Author: Alex Billington

"Sisterhood above all..." Warner Bros has revealed the first look teaser trailer for the epic new sci-fi series Dune: Prophecy, a spin-off TV series streaming on Max later in 2024 (aiming for a fall release). It's set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, before the universe knew them as the Bene Gesserit... This is directly connected to Denis Villeneuve's two (so far) brilliant Dune movies but it's not a direct prequel since it's set so far in the past. It's also based on the book "Sisterhood of Dune" by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (Frank's son). The intro to that book is much more fascinating: "It is eighty-three years after the last of the thinking machines were destroyed in the Battle of Corrin, after Faykan Butler took the name of Corrino and established himself as the first Emperor of a new Imperium. Great changes are brewing that will shape and twist all of humankind." This sounds intense! Dune: Prophecy stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Mark Strong, Jade Anouka, Chris Mason, Jodhi May, Josh Heuston, Tabu, ...

"Don't be afraid." "I"m not afraid." Magic is in the air! Discover a whole new world with Glinda & Elphaba. Universal Pictures has revealed the full-length official trailer for Jon M. Chu's Wicked movie, arriving in theaters everywhere in November later this year. After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season. Directed by filmmaker Jon M. Chu (of Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights), Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. Cynthia Erivo stars as Elphaba Thropp, a young woman with green skin who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Ariana Grande co-stars as Glinda, with Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, plus Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz. The first teaser trailer from a few months ago actually looked pretty good, but this trailer is even better. Massive real sets, vivid colors everywhere, passionate performances galore! This should ...

"Darkness will bind them." Here we go again! Prime Video has revealed an epic first teaser for Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series. It's start to launch in late August during the fall - just like Season 1 did back in 2022. The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. For Season 2, as we all know from the finale of Season 1: Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season 1's epic scope and ambition, Season 2 plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. The ensemble cast for ...

"When does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no... Whoa!! American Zoetrope has dropped a real teaser trailer for Megalopolis, unveiling an incredible 90 secs of jaw-dropping footage. Megalopolis is director Francis Ford Coppola's latest ambitious project, a $100M+ feature that he has been trying to make ever since he first conceived the film in 1979. The basic setup is: an architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster. It's not actually NYC, but a giant city like NYC hence the Megalopolis title. The architect's plan is opposed by the mayor, who has other ideas for the city. It's premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition this week - and we posted a teaser clip last week. The movie's cast includes Adam Driver as Caesar, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Grave Vanderwaal, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman. This teaser also features a chilling voiceover by Laurence Fishburne, who some will remember got his career started by ...

"I had no choice but to take refuge in the spiritual world." There's an early promo trailer available for a peculiar, mind-bending, strangely fun new film titled The Hyperboreans, from the one-of-a-kind Chilean filmmakers Joaquín Cociña & Cristóbal León. It's premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival this week in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar. Here's their full intro: "Following their first feature-length animated film The Wolf House (2018), the Chilean duo are back, mixing puppets, stop-motion and live-action, theatre, science fiction, and real and fabricated biopic. In the liminal space of a big studio, our only guide is a woman – by turns storyteller, actress and illusionist – who interacts with Méliès-style cardboard sets and effigies, following in the footsteps of a very real man: the Chilean neo-Nazi dandy Miguel Serrano (1917-2009), a writer and the originator of delirious esoteric theories. Should he be viewed as a fascinating anomaly or symbolic of a deeper evil?" This looks crazy! A mix of animation, live-action, shifting sets, masks, and more. If you can't catch this one at Cannes this month, keep eye ...

"Last week you were a straight-A student, now a killer-for-hire?" VMI has unveiled an official trailer for an indie action thriller film titled Kill Craft, the latest creation from filmmaker Mark Savage. Yet another new hitman movie to join so many others recently released, though this one is actually a hitwoman movie. When a veteran hitman is killed on the job, leaving his wife and teenage daughter without a source of income, his daughter reluctantly agrees to fulfill his remaining job, putting herself and her mother in terrible jeopardy. Of course! Being an assassin is a dangerous job and there will always be tons of people after you. So what's new? Starring Senae Loutsis as Marina, Michael Parè as her father, Bill Oberst Jr., Isis Eggleston, Amy DiLorenzo, Cole Springer, Theresa Allen, Caleb Baker, Jason Brooks, and Ben Chacon. "Daddy's Little Killer" is such a bad tagline. There are so many better films out there to watch than this one. Here's the main official trailer (+ poster) for Mark Savage's film Kill Craft, direct from YouTube: Marina is a straight-A student living ...

"You didn't have to go all crazy just to get the three of us together!" Film Movement has revealed an official trailer for Mother, Couch, a very strange dark comedy from filmmaker Niclas Larsson making his feature directorial debut. This premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival last fall to plenty of mixed reviews, one of the big discoveries from last year's fest even though critics are divided on it. Three children are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a display couch in a furniture store. Which sends them all on an existential odyssey. TIFF intro adds: Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Ellen Burstyn star in this sublime and eccentric story about the grand expanse that parents occupy within our lives and the family that has to come together to help you find your way. The cast also includes F. Murray Abraham, Lake Bell, and Taylor Russell. Reviews state it is "strange, bold, and more dreamlike than I could have anticipated." All of this sounds strange yet also appealing? I'm particular curious about this ...

"I'm trying to protect you!!" Quiver Distribution has debuted the official trailer for an emotional, intense family drama titled Fresh Kills, which is the feature directorial debut for New Yorker actress Jennifer Esposito. Esposito writes, directs, and stars in the film - a modern mafia story following the story of the loyal women of an organized crime family that dominated some of the boroughs of New York City in the late 20th century. The film is about a young woman named Rose Larusso, who learns her father is an emerging mafia kingpin. Rose’s growing desire to break free from the path set before her soon threatens her existence and alienates her from her closest allies: her mother Francine, her sister Connie, and her aunt Christine. Fresh Kills stars Emily Bader as Rose, Odessa A'zion, Jennifer Esposito, Domenick Lombardozzi, Nicholas Cirillo, and Annabella Sciorra. This played at a few film festivals last year and will be opening in select US theaters this June. A very powerful trailer! This is actually seems like it might be worth a look. Here's the official trailer ...

How do you find your way out of a room with no doors? That's the conundrum in this animated short film titled The Cocoon, made by Chinese-Jewish American filmmaker David Shen Miller. After playing at a few film festivals last year, Omeleto has debuted the short online for everyone to watch. In the metaphorical The Cocoon, a trapped man goes to extreme lengths to clean a dirty room - coming to a realization about what it really takes to confront his trapped dilemma. "This intriguing animated short operates on a metaphorical level, using animation's inherent elasticity and freedom to explore deeply psychological terrain with a well-paced, compelling narrative." The idea in this is interesting, though the animation isn't top notch - it's a bit shaggy and obvious at times. Nonetheless, it's still an impactful little film. "He's given himself a Sisyphean task, with no real solution in sight, despite all his efforts. But then, he finds a way to transform the mess and imperfection around him into something else entirely." The Cocoon is only 9 minutes - give it a ...