NIA conducts raids in 4 places in Kashmir, arrests 2 overground workers of terror group ‘The Resistance Force’

“What you’ll see with these films is that they are broadly appealing, but also track towards that young, diverse audience that represents the streaming audience of today, the generation of consumers who are choosing streaming as their primary source of entertainment,” Ms. Campbell said in an interview.

Despite lagging behind some of its streaming competitors, Peacock has experienced success this year. February was a high point, when viewers could see the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl, the simultaneous release of the Jennifer Lopez-starring film “Marry Me” in theaters and on the service, and the debut of “Bel-Air,” a dramatic reimagining of the 1990s hit television series “The Prince of Bel-Air,” which starred Will Smith. (Season 2 is in development.)

“Retention on our service after airing all of this special content in such a concentrated period of time was well above our expectation,” Brian Roberts, the chief executive of Comcast, said in an earnings call last week. “We have seen a 25 percent increase in hours of engagement year over year.”

When the pandemic upended the theater business, Universal Pictures experimented with a variety of distribution methods for its movies. There was the purely theatrical like “Fast 9: The Fast Saga,” which earned $173 million after it was released last summer, when coronavirus cases were lower. And there was “Sing 2,” which earned over $160 million domestically after being released in December, before going to premium video-on-demand just 17 days after its debut in theaters.

The company has also experimented with simultaneous release, debuting “Halloween Kills” and the sequel to “Boss Baby” in theaters and on Peacock during the height of the pandemic. The company will do so again in two weeks with the remake of the Stephen King horror film “Firestarter.”

“There’s no one size fits all,” Ms. Langley said. “It really is about looking at the individual movies on the one hand and then also at our growth engine, Peacock, and doing what’s best in any given moment, depending on what’s going on in the marketplace. I’m hopeful that this stabilizes over time as the theatrical landscape stabilizes. But until then, we do have this optionality.”

First US Trailer for Gaspar Noé’s ‘Vortex’ Film About an Elderly Couple

by Alex Billington
March 11, 2022
Source: YouTube

“Life’s a dream, isn’t it?” “Yes. A dream within a dream.” Utopia has revealed an official US trailer for the latest film made by controversial Argentinian filmmaker Gaspar Noé, known for his films Irreversible, Enter the Void, Love 3D, Climax, and Lux Æterna. His latest isn’t as wild as his previous films – focusing on an elderly couple descending into dementia. The film is presented in split screen – following the two around their Paris apartment. This first premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival at midnight, and also played at Karlovy Vary, NYFF, Beyond Fest, and the Vienna Film Festival. Reviews from the festivals state: “With its uncommonly human touch and restless, unflinching visual aesthetic, Vortex might well be Noe’s finest and most thoughtful work.” Vortex stars Dario Argento (yep!!) and Françoise Lebrun in the two lead roles, along with Alex Lutz as their son. The split screen style looks a bit jarring, not exactly innovative, but I’m curious to see how it plays into the story and relates to them as they begin to fracture. Check this out below.

Here’s the official US trailer (+ two posters) for Gaspar Noé’s Vortex, from Utopia’s YouTube:

Presented in split screen, Vortex tells the story of an aging couple in a Paris apartment. As the mother (Françoise Lebrun) faces advancing dementia, the father (Dario Argento) tries to care for her while dealing with his own declining health, and their son (Alex Lutz) does his best in spite of his own significant personal problems. With this film, Director Gaspar Noé (Enter the Void, Climax, Irreversible) delivers a career best, finding a level of compassion and tenderness that sacrifices none of the visual excitement that has marked his best work. Vortex is both written and directed by Argentinian writer / filmmaker Gaspar Noé, director of the movies I Stand Alone, Irreversible, Enter the Void, Love, Climax, and Lux Æterna previously, as well as many music videos and other short films. This initially premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival last year, and it also played at the New York Film Festival last fall. Utopia will debut Noe’s Vortex in select US theaters (NY only) starting on April 29th, then LA on May 6th this spring. Intrigued?

Find more posts: Foreign Film, Indies, To Watch, Trailer

First Trailer for Direct-to-Video Action Film Remake ‘Eraser: Reborn’

by Alex Billington
March 22, 2022
Source: YouTube

“You can save me, right?” “I can help you stay alive.” Warner Bros Home Ent. has revealed the first official trailer for Eraser: Reborn, described as a “reboot of the 1996 Blockbuster”. That title makes it seem like a sequel, though it seems to be less about the sci-fi action this time and more about what’s going on with this clandestine side of the government. The story is based on U.S. Marshal Mason Pollard who is specialized in engineering the fake deaths of witnesses that leave no trace of their existence after. The film stars Dominic Sherwood as Mason Pollard, Jacky Lai, McKinley Belcher III as Paul Whitlock, a mentor to Pollard, and Eddie Ramos as Sugar Jax, a local gangster. This looks so generic and forgettable. Though they did find a way to put an angry hippo into this! (Though in the first movie it’s a crocodile.) The trailer plays more like a tourism commercial for South Africa than an interesting action movie. You may want to skip this one.

Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for John Pogue’s Eraser: Reborn, direct from YouTube:

25 years after the Blockbuster Arnold Schwarzenegger hit, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release Eraser: Reborn on Digital, Blu-ray, and dvd on June 7, 2022. A reboot of the 1996 Blockbuster, this all-new action film follows US Marshal Mason Pollard, a specialist in engineering the fake deaths of witnesses that need to leave no trace of their existence. Eraser: Reborn is directed by American filmmaker John Pogue, director of the movies Quarantine 2: Terminal, The Quiet Ones, Blood Brothers, and Deep Blue Sea 3 previously. The screenplay is written by Michael Weiss (Jarhead 3: The Siege). Produced by Hunt Lowry and Patty Reed for Roserock Films. Warner Bros will debut Pogue’s Eraser: Reborn direct-to-VOD / dvd / Blu-ray starting on June 7th, 2022 early this summer. Anyone into this? Anyone want to actually watch?

Find more posts: To Watch, Trailer

Cece Kelly knew from an early age that she wanted to make a go of acting as a career. She has the Virginia Samford Theatre and director Jack Mann to thank for that.

“I did ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at the Virginia Samford Theatre when I was 11,” she says. “That show, and the director, made me realize I wanted to do that as my career. It was so much fun. I was in love with it.”

Soon after her stint as Scout, Kelly signed with an agent in Atlanta, and she’s been working pretty steadily ever since – short films, a psychological thriller called “Through the Past Darkly,” a movie called “Fear” and a horror-comedy called “Big Freaking Rat.”

About two years ago, Kelly, whose family moved to Atlanta when she was 15 because of her father’s job, began landing leads, including “Quiet in My Town” and the Lifetime Movie “Strike Her Dead.”

Now 20, Kelly is one of the stars of “Family Camp,” a faith-based family comedy from the Skit Guys comedy duo – Tommy Woodard and Eddie James. It opens in theaters tonight.

In it, two polar-opposite families are assigned the same cabin for a week at church camp.

“My family is the Ackermans, and we go to this church family camp because my dad is a workaholic and my mom thinks it would be good to go,” Kelly says. “We’re stuck in a yurt with this other family, a wacky, crazy, stereotypical church-camp family. One of them is named Billy Graham. The whole movie is about finding dynamics in a family and exploring that.”

For Kelly, “Family Camp” is another step into the career she loves – it’s her first big-screen comedy.

“I love this,” she says. “It’s something I’ve known in my life since I was 11, and I knew I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. I really love storytelling. I want to do it for as long as I can.”

She calls her parents and older sister “so supportive.”

“I didn’t realize that it was uncommon for a kid to not have that support when they say they want to act,” Kelly says with a laugh. “They were so supportive. I never felt like they didn’t want me to do it. I’ve just had this dream, and they’ve been believing in me and loving me throughout it.”

Though she hasn’t done theater in a while, Kelly would like to get back into it, but right now, it’s back to auditioning for film and TV roles. Oh, and seeing herself on the big screen in “Family Camp.”

“It’s a super big moment for me,” Kelly says. “I’m going to Birmingham, and we’re going to get my friends and family and go to the Summit and watch it there. That’s the theater that I grew up going to in Birmingham.”

Another Trailer for ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ – Finally Arriving in July

by Alex Billington
March 30, 2022
Source: YouTube

“I’ll teach you.” Are you FINALLY ready to watch this movie? Along with Top Gun: Maverick, this is one of the last big movies that has been delayed for two years – ever since 2020 when it was originally set to open. Universal has revealed a second full-length trailer for Illumination Animation’s sequel Minions: The Rise of Gru, which is a prequel to the Despicable Me movies, and a sequel to the first solo Minions movie (from 2015). Set in the 1970s, this one brings back a younger Gru with a plan to join the supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6. When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles, Gru then interviews to be their newest member. It doesn’t go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. This features the voices of Steve Carell, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Danny Trejo, Dolph Lundgren, Russell Brand, with Julie Andrews, Alan Arkin. We initially ran the first trailer in 2020, and a teaser last year, while waiting for the eventual release. Looks like a fun time.

Here’s the third official trailer (+ poster) for Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, from YouTube:

You can watch the original 2020 trailer for Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru here for more footage.

In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Steve Carell returning yet again) is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto—a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please—deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons and pull off their first missions. Minions: The Rise of Gru is directed by animation filmmaker Kyle Balda (The Lorax, Minions, Despicable Me 3), and co-directed by Brad Ableson (“Good Vibes”, “Legends of Chamberlain Heights”) Jonathan del Val (The Secret Life of Pets 2). Based on characters created by Cinco Paul. Produced by Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy, and Chris Renaud. Universal will release Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru in theaters everywhere starting July 1st, 2022. Still excited for it?

Find more posts: Animation, To Watch, Trailer

Official Trailer for Intriguing Space Travel Sci-Fi Film ‘Project Gemini’

by Alex Billington
February 2, 2022
Source: YouTube

“What threatened us with catastrophe… turned out to be our salvation.” Well Go USA has revealed a new US trailer for an intriguing space travel sci-fi thriller titled Project Gemini, which is technically a Russian film but shot in English. It’s arriving on VOD in March in the US, skipping theaters, after first opening in Russia this January. Set in the distant future, the film is about a space mission sent to terraform a distant planet. However, the mission encounters something strange that has its own plan for the planet. They don’t know what it is. “Unfortunately, they’ll soon learn that something truly unimaginable has been out there watching, lying in wait for the unwary human scouts.” The film’s ensemble cast includes Egor Koreshkov, Alyona Konstantinova, Dmitry Frid, Nikita Dyuvbanov, Lisa Martinez, Kostya Samoukov, Petr Romanov, and Viktor Potapeshkin. This looks cool! I’m always down for more sci-fi, especially when they go big with epic shots like in this trailer. No idea if it’ll be any good! But I’m certainly curious about it.

Here’s the official trailer (+ two posters) for Serik Beyseu’s Project Gemini, direct from YouTube:

After centuries of destroying Earth’s natural resources, humankind finally faces the grim reality that its last shot at survival may require creating an entirely new home—in space. An international expedition is quickly formed to find a suitable new planet, but when their plans go awry, the crew is suddenly stranded without power on a strange planet. Unfortunately, they’ll soon learn that something truly unimaginable has been out there watching, lying in wait for the unwary human scouts. Project Gemini, also known as Звёздный разум in Russian, is directed by Russian filmmaker Serik Beyseu (aka Serik Beiseuov), making his first feature film after some other TV work previously. The screenplay is written by Natalya Lebedeva and Dmitriy Zhigalov. This opened first in Russia earlier in the year. Well Go USA will debut Project Gemini in the US direct-to-VOD / Blu-ray starting on March 15th, 2022 this winter. Anyone want to watch this?

Find more posts: Indies, Sci-Fi, To Watch, Trailer

By Omar Jimenez, Elizabeth Joseph, Steve Almasy and Tiffany Anthony, CNN

Updated 6:42 AM ET, Sat April 16, 2022

Animated Drama ‘Charlotte’ Trailer About Painter Charlotte Salomon

by Alex Billington
March 22, 2022
Source: YouTube

“You have no idea how hard a life in art is.” Good Deed Entertainment has revealed an official US trailer for an indie animated film called Charlotte, a Canadian-French-Belgian co-production that was created mainly up in Toronto. This initially premiered at the 2021 Toronto Film Festival last year and it’s getting a limited US release this April in limited theaters. The film tells the story of a German-Jewish artist named Charlotte Salomon, who moves to Berlin just before the beginning of WWII. She soon flees to the South of France, and defies incredible odds to create a timeless masterpiece collection of paintings – they were published in a book called “Life? or Theatre?” – one of the original graphic novels. Charlotte has an English-language voice cast featuring Keira Knightley as Charlotte, Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent, Sam Claflin, Eddie Marsan, the late Helen McCrory, Sophie Okonedo, and Mark Strong. This looks like a very moving story of perseverance and artistic expression, although the animation seems a bit lackluster.

Here’s the first official trailer (+ poster) for Tahir Rana Éric Warin’s Charlotte, direct from YouTube:

Charlotte is an animated drama that tells the true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish painter who comes of age in Berlin on the eve of the Second World War. Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, she dreams of becoming an artist. Her first love applauds her talent, which emboldens her resolve. But the world around her is changing quickly and dangerously, limiting her options and derailing her dream. When anti-Semitic policies inspire violent mobs, she leaves Berlin for the safety of the South of France. There she begins to paint again, and finds new love. But her work is interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that reveals an even darker secret. Believing that only the extraordinary will save her, she embarks on the monumental adventure of painting her life story. Charlotte is co-directed by filmmakers Tahir Rana (a storyboard artist / animator previously) Éric Warin (director of Leap! previously). The screenplay is written by Erik Rutherford and David Bezmozgis. This first premiered at the 2021 Toronto Film Festival last year. Good Deed will debut Charlotte in select US theaters starting on April 22nd, 2022.

Find more posts: Animation, To Watch, Trailer

New Trailer for ‘Father of Flies’ Horror Movie About a Broken Family

by Alex Billington
April 3, 2022
Source: Vimeo

“Someone’s been inside this house!!” 101 Films has revealed an early promo trailer for Father of Flies, an indie horror thriller from filmmaker Ben Charles Edwards. This premiered at numerous genre festivals last year, including Grimmfest Raindance in the UK and Screamfest in the US. A haunting tale of family life. A vulnerable young boy finds his mother pushed out of the family home by a strange new woman, and he must confront the terrifying supernatural forces that seem to move in with her. A troubled father brings home a new woman but something is strange about her – what is this haunting supernatural force and what does it want? “This evocative tale is unrelentingly suspenseful, eerie, and sinister, packed with frights and anxiety-filled terror.” The indie film stars Camilla Rutherford, Nicholas Tucci, Sandra Andreis, Page Ruth, Keaton Tetlow, Davi Santos, and Malik Ibheis as “Pogo”. This looks much better than it sounds, with some stylish cinematography and freaky monster moments. Might even scare you. This one is worth a look.

Here’s the first trailer (+ poster) for Ben Charles Edwards’ Father of Flies, from Vimeo (via Live for Film):

Having broken up with his wife with a mental illness, newly single dad Richard (Nicholas Tucci) invites his new partner Coral (Camilla Rutherford) to live with him and his children in their remote house, up in snow-covered mountains. With the sudden departure of their mother, the children are unhappy with the new set up – rebellious teen Donna (Page Ruth) is suspicious of the new woman in their lives and is rarely home, while hearing-impaired Matthew (Keaton Tetlow) is forced to share this bleak lonely space with the strange newcomer – who sports a disturbing plastic massaging mask and is distant disinterested in her inherited family. As the hostility grows and claustrophobia sets-in, the tension reaches boiling point and the family is confronted by an ominous presence, a dark, deadly malevolence… what is this terrifying supernatural force and what does it want? Father of Flies is directed by British filmmaker Ben Charles Edwards, director of the film Set the Thames on Fire previously, as well as a few shorts. The screenplay is by Nadia Doherty and Ben Charles Edwards. This first premiered at the 2021 North Hollywood Cinefest Grimmfest last year. The film opens in the UK starting on April 11th, 2022 and also on the 12th in the US.

Find more posts: Horror, Indies, To Watch, Trailer