Author: Alex Billington

"There's always a surprise inside the box..." Netflix has unveiled the first official trailer for a comedy titled Unfrosted, marking the feature directorial debut of comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Last year there was Air and Flamin' Hot about corporations creating famous new products, this year we have Unfrosted about the origin of the (in)famous Pop-Tart. In a time when milk and cereal ruled breakfast, a fierce corporate battle begins over a revolutionary pastry. Michigan, 1963. Kellogg's and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast. A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen - starring and directed by Jerry Seinfeld. The concept is derived from one of Seinfeld's standup bits about Pop Tarts, per the podcast Smartless. The cast also includes Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Sarah Cooper, Bill Burr, and other special guests. This looks super wacky - more like an SNL sketch turned into a movie, with all kinds of kooky characters. Plays more like a satire making fun of Kellogg's than a ...

"I'm never going to stop caring." An official US trailer has arrived for an indie romance film from Lithuania titled Slow, made by filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze. This initially premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival last year where it received some rave reviews, before going on to play at many other fests including Sydney, Karlovy Vary, Galway, Helsinki, Zurich, Nashville, Hamburg, London, and AFI Fest last fall. Slow is a unique film about love showing a story of two people, one of them asexual, who prefer to take it slow and let their intimacy build in its own way. Dancer Elena and sign language interpreter Dovydas meet and form a beautiful bond. As they dive into a new relationship, they must also learn to navigate how to build their own kind of intimacy. The film stars Greta Grinevičiūtė as Elena & Kęstutis Cicėnas as Dovydas, with Rimante Valiukaite. "Through dance, tense quietude, and a stunningly singular exploration of asexuality, she forefronts physicality and its limitations in the expression of emotional expectation." It's worth a look. Here's the official US trailer (+ ...

"This changed my perception of something I've been working on for 17 years..." HBO has unveiled a teaser trailer for a true crime documentary series "sequel" titled simply The Jinx - Part Two. This "Part Two" is a new six-episode continuation of the groundbreaking Emmy-winning documentary series "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst," directed by filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, which debuted on HBO back in 2015. Even though Durst ended up being found guilty and went to prison, there's still more to his story. He actually ended up dying in prison in 2022 though that hasn't stopped many people being interested in his crimes. "Since then, the team behind The Jinx have continued their investigation and found more hidden material, Durst’s prison calls and new interviews." When the original series launched in 2015, it paved the way for a lot of modern true crime doc series. Now that true crime has become its own massive subgenre on streaming, HBO / Max are following up with this sequel with even more chilling revelations. I doubt they're going to reveal ...

"Find the pages. Put Spiderwick's field guide back together..." The Roku Channel is has unveiled the full official trailer for their new The Spiderwick Chronicles series launching in late April. Adapted for TV by the writer Aron Eli Coleite (creator of "Daybreak", "Locke & Key") from the popular novels. The Spiderwick Chronicles book series was already adapted into a movie once before, directed by Mark Waters in 2008 with Freddie Highmore starring, and even a video game. The story follows the Grace Family, as they move into their ancestral home and unravel a dark mystery about their great-great Uncle who discovered the parallel, secret faerie world to their own. Their son Jared discovers a boggart and realizes that magical creatures are real! Off into the parallel universe he goes... The Roku series stars Lyon Daniels as Jared, Noah Cottrell, Joy Bryant, Mychala Lee, Jack Dylan Grazer, Christian Slater as Mulgarath, Momona Tamada, & Alyvia Alyn Lind. Slater still looks like the best part of this series, the rest of it seems a bit cheap & cheesy. Here's the official trailer (+ ...

Sometimes simple is better. You don't even need any dialogue to tell a story! This amusing new short film is once again an example of the great power of visual storytelling. Snif & Snüf is a 5-minute animated short created by filmmaker / animator Michael Ruocco. He works in the animation industry in Los Angeles as a storyboard artist / animator and dabbles in filmmaking every once in a while with his own shorts (like this one!). This clever Looney Tunes-esque film is about two goofball characters who discover an interesting new object, and learn about what it means to share. It premiered last year and played at a few film festivals and is now online for everyone to enjoy. A nice review on YouTube really says it best: "This feels like it could've come out 60 years ago and stood with the giants, but feels just as fun and relevant coming out today." Enjoy. Thanks to everyone on Twitter for the tip on this short. Brief intro direct from YouTube: "Two characters discover an interesting new object, and learn about ...

"This room here is by far my favorite room..." Time for a set tour! Universal has posted a behind-the-scenes featurette for the horror movie Abigail, a vampire thriller in theaters this April. From Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022's Scream and last year's Scream VI—comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick. After a group of criminals kidnap the young ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl. One by one they begin to realize this is their last night. Starring Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, and Angus Cloud as the kidnappers, featuring Alisha Weir (from Matilda the Musical) as Abigail. This featurette is only 60 seconds and follows actor Kathryn Newton as she tours the set and shows off three of the rooms they filmed in. Nice, but I want more! More more more of this making of. Here's the quick behind-the-scenes featurette for ...

"Sex 'n bugs 'n sausage rolls." ShineHouse has revealed a new official US trailer for a British indie comedy called La Cha Cha, directed by filmmaker Kevin Allen. After first premiering in the UK in 2021 during the pandemic, the film is set for a VOD release in the US this April a few years later. Liam Hourican stars as Solti Buttering, who is on a road trip to scatter his grandfather's ashes. Along the way he stumbles upon "La Cha Cha", a closed holiday park with a lively off-grid retiree community. Struggling to keep the place going, feisty owner Libby and brother Damien unveil an unconventional plan to sustain it and the residents. This also stars Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, Sonny Ashbourne Serkis, Dougray Scott, Alfie Allen, Keith Allen, Llyr Ifans, with Rhys Ifans & Melanie Waters. Even with an impressive cast, looks as kooky and as strange as they come. Not sure it'll appeal to many! You never know who might need a trip to La Cha Cha. Here's the official US trailer (+ poster) for Kevin Allen's La Cha ...

"Don't listen to everything your father says." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for a Mexican satire dramedy film called Down the Rabbit Hole, by Mexican filmmaker Manolo Caro. Down the Rabbit Hole is the alternate English title for this, also known as Fiesta en la Madriguera in Spanish, based on the book of the exact same name. Raised in opulence and culture, 10-year-old Tochtli's lavish life contrasts with the darkness that seeps in from his father's criminal activities. This is about a young Mexican kid who wants a hippo above all else. It reminds me of the story of Pablo Escobar's infamous "cocaine hippos", which might be part of the influence (or reference) for why this kid wants one anyway. Miguel Valverde Uribe stars as Tochtli, a particularly intelligent and precocious boy who at first glance seems to have everything, and when he doesn't, his father, Yolcaut, will do the impossible to fulfill his wishes, because Yolcaut can do anything. The film also stars Manuel García-Rulfo, Raúl Briones, Teresa Ruiz, Alfredo Gatica, Mercedes Hernández, Pierre Louis, Lizeth Selene, Debi ...

"Diseases like Alzheimer's start long before the symptoms are seen. The question is, what are you going to do about it?" Abramorama is soon releasing this powerful documentary film called Little Empty Boxes, a very personal film about dementia made by author Max Lugavere. It's now set for release in limited theaters starting in April - in NYC on 4/19 and LA on 4/26. Best-selling author Max Lugavere makes his directorial debut with Little Empty Boxes - he is the author of Genius Foods and Genius Kitchen, a health journalist, and a diet expert who also hosts The Genius Life podcast. The deeply personal film focuses on Max's mother Kathy as she begins to struggle with her memory. In a quest to find his mother the best care possible, Max moves back to New York and begins to consult with health experts to investigate the origins of Dementia, an awful disease that now affects a staggering 55 million people globally. The doc chronicles Kathy's experience with Dementia as Max explores methods outside of prescription medication to slow her progress. It ...

"I never wanted to be saved..." Shout Studios has revealed an official trailer for an indie western titled The Dead Don't Hurt, written and directed by and also starring Viggo Mortensen (directing his second film following Falling). This first premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival last year, and it also played at the Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia in Mexico. Set in the 1860s, fiercely independent French Canadian Vivienne Le Coudy embarks on a relationship with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen. When he leaves to fight in the Civil War, she must fend for herself in lawless town run by ruthless criminals. Vicky Krieps stars as Vivienne, joined by Viggo Mortensen, Danny Huston, Garrett Dillahunt, and Solly McLeod. Both a tragic love story and a nuanced depiction of the conflict between revenge and forgiveness, Mortensen's The Dead Don’t Hurt is a portrait of a passionate woman determined to stand up for herself in an unforgiving world dominated by ruthless men. The film has received mostly positive reviews out of the festivals. It looks like a tragedy about criminals and ...