Trailer Blitz! Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, The Dreadful, This Is Not a Test, Pillion and More
🎥 Here's a list of films coming to screens soon!
🎥 “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” Trailer: Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol Take Their Cult Canadian Comedy Bigger, Dumber, and Far More Dangerous on the Big Screen — In Theaters February 13th
Every bad plan starts with confidence, and nobody commits harder to the bit than Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol. Expanding their cult Canadian semi-improvisational comedy and web series into a feature-length movie, their once small-scale schemes and public stunts escalate into something far riskier this time around.
For the uninitiated, Canadian filmmaker, actor, and comedian Matt Johnson (best known for BlackBerry, Operation Avalanche, and The Dirties) built a devoted cult following with his 2007–2009 mockumentary-style web series Nirvanna the Band the Show and its 2017–2018 TV sequel. Very much in the awkward spirit of Nathan for You and Jackass–style commitment to public stunts, the series was co-created with—and co-stars—Johnson’s close friend and music collaborator Jay McCarrol. Together, they play semi-fictionalized versions of themselves, chasing grand ideas with unwavering confidence and predictably disastrous results.
The joke is fairly simple: they’re struggling musicians who go to absurd lengths just to land a dream gig at Canada’s hottest music club, The Rivoli, only to come up short every single time—despite already having a name that everyone seems to know. With the movie version, those lengths go even further and the absurdity goes off the charts, throwing in time travel via a DeLorean-inspired RV that jumps from the present day back to 2008. Now the plan isn’t just to get famous and play The Rivoli, but to jump off the CN Tower with a parachute. The question now is: did these two knuckleheads just screw up the timeline continuum... and if so, thank you.
For longtime fans of the series, it just might be a long-awaited but worthy payoff. And for newcomers, this could be the perfect entry point. But for Matt and Jay, it’s one more brutal lesson in a truth they refuse to accept: the Rivoli doesn’t care, gravity always wins, and some timelines are better than others.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie opens in select theaters February 13th, following a successful festival run last year that included SXSW and TIFF.
🎥 “The Dreadful” Trailer: Sophie Turner and Kit Harington Reunite for a Medieval Curse-Bound Gothic Horror with Marcia Gay Harden — In Theaters and On VOD/Digital February 20th
Hey, it’s a Stark reunion! And while the setting is medieval and the tone is harsh and unrelenting, Sophie Turner and Kit Harington reunite to play two characters who are nothing like their Game of Thrones counterparts.
In this new superstition-laden horror thriller The Dreadful, Turner plays Anne, a 15th-century woman who has just learned her husband was killed during the deadly conflict of the Wars of the Roses—a loss that leaves her isolated, vulnerable, and perhaps susceptible to the region’s most dangerous men.
Harington is one such man, Jago, a knight returning home from war who delivers the grim news of Anne’s husband’s fate. Weary from battle and utterly exhausted by the violence he’s experienced, Jago—despite his sketchy demeanor—could be the romantic replacement Anne is looking for. And yes, let’s forget for a moment that they once played brother and sister in Game of Thrones.
But if Harington’s Jago and Turner’s Anne are meant to be, their prospects don’t look good. Anne’s overly domineering mother-in-law, Morwen (Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden), becomes the ultimate chastity belt. Grieving the loss of her son and unable to grapple with how the country has been torn apart by war, Morwen believes all men are pure evil and that an ancient force has cursed them all. Worst of all, she might not be as crazy as she sounds, as there are signs her fears may be rooted in something very real.
Written and directed by Natasha Kermani, coming off last year’s buzzy Joe Hill–based, older Van Helsing–vs.–Dracula thriller Abraham’s Boys, this new medieval nightmare turns grief and repression into a slow-burning curse where faith, fear, and desire become dangerously entangled. Sure, no dragons in this one. But two Starks are better than nothing.
The Dreadful arrives in theaters and on VOD/Digital February 20th.
🎥 “This Is Not a Test” Trailer: Olivia Holt Faces the End of the World Inside a Locked-Down High School in New Zombie Horror — In Theaters February 20th
In last year’s Valentine’s Day–set slasher Heart Eyes, Olivia Holt had to fend for herself against a masked killer who turned the year’s most romantic day into a bloodbath. Now the stakes are even higher, as she finds herself trapped in yet another chilling nightmare—this time with the streets crawling with the undead.
In the post-apocalyptic horror thriller This Is Not a Test, Holt leads a group of high school friends who have managed to stay alive during the initial onset of a zombie outbreak. Now barricading themselves inside their high school, Sloane (Holt) and her classmates (played by Froy Gutierrez, Corteon Moore, Chloe Avakian, and Carson MacCormac) sit and wait for backup that may never come. Soon they realize survival might mean making tough choices, as their school isn’t the safe haven they hoped for. But the real danger isn’t just what’s trying to get in—it’s who’s willing to keep going once hope starts to run out.
Written and directed by Canadian horror filmmaker Adam MacDonald (Pyewacket, Backcountry, Out Come the Wolves), and adapted from Courtney Summers’ novel of the same name, This Is Not a Test turns a zombie siege into something more intimate and unsettling once these teens realize the world they once knew isn’t just gone—it’s become a “coffin.”
Co-starring Luke Macfarlane, This Is Not a Test is coming to theaters February 20th. School’s out... and nobody’s coming to pick them up!
🎥 “Pillion” U.S. Trailer: Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling Enter a Charged Power Dynamic in Harry Lighton’s Provocative Gay Romantic Dark Comedy — In U.S. Theaters February 6th
Picture the typical gay couple, perhaps the one Hollywood has depicted for years on sitcoms and movies. Okay, now throw that image out the window, because this new provocative gay dark comedy is here to shatter every preconceived notion you might have. ’Cuz Will & Grace, this is not.
Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling might not seem like a likely pairing on paper, but their stark differences (physically, at least) may be the entire point of this darkly comic romantic provocation, marking the feature debut of British writer-director Harry Lighton.
The film, which follows an unlikely love story between a leather-wearing biker (Skarsgård) and a nebbish British pushover (Melling), has been racking up critical accolades since debuting at Cannes last summer. And despite its collar-adjusting, eye-raising subject matter, critics have been pretty unanimous in calling it one of the more surprisingly moving romantic films of recent years. Yes, it’s a BDSM gay love story that stings in places you didn’t expect, apparently.
Acquired by A24 Films and based on the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, Harry Lighton’s Pillion charts this burgeoning romance between Skarsgård’s imposing, charismatic biker in full control and Melling’s self-effacing loner who just might prefer to surrender himself entirely. Lighton just might have positioned himself as a filmmaker unafraid to examine the dynamics between two total opposites who, on the surface, appear fundamentally incompatible—but aren’t easily reduced to labels or the expectations others place on them.
Pillion has received the Best British Independent Film Award at the BIFA, the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, and also picked up the Best Screenplay Prize at Cannes last year. The film is now slated to open in U.S. theaters on February 6th.
Also check out this week’s new trailers:
🎥 “Twisted” Trailer: A Simple Scam Turns Deadly in Darren Lynn Bousman’s Sadistic New Horror Thriller Starring Terrifier’s Lauren LaVera and Djimon Hounsou — On VOD/Digital February 6th
A quick con is supposed to end with a clean getaway... not a locked door! From Saw II and Spiral director Darren Lynn Bousman comes a vicious new nightmare that turns greed into captivity when a scam artist’s latest deal goes horrifyingly wrong. Terrifier standout Lauren LaVera stars as a young scammer who targets a wealthy New York surgeon, only to discover she’s stepped into a trap far more calculated than her own. Djimon Hounsou plays the man with the keys—and a terrifying plan that transforms his pristine brownstone into a private operating room of control, pain, and power. In this twisted game of predator and prey, the scam collapses fast, and survival becomes the only currency left on the table.
🎥 “Scream 7” New Promo: Neve Campbell Faces Ghostface Again as the Past Comes for Her Family — In Theaters February 27th
Sidney Prescott has returned... and this time, the threat is more personal than ever, as her teenage daughter becomes the latest to land in Ghostface’s crosshairs. Neve Campbell reclaims her iconic role as franchise co-creator Kevin Williamson returns to the director’s chair for this new slasher legacy sequel that proves bad luck runs in the Prescott family. Isabel May joins the cast as Sidney’s daughter, Tatum, who finds herself running from the same nightmare her mother once faced but never truly escaped. The rules may be familiar, but the stakes are closer than ever—and Sidney isn’t running anymore. This is one battle she won’t let her daughter inherit.
🎥 “Couture” Trailer: Angelina Jolie Exposes the Quiet Truth Beneath Paris Fashion Week in Alice Winocour’s Intimate Drama — In French Theaters February 18th
Paris Fashion Week is known for selling perfection, but Angelina Jolie is here to quietly reveal the industry’s more somber side. The Oscar winner plays a filmmaker facing a life-altering breast cancer diagnosis in this intimate French-English drama that trades runway spectacle for something far more personal. Written and directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Alice Winocour (Mustang, Disorder, Augustine), Jolie is one of three women whose lives quietly intersect amid the controlled chaos of Paris’s annual fashion spectacle. A rising model (Anyier Anei), a behind-the-scenes makeup artist (Ella Rumpf), and a familiar creative collaborator (Louis Garrel) are drawn into a shared moment of vulnerability and reflection as the gloss and glamour are slowly stripped away, revealing that perfection is often just a façade when real life takes precedence.
🎥 “Saber” Trailer: Indie Documentary Charts Lightsaber Combat Fighters on Their Journey to the World Championships in Las Vegas — Premiering February 14th at the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival
Forget Star Wars cosplay... this is competition! Director Matt Wiatt’s geek-centric documentary follows a passionate group of LED saber combat competitors as they train, clash, and bond on the road to the Saber Legion World Championships in Las Vegas. But beyond the choreography and the glow of neon blades, the film uncovers something deeper: a story about the unlikely families we build around shared obsessions. At a moment when connection feels harder to come by, it makes a strong case that community can spark just about anywhere... even from the glow of a plastic lightsaber.
🎥 “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run” Trailer: Oscar-winning Documentarian Morgan Neville Chronicles Paul’s Post-Beatles Career — Premieres February 27th on Prime Video
After the unthinkable happens, Paul McCartney doesn’t pause to mourn the Beatles’ breakup... he just keeps moving. He’s a man on the run! Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) reexamines the birth of McCartney’s post-Beatles band Wings during a crucial period that’s less a comeback than an act of rebuilding, as Paul reshapes his creative identity alongside his wife and musical partner, Linda. Featuring rare footage and intimate moments, the doc captures an era fueled by doubt, defiance, and a stubborn, unshakable belief in the power of making great music.
🎥 “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” Trailer: Baz Luhrmann Lets Elvis Rewrite His Own Story Through Restored Vegas Footage and Recordings — Hitting IMAX February 20th, Followed by a Worldwide Release February 27th
It seems Baz Luhrmann isn’t done telling stories of Elvis Presley. But this time, the Aussie filmmaker isn’t here to reinterpret Elvis through his own lens. Instead, he steps aside and lets the King take the mic himself—now louder, clearer, and more alive than memory allows. Built from newly restored concert footage and long-buried recordings, this cinematic restoration revisits the Vegas years as less of a victory lap and more of a man wrestling with his own legend in real time. The spectacle dazzles, the voice confesses, and the myth briefly cracks open to reveal something startlingly human beneath the rhinestones. All hail the King as he finally gets the last word.
🎥 “Misdirection” Trailer: A Simple Heist Turns Into a Closed-Door Nightmare in This Twisty Crime Thriller starring Olga Kurylenko, Frank Grillo & Oliver Trevena — On VOD/Digital February 10th
One last job is supposed to buy freedom, not lock the doors behind you. Olga Kurylenko stars as a professional thief who thinks she’s targeted an empty house and an easy score, only to find its owner (Frank Grillo) has returned home earlier than expected. And surprise: he’s far more dangerous than initially advertised. What begins as a routine heist quickly turns into a claustrophobic power struggle where control shifts by the minute and survival becomes the real prize. Some targets aren’t meant to be robbed... they’re meant to trap you.
🎥 “Vampires Of The Velvet Lounge” Trailer: Dichen Lachman, Mena Suvari, Rosa Salazar & Stephen Dorff Star in This GrindhouseVampire Flick — In Select Theaters March 20th
Severance’s Dichen Lachman stars as a former mercenary turned undercover vampire hunter in this blood-soaked horror flick set in the American South, where a neon-lit bar hides a lethal secret: it’s a back-alley slaughterhouse for vamps. Mena Suvari plays the Countess who runs the joint, turning unsuspecting patrons into her latest victims to sustain her glamorous vampire coven. With Lachman’s hunter patrolling the town at night and the body count rising fast, predator and prey collide in a savage, neon-drenched showdown where seduction is deadly and survival is anything but guaranteed.
🎥 “Sweetness” Trailer: A Superfan (Emma Higgins) Twists Idol Worship Into Obsession as She Kidnaps Her Favorite Rock Star in This Claustrophobic Canadian Thriller with Herman Tømmeraas & Steven Ogg — On VOD/Digital February 13th
What begins as earnest devotion turns into something far more dangerous when a teenage superfan mistakes concern for control. As her favorite rock idol (Herman Tømmeraas) spirals deeper into addiction under the public spotlight, Rylee (Emma Higgins) inserts herself as self-appointed savior, crossing the invisible line between devoted fan and unhinged fanatic. As devotion becomes imprisonment, this tightly wound thriller pits fame and unchecked fandom against each other in a suffocating standoff where this rock star becomes a captive audience of one.
🎥 “Diabolic” Trailer: Elizabeth Cullen Confronts Faith, Possession, and Inherited Evil in Daniel J. Phillips’ Fundamentalist Horror — In Theaters & On VOD/Digital February 20th
What begins as a desperate search for answers turns into something far more sinister in this slow-burn possession horror. Elizabeth Cullen stars as a troubled young woman who returns to the rigid religious compound that raised her, hoping faith can cure what medicine cannot, only to discover she’s being stalked by the vengeful spirit of a cursed witch with plans to claim her body as its own. Directed by Daniel J. Phillips, this horror suggests that sometimes you can’t outrun your demons—especially when they’ve already had a head start.
🎥 “The Morrigan” Trailer: An Archaeologist Unleashes an Ancient Pagan Goddess in Colum Eastwood’s Irish Folk Horror Starring Saffron Burrows, Toby Stephens & James Cosmo — Coming to VOD/Digital February 3rd
From writer-director Colum Eastwood comes an Irish folk horror in which an archaeologist (Saffron Burrows) travels to Ireland and accidentally unearths something ancient and furious: a Pagan war goddess now fixated on her teenage daughter. As the threat creeps closer, she learns firsthand why some myths are better left undisturbed. Co-starring Toby Stephens and James Cosmo, the film suggests that history has a dangerous way of resurfacing when you least expect it.
🎥 “Mimics” Trailer: Kristoffer Polaha’s Dark Comedy Puts Fame, Identity, and Imitation on a Collision Course — In Theaters February 13th (Friday the 13th)
For a struggling impressionist, the fastest way to get noticed turns out to be the most dangerous thing he could ever do. When a shortcut to fame suddenly opens up for a Vegas ventriloquist and impersonator, every borrowed voice pulls him further away from who he actually is... and closer to something far more unsettling. Kristoffer Polaha stars in his own directorial debut as a stand-up mimic who learns that not every voice you borrow is willing to give itself back.
🎥 “F Valentine’s Day” Trailer: Virginia Gardner Flees Love, Birthdays, and Proposals in This Sun-Soaked Romantic Comedy with Skylar Astin & Marisa Tomei — Arrives on VOD/Digital February 6th
Some people dread Valentine’s Day. Gina just has the bad luck of being born on it. Virginia Gardner plays a Valentine’s Day-hating cynic who travels to Greece to stop her well-meaning boyfriend (Skylar Astin) from turning her least favorite holiday into a surprise proposal. With help from meddling vacation allies (Jake Cannavale and Sabrina Bartlett), her carefully engineered delay spirals into a reckoning about love, timing, and the stories we tell ourselves to stay comfortable.
🎥 “The Napa Boys” Teaser: Nick Corirossi, Armen Weitzman, Nelson Franklin, Mike Mitchell & Jamar Malachi Neighbors Pour One Last Ride for a Shamelessly Fake Comedy Franchise — In Theaters February 27th
The boys are back—older, louder, and somehow still unsupervised. This fourth chapter sends Jack Jr. (Nick Corirossi), Miles Jr. (Armen Weitzman), and their wine-soaked inner circle on a mysterious, Sommelier-assigned quest that feels less like destiny and more like an excuse to keep the party alive. Joined by an overly enthusiastic superfan podcaster and an army of alt-comedy ringers, the journey spirals into nostalgia, self-mythology, and the quiet terror of realizing the bit might actually mean something. Every franchise has to end somewhere... this one ends before it ever truly began, closing out a Sideways-inspired franchise that never existed.
🎥 “K-Pops!” Trailer: Rapper Anderson .Paak Writes, Directs, and Stars in This Cross-Cultural K-Pop Comedy About a Musician Chasing a Second Act but Finding Fatherhood Instead — Exclusively in AMC Theatres February 27th
What begins as a mid-career pivot turns into something far more complicated and personal. Rapper Anderson .Paak writes, directs, and stars as a once-rising musician chasing relevance halfway around the world, only to crash headfirst into South Korea’s hyper-competitive K-pop talent contest. But when he discovers a son (Soul Rasheed) he never knew existed, the comeback morphs into mentorship, as ambition gives way to fatherhood. With the spotlight now shared between a reluctant coach and his musically gifted kid, the next breakout K-pop star may be closer than either of them expected.
🎥 “The Roaring Game” Trailer: Darin Brooks Chases Redemption on Ice in Tom DeNucci’s Scrappy Underdog Curling Comedy — In Theaters & On VOD/Digital February 6th
What starts as a janitor’s quiet spiral turns into a last-ditch bid for relevance, romance, and a very improbable sport that refuses to hurry. Darin Brooks leads a team of lovable misfits whose biggest obstacle isn’t the ice, but the baggage they drag onto it. Written and directed by Tom DeNucci and also starring Fivel Stewart, Eddie Kaye Thomas, William Forsythe and Rob Gronkowski, the rink becomes a low-stakes proving ground where heart counts more than skill and self-respect is negotiable.
🎥 “Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip” Trailer: Tyler Perry Sends Joe Across America for One Last Lesson — Premieres on Netflix February 13th
Joe has opinions about the real world, and now he’s finally leaving the porch to prove them. Written, directed, and headlined by Tyler Perry, this road-trip comedy pairs Madea’s most unfiltered brother with his sheltered, college-bound grandson for a cross-country crash course in adulthood. As miles pile up and patience wears thin, generational wisdom collides with chaos, ego, and the kind of advice you didn’t ask for but definitely won’t forget.
🎥 “Undercard” Trailer: Wanda Sykes Delivers a Dramatic Turn for Tamika Miller’s Hard-Hitting Family Drama with Bentley Green, Roselyn Sánchez & William Stanford Davis — In Theaters February 27th
Stand-up comic Wanda Sykes makes a striking dramatic turn as a former boxing champion in recovery, pulled back toward a past she abandoned, and a son she left behind. When her boy (Bentley Green) shows real promise in the ring, reconnection suddenly feels possible. But redemption and atonement prove harder than any bout she ever fought. Turns out the toughest opponent isn’t across the ropes, it’s the damaged past that refuses to stay down or let go.
🎥 “Kokuho” U.S. Trailer: Director Sang-il Lee Explores Art, Ego, and Inherited Destiny in This Generational Kabuki Epic Starring Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama — One-Night IMAX Event on January 21st
Set against postwar Japan’s shifting cultural tides, this Kabuki epic treats ambition not as a climb, but as a lifelong vow sealed in greasepaint and silence. Two boys—bound by grief, rivalry, and inheritance—grow into men (Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama) beneath the Kabuki spotlight, where devotion is public and failure painfully private. As youth hardens into legend, love, betrayal, and ambition collide—each exacting a personal cost. Japan’s highest-grossing live-action film arrives in the U.S. for one night only in IMAX next week.
🎥 “Firebreak” Teaser: Spanish Actress Belén Cuesta Races the Flames and Her Fears in ‘Sky Rojo’ Director David Victori’s New Psychological Thriller — Premieres February 20th on Netflix
Belén Cuesta stars as a grieving mother plunged into a frantic race against time when her young daughter vanishes amid a raging wildfire. As fear splinters her family, suspicion narrows in on a lone forest ranger (Enric Auquer). Directed by David Victori (Sky Rojo), this taut Spanish thriller argues that when everything starts burning at once, the truth doesn’t rise with the smoke—it stays hidden, waiting to be uncovered.
🎥 “Savage Flowers” Trailer: A Young Orphan Seeks Refuge in a Deadly Foster Home in This British Infection Thriller — Coming to VOD/Digital January 20th
Set in a world decimated by a deadly infection carried by children, this British horror thriller from director Brad Watson follows a young orphan who believes she’s found safety inside a decaying foster home on the edge of the apocalypse. That illusion doesn’t last. The real threat isn’t the ruin outside, but the volatile group of girls within.
🎥 “33 Photos from the Ghetto” Trailer: A Hidden Photo Archive Rewrites the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in This New HBO Documentary — Premieres January 27th on HBO MAX
History is often filtered through those who control it, but this documentary opens with a defiant exception: 33 photographs smuggled out from inside the Warsaw Ghetto as it burned. Shot by civilians during the 1943 uprising, these images resist total erasure, forcing a confrontation with what was witnessed, what survived, and what was almost lost.
🎥 “Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined” Trailer: Musicians Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun Bring Arena-Scale Emotion to Mexico City In New Concert Film — Hitting IMAX Worldwide February 26th
Set within the electric sprawl of Mexico City, this concert film tracks Twenty One Pilots’ Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun from arrival to curtain call, lingering on the charged quiet before the roar. Jokes, nerves, and rituals share the same cramped spaces as music and crowd feed off each other, and the exchange turns quietly reflective. Sometimes the biggest stage isn’t the platform—it’s the collective moment created between a band and its audience.
That Pillion write-up really captures why it worked at Cannes. The physical contrast between Skarsgård and Melling seems purposeful, like the whole film is interrogating what compatibility actually means beyond surface-level assumptions. I saw somehting similar with A24's other acquisitions where they lean into uncomfortable power dynamics, and it usually makes for way more compelling storytelling tahn the safe version.