Author: Alex Billington

"So, when you're inside a role, do you destroy who you are?" "No, no – you reach into yourself... you find yourself. And only after that, are you free to be who you really are." There's another Martin Scorsese-directed advertisement to enjoy if you're into these kind of videos. Chanel just launched a new ad for their male perfume line called Bleu de Chanel, featuring celebrated actor Timothée Chalamet as the global ambassador. "The perfume of a man who chooses his way." These kind of promotions always seem so stale and strange - this works on people? The ad was shot by Scorsese and features Chalamet dealing with a late night talk show appearance, discussing his work as an actor and allowing himself to "be who you really are." Chanel adds that it's "an actor's conflict between celebrity and staying true to himself." It's only a 90 second video and goes by pretty fast, which is the norm for these kind of advertisements. And yes, it is a corporate commercial, but it's technically a new short film made by two ...

"Is it scary being a lady FBI agent?" "Yep..." Neon has debuted the full-length official trailer for Longlegs, arriving in theaters nationwide starting this July. We've featured the other cryptic teasers before as well as the incredible first official trailer for this film a few months ago. This is the final "payoff" trailer that has the most footage yet. FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing eerie evidence of the occult. Harker soon discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again. Longlegs is the creation of director Oz Perkins (of The Blackcoat's Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel). The horror film stars Maika Monroe as Lee Harker, Nicolas Cage, Alicia Witt, Blair Underwood, and Dakota Daulby. This looks SO creepy and extra frightening & disturbing - and the buzz from early reviews is that this seriously is one of the best horror films of 2024. Have one more creepy look below and get ready to ...

"He's traveling between reality & fantasy, and losing the ability to tell them apart." Another magnificent doc about Hayao Miyazaki has just debuted. The 2024 Cannes Film Festival is hosting a special series of events - starting out by giving filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli an Honorary Palme d'Or, along with screenings of a few special Ghibli short films and this never-before seen doc. Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron is a two-hour doc film version of the recent making of doc following animation master Miyazaki making his latest film The Boy and the Heron, which also won the Oscar earlier this year. Japan's NHK TV also aired a version of this doc called 2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli a few weeks ago. This special Cannes version is a "two-hour window into the heart of Hayao Miyazaki's creative process. The documentary follows six long years of work during the making of The Boy and the Heron." Rave reviews call it one of the most intimate & lovely looks at this legendary filmmaker yet, following up the other ...

"Everybody's gone surfin'..." Except for you and you! One of the highlights within the 2024 Cannes Film Festival line-up is the Out of Competition presentation of The Surfer starring the legendary Nicolas Cage. It's the fourth feature film from Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, who also made his mark back at Cannes 2019 with the sci-fi flick Vivarium (here's my review of that one). He's back once again in Cannes with another entertaining contained, minimal (though maximal on the craziness), one-location story titled The Surfer, about a dude who starts a fight with the local surf bros who stop him from catching some waves on a secluded Australian beach. I had a fantastic time with this film! It's funny and absurd, but also clever and astute, commenting on way more than just the bro culture of surfers. In fact, I was intrigued to discover by the end that it's not actually about surfing culture or beaches, it's about capitalism and toxic masculinity. From a screenplay written by Thomas Martin, The Surfer is directed by filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan and it's awash with vivid, ...

This film instantly joins the ranks as one of the best dogs movies ever made. There's usually one or two of these every year, so the "best dog movies ever" subgenre is constantly growing, but that's also totally fine. As a dog lover, I am more than happy to keep adding amazing movies to "best of" list. Especially when there's a new story to tell, especially when the production takes care of the dogs and animals on set, especially when the film makes you feel even more in love with dogs (if that's even possible). Black Dog is a new film from China from a filmmaker named Hu Guan, who has already made plenty of other feature films before this. He's obviously a dog lover, there's no way he could make this film if he wasn't. There's also a title card at the end when the credits come up stating that no animals were harmed in the making of the film, and all of the animals on set were properly taken care of. This is expected nowadays, of course, but ...

One of the best things about being at film festivals is that most of the time you never know what is going to happen in the film you're about to watch. At Cannes, it's usually the first time the film is ever being shown to an audience. Walking into these films without any expectations or any idea what we're all in for can result in some of the most wildly exhilarating experiences when you encounter a truly ambitious, unexpected, one-of-a-kind creation. That's the case with Emilia Perez from French filmmaker Jacques Audiard. I shouldn't be surprised, however, considering my love for Audiard's films goes back all the way to my very first visit to Cannes in 2009 - Un Prophet (A Prophet) is still one of my all-time favorite Cannes films. 15 years later and Audiard has totally blown me away again with Emilia Perez, a full-on Broadway-esque musical about Mexican society and a Mexican cartel kingpin who changes sex and reinvents herself. I did not think we'd see a more ambitious film than Megalopolis at Cannes 2024, but here ...

"I wanted to rewrite the rulebook of what is possible in life. We're too quick to be put into pigeon-holes by society and by oursevles." Universal All-Access has debuted the official trailer for a documentary film titled The Mountain Within Me, made by filmmaker Polly Steele. This disability doc is set for a VOD release in August at the end of the summer if anyone wants to watch. After suffering a catastrophic and almost fatal spinal cord injury, professional rugby player Ed Jackson's world changed forever. The Mountain Within Me follows Ed's journey on his recovery as he achieves the mental and physical heights of Snowdonia, the Alps and Himalayas to the life-altering challenges closer to home. From multi-award-winning director, Polly Steele and BAFTA and Emmy nominated producer, George Chignell, The Mountain Within Me doc film is an inspiring, thought-provoking experience about unexpected change, hope & finding renewed purpose in life. It looks like yet another powerful, moving story about proving to the world that nothing can hold you back. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Polly Steele's doc The ...

"You and DinDim have quite a friendship." Roadside Attractions has revealed a trailer for an adorable true story of a penguin and a fisherman. My Penguin Friend is directed by the Brazilian filmmaker David Schurmann, and it tells the story of a Brazilian fisherman who rescued a penguin and their bond. Starring French actor Jean Reno in the lead role as Joao. A heartbroken fisherman finds a penguin drifting alone in the ocean, drenched in oil from a spill. He not only rescues the sea creature, which migrates hundreds of miles ever year, but takes it under his wing – finding a sense of joy for the first time in years. The penguin and the fisherman become unlikely friends, so bonded that even the vast ocean cannot divide them. The cast also includes Adriana Barraza, Rocío Hernández, Nicolás Francella, Alexia Moyano, Thalma de Freitas, with Pedro Caetano and Pedro Urizzi. This seems charming and uplifting and cheesy in a very Hollywood way, telling another of these stories about humans & animals becoming friends. 🐧 Have a look. Here's the official trailer ...

"That looks like a promising place... a place I might be able to see myself." Warner Bros has unveiled the second official trailer for Horizon: An American Saga, which is directed by, produced by, and starring Kevin Costner. The first movie in this two-part epic will debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival this week - hence this next trailer arriving now. The two westerns chronicle a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. The massive ensemble cast for Horizon: An American Saga includes tons of major actors: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Michael Rooker, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt, Will Patton, Thomas Haden Church, Dale Dickey, and Jamie Campbell Bower, among others. After the success of "Yellowstone", I think Hollywood is hoping this will end up as one of the most successful westerns of the modern era. Can he pull it off? The first full trailer that arrived earlier in the year was seriously impressive, ...

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Start your engines!" Strap in, grab your chrome, and get ready for one of the best action movies of this decade! George Miller's action masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road is already known as one of the best action movies of the 2010s. I'm ecstatic to report that his follow-up prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is officially as good as Fury Road in every single way. Believe the hype!! Furiosa is almost TWO entire Fury Road's packed into one movie. Holy smoke it rules!! George Miller did it. He really went and did it and made another one of the best action movies ever made all over again. Maestro!! 👏 This isn't even a surprise. I'd have been much more surprised if it didn't live up to the hype and/or was not as good. The word from Down Under where they shot Furiosa is that even the crew was excited to be working on this movie, which Miller has been wanting to make for years even before he directed Fury Road. And it shows; it shows in ...