‘BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War’ Final Episodes Hit Theaters Before Streaming

The final season of *BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War* is getting a theatrical run before it hits streaming.

VIZ Media and Fathom Entertainment are bringing the first three episodes of *The Calamity* to U.S. theaters June 25–29, ahead of the broadcast and streaming premiere. Tickets go on sale May 29.

The theatrical event includes exclusive behind-the-scenes content featuring creator Tite Kubo and directors Tomohisa Taguchi and Hikaru Murata discussing the production. Both subtitled and dubbed versions will screen nationwide.

*BLEACH* returned in 2022 to adapt the manga’s climactic Thousand-Year Blood War arc after the original series wrapped in 2012. The comeback has been massive. It took home Anime Trending’s “Anime of the Year” in 2024 and earned multiple nominations at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including nods for Best Action, Best Continuing Series, and Best Score.

The series routinely pulls 9.4/10 ratings from fans and critics. It’s part of Shonen Jump’s original “Big 3” alongside *One Piece* and *NARUTO*, making it foundational viewing for a generation of anime fans.

*The Calamity* picks up as the Soul Reapers and Quincies face their final battle, with Yhwach and the Royal Guard transforming the Royal Palace into the Wahr Welt. The fate of three worlds hangs in the balance.

This gives fans a chance to experience the finale on the big screen before everyone else catches it at home.

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Hard of Hearing Filmmaker Brian Ceci Explores the Gap Between Hearing and Deafness in Documentary Debut ‘HEARD’

More than one in seven Canadians live with some degree of hearing loss, but their experience is rarely represented on screen. Brian Ceci is changing that with his feature documentary debut, HEARD.

The film follows Ceci, a Hard of Hearing cinematographer, as he connects with others on the HoH spectrum to build community and visibility for an identity that exists in the space between hearing and Deafness. Using vérité footage, family archives and candid interviews, HEARD explores what it means to belong to a community defined by a shared spectrum rather than a single experience.

“Growing up wearing hearing aids, I never saw films featuring character depictions of hearing loss outside of Deaf themes,” says Ceci. “While Deafness is certainly an important marginalized group, there is a gap between hearing and Deafness that is essentially voiceless, even in 2026. I know people like me want to feel seen, and of course heard.”

HEARD makes its theatrical debut at Vancouver’s Rio Theatre on April 14th and 19th, with accessibility features including open captions, ASL interpretation and Auracast audio for hearing aid users. Additional screenings in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto are set to be announced.

The TELUS original film will stream free on TELUS Optik TV and TELUS Stream+ starting April 21st. It’s produced by Ruckus Machine Pictures, a company founded specifically to tell impact-driven stories from underrepresented communities.

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Lionsgate Pushes ‘The Furious’ Back Two Weeks to June 12

Lionsgate’s martial arts action thriller “The Furious” is getting a release date shift. The studio has moved the film from May 29 to June 12, 2026.

Directed by Kenji Tanigaki, the film follows Wang Wei (Xie Miao), a father whose daughter is kidnapped by a criminal network. When the corrupt police won’t help, he takes matters into his own hands. His only ally is Navin (Joe Taslim), a journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. Together, they go on a violent hunt to take down the kidnappers.

The cast includes Xie Miao, Joe Taslim, Yang Enyou, Brian Le, and Joey Iwanaga. The screenplay comes from Mak Tin Shu, Lei Zhilong, Shum Kwan Sin, and Frank Hui. Bill Kong, Shan Tam, and Frank Hui produce.

The film clocks in at 113 minutes and carries an R rating for strong bloody violence and language.

The two-week delay likely gives Lionsgate more breathing room in the crowded summer lineup. For action fans looking for something grounded and brutal, this one’s now landing mid-June instead of the Memorial Day corridor.

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A 90-Year-Old Woman Kicks Watermelons and Lives Without Running Water in This Gorgeous 16mm Documentary

agatha documentaryAgatha Bock doesn’t need your help. The 90-year-old tends her massive garden, bakes and cans everything she eats, and hasn’t had running water in a decade. She’s doing just fine, thank you.

Her niece, filmmaker Amalie Atkins, spent six years filming Agatha’s daily routines on her rural Manitoba farm, and the result is stunning. AGATHA’S ALMANAC opens May 15 at New York’s Film Forum for its U.S. theatrical premiere.

Shot on 16mm by an all-female crew led by cinematographer Rhayne Vermette, the doc captures Agatha’s fierce independence with visual poetry. Watch her harvest a 15-pound watermelon by kicking it along with her rubber boot. See her preserve heirloom seeds and maintain her ancestral farm without a car, cell phone, or functioning landline.

The film already won Best Canadian Feature Documentary at Hot Docs and made TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten list for 2025. Critics are calling it “tender and melancholy but so full of life” and praising its “wondrously luminous” cinematography that makes Agatha’s strawberries look impossibly red and her watermelons eye-poppingly pink.

This is what indie documentary filmmaking looks like when it’s done right. No agenda, no manufactured drama. Just a niece learning from her aunt that a handmade, independent life can be its own kind of art.

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Snowpiercer Lands on Free Streaming as Radial Entertainment Eyes Broader Audiences

snowpiercesThe post-apocalyptic thriller Snowpiercer is pulling into new territory. Radial Entertainment just dropped the series on Roku, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Plex, with a CW premiere set for mid-April.

It’s a smart play. Free, ad-supported streaming is where the eyeballs are moving, and Snowpiercer has the goods to capitalize. Set seven years after Earth becomes a frozen wasteland, the series follows humanity’s remnants aboard a perpetually moving 1,001-car train. Class warfare, survival politics, and power struggles fuel the drama across every carriage.

The pedigree is there. Executive producers include Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone), Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), and Park Chan-wook (Oldboy). The cast brings serious heat too: Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, Sean Bean, and Alison Wright lead a roster stacked with award winners.

Seasons 1-3 are streaming now. Season 4 drops this summer.

The move puts quality serialized drama in front of cord-cutters and free streamers who might have missed it the first time around. For creators watching how legacy content finds new life, this is the model: take something with built-in fans, strong production value, and a bingeable hook, then put it where people actually watch. No paywall, just ads and accessibility.

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Macon Blair’s Road Comedy Gets New Title and August Release Date

macon blairThe film formerly known as The Shitheads just got a rebrand. Independent Film Company is now calling it IDIOTS, and it hits theaters August 28.

Director Macon Blair’s road comedy stars Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as two completely unqualified guys hired to drive a rich kid (Mason Thames) to rehab. Naturally, things go sideways fast. The cast also includes Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, and Peter Dinklage.

The film is produced by Alex Orr, Brandon James, Nathan Klingher, Ford Corbett, Joshua Harris, Mark Fasano, Macon Blair, and Dave Franco. O’Shea Jackson Jr. executive produces alongside Jatin Desai, Greg Freidman, Danny McBride, Jody Hill, David Gordon Green, Jeremy Saulnier, David Gendron, Ali Jazayeri, and Thomas Mann.

Blair, best known for directing I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore and acting in Blue Ruin and Green Room, has built a reputation for dark, offbeat storytelling. IDIOTS sounds like more of that energy, just aimed at multiplex crowds this time.

Independent Film Company clearly sees commercial potential here, slotting it into the late summer release window when comedies can still break through. Whether audiences will show up for a gonzo road trip about incompetent kidnappers remains to be seen, but the cast alone makes it worth watching.

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Star Trek: The Cruise X Sets Sail in 2027 with Cast Reunion and Milestone Celebrations

star trek cruise xTrekkies, mark your calendars. Star Trek: The Cruise is coming back for its tenth voyage, and this time it’s a full-on celebration.

The seven-day cruise sets sail February 20–27, 2027, departing from New Orleans for the first time in the event’s history. The ship hits Cozumel, George Town, and Montego Bay before returning stateside.

But the real draw? This isn’t just another fan cruise. Star Trek: The Cruise X is celebrating 40 years of The Next Generation, 10 years of Discovery, 5 years of Strange New Worlds, and a full decade of the cruise itself.

The guest list reads like a who’s who of the franchise. George Takei, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, John de Lancie, Denise Crosby, Nana Visitor, Chase Masterson, Casey Biggs, Robert Picardo, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Connor Trinneer, Jason Isaacs, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Mary Chieffo, Todd Stashwick, Mica Burton, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Dan Jeannotte, Dawnn Lewis, and Noël Wells are all confirmed. More names are expected to follow.

What makes this different from your average convention? It’s immersive. Over 3,000 fans spend a full week with cast members through karaoke battles, yoga sessions, whiskey tastings, blackjack games, trivia, and vow renewals. The cruise features themed costume nights, live performances by the actors themselves, and Band 47, the event’s house party band.

Legendary director David Livingston joins as part of the “Science Squad and Federation Advisors,” along with guest lecturers and authors. The entire ship becomes part of the Star Trek universe for a week.

Cabins start at $2,740 per person (double occupancy), which includes all main performances, interviews, parties, events, and select meals. Booking opens March 5.

Entertainment Cruise Productions, which has produced more than 60 full-ship charters since 2001, is behind the event. Star Trek: The Cruise operates under license by Paramount Products and Experiences.

For a community that’s spent decades watching these characters explore the final frontier, this is the closest thing to actually joining the crew. And for one week in 2027, the ship becomes the Enterprise.

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Canadian Indie Thriller “Hunting Matthew Nichols” Heads to 1,000+ Screens After Surprise Mystery Screenings

huntingA Vancouver Island-shot supernatural thriller is about to get a wide theatrical release most indie filmmakers can only dream of.

*Hunting Matthew Nichols*, the debut feature from director Markian Tarasiuk, opens April 10 on more than 1,000 screens across the US and Canada. That includes AMC, Regal, Cinemark, Marcus Theatres, and Cineplex, a reach that’s rare for an independently made film.

The film already tested the waters this week as a “Monday Mystery Movie” (or “Scream Unseen” in some markets) at 1,400 screens. Major chains screened it without revealing the title beforehand, a bold move that apparently paid off with strong audience reactions.

The story follows Tara Nichols, an aspiring documentary filmmaker trying to solve her brother’s decades-old disappearance on Vancouver Island. When new evidence surfaces, she and her film crew dig into the case, only to uncover something darker than expected. Critics have praised the film’s blend of true crime documentary style with horror, and Steven Soderbergh called it “a sneaky, simmering take on the true crime folk horror genre that boils over and becomes truly unnerving.”

What makes this release notable is how it got here. Tarasiuk, writer Sean Harris Oliver, and their producing partners at Dropshock Pictures and Moon7 Films are self-distributing the film. In 2025, they took it on a cross-country tour, meeting with executives at major chains to pitch their strategy. They brought in former National Association of Theater Owners President John Fithian and his consulting firm to help navigate the theatrical landscape.

The film stars Miranda MacDougall, Markian Tarasiuk, Ryan Alexander McDonald, and Christine Willes. It’s a BC production through and through, shot entirely on Vancouver Island with a local crew. Cinematographer Justin Sebastian and editor Jonathan Mathew round out the key creative team.

*Hunting Matthew Nichols* premiered at Newport Beach Film Festival, played Blood in the Snow, and earned a Borsos Award nomination for Best Canadian Feature at Whistler Film Festival. It’s racked up awards on the festival circuit since.

Special screenings are planned for Vancouver (The Park, April 2) and Los Angeles (Landmark Sunset with Film Independent, April 6) before the wide release.

For a debut feature from a new production company, landing this kind of theatrical footprint is a big deal. It’s proof that indie filmmakers willing to hustle, build relationships, and take control of their own distribution can still break through in a crowded market.

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DOXA Documentary Film Festival Returns for 25th Edition with 69 Films from 41 Countries

Western Canada’s largest documentary festival is back for a milestone year. DOXA Documentary Film Festival runs April 30 through May 10 in Vancouver, bringing 40 features and 29 shorts from filmmakers around the globe.

The lineup includes 27 Canadian films alongside international work from 41 countries. Four films will have their world premieres at the fest: *Under the Red Roof* by Yushi Nagamatsu, *Illustrated Legacies: Graveyard of the Pacific* by Tanner Zurkoski, *The Flower and the Flood* by Elisa González, and *Bubba* by Kayli Koonar.

“We are excited to celebrate 25 festival editions highlighting important, entertaining and relevant documentary films,” says Artistic Director Sarah Ouazzani. “This is an important milestone, and we are pleased to share a great program with the Vancouver film community once again this year.”

Opening night features *Bella Sutra*, a live cinematic performance directed and narrated by OK Pedersen. The piece reflects on life as an innkeeper in Bella Coola, BC, tackling the rural/urban divide and what Pedersen calls our current “communication crisis.” Musicians Eden Glasman and Jakob Tokarczyk will accompany the performance on April 30 at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.

The mid-week gala spotlights local talent with *Concrete Turned to Sand*, directed by Vancouver filmmakers Jessica Johnson and Ryan Ermacora. The doc follows oyster farmers on Cortes Island as they navigate ocean warming and acidification. Both directors will participate in an industry panel on May 2.

Sara Dosa’s *Time and Water* closes the festival on May 9. The Oscar-nominated director (*Fire of Love*) crafted a meditation on climate grief and memory, centered on Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason and built from home movies, photographs, and myths.

DOXA’s Justice Forum returns for its 16th year with *Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom* as its special presentation. The film explores the families connected to the famous Saigon Execution photograph. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kim Nguyen will attend.

The festival is also highlighting South Korea as its Country of Honour, with guest curation by Byungwon Jang, Head Programmer of the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival. The program includes *Beyond Now, Nyein* and *Untold*, plus shorts *The Silent Bearers* and *Last May in Theatres*.

Other notable titles include Sundance selections *AMERICAN DOCTOR* and *The Oldest Person in the World*, TIFF premieres *Bouchra* and *Powwow People*, and Berlinale entry *Traces*.

Screenings happen at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, The Cinematheque, and VIFF Centre. Forty filmmakers and industry leaders will be in attendance.

Tickets and festival passes are available now at doxafestival.ca.

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Colin Stetson’s Score for Netflix’s “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” Gets Digital and Vinyl Release

something-very-badThe soundtrack drops just one day after the psychological horror series hit Netflix. Colin Stetson, the composer behind Hereditary and The Menu, was the first creative hire on Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, and his score is just as unsettling as the show itself.

Creator Haley Z. Boston brought Stetson on early. His unique sound became integral to the series about a bride who can’t shake the feeling that marrying her fiancé is a terrible mistake.

“This music ranges all over the place, from the dreadful to the tragic, the sexy to the unhinged and comedic,” Stetson says. “There are tracks here that thunder and howl like metal dirges and others like sorrowful lamentations, several are up tempo techno tracks weaving like a heist caper.”

The score is available digitally now across all platforms. For physical media fans, there’s a limited vinyl edition through At The Movies, 300 individually numbered copies on red and black swirled 180-gram vinyl. The 16-track album includes pieces like “Death and the cold cold ground,” “The witness,” and the title track.

Stetson is known for transforming the saxophone through extended techniques, circular breathing, and multiphonics. He creates dense soundscapes without overdubs or loops. Beyond his solo work and collaborations with Bon Iver and Arcade Fire, he’s carved out a space in horror scoring. His work on Hereditary proved he understands how to make audiences feel deeply uncomfortable.

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen follows Rachel (Camila Morrone) in the five days before her wedding at her fiancé’s family vacation home. It’s psychological horror centered on that most terrifying question: what if you’re marrying the wrong person?

The series is streaming on Netflix now.

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