Author: Alex Billington

"Can this movie star really fight?" Well Go USA has revealed an official trailer for a Chinese comedy called Panda Plan, arriving in US theaters this October. Yet another new martial arts action thriller from China featuring Jackie Chan - playing himself in this movie as an international superstar named Jackie who helps save a panda. The movie is about a rare baby panda with a dark circle around only one eye who becomes a worldwide sensation (it's clearly a CGI animal). The plot involves a rich tycoon from the Middle East who wants to try and steal the cute new panda - hiring a gang of mercenaries to raid the zoo and take the animal. But luckily Jackie Chan is on the scene and soon finds himself in the middle of the action trying to save the cute creature while fighting off the bad guys. The cast also includes Wei Xiang, Shi Ce, Han Yanbo, and Jia Bing. This looks absurdly cheesy and so fake from start to finish. Maybe someone will enjoy it? 🐼 Here's the official US trailer ...

"You got one week. Then they'll kill the case." Netflix has revealed the full official trailer for the Polish crime thriller film titled Justice (or Napad in Polish), arriving for streaming in October this fall. It's a new film from the duo of director Michał Gazda and producer Magdalena Szwedkowicz - the team behind last year's success of Forgotten Love also on Netflix to watch. Set at the beginning of the 90s (after the communist era ended), a discharged police officer is given a chance to reclaim his old life in exchange for capturing a group responsible for a ruthless bank robbery. The detective must act quickly, as media attention could complicate matters for the new government. Starring Olaf Lubaszenko as the cop, with Jedrzej Hycnar, Wiktoria Gorodecka, and Magdalena Boczarska. This seems like a true crime story from Poland's history, but it also doesn't seem to be based any real case. Still is a captivating, unnerving story to use for a Netflix thriller. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Michal Gazda's film Justice, direct from Netflix's YouTube: In the early ...

"Lucius – take your father's strength. His name was Maximus, and I see him in you." Fight on! Paramount Pictures has revealed an epic second trailer for Ridley Scott's Gladiator II, his long-awaited sequel to the Oscar-winning classic Gladiator from 2000. This legacy sequel is actually a direct continuation - following Lucius, the son of Maximus's love Lucilla, after Maximus's death, who ends up fighting in the Colosseum as well. A new legacy of rebellion will begin... After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people. This stars Paul Mescal as Lucius (played by Spencer Treat Clark originally), Denzel Washington as Macrinus, Pedro Pascal as the Emperoro Marcus Acacius, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, plus Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, and Derek Jacobi. Yep so far this is looking seriously awesome, the kind of gnarly sequel we can all enjoy! Better than the first trailer - this is going ...

"They're hard to kill. You're gonna need that - it's made from silver." Quiver has revealed an official trailer for an action horror movie called Operation Blood Hunt, directed by the Australian action legend Louis Mandylor himself. No one else wanted to direct it? Another werewolf movie incoming this horror season. In 1944, a band of Special Forces are sent to a remote Pacific island to solve the mystery of missing Marines with an occult expert in tow. They uncover a deadly secret: werewolves. Now, they must outwit and outfight the supernatural to survive. Welcome to Operation Blood Hunt. This action-packed thriller stars Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (remember him in The A-Team?), Louis Mandylor, Sonia Couling, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Peter Dobson, Bear Williams, Gary Cairns, and Myles Clohessy. The werewolf outfit looks pretty badass and it moves swiftly. But the rest of this looks like junk as expected. Still want to watch? Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Louis Mandylor's Operation Blood Hunt, direct from YouTube: Prolific expert of the occult and whiskey, Reverend Conte, accompanies a ragtag group of military rejects ...

"He's watching. All of us." Saban Films has unveiled an official trailer for The Stoic, another of these low key action thrillers being churned out by the dozens these days. It will be released right on VOD next month if anyone cares. But from the looks of it, not many people are going ever watch this. The film follows a group of mercenary leaders with hostages in a country retreat after pulling off a raid. Things take a turn for the worse after they raise the attentions of "The Stoic" - an invincible man from an ancient clan of smugglers. It "revolves around themes of loyalty, survival, and vengeance, as The Stoic man battles not only the armed mercenaries but also his own need for retribution." Starring Scott Wright as "The Stoic" along with Jason Flemyng, Bruce Payne, Rocci Williams, Paul Preston, Jarreau Benjamin, Stuart Brennan, and Mia Vore. As soon as you see the trailer, it's obvious why this is a "yep definitely a dump-to-video" release. Here's the official trailer (+ posters) for Jon Eckersley's film The Stoic, direct from ...

"There defintiely is not a manual on how to navigate this industry at such a young age." Hulu has revealed the official trailer for a documentary film titled Child Star, ready for streaming later this month on Hulu. This is yet another doc looking at the lives of child actors, or "child stars", and how intense and damaging it can be. There was also another doc made by actor / filmmaker Alex Winter recently called Showbiz Kids about this exact same topic (watch it on HBO now). Child Star explores the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world's most famous former child stars. Examine how some of the most well-known former child stars, such as Demi Lovato, deconstruct the experience of growing up in the spotlight and how their ascension to fame, riches, and power affects their futures. Featuring iconic child stars including Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson, Christina Ricci, Raven-Symoné, JoJo Siwa, Alyson Stoner, and others. This looks quite interesting but not as openly critical as the Showbiz Kids doc. Here's ...

"Lights. Camera. Anxiety." HBO has revealed a first look teaser trailer for a new comedy series called The Franchise, arriving for streaming on Max this October. The kooky ridiculous comedy series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, asking: how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Ahahaha what a great question. "Because every f*ck-up has an origin story." Dive right into the mayhem. A team trapped inside the dysfunctional hell of creating franchise superhero movies, at the end of the day the question they face is: is this Hollywood's new dawn or cinema's last stand? Is this a dream factory or a chemical plant? This sounds hilarious and this looks way, way better than Judd Apatow's The Bubble. The series stars Himesh Patel as Daniel, Aya Cash as Anita, Jessica Hynes as Steph, Billy Magnussen as Adam, Lolly Adefope as Dag, Darren Goldstein as Pat, and Isaac Powell as Bryson. Along with Richard E. Grant as Peter + Daniel Brühl as Eric. This looks like it might just be the proper skewering of ...

"Where are you going?" "To catch the murderer!" Well Go USA has debuted an official trailer for another Chinese action film titled The Mob, which is now on VOD to watch after first premiering for streaming on the Hi-YAH! channel. Get some more action! Set in 1928 Shanghai, The Mob follows the clash between the rising Longde Chamber of Commerce and the entrenched Tongmingtang. As the old and new orders collide, fierce family feuds erupt, igniting intense battles on the Shanghai Bund. After the murder of its high-profile patriarch, the Zhou family seeks revenge against a ruthless rival clan trying to expand its territory, sparking a brutal conflict between the warring families that throws Shanghai into chaos. This Chinese crime thriller stars Xu Fangzhou, Zhang Junran, Jessie Yan, Chen Junxi, Guan Xiaotian, and Zhang Zhiwei. Another action-packed movie from China. This massive brawl out on the street in the rain looks incredible, along with a few other spectacular martial arts showdowns. Action fans absolutely need to catch this movie. Here's the official US trailer (+ poster) for Zhao Cong's film The ...

"Do you remember now?" Well Go USA has debuted an official US trailer for an action film from Hong Kong titled The Comeback, made by filmmaker Suiqiang Huo - who also has another action film out this year called Blind War. Uncle Hua, an esteemed antique dealer, stands against the Green Dragon Gang to protect his neighborhood from forced demolition. "If you have difficulties, find Uncle Hua" has become the motto of neighborhood. But Uncle Hua is being hunted down by a mysterious organization led by A Jie. Who is Uncle Hua? Everything becomes mysterious and unpredictable in this intense action thriller. Simon Yam stars as Uncle Hua, who seems to be an old assassin living a quiet life in this Hong Kong community; the cast also features Andy On, Yuen Wah, Jiang Pei Yao, Lei Mu, and Abigail Ren. This is an impressive trailer that packs tons of action. Looks like The Comeback has plenty of awesome action scenes, with a few set in the rain, plus massive shootouts and martial arts fights. Have a look below - the ...

At the end of it all, we finally have our winners. The 81st Venice Film Festival wrapped up this weekend on the sunny Lido island in Venice, and awards were handed out at a fancy awards show in the Sala Grande. The top prize at Venice is a Golden Lion (in honor of the iconic lion that is the symbol of the city) and it's one of the top prizes in cinema along with the Palme d'Or from Cannes (which went to Anora). This year's winner is beloved Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar's latest film titled The Room Next Door, which also happens to be his very first English language feature film (after two other short films recently also in English). Despite this being his 23rd feature film so far (!!), this is Almodovar's first ever Golden Lion win - glad he finally got one. It's one of my favorites of the festival (my full review) though I really believe Brady Corbet's masterpiece The Brutalist should've won instead. Last year, Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things won the top prize before going on ...