast review for Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film for Best Picture, “Slumdog Millionaire,” starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, and Irrfan Khan. Loosely based on the novel Q & A (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup, the independent Searchlight film was a sensation in 2008 as it built up momentum through the fall film festivals and then exploded in cinemas through word of mouth and all through awards season, making it, to this day, the film with the most Academy Award wins since it won 8 at the 2009 ceremony. How has the film held up, though, after all this time, nearly twenty years later? Please tune in as Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, and I talk about the film’s screenplay, the performances, the craftsmanship, its awards season run, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Please check out our past reviews for “Frost/Nixon,” “Doubt,” “Changeling,” “Revolutionary Road,” “WALL-E, “Milk,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Reader,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our review!

​This is a preview of the podcast. The full version is only available to those who subscribe to us on Patreon. For the small price of $1 a month, you can receive this podcast along with other exclusive podcast content, so be sure to subscribe here.

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us anywhere you listen to podcasts or listen in the embedded player below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you’re feeling generous, you enjoy what you hear, and you want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month, and you’ll receive some exclusive podcast content from us.

You can follow Matt, Josh & Dan and hear more of their thoughts on the Oscars and Film on X @NextBestPicture, @JRParham & @dancindanonfilm

The post The Next Best Picture Podcast – “Slumdog Millionaire” appeared first on Next Best Picture.

As heard yesterday on the podcast, we announced the NBP Film Community Award Winners for 2008. For those who did not hear the winners read out loud on the show, we have provided a complete list below for you to check out. We cannot thank you enough for all the support you’ve shown us throughout our 2008 retrospective!

​Congratulations on your winners!

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Doubt
In Bruges
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Slumdog Millionaire
Tropic Thunder
The Wrestler
WALL-E (RUNNER-UP)

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan – The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Gus Van Sant – Milk
Andrew Stanton – WALL-E (RUNNER-UP)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Bolt
Horton Hears A Who!
Kung Fu Panda (RUNNER-UP)
WALL-E (WINNER)
Waltz with Bashir

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father (RUNNER-UP TIE)
Encounters At The End Of The World
Man On Wire (WINNER)
Trouble The Water
Waltz With Bashir

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Class
Departures
Let The Right One In (WINNER)
Revanche
Waltz With Bashir (RUNNER-UP)

BEST ACTION FILM
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Iron Man
Speed Racer (RUNNER-UP)
Taken
Wanted

BEST COMEDY FILM
Burn After Reading
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
In Bruges (WINNER)
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder (RUNNER-UP)

BEST HORROR/SCI-FI FILM
Cloverfield
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Let The Right One In (RUNNER-UP)
The Strangers
WALL-E (WINNER)

BEST OVERLOOKED FILM
Gran Torino (RUNNER-UP)
Hunger
Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Synecdoche, New York (WINNER)
Wendy And Lucy

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married (WINNER)
Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road (RUNNER-UP)

BEST ACTOR
Colin Farrell – In Bruges (RUNNER-UP)
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk (WINNER)
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – Doubt
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona (RUNNER-UP)
Viola Davis – Doubt (WINNER)
Rosemarie DeWitt – Rachel Getting Married
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin – Milk
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt (RUNNER-UP)
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Brad Pitt – Burn After Reading

BEST ENSEMBLE
Burn After Reading
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Doubt (RUNNER-UP)
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Viola Davis – Doubt (RUNNER-UP)
Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
Dev Patel – Slumdog Millionaire (WINNER)
Freida Pinto – Slumdog Millionaire
Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

BEST VOICE PERFORMANCE
Jack Black – Kung Fu Panda (WINNER)
Ben Burtt – WALL-E (RUNNER-UP)
Dustin Hoffman – Kung Fu Panda
Elissa Knight – WALL-E
John Travolta – Bolt

BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE
Dakota Fanning – The Secret Life Of Bees
Elle Fanning – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (RUNNER-UP)
Kåre Hedebrant – Let The Right One In
David Kross – The Reader
Lina Leandersson – Let The Right One In (WINNER)
Kristen Stewart – Twilight

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR
Courtney Hunt – Frozen River
Charlie Kaufman – Synecdoche, New York (RUNNER-UP)
Phyllida Lloyd – Mamma Mia!
Martin McDonagh – In Bruges (WINNER)
Steve McQueen – Hunger
Nicholas Stoller – Forgetting Sarah Marshall

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Doubt (RUNNER-UP)
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Burn After Reading
In Bruges (RUNNER-UP)
Milk
Synecdoche, New York
WALL-E (WINNER)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (RUNNER-UP TIE)
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire (RUNNER-UP TIE)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (RUNNER-UP)
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

BEST FILM EDITING
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
In Bruges
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire (RUNNER-UP)
WALL-E

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (WINNER)
The Dark Knight (RUNNER-UP)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Synecdoche, New York
Tropic Thunder

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Changeling
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (RUNNER-UP)
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Revolutionary Road
Speed Racer

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E (RUNNER-UP)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Quantum Of Solace – “Another Way to Die”
Slumdog Millionaire – “Jai Ho” (WINNER)
Slumdog Millionaire – “O Saya”
WALL-E – “Down To Earth” (RUNNER-UP)
The Wrestler – “The Wrestler”

BEST SOUND EDITING
Cloverfield
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Iron Man
Speed Racer
WALL-E (RUNNER-UP)

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight (WINNER)
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E (RUNNER-UP)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Cloverfield
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (WINNER)
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (RUNNER-UP)
Iron Man

WIN TALLY
The Dark Knight – 13
WALL-E  – 3
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button – 2
In Bruges – 2
Let The Right One In – 2
Slumdog Millionaire – 2
Doubt – 1
Kung Fu Panda – 1
Man On Wire – 1
Milk – 1
Rachel Getting Married – 1
Synecdoche, New York – 1

The post The 2008 NBP Film Community Award Winners appeared first on Next Best Picture.

THE STORY – When a teenager from the slums of Mumbai is interrogated about his suspicious performance on a quiz show, he revisits various events from his past to explain how he knew all the answers.

THE CAST – Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor & Irrfan Khan

THE TEAM – Danny Boyle (Director) & Simon Beaufoy (Writer)

THE RUNNING TIME –  120 Minutes

A special kind of magic permeates the air when you witness a tale of amazing fortune play out. It’s easy to recognize the phenomenon because it taps directly into the dreams and passions of the audience. Most people have lives that, while fulfilling, could be improved by some journey to greater prosperity. Watching an individual climb and maneuver through a treacherous landscape in pursuit of untold happiness is a universal wish fulfillment we all strive for in our lives. It’s one of the reasons why “Slumdog Millionaire” has been found to be so resonant. The story itself may be a familiar venture, confined to structures with well-worn archetypes; however, that doesn’t diminish the exuberant elation that is present, particularly when the storytelling is as enthralling as it is here. Director Danny Boyle has often used this trait, and this is another fine example of his skill set creating an engrossing cinematic experience.

The film begins with Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), who has found himself in the extraordinary position of being a contestant on the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” He’s already worked his way through every question and is about to reach the final one where the grand prize lies. However, the host, Prem (Anil Kapoor), grows jealous of the young man’s rising popularity, which threatens to eclipse his own star. He lodges an accusation of cheating against Jamal, who is taken into police custody and interrogated by the police inspector (Irrfan Khan). During their conversation, Jamal reveals the series of coincidences and happenstances that occurred in his life that led him to all these correct answers. He details his upbringing in the streets of the slums, the carnage that turned him and his brother Salim into orphans, and the perilous journey they were set upon to survive. It is also where he meets Latika, another lost child whom he has steadily fallen in love with. The adult Latika (Freida Pinto) is trapped in the clutches of a protective gangster, but Jamal is determined to reunite with her. He hopes his appearance on the show will aid in his quest and bring him back to the love of his life.

One consistent trademark in Boyle’s filmography has been a notable flair for creative presentation, despite a variety of tones and subject matter. The camera moves with a fierce energy, the editing is kinetic, and every sense feels heightened with the characters. There’s hardly a moment when Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography isn’t drenched in vibrant colors or uses creative framing to convey a chaotic yet oddly alluring environment. The immense poverty shown in the beginning can teeter into an exploitative perspective, but as seen through the eyes of children, it’s a crowded labyrinth worthy of exploration. Chris Dickens’s editing weaves in and out of timelines with a furious pace that always keeps one engaged. The soundscape is always arresting, thanks especially to A.R. Rahman’s lively score that blends traditional Indian music with a festive pop flavor. Even the natural tension of the game show is tactfully woven into the story’s heightened stakes, as the glittery studio lights act as an ominous halo. Boyle’s tactics as a filmmaker have always been distinctly expressive, and this is another example of his bold vision creating a captivating showcase.

Simon Beaufoy’s screenplay mixes intriguing set pieces with forced contrivances. There’s a certain leap one is willing to take in believing these answers have magically fallen into Jamal’s lap, but that is simply buying into the story’s fantastical premise. Believing that each one of these instances occurred in a sequential direction of his own life is an entirely different pill to swallow. Some revelations also seem too conveniently placed, like a religious figure appearing during a violent riot or a blind child singer knowing about Benjamin Franklin. The questions have to balance difficulty for an Indian audience while still appealing to a wider (e.g., Western) audience. The anxiety meant to be created during the game show can sometimes feel false, but the script gets more credit for a twisty structure that’s fun to navigate. There is a bit of a false note in the ending, which feels too obsessed with the outcome of the game rather than Jamal’s search for Latika. The film offers a minor commentary on the insidious nature of the show, which draws the eyes of millions because people see it as an easy way to lift themselves out of their current oppression. While not directly intentional, the storytelling somewhat endorses this belief, rather than earning a finale similar to Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky,” in which the personal journey of growth matters more than the superficial conflict surrounding it. Beaufoy’s efforts are inconsistent but effective enough to create a gripping framework.

Because the film’s narrative allows for a plethora of flashbacks, we are treated to a trio of actors who play the central young characters. Between the two brothers, Salim is less interesting, and therefore the actors playing him are the weaker counterparts. Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, as the youngest version, struggles to fully embody the bubbling menace, which makes it seem like his effective moments are more down to the direction. Similar sentiments are for Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala and Madhur Mittal as the middle and oldest versions of the character, respectively. They give serviceable performances for roles that don’t have many layers on the page. Still, they at least get some definition, which isn’t the case for Pinto, Rubina Ali, and Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar, who play Latika. It’s quite infuriating how this character is simply reduced to an object that is meant to be either desired or saved, with no real interiority of her own. All three actresses try their best to make an impression, and Pinto at least has endearing chemistry with Patel. Still, she can’t compensate for horrid material that treats the lone female character with such little investment.

Patel is really the anchor for the film’s ensemble. That’s not to disparage Ayush Mahesh Khedekar or Tanay Chheda as his younger versions, both of whom have a spirited charm and aura to their personalities. But it’s Patel who truly finds the emotional depths of his character, the only one who is really able to achieve that. He can blend into the anonymous corporate world of Jamal’s day job, tap into the angry fury that rises when confronted by his traitorous brother, be defiant during a game show that is tempting him to fail, and be completely earnest in the decades-long affection he has for the woman he loves. Some of these are staples of a recognizable archetype, but he flourishes in crafting an authentic portrait that one can’t help but root for. His scenes opposite Kappor and Kahn are also a delight. The former indulges in the plasticine television personality with a real menace underneath that makes him a constantly engaging screen presence. The latter manages to exude a surprisingly tender atmosphere that lurks beneath a tough facade. As characters, they are more a means to an end, but they are in the hands of very capable performers.

“Slumdog Millionaire” is the kind of film engineered with fine detail to be a crowd-pleaser. It places the audience directly in the viewpoint of a character who finds themselves in an unusual circumstance, inviting all to witness all the eccentricities that led to an incredible life and a moment that can lead to joyous elation. The filmmaking efforts do wonders in showcasing such a vivid aesthetic, easily the most important facet in crafting this mesmerizing world. The script can be a bit wonky at times, failing to always deliver a believable sequence of events or collection of characters, but it does provide a sturdy foundation to build from. The performances may vary in effectiveness, but that almost always depends on the material they are given. In totality, some aspects are more fulfilling than others, but it’s hard to deny the grand vision that serves to uplift. Even in its more calculated instances, the film still succeeds.

The post “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” appeared first on Next Best Picture.

Although the 2026-27 Oscar season has really been underway for months, thanks to the likes of “The Odyssey,” “Project Hail Mary,” “Obsession,” “The Invite,” and several Cannes films, the fall festival gauntlet of Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York still feel like the season’s Opening Day and Christmastime wrapped into one. From the start of Venice on September 2nd to the close of NYFF on October 12th, these next few weeks will shape whatever the next several months of the Oscar race become – and answer at least some of these burning questions.

Will anything actually surprise us at fall festivals this year?

Last year, fall fests premiered Best Picture nominees like “Bugonia,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” and “Marty Supreme.” Still, none of them really came out of nowhere – not like “The Brutalist” did out of Venice in 2024, or like “American Fiction” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” did out of TIFF in 2023 and 2022.

This year, all eyes are on long-projected contenders like “Wild Horse Nine,” “The Debut,” and “Behemoth!” to go from fall festival premieres to Best Picture hopefuls. But is anything going to break out at Venice, Telluride, Toronto, and New York that almost no one eyes as a Best Picture nominee right now – something like “Tender Loving Care” or “A Long Winter” from Telluride, “Possible Love” or “Bunker” at Venice, or even “Misty Green” or “I Play Rocky” at TIFF?

Between the assumed fall festival heavyweights and all the early pre-fall contenders, there might not be room for any nominee that absolutely nobody sees coming before September. As much as pundits and fans might like to see any new blood shake up the race, it might be a case of too little, too late or a case of needing to be careful what we wish for.

Will “Ink,” “Elsinore,” and “Primetime” live up to their sudden hype?

There are a few films that aren’t projected in a lot of Best Picture picks right now, but may be lurking just outside the top 10 because of how they’ve been positioned at fall fests. In that context, if they do surge higher up the bubble or even become locks after their festival runs, nobody can say they didn’t see it coming – not after Netflix bought “Ink” and suddenly put it at Venice, Toronto and likely Telluride, or how Focus Features turned “Elsinore” into a must-see Telluride premiere that might launch Andrew Scott’s Best Actor campaign, or how A24 made “Primetime” a potential major launch for Robert Pattinson at Venice.

“Ink,” “Elsinore,” and “Primetime” still aren’t considered sure-fire fall fest breakouts on the level of “Wild Horse Nine” and “The Debut.” Yet all the moves they’ve made these last several weeks have put them very close to that level. But now that Netflix, Focus and A24 have put a rather eyebrow-raising amount of faith in them, how many, if any of them, will actually reward that faith – and if they do, will it still be enough to make them and their stars contenders in the long run?

How will the Cannes favorites fare in North America?

As much as the world premieres at Telluride, TIFF and NYFF will be a big story, the non-premieres there will be just as important. Every year, Cannes winners and favorites have to prove they aren’t a fluke with their first tests amongst American audiences – and this year, supposed Oscar contenders from Cannes like “La Bola Negra,” “Fjord,” “All of a Sudden” and maybe even “Club Kid” will take that test.

Sometimes these results can be misleading, as “No Other Choice” won TIFF’s first International People’s Choice Award over future Best Picture nominees “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent” but faded later on, while Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident” didn’t have any speed bumps with American viewers until much later. Nonetheless, “La Bola Negra” will still hope to match its Cannes raves at Telluride and TIFF and further prove it can challenge “The Odyssey” and others for a Best Picture win, all as “Fjord” and “All of a Sudden” hope to start separating themselves in the race to be the second “safe” Cannes Best Picture nominee, and “Club Kid” hopes a potential TIFF People’s Choice win or place can give it a shot at the Oscar bubble.

Will a classic TIFF “villain” premiere this year?

Usually when a film becomes an Oscar season “villain’ to certain critics, it starts by winning or doing damage at TIFF, like “Green Book” did in 2018. But no TIFF film like that has really matched it in awards success or backlash since then, at least depending on what one thinks of other recent TIFF winners turned Oscar winners like “Jojo Rabbit,” “American Fiction,” and “Hamnet.”

In the last two years alone, films made to be seemingly sure-fire TIFF People’s Choice winners turned heavily backlashed Oscar contenders have flamed out instantly, like “Saturday Night” in 2024 and “Rental Family” last year. This year the biggest possible threat to upset at TIFF, break into the Oscar race and get tons of hate later on for it would seem to be “I Play Rocky,” if only because of the combination of a “Rocky”/Sylvester Stallone reenactment and the direction of “Green Book’s” own Peter Farrelly. If not that, it might be Opening Night film “Being Heumann” from “CODA’s” own Sian Heder, if not Chris Rock’s “Misty Green” or the Cynthia Erivo-led adaptation of “Prima Facie.”

The reliability of TIFF regularly premiering Oscar frontrunners, let alone those mainly adored by the most traditional Academy voters, has been shaky lately. Will this year be another sign of the decline of TIFF world premieres, or will one of them bring back the festival’s good old days – whether pundits and future viewers outside of Toronto like it or not?

How misleading will Venice reactions be this year?

Venice kicked off the 2025 fall festival season on a weird note, both during the festival and in the long run. While “Bugonia” and “Frankenstein” were the two Venice films that made it into Best Picture, they arguably had their worst receptions at their Venice premieres, as “Frankenstein” needed a TIFF People’s Choice runner-up mention to get back on its feet and “Bugonia” took until late fall to become a locked nominee again.

On top of all that, “Jay Kelly” started its collapse from preseason frontrunner to complete snub with its own mixed Venice reception, “A House of Dynamite” actually got raves from Venice but nowhere else the rest of the season, and eventual Golden Lion winner “Father Mother Sister Brother” was a non-factor the rest of the year just like 2024 winner “The Room Next Door.” With that in mind, how much stock can we really place in any word of mouth from Venice this year?

If “Wild Horse Nine” does get the raves most everyone expects out of Venice, will it be a lasting sign of Oscar success ahead – and if it doesn’t, will that prove misleading down the line anyway? “Bugonia” and “Frankenstein” had to play the long game after their initial struggles at Venice, but can something like “Ink” or “Primetime” afford to have less than perfect Venice reactions out of the gate? And should something out of nowhere win the Golden Lion again, is that now a kiss of death these days, or can a Venice winner match the likes of “Poor Things,” “Nomadland,” “Joker,” “Roma,” and “The Shape of Water” once again?

Does New York have another Best Picture premiere in waiting?

By a technicality through a “surprise” premiere that wasn’t really a massive surprise, “Marty Supreme” became the first New York Film Festival world premiere to make Best Picture since “The Irishman” in 2019. By and large, NYFF isn’t really a prime destination for world premieres turned Oscar contenders on the level of Venice, Telluride and TIFF, but it will hope to defy the odds again this year anyway.

NYFF’s chances for a second straight year of launching a Best Picture nominee seem to ride on “Behemoth!”, which will have its opening concert on October 2nd. By then, “Wild Horse Nine” might already be big enough that Searchlight doesn’t really need “Behemoth!” as an Oscar season priority anymore, unless it still wants to get two films in for the first time since 2017. But if “Wild Horse Nine” does tumble at Venice and Telluride, Searchlight will have a lot more riding on “Behemoth!’s” premiere – although “Is This Thing On?’s” closing night premiere at NYFF last year didn’t bail Searchlight out after “Rental Family” fell out of the running at TIFF.

Beyond that, NYFF has three other world premieres with Oscar pedigree: it launches “Godzilla Minus Zero” three years after its predecessor, “Godzilla Minus One,” won the 2023 Best Visual Effects Oscar, and will later have “A Statement” from “Spotlight” director Tom McCarthy. In addition, the recently announced premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s already-controversial “Artificial” is sure to draw attention. Yet if these three films and “Behemoth!” fade after their NYFF premieres, it will be back to business as usual.

Will the fall fests launch major Oscar winners again?

Thanks to “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners,” and “Weapons,” the only 2025 above-the-line Oscar winner who premiered at a fall festival was Jessie Buckley, following “Hamnet’s” Telluride premiere and TIFF People’s Choice win. But that can’t be written off as a one-year fluke, since 2024’s only fall festival Oscar winners were Adrian Brody and the script for “Conclave,” 2023’s were Emma Stone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and the script for “American Fiction,” and 2022’s were Brendan Fraser and the script for “Women Talking.” And of course, there still hasn’t been a Best Picture winner from a fall festival in a non-pandemic year since “Green Book” back in 2018.

Between “The Odyssey,” “La Bola Negra,” Inde Navarrette, Anne Hathaway, and post-fall-festival premieres from the likes of Tom Cruise, “Digger,” and “Dune: Part Three,” this is already looking like another year where most major Oscar winners will be from films outside the fall festival circuit. Right now, the biggest hopes to turn that around seem to be from Martin McDonagh and the stars of “Wild Horse Nine,” Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti from “The Debut,” and maybe stars from the likes of “Ink,” “Elsinore,” “Behemoth!” and “Primetime.”

Admittedly, since the current Next Best Picture projections have Moore, Giamatti and “Wild Horse Nine” as favorites for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay, and John Malkovich as the top consensus Best Actor nominee, maybe this can be a year with more balance between early contenders and fall festival films. But if “Wild Horse Nine” and/or “The Debut” do not live up to their hype, will it be another year where fall festivals have little to no impact on who wins the biggest Oscars – or will a few unlikely saviors make this a comeback year after all?

Do you believe any of these Best Picture contenders are similar to last year’s contenders? Which films are you currently predicting for Best Picture before the fall film festivals begin? Please let us know in the comments section below and on Next Best Picture’s X account, and check out Next Best Picture’s latest Oscar predictions here.

The post What Are The Burning Questions As We Head Into The 2026 Fall Film Festivals? appeared first on Next Best Picture.

According to Variety, Film at Lincoln Center has added the world premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” to the Main Slate of the 64th New York Film Festival. The film will debut on October 5th at Alice Tully Hall, with some of the film’s stars expected to show up, including Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Mark Rylance, Monica Barbaro, Ike Barinholtz, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Chris O’Dowd, and, of course, Guadagnino. Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the 64th New York Film Festival will take place from September 25th through October 12th.

NYFF Artistic Director Dennis Lim when speaking on the film says: “The most remarkable thing about Luca Guadagnino’s sly and sobering new film is that it finds the perfect tone to tell the story of how we arrived at the AI precipice,” says NYFF artistic director Dennis Lim. “‘Artificial’ traces this trajectory with clear-eyed horror, dark humor, and a sense of existential urgency. If ever there was a movie for its moment, this is it.”

Guadagnino, a frequent presence at the New York Film Festival, is coming off “After the Hunt,” the Opening Night selection at last year’s festival. “Artificial,” written by Simon Rich, remains one of the buzziest films yet to be released this year, as its complicated release history has only drawn more intrigue from audiences and the industry alike. Neon picked up the film after Amazon MGM Studios dropped it following their signing a $50 billion deal with OpenAI. The film, which chronicles the life of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, will surely ruffle a lot of feathers, but it will undoubtedly be one of the biggest films to premiere at this year’s New York Film Festival.

The NYFF Main Slate and Spotlight selection committee is chaired by Dennis Lim, NYFF Artistic Director, and includes Florence Almozini, Justin Chang, and Rachel Rosen. Violeta Bava, Michelle Carey, K. Austin Collins, and Antoine Thirion are NYFF program advisors.

NYFF64 is generously supported by Festival Co-Chairs Susannah Gray and John Lyons, Susan and John Hess, Almudena and Pablo Legorreta, Imelda and Peter Sobiloff, and Nanna and Dan Stern; Vice-Chairs Jack Heller, Tara Kelleher and Roy Zuckerberg, and Ronnie Planalp; and Supporters Viviana and Guillermo Bichara, Great Hill, Kathy and Kris Heinzelman, Wendy Keys, Hillary Koota Krevlin and Glenn Krevlin, Marcia DB Levy and William G. Levy, Ari Rifkin, and Mary Solomon / GS Gives.

Explore the NYFF64 lineup and schedule here. Pass holders and FLC Members receive NYFF64 pre-sale access (pre-sale dates vary by level). Passes are on sale now in limited quantities. NYFF64 single tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, September 15th at noon ET.

Sign up for forthcoming NYFF64 announcements.

What do you think of this news? Are you excited for this year’s New York Film Festival? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.

The post Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” Will World Premiere At The 2026 New York Film Festival (NYFF) appeared first on Next Best Picture.

The fall film festival season is always one of the most exciting times of the year for any dedicated cinephile. Now is the time when a plethora of hotly anticipated films will start making either their debut or resurgence from previous festivals, and it’s often the moment when awards season truly kicks in. At the starting point every year is the Venice International Film Festival, and this year, the 83rd edition has an intriguing lineup with a mixture of familiar auteurs and new voices waiting to be discovered. It’s a moment that creates an incredible amount of anticipation as we wait to see just how impactful these works are. There are so many films that are playing at Venice that are intriguing and exciting, and here’s a small sample of those titles that have truly piqued the curiosity and fascination of our attending writers, Josh Parham and Ema Sasic.

Bucking Fastard, dir. Werner Herzog
Does this movie have the potential to be a genius, weird-as-all-hell odyssey, or a totally bonkers misfire from a well-respected auteur director? Yes, all of the above, but I’m staying optimistic and leaning toward the former. “Bucking Fastard” – a film title that’s sure to get many of us in trouble with the slip of the tongue – pairs sisters Rooney and Kate Mara in a film for the first time, and everything about it seems like a trip. Their two sister characters in the film speak in unison, love the same man, and have the same dreams. A short clip was released a few weeks ago showing just how bonkers the dialogue and their performances are going to be, and I couldn’t be more excited to succumb to the madness. Here’s hoping it doesn’t go too off the rails, though.

–Ema Sasic

Bunker, dir. Florian Zeller
If you told me the Oscar-winning director/writer of “The Father,” a brilliant film in every regard, would follow it up with a huge disappointment like “The Son,” I wouldn’t have believed you. And yet, that’s sadly what happened. But I have hope for Florian Zeller’s third feature film, “Bunker.” He’s tapped Oscar winners/married couple Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz to star in this psychological thriller about morals and a relationship on the rocks, and those two alone are worth the price of admission. There’s a lot he can do here by utilizing their already-incredible chemistry, but I hope he doesn’t lean too far into the melodrama like he did with his last film.

–Ema Sasic

Company, dir. Casey Affleck

Casey Affleck may have an established and respected career as an actor, but his short directorial career has been met with mixed reactions, to put it kindly. However, “Company” could represent his most intriguing effort to date. There’s already a fascinating dynamic at play with a narrative that features layers of interconnected storylines and time periods, which could serve as a compelling dissection of provocative character studies. What’s perhaps the most engrossing element of the film is the cast that has been assembled, which includes the likes of Nick Nolte, Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn. To watch such fine actors in a film that aims to be a mediation on powerful human emotions makes this one to look forward to. Affleck’s efforts as a director have not been shown to be incredibly notable to date, but there’s an ambition with the storytelling here that could prove to be more impactful outing.

–Josh Parham

The Echo Chamber, dir. Andrea Pallaoro
Andrea Pallaoro, the director/writer behind the intimate drama “Monica,” returns to the Lido with “The Echo Chamber,” a love story starring Alicia Vikander, Susan Sarandon, and Luca Marinelli. This is Bernardo Bertolucci’s final screenplay, but Pallaoro said in recent interviews that, with co-writers Ilaria Bernardini and Ludovica Rampoldi, he made the story his own with a tale full of love, longing, absence, possession and obsession. All of that sounds juicy, and it could be a big showcase for “The Eight Mountains” star Marinelli, who plays a music producer struggling with drug addiction, according to Deadline.

–Ema Sasic

Furies, dir. Rami Kodeih

One of the best aspects of a huge film festival is that it gives many the opportunity for discovery. While there are plenty of filmmakers who have already established their voices as recognizable and respected, there are a plethora of others who have not quite had the same level of exposure. It’s exciting when one gets the chance to make such a find, and “Furies” from Rami Kodeih could very well be that kind of gem. Set during the economic collapse in Lebanon, two women take bold action and plan a heist in an effort to retrieve the money that the banks have refused to give back to them. It’s an alluring premise right off the bat, tackling a national issue and the ordinary citizens it affects through the lens of compelling crime narrative. Kodeih has worked on several acclaimed short films, but his feature film work has not been as extensive. What a wonderful opportunity to expand his filmography and hopefully bear witness to an enticing showcase of essential commentary.

–Josh Parham

Ink, dir. Danny Boyle

Any film that opens a film festival always has a great deal of scrutiny around it. It can be an important omen that determines how the rest of the festival might play out, so it’s necessary to find an appropriate tone setter. Perhaps fortunes will be favorable for Danny Boyle’s latest. After a string of disappointing efforts, he managed to find a renewed interest by returning to a franchise he originated with “28 Years Later.” With such an acclaimed entry, he sets his sights on another looming figure with nefarious intent with “Ink”, focusing on the Rupert Murdoch media empire. Reteaming with Jack O’Connell and a cast that also features Guy Pearce and Claire Foy, the project sounds like an intriguing analysis of a highly controversial subject. In these heightened political times, this could very well make a significant impact.

–Josh Parham

Musk, dir. Alex Gibney

Alex Gibney will always be an admirable figure in the world of documentaries, simply because of how consistent he is. In a time when the medium has seen a struggle in mainstream distribution, his output remains impressively consistent. He’s also someone consumed by topicality and works quickly to deliver pieces that speak to our modern concerns. It’s no surprise that Elon Musk, such a looming figure on the global stage, would be of fascination to this director. His nearly four hour examination of the highly controversial man is sure to raise many an eyebrow. It’s a life that has already been well researched by many others, but Gibney’s talents always find ways to craft an engaging commentary through his expressive filmmaking. The massive runtime is still daunting, and one wonders if that’s a cause for concern in regards to broader appeal. However, there’s no denying that a new project from this director is one that immediately has our curiosity as we all wait to see if any new information will be revealed about a man who has already done so much to surprise and shock the world.

–Josh Parham

NAZA, dir. Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor
Witnessing the incredible response to “No Other Land” two years ago was quite a significant moment. An incredibly important film documenting the struggles that Palestinians face against Israeli colonizers was a powerful statement, and the Oscar it won for Best Documentary Feature was a victory not just for those filmmakers but for the political statement that needed to be heard. It automatically makes any follow-up from this creative team worth seeing, and “NAZA” predictably has a large amount of attention on it. This effort does not have the previous film’s two Palestinian directors, but Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor have still chosen to focus on the rampant killing of the country’s citizens at the hands of Israeli forces. This is sure to be another controversial effort, but could be another searing indictment that takes hold in our current culture. This year’s festival already has a number of high profile documentaries, and the late announcement of this title to the lineup made that collection even more noteworthy. The world braces itself for another tragic yet necessary exploration of a great injustice being committed on a massive scale.

–Josh Parham

Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?, dir. Shinya Tsukamoto
Shinya Tsukamoto’s “Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?” appears to be one of the more emotional watches that the Venice Film Festival will produce. Adapted from a true story, the film follows Allen Nelson, a young man looking to escape discrimination and poverty, who serves on the frontlines of the Vietnam War. Like thousands of other soldiers, the experience changed Nelson’s life forever. Rodney Hicks leads the project, which could be a huge standout moment for the actor who has mainly worked in television and theater in his career. Either way, I’m preparing for a brutal, bracing, and emotional watch – there’s always at least one during a festival!

–Ema Sasic

No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman, dir. Halkawt Mustafa
Norwegian Kurdish film director Halkawt Mustafa takes on a story of love and resilience in “No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman.” The film follows Kurdish female sniper Vyan (played by Avan Jamal) on a mission to find her little sister, who was taken against her will during the 2014 Islamic State assault on Mosul. This is another anticipated tough watch, especially as women across the Middle East continue to protest against systemic oppression. But I won’t lie, I love the sound of a female sniper taking down a group whose ideology includes taking away women’s freedoms. Jamal appears to have a loaded role on her hands, balancing physical demands with the emotional toll her character has endured in the years she’s tried to find her sister. This will be one to watch.

–Ema Sasic

Place to Be, dir. Kornél Mundruczó

How’s this for a hodgepodge cast: Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi, Pamela Anderson, Murray Bartlett, and David Wenham. That’s who is taking on Kornél Mundruczó’s light-hearted road movie “Place to Be,” which is about an unexpected friendship between an elderly woman and a middle-aged man going on an adventure to return a lost racing pigeon. It sounds very wacky, not only from the premise but also from imagining this cast hanging out together, but there’s also potential for this to be quite charming. While Waititi’s films are certainly polarizing, he brings a chaotic and fun energy when he’s acting on the screen, and it’ll be quite something to see that matched with Oscar-winner Burstyn, who can truly do it all.

–Ema Sasic

Possible Love, dir. Lee Chang-dongIt’s been eight long years since Lee Chang-dong’s last film “Burning,” a powerfully rendered meditation that continues to linger today. The masterful storyteller has been absent for far too long, which is why his return is incredibly appealing. His focus on intimate character studies with a deep examination of internalized conflicts are mesmerizing to discover, and there’s little doubt that he will once again indulge in a captivating narrative. Few directors are able to create a portrait of complex human connectivity quite like him, and any lover of cinema has to be excited for what he has in store. Apart from that, it has been noted how much South Korean cinema has struggled with getting proper recognition from the Academy, and all eyes are on this film to see if such a long-running rejection might finally turn a corner.

–Josh Parham

Primetime, dir. Lance Oppenheim
Robert Pattinson putting on a voice in a film? I am so seated. He has come a long way since his “Twilight” days, and anyone who doesn’t think he’s one of today’s very best working actors only has to look at the incredible 2026 he has had. He gave us a wild dramedy with “The Drama,” he came alive as the entitled Antinous in “The Odyssey,” and now he’s giving us “Primetime,” in which he takes on the role of “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen. He has become one of those chameleon actors who can seemingly do it all, and it will be really interesting to see him take on such a recognizable and notorious figure as this. The trailer gave us a snippet of what to expect, and just hearing him say “I’m Chris Hansen, with Dateline NBC” was enough to get me totally on board. Powerhouse performer Merritt Wever is also in the cast, and I can’t wait to see what she does.

–Ema Sasic

The Spiral (L’estranea), dir. Paolo Strippoli
There are sinister vibes brewing with “The Spiral,” which make me eager to see it. Horror director Paolo Strippoli sets the film in the middle of a family’s life changing, all thanks to mother Anna revealing a major secret to her daughter. What that secret is, and what follows, is a mystery, but Strippoli clued us in with his director’s statement that this is a story about control, desperation, and the possibilities that come with a choice. It all sounds enticing and has the potential to be full-blown chaos, which is always a blast to see on the big screen.

–Ema Sasic

Wild Horse Nine, dir. Martin McDonagh

At this point, Martin McDonagh as become one of the most notable directors working today. Despite a limited amount of features to his name, nearly all of them attract critical and commercial acclaim. Every new endeavor from him is one that must be anticipated, and “Wild Horse Nine” is no exception. The film has been building buzz for months at this point, and it’s hard to argue against the pedigree. McDonagh once again finds himself in the world of dubious morals, which is a commentary he is quite adept at exploring in compelling ways. A fantastic ensemble that includes exceptional actors like John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Parker Posey make this perhaps the highest profile entry in the entire festival. Time will tell if this is the surefire player in the upcoming awards season many believe it to be, and it’s exciting that the first unveiling is almost upon us.

–Josh Parham

What do you think of our list? Which films are you most excited to see from the Venice International Film Festival? Please let us know in the comments section below or on Next Best Picture’s X account, and check out our latest Oscar predictions here.

The post Our Most Anticipated Films For The 2026 Venice Film Festival appeared first on Next Best Picture.

Following our 507th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we’re back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Nadia Dalimonte, Cody Dericks, Daniel Howat, Larry Fried & Tom O’Brien join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Additionally, for this episode, we are also revealing the NBP Film Community Award Winners (and our own internal NBP Film Awards) for our 2008 retrospective! Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you’d like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you’ll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us anywhere you listen to podcasts or listen in the embedded player below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you’re feeling generous, you enjoy what you hear, and you want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month, and you’ll receive some exclusive podcast content from us.

You can follow Matt, Nadia, Cody, Daniel, Larry & Tom and hear more of their thoughts on the Oscars and Film on X @NextBestPicture, @nadreviews, @codymonster91, @howatdk, @_hey_larry & @thomaseobrien

The post The Next Best Picture Podcast: Episode 507 – Mailbag Monday appeared first on Next Best Picture.

THE STORY – When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers breaks loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter.

THE CAST – Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey & Rebecca Hall

THE TEAM – Adam Wingard (Director) & Simon Barrett (Writer)

THE RUNNING TIME –  92 Minutes

“Onslaught” may be one of the gnarliest experiences anyone will endure in a theater this year. The visceral reaction fresh out of the film naturally starts with the most surface-level sentiment, as audiences will spend most of the film’s runtime watching a battle-hardened Adria Arjona and others doused in copious amounts of blood. Yet “Onslaught” also aims to strike a chord beyond the gore-intensive violence that piques audiences’ curiosity, seeking to find the connection behind the satisfaction we derive from this brand of cinematic carnage and its ties to the sinister constitution of a war-obsessive country like the United States. It’s a slippery slope for filmmaker Adam Wingard, who has never had an issue with pushing audiences to their limits, or at least used to. “Onslaught”, which plays as a spiritual successor to “The Guest,” feels like a nice return to form for Wingard, who’s been more interested in roaming around the world of Kaijus the past few years with the Godzilla-Kong crossover features. Any concerns that he may have lost his edge should be appeased with Wingard’s latest outing, yet even by the time the credits roll, you can’t help but feel that, despite being a mostly satisfying affair, it doesn’t fully hit the spot.

Wingard certainly tees up audiences with a flashbang of an opening montage hammering iconography synonymous with American culture and white nationalist movements, mainly the Nazi Party. Guns, swastikas, and plenty of historical ties between these two destructive ingredients ultimately pour into a blender that leads us to witness Dan Stevens in all of his freakishly transformative glory. Stevens’ Dr. Hans Kammler, a leather-licking German scientist with a “mysterious” lineage, is on the verge of his greatest production: a trio of super soldiers constructed from some of modern military’s most barbaric and tragic warriors. While this secretive experimental contract looks to be ripe for exploration, things go beautifully awry, leading these Jason-esque killing machines down the path of Arjona’s Celeste.

Arjona, who has slowly been rising through the ranks of Hollywood with one solid turn after another, gets the chance to step up in her first leading role. Celeste feels like a character primed for a performer like Arjona to relish all the B-movie hallmarks that give her enough material to make her mark. Celeste, a former army sniper, now wallows in isolation in the dust bowl of a trailer park that is Windy Oaks. She’s relegated herself to a semi-isolated lifestyle, spending her time either at target practice or dealing with the issues of the trailer park’s tenants in her role as a live-in super. Arjona brings a hardened demeanor to the character, which clashes with her young daughter Daisy’s ever-developing nature during a contentious time between Celeste and the father of her child. Celeste is struggling as a mother and just trying to stay in Daisy’s life, but now that these big bad super soldiers have come her way, the only thing that matters is keeping her alive.

Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett, despite their conflicting messages, understand that in the grindhouse genre, violence is fundamentally the only way to solve the problem. Audiences witness both the clap-worthy display of havoc that feels satisfactory while also sitting through an emotional whiplash due to some of the most unsettling depictions of gun violence in a film in recent memory that taps into a more realistic horror aligned with what we witness daily in this country. Wingard teeters on the provocative but never fully pulls the trigger, letting moments like an on-screen public massacre feel fleeting, as if it is merely a button to be pressed that aligns with the hardcore aesthetic he’s trying to create. This is only bolstered by the inspired kills and the depictions of sexual deviancy that are on brand with films of this pedigree.

Barrett’s screenplay is simplistic but effective, especially when it’s centered around the mother-daughter story that is the heart of “Onslaught.” Even if the bare minimum is us witnessing a cliched dynamic of a mother out of sync with a child that needs her to step up, it’s plenty of leeway to get audiences to wanna root for mamma bear to destroy anything in her path. Amid all the lunacy, the structure of Barrett’s work leaves many of the eccentric elements feeling occasionally isolated from the main narrative. The best example of this is Drew Starkey’s Cyrus, a perverted professional cleaner hired by the federal government to clean up any remnants of Dr. Kammler’s disaster. Starkey, with those frightening beach-blond dyed eyebrows, subtly steals the show as his character stumbles around laced on MDMA, bringing to life some of the film’s more visually delirious moments. It’s a blast to see Starkey loosen up with a character mainly present to follow the trail of destruction leading to Celeste. Still, it feels more like an afterthought, given how segmented it is compared to the story’s central conflict.

Wingard at least uses these hammed-up and tortured personas that populate “Onslaught” to create a nightmarish look. Oren Soffer’s cinematography bounces around various styles, whether it’s the striking black-and-white photography in Celeste’s wartime flashbacks or the acidic flair injected by the super soldiers or Cyrus navigating a workplace acid trip. Wingard’s action, while not the most dazzlingly constructed, is always entertaining to witness. The scares aren’t equally impressive, but at least Josh Schaeffer and Adam Avery’s editing does its best to inject the right energy into some of the film’s most intense moments.

The added inclusion of ’80s stars like Reginald VelJohnson and Michael Biehn also strengthens the pastiche Wingard is striving for. “Onslaught” succeeds in most of what it tries to tackle, even if, at the end of the day, its core is a bit too familiar for a film trying to break the mold. At the very least, it delivers on what it promises: a gun-ho Arjona kicking ass, ripping these unusual vehicles of death to shreds. At the end of the day, what more could you really want?

The post “ONSLAUGHT” appeared first on Next Best Picture.

Film at Lincoln Center has added the world premiere of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall to the Spotlight section of the 64th New York Film Festival. Presented by Film at Lincoln Center in partnership with Rolex, the 64th New York Film Festival will take place from September 25 through October 12. The film will debut on October 1 at Alice Tully Hall on 35mm with Paul Thomas Anderson and Cameron Winter in attendance.

Even for those who already admired the talents of Brooklyn’s own Cameron Winter, both as a solo artist and as the front man of the band Geese, his performance at Carnegie Hall on December 11, 2025, was a revelation. A stripped-down set in which he accompanied himself on a Steinway grand, the show cemented Winter’s status as a one-of-a-kind cabaret art-pop balladeer, his soaring vibrato resonating throughout a theater known for its legendary acoustics. Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson was there with a crew, including his Licorice Pizza collaborator Benny Safdie, to capture this major star-is-born moment, and the result is a smashing cinematic concert, shot on 16mm and 35mm with a perfect mix of intimate images of Winter and of the cavernous space, keyed into the singer-songwriter’s effortless combination of bravado and sensitivity, darkness and light. A Janus Films and Criterion release.

NYFF Artistic Director Dennis Lim said: “A generational talent delivers a mesmerizing performance before a rapt audience in an iconic venue, and a filmmaker with a rare and instinctive feel for music captures it with the utmost sensitivity: Paul Thomas Anderson’s document of Cameron Winter’s Carnegie Hall triumph is, quite simply, a concert movie for the ages.”

Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall continues Paul Thomas Anderson’s history with the New York Film Festival and Film at Lincoln Center. Boogie Nights was an NYFF35 Main Slate selection; Punch-Drunk Love was the NYFF40 Centerpiece selection; Inherent Vice world premiered as the NYFF52 Centerpiece selection; and Anderson’s first music documentary, Junun, world premiered at NYFF53. Most recently, Film at Lincoln Center held the New York premiere of his six-time Academy Award–winning One Battle After Another on 70mm, featuring the director and cast in attendance, and presented 70mm screenings of Boogie Nights, The Master, and Inherent Vice at the Walter Reade Theater. Cameron Winter is also featured in Jonathan Glazer’s Joy of Joys, an NYFF64 Spotlight selection making its world premiere at the festival.

The NYFF Main Slate and Spotlight selection committee is chaired by Dennis Lim, NYFF Artistic Director, and includes Florence Almozini, Justin Chang, and Rachel Rosen. Violeta Bava, Michelle Carey, K. Austin Collins, and Antoine Thirion are NYFF program advisors.

NYFF64 is generously supported by Festival Co-Chairs Susannah Gray and John Lyons, Susan and John Hess, Almudena and Pablo Legorreta, Imelda and Peter Sobiloff, and Nanna and Dan Stern; Vice-Chairs Jack Heller, Tara Kelleher and Roy Zuckerberg, and Ronnie Planalp; and Supporters Viviana and Guillermo Bichara, Great Hill, Kathy and Kris Heinzelman, Wendy Keys, Hillary Koota Krevlin and Glenn Krevlin, Marcia DB Levy and William G. Levy, Ari Rifkin, and Mary Solomon / GS Gives.

Explore the NYFF64 lineup and schedule here. Pass holders and FLC Members receive NYFF64 pre-sale access (pre-sale dates vary by level). Passes are on sale now in limited quantities. NYFF64 single tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, September 15 at noon ET.

Sign up for forthcoming NYFF64 announcements.

What do you think of this news? Are you excited for this year’s New York Film Festival? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.

The post Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Cameron Winter At Carnegie Hall” Will World Premiere At The 2026 New York Film Festival (NYFF) appeared first on Next Best Picture.