Author: Alex Billington

There's a new film from Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude playing on the film festival circuit this year. It's called Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World, which is an apt title for another film from Jude showing how mindless & idiotic humans have become, all the while everyone is going around ignoring what's really happening because they have a job to do and a life to live. After earning high praise from critics during its premiere at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival, I was lucky to catch up with Jude's Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (aka PÖFF) a few months later. Based on all the hyperbolic buzz out of Locarno, I was expecting something close to masterpiece alas it's far from that. Radu Jude certainly is a master filmmaker creating provocative, subversive, clever films about how depraved society is – but this one is a mess. There's a handful of good ideas in here, but the opening & closing segments are so disconnected ...

"Well... shall we head back?" This short film is an exceptional example of minimalistic filmmaking and how much can be said without having to actually say much at all. Enjoy this in full below. Best Friends on a Summer Hike is a brisk 8-minute short film made by a Brazilian filmmaker named Mario Furloni, who is now based in Southern California working mainly as a cinematographer (on Crip Camp and The Return). He also shot this short film, in addition to writing and directing and producing and editing it. There's not much of an intro to this short - Furloni describes it as a "cautionary tale." That description should all make sense if you watch closely. It's about two old best friends who go for a hike up and down a hill overlooking the ocean. One could say it's kind of like the brilliant My Dinner with Andre but if it was only 8 minutes and instead took place on a quick hike. Best Friends on a Summer Hike stars John Craven and Charles Shaw Robinson. With a few stunning ...

"When I watch these tapes, I see a man with a serious problem who knows he's not going to get caught." HBO has revealed an official trailer for an acclaimed documentary film titled Great Photo, Lovely Life, featuring a photojournalist examining her own family's traumatic secrets in search of healing. It premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival earlier this year; streaming in December on Max. HBO Documentary Films presents an Ark Media Production – the very personal Great Photo, Lovely Life: Facing A Family's Secrets follows photojournalist Amanda Mustard's investigation into the sexual abuse crimes committed by her grandfather, a chiropractor. Stark, confessional interviews with Amanda's grandfather are complemented by insights and emotional conversations with Amanda's mother and sister, who are both survivors, her uncle, her grandfather's former employers, and survivors outside of the family. The goal of this film is to forge a path for survivors to shed light on the abuse in order to make sense of the past, find peace in the present, and empower them to move forward. It is hard to sum this up ...

"Why are you doing this? You're destroying everything that we built together?" Vertical has revealed the official trailer for an indie custody drama titled Our Son, from director Bill Oliver. This initially premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, and it also played at the New Hampshire Film Festival this fall. Billy Porter stars as Gabriel, an aspiring artist struggling to find creative & personal spark while caring for the young son he shares with his ambitious partner, Nicky, co-starring Luke Evans. Stress and anxiety flare as their relationship gets to an unrepairable place, forcing the couple to head for a divorce. Now the two must navigate the unenviable position of revealing the news to shared friends & family. Thus begins the journey to find themselves and support their son. The film's cast also includes Robin Weigert, Andrew Rannells, Isaac Powell, Kate Burton, and Phylicia Rashad. So this is pretty much a repeat of Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story but with a gay couple instead. Doesn't look bad, and doesn't look good. Here's the first official trailer for Bill ...

"We must experience everything... not just the good!" Searchlight Pictures has unveiled another yet new 60-second preview for Yorgos Lanthimos brilliant film Poor Things, which is produced by and starring the soon-to-be-Oscar-nominated-again Emma Stone. It won the Golden Lion prize at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and will likely go on to win many awards this year (mark my words). This UK trailer is to promote the opening there in January, even though it opens in the US in December. The strange new comedy tells the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the rather unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. The film stars Emma Stone as the iconic Bella along with Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and Christopher Abbott. This is such a quirky and spunk and fun trailer, featuring plenty of quotes from critics. I've seen the film twice already and it's still one of my favorite films of 2023. It's offbeat, and clever, and one-of-a-kind in every way! Enjoy. Here's the new UK trailer (+ album cover ...

"Watch out, this is the big league." Kino Lorber has debuted the US trailer for La Syndicaliste, a French dramatic thriller based on a true story about a whistleblower. This first premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival last year, playing at many other fests along the way. This is the story of Maureen Kearney, played by Isabelle Huppert, the head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse. She became a whistle-blower, denouncing top-secret deals that shook the French nuclear sector. Alone against the world, she fought government ministers and industry leaders, tooth and nail to bring the scandal to light and to defend more than 50,000 jobs... Her life was turned upside down when she was violently assaulted in her own home... The investigation is carried out under pressure. However, new elements create doubt in the minds of the investigators. At first a victim, Maureen becomes a suspect. The cast also includes Grégory Gadebois, François-Xavier Demaison, Pierre Deladonchamps, Alexandra Maria Lara, Gilles Cohen, and Aloïse Sauvage. An intricate, complex French thriller about how hard it is to reveal ...

"We'd been waiting for this case to be uncorked." A chilling look back at a major moment in Boston history. HBO Docs has revealed an official trailer for a documentary mini-series streaming on Max at the end of this year titled Murder In Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning. Set to debut for streaming in just a few weeks in early December. From the director of Michael Jordan's "The Last Dance" doc series, this next one explores a polarizing 1989 murder in Boston, Massachusetts. On October 23, 1989, Charles "Chuck" Stuart places a frantic 911 call reporting that he and his pregnant wife, Carol, a white couple, have been shot by a Black man in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood. This one murder case had a huge impact on the city's race relations and wider society, which is documented in detail in this doc. Made in association with The Boston Globe newspaper, the series explores the enduring, painful toll the 1989 Stuart case had on those involved, Boston race relations, and how a community can be severely affected in a rush to ...

"A nightmarish stew you can't help but enjoy." Level Film has revealed a new red band trailer for a trippy, wild and extra crazy horror thriller called Do Not Disturb. Potentially a brand new cult horror hit, as long as some people watch it, based on all the quotes in here. Made by Canadian filmmaker John Ainslie, the film initially premiered at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival, FrightFest London, Grimmfest, and Screamfest LA horror festivals last year. It's currently set to open in select theaters + on VOD starting this month. Love is all consuming in this narcotic nightmare crafted by writer / director John Ainslie. The film is a psychedelic exploration of love, lust and carnal desire. A couple travels to Miami for their honeymoon, but after taking some peyote it ends up unlocking very dark desires within them. Starring Kimberly Laferriere & Rogan Christopher as the couple, with Janet Porter, Christian McKenna, Rupinder Nagra, and Patrick McNeil. This does look like it gets seriously messed up once it's rolling! Definitely not for the faint of heart. Here's the official ...

Awooooo!! There's a charming festival up in the Baltic country of Estonia called the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Also known locally as PÖFF (which stands for Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival in Estonian) the festival just celebrate its 27th year with a 2 and 1/2 week cinema celebration. It kicked off on November 3rd and ran through November 19th in downtown Tallinn, with tons of screenings & premieres every single day. It's much longer than a regular festival because they like to let the films play and give locals a chance to come watch them in the evenings, with hundreds of films in the line-up to choose from. There's also a big industry event at the end of the fest, which is when I was in town for a visit. PÖFF flew me up to Tallinn this year (from Berlin) and offered me a hotel room so that I can experience the festival in person. It was a very nice trip and I'm glad I could visit to watch some more films, though I arrived a bit late and couldn't catch ...

Once again another magnificent animated short film that shows the extraordianry potential of animation as a storytelling medium. There's so much that can be visualized with animation techniques. Solar Plexus is a stop-motion short created by UK-based filmmaker David McShane. It was originally his graduation film from the NFTS in the UK, premiering in 2019 and playing at Cannes and numerous other festivals. It went on to win Best Sound Design awards over the past few years. In the film, Noah battles to overcome his grief at the death of his mother, a journey that takes him from his flat to beyond the stars. A mesmerizing short featuring stop-motion animated characters and oil paint for additional scenes. I really like the unique "neon green" look of the character, and the darkness of his flat. And the oil painting sequence is really stunning as well. The film is under 10 mins & worth a watch. McShane seems like a unique filmmaker to keep an eye on. Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this one. Brief intro via Vimeo: "Noah ...