Due to the confluence of holiday and flu seasons, our Best of 2025 episode is delayed a week, so in its place we're sharing a recent episode of The Lobby, our Patreon-exclusive series focusing on movies we don't cover on the main feed. If you'd like to become a Patreon supporter and get ad-free versions of the show, as well as more bonus content like this, you can head over to patreon.com/nextpictureshow to sign up.



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the confluence of holiday and flu seasons, our Best of 2025 episode is delayed a week, so in its place we're sharing a recent episode of The Lobby, our Patreon-exclusive series focusing on movies we don't cover on the main feed. If you'd like to become a Patreon supporter and get ad-free versions of the show, as well as more bonus content like this, you can head over to patreon.com/nextpictureshow to sign up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

Looking at cinema's present via its past. From the former editorial team of The Dissolve, The Next Picture Show examines how classic films inspire and inform modern movies. Episodes take a deep dive into a classic film and its legacy, then compare and contrast that film with a modern successor. Hosted and produced by Genevieve Koski, Keith Phipps, Tasha Robinson, and Scott Tobias.

Looking at cinema's present via its past.

The Next Picture Show

Keith and Tasha make a return trip to Pandora, character-name cheat sheets in hand.

Avatar: Fire and Ash (The Lobby Bonus Episode)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2b293670-789b-4784-aaa3-b441015d59d1/transcript

The Sheep Detectives is about as short on pigs as Babe: Pig In the City is short on sheep, but Kyle Balda’s new family film still reminded us of the 1998 box-office-bomb-turned-cult-classic in its tale of talking animals venturing beyond their idyllic pastures and into a dangerous corner of the human world. George Miller’s  poorly received sequel to Babe may technically have a lower body count than the murder mystery of Sheep Detectives — not for Miller’s lack of trying — but its combination of fable-like whimsy with tragedy and trauma strikes a deeply odd and at times unsettling chord that turned off audiences charmed by its predecessor. It also gives us much to discuss in this week’s revisitation of Pig in the City, as we attempt to locate the emotional core lurking beneath the slapstick antics and kinetic chase scenes, and consider what Miller was trying to say about humanity via a bunch of down-on-their-luck animals. Then in Feedback we return to a point of contention from our recent Fargo episode, and port over a question from the Patreon regarding the critical response to the new biopic Michael. 


Please share your thoughts about Babe: Pig in the City, The Sheep Detectives, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.




This episode is presented by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal Unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off.



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Sheep Detectives is about as short on pigs as Babe: Pig In the City is short on sheep, but Kyle Balda’s new family film still reminded us of the 1998 box-office-bomb-turned-cult-classic in its tale of talking animals venturing beyond their idyllic pastures and into a dangerous corner of the human world. George Miller’s  poorly received sequel to Babe may technically have a lower body count than the murder mystery of Sheep Detectives — not for Miller’s lack of trying — but its combination of fable-like whimsy with tragedy and trauma strikes a deeply odd and at times unsettling chord that turned off audiences charmed by its predecessor. It also gives us much to discuss in this week’s revisitation of Pig in the City, as we attempt to locate the emotional core lurking beneath the slapstick antics and kinetic chase scenes, and consider what Miller was trying to say about humanity via a bunch of down-on-their-luck animals. Then in Feedback we return to a point of contention from our recent Fargo episode, and port over a question from the Patreon regarding the critical response to the new biopic Michael. 
 Please share your thoughts about Babe: Pig in the City, The Sheep Detectives, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.
 
This episode is presented by⁠ <a href="https://www.regmovies.com/join-unlimited">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal Unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

George Miller's deeply odd sequel is the opposite of a crowd-pleaser.

Burden of Hoof, Pt. 1 — Babe: Pig in the City

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5ecb5d2a-ce4c-494b-967c-b448006be1f1/transcript

Despite the snowy setting, law-enforcement-officer protagonist, and pointed poking at the idea of "Minnesota Nice," Ben Wheatley's new Bob Odenkirk-starring shoot-'em-up Nowhere is in many ways the anti-Fargo. Is it fair to compare this scrappy (some might even say sloppy) genre effort to a film as revered as the Coen brothers' comedic crime classic? Maybe not, but that's what we do here at The Next Picture Show, so after a spirited debate over which parts of Nowhere we found the most enervating,  we turn to Connections to consider how the two films' many overlapping elements can play out in such different ways. Then we keep the Fargo talk going in Your Next Picture Show via a general recommendation for its FX television offshoot, and a specific recommendation for which of its five anthology seasons to start with. 

Please share your thoughts about Fargo, Normal, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Next Pairing: Kyle Balda's The Sheep Detectives and George Miller's Babe: Pig in the City




This episode is presented by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal Unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off.



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite the snowy setting, law-enforcement-officer protagonist, and pointed poking at the idea of "Minnesota Nice," Ben Wheatley's new Bob Odenkirk-starring shoot-'em-up Nowhere is in many ways the anti-Fargo. Is it fair to compare this scrappy (some might even say sloppy) genre effort to a film as revered as the Coen brothers' comedic crime classic? Maybe not, but that's what we do here at The Next Picture Show, so after a spirited debate over which parts of Nowhere we found the most enervating, we turn to Connections to consider how the two films' many overlapping elements can play out in such different ways. Then we keep the Fargo talk going in Your Next Picture Show via a general recommendation for its FX television offshoot, and a specific recommendation for which of its five anthology seasons to start with. 
Please share your thoughts about Fargo, Normal, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to <a href="mailto:comments@nextpictureshow.net">comments@nextpictureshow.net</a>, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.
Next Pairing: Kyle Balda's The Sheep Detectives and George Miller's Babe: Pig in the City
 
This episode is presented by⁠ <a href="https://www.regmovies.com/join-unlimited">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a><a href="https://www.regmovies.com/join-unlimited">Regal Unlimited⁠⁠</a><a href="https://www.regmovies.com/join-unlimited">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

Ben Wheatly's new Bob Odenkirk-starring shoot-'em-up is in many ways the anti-Fargo, but does that make it interesting?

Minnesota Not-So-Nice, Pt. 2 — Normal

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2195e662-5d46-45ec-8546-b44101505b01/transcript

As a comedic crime thriller set in snowy Minnesota and featuring a sheriff protagonist, it would be pretty tough for the new Bob Odenkirk-starring shoot-em-up Normal to avoid comparisons to Fargo, and since we will never pass up an opportunity to discuss the Coen Brothers’ 1996 classic, that’s precisely what we will be comparing it to next week. But first we’ll spend this week discussing why Fargo remains so discussable even after multiple viewings, what makes Marge Gunderson — or maybe Jerry Lundegaard — such an effective protagonist, and how the film’s unusual structure and tonal shifts can take even the most seasoned viewer by surprise. Then in Feedback, we keep The Drama going with an encore presentation of our disagreement about that film’s ending.




Please share your thoughts about Fargo, Normal, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.




This episode is presented by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal Unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off.



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a comedic crime thriller set in snowy Minnesota and featuring a sheriff protagonist, it would be pretty tough for the new Bob Odenkirk-starring shoot-em-up Normal to avoid comparisons to Fargo, and since we will never pass up an opportunity to discuss the Coen Brothers’ 1996 classic, that’s precisely what we will be comparing it to next week. But first we’ll spend this week discussing why Fargo remains so discussable even after multiple viewings, what makes Marge Gunderson — or maybe Jerry Lundegaard — such an effective protagonist, and how the film’s unusual structure and tonal shifts can take even the most seasoned viewer by surprise. Then in Feedback, we keep The Drama going with an encore presentation of our disagreement about that film’s ending.
 
Please share your thoughts about Fargo, Normal, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.
 
This episode is presented by⁠ <a href="https://www.regmovies.com/join-unlimited">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal Unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that?

Minnesota Not-So-Nice, Pt. 1 — Fargo

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/92384307-03d1-4e29-9492-b44101527aaa/transcript

Avatar: Fire and Ash (The Lobby Bonus Episode)

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