Author: Alex Billington

"We're about to go into the deep end of the pool here... This is serious..." Another look back at some indie gems and other cinema highlights from 2024. The esteemed film magazine called Little White Lies from the UK has revealed their official list of their the 30 Best Films of 2024. In addition to their article (a list created by all of their writers together) they've also published an excellent countdown video of all 30 films as well. Their picks are based on UK release dates, so they include a handful of big 2023 films including The Zone of Interest, The Iron Claw, The Taste of Things (so good!), and La Chimera (already my #1 last year). They also highlight many other top notch 2024 favorites including The Brutalist, Nickel Boys, Hard Truths, Challengers, Hit Man, Close Your Eyes, Furiosa, Juror #2, and Kneecap. The editing in the first portion of this video is fabulous - mashing up a bunch of films in a fun segment. Glad to see Hit Man on their list, too. The list begins with Green Border at #30, and wraps with Nickel Boys at #1. Do you agree with their picks? The full video […]

"Do you feel bad, killing men?" "Not the bad ones..." Netflix has revealed one more official trailer for their violent new western series American Primeval, from filmmaker Peter Berg and writer / producer Mark L. Smith. It's about the gritty & adventurous exploration of the birth of the American West - and how violent it was back then. This intense, brutal series with 6 episodes launches streaming on Netflix on January 9th to kick off the New Year. American Primeval stars Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Derek Hinkey, Joe Tippett, Jai Courtney, Preston Mota, Shawnee Pourier, and Shea Whigham. Julie O'Keefe is the Indigenous Cultural Consultant and Project Advisor. Netflix describes it further as: "This is America…1857. Up is down, pain is everywhere, innocence and tranquility are losing the battle to hatred and fear." Berg's "American Primeval is a fictionalized dramatization & examination of the violent collision of culture, religion, and community as men and women fight and die to keep or control this land." This trailer packs in tons of violence in 60 seconds as a promo for this new series streaming soon. Here's the "mature-rated" new trailer for Peter Berg's series American Primeval, from Netflix's […]

"Sometimes I dream..." Time for one more stunning look back at the past year in movies. Are your favorites included? As 2024 winds down and we get ready to jump right into 2025, cinema lovers have been making their own video recaps and trailer mashups. One of them that debuted just days before the New Year arrives is this one created by a filmmaker / editor known as Clementine Narcisse who often just goes by simply "Clementine". Her 2024 in Film video is a ravishing, refreshing, amusing roundup of some of her favorite films from this year. I'm delighted to see her include a bunch of under-the-radar picks that aren't mentioned as much as they should by others - terriific films such as Monkey Man, Problemista, Blink Twice, Bird, The Outrun, Cuckoo, Saturday Night, The Last Showgirl, Love Lies Bleeding, Oddity, The Shadow Strays. Her editing in this so good, especially cutting together all the emotion & violence in the middle. Very nice work. Thanks to Twitter for the tip on this debuting online. This "2024 in Film" video recap of the past year is created and edited by filmmaker Clementine Narcisse based in New York City – you can […]

"Five times I cast my vote for you, Aldo. But I was wrong...." Another year is over, which means it's time to look back at the best films released over the last 12 months. Artist James Chapman, based in Leeds, UK, has just published his Top 10 Films of 2024 list on Instagram - by drawing an adorable little illustration for each & every favorite film. I've been an avid follower of Chapman for a few years already (we also posted his illustrations for 2022 and for 2023) and I am a big fan of his artistic style. He draws and colors images in a little notepad and includes the pens & markers in the shot every time. They make me smile every time. Each image is so clever. Many of these films are my faves, too (Conclave and Dune: Part Two and Sing Sing and Anora are also in my Top 10). Many critics put La Chimera on their list this year due to a late release (it was my #1 last year). This year he posted only 10 picks, and I've included all 10 images below. Click back over to IG for more details. His mini reviews within […]

"Big things are coming in 2025." 🏈 Hulu has revealed a first look teaser for a sports comedy series called Chad Powers, arriving for release sometime in fall 2025. This 15-second teaser doesn't have much footage but they're obviously trying to hype up Glen Powell as a football player during the current football season. When bad behavior nukes hotshot QB Russ Holliday's college career, he disguises himself (using facial prosthetics?!) and walks onto a struggling Southern football team as the talented, affable Chad Powers. The supremely talented Glen Powell (have you watched Hit Man yet?) stars as Powers - he also co-created, co-wrote, and is executive producing the series under his production co-banner Barnstorm Productions. The series stars Powell as Russ Holliday/Chad Powers, with Perry Mattfeld as Ricky, Quentin Plair as Coach Byrd, Wynn Everett as Tricia, Frankie A. Rodriguez as Danny, and Steve Zahn as Jake Hudson. So far so good, seems they want this to be Ted Lasso but for American football. Keep an eye out for it later in 2025. Here's the first look teaser trailer for Hulu's comedy series Chad Powers, direct from YouTube: When bad behavior nukes hotshot QB Russ Holliday's college career, he disguises […]

"With my help you'll achieve greatness." Marvel has revealed an official trailer for their next new animated Spidey series called Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man arriving for streaming this January on Disney+. "Every neighborhood needs a hero." Parker! This is a brand new take on a Spider-Man animated cartoon for kids created by animation writer Jeff Trammell. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (so YFNSM for short?) follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming a hero, with a journey unlike we've seen and a style that celebrates the character's early comic book roots. It's set in an alternate timeline where Norman Osborn becomes Parker's mentor instead of Tony Stark. The voice cast includes Hudson Thames as Peter, Colman Domingo as Osborn, Eugene Byrd, Grace Song, Zeno Robinson, Hugh Dancy as Octavius, and Charlie Cox as Daredevil. They've modernized it and Spidey also has his own livestream, to connect with the app-addicted youth nowadays. It seems like a fun time - though I still prefer Morales' Spider-Verse. First trailer for Marvel Animation's series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, from YouTube: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is an animated series that follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming a hero, with a journey unlike we've […]

No matter how hard you might try to delay and/or hold off death, you can never stop or slow down time. It marches on without ever slowing down. Always... This lovely, mesmerizing animated short film called The Boy Who Cheated Death is about a young boy confronting the reality of death. The 5-minute animated short is created by a Vietnamese filmmaker named Pipou Phuong Nguyen who lives and works in France. This short features a handful of different animation styles – starting out with conventional hand-drawn 2D with various stop-motion vignettes, utilizing papercraft, fabric, felt, and more. It tells the story of a little boy who tries to hide his mother from Death - taking him on a journey across space and time, interacting with animals and nature. The point is not to leave people feeling sad, rather the film "invites you to embrace the fragility of life." Featuring original music by Antoine Duchêne. So maybe this boy can't really cheat death (can anyone?), but it seems like he does come to understand it better by the end of this story. Watch below. Thanks to Short of the Week for the tip on this one. Brief intro from YouTube: "In […]

"You may leave now. I'll figure it out on my own." CMC Pictures has revealed a new international trailer for a Chinese crime thriller titled Octopus with Broken Arms, directed by Jacky Gan. The film is originally titled Wu Sha 3, so it's the third in a series of crime films about crime and vengeance and child trafficking. The wealthy businessman Zheng Bingrui invited his daughter Tingting's teacher Li Huiping and classmates' parents to a party at his home. Unexpectedly, Tingting was kidnapped. Police officer Zhang Jingxian led the team to investigate. A kidnapping case uncovers the depths of child trafficking. To save their children, the parents become demons. Yet another unoriginal story. Starring Chen Sicheng, Jacky Gan, Xiao Yang, Tong Liya, Duan Yihong. The film is will be released internationally (in the US & UK) starting in January 2025 after it debuts in China this week. Not much to see here - this is aiming for a specific audience already. Here's the official trailers (+ posters) for Jacky Gan's film Octopus with Broken Arms, from YouTube: "Fight fire with fire." Coinciding with a local holiday celebration, wealthy businessman Zheng Bingrui invites his daughter Tingting's teacher Li Huiping and a […]

"One single injection unlocks your DNA..." and soon you will become addicted to movies like the rest of us. While we wait for David Ehrlich's annual countdown video (arriving in early January) here's another one looking back at the best of the year. This video countdown is put together by movie lovers Kyle Wilson and Patrick Ryan - featuring their combined picks for the 25 Best Films of 2024. Ready to dive in and find out what their favorites are? It's also an exciting supercut video featuring footage from all 25 movies listed and a few others - as they look back at the year in cinema. There's some excellent editing in this, stringing together clips and bits of dialogue and songs from these films. This is a robust list featuring documentaries, international features, different genres and everything else amazing from 2024. But it looks like Nosferatu didn't make the cut? I'm so happy to see both La Chimera (my #1 of last year) and Dune: Part Two showing up on so many Best of the Year lists now that we're at the end of 2024. View the full countdown video below. Thanks to Twitter for the tip on this […]

"America... like never before." Netflix has debuted another vivid 45-second teaser trailer for their epic new western series called American Primeval, made by filmmaker Peter Berg and writer / producer Mark L. Smith. It's about the gritty & adventurous exploration of the birth of the American West. This intense, brutal new western series with 6 episodes launches streaming on Netflix in January 2025 in just another week. American Primeval stars Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Derek Hinkey, Joe Tippett, Jai Courtney, Preston Mota, Shawnee Pourier, and Shea Whigham. Julie O'Keefe is the Indigenous Cultural Consultant and Project Advisor. Netflix describes it further as: "This is America…1857. Up is down, pain is everywhere, innocence and tranquility are losing the battle to hatred and fear. Peace is the shrinking minority, and very few possess grace — even fewer know compassion..." Indeed. Berg's "American Primeval is a fictionalized dramatization & examination of the violent collision of culture, religion, and community as men and women fight and die to keep or control this land." Sounds thrilling and harrowing - and it sounds like not much has changed in 200 years in America. Check out this footage below. Here's an additional teaser […]