🎥 “Elsinore” Trailer: Andrew Scott Faces Life, Death, and Hamlet in This Awards Contender About the True Story of Actor Ian Charleson — In Select Theaters November 20th
Hamlet is one of the most sought-after roles in all of William Shakespeare’s works. It has long been considered the ultimate challenge for any stage actor. It’s a grueling role that demands an actor dig deep into some very dark places. But if we stop and think about the themes of the play itself... well, it’s a story haunted by death and grief, with a protagonist driven by anger and revenge and consumed by the struggle to understand his own mortality.
Now imagine being an actor about to take on Hamlet, only to find yourself confronting those very same questions in your own life at the exact same time. That would be a heavy burden for any actor to carry, let alone one suddenly faced with the very thought of death knocking at his own door.
The buzz surrounding Andrew Scott’s performance in the new biographical drama Elsinore has only been growing since its debut last month at the Telluride Film Festival. Here, Scott—who has been in the Oscar conversation before but has never been nominated—takes on the role of Scottish actor Ian Charleson. And this time, Scott is looking like a serious contender, one of the first this year to emerge as a potential frontrunner.
The forthcoming film dramatizes the final years of Ian Charleson’s life and career. Best known for starring in the Oscar-winning Olympic drama Chariots of Fire, Charleson returned to the stage for a production of Hamlet while facing a much more personal struggle offstage. Diagnosed with HIV in 1986 at the height of the AIDS crisis, Charleson was dealing with an illness that would increasingly threaten both his life and his ability to perform. Still, he continued with Hamlet, delivering what would become not only one of the defining performances of his acting career, but one of the great Hamlet performances of all time. His own connection to the material made the performance all the more powerful. Sadly, Charleson would become one of the first major British celebrities to die from AIDS, at a time when the disease was still heavily stigmatized and widely misunderstood.
Directed by Simon Stone (The Dig) from a screenplay by Stephen Beresford (Pride), the film also stars Oscar winner Olivia Colman as the physician overseeing Charleson’s treatment, along with Johnny Flynn as National Theatre director Richard Eyre and Billie Piper as Charleson’s close friend Patsy Pollock.
Elsinore appears to be more than a simple biopic, but an exploration of just how thin the line between actor and character can become when the material begins to mirror the actor’s own struggles. The film is set to open in select U.S. theaters on November 20th.
🎥 “The Cycle” Trailer: Daredevil’s Deborah Ann Woll Investigates Her Father’s Grisly Death in Director Jordan Downey’s New Resurrection-Horror Thriller — Streaming October 23rd on Shudder
The supernatural is usually defined by what can’t be explained. So trying to apply science to it may seem futile. Nevertheless, if you can create a horror movie that speaks to both sides of your brain—the rational side looking for genuine answers and the part that knows some things simply can’t be rationalized... well, you just might have something genuinely unsettling and terrifying.
Well, ladies and germs, we present to you: The Cycle. And it looks creepy good.
This new Shudder horror original stars Daredevil’s Deborah Ann Woll as Meg, a forensic anthropologist investigating a grisly crime scene where one of three dead bodies turns out to be her long-lost father. He just happened to disappear 36 years ago, and to this day, no one knows what happened to him.
And if that wasn’t strange enough—having a daughter inspect her father’s badly decomposed corpse—his body appears to have suffered multiple severe fractures, including major trauma to the chest cavity, all before postmortem changes set in.
Even weirder, Meg soon begins having terrifying nightmares about her father coming back to life, only to realize they may not be nightmares at all. Perhaps life really is a cycle. And death is only a part of it, not the end.
Co-starring Burn Notice’s Jeffrey Donovan as the local sheriff, this creature-horror thriller hails from Jordan Downey, the cult horror director behind the lo-fi Viking supernatural gem The Head Hunter, as well as the V/H/S/Beyond segment “Stork.”
Since premiering at Fantastic Fest this year, The Cycle has been praised for Woll’s performance, as well as some seriously impressive practical creature effects. And judging by the trailer, we can see why. This thing looks nasty in all the right ways.
So if you’re looking for a Halloween movie this month, this could be the perfect pick. The Cycle premieres October 23rd on Shudder.
🎥 “Ebenezer” New Trailer: Johnny Depp Is Scrooge in Ti West’s Dark and Gothic Take on Charles Dickens’ Classic Christmas Ghost Story with Ian McKellen, Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman and More — Hitting Theaters November 13th
There’s always a good rule of thumb: try to separate the art from the artist. But we can’t help thinking Johnny Depp might be playing into his less-than-spotless public image by taking on one of literature’s most infamous misers. Put aside whatever you think of Depp these days, and we have to admit, this feels like a bit of perfect casting. Here’s an actor who, much like Scrooge himself, must have a few deep regrets of his own to wrestle with. Bah humbug! Yes, indeed-y.
Horror filmmaker Ti West (of the X trilogy fame) is the man behind this new retelling of Charles Dickens’ famous holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. And if you stop to think about it, this just might be one of the most horror-tinged Christmas yarns ever written, making West a pretty inspired choice to bring all those ghosts and spooky spirits to the forefront while leaning into the story’s darker Gothic elements.
Here, Depp steps in as Ebenezer Scrooge, the world’s worst boss and crankiest Christmas hater of all time. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his former partner, Jacob Marley (played by a ghostly Ian McKellen), who warns him of the terrible fate awaiting him. Soon, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, and Robert Strange) arrive to drag Scrooge through the life he’s lived and the dark future still ahead.
Featuring Rupert Grint as Ebenezer’s long-suffering clerk Bob Cratchit, along with Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and Charlie Murphy, this version of the Dickens classic feels like a bit of a mash-up of the many adaptations that came before it, only with West leaning much harder into the ghostly Gothic atmosphere that was always there, but perhaps never pushed quite this far.
Ebenezer is due to arrive in theaters November 13th.
🎥 “The Man with the Bag” Teaser: Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Santa and Alan Ritchson Is the Thief Who Has to Save Christmas in This Holiday Action-Comedy with Awkwafina — Due to Stream December 2nd on Prime Video
Arnold Schwarzenegger is Santa Claus... wait, what?! In something that sounds like it was ripped straight from a child’s dream journal, the iconic Terminator star trades in his leather jacket and shades for the jolly man’s red suit and big white beard. In this holiday fantasy family comedy, Reacher star Alan Ritchson plays a former thief recruited straight off the Naughty List to help recover Santa’s stolen magical bag. (Wait... Reacher is here too?! Now someone definitely took a peek at my dream journal.) Ritchson sets out to retrieve the bag and save Christmas for everyone, while Awkwafina co-stars as the sneaky rogue elf who stole it in the first place. Directed by Adam Shankman (The Pacifier, Hairspray), this might be the rare Christmas movie you won’t have to convince Dad to sit down and watch.
🎥 “Rose” U.S. Trailer: Anatomy of a Fall’s Sandra Hüller Poses as a Male Soldier Claiming an Abandoned Farm in This Stark Black-and-White 17th-Century German Historical Drama — In Select U.S. Theaters December 11th
Oscar-nominated German actress Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest, Project Hail Mary) continues to surprise us, not only with the roles she takes on, but with how completely she disappears into them. And this just may be one of her biggest transformations yet. Here, Hüller plays Rose, a mysterious soldier who arrives in an isolated Protestant village in 17th-century Germany, claiming to be the heir to a long-abandoned farmstead. Posing as a man, Rose is met with suspicion from the villagers and must work to earn their trust. But the more she becomes part of the community, the harder it is to keep her true identity hidden. While Rose isn’t based on any one true story or real-life historical figure, director Markus Schleinzer and co-writer Alexander Brom drew inspiration from hundreds of documented cases of women who lived as men over several centuries. Shot in rich black-and-white contrast reminiscent of classic European period dramas, the film feels almost timeless, as though Rose’s story might as well have been pulled from the pages of a forgotten history.
🎥 “Clarissa” Trailer: Sophie Okonedo Stars in This Contemporary Nigerian Reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ with David Oyelowo, India Amarteifio, and Ayo Edebiri — In Select Theaters December 11th
Do all adaptations need to be faithful to their source material? Not necessarily. Sometimes it’s more interesting to take a classic, drop it into a completely different setting, keep the emotional core intact, and see what happens. That’s the approach with this new adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, starring Sophie Okonedo in the title role and putting her back in the Oscar conversation for the first time since 2004’s Hotel Rwanda. She’s joined by David Oyelowo, India Amarteifio, Toheeb Jimoh, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Danny Sapani, and The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri. Moving the story from 1920s London to contemporary Lagos, Nigeria, the film follows Okonedo’s Clarissa as she prepares for a high-society party while people from her past stir up memories of old loves, buried desires, and the life she might have lived. Directed by Nigerian twin filmmakers Arie and Chuko Esiri, it’s a reflective mood piece about memory, regret, love, and how the past never seems to let go of us.
🎥 “Sense and Sensibility” New Trailer: Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles Star as the Dashwood Sisters in This New Jane Austen Adaptation with George MacKay and Frank Dillane — In Theaters October 16th
After the box-office success of Twisters, you would think that Daisy Edgar-Jones was setting herself up for more big Hollywood studio action films. But no. The English actress trades CGI-created tornadoes for something a little more... British. It’s a period romantic drama based on Jane Austen’s classic Sense and Sensibility. Edgar-Jones takes on Elinor Dashwood in a brand-new adaptation, continuing the idea that every new generation needs its own set of Jane Austen films. Joining Edgar-Jones is Esmé Creed-Miles as her younger sister, Marianne Dashwood, along with George MacKay as Edward Ferrars, Frank Dillane as John Willoughby, Herbert Nordrum as Colonel Brandon, and Caitríona Balfe as Mrs. Dashwood. So, if any Jane Austen heads are looking for their next period romance fix, this might just be the ticket... even though the Ang Lee-directed version is still a classic in our eyes.
🎥 “La Bola Negra” Trailer: Cannes-Winning Directors Los Javis Explore Forbidden Love and Multigenerational Trauma in This Buzzy Spanish Drama Starring Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close, Guitarricadelafuente, and Miguel Bernardeau — In U.S. Theaters October 16th Before Arriving on Netflix December 2nd
Seemingly out of nowhere, this Spanish generational drama has burst onto the scene, and suddenly everyone is talking about it as a major awards contender. So what’s behind all the buzz? For starters, it’s already pulled off an impressive one-two punch on the festival circuit: winning Best Director at Cannes before taking home the People’s Choice Award at TIFF last month. Spanning nearly a century of Spanish history, the story moves between 1932, 1937, and 2017, following three generations of men connected by desire, pain, and the things one generation inevitably leaves behind for the next. Critics and audiences alike have praised its emotional sweep and exploration of sexual identity, family tradition, forbidden love, and generational repression. Its sprawling ensemble includes Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, and Milo Quifes, alongside Oscar winner Penélope Cruz and Oscar nominee Glenn Close. Directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (better known as Los Javis), don’t be surprised if this one keeps coming up as awards season gets underway.
🎥 “The Last Temptation of Becky” Teasers: Becky Is Back to Kick More Nazi Ass as Lulu Wilson Takes on Neil Patrick Harris in the Third Action-Horror Film — In Theaters November 4th
What started out as a dark comedic riff on the home-invasion horror subgenre, with a tough-as-nails young girl turned vigilante, has somehow become a full-blown indie action-horror franchise. Now three films in, that little girl has grown into an anti-Nazi ass-kicker ready to take on more. Lulu Wilson reprises her role as Becky Hooper, who has gone from teenage vigilante to full-fledged CIA field agent in this third installment. Neil Patrick Harris joins as (what else?) a Fourth Reich-obsessed villain with plans to bring the Nazis back. And who better to whomp his dumb Nazi ass than someone with a dark, violent history of doing exactly that? Time to take out the garbage, ’cause Becky is back, and she ain’t taking any prisoners.
🎥 “Flush” Trailer: This French Gross-Out Horror Comedy Traps a Cocaine Addict in a Nightclub Toilet for One Seriously Twisted Night — Arriving on VOD/Digital in the U.S. October 9th
Hey, it wouldn’t be Halloween season without a little gross-out horror flick coming out to play, offering up something bizarre and grotesque for those looking to get a little weird with their seasonal viewing. And this French offering certainly fits the bill, trapping a middle-aged cocaine addict (Jonathan Lambert) with his head stuck in a nightclub toilet as drug dealers, a drug-addicted rat, and one increasingly disgusting complication after another make an already bad night considerably worse. Flush isn’t just the title of this movie from director Grégory Morin, it might be the only thing its poor protagonist is hoping to hear by the end of the night.
🎥 “Let’s Have Kids!” Trailer: Karen Gillan and Zoë Chao Make a Pregnancy Pact in This Indie Comedy with Sam Richardson and Max Greenfield — On VOD/Digital October 13th
They were born on the same day. They grew up together and became the closest of friends. Now they wanna have a baby together. Well, not together together. But together... at the same time. In this indie comedy, Karen Gillan and Zoë Chao star as lifelong best friends Emma and Phoebe, who make a pact to get pregnant at the same time and take on motherhood side by side. But when only one of them becomes pregnant, those carefully laid plans start pulling Emma and Phoebe in different directions, testing a friendship built around doing everything together. Sam Richardson and Max Greenfield play their respective partners, with KJ Apa, Mary Steenburgen, and Ed Begley Jr. rounding out the ensemble. Undateable creator Adam Sztykiel makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay he co-wrote with Ellie Knaus. Sure, you can plan the next chapter of your life with someone, but you can’t guarantee you’ll both get there at the same time—no matter how much you plan for it.
🎥 “Capturing Bigfoot” Trailer: Nearly 60 Years Later, a New Documentary Explores the Legacy, Mystery & Struggles Over the Infamous Patterson-Gimlin Footage — In Select Theaters & Exclusively on Prime Video October 20th
It remains one of the most hotly debated and analyzed pieces of footage surrounding the myth of Bigfoot. And nearly 60 years later, those 60 seconds of grainy 16mm film still define the iconic image of what we think Bigfoot looks like. In this new documentary, filmmakers dig into the untold story surrounding the infamous Patterson-Gimlin footage that captured the public imagination and helped kick-start an entire subculture of Bigfoot believers, skeptics, and conspiracy-minded obsessives. Was it a hoax? Was it a genuine Bigfoot sighting? Perhaps the better question is why, nearly 60 years later, we’re still asking. The film also digs into the families and people behind the footage, where disputes over ownership, money, and legacy have turned a 60-second piece of film into a generational struggle of its own.
🎥 “Re-Creation” U.S. Trailer: Vicky Krieps, Colm Meaney and Aidan Gillen Revisit One of Ireland’s Most Infamous Unsolved Murders in Jim Sheridan’s 12 Angry Men-Inspired Courtroom Thriller — On VOD/Digital September 29th; Followed by a DVD Release October 27th
Oscar-nominated Irish filmmaker Jim Sheridan has joined forces with co-director David Merriman to revisit one of Ireland’s most infamous unsolved murder cases: the 1996 murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier, who was found dead outside her holiday home in West Cork, Ireland. Using the same narrative structure as Sidney Lumet’s classic 12 Angry Men, the film takes place inside a fictional jury room, where twelve jurors must decide whether British journalist Ian Bailey is guilty of her murder. Featuring an ensemble that includes Vicky Krieps, Colm Meaney, and Aidan Gillen, the film becomes a dramatized debate over the facts of a real-life case that never made it inside a courtroom.
🎥 “Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story” Trailer: Judd Apatow Celebrates Maria Bamford’s One-of-a-Kind Comic Mind in This New Documentary — Debuts October 23rd on Netflix
All art is derivative in some way. But every once in a while, someone comes along with something so purely original that it breaks the mold. Maria Bamford isn’t like any other stand-up comedian you might’ve seen before... or might ever see again. Is she for everyone? Is her humor for everyone? No, not exactly. But like all true originals, she doesn’t have to be. Filmmaker and fellow comedian Judd Apatow co-directs this profile documentary celebrating Bamford’s singular comic voice and the deeply personal mental health journey that helped shape it into something entirely her own. Featuring many notable comedians (like Conan O’Brien and Stephen Colbert) who have become some of Bamford’s biggest supporters and fans, this is a loving portrait of a comic mind that has always operated on its own wavelength. It’s just tuned to a station only some of us can pick up.
🎥 “NAZA” Trailer: Israeli Filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor Examine the AI-Assisted Military Systems Behind Israel’s Bombing of Gaza in the Venice Special Jury Prize-Winning Documentary — Opening in NY October 2nd, Expanding to More Theaters October 9th; Before Streaming Free on the Guardian’s Website in November
It’s one of the most talked-about documentaries to have premiered last month at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation before winning the Special Jury Prize. Israeli investigative journalists/filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor explore the AI-assisted military systems behind Israel’s mass bombing of Gaza, exposing how deeply ingrained these technologies have become in surveillance, target selection, and airstrike procedures. Featuring exclusive interviews with 24 members of the Israeli military and intelligence services, conducted under the condition of total anonymity, the film also examines just how inhumanely routine these systems have become, reducing decisions about Palestinian civilian casualties to numbers on a page. Considered extremely controversial in Israel, the documentary is co-produced by the Guardian and Oscar-winning The Zone of Interest producer James Wilson, with filmmaker Jonathan Glazer serving as executive producer. If human life is callously reduced to a mere number, the question becomes about why no one seems willing to say when enough is enough.
🎥 “Joy of Joys” Trailer: ‘The Zone of Interest’ Director Jonathan Glazer Goes Inside Abbey Road with Olivia Rodrigo, Arctic Monkeys, Damon Albarn & More for War Child’s HELP(2) — Premieres in October at The 64th New York Film Festival
Speaking of Jonathan Glazer. The acclaimed music video director-turned-filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning The Zone of Interest returns to his music roots with this new behind-the-scenes documentary that takes us inside Abbey Road Studios. Filmed during the recording of War Child’s charity album HELP(2), the doc takes a fly-on-the-wall approach as artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Damon Albarn, Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C., and Jarvis Cocker come together to make the album. Under Glazer’s eye, it becomes a portrait of artists expressing themselves, collaborating, and coming together for a shared cause.
🎥 “threeASFOUR: FULL CIRCLE” Trailer: Sean Ono Lennon Makes His Feature Documentary Directing Debut with a Look Inside NYC’s Avant-Garde Fashion Collective — Opening at NY’s Film Forum November 13th
Musician Sean Ono Lennon co-directs this documentary that takes us inside the world of New York avant-garde fashion collective threeASFOUR and the three designers who have spent decades making art on their own terms. Marking Lennon’s feature documentary directing debut, alongside co-director and cinematographer Brian C. González, the film looks back at more than two decades of the collective’s work and their ongoing struggle to remain artistically independent. Some might see fashion as little more than clothes and commerce, but this doc makes the case for something more: fashion as pure artistic expression and a radical rejection of the status quo.
🎥 “Free Fall” Trailer: A Russian Astronaut Is Stranded Alone in Orbit in This Effects-Heavy Russian Space Survival Thriller — On VOD/Digital October 27th
This Russian astronaut thriller takes one of the oldest fears in space travel and runs with it: What happens when a repairman is left stranded alone in orbit? And if that wasn’t bad enough... what happens when the only thing connecting him to safety is a voice on the other end of the radio after a catastrophic proton storm cuts him off from his crew? Directed by Russian filmmaker Oleg Urazaykin and starring Alexander Kuznetsov as the stranded repairman, this effects-heavy survival thriller puts us through one man’s increasingly desperate and agonizing attempt to make it back to safety before time runs out. Think The Martian meets Gravity, but with a ticking clock.
🎥 “Collision Course” Trailer: Crooked Cops Pull Off a Bank Heist Only to Find Themselves Investigating Their Own Crime in This Spanish Action-Thriller Starring Laia Costa, Karra Elejalde and Luis Zahera — Streams October 30th on Netflix
Movies about cops chasing criminals are a dime a dozen. But what about this twist: what if the cops were chasing themselves? That’s the clever setup at the center of this Spanish action-thriller, where a group of police officers pull off a bank robbery, only to find themselves assigned to investigate the very crime they committed. But after a brutal getaway crash throws their carefully planned heist into total disarray, loyalties are tested to the breaking point, secrets come spilling out, and suddenly no one is quite sure who they can trust. Starring Laia Costa, Karra Elejalde, and Luis Zahera, and directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, this sets out to prove that sometimes, to get away with a crime, you have to make sure you’re the one in charge of the investigation. That is, if everything goes according to plan.
🎥 “Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint” U.K. Trailer: ‘Game of Thrones’ Star John Bradley Learns the True Meaning of Christmas in This British Holiday Comedy-Drama with Celia Imrie, Richard E. Grant and Sophia Di Martino — In UK Theaters November 6th
Game of Thrones’ John Bradley learns the true meaning of Christmas as Aubrey, a reclusive model-soldier painter and lifelong holiday hater whose disastrous encounter with a snow globe lands him in community service. Sent to Willow Lodge, a struggling retirement home facing closure, Aubrey is reluctantly recruited into a gloriously chaotic production of A Christmas Carol to help save the home. Somewhere between rehearsals, eccentric residents, and plenty of Christmas chaos, Aubrey begins rediscovering the holiday spirit he thought he’d lost for good. This British Christmas comedy-drama features an impressive ensemble including Celia Imrie, Richard E. Grant, Adjoa Andoh, Sophia Di Martino, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Karl Pilkington, and the voice of Jim Broadbent.
🎥 “The Holiday Hitman” Trailer: A Professional Hitman Looks to Save His Marriage and His Family in This Bloody Holiday Action-Comedy Starring Nick Sagar and Montana Manning — On VOD/Digital November 3rd
This Christmas, prepare to deck the halls... with the blood of your enemies. This holiday action-comedy follows professional hitman Hank (Nick Sagar), who is trying to do something considerably more difficult than killing people: save his marriage. Hoping to spend a nice, quiet holiday vacation with his wife, Jenny (Montana Manning), and daughter, Hank is determined to leave the killing behind for just a few days and give his family the Christmas they deserve. But when his boss doesn’t take kindly to Hank refusing a job on Christmas Eve, he puts a bounty on his head, sending a collection of deadly contract killers his way. Now Hank has to take them out before his family discovers his double life. If he’s going to survive Christmas and save his marriage, he’s going to need a Christmas miracle.
🎥 “Gentle Monster” Trailer: Léa Seydoux’s Fresh Start Is Shattered by Her Husband’s Dark Secret in Marie Kreutzer’s Psychological Drama — In Select Theaters October 30th, on Netflix November 18th
How well do you really know the person you love? Léa Seydoux stars as Lucy, a concert pianist who moves her family to the countryside, hoping a quieter life will help her husband, Philip (Laurence Rupp), recover from severe burnout. But their fresh start is shattered when police suddenly arrive, arrest Philip, and seize his computers. As a devastating accusation begins to surface, Lucy is caught between the man she loves and the growing fear that she may never have truly known him at all. Written and directed by Corsage filmmaker Marie Kreutzer, this psychological drama explores how one horrifying revelation can tear an entire family apart.
🎥 “Operation Kabul” Trailer: A Hungarian Military Unit Races Back into Kabul for a Dangerous Rescue Mission in This Hungarian War-Action Film Set Against the 2021 Afghanistan Withdrawal — On VOD/Digital November 3rd
Inspired by true events and set against the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, this Hungarian war-action film follows a military unit caught in the desperate race to get civilians out of Kabul before the city falls. When a Hungarian doctor is suddenly captured by the Taliban, the operation to get everyone out takes an unexpected turn. With time running out, a rifleman commander and his unit leave the relative safety of the airport and head back into Kabul on a dangerous nighttime rescue mission, knowing there’s a real chance they could be left behind. Directed by Zsombor Dyga and starring Gábor Jászberényi and Blanka Mészáros, the film draws inspiration from the real-life Hungarian military evacuation known as Operation Shaman Shield.
🎥 “Rocky: 50th Anniversary (4K Restoration)” Trailer: Sylvester Stallone’s Underdog Classic Goes the Distance Once Again — Back in Theaters November 7th–11th, via Fathom Ent.
It’s considered one of the great boxing film classics of all time, and it also delivered the surprise, star-making performance of a then-young Sylvester Stallone. Now, 50 years later, it’s set to return to theaters to remind everyone how one underdog story became a cultural phenomenon. And why? Well, for starters, winning was never as important to Rocky Balboa as proving he could go the distance; a sentiment that still resonates with moviegoers looking for a reason to keep fighting. And with a new feature film (I Play Rocky) soon to be released dramatizing the behind-the-scenes making of Rocky, perhaps there’s no better time to revisit where it all began.
🎥 “Wild at Heart: 4K Restoration” Trailer: Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern Hit the Road Again in David Lynch’s Cult 1990 Wild, Weird & Unrestrained Love Story with Willem Dafoe and Diane Ladd — Back In Theaters October 30th
Thirty-six years after its original theatrical release, David Lynch’s fever dream of a road movie is making its way back to the big screen in a new 4K restoration. Sex, crime, Elvis, The Wizard of Oz, and one bizarre encounter after another... the film is pure Lynch at his most unrestrained and unapologetically weird. Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern star as Sailor Ripley and Lula Fortune, two young lovers on the run from Lula’s violently disapproving mother and the killers she sends after them. Along the way, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd, Isabella Rossellini, and Harry Dean Stanton pop up in one of Lynch’s wildest trips through love, violence, and twisted Americana. Part ’50s retro road picture, part rockabilly acid trip, part Southern Gothic love story, but all Lynchian goodness.
🎥 “Directed By... Steven Soderbergh (1991–2021)” Blu-ray Trailer: Imprint Films Revisits Soderbergh’s Early Years with a 4-Film Collection Featuring Kafka, Mr. Kneff, King of the Hill & The Underneath — Coming to 4K UHD + Blu-ray November 25th in Australia, via Imprint Films
Any physical media collectors out there? If so, you already know that sometimes the best collections, sadly, don’t come from U.S. labels, but from overseas. Well, it seems the early works of filmmaker Steven Soderbergh have become the latest example, thanks to the good people at Australian label Imprint Films. This collection contains Soderbergh’s cult 1991 Jeremy Irons-starring semi-biopic mystery Kafka and its radically reworked 2021 version, Mr. Kneff, which transforms the original into a shorter, largely silent, sepia-toned reinterpretation. The film is a fictional depiction of German writer Franz Kafka’s life, but told through the same kind of surrealist, labyrinthine world found in his writings. The collection also includes Soderbergh’s bittersweet 1993 Depression-era coming-of-ager King of the Hill and his 1995 neo-noir heist caper The Underneath. Looking to understand how Soderbergh shaped his early film career after his 1989 breakout debut, Sex, Lies, and Videotape? This collection offers a pretty good place to start.
🎥 “Reservoir Dogs” 4K Blu-Ray Trailer: Quentin Tarantino’s Cult 1992 Directorial Debut Gets the Collector’s Treatment with a Limited-Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray Release — In Australia November 25th, via Imprint Films
Before Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, or Inglourious Basterds, there was this low-budget 1992 diamond robbery flick that introduced the world to Quentin Tarantino. Dripping with ’60s and ’70s aesthetic, attitude, and music, the film stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, and Lawrence Tierney as a group of code-named criminals brought together for a diamond heist that goes very, very wrong. The surviving crew retreats to an abandoned warehouse, where suspicion quickly takes over when they realize one of them may be a cop. But which one? Right out of the gate, the film had all the Tarantino trademarks we’d come to know: nonlinear storytelling, pop-culture-heavy dialogue, carefully chosen needle drops, and sudden bursts of violence. Now the cult classic is getting the collector’s treatment with a new limited-edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray release in Australia from Imprint Films.
