Official Trailer for Wiseman’s Paris Doc ‘Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros’
Who's hungry?? Zipporah Films has revealed an official trailer for the documentary film Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros, the latest film from award-winning, beloved doc filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. This new one is another 4 hour long film from Wiseman, taking us inside a world famous Parisian restaurant. It premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Fstival, though not many had a chance to see it because it's so long. "A 93-year-old director embeds inside a French restaurant that's held three Michelin stars for more than 50 years." The Troisgros family restaurant has been holding 3 Michelin stars over four generations. This is an immersive experience, showing the artistry, ingenuity, and imagination of the staff, creating and presenting meals of highest quality as Michel Troisros turns over responsibility to his son, César. It also reveals their day-to-day operations involving the purchase of the finest ingredients, all the preparation, and service at this restaurant. Additionally, the collaboration within the Troisgros family is evident as the father, Michel, transfers the leadership in the kitchen to his son. Even though it's super long, I still ...
4K Restoration Trailer for Michael Powell’s ‘Peeping Tom’ from 1960
"All this filming isn't healthy..." Studiocanal UK has unveiled a brand new trailer for a 4K restoration + re-release of a provocative classic titled Peeping Tom. This originally opened in 1960, but then was banned and shunned for years, finally being appreciated only decades later as a precursor to slasher films. It was the second film made on his own by Michael Powell, one half of the famous Powell & Pressburger duo, but this time he explores a dark topic. A young man murders women, using a movie camera to film their dying expressions of terror. Now regarded as a ground-breaking masterpiece of the British horror movement, on its initial release in 1960, Peeping Tom received a savage reception from critics who were dismayed by its controversial subject matter and the sympathy it seems to engender for its murderous protagonist. An influential cinematic film written by Leo Marks, starring Carl Boehm, Anna Massey, Moira Shearer, and Maxine Audley, Peeping Tom also plays as part of the BFI's Cinema Unbound: The Creative Worlds of Powell and Pressburger season at BFI ...
Mubi Trailer for Molly Manning Walker’s Party Film ‘How to Have Sex’
"Best holiday ever!" Mubi has revealed a trailer for the film with a provocative title - How to Have Sex. Marking the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Molly Manning Walker, this premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival where it won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Three British teen girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday – drinking, clubbing, hooking up, in what should be the best summer of their lives. But it turns into a cautionary tale about the pressures of sex, consent, and self-discovery. More of a film about how not to have sex, which is the whole point. Breakout star Mia McKenna-Bruce plays Tara, starring with Samuel Bottomly, Lara Peake, Shaun Thomas, and newcomers Enva Lewis and Laura Ambler. While many critics seem to be a fan, I'm not – I wrote a scathing review in Cannes about how empty it is... It's one big party movie with teens making many bad decisions. That might be the whole point, but I don't think there's enough here for it to be effective. Just my opinion ...
Sitges 2023: Junta Yamaguchi’s ‘River’ – Caught in Another Time Loop
How often have you thought, "if only I had a little more time to deal with this?" It's a common thought for many people, though there's not much we can do about it – no one has the power to stop or slow down time or jump through time. However, this is this power of great cinema! Only in stories can we experiment with manipulating time. River is the latest whimsical time loop creation made by Japanese filmmaker Junta Yamaguchi and screenwriter Makoto Ueda – their highly anticipated follow-up to the cult hit Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020). They're back with another two minute time loop comedy in Japan, this time set at a lovely ryokan near Kyoto. After an ecstatic screening at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival, I'm delighted to report - it's even better than Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes. An instant favorite. Not only have they expanded the two minute time loop concept in a very clever way, they've crafted a story with a more spirited emotional core that allows it grow beyond just "how much fun ...
Fresh Trailer for 4K Re-Release of Gregg Araki’s ‘Nowhere’ Love Feast
"There's gotta be somebody out there somewhere..." Strand Releasing is opening this new 4K restoration of the film Nowhere in select art house theaters - it's showing now, check your local listings. The film also recently screened at Fantastic Fest last month. Nowhere was filmmaker Gregg Araki's sixth feature at the time, showing at the Sitges & London Film Festivals that year after opening in the US. Strand also re-release Araki's The Doom Generation earlier in 2023. Nowhere follows a day in the lives of a group of Los Angeles high school students and the strange lives they lead. Featuring an impressive ensemble cast from the period with Guillermo Diaz, Alan Boyce, Jeremy Jordan, Chiara Mastroianni, Debi Mazar, Christina Applegate, Scott Cain, Heather Graham, Ryan Phillippe, Traci Lords, Shannen Doherty, Rose McGowan, Jaason Simmons, and Jordan Ladd. This is dubbed a "4K Remixed & Remastered version" of the film that critics call "sexy, psychedelic, dementedly funny". It's an entire year of Araki rediscovery. "Nowhere is a sexy and wild ride, so buckle up, remain seated, and enjoy the ultimate fast ...
Angus Cloud in Lottery Ticket Mayhem Film ‘Your Lucky Day’ Trailer
"This could be our chance at a better life..." Well Go USA has revealed an official trailer for an indie thriller titled Your Lucky Day, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Dan Brown (not the author). This just premiered at Fantastic Fest a few weeks ago, and it's opening in November. After a dispute over a winning lottery ticket turns into a deadly hostage situation, the witnesses must decide exactly how far they’ll go—and how much blood they’re willing to spill—for a cut of the $156 million prize. Greed and desperation rules America. FF describes it as "pressure cooker of a morality tale. Effortlessly charismatic, with a canny ability to telegraph the contradictory emotions & restless impulses of marginalized characters, Your Lucky Day marks one of the final performances of the unique young talent whose life was tragically cut short in July of this year." The film stars Angus Cloud (who passed away in July), Elliot Knight, Jessica Garza, Sterling Beaumon, Mousa Hussein Kraish, Spencer Garrett, and Jason O'Mara. I dig the grainy, neon-lit look & feel of this. ...
Official Trailer for Mega Badass ‘Lion-Girl’ Japanese Sci-Fi Action Film
"Anoroc are the true enemy of humankind!" Cleopatra Ent. has revealed the official US trailer for an indie sci-fi action film titled Lion-Girl, made by Japanese genre filmmaker Kurando Mitsutake. This premiered at Australia's Fantastic Film Festival earlier in the year, and it's landing on VOD & BR to watch in November. It was shot entirely in Los Angeles during the height of the Covid lockdown. Based on characters created by Japanese manga legend Go Nagai. "Thought you had enough superhero movies? Think again." In the year 20XX, mysterious meteors bombard the Earth, starting an age of horrific beasts known as 'Anoroc', hunting and killing humans for their life force. The Earth has one last defender against them; her name is 'Lion-Girl'. Here we go! Get ready to meet your next favorite hero! The film stars Derek Mears, Tori Griffith, Damian TooFeek Raven, David Sakurai, Shelby Lee Parks, Matt Standley, Joey Iwanaga. Looks like some punk rock, who-needs-a-budget cinema creation that'll earn a cult following. Might be good fun?
Here's the official US trailer (+ poster) for Kurando Mitsutake's Lion-Girl, direct ...
New US Trailer for ‘Orlando, My Political Biography’ Experimental Doc
"Come, come! I'm sick to death of this particular self. I want another." Janus Films has revealed an official US trailer for an acclaimed experimental documentary film called Orlando, My Political Biography, from Spanish filmmaker Paul B. Preciado making his directorial debut. This has played at many festivals all over the world this year, including most recently at TIFF, NYFF, Vancouver, and AFI Fest this fall. Academic virtuoso turned filmmaker Paul B. Preciado's award-winning doc tells his and others' stories of transition through unique reenactments & visual interpretations of Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando: A Biography. "Not content to simply update a seminal work, Preciado interrogates the relevance of Orlando in the continuing struggle against anti-trans ideologies and in the fight for global trans rights." The doc features 20 trans and non-binary people playing the role of Orlando as they perform interpretations of scenes. It may not be for everyone, but it looks like a fascinating experiment rethinking how art connects with contemporary society.
Official US trailer (+ poster) for Paul B. Preciado's doc Orlando, My Political Biography, on YouTube:
Taking Virginia Woolf’s ...
HBO Trailer for ‘AKA Mr. Chow’ Doc Profiling the Famous Restaurateur
"Art & creativity is something that is very important to him. It's what makes us human." HBO debuted the official trailer for a documentary film titled AKA Mr Chow (or a.k.a. Mr. Chow), a profile of the famous restaurateur. This recently premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival and it will play on HBO/Max later this month. "Meet the man behind the name." The film is a vibrant portrait of the artist, actor, and famed restaurateur Michael Chow. You may know his restaurants, but most have probably never eaten at them - they're very fancy, exclusive places. His restaurants are located in London, New York, Beverly Hills, Miami, and Las Vegas. With his signature circular glasses and mustache, Michael Chow (born as Zhou Yinghua in 1930s Shanghai before moving to London) is an exuberant force at the crossroads between eccentricity and sophistication. Now in his 80s, but vibrant as ever, Chow leads us through the story of his own life. I like the animated segments of this. And that he's finally embracing his artist side, coming out of his shell, ...
Teaser Trailer for ‘The Artful Dodger’ Series About a Thief in Australia
"If you have any ambition, then you have you fight for it." Hulu has revealed the first teaser trailer for a series called The Artful Dodger, a spin on Charles Dickens' classic story Oliver Twist, this time down in Oz. Set in 1850s Australia the series follows adult double life of Charles Dickens' famous prince of thieves Dodger, now a surgeon, but who can't shake his predilection for crime. Dodger's past returns to haunt him with the arrival of Fagin, who wants to lure him back into a world of crime. And an even greater threat — to Dodger's heart — is Lady Belle Fox (played by Maia Mitchell), the Governor's daughter, who is determined to become the colony’s first female surgeon. Starring talented young actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Jack Dawkins, along with David Thewlis, Damon Herriman, Tim Minchin, Miranda Tapsell, Luke Carroll, Kim Gyngell, Vivienne Awosoga, and Nicholas Burton. This actually looks quite good, with some strong style and intriguing characters to follow in this old world. Got my attention - it's worth a look.
Here's the first teaser trailer ...