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Harry Belafonte Doc Chronicles Final Years of Legendary Activist’s Life

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following-harryA documentary capturing the last twelve years of Harry Belafonte’s life hits major streaming platforms next week.

Following Harry, directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Susanne Rostock, drops October 13 on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango, and other VOD platforms in the US and Canada. The film follows the legendary singer and civil rights leader as he works to inspire a new generation of activists and artists to fight injustice.

Rostock, who previously directed Sing Your Song about Belafonte, embeds with the icon from the aftermath of Trayvon Martin’s death through the Ferguson protests. The doc shows both public moments and private conversations, including the creation of the Women’s March in Belafonte’s own office.

The film features Angela Davis, Jamie Foxx, Rosario Dawson, Chuck D, Talib Kweli, Jesse Williams, and Belafonte’s daughter Gina, among others.

Following Harry won jury awards at Sidewalk Film Festival and BronzeLens, plus the FilmSlam Award at Cleveland International Film Festival. It also played Tribeca and Santa Barbara.

Blue Harbor Entertainment is handling the release. For indie filmmakers documenting cultural icons, this shows there’s still an appetite for intimate, long-form storytelling about artists who never stopped fighting.

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Two Friends, 330 Miles, and Zero Score: ‘The North’ Hits Theaters With a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes

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the-northA decade-old friendship gets put to the test across some of Scotland’s most punishing terrain.

The North follows Chris, a Dutchman (Bart Harder), and Lluis, a Spaniard (Carles Pulido), as they reconnect for a 330-mile trek through the Scottish Highlands along the West Highland Way and Cape Wrath Trail. The reunion carries both excitement and uncertainty, and the hike becomes more than just a physical challenge. Between stunning mountain views, creekside camps, relentless rain, and encounters with fellow travelers searching for something, the journey takes on a rhythm all its own.

The film was shot over 16 consecutive days with a skeleton crew of just six people, all hiking and camping in real time. There’s no added score, just the sound of wind, water, and footsteps. It’s a bold choice that pulls you into the experience rather than cueing you how to feel.

The North clocked a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its theatrical run, a strong sign that audiences are hungry for stories that strip things down. Director Bart Schrijver, along with Pulido and sound designer Tom Holscher, will appear for post-screening Q&As in NYC on October 9th and 10th.

For indie filmmakers looking to capture something real without the gloss, this one’s worth studying. Sometimes all you need is two people, a trail, and a microphone.

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Def Leppard and Goo Goo Dolls Plot Massive 45-Date North American Tour for 2027

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def-leppard-goo-goo-dollsRock legends Def Leppard are hitting the road with Goo Goo Dolls and The Struts for a monster 45-date North American tour kicking off next spring.

The trek launches March 2 in Allentown and runs through July 2, hitting every major market across the U.S. and Canada. Tickets go on sale October 16, and every ticket sold puts a dollar toward City of Hope cancer research.

Def Leppard just wrapped their third sold-out Vegas residency at Caesar’s Palace and have been packing arenas across the UK, Europe, South America, and Mexico. Their Greatest Hits compilation just landed in four UK charts, two in the Top 10. Not bad for a band with 11 million monthly Spotify listeners and 110 million albums sold worldwide.

Goo Goo Dolls bring serious momentum. Their diamond-certified hit “Iris” just topped 6 billion streams globally, with over 1 billion coming in 2025 alone after going viral. The four-time GRAMMY-nominated band holds the all-time radio record for “Most Top 10 Singles” and has sold 15 million records.

British rockers The Struts round out the bill, bringing their glam-rock energy and hits like “Could Have Been Me” and “Body Talks.”

For rock fans craving high-energy arena shows, this one’s stacked.

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Willem Dafoe Stars in Mediterranean Thriller ‘The Birthday Party,’ Now Streaming on Lionsgate+

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Willem Dafoe leads a Mediterranean-set psychological thriller that just hit Lionsgate+ on Prime Video.

The Birthday Party follows Marcos Timoleon, an Aristotle Onassis-style tycoon throwing a lavish bash for his daughter Sofia on his private island in the late 1970s. The party becomes a powder keg when Sofia arrives with news of her own, just as her controlling father secretly plots a major decision about her future.

Writer-director Miguel Ángel Jiménez crafted the drama around the clash between Marcos and Sofia as the party spirals into chaos. The cast includes Vic Carmen Sonne, Joe Cole, Emma Suárez, and Carlos Cuevas. Producers Giorgos Karnavas, Adria Mones, Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit, and Kurban Kassam brought the 103-minute feature to life.

The film taps into themes of power, control, and family secrets, set against the Mediterranean backdrop. As guests arrive and night falls, the decadent celebration builds toward what the filmmakers describe as a heartbreaking climax.

Lionsgate+ offers the film ad-free as part of its $6.99 monthly subscription on Prime Video, with a seven-day free trial available. The service positions itself as the streaming home for Lionsgate’s extensive catalog of dramas, action franchises, and comedies.

For indie filmmakers, it’s another example of how talent-driven thrillers can find their audience through streaming platforms, even without a traditional theatrical run.

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Sean Ono Lennon’s Fashion Doc threeASFOUR: FULL CIRCLE Gets U.S. Theatrical Premiere

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Sean Ono Lennon is stepping behind the camera for his documentary directorial debut, and it’s landing at Film Forum on November 13.

threeASFOUR: FULL CIRCLE follows three avant-garde designers, Gabi Asfour, Angela Donhauser, and Adi Gil, who’ve spent 25 years working together as a New York City fashion collective. Their clients include Björk, Marisa Tomei, and Chloë Sevigny. But despite the impressive reputation, they’re struggling to pay rent on their Chinatown studio while funding their intricate runway creations.

Co-directed by Brian C. González, the film mixes archival footage with intimate looks at the trio at work. It’s a portrait of artists who chose experimentation over commercial success, and a reflection on creative resilience and collaboration.

The doc had its world premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Festival. Lennon also co-wrote and produced War Is Over!, which won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

It’s a story about staying true to your vision even when the rent’s due, the kind of struggle indie creators across every medium know all too well.

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All-Girl Metal Band Takes On Vampires and Werewolves in Horror Film ‘Devour’

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An all-girl heavy metal band fights for survival against vampires, cannibals, a werewolf, and a warlock in the supernatural horror film Devour, hitting select theaters October 9 and digital platforms October 13.

The film stars Heidi Shepherd, vocalist for metal band Butcher Babies, alongside KateLynn E. Newberry, Gus Langley, and Alex Lucchesi. After a disastrous gig leaves them stranded, the band encounters a woman in danger and gets trapped in a remote town controlled by a powerful warlock. To survive until morning, they’ll have to tap into dark powers of their own.

Director Scott B. Hansen, who previously made the festival favorite Bad Candy, went heavy on practical effects. The creatures were created by Wayne Anderson, whose credits include Stranger Things, IT: Chapter One, and Avatar: The Way of Water. Anderson and the OX FX team built the film’s vampires, werewolves, and cannibals using creature suits, prosthetics, makeup, and animatronics instead of relying on digital effects.

Devour has already racked up over a dozen festival selections and won Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Vampire Feature at the Freakshow Horror Film Festival. It also got a shoutout on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast.

Hansen, who’s directed music videos for Meshuggah, Willie Nelson, and Motionless in White, brings his music roots into the film, where the band’s identity and the supernatural horror are closely intertwined. For genre fans looking for practical creature work and metal energy, this one’s a bloody ride.

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Scottish Indie-Pop Trio BIS to Play First U.S. Show in 25 Years at Powerpuff Girls Cast Reunion

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A Glasgow band that soundtracked a generation’s Saturday mornings is coming back to the States for the first time in over two decades.

BIS, the indie-pop trio behind The Powerpuff Girls’ original end theme, will perform at The Heroes of Townsville on November 7 at Glendale’s Alex Theatre. It’s their first U.S. concert in more than 25 years, and it’s happening alongside a full reunion of the show’s original voice cast and creative team.

The event brings together Catherine Cavadini (Blossom), Tara Strong (Bubbles), E.G. Daily (Buttercup), series creator Craig McCracken, and Lauren Faust. Linda Simensky moderates, with Eric Bauza hosting.

BIS made their name in the ’90s with tracks like “Kandy Pop” and “Eurodisco,” mixing pop hooks with punk energy and disco rhythms. But for a whole generation of animation fans, they’re the sound of Cartoon Network childhood. Their music also turned up in the Jet Set Radio games, cementing their cult status.

Saturday Morning Cartoons United is producing the fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting Starlight Children’s Foundation and the nonprofit’s ongoing animation celebration work. The night also features Next Friday: Magical Meow Meow, an indie animated short by Jen Nguyen and Mary Ramos, plus a pop-up marketplace and photo ops.

It’s a rare crossover moment: the voices, the creator, and the music that helped make The Powerpuff Girls a pop-culture fixture, all in one room.

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V/H/S/MIXTAPE Turns Sound Into Terror When It Hits Shudder This Friday

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The V/H/S franchise is cranking up the volume. V/H/S/MIXTAPE, the latest entry in the found-footage horror series, drops on Shudder this Friday with a lineup that treats music and sound as weapons of pure fear.

This time, the anthology goes all-in on audio terror. Four segments explore how rhythm, noise, and music can haunt, possess, and destroy. Directors Ernest Dickerson, RZA, David Moreau, and Renee Zhan each bring their own spin on sonic dread.

Highlights include “Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance,” where a studio reboots a cursed puppet show with help from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. In “The Music of Mr. Sze,” Dickerson follows a film student documenting a tormented musician’s reclusive life. RZA’s “Death Tone” centers on a sound engineer chasing her late father’s vision of the ultimate track. And in “Heartbeat,” a pair of YouTube urbex influencers get trapped in a decommissioned military facility used for sonic experiments.

Tying it all together, GWAR hosts an MTV-style wrap segment from hell, complete with music videos directed by Tobias Forge and Flying Lotus.

Early reviews call it tailor-made for October marathons, with Daily Dead praising its “amp-bursting bang” and SlashFilm noting the franchise has finally found its groove.

For horror fans ready to let sound mess with their heads, this one’s dialed in.

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Yûta Shimotsu’s Body Horror Satire NEW GROUP Hits Shudder Next Month

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A cult-like mentality spreads through a Japanese high school, turning gymnastics routines into a dance of death. That’s the premise of NEW GROUP, a body horror film from writer-director Yûta Shimotsu that streams on Shudder starting November 6th.

The film follows high school student Ai as people around her become mindless followers capable of transforming everyday exercises into something deadly. Shimotsu, who studied mechanical engineering before moving into filmmaking, co-wrote the script with Momoko Sahara. The cast includes Anna Yamada, Yuzu Aoki, and Pierre Taki.

Critics are calling it more than shock value. Rue Morgue praised its “underpinning of social commentary,” while Bloody Disgusting called it “an incredible, unpredictable body horror masterpiece that doubles as an indicting satire of Japan’s society.” MovieWeb noted its “daring and utterly confident trip into the pitfalls of societal norms.”

Shimotsu made his feature debut with BEST WISHES TO ALL in 2023 after years directing commercials and shorts. NEW GROUP screened at Fantasia International Film Festival and Sitges before landing on Shudder.

At just 82 minutes, it’s a lean slice of social horror for anyone tired of conformity.

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Dark Sky Films Drops Blood-Soaked Single-Night Thriller HUMAN This Month

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A woman home alone. A dating app mishap. And a whole lot of blood.

Dark Sky Films brings HUMAN to select theaters and VOD on October 23, following a West Coast premiere the night before at Laemmle Glendale. Director Matt Stuertz (Tonight She Comes, RWD) takes audiences through a claustrophobic nightmare that unfolds over one terrible evening.

The film follows Dani Ferris (Jackie Kelly), exhausted and alone, who just wanted a little late-night distraction before bed. Instead, she gets dragged into a supernatural horror show packed with bodily fluids and emotional chaos. Every relationship becomes a gamble. Every hour brings a new threat.

Stuertz keeps the tension cranked as Dani rides out a night of friends, lovers, enemies, guns, and things far beyond natural. The single-night structure keeps things tight. The practical effects keep things gross. Critics at Fright Fest and Obscura Film Fest have already called it relentless, vibrant, and stomach-turning in the best way.

The cast includes Brock Russell, Cecily Dowd, Jeffrey Decker, and Mia Sydney. David Neiss wrote the script.

For indie horror fans craving something unstable and hallucinatory, this one’s landing just in time for Halloween season.

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