Author: Alex Billington

"The mood swings! That one looks fun." Pixar has revealed a funny look at one of their deleted scenes from Inside Out 2, which is now officially the #1 animated movie at the box office. The Pixar sequel has become a massive worldwide hit, which is especially amazing because it's a wonderful movie that deserves this kind of glory. This sequel to Inside Out (2015) has Riley entering puberty and experiencing new, more complex emotions as a teen. As Riley tries to adapt to her first year as a teenager, her old emotions try to adapt to the possibility of being replaced - with the new set of teen emotions including anxiety (Maya Hawke), envy (Ayo Edebiri), ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). In this clip, director Kelsey Mann explains where the idea came from - we follow Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) as they end up strolling into "Puberty Park" before discovering the Wanted posters with their faces on them. This clip is part of the promo for the ...

"You're in a death factory. Unless you figure out how to survive... you won't." Even that one line is awful. Republic Pictures via Paramount has revealed an official trailer for The Lockdown, a martial arts action thriller from filmmaker Ryan C Jaeger making his feature directorial debut. Another of these direct-to-video dumps, an exceptionally generic action movie from Myanmar made by the same producers that also made Art of Eight Limbs. Looks like they made two films in a row in Myanmar and Thailand and this is the second one. Siblings Charlie and Jack are trapped in Myanmar's toughest prison and accused of a crime they didn't commit. Forced into televised fights against other inmates, they must work together and fight hard for their freedom. Starring Caity Lotz, Leo Howard, Michael Biehn, Hon Ping Tang, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, and Kelly B. Jones, and many others. This film looks only slightly better than Art of Eight Limbs, mostly because it takes place entirely in the prison and in a fighting ring. I just hope the action is actually worth it. Here's the official ...

"I don't know how it started... It's like a hole opened in the world – to the center of nothingness..." FX has revealed a very eerie teaser trailer for the new Ryan Murphy horror series called Grotesquerie. It's set for a streaming debut in September this fall just in time for this year's horror season. In Ryan Murphy's 10-episode event, a series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community. Detective Lois Tryon feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someone—or something—is taunting her. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of Sister Megan. However, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers. Grotesquerie stars Niecy Nash-Betts as Lois, Courtney B. Vance as Marshall Tryon, Lesley Manville as Nurse Redd, Micaela Diamond as Sister Megan, plus Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Father Charlie, Raven Goodwin as Merritt Tryon, and strangely it also has football player / Taylor Swift boyfriend Travis Kelce. This is an exceptional teaser, extra stylish and so mysterious. I dig all the ...

"We look forward to seeing you fight." Republic Pictures via Paramount has unveiled the official trailer for Art of Eight Limbs - the title is just another term for Muay Thai Boxing. The martial arts action movie is playing in select theaters now before it's on VOD later this month. A small release that we've barely heard about. Four canisters of deadly VX nerve gas have fallen into the hands of an arms dealer in Myanmar. A CIA data analyst goes undercover to infiltrate a martial arts tournament that masks an auction of the deadly nerve gas, where he finds himself as the last hope against a time-ticking global threat. Can he pull off a win and save the world? Chinese-Canadian actor Ludi Lin (who played Liu Kang in the recent 2021 Mortal Kombat movie) stars as the CIA analyst. The cast includes Thai actors Sahajak Boonthanakit & Vithaya Pansringarm, both were in Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives, as the villains; along with Grace Vorananth, Nicholas Hammond, Ron Smoorenburg, and Tofan Pirani. This looks extremely cheap and derivative, even ...

"I am so glad you showed up this morning!" Whiskey Creek has debuted the trailer for Notice to Quit, an indie dramedy marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Simon Hacker. This film is being given a big nationwide release in theaters in late September. A failing father attempts to salvage some semblance of paternal standing while being fully exposed for the fraud that he is. Michael Zegen (from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) stars as Andy Singer, a struggling New York City realtor caught in the cycle of renting rundown apartments, who finds his world crashing down around him when his estranged 10-year-old daughter, Anna, shows up unannounced on his doorstep while he's being evicted. Shot on 35mm around the city, the film unfolds as a poignant comedy of misadventures amidst the oppressive heat of a single summer day. Kasey Bella Suarez, Isabel Arraiza, Eric Berryman, & Michael Angelo Covino also star in this exploration of family dynamics, redemption, and survival amidst the chaos of urban life. Yep this looks like a winner! An excellent trailer introducing all the characters ...

"Do you know how hard it is to watch you be father of the year all of a sudden?!" Ketchup Entertainment has revealed the first official trailer for a parenting comedy called Goodrich, after the main character in this whose name is Andy Goodrich. A new movie from the same writer and director of Reese Witherspoon's Home Again a few years ago. In this fun comedy produced by the two lead actors, a father seeks the help of his adult daughter to raise his young twins when his second wife leaves him. Michael Keaton plays Andy, who is left to take care of his two kids when his wife heads to rehab. So he turns to Grace, played by Mila Kunis, daughter from his first marriage hoping she'll help him out. The full cast includes Carmen Ejogo, Michael Urie, Kevin Pollak, Viven Lyra Blair, Nico Haraga, Danny Deferrari, Lauren Benanti, and Andie MacDowell. This looks sweet and funny and wholesome, of course. Hopefully it's actually good. Here's the official trailer (+ intro video) for Hallie Meyers-Shyer's film Goodrich, direct from YouTube: Andy ...

"When the first settlers came here, they called the woods the impassable wilderness. It was a warning... to keep away." That's quite an ominous intro! I'm excited to see more from this. Laika has revealed another quick teaser for their next stop-motion animated movie titled Wildwood, which is once again directed by Travis Knight (of Kubo and the Two Strings). They originally started production in 2021, and it's expected to debut sometime in early 2025. The character of Prue was revealed in the first look magazine cover last month. Prue McKeel (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and her best friend Curtis are drawn into a hidden, magical forest outside Portland after Prue's baby brother Mac is kidnapped by crows, led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra. The cast includes Jacob Tremblay as Curtis, Carey Mulligan, Awkwafina, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Jemaine Clement, & Richard E. Grant. Not much footage to see here yet, but I'm quite curious anyway. Here's the title reveal teaser for Travis Knight's new film Wildwood, direct from Laika's YouTube: You ...

"Run!!" There's a new Alien movie in town. Time to get everyone together to go to back to theater for a great time at the cinema watching something dark and scary. Alien: Romulus is the seventh movie in the sci-fi horror Alien franchise, following the original four Alien movies and the two Ridley Scott prequels from 2012 and 2017. There were also two other Alien vs. Predator movies, but we don't really talk about those (save that convo for another time). FirstShowing was in its heyday during the releases of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and one thing I remember from when those two came out - most people are extremely critical of Alien movies. Yes, it's an unquestionable fact that Alien and Aliens are two of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. Alvarez's new creation borrows from both, it's literally set in between the two movies, and references them both in obvious and thrilling ways. I'm glad to say I enjoyed Alien: Romulus quite a bit. Much like Dan Trachtenberg's Prey, it's a properly entertaining, actually scary, supremely atmospheric one-off ...

"What could happen in a place called Wineville?" Dark Star Pictures has revealed an official trailer for an indie horror film titled Wineville, marking the feature directorial debut of actress Brande Roderick - who also stars. This one premiered at a few small film festivals in 2023, and will be out to watch on VOD soon. Roderick plays Tess Lott, a woman who escaped her abusive father as a teen. Now she returns as a single mother to her family's vineyard after her father's death to sort out her inheritance. The dark secrets she left behind have only festered & blackened over the decades, fermenting into violence & death. "Wineville was influenced by ’70s horror classics like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Last House on the Left, as I wanted my first feature to be in the horror genre that I loved so much growing up." Also starring Carolyn Hennesy, Texas Battle, Casey King, & Keaton Roderick Cadrez. Alas it looks boring and forgettable. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Brande Roderick's horror film Wineville, direct from YouTube: A ...

"Surround yourself with beautiful, talented people – and enjoy it." Greenwich Entertainment in NYC has revealed the official trailer for a documentary film called Happy Clothes, which also goes by the full title Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field. This one originally premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival last year, and it also played at both the Denver & Boulder Film Festivals. Enter the colorful world of Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated Patricia Field (known as Pat), savvy retailer & costume designer behind Sex and the City, Emily in Paris, Ugly Betty, and The Devil Wears Prada. A queer, first-generation Greek-American, this fiery redhead defied the odds to become a fashion icon. The doc features interviews with Kim Cattrall, Lily Collins, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael Urie, Vanessa Williams, and many others. Set for a US release on VOD and in theaters in September this fall. Reviews say the film is full of "joy" and it's a "rabbit hole of Field's acid-colored creations." This is a must watch for anyone who loves fashion or costume design. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for ...