- “Gears of War: Reloaded” Writes a New Chapter in the Console Wars (August 26, 2025)
The territorial battles between companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have blurred over the last few years, with PlayStation exclusives becoming increasingly available on PCs, and Microsoft continuing to “play nice” by leaking some of their hits into the world of Sony gamers. The latest such release is arguably the biggest to date, offering Sony PlayStation owners the first chance to play a “Gears of War” game on their console of choice. “Gears of War: Reloaded” doesn’t just import the bestselling and award-winning 2006 game that genuinely changed the shooter genre; it updates for the current generation with 4K graphics that support a 60fps campaign, 120fps multiplayer, and 7.1 3D Spatial Audio. The game has been rebuilt to look nearly like it could come out in 2025. While some of the mechanics will always be a tad dated, “Reloaded” is a reminder of why “Gears of War” shook the landscape, a thoroughly entertaining campaign experience that honestly could have been twice as long, and I wouldn’t have minded. I recently mentioned that I enjoyed the old-fashioned gameplay of “Mafia: The Old Country,” and this is another game that fits that mold —a simple run-and-gun that, nonetheless, remains consistently entertaining.
Clearly heavily inspired by James Cameron’s “Aliens” with a dash of Paul Verhoeven’s “Starship Troopers” (and a lot of “Metal Gear”), “Gears of War” takes place on an imaginary planet called Sera, where an invading force known as the Locust have overrun society, leaving only a select crew of soldiers known as the “Gears” to fight back. You play as Marcus Fenix (John DiMaggio, a legendary voice actor who also plays Bender on “Futurama” and Jake on “Adventure Time,” among many others), a leader in a quartet of gruff soldiers that includes Dom Santiago, Augustus Cole, and Damon Baird. You can tackle the game co-op and really initiate strategies like flanking with a buddy. Still, one of the fun elements is how much that also comes into play in single-player, too. However, the AI-controlled grunts in my squad often needed rescuing more often than I liked after they would just basically run into enemy fire. Marcus and his mates head into the fray to find a resonator that can guide them to the underground enemies known as the Locust, so that they can plant a bomb and live to fight another day.
“Gears of War” is divided into five acts, each with generally the same gameplay but enough variety in setting and special boss battles to keep the game from going stale over its relatively brief runtime. One thing one notices about “Gears of War” in 2025 is how much we’ve become accustomed to longer campaigns than the 7-8 hour one presented here, although it’s worth noting that many games with multiplayer portions as robust as this one—like recent “Call of Duty” entries—have similarly short campaigns.
Over those five acts, you will mow down hundreds of enemies, most of them who basically look like lizard men with armor and high-powered weapons. You cycle through four weapons, including grenades, that you can carry at one time. The variations in loadouts are impressive—it took me a few acts to find exactly what fit my gameplay, which arrived at a longshot rifle to get enemies before they got anywhere near me, and then a shotgun or pistol for close quarters. The two breakthrough elements of combat that remain thoroughly entertaining are the cover design, which continues to influence games to this day, and a clever reload maneuver wherein you can press the R1 button at just the right time to replenish your ammo more quickly.
As for the former, some of the cover mechanics are still a little clunky—it’s often unclear when you are and are not in the line of fire, and some things that look like they should provide cover just don’t. There were also a few occasions wherein enemies would basically glitch out of the way, jumping left or right when I shot, although that could be patched out. And the truth is that every bit of glitchy gameplay is brief, overcome by how many things the game does very well, including not just combat but an immersive, detailed setting. The game’s sound and level design in the “Reloaded” edition may not win awards, but it’s consistently engaging, giving you a sense of danger and destruction around every corner. The score is particularly fantastic.
The “Reloaded” edition also includes all 19 multiplayer maps, many of which were previously offered via DLC, but everything is now unlockable through progression. There are 8 PvP game modes: Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, Execution, Warzone, 2v2 Gnasher Execution Assassination, and Annex. The game also supports cross-play for the first time, both in multiplayer and when tackling the campaign via co-op. There’s probably no greater sign that the console wars are over than the thought that Sony and Microsoft players will be teaming up as soon as this weekend. As for enhancements, the PS version makes excellent use of the DualSense Controller, sending some of the chatter that Marcus hears over his headset to the speaker, using the adaptive triggers to enhance the gunplay, and other immersive tricks.
When I think of Xbox exclusives, the first two that come to mind are “Gears of War” and “Halo,” the real right and left hook of the console. Does releasing “Gears of War: Reloaded” on the PlayStation diminish the Microsoft brand? That’s a better question for industry experts, but anything that expands the reach of a franchise in today’s crowded market feels like a net positive to me. When what I expect will be a massive game in the 2026 comeback, “Gears of War: E-Day” is released exclusively on the Xbox next year, how many people who got hooked (or re-hooked) on “Reloaded” will find a way to play it? The story of the “Gears” legacy hasn’t written its final chapter yet.
The Publisher provided a review copy of this title.
- The Most Significant Movie Ever Made (August 26, 2025)
The day is May 24, 2011, a grey, drizzly, and mostly unremarkable Tuesday. I am sitting in a room with a number of other people, all of whom would no doubt prefer to be somewhere else at that particular moment. Finally, a man steps up into the front of the room, briefly introduces himself to us and then begins earnestly discussing the career of William Wyler with a focus on the latter portion—the success of “Ben-Hur” (1959) and how he turned down the chance to make “The Sound of Music” (1965), though not a mention, as I recall, of “The Children’s Hour” (1962). Under normal circumstances—say a college class or an introduction to a screening—this talk might make some sort of sense, but these are not normal circumstances, and I am convinced for a moment that I am finally cracking up. Not only that, I can feel the stares of some of the others in the room who are a.) equally confused by all the movie talk and b.) presumably convinced that I am somehow responsible for it.
You see, when I said, “these are not normal circumstances,” what I meant to say was “this is my father’s funeral,” and when I said, “a man,” what I meant to say was “the pastor conducting the service.”
Dad, Raymond W. Sobczynski, had passed away a few days earlier the age of 76—he had been in poor health for the previous few years and had spent about three weeks in the hospital before finally passing on. As such things go, I suppose that he went as well as one could under the circumstances—my mother, my brother, his wife, and I were all there at his bedside. While it hurt, it was perhaps not a shock, and it at least brought an end to his suffering. As anyone who goes through the death of a loved one can attest, the next couple of days can be an oftentimes surreal whirlwind that finds them caught between trying to emotionally process the loss while at the same time trying to take care of all of the various details that suddenly crop up, especially regarding the funeral and all that.
Since dealing with people is not exactly my forte, one of my key jobs was to jot out a brief obituary that the pastor at the funeral home could use to glean details for the service he was going to deliver for someone I don’t think he had ever actually met. Therefore, this extremely bizarre opening is probably the result of something I wrote but I do not have the faintest idea of what it could have been—I can assure that even under the best of circumstances, I would rather eat glass than contemplate the existence of “The Sound of Music,” let alone make reference to it regarding my dead dad. Finally, at just about the moment when I am about to stand up and ask some variation of “WTF?” (and while the talk thus far may not have gone on for too long in real time, it feels to be as if it has gone on forever), he shifts the talk from the nun musical to the film that he made instead of that one, “The Collector.“
Finally, it all makes sense, sort of. I may have temporarily forgotten that Wyler directed “The Collector,” but there is no way that I can ever forget the film itself. To these eyes, it is probably the most significant movie ever made, because if it didn’t exist, there is a good chance that I wouldn’t exist either. (Granted, after a few more paragraphs of this, some of you may be thinking that might be a bad idea, but let us play nice for the time being.)
In 1965, Raymond met Patricia Kribble while riding the train into Chicago for work. From what I have been led to understand, she did not seem especially interested at first—I gather she was under the mistaken impression that he was already married—but she eventually agreed to go out on a first date with him. The evening planned was typical enough for the time—a movie at one of the city’s big theaters, dinner afterward at the Playboy Club, and perhaps coffee if all went well. Now, around this time, there were any number of films that one could have chosen from—“What’s New, Pussycat?,” “Cat Ballou,” “The Great Race,” “Von Ryan’s Express,” “The Family Jewels”—but Dad, in his wisdom, picked “The Collector.” Now this may not seem like a big deal to those of you who are unfamiliar with the film but let me hasten to assure you that if you were to compile a list of the absolute worst movies to choose to see on a first date—ones that would almost certainly guarantee that there would not be a second—“The Collector” would have to reside pretty near the top.
Based on the 1963 debut novel by John Fowles, the film introduces us to Freddie (Terence Stamp), a socially maladjusted young man with a fascination for capturing and collecting butterflies. After winning a sizable chunk of money in a football pool, he uses it to purchase a remote 17th-century farmhouse in the countryside. He then begins following—we would call it “stalking” today—pretty art student Miranda (Samantha Eggar) around London, and one night, he quietly pursues her outside a pub, chloroforms her in the street, and takes her back to the farmhouse, where she wakes up in the cellar. Miranda at first assumes that she has been kidnapped for ransom and insists that her family is not wealthy, but the truth turns out to be much ickier. It seems that Freddie has been following her for years, ever since they used to ride on the same bus line. He now proclaims his love for her and states that he will keep her for four weeks, which he feels will be enough time for her to really get to know him and reciprocate his feelings. If she doesn’t, he assures her that he will let her go with no problem.
As you can probably surmise, this plan does not go especially well. Freddie offers her certain concessions—things like access to sunlight and supervised baths—in the hopes that they will prove the sincerity of his intentions towards her. Instead, she begins to undermine him psychologically—at one point, she informs him that while she will not offer resistance if he attempts to rape her, such an act would be greatly disappointing to her. She still makes attempts to escape or get word out that she is being held captive, but is stymied at every turn. The end of the four weeks finally arrives, and with it, Freddie’s proposal of marriage—Miranda accepts, but he does not quite buy it, and she then tries yet another escape attempt. This kicks off a chain of events that leads to Miranda’s dying and Freddie, after burying her body out back, deciding that the failure of his plan was all her fault and commencing the stalking of a new and different woman with whom he might have more success.
Now make no mistake about it—“The Collector” is an undeniably creepy and compelling psychological thriller featuring excellent performances from the two leads (who both won awards at Cannes a couple of months earlier for their work), a real sense of mounting tension through Wyler’s direction and a finale that stayed true to the bleak nature of the novel instead of gutting it by slapping on a wholly inappropriate happy ending. (Supposedly, an alternate ending, one written by Terry Southern in which Miranda did manage to escape, was prepared but quickly rejected by Wyler.) That said, it is definitely the kind of film that you do not want to spring on someone completely unawares, especially in a first date situation. Somewhere in the archives, I have a scan of the newspaper ad that ran during its run at the Esquire, the gorgeous Art Deco theater where it was playing. It is not exactly restrained—the visual is of Freddie dragging Miranda on the ground, the tag line is “…almost a love story!” and it goes on to read “…from the bold best-seller about an innocent young girl who is abducted by a young man who is not so innocent.” Hell, even the legendary “Keep Telling Yourself—It’s Only A Movie!” ad from “Last House on the Left” (1972) showed more subtlety and nuance by comparison.
What could have possibly led him to believe that this was the right call to make? If he had read the book or if he had seen that ad, I have to believe that he might have rethought the decision. I cannot imagine that the Cannes victories would have made any difference to him. Did a friend recommend it to him, perhaps not entirely explaining what transpired in it? I have to assume that he simply had no idea what the film entailed and just figured it would be one of those straightforward British dramas that were making headway in the U.S. around that time. The only other explanation that makes sense—the one that actually makes the most sense, now that I think of it—is that he was thinking more about the dinner and picked the film simply because the Esquire was just about the closest theater to the Playboy Club.
What made “The Collector” such an insane choice is that if you were to try to pick a film that was guaranteed to alienate and upset my mother, you could hardly do better or worse than that one. Never exactly a big cinema buff under the best of circumstances, she hates most things that smack of the horror and thriller genres and especially dislikes movies that have the temerity to end on a down note. (She was so consistent on this point that she even used it to explain why she didn’t like “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” stating that she knew what had really happened in the end.) If she had even an inkling of what the film consisted of, not only would she have said “not a chance,” but there is an excellent chance that the entire date would have been scuttled. Think I am kidding about this? She once regaled me with the story of how the guy she was seeing a few years earlier had invited her to see “Psycho” (1960), and she absolutely refused based on the title alone. (Insert facepalm emoji here.)
Needless to say, the movie did not go over very well with her and as someone who has seen her react to movies that she doesn’t like with a form of low-key hostility that could freeze the blood (after sitting through the film of the same name, simply invoking any derivation of the phrase “Comin’ at Ya” would invoke a response roughly akin to the typical response to asking the location of the Susquehanna Hat Company on Bagel Street), I can practically see the look of disapproval on her face she must have sported throughout. However, she must have been in a forgiving mood—that or the food at the Playboy Club and the coffee at Cafe Bellini must have been spectacular—because she did agree to see him again after all. Two years later, on the same date that this piece is being published, they got married—an occasion that featured something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a bomb threat at the reception (a tale that to be told another time)—eventually got around to having me and, a few years later, my brother and stayed together until the day he passed.
Sadly, not much tangible remains from that fateful date. Venerable Mom passed away a decade after my father, and the Playboy Club and Cafe Bellini are long gone. The Esquire, which inexplicably was denied landmark status, underwent a conversion that reduced its grand 1,400-seat auditorium to a bland six-plex before being closed in 2006. As for “The Collector” itself, its premise would get a comedic spin from Pedro Almodovar a couple of decades later with his controversial hit “Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down,” and I suspect that nearly every one of the violent police procedural shows of the last decade, things like “CSI” and the various permutations of “Law & Order,” has probably lifted chunks of its plotting for an episode or two. While the film may not have a profile as high as something like “Psycho” or other suspense thrillers of its type, it still packs a considerable punch even today. And yet, when the occasion comes when I do happen to watch it, I cannot see the brutality, the bleakness, or the psychological torment at all. All I can see is the romance. Thank God William Wyler picked this instead of The Sound of Music. Same goes for my dad.
- LIFE AFTER LIFE: 4 Films at IANDS Conference in Chicago August 27-31 (August 25, 2025)
Four films about near-death experiences (NDE), shared death experiences (SDE), and related phenomena will be screened at the International Association for Near-Death Studies (“IANDS”) annual conference, August 27-31 at the Hilton in Oak Brook Hills, Illinois, said Janet Riley, the Executive Director of IANDS. The Annual Conference includes four days of education and workshops, and will bring together more than 800 near-death experience researchers, physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, and clergy, as well as those who have had near-death experiences or are interested in the field. Noted physician Dr. Raymond Moody, credited with early studies on NDEs, is a featured Keynote Speaker.
“Suffering Into Gold,” an award-winning documentary film, follows the journey of Paul Gralen, a terminally ill man with ALS, and his wife, Beth Orr. Following the screening on Wednesday, August 27, at 7:30 p.m., Chaz Ebert, Chicago author and publisher of RogerEbert.com, will moderate a discussion with Beth Orr and William Peters, founder of the Shared Crossing Project and a noted expert in the field of shared death experiences.
Ebert will follow with a signing for her new book, “It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity Through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness.” More details on the book here. Or use the QR code below.
The other films that will be shown are: “Witnesses,” “Raymond Moody’s Afterlife,” and “Every Soul Knows: The Joy of Remembering Who We Really Are.”
For more information about IANDS and a link to register for the conference, go to: https://conference.iands.org/
- My Window into Culture: Rachael Abigail Holder on “Love, Brooklyn” (August 25, 2025)
“Love, Brooklyn” is the story of three people who are stuck as the community they love changes around them. Roger (André Holland) is a journalist who can’t get started on his story about gentrification. Casey (Nicole Beharie) is a gallery owner and his ex, though they cannot quite figure out whether they want to get back together. Nicole (DeWanda Wise) is a recent widow and the mother of a young girl, who has an intimate relationship with Roger but is still mourning his husband and insists she is not Roger’s girlfriend.
In an interview with RogerEbert.com, director Rachael Abigail Holder discussed casting, locations, and her deeply personal connection to Brooklyn.
You have three of my favorite actors in this film, so I’d love to hear about the casting process.
It started six years ago. They were out to another actor when they took me on as the director. And that actor read the script, and he passed on the project. And I was like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we made it Black?”
And André Holland has been one of my favorite actors for so long. That moment in “Moonlight” made me think, “We need to see this guy fall in love, like from the beginning.” And I thought it would be fun to see him be funny and a little softer than in the other roles he’s been in. So that was basically my pitch. He’d always wanted to work with Nicole, and so did I. But we didn’t know each other. We started pre-production in 2022, and she was shooting “The Morning Show.”
There was a world where we could have just recast her part and kept on going. And we just didn’t want to do it. The way I describe Nicole’s talent is that she creates more than just a little show; she writes multiple chapters of a story in her eyes. She’s amazing.
DeWanda and I have actually known each other since 2006. I cast her in one of my first New York plays. And we’ve just been like in each other’s worlds without really connecting. She’s playing a very different part than what we normally see her in. She had a juxtaposition of being a confident, blunt, and honest woman, yet also incredibly soft. I love her so much.
We often talk about a location being a character in a movie. Still, in this case, the location is the title character and a parallel for what is happening to the characters. You really made it look beautiful. What does Brooklyn mean to you, and what made it the right location for this story?
Brooklyn is and has always been one of the coolest places on Earth, and it has always been in a state of constant change. The best way to describe Brooklyn’s role as a character in our movie is the beginning of the story of this entire production. Paul Zimmerman wrote the script about his 20s, and Paul is now in his 70s. I read it in 2019, and I felt like he was writing about me and my friends. This particular change that we’re exploring in our story has happened before. I just thought that was wild, that it felt so timeless.
Personally, Brooklyn is where I lived while studying for my MFA. When I was growing up, I lived on Long Island in a predominantly white neighborhood, and I attended an entirely white school. I used to go to Brooklyn every Sunday to go to church with my family. And my family’s West Indian, and Brooklyn’s sort of the landing place for so many Caribbean, West Indian people that going there every Sunday, even if we didn’t go to church, even if we were, like, picking up roti and curry, it felt like I was visiting with family all the time. So, Brooklyn, to me personally, was like my window into my culture.
I want to ask you about one particularly striking scene, where Roger and Casey are at a dinner party with a wealthy art patron named Lorna, and Casey is under a lot of pressure to accommodate her so she will buy more art.
That was one of the funniest and most fun scenes we shot. Cassandra Freeman is another actor who hasn’t had a chance to do their thing. She’s so hilarious, but she’s only played for the most part very dramatic roles. I really wanted Lorna to be a black woman because gentrification is not solely one color. And we all have to look at our relationship to power. I fought hard for her to be a black woman. And I wanted her to be funny too. I wanted it to be light, and I didn’t want it to feel like in-your-face commentary.
In terms of moving the story along, this is a moment where Casey is vulnerable, and Roger picks up on it. She’s softened and upset in a way that only someone who really knows her can know. I think women, Black women, especially, we have this way when we’re upset, sometimes our upset-ness can look like we’re angry or tired. Nicole has this beautiful way of showing her softness and her vulnerability.
How does the theme of gentrification relate to the past and possible future romantic storylines?
It’s like what Roger says at the end of the movie. You can spend your time being mad about the past and holding on to what the current should be, or what the future should be. And you might be right. But I think life is about trying as much as possible to be mindful about how much you’re staying in the present.
The homes and other interior spaces in the film reveal a great deal about the characters.
Lili Teplan is a genius. She worked so hard with nothing and made all of my dreams come true. I had been building decks for every space in the film since 2019, and kept updating it and pulling images. It felt like the little version of me that would spend hours with my stuffed animals, playing, creating, and building. Meeting Lily and her artistry and her ability to make so much out of nothing was like our inner children meeting together. It was just so magical and amazing.
Our location manager, George Marro, compiled a list of homes and spaces to visit in Brooklyn that we explored extensively. We didn’t have to do a whole build-out.
What has been the best part of showing the film at festivals?
The American Black Film Festival was really fun, and I think that was the first time I watched it with a predominantly Black audience, a large group of Black people all together. I was like, “Oh, this is a different movie.” I felt like I was watching it for the first time, because a lot of the audience members were reacting and talking to the screen. And at the Black Star Film Festival, it felt like I was watching with my cousins.
- The Personal Becomes Universal in Moving, Funny “Long Story Short” (August 22, 2025)
Raphael Bob-Waksberg has left behind the shield of talking animals in “Bojack Horseman” and “Tuca & Bertie” to deliver a deeply personal family animated sitcom called “Long Story Short,” a 10-episode Netflix comedy that plays more like a powerful short story anthology than a traditional season of laugh-inducing television. With his writing team, Bob-Waksberg jumps around chronologically in the lives of the Schwooper family, going almost randomly from character to character and time period to time period in each episode, telling self-contained stories that gain added resonance in the accumulation.
I can remember after the funeral of a beloved uncle, when I was just a teenager, sitting in a back room and hearing his brothers and nephews tell stories about him. “Long Story Short” has that energy, a melancholic yet joyous tribute through comedic storytelling to a family that may not be your own, but that isn’t all that far off either.
The Ben Stiller in this variation on “The Royal Tenenbaums” is Avi (Ben Feldman of “Superstore”), the oldest child of the Schwooper clan, which also includes Shira (Abbi Jacobson of “Broad City”) and Yoshi (Max Greenfield of “New Girl”). We will check in with these characters at various stages of their lives, seeing both a young Avi and one post-divorce; seeing Shira at a disastrous prom and as a mother; seeing Yoshi as an awkward troublemaker and becoming an Orthodox Jew later in life. All of these events are in the shadow of a figure that’s powerful to the storytelling, even when she’s absent, matriarch Naomi Schwartz (Lisa Edelstein), wife to the kind Elliott (Paul Reiser). Naomi checks a few boxes of the stereotypical Jewish mother in a comedy, but Edelstein voices her with such depth, and Bob-Waksberg gives her such unexplored interiority that when she’s passed away in episodes set closer to the present day, we can still feel her presence.
Long Story Short (L to R) Paul Reiser as Elliot Cooper, Ben Feldman as Avi Schwooper, Angelique Cabral as Jen, Lisa Edelstein as Naomi Schwartz, Max Greenfield as Yoshi Schwooper, Abbi Jacobson as Shira Schwooper and Nicole Byer as Kendra in Long Story Short. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025
The Schwoopers have significant others, friends, and children, including Avi’s wife, Jen (Angelique Cabral), Shira’s partner, Kendra (a wonderful Nicole Byer), Avi’s daughter, Hannah (Michaela Dietz), and Yoshi’s idiotic friend, Danny (Dave Franco). Once again, the writing is unpredictable in how it will branch off to tell a story about any one of these characters. My favorite episode of the season offers some unexpected backstory for Kendra, the kind of developmental anecdote that allows you to see someone in a different light. “Long Story Short” introduces its cast and then spins off into their backgrounds just enough that we feel like we know them so much better when they’re reunited back in the present day in the eighth episode.
Co-animated by ShadowMachine, who worked on projects as diverse as “Tuca” and “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Long Story Short” isn’t the most visually striking show on TV. At times, it feels almost like it has an animation style simplified enough to be the sketches of one of the characters, something that Shira might have scribbled in a memory book. It takes some time to get used to the style, but it’s deceptively simple, able to open up in ways that live-action could never achieve. Animation also serves the purpose of time jumping, which would require recasting the voice actors of some of that “Irishman” de-aging voodoo if it were a traditional sitcom.
Long Story Short (L to R) Lisa Edelstein as Naomi Schwartz, Ben Feldman as Avi Schwooper, Abbi Jacobson as Shira Schwooper, Paul Reiser as Elliot Cooper, Dave Franco as Danny and Max Greenfield as Yoshi Schwooper in Long Story Short. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025
The voice acting is uniformly strong, especially Feldman, Jacobson, and Edelstein, who are all on the same comedic wavelength. Most importantly, the voice actors fade into their characters, never sounding like celebrities phoning it in from a recording booth. Greenfield, Byer, Reiser, and Franco are all excellent, too. It’s a case of a vocal ensemble clearly invigorated by excellent writing.
To be fair, some of that very good writing verges on being overly sitcomish, especially with the follies of the teenage Schwoopers, but there’s an empathy and tenderness to it that can’t be underestimated. So many shows feel cynically crafted by writers who barely stand their own characters; the team here loves the Schwoopers in all their flaws and wonders. You will too.
Whole season screened for review. Now on Netflix.
- First Trailer for Camus Adaptation 'The Stranger' from Francois Ozon (August 26, 2025)
"You carry a burden of sin. You need liberation." The first festival trailer has debuted for the next new film by acclaimed French filmmaker François Ozon, his second film this year following When Fall Is Coming released in the US earlier this year. It's premiering at the 2025 Venice Film Festival underway this week as one of the Main Competition debuts. Set in 1930s Algeria, the film stars Benjamin Voisin as the apathetic Frenchman Meursault who displays total indifference to life. His emotional detachment leads to a murder, followed by a trial that scrutinizes both the crime and his character. It's an adaptation of the famous Albert Camus novel of the same name (L'Étranger), first published in 1942 by the French philosopher. Ozon states for the record: "It was an immense challenge to adapt a masterpiece that everyone has read and that every reader has already staged in their own mind." The film features Voisin, Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin, Denis Lavant, and Swann Arlaud. The film is presented in B&W as an intriguing tale of murder, but also as a look back at France's connection with Algeria. Watch for reviews from the fests + check out the footage. // Continue Reading ›
- Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Keith David in 'The Lowdown' Trailer (August 26, 2025)
"Now and again, he gets in over his head..." FX has unveiled an official trailer for a streaming series called The Lowdown, a Tulsa, Oklahoma thriller about a journalist who digs too deep into the underbelly of a dangerous local family. Created by filmmaker Sterlin Harjo of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Ethan Hawke stars as Lee Raybon. It follows the gritty exploits of citizen journalist Lee, a self-proclaimed Tulsa "truthstorian" whose obsession with the truth is always getting him into trouble... A determined bookstore owner in Tulsa moonlights as an investigative journalist, digging into local corruption. When his reporting uncovers sinister connections within, he must protect both his family and the truth. Lee has also gained the attention of a mysterious stranger who seems to appear whenever Lee least expects it: refined and suave, Marty shares Lee's appreciation of great literary minds, and seems unusually interested in his investigation into the Washbergs. The ensemble features Keith David, Kyle MacLachlan, Kaniehtiio Horn, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Scott Shepherd, Siena East, Cody Lightning, Michael "Killer Mike" Render, Tim Blake Nelson, and Tracy Letts. Aside from the recent series "Tulsa King" also set in Tulsa, this also reminds me of the "Fargo" series. Though this looks much funnier than those two. // Continue Reading ›
- Jessica Chastain is a Sneaky Investigator in 'The Savant' Series Trailer (August 26, 2025)
"We need to infiltrate further..." Apple has unveiled the first trailer for a thriller series titled The Savant, with episodes available for streaming starting in September running through November. This new series is based on the true story of an sneaky undercover investigator known as "The Savant" as she infiltrates online hate groups in an effort to stop domestic extremists before they act. The series is reportedly inspired by a true-life story originally published in Cosmopolitan in August 2019 about this "Savant" woman and what she achieved already. Jessica Chastain produces and stars in this new series as the mysterious woman at the center of the story. It follows the Savant, a top-secret investigator who infiltrates internet hate organizations to bring down the nation's most violent men. The Apple TV+ series also stars Nnamdi Asomugha, Cole Doman, Jordana Spiro, Trinity Lee Shirley, Toussaint Francois Battiste, plus guest star Pablo Schreiber (as a bad guy?). With episodes directed by the filmmaker Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, City of Ghosts, A Private War). This reminds me of a doc from this year called Hacking Hate also about a woman (from Sweden) who also infiltrates hate groups online and works to mess up their plans. Take a look. // Continue Reading ›
- Jessie Buckley & Paul Mescal in Chloe Zhao's 'Hamnet' Teaser Trailer (August 26, 2025)
"What do you see?" "He will live..." Focus Features has unveiled the teaser trailer for the film Hamnet, a highly anticipated new film coming up this awards season. Hamnet is the latest feature directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, following her work on Marvel's Eternals, this is her getting back to making something more meaningful and intimate. Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet. Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes Shakespeare, Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare set in the 16th century. It's telling the story of Agnes - the wife of William Shakespeare - as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her only son, Hamnet. A human and heart-stopping story as the backdrop to the creation of Shakespeare's most famous play, Hamlet. TIFF describes it as a look at how The Bard was not a cold genius, he was "a real man whose literary prowess was irrevocably impacted by his domestic life." The cast includes Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, Jacobi Jupe, Jack Shalloo, David Wilmot. With a gorgeous new score by Max Richter which can be heard briefly in this teaser. This looks stunning! It's going to be a very emotional story that will break us all down into tears. A must watch trailer. // Continue Reading ›
- First Teaser for Bradley Cooper's 'Is This Thing On?' About a Divorce (August 26, 2025)
"Oh honey, I had no idea your life was this bad... This is why she threw you out!" Ha! The best line in this trailer. Searchlight Pictures has unveiled the first look teaser trailer for Is This Thing On?, the next new film directed by actor turned filmmaker Bradley Cooper, following A Star is Born and Maestro before. This next one is skipping Venice & TIFF and will instead premiere at the 2025 New York Film Festival as the big Closing Night premiere in October. With a release set for December. As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene; while his soon-the-be-ex-wife Tess confronts the sacrifices she made for their family—forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take on a new form. Director Bradley Cooper’s beautifully lived-in third feature is both lacerating and sweet-souled, funny, and tender. Inspired by the true story of British comedian John Bishop. The very dry comedy stars Will Arnett as Alex and Laura Dern as Tess, with Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, and Scott Icenogle. Not the funniest trailer, but I'll be watching this anyway whenever it opens later this year. // Continue Reading ›
