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Cass drifts through San Francisco like a ghost tethered to memory. A nonbinary caretaker by fate and choice, they juggle restaurant orders and a child’s silent pleas. When Ari’s mother disappears, Cass inherits more than responsibility—an unwelcome mirror of their own past abandonment.

The film opens with hushed cityscapes: cranes slicing into fog, neon halos flickering in half-empty streets. These images breathe as characters themselves, reflecting the tension between gleaming ambition and lives left behind. In one frame, Cass pauses at a shuttered queer bar, the marquee’s darkened letters rattling in the wind. Silence speaks there—an elegy for lost communities.

Ari arrives like an echoed question: Can healing begin when two restless souls collide? Their interactions unfold in punctuated motions—Cass offering a hesitant smile, Ari turning away, only to return moments later with a toy pressed to her chest. These quiet exchanges carry the...

The 2025 Sffilm Festival lineup is finally here!

The Sffilm Festival will take place April 17 to 27 in theaters across San Franciscoʼs Marina and Presidio neighborhoods, the Mission, and in Berkeley. The festival lineup includes over 150 films from more than 50 countries including 11 World Premieres, 10 International Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, and six US Premieres. All feature films in competition, special events, and Marquee sections are California premieres. There are also 11 Sffilm Supported titles which are projects that received support from the organizationʼs youth education and artist development programs as grants, residencies, or funding, reflecting the year round mission of Sffilm. This is the largest-ever showcase of Sffilm Supported projects ever in the festival.

“I am over the moon that we are back with 11 days of screenings, special Tributes, Awards, free talks, our annual Industry Days Conference, parties, city tours, and much more. It has been a delight to curate over 150 films for this...

Elena Oxman’s “Outerlands” is a film of great cinematic sleight of hand. The withdrawn San Francisco drama, about lonely nonbinary nanny and restaurant server Cass (Asia Kate Dillon), is simple in its presentation, but disguises numerous layers to its story. These eventually unravel, and build to an emotional wallop. When work crush Kalli (Louisa Krause) suddenly leaves town, Cass is placed in charge of her quiet but headstrong 11-year-old daughter, Ari (Ridley Asha Bateman). The longer Kalli stays away, the more Cass is forced to reckon not just with the possibility that Ari has been abandoned, but with their own childhood abandonment, which continues to ripple in the present.

This straightforward plot is often broken up by poetic interludes, made up of languid shots of a changing cityscape. Once a bustling queer capital, the inequality plaguing San Francisco has reached something of a breaking point. On one side stand tech company high rises.

Grae Drake speaks to Writer/Director Elena Oxman and star Asia Kate Dillion about Outerlands, their film where Cass feels out of control and out of touch with their inner child, until they are tasked with taking care of a child, played by Ridley Asha Bateman (shout out). They talk about how sometimes even dogs get the bad news they haven't been cast in a movie, and how it's all gonna be ok.

Outerlands is about a gig worker in San Francisco who balances multiple jobs, including dealing party drugs. When their crush asks them to watch her daughter, what starts as temporary childcare evolves into an unexpected journey of self-discovery and healing.

With director Anna Foerster’s Lou now streaming on Netflix, I recently spoke to Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett about making the action-thriller. Written by Maggie Cohn and Jack Stanley from a story by Cohn, the film is about a woman, Lou (Janney), who is trying to put her dangerous past behind her when she is asked to help a desperate mother (Smollett) find her kidnapped daughter during a massive storm. Lou also stars Logan Marshall-Green, Ridley Asha Bateman, and Matt Craven and is produced by Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, and Jon Cohen.

Plot: A storm rages. A young girl is kidnapped. Her mother teams up with the mysterious woman next door to pursue the kidnapper – a journey that tests their limits and exposes shocking secrets from their pasts.

Review: For every heavily marketed movie premiering on Netflix, there are dozens that fly under the radar. More often than not, these movies are throwaway programming designed to bulk up the selection that Netflix has to offer but every now and then there is a solid flick that is worth your attention. Lou is an unexpected action movie with an even more unexpected lead role from Oscar-winning actress Allison Janney who earns a spot alongside Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Bob Odenkirk, and Joey King in the John Wick school of action heroes. A nice throwback to action movies of the 80s and 90s, Lou is a badass thriller that should be at the top...

Allison Janney has found that, depending on the person and location, people want to talk to her about different projects.

“Sometimes a person will come up to me and I’m sure they’re a ‘West Wing’ person but they say ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ is their favorite movie,” says the 62-year-old actress. “Or I’ll think they’re about to talk about ‘Mom’ and they saw me in ‘A View from the Bridge’ on Broadway. It’s really fun to have people know all these different things.”

Yet after so many iconic roles, Janney is still finding she can do new things on screen. Case in point, her latest movie, “Lou,” now available to stream on Netflix, finds her playing an action hero. Not only that, she’s the film’s lead – something she didn’t realize until an interview with Variety.

“That’s funny, I hadn’t thought about that,...

Hollywood history is replete with examples of characters whose past comes back to haunt them in one way or another: the return of an old nemesis, falling back into an old life, a character realizing their buried sins won't remain that way. It's a family of tropes that have fueled many an action-thriller from Darth Vader's connection to Obi-Wan Kenobi to a number of James Bond and "Mission: Impossible" villains, and in "Lou," these classic tropes once again find traction in a simple story that's elevated by solid performances, but not quite enough to escape the limitations of well-tread territory.

"Lou" is interesting in a number of ways. Allison Janney really works in the kind of sort of stoic and mysterious role that's typically reserved for Clint Eastwood or Liam Neeson of late, and it's a nice change of pace. Also pleasant is the story's grounding in real-world political...

So many skilled and watchable actors have been plugged into poorly made “Taken” rip-offs over the last dozen years or so — including Jennifer Garner, Pierce Brosnan, Zoe Saldaña, Liam Neeson, Liam Neeson, and Liam Neeson — and yet I still couldn’t help but get excited by the idea of casting Allison Janney as a grizzled “old woman” who grabs the nearest shotgun when some military-grade baddies kidnap the little girl who’s living on her property. C.J. Cregg doing Clint Eastwood? If that’s not enough to pump fresh life into action cinema’s hackiest sub-genre then I don’t know what is.

Neither, apparently, does anyone involved in .

The premise couldn’t be any simpler, even if the wisps of a plot that screenwriters Maggie Cohn and Jack Stanley layer on top of it are impressively absurd: Janney plays Lou, a suicidal crank who lives on a forest-y...

(From left) Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett in Anna Foerster’s Lou Photo: Netflix In Lou, it’s flat-out fun to see Allison Janney get to make her own version of Taken and Nobody. And she plays the vengeful, flawed savior role with just as much no-nonsense determination, rigorous gusto,...

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Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Andor, Blonde, Do Revenge and Silent Twins.

Blonde Los Angeles premiere

Following Blonde‘s Venice debut, Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody and director Andrew Dominik brought their Netflix film to Los Angeles on Tuesday, premiering at the Tcl Chinese Theatre.

From left: Andrew Dominik, Ana de Armas and Adrien Brody From left: Ted Sarandos, Ana de Armas and Scott Stuber

Silent Twins special screening

Director Agnieszka Smoczyńska and star Letitia Wright attended a special New York City screening for their film Silent Twins on Tuesday at Metrograph.

From left: Kiska Higgs, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska, Letitia Wright, Agnieszka Smoczynska and Ben Pugh Danai Gurira (left) and Letitia Wright

Do Revenge special screening

Stars Maya Hawke, Camila Mendes, Sophie Turner and Sarah Michelle Gellar...

Netflix’s 2022 “Netflix & Chills” lineup will include a documentary series on Jeffrey Dahmer, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and a thriller based on true events and starring Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. The Halloween-inspired September and October slate also includes a feature film based on a Stephen King story as well as Wendell & Wild, a new animated film written by Henry Selick and Jordan Peele.

Marlon Wayans and Kelly Rowland serve up more family-friendly frights in The Curse of Bridge Hollow, while Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington lead the star-studded cast of the fantasy film, The School for Good and Evil. The 2022 “Netflix & Chills” schedule also offers a few kids series, a couple of action thrillers, and the return of Unsolved Mysteries.

Sept. 9 – End of the Road

In this high-octane action thriller, a cross-country road trip becomes a highway to hell for Brenda and her family. Alone in the New Mexico desert,...

If you’re looking for a fright this fall, Netflix has you covered. The streamer has unveiled its “Netflix and Chills” slate of new horror movies and TV shows coming to Netflix in October and beyond. This includes films like the witchy “The School for Good and Evil,” which debuts Oct. 19 and stars Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington. There’s also Tim Burton’s TV series “Wednesday,” which doesn’t yet have a release date but is a series-long spin on the Addams Family daughter starring Jenna Ortega.

And master of Netflix horror Mike Flanagan – the mind behind the “Haunting of Hill House” and “Bly Manor” shows as well as “Midnight Mass” – is back with his Christopher Pike adaptation “The Midnight Club,” which premieres Oct. 7. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” director Henry Selick also returns with a new film, “Wendell & Wild,” on Oct. 28.

Check out the full slate of new...

Lou Trailer — Anna Foerster‘s Lou (2022) movie trailer has been released by Netflix. The Lou trailer stars Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green, and Ridley Asha Bateman. Crew Maggie Cohn and Jack Stanley wrote the screenplay for Lou., “from a story by Maggie Cohn. It’s produced by Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams, [...]

Continue reading: Lou (2022) Movie Trailer: Allison Janney & Jurnee Smollett star in Netflix’s Kidnap Thriller Film...

Netflix has debuted a new trailer for the Allison Janney-led thriller ‘Lou.’

Thinking she’d put her dangerous past behind her, Lou (Allison Janney) finds her quiet life interrupted when a desperate mother (Jurnee Smollett) begs her to save her kidnapped daughter. As a massive storm rages, the two women risk their lives on a rescue mission that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.

Academy Award winner Allison Janney and Emmy Award nominee Jurnee Smollett star alongside Logan Marshall-Green and Ridley Asha Bateman. The film is directed by Anna Foerster from a screenplay by Maggie Cohn and Jack Stanley, with Bad Robot’s JJ Abrams, Hannah Minghella, and Jon Cohen producing.

Also in trailers – Trailer lands for new series ‘Vampire Academy’

The film releases on September 23rd.

The post Allison Janney stars in trailer for thriller ‘Lou’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

The new trailer for Netflix’s action-packed “Lou” has been released.

Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett hunt for the latter’s kidnapped daughter in the upcoming “Taken”-style flick.

Janney tells Smollett’s character in the teaser, “If you slow me down I will leave you behind,” as the pair begin their quest for the missing child.

“Lou”: Allison Janney as Lou, with Jurnee Smollett as Hannah. — Liane Hentscher / Netflix © 2022 “Lou”: Allison Janney as Lou. Credit: Liane Hentscher / Netflix © 2022

Read More: Jon Bernthal Is Out For Revenge In Sizzling New ‘American Gigolo’ Trailer

A synopsis reads, “Thinking she’d put her dangerous past behind her, Lou (Janney) finds her quiet life interrupted when a desperate mother (Smollett) begs her to save her kidnapped daughter.

“As a massive storm rages, the two women risk their lives on a rescue mission that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.

Oscar winner Allison Janney has a very special set of skills — including how to kick ass.

For the Netflix action film “Lou,” Janney stars as the titular retired vigilante whose life is interrupted after a desperate mother (Jurnee Smollett) begs her to help save her kidnapped daughter. Per an official synopsis: “As a massive storm rages, the two women risk their lives on a rescue mission that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.”

Logan Marshall-Green, Matt Craven, and Ridley Asha Bateman also star in the film, directed by Anna Foerster (“Underworld: Blood Wars”) from a script by Maggie Cohn and Jack Stanley. Bad Robot’s JJ Abrams, Hannah Minghella, and Jon Cohen are producing, with lead stars Janney and Emmy nominee Smollett executive producing. Lindsey Weber, behind Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is also serving as an executive producer.

Academy Award winner Allison Janney stars alongside Jurnee Smollett (Birds of Prey) in Netflix‘s Lou, an upcoming action thriller that just received an official trailer today.

Lou comes to Netflix on September 23. Watch the trailer below, which makes an action star out of Allison Janney. And it looks like she’s about to make even John Rambo proud.

In Lou, “Thinking she’d put her dangerous past behind her, Lou (Allison Janney) finds her quiet life interrupted when a desperate mother (Jurnee Smollett) begs her to save her kidnapped daughter. As a massive storm rages, the two women risk their lives on a rescue mission that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.”

Logan Marshall-Green and Ridley Asha Bateman also star.

The film is directed by Anna Foerster from a screenplay by Maggie Cohn and Jack Stanley, with Bad Robot’s JJ Abrams,...

"The world's not a playground. Teach your kid to look out for herself." Netflix has revealed the trailer for a crime thriller titled Lou, from filmmaker Anna Foerster, who hasn't directed any other movie since making Underworld: Blood Wars in 2016. Produced by J.J. Abrams, this is heading straight to Netflix for streaming in September. A storm rages. A young girl is kidnapped. Her mother teams up with the mysterious woman next door to pursue the kidnapper, a journey that tests their limits and exposes shocking secrets from their pasts. Academy Award winner Allison Janney and Emmy Award nominee Jurnee Smollett star in Lou, alongside Logan Marshall-Green and Ridley Asha Bateman. Wow this looks intense!! Allison Janney stepping up and fighting back - damn. It's almost like she's playing Josephine Wick or something similar with that line about "we all have a past, we all have secrets" at the end. This...

Allison Janney…action hero? As unlikely as that sounds, it appears to be true as confirmed with the release of Netflix’s official trailer for Lou. The action thriller finds Oscar winner Allison Janney trying to help a desperate mother, played by Emmy nominee Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country), find her kidnapped daughter.

The thriller’s cast also includes Logan Marshall-Green, Ridley Asha Bateman, and Matt Craven. Anna Foerster (Underworld: Blood Wars) directed from a screenplay by Maggie Cohn and Jack Stanley.

Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, and Jon Cohen produced, with Janney, Smollett, Cory Bennett Lewis, Lindsey Weber, Brendan Ferguson, and Braden Aftergood executive producing.

The official trailer arrived along with a new poster and three photos from the action film which is set for release on September 23, 2022.

Netflix released the following synopsis of Lou:

Thinking she’d put her dangerous past behind her, Lou (Janney) finds her...

Netflix has unveiled a trailer and first-look photos for its action-thriller Lou, starring Oscar winner Allison Janney and Emmy nominee Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country), which is slated for release on September 23rd.

The film from cinematographer-turned-director Anna Foerster (Westworld) follows Lou (Janney), a woman who thinks she’s put her dangerous past behind her, but finds her quiet life interrupted when a desperate mother (Smollett) begs her to help save her kidnapped daughter. As a massive storm rages, the two women risk their lives on a rescue mission that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.

Written by Maggie Cohn (The Staircase) and Jack Stanley, from a story by Cohn, Lou also stars Logan Marshall-Green, Ridley Asha Bateman and Matt Craven. Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella and Jon Cohen produced, with Janney and Smollett exec producing alongside Braden Aftergood, Brendan Ferguson,...

Academy Award and Emmy Award-winner Allison Janney is adding action star to her very long resume with the upcoming Netflix film "Lou." The streamer just released a new trailer for the film in which she co-stars with Jurnee Smollett.

In "Lou," Janney plays a woman who has left a life of danger behind her, and has settled into a normal existence. That all changes when the mother of a kidnapped daughter (Smollett) begs her to help bring the child home. They'll have to risk everything to survive the rescue mission, a massive storm, and test their own limits to pull this off. Also starring in the film are Logan Marshall-Green and Ridley Asha Bateman ("Shattered").

Janney trained for "Lou" with fight choreographer Daniel Bernhardt at the 87Eleven studio, where Charlize Theron trained for "Atomic Blonde," and Halle Berry trailed for "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum." If the fight scenes in...

John Malkovich and Lilly Krug will star in upcoming action-thriller “Shattered,” directed by Luis Prieto (“White Lines”).

Krug (“Swing”) plays a con-artist, Cameron Monaghan (“Shameless”) as the millionaire who falls in love with her and Malkovich (“The New Pope”) a creepy landlord whose curiosity overwhelms him. Frank Grillo (“The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard”) plays Krug’s character’s violent, manipulative stepfather. The cast also includes Sasha Luss (“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”), Ash Santos (“Joe Bell”) and Ridley Bateman (“Shelter In Place”).

The film, written by David Loughery (“The Intruder”) and produced by Silver Reel and Construction Film, has just wrapped in Montana, with much of the action taking place in the luxury surrounds of a mansion in the exclusive Big Sky ski resort. The project is now in post-production, with expected completion in fall 2021.

Claudia Bluemhuber (“The Wife”) is producing alongside Veronica Ferres of Construction Film, with Malkovich and Prieto also producing.

Silver Reel, Construction Film have wrapped production in Montana.

Lilly Krug, Cameron Monaghan, John Malkovich, and Frank Grillo will star in action thriller Shattered, which Capstone Group division Blue Box International has introduced to buyers at the virtual Cannes market.

Grindstone Entertainment Group has acquired North American rights on the film from Silver Reel and Construction Film about a boy-meets-girl romance that turns into a nightmare. Production just wrapped in Montana ahead of anticipated completion in autumn.

Luis Prieto directs from a screenplay by David Loughery, and the cast includes Sasha Luss, Ash Santos, and Ridley Bateman.

Monaghan will play wealthy divorcee Chris Decker,...