"Not for the squeamish." Uh oh. Momentum Pics has revealed an official trailer for an indie horror thriller titled Swallowed, the latest from filmmaker Carter Smith. It premiered at a few genre festivals last year, including at Fantasia and Overlook. Not to be confused with the other body horror film Swallow, with Haley Bennett, this one is a bit different. The film follows two best friends on their final night together in a small town, with a nightmare of drugs and bugs and horrific intimacy. "Dripping with blood and pus, Swallowed is queer body horror with all the naked flesh and shocking violations of a classic midnight movie." Starring Jena Malone, Mark Patton, Cooper Koch, and Jose Colon. This trailer seems a bit tame, or they don't seem to want to show all the gross stuff, with only a few quick glimpses near the end. Still seems disgusting. https://onfs.net/3ZN9thq

"This machine is reminding people our lives have more than one possible path." Apple TV+ has revealed a first look teaser trailer for one of their upcoming series titled The Big Door Prize, adapted from novel of the same name written by M.O. Walsh. This is a clever, alluring teaser that uses the cool blue glow of this machine to grab your attention, leaving the rest up to your imagination. The series follows the residents of a small town called Deerfield, who one day discover a magical, destiny-predicting machine in their grocery store - "promising to reveal each resident’s true life potential." It's about a mysterious machine that upends a small Louisiana town, asking us all to wonder if who we truly are is who we truly could be. Starring Chris O'Dowd as Dusty, with Gabrielle Dennis, Ally Maki, Josh Segarra, Damon Gupton, Crystal Fox, Sammy Fourlas, and Djouliet Amara. I haven't read the book before - but yeah I'm sold, this definitely got my attention. I want to know what the Morpho machine tells them! And how they respond! Anyone else? https://onfs.net/3GR9VSX

"Congratulations on your new home in the stars!" Apple has released an official trailer for a sci-fi comedy series titled Hello Tomorrow!, arriving for streaming February on their Apple TV+ platform. This has a peculiar concept that involves classic sci-fi concepts like floating cars, rocket packs, and robo helpers even though it's all set in the past. "What if the life you’ve always dreamed of was just one great deal away?" In a retro-futuristic world, charismatic salesman Jack Billings leads a team of fellow sales associates determined to revitalize their customers' lives by hawking timeshares on the moon. Billy Crudup stars as Jack Billings, along with Haneefah Wood, Alison Pill, Nicholas Podany, Matthew Maher, Dewshane Williams, and Hank Azaria. It's pretty obvious from this trailer what's going on, it looks like one big setup to just get rid of people by firing them into space. I wonder if they figure it all out, then what? Hmmm this looks good. https://onfs.net/3wd43ym

"There's a darkness inside of me... it followed me here. And it's going to keep coming for us." Paramount has debuted the first full trailer for Scream VI, the follow-up sequel to last year's Scream (also known as Scream 5) - the return of this iconic horror franchise. Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four young survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter. This one brings the mayhem to New York City, as a new killer pops up in this city wreaking havoc. It looks like they're going all out with this sequel, even bringing in all the other killings back into the mix! That big "shrine" reveal with all the Ghostfaces is creepy. In Scream VI, Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Hayden Panettiere, and Courteney Cox return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving. There's a few intriguing reveals in here, the rest still looks chilling and freaky af. Enjoy. https://onfs.net/3HhkIHG

"Tender as it is ugly... admits the war on drugs is lost." The unfortunate truth that is hard for many to deal with. The official trailer has debuted for a documentary film titled Love in the Time of Fentanyl, from Canadian filmmaker Colin Askey. This premiered at two important doc film festivals last year - DOXA and DOC NYC - and it will begin playing in theaters in February. The doc film is an "intimate and compassionate look at the frontlines of the overdose crisis." Executive produced by fellow filmmaker Sean Baker. In Love in the Time of Fentanyl, a group of misfits, artists, and drug users operates a renegade safe injection site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside - specifically in a forward-thinking overdose prevention center. The film is an empathetic portrait of a community fighting to save lives and keep hope alive in a neighborhood ravaged by Fentanyl and other opioids. This looks like an especially compassionate examination of this drug crisis. https://onfs.net/3IX9nh9

"You think you're safe?" Oooh this is creepy! An eerie festival promo trailer has debuted for an indie horror film from India called The Underbug, the latest film from director Shujaat Saudagar. It's premiering later this week at the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival, hence why this trailer is available. As India is ravaged by sectarian violence on the eve of its Independence Day, two rioters take refuge in an abandoned house. An eerie presence in the house, however, haunts the men to the edge of sanity. There is some kind of strange snail in this with black tentacles sticking out of it, the rest of it just seems scary and unsettling in the best of ways. The Underbug stars Ali Fazal, Hussain Dalal, & Areenah Fatima. This looks like an extra freaky low budget haunted house horror film, with the poster offering a big hint as to what's going on. Have a look. https://onfs.net/3ZMpEv8

"4000 meters down on the ocean floor, another energy revolution is underway." A festival teaser is out for a documentary film titled Deep Rising, one of our most anticipated premieres at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It's debuting in the Premieres section, an important doc about climate change and environmental destruction. The festival description sets it up: The fate of the planet's last untouched wilderness, the deep ocean, is under threat as a secretive organization is about to allow massive extraction of seabed metals to address the world's energy crisis. It's actually about another environmental crisis brewing, with companies ready to mine unique "polymetallic nodules" that are sitting at the bottom of the ocean, specifically a huge area of the Pacific Ocean. The doc is narrated by Jason Momoa, who talks us through why they're ever so important, what's going on with them and companies trying to get at them, and why we should care. This is one doc to keep an eye on as it premieres at Sundance, I've got a good feeling it's going to be worth a watch. https://onfs.net/3J0S3aV

"It's nice to be old. It's nice to have fun with no buttons." Greenwich Ent. has revealed an official trailer for an indie comedy titled iMordecai, which is an amusing title for this film about a cranky old timer whose life is changed when he gets a new iPhone. How's that for a story? This initially premiered at the 2022 Naples Film Festival last year, and is set in Florida. A holocaust survivor born and raised in a different time, must now face the realities of modern world. when confronted with an unfamiliar object, an iPhone will Mordecai be able to fit into a world that has changed so much around him? Starring the wonderful actor Judd Hirsch (he's also in The Fabelmans) as Mordecai, along with Sean Astin, Carol Kane, Nick Puga, and Azia Dinea Hale. This actually looks really sweet and nice, not as cheesy as expected. Might actually be an entertaining and uplifting film worth watching, a nice break from all these usual depressing stories. https://onfs.net/3iKVzf3

"He works for the Russians. He has lied to you, and he has used you." MGM+ has revealed a quick first look teaser trailer for their upcoming British spy series titled A Spy Among Friends, arriving for streaming in March in a few more months. The service formerly known as Epix has re-branded as MGM+, and they're getting preparing a big line-up this spring. "The epic true story of Kim Philby, the Cold War's most infamous spy, from the 'master storyteller' and author of Prisoners of the Castle." Yes it's an adaptation of the book of the same name. The British mini-series that stars Guy Pearce and Damian Lewis as Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby, two real-life 1960s British spies who, despite their opposing allegiances, developed a life-long friendship. This reminds me a bit of the other British spy film The Courier (aka Ironbark) from a few years ago. The series also stars Anna Maxwell Martin, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Kunken, Nicholas Rowe, and Anastasia Hille. I'm looking forward to seeing more footage from this before it's out to watch. https://onfs.net/3wg7u7t

It's so wonderful to settle into a screening and hear the buzz in the air before a film starts. To listen to the applause and laughter and gasps during a premiere screening. After two years of online screenings thanks to the pandemic, the 2023 Sundance Film Festival has returned with an in-person event in Park City, Utah this January. This is my 17th year covering Sundance, starting way back in 2007, and I'm happy to be back. Yes, as always, there's some generic frustrations with the festival (the local bus lines have changed, there's tons of standstill traffic already, the screening queues are a mess) but overall, it's exciting to see Sundance roaring back to life and bringing everyone together again to watch movies. It's cliche to say, but the glory of film festivals really is the experience of everyone traveling from all around to sit together and watch films together, as one big audience, participating in the magic of watching movies. That excitement in the air, the conversations with people in line or people sitting next to you, is what this is all about. Onward to the films. https://onfs.net/3WoMztx

Let's take a trip into the past, to journey into the future. I am a sci-fi geek and I've always loved spaceship designs and future technology and imagining what it's like to be in a time where we can travel to planets (or even galaxies). This video called The Future of The 1920s examines what it was like to imagine the future in the 1920s. It features drawings and designs created by people living in the 20s, just after "The Great War" and before the next one, wondering what the future might be like. Most of it is pulled from an old magazine called "Science And Invention." They weren't interested in leaving Earth, more into improving livability. The narrator explains the 1920s "took place in the immediate aftermath of a massive, destructive war, and both [the 50s] carried an optimism for the future. The difference was science fiction was not as mainstream... so it didn't quite fully develop a unique look." Just some visual inspiration and vintage sci-fi imagery to peruse. https://onfs.net/3Wr90hX

We must take better care of this planet. We must change our ways and save what we can before it's too late. We must stop treating this planet like an endless mine to make money from. This excellent documentary is a potent reminder we must do more to protect our planet and its natural resources from greedy investors and rich schmucks who simply can't give up their addiction to profiting off of Earth's offerings. Doc filmmaker Matthieu Rytz returns to Sundance (following his 2018 doc Anote's Ark) with his latest feature film titled Deep Rising, a documentary about a precious resource hidden at the bottom of the ocean. I'm always on the hunt for splendid documentaries at Sundance, and this is one of my favorites so far. Not only is it about something important, something I didn't know anything about before watching, but it's an engaging doc in every way. Featuring a score by Ólafur Arnalds, it's hard not to feel moved by this film and everything it's trying to tell us and remind us – this planet is a special place and we need to stop destroying the ecosystem. https://onfs.net/3QVrmXg

It is time for men get out of the way of women. One of the best thrillers at Sundance this year is Fair Play, the feature film debut of filmmaker Chloe Domont. Sitting through this screening at Sundance 2023 was an experience of its own. It was the second screening (not even the first premiere!) and the audience still went nuts for it. They gave it two standing ovations at the end, shouting "bravo! bravo!" as the filmmaker & actors took the stage. And this was genuine applause, deserving enthusiastic praise for a film that rocked me to my core. The best part was listening to all of the audible gasps and uncomfortable shifting as certain scenes play out and the story unfolds, everyone's rapt attention fixated on the screen. Step out of the way Uncut Gems, Fair Play has entered the room. And she isn't going to take any shit anymore. This film deserves to be talked about and become a huge hit, shoving Gordon Gecko out of the way while proclaiming "it's my time now." https://onfs.net/3kBUk2p

"How are we going to pull THIS off?" "We're gonna need a team..." Paramount Pictures has revealed the second official trailer for the epic new live-action Dungeons & Dragons movie, officially titled Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Opening in theaters in March, this looks like it will be worth a watch on the big screen after all. A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure. As expected, but still! The ensemble cast features Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head, and Hugh Grant. I'm still pretty excited about watching this, they seem to have figured out the right mix of characters and creatures and comedy to make it worthwhile. Check out the fun trailer below. https://onfs.net/3wu4d4x

"I hope that you still want to see me dance, Yeon-jin." Revenge is always intense!! Netflix has revealed a new official trailer for Part 2 of their streaming series The Glory from Korea. Part 1 of this series is already streaming, it launched in late December a few weeks ago. This almost sounds like one of Park Chan-wook's revenge movies. A young woman, bullied to the point of deciding to drop out of school, plans the best way to get revenge. After becoming a primary school teacher, she takes in the son of the man who tormented her the most to enact her vengeance. "From now on, every single day will be a nightmare. They’ll be provocative and terrifying. You can't stop me or make me disappear." Starring Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Sung-hoon, and Jung Sung-il. Seems like it's almost a cathartic revenge story, about a woman getting back at everyone in a very meticulous, carefully planned way. "As Dong-eun's plan begins to unfold, the perpetrators have no idea what’s coming to them." It looks like an intense thriller. https://onfs.net/3XxbU6a

Let's try to envision a scenario on this planet where aliens suddenly arrive, but instead of violently enslaving humanity and eating all of them, they just use cutthroat capitalism to enslave everyone, er, peacefully. No violence necessary, just obedience. Would our world look any different than it does right now? Probably not. Landscape with Invisible Hand plays with this exact concept, adapting the novella by M.T. Anderson into a rather funky sci-fi film. This is easily one of the most ambitious, high concept sci-fi projects I've ever seen at the Sundance Film Festival, produced as a "studio movie" by MGM and Brad Pitt's Plan B. Yet it fits right in at Sundance, somehow, because it's all about integrity in art and rejecting big money offers in order to continue making something that stays true to the purity of artistic expression. It's not an instant favorite, unfortunately, but it is fascinating and entertaining in an especially unique way. Those sneaky, slimy Vuvv. https://onfs.net/3XzeZlY

"I am going to give it everything I have." Netflix has revealed another short teaser trailer for You People, the comedy from the creator / writer of "Black-ish" - Kenya Barris. It's out on Netflix for streaming later this week, hence the new teaser clip debuting now. Though strangely this isn't that funny of a clip, but it might make a few people laugh. A new couple and their very different families find themselves examining modern love and family dynamics amidst clashing cultures, societal expectations & generational differences in this comedy from Barris. Jonah Hill and Lauren London star as the main couple, Ezra and Amira, who try to introduce their families to each other with disastrous results. Also starring Eddie Murphy, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Sam Jay, Elliott Gould, Travis Bennett, Molly Gordon, Rhea Perlman, Deon Cole, Andrea Savage, and Mike Epps. This doesn't seem like it'll be the funniest comedy, but Netflix is giving it a strong push for the opening weekend anyway. Check out the teaser below. https://onfs.net/3WtG88R

"I'm very drawn to stories of confinement..." Universal has revealed a behind-the-scenes featurette for M. Night Shyamalan's next new thriller Knock at the Cabin, opening in theaters in just a few more weeks. It's based on a book by Paul Tremblay, about a family who is told the apocalypse is coming and they must "make an unthinkable choice" but they have no connection to the outside world and can't tell if it's all real or not. This video gives us a look at Shyamalan's process and filming on the set. Knock at the Cabin stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, newcomer Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint. It's always nice to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse, especially with Shyamalan. I wish there was more footage of the actual sets, but perhaps they're afraid of spoilers. I am so into this concept, I can't wait to find out what's going on and what choice(s) they make in the end. We'll know the answers soon. https://onfs.net/3XCzhew

The complete list of nominees for the 95th Academy Awards, the most prestigious award in Hollywood, have been announced today (from Oscars.org). The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the nominees via live broadcast. The nominations from 2022 are, as usual, an exciting and wonderful and curious set of nominees with plenty of surprises and expected picks - including The Sea Beast sneaking in, RRR only getting in for Best Song, Andrea Riseborough from To Leslie somehow pulling off a nod, and The Banshees of Inisherin getting tons of love. Best of all, my #1 of 2022 - Everything Everywhere All at Once - landed 11 nominations in total, a clear sign it's loved by everyone. The Academy chose a total of nine Best Picture nominees from 2022, also including: Top Gun: Maverick, All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, The Fabelmans, Women Talking, Triangle of Sadness. Without further ado, view the full list of nominees below. https://onfs.net/3JgOOMV

"If anything, he's the smartest person in this stupid town." Visit Films has revealed an official trailer for the indie sci-fi comedy titled Aliens Abducted My Parents And Now I Feel Kinda Left Out. How's that for a film name! Did it get your attention? This just premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival playing in the "Kids" section of the fest, and it's still seeking a distribution deal. Miserable after her family moves to a small town, a teenage aspiring journalist named Itsy befriends Calvin, her strange, space-obsessed neighbor who believes his parents were abducted by aliens, and joins him on his journey to find them. As an up-and-coming journalist, Itsy decides to write an exposé, but she discovers much more about him. It stars Emma Tremblay, Jacob Buster, Will Forte, Elizabeth Mitchell, Kenneth Cummins, and Matt Biedel. I'm curious to see this! I like the trailer, there's some good lines in here. I'm just wondering if they actually will find aliens! I hope the twist isn't that they were just taken by a government organization or something. https://onfs.net/3kHl94V

"When you become a mother, you feel like you are split in two." XYZ Films has revealed the official trailer for the indie Mexican horror titled Huesera: The Bone Woman, opening in US theaters this February. It first premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival last year and has been earning rave reviews at other fests including Neuchâtel, Bucheon, Edinburgh, Bergen, Fantastic Fest, and Sitges. Huesera follows the story of Valeria, a young woman expecting her first child who becomes cursed by a sinister entity. Plunged into a terrifying and dangerous world, a group of witches emerge as her only hope for safety and salvation, but not without grave risk. Natalia Solián stars as Valeria, with a cast including Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández, Aída López, and Martha Claudia Moreno. This looks insanely scary once the trailer gets going, lots of freaky footage in that second half! That part of the crib breaking viscerally like a bone is just terrifying. Horror fans must watch out for this one! Arriving in select theaters and on VOD soon. https://onfs.net/3Hvnb0Y