Author Archives: admin

Sundance Institute Bringing Directors Lab Back to Utah With $3 Million from Spielberg Foundation

Posted on by

The Sundance Institute’s signature Directors Lab is heading home to Sundance Mountain Resort, thanks to a $3 million gift from The Hearthland Foundation, founded by Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg.

It’s one of the largest contributions in the Institute’s history. The multiyear commitment will support the Feature Film Program, fund the lab’s return to Utah, and expand fellowships and unrestricted grants for independent artists.

“Artists help us see what is, imagine what could be, and understand one another more fully,” said Rachel Levin, President of Philanthropy at The Hearthland Foundation. “Kate and Steven are proud to help carry that extraordinary legacy forward.”

The investment comes at a pivotal moment as Sundance carries forward founder Robert Redford’s vision of championing independent voices across fiction, nonfiction, episodic, and emerging media. The Directors Lab has historically provided a creative sanctuary for filmmakers, offering mentorship and resources from development through audience engagement.

“When you give artists time, trust, and a community that believes in their voice, transformation happens,” said Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs at Sundance Institute.

For indie filmmakers, this means more support at every stage of the creative process, and a continued commitment to the bold risk-taking that defines independent cinema.

Share

Exquisite Corpses Gets Blood-Soaked Anthology Revealing Killer Origin Stories

Posted on by

Twelve killers walked into Oak Valley on Halloween night. Only one survived. Now the rest get their moment.

Image Comics and Tiny Onion are releasing Exquisite Corpses: Book of the Dead this January, an 80-page anthology that digs into the backstories of the assassins, mercenaries, and maniacs who died brutal deaths in the first season. Readers will also get a sneak peek at one of the new killers coming in Season 2.

The lineup is stacked. James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh, the series co-creators, are writing alongside Jordie Bellaire, Marguerite Bennett, Patrick Horvath, Alyssa Wong, Steve Orlando, Josh Trujillo, Soo Lee, Victor Lavalle, and Losty. Art comes from David Lafuente, Piotr Kowalski, Lauren Knight, Claire Roe, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Lisandro Estherren, Brian Level, Francesca Ciregia, and Ryan Quackenbush.

“The fun part was coming up with all these gruesome killers and then murdering them in terrible, terrible ways,” Tynion says. “But the hard part was saying goodbye to them so quickly.”

Steve Foxe, Senior Story Editor at Tiny Onion, says every killer built a fanbase, even the ones who died early. This anthology finally gives them their stories.

Exquisite Corpses was the biggest original IP comic of 2025, moving over 700,000 issues. A film adaptation is in development with Lyrical Media, and the tie-in card game crushed its Kickstarter goal by 400%.

The one-shot drops January 13 with multiple covers, including a polybagged variant with a collectible game card. For horror fans who want more blood and backstory, this is it.

Share

Jazz Trumpet Legend Marcus Belgrave Gets His Due in New Doc

Posted on by

Marcus Belgrave made his professional debut at 12. He performed with Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, and Motown’s Funk Brothers. He mentored generations of musicians and helped shape Detroit’s jazz scene. But chances are, you’ve never heard of him.

A new documentary, AND DAMN, HE COULD PLAY, aims to change that. The film makes its world premiere at DOC NYC this November, celebrating the unsung trumpet player who left his mark all over American music.

Directed by Emmy winner Timashion Jones, the 91-minute portrait traces Belgrave’s journey from prodigy to educator. Mentored by trumpet icon Clifford Brown, Belgrave became a guiding force himself, teaching and inspiring jazz luminaries like Geri Allen, Kenny Garrett, and Regina Carter. He was also a key figure in Tribe, Detroit’s groundbreaking arts collective.

The doc features archival performances and interviews with Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Don Was, Sheila Jordan, and techno pioneer Carl Craig, among others. Narrated by Wendell Pierce, it’s written by Jones and producer Brad Torreano.

It’s a tribute to an artist who never chased the spotlight but shaped the sound of everyone around him. For anyone who cares about jazz history or the creative ecosystems that keep music alive, this one matters.

Share

Uruguay Taps Daniel Hendler’s Border Thriller A Loose End for Oscars Race

Posted on by

A cop on the run crosses into Uruguay and accidentally finds a new life. That’s the premise of A Loose End, Daniel Hendler’s Venice-selected thriller-comedy that just landed Uruguay’s official submission slot for Best International Feature at the 99th Academy Awards.

The film follows Santiago, an Argentine cop fleeing his own department. He slips across the border and starts piecing together an unexpected existence, relying on strangers and his own instincts. Along the way, he meets Rocío, a woman who might just be worth staying for. What begins as pure survival twists into something stranger and softer.

Hendler blends road movie, western, and crime film into a story about reinvention and fragile belonging. Sergio Prina anchors it with a magnetic lead performance, joined by Pilar Gamboa. The film premiered in Venice Spotlight and won the WIP LATAM Industry Award at San Sebastián.

Hendler is known for acting (he won a Silver Bear at Berlin) and directing sharp, human stories like The Candidate and Norberto’s Deadline. A Loose End continues that streak, offering indie filmmakers a model for genre-bending character work on a border where identity is negotiable and second chances come with no guarantees.

Share

‘Spin Wars’ Doc Exposes the Dark Side of SoulCycle’s Rise to Billion-Dollar Empire

Posted on by

The boutique fitness craze looked like enlightenment from the outside. Inside, it was ambition, betrayal, and a whole lot of sweat.

Philip Byron’s documentary “Spin Wars” traces the cutthroat origins of the indoor cycling boom that turned SoulCycle, Flywheel, and Peloton into household names and billion-dollar companies. The film premiered at Tribeca Festival and releases this December.

Byron, who also wrote the film with James Thayer, pulls back the curtain on the “mind, body, soul” culture that promised transformation but delivered something darker. The doc features interviews with Katie Couric, comedians Heather McMahan and Mary Beth Barone, writer Jill Kargman, and performers Anna Roisman and Brandon Kyle Goodman.

Jillian A. Goldstein produced alongside Byron.

For indie filmmakers tackling stories about massive corporate empires, “Spin Wars” shows how personal testimonies and cultural commentary can expose the contradictions behind wellness brands. The film arrives as audiences continue questioning what companies sell versus what they actually deliver, especially when billion-dollar valuations are on the line.

Share

Dennis Hopper’s Lost Vietnam Drama Gets a 4K Resurrection

Posted on by

A Vietnam vet escorts his dead comrade’s body across America by train, slipping between memory and madness as the country around him tries to look away.

That’s the setup for TRACKS, Henry Jaglom’s 1976 post-war head trip starring Dennis Hopper, and it’s finally getting the treatment it deserves. A new 4K restoration is screening at New York’s Roxy Cinema on November 11 and 22.

Jaglom shot TRACKS in that raw, fractured style that defined the New Hollywood mavericks. Hopper plays the sergeant haunted by what he saw overseas. Dean Stockwell and Taryn Power (Tyrone’s daughter, in one of her first roles) drift in and out of his reality as the train rolls on. J. Hoberman called it “visceral and discomforting,” both a road movie and the first real post-Vietnam film. Variety said it was “incisive, revelatory.”

The film screened at Cannes in 1976, then got buried. Jaglom, who got his start editing Easy Rider with Jack Nicholson, spent decades carving out his own weird corner of American indie cinema. Hope Runs High is bringing this one back.

For anyone tracking the unsung films of the ’70s, this restoration matters. TRACKS captures a moment when America couldn’t process what it had done, told by a filmmaker who refused to play it safe.

Share

Trevor Noah Bringing New Stand-Up Material to Beacon Theatre in December

Posted on by

trevor-noahTrevor Noah is heading back to the Beacon Theatre for a one-night stand-up show on December 15, 2026.

The former Daily Show host will perform all new material at the New York venue. Tickets go on sale Thursday, October 22 with an artist presale on Trevornoah.com, followed by general on-sale Friday, October 23 at 10 AM ET via Ticketmaster.

The announcement comes as Noah wraps up a sold-out Asia tour hitting Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, plus a four-night Dubai run next month.

Noah hosted The Daily Show for seven years and emceed the Grammys for six consecutive years. His 2024 Grammy hosting gig pulled 16.9 million viewers, up 34% from the year prior. His most recent Netflix special, Where Was I, scored a 2025 Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album and sold out three consecutive shows at London’s O2 Arena.

He currently hosts the SiriusXM podcast What Now? With Trevor Noah and recently published his second book, Into the Uncut Grass, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list in October 2024.

His “Off The Record” World Tour hit 28 U.S. cities before going international and set a record for most tickets sold by a non-German comedian in Berlin.

Share

Award-Winning Absurdist Horror ‘Littermates’ Hits Alamo Drafthouse Theaters Nationwide

Posted on by

Two bloodied survivors stumble into an isolated English cottage during a mysterious war. What happens next is anything but ordinary.

“Littermates” opens November 6 as a Drafthouse Exclusive, landing in Alamo theaters across New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, and more cities for a one-week run. The 88-minute absurdist horror film comes with serious festival credentials, taking home the Competition Feature Audience Award at DWF 2026 and the Jury Prize at Manchester Film Festival 2026.

The story follows Liam and Mel, disoriented and unable to speak, as they’re taken in by Chester, an enigmatic caretaker who feeds them, bathes them, and teaches them language again. Inside Chester’s controlled world, they earn “nifties” for good behavior, cash them in for karaoke and hot tub time. But as sirens and smoke press closer, Mel grows curious about the locked gate and the woods beyond.

Scott Tinkham and Michael Woloson wrote and directed. Tinkham’s previous short premiered at SXSW 2025. Woloson, a Las Vegas native now based in LA, brings precise visual storytelling honed as a cinematographer.

The cast includes Joey Bader, Kaylee McGregor, and Oliver Woolf, all of whom also produced.

For indie horror fans tired of the same jump scares, this one’s built different.

Share

Ridley Scott’s Post-Apocalyptic Thriller ‘The Dog Stars’ Hits Digital and 4K This Fall

Posted on by

Ridley Scott is bringing Peter Heller’s acclaimed novel to life, and it’s landing on home video soon.

“The Dog Stars” follows Hig, a young pilot played by Jacob Elordi, who’s built a bare-bones existence with military survivalist Bangley (Josh Brolin) in a world that’s been ravaged beyond recognition. Their isolated setup works until a mysterious radio transmission disrupts everything, pulling Hig into the unknown in search of whatever humanity might still be out there.

The film hits premium digital platforms on October 27, including Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Then on December 1, it arrives on 4K Ultra HD and DVD with HDR, expanded color, and immersive audio.

The cast is stacked. Alongside Elordi and Brolin, you’ve got Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney, and Benedict Wong. The home release also includes a making-of featurette and seven deleted scenes.

Polygon’s Jake Kleinman called it “a post-apocalyptic odyssey like no other,” praising the cinematography and score. For indie creators and fans of character-driven sci-fi, this is one to watch. Scott’s vision paired with a strong ensemble could mean a fresh take on a genre that’s been done to death.

Share

Sean Gordon Murphy and Corin Howell Dive Into ’90s Monster Horror with Lake Totem

Posted on by

A legendary lake monster. A buried Indian burial ground beneath an old drive-in theater. A kid with a cat named Ripley trying to solve it all.

Sean Gordon Murphy, the artist behind Batman: White Knight and creator of The Last Driver, is teaming up with Corin Howell (Wonder Woman: Black, White, and Gold, Lilith) for Lake Totem, a four-issue horror miniseries launching from Image Comics in January 2027.

Set in the ’90s, the series follows a young girl named Nib who starts digging into clues about a lake monster after discovering a forgotten burial ground. With her best friend Elliot and her cat Ripley, she goes down a dark path of mythological conspiracy, the same one that destroyed her missing mother’s mind. For centuries, something has been luring children into the depths of Lake Totem.

“Lake Totem is one of the most personal stories I’ve ever written,” Murphy says. “And having my close friend Corin working on the art makes it that much more meaningful. If you like Halloween, horror, and ’90s nostalgia set in a creepy New England town, be sure to pick this up.”

Howell adds, “Lake Totem is definitely a deep dive into my love of creature horror.”

Think Paper Girls meets Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Lake Totem #1 hits comic shops January 6, 2027, with variant covers by Clay McCormack, Serena Bell, and Fero Pe, plus a blank sketch cover.

Share
Page 5 of 410
1 … 4 5 6 … 410