Author: Alex Billington

"I never wanted to be someone else. I wanted to be a star, I wanted people to love me, but I never really wanted to be someone else..." Peccadillo Pictures in the UK is releasing this documentary on DVD/BR soon - and have reposted their trailer. George Michael: Portrait of an Artist is another music biopic doc about the famous singer George Michael. This isn't the only film about him recently - another doc called George Michael Freedom Uncut was released last year. This one opened in the UK earlier this year, and the Blu-ray will be available region free. Directed by former Wham! manager Simon-Napier Bell and featuring exclusive interviews with those who knew George best, the documentary film George Michael Portrait of An Artist provides an in-depth insight into George’s extraordinary life & career from the early days with Wham! to his tragic death in 2016. The collector's editions include outtakes, an interview with Simon Napier-Bell about his working relationship with George, and a 44 page booklet. Another look back at the musician's life. Trailer (+ poster) for Simon ...

"What did Jun do to the android?" Unifrance has debuted the official French trailer with English subtitles for the acclaimed, incredible animated sci-fi film Mars Express. I've been raving about this film ever since its premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and insanely awesome sci-fi spectacular that is kind of a 2023 update on Ghost in the Shell. In the future, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker. On Mars, they descend deep into the underbelly of the planet's capital city where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, corruption, and a missing girl who holds a secret about the robots that threaten to change the face of the universe. "Combining 2D & 3D animation, this stylish, smart, futuristic film noir is an adrenaline-fuelled, cinematic adventure, packed with humor and exhilarating action sequences." Featuring the voices of Léa Drucker, Mathieu Amalric, Daniel Njo Lobé, Marie Bouvet, and Sébastien Chassagne. I'm a huge fan of this film (my full review), and I think ...

"Why do I pull out my hair?" That's the question Kelly typed into Google one day while in lockdown. And she ended up on a journey into the depths of the internet, spiraling around the hallowed halls of Google. Trichotillomania! is an animated short made by filmmaker Kelly Schiesswohl (aka "kelly4.me") based in NYC. It's a very personal film created during the pandemic while in lockdown, literally "what should I do besides Google search whatever is on my mind." It's all about what happens when someone tries to search at home for a medical diagnosis. It's never a good idea, but we all do it. Of course. The film uses a few different animation techniques, mainly 2D drawings along with some felt stop-motion scenes. It's a clever little 4-min film addressing neuroses and anxieties. Just about everyone should connect with this, even if you've never searched for this specific disorder, there's probably something else you've stumbled upon thanks to Google that shocked you. I really like the fun animation when she searches on "Oogle". Tread carefully on the web... Thanks to ...

"Experience a father son bond carved in blood." AA Films in India has revealed a trailer for another epic Indian movie called Animal, from filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga. Opening worldwide soon, including in the US - where it's showing in 800+ theaters, the highest number for a Hindi movie, surpassing the screen counts of Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022) and Jawan (2023). What is it about? The synopsis are all rather vague. They say it's about "a son's love for his father." Often away due to work the father is unable to comprehend the intensity of his son's love. The son, Arjun, undergoes a remarkable transformation as the bond with his father begins to fracture, and he becomes consumed by a quest for vengeance. Looks like it's about a group of gangsters battling other gangsters? With a runtime of 201 minutes, Animal is one of the longest Indian films ever made (even longer than RRR at 182 mins). Anil Kapoor & Ranbir Kapoor star as father & son (same last name but they're not related), with Bobby Deol, Rashmika ...

"We worked together for over 20 years. I read a recipe and she worked magic on the stove." Picturehouse has unveiled an official UK trailer for the acclimated French film The Taste of Things, originally titled La Passion de Dodin Bouffant ("The Passion of Dodin Bouffant") in French or The Pot au Feu, which is one of the key dishes in the film. It premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews, including my own, proclaiming it as one of the finest food films ever made. Juliette Binoche stars as Eugénie, an outstanding cook, who has worked for the famous Dodin Bouffant (as played by Benoît Magimel) for 20 years. However, Eugénie, eager for her own freedom, has never wanted to marry Dodin. So Dodin decides to do something he's never done before: cook for her. Oh it's so incredible. All of it – the food, the romance. The cast includes Bonnie Chagneau Ravoire, Galatéa Bellugi, and Sarah Adler. I adore this film! It's opening in UK cinemas in February (for Valentine's Day) and also in the US ...

"Mr. Pilgrim!!" If you haven't already heard, Netflix has made an anime version of the Scott Pilgrim comics. But it's not just an adaptation! Creator Bryan Lee O'Malley has updated his comic book stories with much more and the series goes beyond the story seen in the movie and in his books. It's streaming now on Netflix for anyone who wants to watch. This trailer is the official Japanese trailer (here's the US one) for the anime called Scott Pilgrim Takes Off – スコット・ピルグリム テイクス・オフ in Japanese. It features English subtitles & introduces the full Japanese voice cast. Considering all the animation is from a Japanese studio called Science Saru, and it's designed to look & feel like an anime, all of this is pretty much perfect. The Japanese cast features Hiro Shimono as Scott, Fairouz Ai as Ramona, Shinji Saitō as Patel, Masaya Fukunishi as Wallace, Yūichi Nakamura as Lucas, Misato Matsuoka as Stacey, and Kana Hanazawa as Envy. Scott Pilgrim, a bassist in an indie band, falls in love with Ramona Flowers, a mysterious delivery girl, attracting the ...

"A goddess has been born!" Netflix has revealed a teaser trailer for a Korean mystery thriller series titled GyeongSeong Creature, which will be split into two parts for its debut for streaming later this year. The series is set in Gyeongseong (which is the old name for Seoul) in 1945. In Seoul's grim era under colonial rule, an entrepreneur and a sleuth fight for survival and face a monster born out of human greed. During Japanese rule over Korea, two young adults confront a strange creature and battle against it for survival. It's a very vague description and the trailer doesn't really give away much either, except that this hospital had humans and creature(s). Starring Park Seo-jun and Han So-hee, with Claudia Kim (from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Kim Hae-sook, Cho Han-cheul, & Wi Ha-jun (from Squid Game). Gyeongseong Creature Part 1 debuts at the end of December, with Part 2 a few weeks later in early January. There's only two quick, blurry shots of the monster in this teaser - we'll keep watch for the full trailer ...

"There's an ocean of consciousness inside each of us. It's an ocean of solutions... When you dive into that ocean, that consciousness, you enliven it, it grows and the final outcome of this growth of consciousness is called enlightenment - which is the full potential for us all." It's time for something relaxing. We all need to slow down and take a break every once in a while. This latest creation from the "relaxing" video trend on YouTube features the iconic filmmaker David Lynch. Created by the YT channel "ZeTus58", this one hour cut of Lynch and rain was originally made to help with meditation & concentration. It has an ambient track with the sound of rain with occasional –isms spoken by Lynch. The footage and quotes are culled from the doc film David Lynch: The Art Life that debuted in 2017. Lynch has a lot on his mind and plenty of wisdom to impart, it's entrancing to listen to him. This is a seriously calming, comforting video - we hope you enjoy. Thanks to the site Open Culture for the ...

One of the most iconic movie theaters in middle of the city of Berlin, Germany is the Kino International. This classic one-screen movie palace is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The cinema was originally built and opened in 1963, the gem of East Germany's DDR (German Democratic Republic) when the country was still split. It's located on Karl-Marx-Allee (see Google Maps) in Mitte, a few blocks from Alexanderplatz. In addition to hosting a special 60 years celebration, Yorck (the chain that now owns & operates the cinema) is hosting screenings over the next few months of classic films that premiered there. Kino International will also be closing in February 2024 (after the next Berlin Film Festival which shows films there) for a two year renovation and update. This is why they're bringing attention to this beautiful cinema venue right now, as it will only be open for a little while longer before it shuts down for a good while for a complete refurbishment. I've been to this cinema in Berlin many times to watch films since moving to the city, ...