Tron: Ares Sets Disney+ Streaming Debut

Posted on December 30, 2025 by admin

Tron: Ares, the latest installment in Disney’s long-running sci-fi franchise, will make its streaming debut on Disney+ on January 7, bringing the Tron universe back to screens more than a decade after Tron: Legacy.

Directed by Joachim Rønning, the film expands the series’ exploration of the digital “Grid,” centering on Ares, a highly advanced program sent from the virtual world into the real one. The storyline frames the mission as humanity’s first direct encounter with artificial intelligence beings, positioning the film within ongoing cultural conversations about AI and technology.

Tron: Ares will be available in IMAX Enhanced on Disney+, preserving the expanded aspect ratio and sound mix originally designed for theatrical exhibition. The film features a new original score by Nine Inch Nails, continuing the franchise’s emphasis on electronic music as a defining element of its atmosphere.

The release also coincides with renewed availability of Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010) on the platform, allowing viewers to revisit the series’ evolution ahead of the new chapter.

Brigitte Bardot, Iconic French Film Star and Cultural Figure, Dies at 91

Posted on December 28, 2025 by admin

Brigitte Bardot, the French actor, singer, and international cultural icon who rose to global fame in the 1950s before leaving cinema to become a prominent animal rights activist, has died at the age of 91. Her death was announced by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which did not disclose a cause.

Bardot became an international sensation with her breakthrough role in Roger Vadim’s And God Created Woman (1956), a film that reshaped attitudes toward sexuality in postwar cinema and established her as one of France’s most recognizable celebrities. Over the following two decades, she starred in more than 40 films, including The Truth, Contempt, and Viva Maria!, working with directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Louis Malle, and Henri-Georges Clouzot.

She retired from acting in 1973 at age 39 and devoted her life to animal welfare, founding the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986. In later years, Bardot remained a polarizing public figure due to her outspoken far-right political views and repeated convictions in France for inciting racial hatred.

French President Emmanuel Macron called Bardot “a legend of the century,” noting her lasting impact on French culture. She is survived by her son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier.

Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton Face a Deadly Wilderness Hunt in Netflix Thriller Apex

Posted on December 27, 2025 by admin

Netflix has released the first teaser for Apex, a survival thriller directed by Baltasar Kormákur (Everest, Adrift), set in the Australian wilderness. The film stars Charlize Theron as a grieving woman whose search for solitude turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a serial killer, played by Taron Egerton.

The teaser emphasizes isolation, psychological tension, and the unforgiving natural environment, positioning the landscape as a central force in the story. Brief footage suggests a stripped-down narrative focused on endurance, pursuit, and survival rather than spectacle.

Shot on location in New South Wales, Apex also stars Eric Bana and was filmed using real outdoor locations, including remote rivers and mountain terrain. The film continues Kormákur’s interest in extreme environments and human vulnerability, a recurring theme in his previous work.

Apex premieres globally on Netflix on April 24, 2026.

Christopher Nolan Unveils First Trailer for Epic Adaptation of The Odyssey

Posted on December 22, 2025 by admin

Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, on his perilous journey home following the Trojan War.

The teaser offers glimpses of large-scale sea voyages, shipwrecks, and the famed Trojan Horse, while hinting at the mythic dangers Odysseus will face, including legendary monsters and supernatural forces.

The footage also introduces Tom Holland as Telemachus and Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, whose plea for his return frames the trailer’s emotional core.

The cast includes Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo. Nolan wrote and directed the film, producing alongside Emma Thomas, and shot the project using newly developed IMAX film technology to stage the story on an epic scale. The Odyssey is scheduled for theatrical release on July 17, 2026.

Michael Apted’s The Long Way Home Returns in Remastered, Expanded Form at MoMA Festival

Posted on December 20, 2025 by admin

Michael Apted’s documentary The Long Way Home will receive its world premiere in a newly remastered and expanded edition at To Save and Project: The 22nd MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation in January.

The 2026 version has been restored from the only surviving 16mm print under the supervision of producer Steven Lawrence and editor Susanne Rostock. The updated edition also includes a newly created epilogue examining the later life of Soviet rock icon Boris Grebenshchikov, whose career and exile following the release of his Western album Radio Silence are revisited decades after the film’s original release.

Originally released in the late 1980s, The Long Way Home follows Grebenshchikov as he became the first Soviet underground rocker to record in the West during the early days of Glasnost. The film documents his collaborations with Western musicians including Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox, Chrissie Hynde, Ray Cooper, and members of Crosby, Stills & Nash, while also capturing tensions with his longtime band Aquarium and his Russian audience.

The remastered edition will screen at MoMA on January 28, with an in-person introduction by Lawrence and Rostock.

Steven Spielberg Returns to Alien Sci-Fi With First Teaser for “Disclosure Day”

Posted on December 17, 2025 by admin

Steven Spielberg is returning to familiar science-fiction territory with Disclosure Day, his next feature film, as Universal Pictures released the first teaser for the project this week. The film marks Spielberg’s first time directing since The Fabelmans and signals a renewed focus on extraterrestrial themes long associated with his work.

The teaser offers cryptic glimpses of a world on the brink of a global revelation, centering on characters played by Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor. Blunt appears as a television meteorologist who experiences a disturbing on-air episode, while O’Connor portrays a man determined to reveal proof of alien life to the public. The footage hints at unexplained phenomena, shifting identities, and the possibility that humanity is no longer alone.

Disclosure Day stars Blunt, O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, Wyatt Russell, and Henry Lloyd-Hughes. Spielberg directs from a screenplay by longtime collaborator David Koepp, based on an original story by Spielberg. The film is produced by Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger through Amblin Entertainment.

The sci-fi thriller is scheduled for theatrical release on June 12, 2026.

Wregas Bhanuteja’s Levitating Set for World Premiere in Sundance World Cinema Competition

Posted on December 12, 2025 by admin

Levitating (Para Perasuk), the latest film from award-winning Indonesian filmmaker Wregas Bhanuteja (Photocopier, Andragogy), will world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. A teaser trailer and poster for the film have been released ahead of the festival.

The film stars Angga Yunanda as Bayu, a young man living in Latas Village, a suburban community known for its traditional trance rituals passed down through generations. When the village’s sacred spring—central to its spiritual practices, faces eviction, Bayu sets out to become a lead spirit channeler in hopes of raising funds to save it. His journey forces him to confront the limits of ambition and the deeper meaning of spiritual responsibility.

Levitating features a prominent Indonesian cast including international music icon Anggun in her acting debut, Maudy Ayunda in her first film role since Losmen Bu Broto, as well as Bryan Domani, Chicco Kurniawan, and veteran actor Indra Birowo.

Blending cultural ritual with coming-of-age drama, Levitating continues Bhanuteja’s exploration of identity, belief, and social pressure within contemporary Indonesian life.

“We Shall Not Be Moved” Recognized as One of the Year’s Top International Films

Posted on December 11, 2025 by admin

We Shall Not Be Moved (No nos moverán), Mexico’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards®, has been named one of the year’s Best International Films by New York Film Critics Online. The recognition comes as the acclaimed debut feature from Mexican filmmaker Pierre Saint Martin continues its U.S. theatrical rollout.

Following a strong run in New York through Cinema Tropical, the dark dramedy will screen for one week at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco beginning December 18, before heading to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in January. A U.S. streaming release is expected to be announced soon.

Shot in black and white, the film follows Socorro, a 67-year-old retired lawyer played by Luisa Huertas, whose decades-long pursuit of the soldier responsible for her brother’s death during Mexico’s 1968 Tlatelolco massacre has consumed her life and fractured her family. When a new lead emerges, she risks everything to confront the past.

The film premiered at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, winning Best Mexican Film and the Audience Award, and went on to receive four Ariel Awards, including Best First Feature and Best Actress. It has screened at more than 40 international festivals and will also represent Mexico at Spain’s Goya Awards.

Saint Martin’s debut blends dark humor with an intimate exploration of memory, trauma, and political reckoning, offering a personal lens on one of Mexico’s most painful historical chapters.

Slamdance Sets Alexandre Rockwell’s The Projectionist as Opening Night Film for 2026 Festival

Posted on December 10, 2025 by admin

The Slamdance Film Festival has named Alexandre Rockwell’s The Projectionist as the opening night film for its 32nd edition, marking the film’s world premiere. The artist-led festival returns to Los Angeles for a second year, running in person from February 19–25, 2026, with virtual screenings continuing through March 6 on the Slamdance Channel.

Produced by Quentin Tarantino and Jack Auen, The Projectionist centers on a reclusive cinema projectionist haunted by a wrongful conviction and personal loss, living in isolation inside a fading arthouse theater until his past resurfaces. The film stars Vondie Curtis-Hall, Karyn Parsons, Kasi Lemmons, David Proval, Kevin Corrigan, and Michael Buscemi.

The festival also announced a new partnership with independent studio Utopia, which will offer theatrical distribution to at least one 2026 Slamdance Grand Prize winner. Additional distribution and digital aggregation opportunities will be made available to competition films through Utopia’s platform.

Also screening in the festival’s Spotlight section is The Untitled Ruby Slippers Documentary, directed by Seth Gordon and Nikki Calabrese, a long-gestating project tied to Gordon’s early Slamdance roots.

Slamdance will once again host Market Monday on February 23, featuring panels and workshops focused on filmmaking, distribution, and audience development. The full festival lineup will be announced at a later date.

Colman, Lithgow, and Breakout Aud Mason-Hyde Anchor Tender Family Drama Jimpa

Posted on December 9, 2025 by admin

Olivia Colman and John Lithgow lead Jimpa, a new queer family drama from filmmaker Sophie Hyde. The film follows Hannah, played by Colman, as she travels with her trans nonbinary teenager Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde) to Amsterdam to visit Frances’ gay grandfather, affectionately known as Jimpa, portrayed by Lithgow. What begins as a simple family trip turns into a deeper emotional journey when Frances expresses a desire to stay abroad for a year.

The film explores the shifting dynamics across three generations as Hannah confronts the stories she has long held about her family, Frances wrestles with the disappointment of discovering their heroes aren’t perfect, and Jimpa faces the realities of aging in a community that once never imagined growing old.

Inspired by Hyde’s own experiences in a queer family, Jimpa blends humor, tenderness, and lived authenticity. Hyde directs from a script co-written with Matthew Cormack, continuing her track record of intimate character-driven storytelling seen in works like Good Luck to You, Leo Grande and 52 Tuesdays.

The cast also includes Daniel Henshall, Kate Box, Eamon Farren, and Cody Fern. The film features cinematography by Matthew Chuang, editing by Bryan Mason, and music composed by Nick Ward.