Author: Alex Billington

"What would it mean for a nuclear power to come undone?" Netflix has revealed the official trailer for a documentary series titled Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War, which is the latest "Turning Point" offering following the Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror docu-series also on Netflix. The next chapter in this franchise about the state of the world... From Luminant Media and doc director Brian Knappenberger comes the definitive documentary series on the Cold War. Beginning with the development of the atomic bomb during WWII and the dramatic proliferation of nuclear weapons in the decades after, the series traces Cold War history past the collapse of the Soviet Union to the rise of Vladimir Putin and into the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Featuring new interviews with prominent politicians, journalists, and the people who lived through history, this series is an exploration of the decades-long conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union framed by current events that reveal the Cold War continues and the world remains on the precipice of nuclear war. Scary! I always ...

"Welcome to the resistance!" Roadside Attractions has revealed an official trailer for an action thriller titled Boy Kills World, set for US release in theaters at the end of April this spring. This originally premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival last year in the beloved Midnight Madness section. A dystopian fever dream action film that follows Boy, a deaf mute with a vibrant imagination. When his family is killed, he is trained by a mysterious shaman to become an instrument of death. More from TIFF: "As he tries to parse his place in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister." The feature directorial debut of German filmmaker Moritz Mohr, adapting his own short film. Starring Bill Skarsgård as Boy, with Jessica Rothe, Yayan Ruhian, Andrew Koji, Isaiah Mustafa, Famke Janssen, Brett Gelman, & Sharlto Copley. Reviews at TIFF were mixed, saying it features "joyously conceived series of action sequences designed to top the one that came before." The style seems to ...

"You need to fight for 'em! Get out there and fight for your kids!" Quiver Distr. has revealed the official trailer for an indie drama titled A Bit of Light, which is finally set for US release this spring after originally debuting back in 2022. The film premiered at the 2022 Raindance Film Festival, and it also played at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in early 2023. It's the second feature directed by British actor Stephen Moyer, following The Parting Glass previously. Anna Paquin stars as Ella, who at almost forty, is forced to move back in with her father Alan. She's trying to stay sober having temporarily given up custody of her young daughters to her ex-husband Joseph and his new partner Bethan. Ella strikes up an unlikely friendship with a mysterious teenage boy whose belief in her as a mother helps her rediscover her self-worth. Also starring Ray Winstone, Luca Hogan, Pippa Bennett-Warner, and Youssef Kerkour. Might be worth a look. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Stephen Moyer's A Bit of Light, direct from YouTube: Ella (Anna Paquin), ...

"I didn't create this problem. I'm trying to help you deal with it." Netflix has debuted the full official trailer for The Gentlemen series, a new streaming offering from filmmaker Guy Ritchie launching this March. Crime meets caviar! Meet the new class of criminals in The Gentlemen. A new British drama series inspired by the original 2019 film. Eddie Halstead inherits large estate from father, unaware it fronts Pearson's drug empire. With no crime experience, he must take over the operation or lose the estate. Ray Winstone stars as Bobby Glass, a career criminal from the East End of London who founded an industrial cannabis empire. The cast includes Theo James as The Duke of Halstead, Eddie, who finds himself embroiled in criminality after inheriting his father's estate, and Kaya Scodelario as Susie Glass, Bobby's effortlessly stylish & steely daughter who runs the empie's day-to-day business; along with 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. Now that is an epic cast. ...

"Dogs have a real sense of family. So they rally around in the bad times and form a solid united entity." Briarcliff Ent. has revealed the official US trailer for Luc Besson's movie DogMan, which first premiered last year at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. This was supposed to open earlier in 2023, then they held it for the festival premiere, and it opened in Europe quickly after. "Wherever there is an unfortunate, God sends a dog." DogMan tells the incredible story of a child – bruised by life – who will find his salvation through the love of his dogs. Caleb Landry Jones stars as its fragile yet resilient protagonist who bends societal rules as he makes his own way. The film has "an edgy, indie feel reminiscent of Besson's debut feature Subway" and his other early films like The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, & Leon. The cast also includes Christopher Denham, Marisa Berenson, Michael Garza, and Jojo T. Gibbs. This gets violent in the second half, turning into a vengeance film taking out the bad guys - ...

"There has never been a situation like this in Latin America." Netflix has revealed a trailer for a mysterious documentary series titled ARA San Juan: Submarine That Disappeared, about an Argentinian Navy submarine that disappeared back in 2017. Also known as ARA San Juan: El Submarino que Desapareció in Spanish. On November 15th, 2017, Argentine naval submarine ARA San Juan disappeared from all radars with it's 44 crew members on board. The search paralyzed the country, keeping everyone in suspense, while relatives waited for a miracle and relentlessly asked for their beloved. What actually happened? "We were motivated by the need to clarify the various hypotheses surrounding the disappearance of the ARA San Juan submarine. This documentary series seeks to honor the memory of the 44 deceased crew members and the struggle of their families, who tirelessly persevere in the search for answers," say producers Nicolás Carreras & Marcos Sacchetti. Spoiler alert: the remains of the sub were eventually found in 2018, revealing that it sunk and imploded, though there are still many different theories as to what happened & ...

One of the strangest films paying at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival is a Netflix sci-fi offering from a Swedish filmmaker named Johan Renck. It's a strange pick not because the film is experimental or unconventional, it's strange because it doesn't make sense this film is playing at a festival. Spaceman will streaming be on Netflix in a few more weeks (starting March 1st). It's another mostly middle-of-the-road, easily-forgettable Netflix Original, and it doesn't really do anything crazy or exciting or clever that would make it worthy of a major festival premiere. It's also just a really strange film because it's about a giant, benevolent space spider (!!) that appears inside a spaceship that is traveling near Jupiter – astronaut Jakub is on a year-long solo mission to investigate a purple cloud of mysterious space dust that appeared near Jupiter a few years before. It's actually based on a true story, sort of, about the the country's first astronaut, Jakub Procházka, raised in the Czech countryside. But this intriguing backstory has nothing to do with what is happening in this ...

"I know what you're thinking... is it worth it? It's the job..." Vertical has revealed the official trailer for an intense thriller set on the streets of New York City titled Asphalt City, made by French filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, of the film A Prayer Before Dawn previously. This first premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year under the title Black Flies, but got pretty dismal reviews from most critics. A young paramedic is paired with a seasoned partner on the night shift in NYC revealing a city in crisis. Discovering the chaos firsthand, he is tested with the ethical ambiguity that can often mean the difference between life & death. Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan co-star, along with Gbenga Akkinagbe, Raquel Nave, Kali Reis, with Michael C. Pitt, Katherine Waterston, and Mike Tyson (yes, seriously) as their captain. It's an intense and horrifying look at just how unsettling it is to work as an EMT / paramedic in NYC, tons of stress and gruesome encounters. I wish this was a better film, because it's really hard to watch ...

"Laroi, he's so ambitious, I could tell he was gonna be huge." Prime Video has revealed an official trailer for another new music documentary called Kids Are Growing Up: A Story About A Kid Named Laroi, from OBB Media. As the title pretty clearly indicates, the film is about a young Australian rapped known as The Kid Laroi - who was originally named Charlton Howard before his moniker. He gained recognition from his association with American rapper Juice WRLD while he was on tour in Australia. He gained a local following before signing a joint venture record deal with both Lil Bibby's Grade A Productions and Columbia Records. The film is about his "growing up" over the last few years with all of his success. A moment in time for musician The Kid Laroi as he enters adulthood, navigating fame, mental health struggles, first love, and the death of his mentor Juice WRLD (who passed away in 2019 of a drug overdose). This film looks like yet another marketing doc for the music industry, as The Kid Laroi is only ...

"Who else you gonna talk to about this, not like you're ever gonna see me again..." Sony Pictures Classics has debuted a first look teaser trailer for an indie film titled Daddio, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Christy Hall. This initially premiered at both the 2023 Telluride & Toronto Film Festivals last fall, but it never showed up at any other festivals after those two. The New York City drama is set entirely in a taxi cab departing from JFK airport. A young woman jumps into the backseat of a yellow taxi, the cabbie throws the vehicle into drive as the two head out into the night toward Manhattan, striking up the most unexpected conversation resulting in a single, epic, remarkable journey. Dakota Johnson stars as Girlie, and Sean Penn co-stars as the driver Clark, described as a "curbside philosopher." This is a surprisingly good teaser because it's precisely just the right amount of footage needed to make you want to see this film. Here's the first look teaser trailer for Christy Hall's Daddio, direct from SPC's YouTube: Via ...