Author: Alex Billington

"Do you think that he would love the person that you are now... or not?" Gravitas Ventures has revealed an official trailer for Better Days, an indie comedy about grief and self-discovery. This recently premiered at the Cinéfest Sudbury Film Festival in Canada, and it's set for a VOD debut in December. Not to be confused with the acclaimed 2019 Chinese film also titled Better Days. After her husband dies, a woman starts to do whatever she wants and begins wearing her husband's Halloween costumes. When her children order her to go back to being her old self, she must decide whose happiness matters most in a delightful comedy about starting over & figuring yourself out before it's too late. The film stars Sonja Smits as Kate in the lead role, with Alix Sideris, Sara Hinding, Gregory Calderone, Blair Williams, Dean Armstrong, Sugenja Sri, and Luke Francis. Looks like a nice story about rejecting old traditions and embracing your true self. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Joan Carr-Wiggin's Better Days, direct from YouTube: After Kate's husband of over 30 years ...

"Something is going on out there, and it's affecting us in here!" UK's Sparky Pictures, in association with Templeheart Films and Kenmore Films, are delighted to reveal an official UK trailer for a British indie sci-fi film called Blank, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Natalie Kennedy. It already opened in the US in 2022 after premiering at the Manchester Film Festival (view last year's trailer) so here's another reminder it exists. A desperate writer signs up for a fully A.I. operated retreat to cure her writer's block, but when an unforeseen software glitch occurs, she gets trapped inside her unit with an unstable android and no communication with the outside world. Another fascinating Artificial Intelligence thriller about these times we're in. Starring Rachel Shelley, Heida Reed, and Wayne Brady. This seems pretty obvious, with the android understanding what needs to be done to help her, perhaps with some ulterior motives. Check it out. Here's the newest UK trailer (+ two posters) for Natalie Kennedy's Blank, direct from YouTube: You can also rewatch the original US trailer for Natalie Kennedy's Blank ...

"This cello is a true find... those that hear it, weep..." Destiny Entertainment has unveiled an official trailer for a mystery horror film titled The Cello, the latest film from acclaimed horror filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman (of Saw II & III & IV; Repo! The Genetic Opera, Abattoir, Death of Me, Spiral). This is actually a Saudi Arabian production, featuring a story about a talented Saudi cellist. Based on the book by Turki Al Alshikh, The Cello, stars Jeremy Irons, Tobin Bell (the Saw series), Syrian actor Samer Ismail (The Day I Lost My Shadow, On Borrowed Time) and Saudi actress Elham Ali (Ashman, Zero Distance), in the story of an aspiring cellist who learns the cost of his brand-new cello is a lot more insidious than he first thought. The film was shot on location in Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic. It almost seems like this is a live-action horror version of that fantastic Futurama episode "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", where Fry swaps with the (Robot) Devil's hands so he can play his music better, but ...

"You should stay away from them, my dear, unless you want problems." Dark Star Pictures has revealed an official trailer for a crime thriller from Canada called Family Game (a new title only for the US release), made by filmmaker Rafael Ouellet. This premiered in 2022 and already opened in Canada last year, as it's a Quebecois production in the French Canadian language. Set in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, the film centres on the Arsenaults, a family who have been involved in illegal poaching & reselling of wild meat. The return to the fold of Anthony, the impetuous youngest of the family, then the arrival of Émilie, a radio host who exercises an ascendancy over Anthony and his older brother Adam, will come to test the harmony of the clan. The film stars Guillaume Cyr, Pierre-Paul Alain, Karine Vanasse, Jason Cavalier, and Ted Pluviose. This looks like it has a dark and twisted story involving all these people in these backwoods. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Rafael Ouellet's Family Game, direct from YouTube: The Arsenaults are illegal poachers, selling ...

"This is your life! Right here, right now!" The famed art house cinema in New York called Metrograph has introduced a new screening series of movies called 25Y2K. They're borrowing inspiration from the brilliant Crtierion Channel collections, featuring a thematic selection of iconic movies to feature in a special package. This time they're looking back at Y2K, and the "Millennium Bug", and how it affected cinema. "A computer glitch that was supposed to drown the world in darkness—[was] on everyone's lips, the air thick with the anticipation of apocalypse. Did that anxiety impress itself on some of the finest films?" Definitely. They're showing classics like Fight Club, Pi, The Truman Show, American Psycho, Strange Days, Audition, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, American Beauty, and others. To promote the series, Metrograph cut together a quick trailer with Fatboy Slim's "Right Here, Right Now" which samples a line from the film Strange Days. Here's the official promo trailer for Metrograph's 25Y2K screening series, direct from YouTube: Metrograph introduction: "As the 20th century drew to a close, the words 'millennium bug'—a computer glitch that was ...

"He needs us, we're the end of the bloodline." "No we're not." Warner Bros has unveiled another official promo trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, to announce that tickets are now on sale one month ahead of the opening. Aquaman 2 is still set for a theatrical release worldwide around December 22nd, with hopes that it will be the big holiday hit this season. Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa—along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman—return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film. Momoa must balance his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Wilson is Orm, Aquaman's half-brother and his nemesis, who must step into a new role as his brother's reluctant ally; Heard is Mera, Atlantis' Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father's death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles again ...

"Maddog strikes again!!" This awesome new short film from New Zealand is absolutely worth a watch. The Ballad of Maddog Quinn is a gritty sci-fi western action short film made by Kiwi filmmaker Matt Inns, who writes & directs & produces. Set in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world which resembles the old wild west, the film is about the infamous Maddog Quinn – an outlaw with an unlikely cause, as he runs from the relentless state regulators. Another tale of a lone wolf making his way around desolate lands. Described by NZ media as the "next Peter Jackson", his other short film Oku Tuakana, My Brothers played at Cannes in 2010. After playing at festivals all year, The Ballad of Maddog Quinn is now online to watch thanks to Short of the Week. Starring Maggie Pirie, Jed Brophy, John Bach, and Ben Stewart. This has an impressive amount of kick ass action scenes in it for only 15 minutes, along with clever production design & props. If looks like if Mad Max was a western, with the same kind of post-apocalyptic vibe. ...

"You wouldn't happen to know how to get out of here, would you?" Illumination's legendary villains is back in an all-new short. Universal / Illumination have revealed a very short trailer for their short film Mooned, which is playing in front of the duck movie Migration this fall. It seems they're getting a bit nervous about an original kids movie opening, so they need to tie it in with an existing franchise, hence this surprise short film connect to Despicable Me. Mooned features the first Despicable Me movie's villain Vector, voiced by Jason Segel, stuck on the Moon after Gru sent him there at the end of that first one (spoiler!). This short follows up and answers the questions of - what has he been doing up there? It's only 8 minutes, 50 seconds long and features the voice of Pierre Coffin as the Minions also stuck there with him. It's only showing in front of Migration before it's available for streaming sometime next year. Will he find his way off the Moon? Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Illumination's ...

"I'm not built like other men..." Sony + Apple have unveiled the third & final official trailer for Napoleon, the next epic Ridley Scott movie about the iconic French emperor. It's opening in theaters worldwide this week - just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, and everyone else is getting it around the world as well. An Apple Studios production in conjunction with Scott Free Productions, Napoleon is an original & personal look at Napoleon Bonaparte's origins. Along with his swift and ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine. As she says: "You want to be great. But you are nothing without me." Someone who dares challenge him! Let's see how the rest plays out... Joaquin Phoenix stars as Bonaparte, with Vanessa Kirby as Josephine, plus Ludivine Sagnier, Ben Miles, Tahar Rahim, Catherine Walker, Youssef Kerkour, Paul Rhys, Matthew Needham, & others. This 60-second final trailer is packed full of critics' quotes, almost more of them than any actual footage here. This ...

"From the flames, heroes will rise." Gravitas Ventures has unveiled an official trailer for a documentary film titled Fireline, made by the filmmaker Tylor Norwood, who last directed the Robin Williams doc called Robin's Wish. This isn't the only film about firefighters & wildfires, with others including Only the Brave, On Fire, and Bring Your Own Brigade recently. Enter the spectacle and drama of a Megafire (there was even a "gigafire" in California in 2020) burning in California, alongside firefighting teams struggling to save anything they can while protecting each other; revealing the friendship, heartbreak, and the exhilaration of going to war against an elemental force. This film takes audiences into the fire, to feel for the first time what those fighting these blazes face in taking on a life of rising danger as climate change makes big fires more frequent. Shot in 4K, with unprecedented access. This film looks incredibly intense & frightening to watch. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Tylor Norwood's doc film Fireline, originally from Vimeo: Enter the spectacle and drama of a megafire, alongside a firefighting ...