Author: Alex Billington

The 2024 Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czechia begins in a few weeks and this is one of the films premiering there in the main competition. Celebration is a Croatian drama marking the feature directorial debut of Croatian filmmaker Bruno Anković, telling of a tumultuous time in the history of this small, mountainous country in Southeastern Europe. A young Croatian villager's innocence is shattered by the harsh realities of war, deprivation, and political turmoil between 1926 and 1945, leading him down a dark path. It's a chilling look at how people end up seduced by right-wing ideologies. Starring Bernard Tomić, Krešimir Mikić, Klara Fiolić, Lars Štern, Jan Doležal, and Nedim Nezirović. This film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Damir Karakaš features wonderful shots of the landscape, it's also a testimony of systemic brutality and demonstrates the reasons why innocent people become easy quarry for ideological crusaders. Sounds like a timely film that is will show how much of what happened then mirrors what's happening now. Here's the festival promo trailer for Bruno Anković's film Celebration, direct from ...

"They thought that these arches were portals to another time & space." Time to escape to the desert for a trippy horror experience. An early promo trailer has debuted for an indie horror film titled Delicate Arch, marking the feature directorial debut of indie filmmaker Matt Warren. The title is a reference to the very real Arches National Park in Utah (see Google Maps), where they end up on a camping trip. Four college kids with fracturing relationships take a camping trip in order to escape an ecological disaster. Alone in the desert, they begin to suspect that their reality might not be as it seems, soon realizing they're being watched. Starring William Leon, Kelley Mack, Kevin Bohleber, and Rene Leech. What kind of extra strange Lovecraftian craziness will they encounter in the Utah desert? Or is it all just the mushrooms? The film is premiering at the 2024 Dances with Films Festival in Los Angeles coming up later this month, and hopefully will find a distributor soon after. For now, check out this first look footage below and keep ...

"It's okay... don't be scared... I am a monster." Well Go USA has revealed the trailer for an indie horror film titled The Beast Within, made by British filmmaker Alexander J. Farrell. Not to be confused with the cult horror film also titled The Beast Within from 1982. This new one is premiering at the 2024 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal this summer. It is told through the eyes of a 10-year-old girl, as she begins to question her unusual life in her family's fortified compound in rural England. Willow follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the heart of the ancient forest. But upon witnessing her father undergo a terrible transformation, she too becomes ensnared by the dark ancestral secret they’ve tried so desperately to conceal. This stars Kit Harington, Ashleigh Cummings, Caoilinn Springall (seen in Stopmotion), and James Cosmo. It's obvious he's a werewolf, though this really seems to be about the werewolf's family. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Alexander J. Farrell's film The Beast Within, from YouTube: After a series of strange events ...

"I've ruined lives in the name of business, and now there's a price on my head." Vertical has released the official trailer for an indie horror thriller called The Inheritance, arriving to watch in July. Made by the same director as the horror spoof Juan of the Dead. This puts a terrifying new spin on "the kids want their inheritance even though the old man is getting grumpy" story that is pretty common these days. On the eve of his 75th birthday, billionaire Charles Abernathy invites his estranged children back home out of fear that tonight someone or something is going to kill him. He puts each of their inheritances on the line, to ensure they'll help keep him alive. If he's dead at dawn, they get nothing. Uh oh, sounds really scary. Starring Bob Gunton, Peyton List, Briana Middleton, Rachel Nichols, Austin Stowell, David Walton, Resse Alexander, and Chris Wood. This is more of a horror film than a domestic drama, with some legit jump scares and freaky things going on in the second half of the trailer. Doesn't ...

"Whoever they are – they want something." Lionsgate has revealed an official trailer for a sci-fi thriller film titled The Abandon, set for a VOD release in July. This initially premiered back in 2022 at the Mammoth Film Festival and Panic Fest (here's the early teaser), only getting a proper release now years later. It's from the same filmmaker who made the two hit Star Wars fan films a few years back - Kenobi and The Force And The Fury. A wounded soldier suddenly awakens in a strange cube that tests his physical and mental limits as he attempts to find a way to escape against a ticking clock. He reaches another person on a phone, but cube room begins to change: fluctuating extreme temperatures, random shifts of gravity, and strange writing on the walls. Starring Jonathan Rosenthal, Tamara Perry, & Regis Terencio. Of course this is borrowing from the original Cube, but it also seems like it has a few of its own tricks up its sleeve. My initial guess is this is all in his head because he's ...

"This is Frodo." Paramount has revealed another fun featurette for the sci-fi prequel A Quiet Place: Day One, arriving in theaters very soon at the end of June. This making of promo focuses on the cat character in the movie, named Frodo (played by two showbiz kitties which in real life named Nico and Schnitzel). The cat seems to play a major role in the story - it probably survives the entire movie, too, because of course it does. Lupita Nyong'o stars as a woman named Sam who gets caught up in the apocalyptic New York City mayhem when the alien creatures arrive and attack. As every street goes quiet, she is thrown together with a man named Eric. With some reluctance, the pair agree to navigate and survive the city together. The cast also includes Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, & Denis O'Hare. I would watch an entire behind-the-scenes doc about making this movie with these acting cats! I always love seeing actual behind-the-scenes footage of the set and what it was like to be there while filming. ...

"Il y a tout ce que vous voulez, Aux Champs-Élysées." Ahhhh oui, Paris! Nothing like it! This wonderful new music video is an animated celebration of Paris bringing to life the words of the classic song "Les Champs-Elysées." Originally written and performed by Joe Dassin (it debuted in 1969), this music video is a brand new creation for the original tune, posted officially on Dassin's YT channel. It premiered at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival in France earlier this month. The music video is delightfully illustrated & animated & directed by French artist Florent Grattery, whose distinct sketch style works perfectly for this. It's all so colorful and vibrant and charming, really makes you want to go to Paris and walk down the Champs-Elysées, doesn't it? As always, animated music videos are always a joy to watch. Take a quick trip around Paris with this one. Thanks to Catsuka for the tip on this animated music video. This classic tune "Les Champs-Elysées" is a 1969 song by American-French singer Joe Dassin (who passed away in 1980). It is a French adaptation ...

"Happiness should come from the heart." Dogwoof has revealed the first official trailer for a documentary film called Agent of Happiness, which originally premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It also just played at the Sheffield DocFest 2024, and will open in UK cinemas this July. Though it still has no US date confirmed yet. "How can you measure happiness?" The country of Bhutan 🇧🇹 invented Gross National Happiness to do just that, and Amber is one of the agents who travels door to door to meet people and measure how happy they really are. He is still living with his elderly mother at the age of 40, but is nevertheless a hopeless romantic who dreams of finding love: a happiness agent who is in search of his own happiness. We embark with Amber on a cross-country road trip meeting citizens from all walks of life, reminding us of the fragility and beauty of our own happiness. No matter where we live. This is a rather humble & poetic doc taking us inside the lives of ...

"You forget many things in life, but you never forget kindness." Lionsgate reveals one more final official trailer for the movie White Bird, formerly known as White Bird: A Wonder Story. A sort of "spin-off" from the Wonder movie with Jacob Tremblay & Julia Roberts. Finally opening in October after being delayed for two years (originally set for 2022). Based on the graphic novel, it's a thrilling WWII survival story. It's about a boy named Julian who meets his French grandmother, who shares her story: how she, a young Jewish girl, was hidden by a family in a Nazi-occupied French village during World War II; and how the boy she and her classmates once shunned became her savior and best friend. From Marc Forster (the director of Finding Neverland and Christopher Robin) White Bird is an emotional story about how empathy can make a major difference in the world. Starring Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson, Bryce Gheisar, Ariella Glaser, & Orlando Schwerdt. This doesn't look so bad, still no idea why they delayed it for so long. And this trailer seems ...

"I'm going to tell you this just one time - you better leave me alone." Prime Video has revealed the official trailer for the latest Tyler Perry dramatic thriller titled Divorce in the Black, ready for streaming in early July this summer. Yet another new Tyler Perry domestic thriller being churned out and dumped right away on streaming before anyone has time to even know it's out there. "Breaking free means fighting back." Ava, a young bank professional, is devastated when her husband abandons their marriage. She's determined to fight until fate intervenes, revealing the wicked deeds that once upon a time sabotaged Ava's destiny to connect with her soulmate. Starring Meagan Good as Ava, with Cory Hardrict, Joseph Lee Anderson, Shannon Wallace, Taylor Polidore, Richard Lawson, & Debbi Morgan. Perry also just had another new thriller called Mea Culpa released on Netflix a few months ago. As usual, by now everyone knows what to expect with these Perry movies, they're pretty much the same thing over & over. Nothing new to see here. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for ...