Author: Alex Billington

"It's not a big deal." Or is it?! Ewww. There's a hilarious new comedy short going around called Pink Eye, created by the filmmaker Jacob Motz. It's a story of what happens when someone in control loses control - because they're having a bad day with a bad case of Pink Eye. Thanks to our friends at Short of the Week, it's now available online to watch. An alpha female spirals when trying to navigate her challenging calendar while infected by a disgusting case of Pink Eye. Starring Jesse Burgum as Shell, along with Zach Gilford, June Christopher, Jadah Marie, and Constance Parng. Motz explains his inspiration for this short: "I had just read a fantastic short story by Nikolai Gogol called 'The Nose,' which is really absurd satire, and love the way that story poked fun at human nature (about an aristocrat who wakes up one day to discover his nose is missing). I loved an extreme unexpected incident like that to instigate a spiral for a character." 😉 Thanks to Short of the Week for the tip on this ...

"You will find the paragon for me!" Doppelgänger Releasing has unveiled an official trailer for a film called The Paragon, made by New Zealand filmmaker Michael Duignan. This wacky lo-fi sci-fi thriller originally premiered at the 2023 New Zealand Film Festival last year, and is getting a theatrical debut in the US this fall. It was shot over 13 days in Auckland, New Zealand on a budget of around $15,000 in US dollars. That's a considerably tiny budget! Yet this still looks pretty damn good. The victim of a hit and run learns how to be psychic so he can find the car that hit him and take revenge on the driver. Everything converges towards the singularity in Michael Duignan's feature film debut, a "hilarious rift in space-time." Starring Benedict Wall, Florence Noble, Jessica Grace Smith, & Jonny Brugh. Reviews say it "gives its all, embracing its DIY nature to deliver a light and breezy sci-fi comedy, and what it lacks [from the] budget it more than compensates for in low-key charm." If you're into this kind of spunky, ...

"His life is a cautionary tale." Peacock has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film titled Gary, a look at the life of famed child actor Gary Coleman. This will debut on NBC's streaming service Peacock later in August. If you were around in the 80s & 90s, he is instantly recognizable. This doc explores Gary Coleman's rise to fame as a child star, his struggles living in the spotlight, financial troubles, depression, and controversy surrounding his tragic death at age 42 (in 2010), providing insight into his private world. It suggests the former kid actor who played Arnold Jackson died suspiciously after a tumultuous marriage, money problems, and ongoing bouts of depression. Peacock promises that viewers will get new insight into Coleman’s private world through exclusive interviews with fellow actor Todd Bridges, former managers, his estranged parents and Coleman’s ex-wife. This trailer tries to keep it upbeat, but his whole story is so tragic. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Robin Dashwood's doc Gary, direct from Peacock's YouTube: The documentary Gary follows the extraordinary story of Gary Coleman's ...

"We don't trust your God." Agreed - neither do I. An early festival promo trailer has debuted for the indie film titled Transamazonia, that's currently premiering at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland underway this week. This France, Germany, Switzerland, Taiwan, Brazil co-production is set in the Amazon rainforest within Brazil. Rebecca, the daughter of a missionary, was declared a "miracle" after she survived a plane crash as a child, deep in the Amazon jungle. Years later, she has become a miracle healer, sustaining their mission thanks to her local fame and power. But when illegal loggers invade the land belonging to the indigenous people they evangelize, her father maneuvers them into the epicenter of this escalating conflict. The film stars Helena Zengel as Rebecca, Jeremy Xido, Joao Vitor Xavante, Pira Assurini, Hama Vieira, and Sabine Timoteo. This looks like a fascinatingly complex thriller, setting up dramatic stakes between two manipulators on opposites sides, with the local tribe stuck in the middle of it all. Worth a look. Here's the festival promo trailer for Pia Marais' film Transamazonia, direct from ...

"An astounding feat of documentary filmmaking." Abramorama has revealed a trailer for a documentary film titled Sweetheart Deal, marking the feature directorial debut of the up-and-coming filmmakers Elisa Levine & Gabriel Miller. This originally premiered a few years ago at various festivals including Slamdance, San Francisco Documentary Festival, and Doctober. Four sex workers caught in the spiral of addiction turn to a self-proclaimed healer offering friendship and a path to salvation from the streets of Seattle inside his roadside RV. But just as they begin to rebuild their lives, a shocking betrayal comes to light that will change them all. Reviews add some context to the film: "shot vérité style over a period of several years, Sweetheart Deal is a real-life horror story unfolding in real time..." Also this quote: "Seattle noir at its finest. Raindrops on windows, long nights, dusky downtown, the underworld of Aurora Avenue." Must see for documentary nerds. Yep this looks like a chilling, unsettling look at what life is really like on the streets. Tread carefully. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Levine & Miller's ...

"Best fighter I ever saw!" Tuckman Media has revealed an official trailer for the film The Featherweight, from filmmaker Robert Kolodny, which first premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival last year. The film is a mockumentary, a fake doc following a boxer as he attempts to make a comeback. Based on the true story of the winningest American boxer in the history of the sport. Set in 1964, a camera crew follows Willie Pep, retired featherweight boxing champion. Down and out in Hartford CT, married to a woman half his age and with a drug-addled son and mounting debts, Pep decides to make a return to the ring. It doesn't go so well... After its Venice premiere, The Featherweight played festivals around the world, praised for its technical aspects as it recreates the 60s in vivid detail and intersperses staged & archival boxing footage. Starring James Madio as Pep (who trained for months to accurately capture the techniques & movement of Pep), Ruby Wolf, Keir Gilchrist, Stephen Lang, Ron Livingston, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Shari Albert, & boxer Bruce Carrington. ...

"This is your new life." Prime Video has revealed an official US trailer for fresh new streaming series titled Classified, a coming-of-age series from South Africa about a young woman who ends up moving there and attending high school there. It's set for a US streaming debut this month. Classified, a coming-of-age drama, follows 15-year-old Ella, a student in Oakland, California. Arrested at a protest and facing serious jail time, Ella avoids incarceration thanks to her stepmother, Dianne, who has connections in high places. As part of the deal, Ella must leave her home in California and spend the remainder of her secondary education with her father in Johannesburg, South Africa. But that's not all! Her attendance at an elite international school may harbor its own agendas and secrets when she discovers her stepmother's part of the CIA. Prime Video's Classified stars Imani Pullum, Christine Horn, and Sule Rimi. This seems better than most new series these days, with some solid production value at least. Worth a quick look if that premise sounds cool to you. Here's the official trailer (+ ...

"What if i told you... that there's an alternative." Netflix has revealed the official trailer for a movie called Uglies, a sci-fi thriller set in a futuristic dystopian world in which a compulsory plastic surgery operation wipes out physical differences and makes everyone pretty. It's based on the book of the same name, and the movie is directed by McG, who has been making bad movies for Netflix for the past few years, including Family Switch most recently. In a futuristic world that imposes a cosmetic surgery at 16, Tally is eager for her turn to join the rest of society. But when a friend runs away, Tally embarks on a journey to save her that upends everything she thought she wanted. She learns about a whole new side of the "pretty world"—and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Her choice changes her world forever. Joey King stars with Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju, Jan Luis Castellanos, Charmin Lee, & Laverne Cox. ...

"They have 90 minutes to get their shit together." It's time! Sony Pictures has unveiled the first trailer for a movie titled Saturday Night, formerly known as SNL 1975, a hilarious look at the first night of Saturday Night Live to ever air in 1975. Co-written and directed by Jason Reitman this comedy has been building buzz recently, as word on the street is that it's fantastic. And now Sony has schedule it to open this October in just a few months (opening the same day in October that it also takes place on)! Surprise! At 11:30pm on October 11th, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. Find out what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. The massive ensemble SNL cast includes: Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, with Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper ...

"Did you know that most filmmakers spend their entire lives making some version of the same movie? And I wonder... are they this alone?" Mubi has unveiled a trailer for My First Film, a hybrid documentary-narrative feature film made by Zia Anger. It's an autobiographical look at attempting to be a filmmaker, and the trials & tribulations of making movies, especially while young. It premiered at the 2024 CPH:DOX Film Festival earlier this year, and it's set for a streaming releasing on Mubi this fall. A young filmmaker, Vita, revisits her first chaotic attempt at filmmaking 15 years prior. Making a semi-autobiographical film starring her friend Dina, Vita's eager but inexperienced approach causes the production to spiral into chaos, leading to significant disruptions and a near-fatal accident. "Fact bleeding into fiction, and past, present, and future converging to create a modern myth that redefines the very act of creation." Starring Odessa Young and Devon Ross, and plenty of others. This looks interesting, although not that compelling overall, yet another of these "I couldn't actually make a film so here is ...