Author: Alex Billington

"You wind it up and the delightful thing comes to life... But, as it turns out, this amusing plaything has a mind of its own. A rather diabolical mind..." Neon has revealed one final promo trailer for The Monkey, the next Oz Perkins horror film arriving in theaters this week. This is going to be gnarly! After Longlegs last year, get ready for more insanely scary horror from Perkins! Based on the super freaky clapping monkey toy as well as Stephen King's short story of the same name. "Everybody dies." Produced by James Wan, written & directed Perkins, The Monkey is a story about two brothers. The siblings decide to throw the monkey toy away after it starts killing, and try to move on with their lives, growing apart... But the monkey is back – and it's pissed off. Starring Theo James as both bothers Bill & Hall, with Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy. This funny video only includes Osgood Perkins talking directly to us about what to expect with this kooky horror comedy. Give it a whirl. 🐒 "Mr. Perkins Would Like to Say a Few Words to You" - final […]

"You got a voice good enough to perform on any stage you want." 🎸 Music makes the world much better! Vertical has debuted an official trailer for The Golden Voice, a wholesome indie film made by American filmmaker Brandon Eric Kamin. This originally premiered in 2022 under the title Rittenhouse Square, but has since been reworked and is finally getting released later this month on VOD. A homeless veteran and a young street singer, both on a self-destructive path, battle through their dark times with friendship and music. Starring Dharon Jones as KJ and Nick Nolte as Barry, the two who connect, along with Sydney Mae Diaz and Carmen Ruby Floyd. It was previously named after Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, where it was filmed back October 2021. It looks like a heartfelt, uplifting story about how human connection really does make a difference when you can both see the goodness in each other. Check out the trailer below. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Brandon Eric Kamin's film The Golden Voice, from YouTube: Tells the story of a young man named KJ (Dharon Jones) who befriends an older homeless veteran, Barry (Nick Nolte). As KJ struggles with the aftermath […]

"She thinks that you are in possession of nukes and are planning to blow up Texas." Wait, what!? Yellow Veil Pictures has revealed an official trailer for a wacky, weird, indie comedy film titled Rats! set in Fresno, Texas. This initially premiered at the 2023 Cucalorus Film Festival a few years ago, and played at more fests throughout 2024 including Fantasia and Seattle and Calgary Underground. In Fresno, Texas, graffiti artist Raphael's arrest leads to his involvement in a chain of surprising events involving a sting operation, suicide, drug deals, criminal suspicions, weapons, a newswoman, and a plutonium deal gone wrong, creating chaos. Reviews add even more superlatives: "Chock-full of gross-out humor, emo haircuts, and a female cop who loves the c-word, Rats! is a shockingly touching coming-of-age story." Rats! stars Danielle Evon Ploeger, Luke Wilcox, Darius Autry, Khali Sykes, Ariel Ash, Jacob Wysocki, and John Ennis. Looks like a crazy punk rock indie film from the 90s that they used to make. Bonkers! This actually seems like good fun. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Carl Fry & Maxwell Nalevansky's film Rats!, direct from YouTube: It's 2007 in Pfresno, Texas. Raphael is in county jail following an arrest […]

The official awards for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, held in Utah every January, were announced this morning with a small ceremony held in person in Utah. This always marks the end of the fest, with a few days of screenings left. The festival continued this week with at-home viewings in addition to all the in-person events. This year's line-up featured a grand total of 88 feature films, quite a few less than expected, with a number of indie gems in the selection. The main winners for 2025 include Atropia, taking home Grand Jury Prize; along with Brittany Shyne's Seeds winning the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary. The Audience Awards went to Twinless and (doc) Andre is an Idiot, entirely expected based on the effusive reactions to both. The winners this year are rather mild & unexciting, even though there are some amazing films at Sundance not many of them got any awards. As always, if any of these films interest you, we hope you note them down and catch up with them as soon as you can. All of the main 2025 winners listed below. Here's the full announcement of winners with synopsis next to each. The 2025 festival […]

"How dark are you willing to go?" Janus Films has revealed another brand new US teaser trailer for The Shrouds, the latest feature film made by genre mastermind David Cronenberg. This originally premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival last year, earning mixed reviews from critics at the fest. "The Shrouds centers on Karsh, a prominent businessman. Inconsolable since the death of his wife, he invents GraveTech – a revolutionary and controversial technology that enables the living to monitor their dear departed in their shrouds. One night, multiple graves, including that of Karsh's wife, are desecrated. Karsh sets out to track down the perpetrators." It's inspired by the idea of having a permanent connection with the dead, but goes beyond that as Cronenberg explains his own "shrouds" are "cinematic devices" and calls this as "cemetery cinema." Starring Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, and Sandrine Holt. The mysterious, macabre thriller about the dead is heavily influenced by Cronenberg's wife's passing a few years prior. If any of this intrigues you, stay tuned for the full trailer before the film's US release coming this April. Get a peek. Here's the official US teaser trailer for David Cronenberg's film The Shrouds, direct […]

"A fresh take on a toxic relationship." Utopia has unveiled an official trailer for an indie film titled I Love You Forever, marking the feature directorial debut of two filmmakers Cazzie David & Elisa Kalani - who both wrote and directed this together. The film initially premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival last year. This "all-consuming modern love story" opens at Quad Cinema in NYC in February and will be on VOD after in time for Valentine's Day. Mackenzie is a disillusioned 25-year old law student whose love life consists of non-committal hookups and situationships from hell. When she finally has a "real life meet-cute" with Finn, a handsome and charming journalist who isn't afraid to show affection, she starts to believe true love may actually exist. When Finn's darker side begins to emerge, Mackenzie finds herself trapped in a tumultuous cycle of emotional abuse, and must confront whether her true love is too good to be true after all. Starring Sofia Black-D'Elia as Mackenzie, with Ray Nicholson, Jon Rudnitsky, Cazzie David, and Raymond Cham Jr. This looks like it starts kinda sweet, then gets really upsetting as it goes on. Watch with caution. Here's the official trailer (+ […]

There are stories that need to be told. There are experiences that we need to understand. This is one of those films that tells a story that needs to be shown and taught and appreciated. All That's Left of You (اللي باقي منك) is an extraordinary, powerful new film made by the Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis, her third feature film after making Amreeka and May in the Summer years before. All That's Left of You is a remarkable tale of a Palestinian family told across three generations as they deal with great trauma and grief under decades of oppression and occupation from Israelis. It's a miracle this film even got made, and exists, and is premiering at a film festival like Sundance (because the Berlin Film Festival would never show this even though it really should be playing over there, too). Dabis was just about to start filming in Palestine in October 2023 and had to move to other countries to continue production. I was there at the world premiere and it was very moving evening - especially listening to Cherien speak passionately before and after the film. All That's Left of You is both written and directed by filmmaker […]

"Staying alive matters and we're not going to do that with your fancy little mini-burritos." "It's called a taquito!" Mmmmmm I would like to try some. An official trailer has debuted for a super wacky, low budget indie comedy called Cuisine de la 'Pocalypse, from filmmaker Kyle Weingart. Set to debut in theaters during the next few months. 10 years after the world as we know it ends, one aspiring chef refuses to give up on his dreams and creates the apocalypse's first cooking show. For John, it will take more than the end of the world for him to give up on his dream of getting his cooking show "out there". John lives in the Gilligan Island-esc town of New Missoula. After he uploads his show to the town’s makeshift internet service, the apocalyptic town’s exact location becomes known to the world. The film stars Kevin Jack as John, Kevin Sorbo, Natasha Leggero, Emilio Rivera, Zuzu Weingart, & Braeden Sorbo. Another of these films you'd find in the back of a VHS store and laugh at because it is so dumb & goofy, but that's the whole point. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Kyle Weingart's film Cuisine […]

"It's a workout!" Netflix has unveiled a first look teaser for the upcoming action sequel The Old Guard 2, arriving sometime later in 2025 for streaming. This is a very short 40-sec promo featurette, with nothing but behind-the-scenes shots edited together and no other dialogue besides a few fun quips from Charlize Theron. Some of you may remember the first The Old Guard movie was released on Netflix back in 2020. Go behind the scenes of The Old Guard 2 and get a taste of the insane action coming your way this year — keep your eyes peeled for new faces and one shocking return. Huh. Andy and her team of immortal warriors return to protect humanity from a formidable new enemy who threatens their existence. The Old Guard 2 features Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Vân Veronica Ngô, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Uma Thurman, and Henry Golding, too. I was not a fan of the first movie and I'm not sure this one will be any better. We'll see. Stay tuned for the full trailer soon. Here's the first look featurette for Victoria Mahoney's sequel The Old Guard 2, from Netflix's YouTube: Andy (Charlize Theron) […]

"We suck! I wanna know what you're gonna do to stop the sucking." Netflix has unveiled an official trailer for a new sports series called Running Point, a fictional drama series about a Los Angeles basketball team executive. This series is produced and developed by Mindy Kaling for WB Television, and will be released by Netflix starting at the end of February this winter sports season. "The balls are in her court now. Game on, boys." 🏀 Kate Hudson stars in Running Point, a new comedy series from exec producer Mindy Kaling. Isla Gordon (Hudson), overlooked her whole life, is appointed President of the LA Waves basketball team, a family business. She aims to prove she was the right choice despite skepticism. The 10-episode series also features Brenda Song, Drew Tarver, Scott MacArthur, Fabrizio Guido, Toby Sandeman, Chet Hanks, Jay Ellis, Max Greenfield, and Justin Theroux. This looks like an entertaining, all-out sports comedy series - perhaps something to rival HBO's Lakers series Winning Time. Hudson and Song look like they're having a blast making this. The whole cast looks like they're very much enjoying themselves in this. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Netflix's comedy series Running Point, […]