Author: Alex Billington

"My wife is a lot of things... there's one thing that she's not – that's foolish." What do we have here? Apple TV has revealed an official trailer for a new noir thriller mystery series titled Lady in the Lake, arriving for streaming this summer. Yet another crime series to keep people glued to their screens wondering who killed who. Not to be confused with the 1946 classic film noir Lady in the Lake, this is based on a (newer) book of the same name. In 1960s Baltimore, an investigative journalist working on an unsolved murder clashes with a woman working to advance the agenda of the city's black community. The protagonist ditches her doting husband and big Pikesville home to pursue a career as a newspaper reporter. She then becomes obsessed with unraveling the mystery of two separate killings: eleven-year-old Tessie Fine and a bartender named Cleo Sherwood. Starring Natalie Portman, Moses Ingram, Y'lan Noel, Mikey Madison, Sean Ringgold, Brett Gelman, Noah Jupe, Mike Epps. From visionary director Alma Har'el, Lady in the Lake is a feverish noir thriller ...

"We stay moving, we stay light, we stay agile." Searchlight Pictures has revealed the first look teaser trailer for A Real Pain, an award-winning indie film from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival written and directed by (and also starring) actor Jesse Eisenberg. It's set for a release in October later this year. Mismatched cousins David & Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The trip takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Sundance adds: "Eisenberg's intimate, resonant script complements the tension and humor of the two very different cousins’ tumultuous road trip with a sensitively drawn reckoning of the legacy of World War II among the survivors of survivors." Starring Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin, with Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes. This was one of my favorite films out of Sundance this year, and it won the screenplay award at the end of the fest. Everyone else at Sundance seemed to love it, too. This is a quirky, fast-paced teaser that ...

"Embrace the darkness. Fear the light." Goldove has revealed an official trailer for Lumina, an indie sci-fi horror thriller from filmmaker Gino McKoy. Set for release in July this summer, this looks like an ambitious indie film. A terrifying sci-fi thrill ride, Lumina follows four friends desperately searching for their abductee friend in a DUMB - Deep Underground Military Base. Whether they find their friend or not, what they find in the desert of the US to the sands of the Sahara, will change their lives forever. Lumina also incorporates elements of action and comedy, aiming to add more emotional depth into the science fiction genre. Starring Ken Lawson, Eric Roberts, Emily Hall, Rupert Lazarus, Eleanor Williams, Andrea Tivadar, and Sidney Nicole Rogers. There's so much going on in here, so many different ideas and visuals and twists, it almost seems like they've bit off more than they could chew. Worth a look at least! But will it be any good? Here's the main official trailer (+ poster) for Gino McKoy's film Lumina, direct from YouTube: And here's two additional shorter promo ...

"Something really crazy is happening to me... I keep seeing this face everywhere." Paramount has revealed the first look teaser trailer for the horror sequel Smile 2, once again directed by creator Parker Finn. This was teased last week by a viral marketing stunt with a music video for a song by the pop star singer who is the lead character in this next one. About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (played by Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control. In addition to Scott starring as Riley, this also features Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner (from the first movie), Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson. Yep this is definitely looking bigger and crazier and scarier than the first Smile! This also reminds me of Vox Lux, which I recommend if you haven't ever seen it. Here's ...

Time to meet Emilia Perez. Pathe has revealed the first official trailer for the acclaimed film Emilia Pérez, a musical about a Mexican cartel leader transitioning to a woman. This is the latest film by award-winning French filmmaker Jacques Audiard (of A Prophet, Rust & Bone, Dheepan, The Sisters Brothers), and it premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival last month where it won the Jury Prize & Best Actress prizes. The talented lawyer Rita receives an unexpected offer... She has to help a feared cartel boss retire from his business and disappear forever by becoming the woman he's always dreamed of being. The film is set mostly in Mexico, following the story of Rita and Manitas – and what happens after he switches to a she. Starring Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Edgar Ramírez, Mark Ivanir. I'm a big fan of this one! I raved about it in my review from Cannes - you've never seen anything like it before. This trailer only has French subtitles, but it's worth a watch to get a glimpse ...

"How do we contain this?" What do you do when more & more clones don't stop replicating? Here's a clever sci-fi short film to enjoy that's now online to watch. Variations on a Theme is an 8-minute sci-fi short by filmmaker Peter Collins Campbell, about a couple that has started splitting into copies of themselves. It was filmed in Chicago and screened at various festivals in the last year, including at Overlook, Beyond Fest, Fantaspoa, Grimmfest, Seattle, Popcorn Frights, and plenty others. A couple has begun physically splitting into many different versions of themselves, and must investigate an uncomfortable mutation. "I'm getting really tired of breaking the news that we already exist to copies of ourselves." This stars Sophia Dunn-Walker as Sam and Peter Collins Campbell as Mark. Reminds of Primer as a smart lo-fi sci-fi concept, keeping it fast-paced coming in under 8 minutes while providing plenty to think about within the narrative. Thanks to Short of the Week for the tip on this one. Here's the original intro to the film from YouTube: "A couple has mysteriously begun to ...

"I lit the fuse, and now we watch Wheeler burn..." Uh oh! This sounds dangerous. Signature Ent. in the UK has revealed an official trailer for an indie dark comedy called The Prank, the second feature film directed by Maureen Bharoocha. This originally premiered back in 2022 at the SXSW Film Festival that year, and it also showed at the 2023 Santa Barbara Film Festival, but has never been released in the US. A bit strange. Ben and his slacker friend Tanner decide to play a prank on their high school physics teacher Mrs. Wheeler. When she fails the entire class after someone cheats on a test, they teach the demanding instructor a lesson by falsely accusing her of murder on social media. Of course, it ends up spinning wildly out of control. What will happen next? The film stars EGOT winner Rita Moreno, with Connor Kalopsis, Ramona Young, Keith David, Kate Flannery, Meredith Salenger, Jonathan Kimmel, & Nathan Janak. This looks rather chaotic and crazy. Not sure it'll find the right balance between the dark setup and high school ...

"I tried to warn you. He'll kill again." Apple TV has revealed an official trailer for a streaming series titled Women in Blue about a true story from Mexico. Set for a streaming debut at the end of July this summer. "Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman." The series follows four women who become Mexico's first female police force. They will defy the ultra-conservative norms of the time only to discover that their squad is a publicity stunt to distract the media from a brutal serial killer. As the body count grows, María, Gabina, Ángeles, and Valentina, set up a secret investigation to achieve what no male officer has been able to do – find and stop the serial killer. Starring Bárbara Mori as María, Ximena Sariñana as Ángeles, Natalia Téllez as Valentina, and Amorita Rasgado as Gabina. Along with Miguel Rodarte, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Christian Tappan, and Horacio García Rojas. So it's another true crime series, but with a twist! All about the women. This seems like a fascinating and empowering story - I really hope ...

"My childhood was a typical American-dream nightmare..." Dark Star Pics has revealed the official trailer for Scab Vendor, an indie documentary from Brazilian filmmakers about a beloved tattoo artist. Born with a silver spoon to artist parents, Jonathan Shaw chose, at the height of his career as a tattoo artist, to give up on his celebrity lifestyle in order to escape from his own vicious cycle. This is the story of Shaw and how he became a tattoo man and found his calling. This festival description is even better: Shaw’s life could have been written by Charles Bukowski. Between Brasil, New York and L.A., drug addiction and art, surrounded by stars and his famous clients and friends – Johnny Depp, Jim Jarmusch and Iggy Pop – the tattoo artist is constantly finding new ways to manifest himself: he is an illustrator, dropout and author – and at the same time remains an outlaw at heart. After playing at festivals the last few years, Scab Vendor is finally releasing on VOD along with a small tour featuring Jonathan Shaw appearing in ...

"Fate is all the truth we cannot see." KimStim Films in the US has revealed an official trailer for Only the River Flows, a Chinese film originally from the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year. This is now scheduled for a limited US release this summer, starting at Metrograph in NYC, then to LA, Toronto, and other cities. A chief of police in a small town investigates a series of strange murders on a riverside in rural China in the 1990s. An arrest is made quickly, clues push the policeman to dive deeper into the hidden behaviour of the locals. "What kind of darkness is truly at play here?" is the question that lingers on his mind. A mysterious, unique film-noir throwback with some intriguing meta scenes within it. "Equal parts atmospheric tour-de-force and beguiling puzzler, Only the River Flows is a masterfully styled ode to a bygone cinematic era and a sharp-edged portrait of provincial paranoia." This stars Zhu Yilong, Chloe Maayan, Hou Tianlai, and Tong Linkai. This one is for all the real film nerds who love something ...