Month: October 2021

“I find the guy of my dreams, and my best friend hates him.” Vertical Ent. has released an official trailer for an indie romantic comedy film titled Soulmates, also written as Soulmate(s), about two BFFs who feud when a man comes between them. Arriving on VOD in November for anyone interested. Two Vermont girls, Samantha and Jessamine, are each other’s everything. Their small-town way of life is suddenly jeopardized by two out-of-staters: Jess’s new fiancé and a corporation that’s threatening Vermont’s age-old maple syrup industry. In order to save her sisterhood and protect the town, Sam will pull out all the stops to keep both Jess’s relationship and the ominous company from developing any further. Starring Stephanie Lynn as Alexandra Case as Jess and Sam, they also co-wrote the script together, joined by Mark Famiglietti, Di Quon, Alice Barrett, and Zachary Spicer. This looks cute and funny and filled with maple syrup mmm.

Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Timothy Armstrong’s Soulmates, direct from YouTube:

Lifelong best friends, Sam and Jess (Alexandra Case and Stephanie Lynn), are each other’s everything. But when Jess meets a handsome out-of-stater, Landon, Sam begins to fear she’s being cast aside. To make matters worse, a massive corporation—who happens to be Landon’s employer—is threatening the small-town way of life they know and love in Vermont. In order to save her sisterhood and protect the town, Sam will pull out all the stops to keep both Jess’s relationship and the ominous company from developing any further. Soulmates is directed by filmmaker Timothy Armstrong, director of the films Elephant in the Living Room, Cowgirls ‘n Angels, Dakota’s Summer, A Cowgirl’s Story, and The Message previously. The screenplay is by co-stars Stephanie Lynn and Alexandra Case. Vertical Ent. will release Armstrong’s Soulmates in select US theaters + on VOD starting November 12th, 2021 this fall. Is anyone interested?

“I saw it and felt something I’d never felt before.” The easiest way to introduce this: what if someone made Ghostbusters gritty & real, like how Christopher Nolan made his Batman movies gritty & real? Deadlock is a sci-fi short proof-of-concept created, produced, written & directed by filmmaking team John X. Carey + Aqsa Altaf. In a world where the living have the imprisoned the spirits of the dead in a server facility called “Deadlock” – an officer there is having a day from hell. The film tells a few stories about people involved in running the facility, mainly the crew who round up the ghosts. The short stars Joey Auzenne, Langston Fishburne, Jenna Qureshi, Brandon Scales, and Christopher Newman. This features an impressive amount of world-building and style, one hell of a proof-of-concept for sure. A refreshing take on ghosts, too.

Thanks to Short of the Week for the tip on this one. Description from YouTube: “A gritty Ghostbusters set in a world where the living have imprisoned the spirits of the dead in a server facility called Deadlock. The story tracks the lives of those affected by the mismanagement of the afterlife.” Deadlock is both written and directed by filmmakers Aqsa Altaf and John X. Carey (see more of his directing on Vimeo) – a writing & directing team based in Los Angeles; visit their official website to see more of their work (they’re currently making a sci-fi series called Heat). Produced by Leslie Ann Owen, Nicholas Stachurski, Aqsa Altaf & John X. Carey. Featuring cinematography by Chris Saul, VFX by Tomash Kuzmytskyi from The Kroot, and music by Hammock and Philip Klein. For more on the film, visit SOTW. To watch more shorts, click here. Thoughts?

“This city owes… justice.” Vinegar Syndrome has unveiled the brand new trailer for a long lost 80s campy action film titled New York Ninja, which has been finished and is ready for release in 4K this year after a premiere at Beyond Fest. Originally directed by & starring martial arts actor John Liu in his only American production, New York Ninja was filmed entirely on 35mm in 1984, but the project was abandoned during production resulting in all original sound materials, scripts, and treatments going missing. 35 years later, Vinegar Syndrome acquired the original unedited negative and painstakingly completed the film. Now with the voices of Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Linnea Quigley, Michael Berryman, Vince Murdocco, Matt Mitler, Leon Isaac Kennedy, Ginger Lynn Allen, and Cynthia Rothrock. A sound technician for a news station becomes a vigilante ninja in NYC after his pregnant wife is murdered. Restored in 4K from the original camera elements, New York Ninja is “finally available in all of its ridiculous over-the-top glory for the first time ever… after spending nearly four decades in film obscurity.” Okay, I NEED to see this.

Here’s the official 2021 trailer (+ poster) for John Liu & Kurtis Spieler’s New York Ninja, from YouTube:

John (John Liu) is just an average man working as a sound technician for a New York City news station, until one day his pregnant wife is brutally murdered after witnessing the kidnapping of a young woman in broad daylight. Turning to the police for help, John soon learns that the city is overrun with crime and the police are too busy to help deal with most of it. Dressing as a white ninja, John takes to the streets as a sword wielding vigilante hell bent on cleaning up the streets of the city he once loved by ridding it of muggers, pickpockets, rapists, and gang members. However, in John’s quest for justice, he soon finds himself the target of every criminal in the city, including a mysterious villain known only as the Plutonium Killer. Will John survive to become the hero that New York City so desperately needs? New York Ninja is directed by John Liu (who also directed Zen Kwan Do Strikes Paris, Made in China, Dragon Blood in the 80s) & Kurtis Spieler (Sheep Skin, The Devil’s Well). Produced by Brad Henderson, Arthur Schweitzer, Kurtis Spieler. The finished film will premiere at Beyond Fest 2021 in LA this year. Vinegar Syndrome will then debut New York Ninja on VOD / DVD later this fall. Stay tuned for more. Who’s ready to watch this?

“Are you sure this is the safest place to be?” Quiver Distribution has debuted an official trailer for a tornado movie titled 13 Minutes, a thriller from filmmaker Lindsay Gossling. Four families in a Heartland town are tested when a massive storm hits, giving them just 13 minutes to get to shelter before the largest tornado on record ravages the town completely, leaving them searching for their loved ones and fighting for their lives. Understanding the storm’s effect on communities is what drove first time feature director Lindsay Gossling and certified storm chaser Travis Farncombe to write the story. “The threat in this film comes from the sky but the story is grounded in the real world. Every creative element has been designed to drop the viewer directly into a time and place that feels authentic so that they can live the experience of the world imploding with the characters.” The movie stars Trace Adkins, Thora Birch, Peter Facinelli, Anne Heche, Amy Smart, Sofia Vassilieva, and Paz Vega. This looks like it might be good! Always down for storm movies.

Here’s the first official trailer (+ poster) for Lindsay Gossling’s 13 Minutes, direct from YouTube:

The day starts out as usual for residents in the small Heartland town of Minninnewah. It’s springtime and big storms are just part of life. Nothing to get worked up about… until this day. Inhabitants will have just 13 Minutes to get to shelter before the largest tornado on record ravages the town, leaving the inhabitants searching for their loved ones and fighting for their lives. In the wake of total devastation, four families must overcome their differences and find the strength in themselves and each other in order to survive. 13 Minutes is directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Lindsay Gossling, making her feature directorial debut after work as an assistant producer and directing a few TV series previously. The screenplay is written by Travis Farncombe and Lindsay Gossling. Quiver Distribution will debut Gossling’s 13 Minutes in select US theaters on October 29th, 2021, then on VOD starting November 19th this fall. Look good? Look scary?

“We can only greet the strange and unusual with love.” Mubi in the UK has debuted another official trailer for the psychedelic, mind-expanding hand-drawn animated film Cryptozoo, which initially premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. As cryptozookeepers struggle to capture a “Baku” (a legendary dream-eating hybrid creature) they begin to wonder if they should display these rare beasts in the confines of a cryptozoo or if these mythical creatures should remain hidden and unknown. With the voices of Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Alex Karpovsky, Zoe Kazan, Louisa Krause, Angeliki Papoulia, Thomas Jay Ryan, Peter Stormare, and Grace Zabriskie. We already featured two other trailers for this film earlier in the summer before it opened in the US (back in August), but with a European release from Mubi (UK, Ireland, Germany, Turkey) coming up in October, why not share some more footage. If you haven’t seen this yet and you love psychedelics, crazy cool animation, and/or fantastical storytelling, you must watch the film.

Here’s the official UK trailer (+ new poster) for Dash Shaw’s Cryptozoo, direct from Mubi’s YouTube:

You can also view the international trailer for Dash Shaw’s Cryptozoo here, or the official US trailer here.

Lauren Grey (Lake Bell) travels the world tracking down fantastical creatures, to rescue them from abuse and give them refuge in her Cryptozoo. Alas, the military has set its sights on the most powerful cryptid of them all, the dream devouring chimera Baku. Cryptozoo is both written and directed by American artist / filmmaker Dash Shaw (visit his official site), director of the animated film My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea previously, as well as other animation projects and short films, and also some comic books. Produced by Tyler Davidson, Kyle Martin, Jane Samborski, and Bill Way. This first premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and it played at the Berlin Film Festival. Magnolia released Shaw’s Cryptozoo in the US on August 20th, 2021 this summer. Available on Mubi UK starting October 22nd.