Author: Alex Billington

This film is the story of what happens when you don't get a colonoscopy. Yes that is actually the premise for this documentary film directed by Tony Benna, but it's also about much more than just that important PSA, of course. Andre is an Idiot is the one film at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with the most unique title out of all the films in the line-up this year. And I'm glad it has this title because, if anything, this film will be useful (perhaps even life-saving) in seriously encouraging people to book a colonoscopy to check for colon cancer. Andre is an Idiot is about a kooky, one-of-a-kind creative individual named André Ricciardi. He was afraid of getting a colonoscopy and shrugged it off for years – until a doctor finally examined him and diagnosed him with stage 4 colon cancer. Unfortunately this film documents his dying after this diagnosis – it's a tragic story about cancer taking another life – but we're lucky we get to spend so much time with Andre and this film lets his humor and wit shine as he honestly discusses his situation, his feelings, and his family. Andre is an Idiot marks the […]

"It makes my heart happy to see our young people witness this long tradition." Vertical has revealed an official trailer for an indie film called Jazzy, the third feature film from acclaimed indie filmmaker Morrisa Maltz following The Unknown Country with Lily Gladstone previously. This premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival last year, and it also played at Nashville, Montana, Santa Fe, San Diego, & Denver Film Fests. Maltz's film Jazzy navigates the space between childhood and young adulthood. When her best friend moves away, Jazzy experiences both a sense of loss and her first inkling of independence. This coming-of-age tale is about Jasmine Bearkiller Shangreaux, a young Oglala Lakota girl growing up in Spearfish, South Dakota, from the ages of six to twelve. Reviews state that, "while the energy of this world is intoxicating, much of it bolstered by a zippy soundtrack that runs the gamut, we see small pains taking shape, too." Starring the real Jasmine Bearkiller Shangreaux, with Syriah Foohead Means, Richard Ray Whitman, Raymond Lee, and Oscar-nominee Lily Gladstone. This looks like a very powerful & authentic coming-of-age story. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Morrisa Maltz's film Jazzy, direct from Vertical's YouTube: In […]

"They are losers. But still want to save the world." Signature Ent. in the UK has unveiled the official UK trailer for the Chinese sci-fi action adventure indie time travel comedy thriller called Escape from the 21st Century. This opened in China last year and played at TIFF & Fantastic Fest & Sitges - critics have been calling it "incredibly fun and a blast of raw energy" similar to Scott Pilgrim vs the World. The story follows three friends who discover they have the power to travel back & forth 20 years with a sneeze. But the future is not as good as they hoped, and they need to take on the responsibility of saving the world. It's a po-dunk indie made on a small budget, with ambitious ideas and funky vibes. Starring Ruoyun Zhang, Elane Zhong, Yang Song, Xiaoling Wu, Yanmanzi Zhu. From a review: "The film is simply too entertaining to be denied, with great humor and spectacle, so you go along for the ride and find yourself having a much better time than if you dared quibble every time the plot sort of stumbled over itself." This is worth a watch. Full UK trailer (+ poster) for […]

Kicking off the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with a winner already. I adore this film. I really connected with it, even if I'm not like anyone in it. Jimpa is the latest film written and directed by Australian filmmaker Sophie Hyde, best known for her previous films Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (at Sundance 2022) and Animals (at Sundance 2019). She's excellent at telling intimate queer cinema stories and she remains one of the best filmmakers in this realm. Her latest wholesome cinema creation is Jimpa – her most personal film yet, a semi-autobiographical and self-referential meta tale of a family. It just premiered at Sundance and the experience was emotional for me, especially because I am watching it without any idea of what I'm about to see, or how it will feel, or who the characters are. And I nearly fell in love with every last person in this film. In a time where LGBTQ rights are being challenged by bigoted idiots, a heartfelt, warm and tender film like this is what we really need. A reminder that openness and love and support does make the world go 'round. Jimpa is co-written by Matthew Cormack & Sophie Hyde, […]

"Do you mind if we skip to he fighting part?" Dread & Epic Pictures have revealed an official trailer for an indie action fantasy epic called A Knight's War, arriving in theaters and on VOD to watch in February. It's the four collaboration for the Ninaber Brothers - director Matthew Ninaber and star Jeremy Ninaber. Matt is best known for playing the titular role in Psycho Goreman and his directorial endeavor Death Valley, and partially shot A Knight's War in his own backyard. All of the sets for the film were built by hand. A fearless knight braves a deadly realm to save the "Chosen One's" soul. Facing witches, demons, and many different foes, he discovers her return could ignite chaos and doom humanity – and he must stop her. The producer adds: "Horror fans will appreciate how director Matthew Ninaber masterfully brings this dark, underworld journey to life." A Knight's War stars Jeremy Ninaber and Kristen Kaster as Bhodie and Avalon, with Matt Ninaber, Kristen MacCulloch, Ariel Gerard, Raechel Fisher, and Sasha Ormond as Isem. This looks very impressive for an indie film, actually feels properly epic with some legit visuals. Check it out. Here's the official trailer (+ […]

"You think you're gonna wake up from a nightmare – but it ain't no nightmare, it's real." Lionsgate has revealed an official trailer for an indie horror thriller movie called Bloat, made by filmmaker Pablo Absento who is based in Tokyo, Japan. Ready for release in March including on VOD, though we haven't seen this show up at any festivals before. The film follows a mother and two sons vacationing in Japan. Their younger son almost drowns in a lake, and soon after the accident, the parents realize that something is wrong with their boy. From a producer of Searching and Unfriended, Ben McKenzie and Bojana Novakovic star in this chilling tale of horror and suspense. The boy's family is horrified to discover he has become possessed by a legendary demon from the depths of the lake. As the family races against time to save the boy's soul, the evil monster tears the family apart as it seeks to destroy anything in its path. Also with Malcolm Fuller, Sawyer Jones, and Kane Kosugi. This is actually yet another screen story movie – told entirely through computer screens. Which seems a bit strange for this kind of drowning possession story, but […]

"We have to sink it!" Well Go USA has posted the teaser trailer for Operation Hadal, a Chinese action thriller from filmmaker Dante Lam. This jingoistic movie is about the Chinese Navy going all out to defend an offshore platform in the sea. It's set for a US release at the end of February after originally opening in China this month first. The offshore platform Deep Blue 3 in Chinese territorial water has been occupied by mercenaries. The Chinese Navy sets sail then to repel invaders as the Jiao Long commando team prepares for a fierce fight in the deep sea. So this is mostly a movie about the Chinese Navy being badass and taking out bad guys (they've been making these for years - also see The Battle at Lake Changjin). Starring Xuan Huang, Yosh Yu, Bryan Larkin, Luxia Jiang, Karry Wang, Kelvin Taylor, Sean Kohnke, Cory Beeston. Half of this seems to be an old school submarine movie, the other half a Special Ops action movie. Here's the official US trailer (+ poster for Dante Lam's Operation Hadal, direct from YouTube: Mercenaries have occupied the offshore platform Deep Blue 3 in Chinese territorial waters by force. The Chinese […]

"She's scared to death!" "What, and you're not?" So who are the masks hiding this time? Saban Films has revealed an official trailer for an indie horror feature from the UK ominously titled Everyone Is Going to Die, made by filmmaker Craig Tuohy. This initially premiered at Screamfest 2024 last year and will be out to watch in February if any horror fans want to watch check this out. A father attempts to reconcile with his estranged daughter by inviting her to his luxury house for a birthday dinner. But when the home is invaded by two masked individuals armed with shotguns, a lethal game of cat and mouse ensues, culminating in a life-altering revelation. The rest is a mystery to make sense of once you have a chance to watch this. The film stars Jamie Winstone, Brad Moore, Chiara D'Anna, and Gledisa Arthur as Imogen. This looks a bit like a mashup between Funny Games and The Strangers, though it probably has a few other twists & turns. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Craig Tuohy's horror Everyone Is Going to Die, from YouTube: A father (Brad Moore) attempts to reconcile with his estranged daughter named Imogen (Gledisa […]

The complete list of nominees for the 97th Academy Awards, the most prestigious award in Hollywood, have been announced today (from Oscars.org). The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the nominees via live broadcast. The nominations from 2024 are, as expected, an intriguing and impressive collection of some of the best movies of the year. The big musical Emilia Perez from Netflix ended up with the most nominations at 13 total. The Brutalist and Wicked were next with 10 noms each. Beyond these, a number of other movies were either excluded or included in unexpected ways. Brazil's film I'm Still Here (view the trailer) earned many nominations, along with The Substance and A Complete Unknown. Luckily Dune: Part Two showed up in a a few categories as well, even though many thought it would be forgotten. The Academy chose a total of ten Best Picture nominees for 2024, including: Anora, Conclave, Nickel Boys (yay!), Wicked, and The Brutalist (my #1). Without further ado, view the full list of 2024 nominees below. The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will be on Sunday, March 2nd at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood - broadcast live by ABC. This year's ceremony will be […]

"They sounded like nothing else sounds." Hulu has unveiled their main official trailer for the documentary called Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), which is premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. It's one of the first big opening night films screening tomorrow (Thursday) on the very first day of Sundance 2025. Questlove's latest music history doc is an examination of the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone — the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone — captures the band's rise, reign, and subsequent fadeout while also shedding light on the unseen burden that comes with success for Black artists in America. Drawing from his own personal experience and relationships, Questlove tells an empathetic human story about the cost of genius, reframing the way we all engage with pop culture. Sundance says the film is "a revelatory journey born from a deep understanding of the band’s far-reaching influence and impact" featuring an "incredible soundtrack, exuberant archival footage, thought-provoking discussions with family, band members, scholars, and musicians." Yep this sounds great - I'm in. Get a look. Two official trailers for Questlove's doc Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), from […]