Author: Alex Billington

"It's like being a secret agent with none of the danger." Focus Features has revealed the first official trailer for a clever new fantasy comedy called The American Society of Magical Negroes, which also marks the feature directorial debut of actor / comedian Kobi Libii. This is premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January as one of the key films in the Premieres section. For centuries, there has been a society hidden in plain sight, working in secret to protect Black people from harm. It's called "The American Society of Magical Negroes." An intelligent young man, Aren, is recruited into this secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people's lives easier. Starring Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, Drew Tarver, Rupert Friend, Nicole Byer, and An-Li Bogan as Lucy. Sundance says that this "is a must-see satire about what it means for Black people to protect and care for ourselves and each other. Libii's auspicious debut is destined to find its place in the cinematic canon of essential ...

"You don't escape trauma by ignoring it." Neon has revealed the main official trailer for the powerful film Origin, the latest work from acclaimed writer / director / producer Ava DuVernay. The film premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, and it also played at TIFF this fall. It's about "the unspoken system that has shaped America and chronicles how lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions." Origin is inspired by the remarkable life & work of Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson as she pens her seminal book, "Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents". While grappling with tremendous tragedy, Isabel sets herself on a path of global investigation and discovery. Despite the colossal scope of her project, she finds beauty & bravery while crafting one of the defining American books of our time. With Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Nick Offerman, Finn Wittrock, Jasmine Cephas-Jones, Connie Nielsen. It's a vivid story about how caste and racism are connected everywhere you look. I found the film contrived and shallow despite good intentions - ...

"It's your momma's Color Purple, but your momma's gonna like it." Warner Bros is about to release the big screen musical The Color Purple in theaters everywhere on Christmas Day before the end of 2023 (watch the final trailer). Adapted from the Broadway musical, which is also based on the novel by Alice Walker, this is the story about two sisters torn apart. A new behind-the-scenes documentary, Oprah and The Color Purple Journey, will give viewers an inside look at the making of the new movie along with the legacy of Walker's original book and its previous adaptations. It's hosted by Oprah Winfrey, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance as Sofia in the 1985 movie (directed by Steven Spielberg) and co-produced both Broadway productions and also this movie. "Oprah takes viewers inside the four-decade phenomenon, exploring the importance of the novel, films and musical, and the ever-evolving conversation around this seminal work." This making of doc is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, Tara Montgomery, and Brian Piotrowicz. It will be streaming on Max right after the movie opens ...

"They weren't born a family. They became one." Focus Features has revealed the main official US trailer for an acclaimed indie LGBTQ drama from North Macedonia called Housekeeping for Beginners, from the Australian-Macedonian filmmaker Goran Stolevski (of You Won't Be Alone and Of an Age). This premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and it's also being submitted as North Macedonia's official selection for Best International Feature at the next Academy Awards. Opening in January right after the nominations are out. A queer woman who doesn't want to be a mother is forced to help raise her partner's daughter. "A story exploring the universal truths of family, both the ones we're born into and the ones we find for ourselves. Dita never wanted to be a mother, but circumstances force her to raise her girlfriend's two daughters, tiny troublemaker Mia and rebellious teen Vanesa. A battle of wills ensues as the three continue to butt heads and become an unlikely family that has to fight to stay together." This stars Anamaria Marinca as Dita, Alina Serban, Samson Selim, Vladimir Tintor, ...

"You can't hide from me - I'll never, ever stop coming!" Vertical has revealed an official trailer for an action thriller called The Bricklayer, from the Finnish action filmmake Renny Harlin (known best for his 90s movies: Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea). This is indeed adapted from the novel "The Bricklayer" written by Noah Boyd. Aaron Eckhart stars as the elite CIA agent known as "Vail". When a rogue insurgent blackmails the CIA by killing foreign journalists and framing the government, the agency must lure their most brilliant yet rebellious operative out of retirement to unravel the international conspiracy. With an elite and deadly skill set, Vail is tasked with helping clear the agency’s name, forcing him to confront his checkered past while grappling with the truth. The Bricklayer also stars Nina Dobrev, Clifton Collins Jr., Tim Blake Nelson, and Ilfenesh Hadera. This is a "riveting adventure through the realms of espionage and intrigue, promises to captivate audiences from start to finish." It looks like a movie straight out of the 90s anyway. Cheesy ...

"If I can teach a chimpanzee how to play the piano, then, you can do whatever you wanna do...!" Vertical has unveiled an official trailer for a indie thriller called He Went That Way, which is a clever title for a film like this. It first premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, and it's set for a VOD + theatrical release in early January 2024. He Went That Way is a taut thriller centered on the true story of a celebrity animal trainer who picks up a hitchhiker, only to discover his passenger is a young, cunning serial killer. Tribeca adds: "This film is as much about a found family as it is a volatile crime drama centered on a serial killer and his captives on the road. Quinto & Elordi draw the audience in with captivating chemistry as both performances bring out stark revelations about [each one], and the difficulty of walking with kindness while navigating a brutal world." He Went That Way stars Zachary Quinto and Jacob Elordi (from this year's Saltburn & Priscilla), ...

"We're not dying for your damn heath project." Magnolia Pictures has debuted the main US trailer for The Promised Land, now set for February 2024 after being submitted by Denmark to the Oscars for 2023. The latest feature from Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel (Truth About Men, A Royal Affair, The Dark Tower) premiered in the Main Competition at this year's 2023 Venice Film Festival. The film is set in the late 1700s and is a tale of royalty and servants. It tells the story of Ludvig Kahlen who pursued his lifelong dream: To make the heath bring him wealth & honor. Mads Mikkelsen stars, along with Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, and Gustav Lindh. Arcel's intro: "Aided by Ida Jessen's brilliant novel, Anders Thomas Jensen and I wanted to tell a grand, epic tale about how our ambitions and desires will inevitably fail if they are all we have. Life is chaos; painful and unpleasant, beautiful and extraordinary, and we often cannot control it. As the saying goes, 'We make plans and God laughs.'" It's a harrowing tale ...

"We want to go to Europe." Cohen Media Group has revealed an official US trailer for a survival called Io Capitano, made by the acclaimed Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone, best known for his films Gomorrah, Reality, Tale of Tales, and Dogman. The film premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and won the Best Director prize there, with stops at AFI Fest and San Sebastian as well. Io Capitano is a Homeric fairy tale that tells the adventurous journey of two young boys, Seydou and Moussa, who leave Dakar to reach Europe. A modern Odyssey through the dangers of the desert, the sea and the ambiguities of the human soul. The film stars newcomers Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall. This incredible film is one of these examples of filmmaking where I just have no idea how they pulled off and filmed certain jaw-dropping scenes, it's all so astonishing to watch. It's also Italy's submission for Best International Film at the 96th Academy Awards, with a full release US coming in early 2024 after the nominations are revealed. Keep an eye ...

"You're a loser and you're gonna die a loser!" Ahahah gnarly! Shudder has unveiled an official trailer for an indie horror comedy called Destroy All Neighbors, arriving for streaming on Shudder in early January. The film follows William, a struggling prog-rock musician who can't catch a break in his struggle to make his own masterpiece album. No one takes him or his music seriously - his girlfriend, his boss, his neighbors - and things come to a head when a new neighbor from hell, Vlad, moves into the apartment next door. In a confrontation with Vlad, William accidentally decapitates him and tries to dispose of the body. As William tries to go about his life and make his album, Vlad’s corpse delights in tormenting William and he soon finds himself falling further into madness and doom... Starring Alex Winter and Jonah Ray Rodrigues, with Kiran Deol, Christian Calloway, Randee Heller, DeMorge Brown, Jon Daly, Phil Hendrie, and Thomas Lennon. Looks like a fun throwback to classic cult horror like Re-Animator and other gore fests. With grisly practical FX and all-out ...

"Our kids grew up." "So we need new ones..." Paramount has revealed the first official teaser trailer for IF, the new movie written and directed by John Krasinski inbetween his other A Quiet Place movies. It's set for release in May 2024 during the start of next year's summer movie season. The film follows a young girl who goes through a difficult experience and then begins to see everyone's imaginary friends who have been left behind as their real-life friends have grown up. She decides to try to help them out any way she can. IF stars Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, along with the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell, including many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child's imagination. Look at them all! This seems like so much fun! As Ryan Reynolds described on Twitter: "Get ready for a heart-warming, all-family film from the director of A Quiet Place, the star of Deadpool, and the studio that brought you Annihilation." Have a look. Here's the ...