Author: Alex Billington

"Don't let the now destroy the forever." There will be no one review that will say everything that one could say about this film. No one critic will be able to cover it all, nor will they be able to accurately describe the experience of watching this film. It is a film that needs to be seen (with your own eyes) to be believed. As cliche as that is to write, considering this is the spectacular new $100M+ passion project from the cinema legend Francis Ford Coppola, it couldn't be truer anyway. Megalopolis premiered today at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, leaving critics baffled, confused, astounded, and intrigued. No matter what I have to say, no matter my own thoughts, this is just one quick take on it and great cinema is about discussing many interpretations and perspectives. That said, Megalopolis is definitely not a new masterpiece. Maybe it will be considered one in 20 years? Maybe not. Only time will tell... As for today's viewing experience, well, it's a mix of everything. Confounding yet fascinating! Exhilarating yet trashy! Even ...

"All of this was part of a bigger story." HOB has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film titled MoviePass, MovieCrash, another of these "rise and fall" business stories, this one about something that really hits close to home. MoviePass was a movie lover's dream, offering access to movie theater tickets at a discounted monthly subscription rate when it launched in 2017. However, the co-founders, who had built the pop culture phenomenon from scratch, were cast aside and forced to watch from the sidelines as new executives seized control. Produced by Mark Wahlberg, the doc film follows the meteoric rise and stranger-than-fiction implosion of theatrical movie subscription service MoviePass, and how they crashed & burned (spoiler: it was greed and dumb executives, like pretty much every other corporate downfall story). This doc profiles all of "the key players who, in peddling a false narrative and seeking to fly too high, created a wild ride that ended with hundreds of millions of dollars in lost value and the early demise of the now infamous company." Yep, it was never going ...

"Mike – there's a storm coming. Things are gonna get bad..." Sony Pictures has debuted a second & final trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth Bad Boys movie after the previous #3 Bad Boys for Life from 2020. Dropping in theaters this June! This sequel is once again directed by Belgian-Moroccan action duo Adil & Bilall, who also directed Bad Boys for Life and Batgirl and Rebel. The world's favorite "Bad Boys" are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your seat action and outrageous comedy but this time with a twist: Miami's finest are now on the run in Miami. This one is produced by Columbia Pictures in association with 2.0 Ent., Don Simpson / Jerry Bruckheimer Films, and also Westbrook Studios. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, DJ Khaled, and Jacob Scipio reprise their roles from the previous film, with Tasha Smith taking over the role of Theresa Burnett from Theresa Randle, who played the character in the last three. New cast members include Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhea Seehorn, and Joyner Lucas. ...

"Ultraman - do your job!" Netflix has unveiled the full official trailer for Ultraman: Rising, a brand new animated take on Ultraman from director Shannon Tindle (also of Kubo and "Lost Ollie"). This has been in development for years at ILM, with the VFX house handling most of the key animation, along side Netflix Animation & Tsuburaya Productions. Based on the classic Japanese mecha superhero of the same name, this Ultraman movie is a fresh update made for American audiences (there's already the Ultraman anime series on Netflix to watch as well). Ken Sato is a superstar baseball player who returns to Japan to become the latest hero to carry the mantle of Ultraman. His plans go awry, however, when he ends up raising a newborn kaiju monster as his own kid. Staring Christopher Sean, Tamlyn Tomita, Gedde Watanabe, Keone Young, and Julia Harriman. This is a fantastic trailer that really sets up the vibe of this movie, which is kid friendly with this adorable kaiju, but it still looks like everyone can enjoy it. Don't write this off! Dive ...

Time for something scary. Lionsgate has revealed an official trailer for Never Let Go, a new horror film from the acclaimed horror filmmaker Alexandre Aja (of High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors, Piranha 3D, Horns, Crawl). This one is set for release in theaters nationwide in September later this year. Never Let Go follows a mother and her fraternal twin sons who have been tormented by an evil spirit for years and are convinced to never let go of their family’s protective bond. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, their connection is severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival. It's set almost entirely at a creepy old cabin in the woods. Halle Berry stars as the mother, with Percy Daggs & Anthony B. Jenkins as the two boys. Alexandre Aja is a master of horror and is always cooking up something terrifying - this is no exception. A chilling trailer promising a clever new horror movie that will frighten audiences later this year. Here's the first official trailer (+ tease) for Alexandre Aja's film ...

"If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?" Lionsgate has debuted an official trailer for Blackwater Lane, yet another of these cheap and clunky thrillers that looks like it was made-for-TV in the 90s. This is getting released in June right away on VOD if anyone cares. Adapted from the book titled "The Breakdown" written by B.A. Paris. Late one night a woman drives by a stranded motorist who is later revealed to have been murdered. After a series of terrifying events the woman believes she is the killer's next victim. From the book: "The only thing she can't forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt. And the silent calls she's receiving, or the feeling that someone's watching her..." Blackwater Lane stars Minka Kelly, Maggie Grace, Dermot Mulroney, with Natalie Simpson, Kris Johnson, Edward Baker-Duly, and Pandora Clifford. "It doesn't make any sense..." Why does this look so bad? Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Jeff Celentano's Blackwater Lane, direct from YouTube: Minka Kelly, Dermot Mulroney and Maggie Grace star in Blackwater ...

"This land has it all." Time for a look at even more footage. Les Films du Losange has debuted the first full-length official trailer for The Damned, a French production made by an Italian filmmaker about America's Civil War in the 1860s. The film just premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, playing in the "Un Certain Regard" section. It's the latest narrative feature made by Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini, whose last film was a doc also set in America called What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire?. The Damned is set in the winter of 1862, during the Civil War. The U.S. Army (meaning the Union army) sends a volunteer company to patrol the uncharted Western territories. As their mission changes course, the meaning behind their engagement begins to elude them. The film stars Jeremiah Knupp, René W. Solomon, Cuyler Ballenger, Noah Carlson, Judah Carlson, and Tim Carlson. We posted the first teaser just a few days ago, but apparently that didn't get enough buzz so here comes a longer trailer. Still not sure about this one. Here's ...

Another year, another Cannes Film Festival. The 77th Festival International du Film de Cannes has begun this week in the South of France in the lovely beach city of Cannes on the Mediterranean coast. We're back again, along with thousands (and thousands) of film critics, journalists, cinephiles, industry members, filmmakers, students, and more. Cannes remains the BIGGEST film festival in the world, not only with the most prestigious line-up and the most attendees. It's always an exciting time, just to be here in the midst of it all. In the weeks leading up to Cannes, it's particularity challenging to gauge whether everyone is actually excited about coming back, or if there's some other controversy or snag that will disrupt the festival... With its pandemic years now in the rear-view, Cannes is powering forward with another full-on, fireworks-filled two week celebration of the power of cinema. Artistic director Thierry Frémaux also stated during the announcement of the official selection that due to the strikes in Hollywood last year, there are not as many American films, but there are plenty of other ...

"Do the police not teach you that coincidences don't exist?" Lionsgate has revealed an official US trailer for a psychological thriller film titled It's Not Over, made by Italian producer / director Alessandro Riccardi. This is an Italian production but shot in English, that first opened in Italy in 2022, now hitting VOD in the US two years later. Max and Sarah are lovers. They meet whenever Albert, her doctor husband, is on duty at the hospital. One night, Albert dies in a domestic accident and, suddenly, Max and Sarah's clandestine love can come out into the open. However, Max notices some disturbing details in Sarah's behavior, insinuating a series of suspicions into the man. What if he's not the person he says he is? It's described as "a spine-chilling thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last minute." Starring Christopher Lambert, Gianni Capaldi, Weronika Rosati, Ian Reddington, Sarah Collier, and John-James Colvin. Ugh this looks like an extremely trashy Lifetime After Dark made-for-TV movie that you really don't want to waste time on. Here's the official US trailer ...

"We're gonna change the world, Maria." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for an upcoming sci-fi movie called Bionic, the first Brazilian (sci-fi) movie of its kind produced by Netflix, featuring (what they claim are) "innovative visual effects." This is set to drop on Netflix in just a few weeks coming up at the end of May - not too long of a wait at all. The year is 2035 and the world has been transformed by technology. In this dystopian future where these robotic prosthetics redefine sports, two sisters compete in long jump — but their rivalry leads them down a sinister path. The story focuses on one sister named Maria who rejects the bionic enhancements. Starring Jessica Córes, Gabz, Bruno Gagliasso, Christian Malheiros, Paulo Vilhena, Danton Mello, and Klebber Toledo. In Bionic, ambition, moral dilemmas and family conflicts unfold in a cyberpunk setting, with numerous adrenaline-filled action scenes. Bionic tech isn't really a brand new thing in sci-fi movies, but it's cool to see them trying something else within sci-fi. It seems worth a look. Here's the main official ...