Author: Alex Billington

"You are best mate – I wouldn't want to be dead with anyone else." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for Dead Boy Detectives, a new series streaming later in April. Not long of a wait a all! It's based on the beloved comic series from Neil Gaiman, and a new addition to "The Sandman Universe" for Netflix. Do you have a pesky ghost haunting you? Has a demon stolen your core memories? You may want to ring the Dead Boy Detectives. Two teen ghosts work alongside a clairvoyant to solve mysteries for their supernatural clientele — until a powerful witch complicates their plans. Edwin and Charles are best friends, ghosts... and the best detectives on the Mortal plane. They will do anything to stick together – including escaping evil witches, Hell and Death herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal and her friend Niko, they are able to crack some of the mortal realm’s most mystifying paranormal cases. Sounds fun! George Rexstrew stars as Edwin and Jayden Revri as Charles, with a cast including Kassius Nelson, Yuyu ...

"Lazareth must be protected at any cost." Vertical has revealed an official trailer for an indie thriller titled Lazareth, from a filmmaker named Alec Tibaldi. This is set to debut to watch in May - both in theaters and on VOD if anyone wants to give it a look. Lee protects her orphaned nieces Imogen and Maeve from a self-destructing world, raising them in isolation for 10 years until an outsider threatens their peaceful existence. Ashley Judd stars an aunt whose life mission is to protect her orphaned nieces, Imogen and Maeve, from the harsh world outside their isolated life. Their sanctuary is known as "Lazareth." In addition to Judd, the cast includes Sarah Pidgeon, Katie Douglas, Edward Balaban, and Asher Angel. This is such an old concept that has been done so many times before in so many other movies - just watch Z for Zachariah instead. This time they're using the Covid pandemic as context, which just doesn't sit right and makes it all the more dubious in my opinion. Judd also looks pretty bad in here, along ...

"Imagine being stuck in my head all the time, with no break, no way out!" New Line Cinema & Temple Hill have unveiled an official trailer for a new movie titled Turtles All the Way Down, a romantic comedy coming-of-age film from filmmaker Hannah Marks (also of After Everything and Mark Mary & Some Other People previously). This is unfortunately skipping theaters and being sent direct-to-streaming on Max this May - though it looks worthy enough for theaters. "Your now is not your forever." Based on the best-selling novel by John Green. Turtles All the Way Down tackles anxiety following its 17-year-old protagonist – Aza Holmes. A story of shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant story of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship. Isabela Merced stars as Aza, who is riddled with crushing anxiety all the time; she's joined by Cree, Felix Mallard, Maliq Johnson, Poorna Jagannathan, Judy Reyes, and J. Smith-Cameron. This doesn't look that bad, but it does seem like a Valentine's Day movie and they missed that opening by a few months. Sweet and charming ...

Don't miss this dear!! Jagged Edge Productions has revealed the first teaser for Bambi: The Reckoning, the latest entry in the public domain horror characters series of B-movies. They are also the same ones who made these Winnie the Pooh horror movies, and this next one is supposed to be part of the "Poohniverse." Oh boy. The story follows Xana and her son Benji who find themselves in a car wreck and soon hunted down by the vicious killing machine, Bambi. "The film will be an incredibly dark retelling of the 1928 story we all know and love... Finding inspiration from the design used in Netflix's The Ritual, Bambi will be a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness. Prepare for Bambi on rabies!" This stars Roxanne McKee, Nicola Wright, Samira Mighty, Russell Geoffrey Banks, Alex Cooke, and Tom Mulheron. The new cinematic universe is set to culminate in a 2025 film titled Poohniverse: Monsters Assembled, bringing all the monsters together. Ugh. I guess some people are really into this horror junk, but I am definitely not. Here's the first ...

"Why did you bring us here?" "Your family belongs here..." Neon has revealed the incredible full trailer for Cuckoo, a freaky horror film coming this summer. It premiered at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival and also played at SXSW recently. Cuckoo is the second feature from German filmmaker Tilman Singer after Luz. Gretchen travels to the German Alps with her father & stepmother, where she comes across dark secrets. She hears strange noises and is plagued by visions of a woman chasing after her, drawn into a conspiracy involving bizarre experiments by the resort’s owner that echoes back generations... Following his festival hit Luz, Singer has once again succeeded in creating an atmospheric & visually outstanding horror trip with an original plot and perfidious twists. Shot on 35mm, this stars Euphoria's star Hunter Schafer alongside a brilliant and terrifying Dan Stevens. The full cast also includes Jessica Henwick, Marton Csókás, Jan Bluthardt, Greta Fernández, Konrad Singer, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, & Proschat Madani. I loved this film (read my review)!! It's a blast. Eerie and weird and fun and clever. Get ready ...

"Is it your theory not to have a theory?" Zeitgeist Films has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film called Taking Venice, a remarkable true story from art history. This premiered at DOC NYC last year and is opening in limited theaters starting in May. The film received critical acclaim at the 2023 Rome Film Festival, Sao Paulo Film Festival, and Fort Lauderdale Festival. The documentary uncovers the true story behind rumors that the 1964 Venice Biennale was rigged – by the U.S. Government and a team of highly placed insiders – so that their chosen artist, Robert Rauschenberg, would win the grand prize. "This fun caper movie explores the true story behind the rumors... With an extraordinary cast of experts and insiders from the art world and extensive archival footage, the [doc] reveals the plans of ambitious curator Alan Solomon and pioneering art dealer Leo Castelli to win the 1964 Grand Prize for American artist Robert Rauschenberg and fight Communism with culture." There are more & more docs recently revealing strange but true stories (also see: Neither Confirm ...

"We've got 48 hours to blow this, people!!" This should be filed under "Don't Watch". Gravitas has revealed an official trailer for an indie comedy titled My Divorce Party, about a group of women who try to have a fun time together while celebrating a divorce. Ha ha. Divorcee Xan gathers all of her close friends out in the desert to celebrate her impending split, only to reveal she intends to burn her divorce settlement money to start fresh. Chaos ensues as each friend has a wildly different opinion on what Xan should do. The comedy is set out at Joshua Tree, where she brings her friends and meets some strange people along the way. Starring Desiree Staples as Xan, along with Rumer Willis, Kimia Behpoornia, Michell Meredith, Dionne Gipson Amara, Laith Ashley Ajax, & Sarah Hollis Samantha. This is heading direct-to-VOD later this month, which is the proper place for this very trashy looking comedy meant for a very specific audience. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Heidi Weitzer's film My Divorce Party, direct from YouTube: On the weekend before ...

"Through her eyes, I can glimpse a wild dance of the world." Meet Joana, a 6-year-old Spanish girl who loves costumes and saying "no." And meet her super creative Dad, Antoni, also called "Podenco," who is a freelance animator and artist living in Valencia, Spain. His latest short film is titled Joana and it's a tribute to his daughter. This wonderful 3-minute animated short features Antoni talking about magical and special and gorgeous and unique his daughter Joana is. He takes footage of her and vibrantly animates it - the short film is a "Rotoscope of more than 2,000 hand painted frames" and it's stunning. Not only is all the imagery itself magical, envisioning many of Joana's thoughts & expressions, but his love for her is so boundless and beautiful and comes across so invigorating in here. This one is absolutely worth a watch, something to lift your spirits as a reminder of how much love is out there – and how kids are a constant source of inspiration. Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this one. Brief intro ...

"You're in danger, Madame." Vertical has unveiled an official US trailer for Maïwenn's Jeanne du Barry, which is finally getting a theatrical release in he US one full year after it premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last May. It already opened in France the same week as its Cannes premiere, but hasn't shown up in the US until now. In this film, Jeanne Vaubernier, a young working-class woman hungry for culture and pleasure, uses her intelligence and her allure to climb the rungs of the social ladder one by one. She becomes the favorite of King Louis XV who, unaware of her status as courtesan, regains through her his appetite for life. They fall madly in love. Against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her arrival scandalizes the court... The film also stars Maïwenn as Jeanne, plus Johnny Depp as King Louis XV, along with Benjamin Lavernhe, Melvil Poupaud, Pierre Richard, Pascal Greggory, and India Hair. This didn't get the best reviews in Cannes, with critics calling it "mediocre, dull and dreary," though opinions are ...

"We need to find the real Bodkin. Bad things happen here just like everywhere else." Netflix has revealed the official trailer for a streaming series arriving this summer titled Bodkin, set in Ireland in an idyllic Irish town. Described as a "dark comedy thriller" about podcasters who get lost chasing a cold case. Obviously a riff on the true crime craze! Produced by the Obamas' Higher Ground Productions. A group of podcasters set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three strangers in an idyllic Irish town. When they start to pull the strings, they find a story much bigger and stranger than they could have imagined. The series stars Siobhán Cullen as Dove, Robyn Cara as Emmy, Chris Walley as Sean O’Shea, David Wilmot as Seamus, and Will Forte as Gilbert. It was filmed in Dublin, Wicklow, and West Cork, and it looks gorgeous. Of course it also reminds of the Black Mirror episode "Loch Henry". This looks dang good! I like the footage and the super sly, extra dark humor worked into another crime mystery plot. Seems worth ...