Author: Alex Billington

"How do you control people who no longer believe? You create something to fear." 😱 20th Century has revealed a second trailer for The First Omen, arriving in theaters just under a month at the start of April. This technically is a prequel to The Omen, the 2006 horror film about a boy who might in fact be the Devil incarnate. In this film, a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. Starring Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sonia Braga, Nicole Sorace, and Bill Nighy, with Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan. I think the first teaser trailer is much better, more creative and clever, whereas this is just another fairly standard horror trailer that doesn't actually show much horror in it. Though I dig Ineson's dark & gravely voice guiding us through this footage. Here's the second trailer (+ poster) for Arkasha Stevenson's The First Omen, ...

"Within the Guy Ritchie world, you can really push it as far as you want." Already streaming on Netflix now. Netflix has revealed a 5-minute behind-the-scenes featurette for The Gentlemen, a streaming series from filmmaker Guy Ritchie. Crime meets caviar in this slick crime comedy creation! Meet the new class of criminals in The Gentlemen. A new British drama series inspired by the original 2019 film. Eddie Halstead inherits a large estate from his father, unaware it fronts Pearson's drug empire. With no crime experience, he must take over the operation or lose the estate. The Gentlemen is currently streaming on Netflix as of last week, but they're hoping to bring more attention to it with this extensive promo video. The series features Ray Winstone, Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson, Vinnie Jones, Giancarlo Esposito, Chanel Cresswell, Michael Vu, Max Beesley, Jasmine Blackborow, Harry Goodwins, Dar Salim, Pearce Quigley, Ruby Sear, Peter Serafinowicz. The video includes a look at the Badminton House where they filmed, as well as other sets & locations, plus conversations with the cast & ...

"This is James Stewart in Rear Window. THIS is the guy." Greenwich Ent. has debuted an official trailer for Uncropped, a documentary film about a photographer. From the same filmmaker behind The Booksellers doc, this one is also about a New Yorker. The film premiered at DOC NYC last year and will open in very limited theaters starting in April. Alfred Hitchcock. Muhammad Ali. Meryl Streep. LL Cool J. Photographer James Hamilton has captured them all. In Uncropped, a legendary Village Voice photojournalist recounts the stories behind iconic images taken over the course of a five-decade career. A visual chronicle of New York City and a window into the heyday of alternative print media. The film rediscovers the work of Village Voice photojournalist James Hamilton, one of the great chroniclers of America's cultural history. It's also executive produced by Wes Anderson (who makes an appearance in this trailer praising James' work). This looks fantastic! Not only does it have solid reviews, his photographs are amazing - truly one of NYC's greats. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for D.W. Young's doc ...

The 96th Academy Awards are finally upon us and it's time to watch the show and discover the winners of the most prestigious award in Hollywood. The Oscars are back in their normal routine playing out during the winter months, wrapping up this year's intriguing & extensive awards season in March. All awards will be marked below in the complete list alongside the nominees. There are ten Best Picture noms from 2023, including both Barbie and Oppenheimer from the "Barbenheimer" craze. While I was originally hoping Poor Things would win, it's expected that Oppenheimer will take home the most awards this year. It may finally be time for Christopher Nolan to have his year! It might also be the first Oscar for Godzilla if it wins in Best VFX. I'm ready for the night and looking forward to find out what The Academy members have chosen. All of the nominated movies are worthy - including American Fiction and Maestro and The Zone of Interest. Now it's time to find out who's taking home Oscars, and who isn't, at the annual ...

"A man. His daughter. The trial of their lives." In celebration of its Oscar nom, the filmmakers behind the documentary film To Kill a Tiger have announced that the film is now available for streaming on Netflix worldwide. Made by Indian-Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja, To Kill a Tiger first premiered at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival and opened in theaters last fall. It earned an Academy Award nomination in the Best Documentary Film category - and might win tonight. To Kill A Tiger follows the story of Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, who takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of sexual assault. The doc highlights Ranjit's unwavering support for his daughter and the bravery of a family willing to risk everything for justice. Executive Producer Dev Patel states: "I'm beyond thrilled for Nisha and the creative team behind this powerful piece of cinema and the group of women who worked relentlessly to get this film out into the world. I had a visceral reaction to To Kill a ...

"If you truly believed something was off... maybe it was." Lionsgate has revealed an official trailer for an indie thriller titled Strictly Confidential, made by actor / filmmaker Damian Hurley, the son of actress / model Elizabeth Hurley who also stars in this. It is very much a rich person's fantasy thriller, made by rich people, for rich people who can easily escape to their "Caribbean paradise" whenever they want. Described as a "sensual thriller with a devilish twist." A tormented young woman is drawn into a world of seduction, duplicity and betrayal as she desperately tries to uncover the mystery surrounding her best friend's suicide. She is relentless, determined to uncover the truth... at what cost? Are some secrets meant to stay buried? The film stars Elizabeth Hurley, Georgia Lock, Lauren McQueen, Freddie Thorp, and Genevieve Gaunt. The film was shot in St. Kitts & Nevis - a Caribbean island nation - back in 2022. This looks as awful as it sounds, you couldn't pay me to watch. Maybe some people are into this kind of derivative, campy story. Here's ...

"Always wondered if there's a place somewhere for us. A place for weirdos." Mubi revealed a quick teaser trailer for the film Gasoline Rainbow, the first narrative feature by acclaimed doc filmmakers the Ross Brothers. It's playing at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival this month, and also CPH:DOX & the Cleveland Film Festival before it releases on Mubi this May. The film premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews. A rhapsodic portrait of the new generation from filmmakers Bill & Turner Ross (of Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets). With high school in the rearview, five teenagers from small-town Oregon decide to embark on one last adventure. Piling into an old van with a busted tail light, their mission is to make it to a place they've never been — the Pacific coast, 500 miles away. Their plan, in full: "Fuck it." Starring Makai Garza, Micah Bunch, Tony Aburto, Nichole Dukes, Nathalie Garcia. This is a scripted feature, but it also plays like a doc following these wayward contemporary teens as they get into all kinds of trouble on ...

"It's not everyday you get to release the planet's greatest operating system for personal computing...!" This delightfully clever, amusing short film is now out to watch online. Written & directed by KK Apple, The Launch is a parody of the Microsoft team getting ready to launch Windows 95 at a big tech event in 1995. "When a ruthless tech ubernerd is faced with pushback right before a big launch, he must find a way to hype up the team - and himself - before going onstage." It's inspired by true events and "one very viral Bill Gates video." This film riffs on the whole event by casting a group of young women to perform as kids pretending to be these not-so-confident tech nerds - the Microsoft boys. Starring Alyssa Limperis as Bill, Tien Tran as Dave, Katie Sisk as Steve, Alise Morales as Richard, and KK Apple as Marcus; along with Pallavi Gunalan, Betsy Helmer, and Nathan Pearson. Of course this is similar to Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs film, but it's also creative in its own savvy ways. The short ...

"I've come home to join you on another journey..." Strand Releasing has debuted an official US trailer for a Norwegian documentary film titled Songs of Earth, a slow cinema gorgeous work of art made by the doc filmmaker Margreth Olin. This premiered at CPH:DOX and IDFA and TIFF last year, and will be released in US cinemas in early 2024. A beautiful, meditative doc about the power of this planet. "Being connected to nature, what does it mean? Father knows and father shows. The director's father is 84. We follow in his footsteps into the mountain home. Into nature's smallest life and out to grand panoramas, where he grew up." It's set in a valley in Norway called Oldedalen (see Google Maps), where her family is from. All of the breathtaking shots of the landscape are mostly accompanied by sounds of nature transposed into melodies by the London Contemporary Orchestra. A sweeping natural spectacle rooted in a personal history. Reviews praise the film: "A remarkable, poetic meditation, Songs of Earth weaves the smallness of human lifespan into the grandness of ...

"It's important to finish things once we start them..." Vudu has revealed an official trailer for an indie crime comedy called LaRoy, Texas, formerly known as just LaRoy. This is officially set for a release starting in April, streaming directly on the Vudu service if anyone is interested in this tomfoolery. When Ray discovers that his wife is cheating on him, he decides he is going to kill himself. His plans suddenly change when a stranger mistakes him for a low-rent hitman. Broke and depressed, Ray is mistaken for a dangerous hitman and given an envelope of cash. Along with his P.I. friend Skip, he must escape the actual hitman to make it out of LaRoy alive. Starring John Magaro (from Past Lives & First Cow) as Ray, Steve Zahn as his kooky P.I. friend, Dylan Baker, Galadriel Stineman, Matthew Del Negro, Bob Clendenin, Brad Leland, Megan Stevenson, & Emily Pendergast. This premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year but didn't make much of an impact, which is why it's going direct-to-VOD to watch soon. At least Zahn looks ...