Author: Alex Billington

"Unusual life form detected." What is it?! RLJE Films has debuted the full official trailer for Ash, the next cinema project from acclaimed musician / filmmaker Flying Lotus. It's ready for release in theaters this March! It's his latest feature since making the experimental Kuso film in 2017, along with a fun short film in the V/H/S/99 anthology. A woman wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed. Her investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events. Apparently this is less experimental and more "contained" than Kuso, with a full-on production budget. He shot it down in NZ: "People go to New Zealand to shoot sci-fi and fantasy movies, so I was [working with] all these people who worked on The Lord of the Rings and other Peter Jackson and James Cameron stuff." Ash stars Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Beulah Koale, and Flying Lotus himself. This film will premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival before it hits theaters in a few months. Can't wait to watch! Looks super trippy and mysterious and thrilling and extra strange. Always love jumping into original sci-fi. Here's […]

"I just want to introduce you to a little taste of hell." The Avenue has revealed the first official trailer for an intriguing new stuck-in-one-place horror thriller film titled Locked, from filmmaker David Yarovesky - best known for directing the supervillain horror Brightburn a few years ago. The story follows a thief who breaks into a luxury SUV, only to realize that he has slipped into a sophisticated and deadly trap. With no means of escape, Eddie must fight to survive in a ride where escape is an illusion, survival is a nightmare, and justice shifts into high gear. From producer Sam Raimi comes Locked, starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins (as the SUV owner who taunts him) in the ultimate auto horror-thriller. The cast also includes Ashley Cartwright and Navid Charkhi. It's fun to see something entirely original out there, but this is such a kooky concept. Looks like it gets even crazier than you think! Check out this wild trailer below. Here's the first official trailer for David Yarovesky's horror film Locked, direct from YouTube: From producer Sam Raimi comes a relentless horror-thriller where luxury becomes deadly. When Eddie (Bill Skarsgård) breaks into a luxury SUV, he steps […]

"Heart Eyes - romance is dead." 😍 There's an awesome fan-made vintage trailer for Heart Eyes available to watch online - it's a damn good fan-made creation. This horror romantic comedy from filmmaker Josh Ruben opens just before Valentine's Day in a few weeks (watch the official trailer). Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding co-star as the main couple. For the past several years, the "Heart Eyes Killer" has wreaked havoc on Valentine's Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. He is still out there. This Valentine's Day, no couple is safe... This is going to be crazy fun - a slasher horror x romantic comedy mashup as they run around Seattle navigating the city's romantic landscape while evading the killer. The cast also features Gigi Zumbado, Jordana Brewster, and Devon Sawa. This is such an amazing vintage trailer - they perfectly nailed the VHS tape 80s slasher vibes. This was created by Wilson Cleveland (follow @WilsonCleveland) for fun in anticipation of the upcoming release of this horror flick. Who's planning to catch this in theaters? Here's the fun vintage 1980s trailer for Josh Ruben's horror movie Heart Eyes, direct from YouTube: You can rewatch the official trailer for Ruben's Heart […]

There comes a point in everyone's life where they have to to learn to grow up a little, and move on from their past relationships. It's not easy, of course. There's always much to think about. But it's the right thing to do. Love, Brooklyn is a film about exactly this moment in the life of a man living in Brooklyn, New York. This delightful and humble film is the feature directorial debut of an impressive, up-and-coming indie filmmaker named Rachael Abigail Holder who's from New York (it's obvious from the way she captures Brooklyn on camera). After directing on many TV series previously, she is making her mark on the indie film scene by directing this lovely little feature - from a screenplay written by Paul Zimmerman. This is such a beautiful discovery, and I had such a warm & wonderful experience watching this at its world premiere at Sundance. I could feel the buzz and energy in the air, the audience was wrapped up in this story and moved by it as much as I was. That communal experience of falling in love with a film while sitting together is always so touching. Love, Brooklyn stars André Holland […]

"The world ain't fair. It ain't supposed to be fair... that's how it works." Briarcliff Entertainment has finally unveiled an official trailer for Magazine Dreams, the long-delayed film featuring actor Jonathan Majors as a psychotic body builder in LA. This initially premiered back at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to great reviews (here's mine), and was bought by Searchlight Pictures pretty quickly. But then Majors was arrested and then found guilty for assault and harassment, so they sold off the film and pulled it from the schedule. Briarcliff has picked it up instead years later and is now setting it for a March 2025 release coming soon. An amateur bodybuilder struggles to find any human connection in this exploration of celebrity and violence. Magazine Dreams stars Jonathan Majors as a body builder named Killian Maddox, who is obsessed with winning body sculpting competitions but has nothing else in life. The cast also includes Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, Mike O'Hearn, Harrison Page, & Harriet Sansom Harris. Despite Majors' troubles, this is a good film and it should be released anyway – especially as a cautionary tale about vanity and fame. Here's the first official trailer for Elijah Bynum's film Magazine Dreams, direct […]

"Wait for me – before you two start hitting each other." Lionsgate has unveiled the first official trailer for a crime comedy called Riff Raff, the latest film directed by New Yorker filmmaker Dito Montiel. Not to be confused with the 1935 classic with Spencer Tracy. This first premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival last year, and will be out in theaters in February. One-time criminal Vince turned his life around when he fell in love with Sandy. Nearly 20 years later, the still-happy couple are looking forward to spending a quiet New Year’s Eve with their son. But then Vince's other son, Rocco, shows up unannounced with his pregnant girlfriend, Marina, and Vince's first wife, Ruth, in tow. It is not a happy reunion. Ruth is rude & lewd, while Rocco — who never divested left the family business — is clearly hiding something. Hot on Rocco's tail is Lefty, an aging mafioso with a score to settle regarding his own son. The film features Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Lewis Pullman, Miles J. Harvey, Emanuela Postacchini, Michael Angelo Covino, Pete Davidson, and Bill Murray. This one looks mildly amusing, but mostly skippable. Here's the first official trailer […]

Move over, The Substance, there's another hot new body horror in town! One of my favorite 2025 Sundance Film Festival premieres is this feature directorial debut called Together from the Midnight section of the line-up this year. It's the first full-length feature from the superbly talented Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks, best known for his award-winning stop-motion short film Rebooted about an out-of-work skeleton in Hollywood. Shanks not only aced that short film, but now he's rocking Sundance with his orignial body horror comedy. Together stars real life couple Alison Brie & Dave Franco as a couple in the film. It's a body horror about codependency in relationships, and let's just say the freaky horror element is about them uh "coming together" in disgusting ways. Yes it's impossible not to compare it to The Substance, but it's also unique in many of its own ways, and above all keeps the trend going of terrific body horror films nowadays. Together is both written and directed by Michael Shanks as his feature debut. It's also produced by Alison Brie & Dave Franco (and a group of other producers), who got involved when Shanks first met Franco years ago. I'm glad they helped make […]

There are times when I come across a great documentary and all I want to do is rave and rave about it and convince everyone else to watch the film. But I must confess – it's always a challenge. How can I convince anyone to watch this time capsule film about high school kids in the 1990s trying out journalism? It's not an easy sell no matter what I say about it. Nonetheless this film needs to be seen and admired and discussed – there's so much to appreciate. Middletown is the latest documentary film creation from the two acclaimed filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss – they're both regulars at Sundance with their doc films Boys States, Girls State, and The Mission previously. They're back again already at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with another excellent doc. This one really shook me up and has been stuck on my mind ever since. So many moments and conversations hit me hard and have remained on my mind, playing over and over as I think about the state of the world right now, and what's going on in journalism at this moment in history. Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss' film Middletown revives […]

"Can we push back this deadline that you've set?" Dark Sky Films has revealed an official trailer for indie thriller Lifeline, from director Feras Alfuqaha. Yet another hotline thriller focusing on a person answering a phone - this night he receives an odd, paranormal call. There have been a few of these recently - including The Guilty with Jake Gyllenhaal or Tessa Thompson's The Listener. In Lifeline, a suicide hotline operator gets a late-night call from someone who claims to be him, knowing private details only he would know, and threatening to end his life in an hour. The operator must race against time to stop "himself" from suicide. Josh Stewart stars as Steven Thomas, along with August Maturo, Charlene Amoia, Jocelyn Ayanna, Nicole Santiago, Jill Awbrey, & Brecken Merrill. This also reminds me of the film Frequency (2000) about a father and son connecting across time through the phone. Lifeline looks much better than it sounds. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Feras Alfuqaha's film Lifeline, direct from YouTube: A late-night suicide hotline operator named Steven Thomas (starring Josh Stewart) receives a disturbing call from someone claiming to be him, knowing personal details only he would know. The […]

"All resistance organizations will be destroyed without mercy." After 8 years in release limbo, Paramount is finally showing & promoting this World War II assassination film The Man with the Iron Heart. We initially featured the first trailer for this way back in 2017, when it debuted in Europe under the original title HHhH, which is the same title from the book it's adapted from. In 1942, as Nazi power tightens its grip on Europe, two brave Czech resistance fighters are sent on a mission to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, the ruthless architect behind the "Final Solution." Starring Jason Clarke & Rosamund Pike, and based on true events, this gripping WWII drama reveals an extraordinary tale of courage, sacrifice, and defiance, as two men risk everything to strike at the heart of unimaginable evil. The ensemble cast also includes Jack O'Connell, Jack Reynor, Mia Wasikowska, Stephen Graham, Thomas M. Wright, and more. Not sure why it took so long for this to get release in the US - perhaps afraid of the assassination plot? Whatever the case, it's now available on VOD everywhere if anyone wants to dive fully into this true story from history. Here's the new 2025 trailer (+ […]