News

Severin Films will release Hell of the Living Dead and Rats: Night of Terror on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on May 27.

Directed by cult Italian filmmaker Bruno Mattei, both movies have been newly restored in 4K from their original camera negatives.

Also known as Virus and Zombie Creeping Flesh, Hell of the Living Dead is a 1980 zombie film from writers Claudio Fragasso (Troll 2) and José María Cunillés. Margit Evelyn Newton, Franco Garofalo, Selan Karay, and José Gras star.

An accident at a chemical plant unleashes a horrific virus, and an elite Swat team is sent to New Guinea to investigate. But when they arrive on the hellish island, they discover a plague of flesh-eating zombies.

Special Features:

Go To Hell – Interview With Director Bruno Mattei The Beauty And The Zombies – Interview With Actress Margie Newton My Big Chance – Interview With Actor Franco Garofalo Lt. Mike London Is Back! – Interview...

If you remember Chasing Rats Games’ Kickstarter for their Lovecraftian cult simulator Worship back in 2021, you’ll be pleased to know that the project is still very much alive. In fact, Chasing Rats Games has a new hands-on demo available now on Steam (as well as a new trailer) as part of the Save & Sound Festival, with Worship aiming for an “early 2025” release on Steam.

Teeming with an hour of eldritch horrors and sacrificial rites, the demo for Worship casts you as a cult leader, who must gather their devout while converting new souls to their cause to feed the insatiable hunger of the unseen gods. As you grow your following, you will find your jolly followers serve many purposes, all splendidly sinister.

While the demo supports is single-player only, Worship will launch early next year with four-player co-op, inviting you and your chosen cultists to reign together.

Players will...

Season 4 of Netflix's The Witcher has potentially wrapped production, as revealed by Freya Allan in an emotional post on social media. Allan stars as Ciri, the last surviving royal of Cintra who was taken in by Geralt of Rivia and trained to be a Witcher. Despite Season 4's production being hit with some major casting issues, it appears that Netflix has overcome the hump and shooting may have wrapped on the penultimate season of the popular fantasy series.

Allan shared some hand-drawn sketches of her co-stars on Instagram, possibly confirming that the actress has wrapped shooting on Season 4. The drawings showcase her Rats co-stars. At the end of Season 3, Ciri escaped the Frying Pan desert and was taken in by the ragtag group of teenage criminals. "Mistle, Iskra, Giselher, Reef, Kayleigh, Asse. I love you all. Thank you for the most special season of [The Witcher]," Allan wrote.

Season...

Ghost have surprise released their new song “The Future Is a Foreign Land” as part of the soundtrack to the band’s new big-screen movie, Rite Here Rite Now.

The track is being billed as a “1969-era Ghost song” in the vein of previous singles “Mary on a Cross” and “Kiss the Go-Goat,” and “written” by Papa Nihil. The lyrics make references to a future that includes 1984 and 2024.

The movie Rite Here Rite Now — which combines a narrative story with concert footage — began screening in cinemas worldwide on Thursday night (June 20th). The film will continue its limited theatrical release over the next week, with participating theaters and showtimes listed here.

The full soundtrack to Rite Here Rite Now will arrive on July 26th, with pre-orders available here. The rest of the 18-song soundtrack is made up of live performances recorded at the Kia Forum for the movie.

As of now,...

Hey, "The Conners" fans. We're back with some terrific news for you guys because ABC has another new episode of The Conners all lined up and ready to go for you tonight, February 21, 2024. That's right, guys. Tonight's new episode will be the 3rd one for The Conner's current season 6, and we've got some new preview intel to dish out for it. The folks over at ABC were so very kind enough to bless us with an official press release for this new episode 3. So, we're going to certainly dig into it for this preview session. Let's do it. First thing's first. ABC gave us the official title for this new episode 3 of The Conners season 6. The writers decided to go with the name, "Moms and Rats." In tonight's new, February 21, 2024 episode 3, you guys are going to see some new scenes that feature Bev and Jackie in action. Apparently, Bev will...

Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster in the upcoming episode of “The Conners” titled “Moms and Rats,” airing on Wednesday, February 21st, 2024, at 8:00 Pm on ABC. In this episode, Bev, played by Estelle Parsons, experiences moments of clarity and reflection, prompting her to reach out to Jackie, portrayed by Laurie Metcalf, for a special day together in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Darlene, played by Sara Gilbert, faces a different kind of challenge when she discovers a rat in her home. Despite the urgency to deal with the pest, Darlene refuses to let Ben, played by Jay R. Ferguson, kill it. This decision sets off a series of events that will test their relationship and lead to unexpected outcomes.

As the characters navigate through moments of introspection, family dynamics, and unexpected visitors, viewers can expect a blend of heartwarming moments and comedic twists in this latest installment of “The Conners.” Don’t...

Torun, Poland, is a quiet hamlet nearly three hours from Warsaw, and one of the hallmarks of the yearly Camerimage Film Festival—celebrating the best and brightest in the world of cinematography—is how tranquil and non-dramatic it is.

Until this year, that is.

After a not-having-it-at-all “Ferrari” star Adam Driver’s slyly profane rejection of a dopey audience query got the internet all hot and bothered, Boomtown Rats frontman and Live Aid mastermind basically Bob Geldof said “I can top that!” with a much more profane, much more indicting and all-around hilarious roasting of not only himself, but the film he was there to support: Alan Parker’s visually innovative 1982 rock opera “Pink Floyd the Wall,” one of several retrospective screenings celebrating the career of Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Peter Biziou, an Oscar-winning director of photography.

Of his performance as Pink in the fever-dream film based on Pink Floyd’s legendary 1979 album,...

This post contains spoilers for "The Witcher" book series.

Ciri is nowhere to be found. At least, that what the princess' parent figures Geralt (Henry Cavill) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) thought when fans of "The Witcher" last saw them recovering from the battle of Tor Lara. Season 3 of the popular Netflix series ends with the pair poised to head in different directions on a mission to save Ciri. Sorceress Yen takes on the task of rebuilding Aretuza after her mentor's death, while Geralt (soon to be recast with Liam Hemsworth taking over for Cavill) plans to track down The White Flame (Bart Edwards), Aka Ciri's long lost father.

That's all well and good, but it turns out Ciri (Freya Allan) actually ended up somewhere unexpected. After portalling to the desert and lizard-bashing her way out of there with the help of some creepy ghosts (or hallucinations), she ended up kidnapped by bounty hunters.

Key Release Dates

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Release Date: 2023-11-17

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes trailer has unleashed a cavalcade of thirst tweets expressing consternation at how hot young President Snow is. The character, who was played by Donald Sutherland in the original Hunger Games films, is the ruler of the dystopian society that Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen leads a rebellion against. Songbirds and Snakes, which is set several decades before, will follow President Snow as an 18-year-old mentor to a new Hunger Games tribute from District 12.

This week, the film's trailer debuted, giving audiences their first proper look at the Ballad of Songbird and Snakes cast. In addition to Viola Davis, Rachel Zegler, and Jason Schwartzman, this includes Tom Blyth as young President Snow. Blyth, who is a rising star recently seen in the Epix series Billy the Kid,...

Morgan Spurlock is stepping down from Warrior Poets, the New York–based production company he co-founded with Jeremy Chilnick in 2004. The news follows a confessional post he wrote last night in which he revealed that a woman he slept with in college “believed she’d been raped” and that he now sees he’s “part of the problem.”

Read More:Morgan Spurlock Reveals Indiscretions in Confessional Post: ‘She Believed She’d Been Raped’

The company, which now lists Matthew Galkin as a partner alongside Spurlock and Chilnick, just released the following statement:

“On behalf of Warrior Poets, we as partners have always supported our company and its endeavors. As of today, Morgan Spurlock will be stepping down effective immediately.

“We will continue to lead the company as equal partners, producing, distributing & creating from our independent production company.

“Respectfully, Co-Founder & Partner Jeremy Chilnick and Partner Matthew Galkin”

Read More:‘Super-Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!

When it comes to sexual misconduct in Hollywood, director Morgan Spurlock says he's part of the problem. The documentarian is one of the few whose name precedes his work. He is the man behind such acclaimed documentaries as Super Size Me, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and Rats. He has come forward with a lengthy confessional, where he tells all about the bad behavior he has exhibited in the past. He is clearly trying to step in front of things before an accuser comes forward.

Spurlock tells of his own tales of sexual misconduct both at the workplace and outside of it. Spurlock has recently sold his documentary Holy Chicken to YouTube Red for a reported $3.5 million. It is a sequel to Super Size Me. The 47 year-old filmmaker released his lengthy statement on Twitter. He goes onto say this about sexual misconduct in Hollywood and his place amongst the bad guys.

Ever since his first directorial outing—with the revelatory Super Size Me—documentarian Morgan Spurlock has always been in favor of embracing experience, throwing himself into a subject, however discomfiting, to create an eye-opening experience for the viewer. Suffice it to say that with Discovery Channel’s Rats—based on Robert Sullivan’s book of the same name—Spurlock once again immersed himself in the material. A documentary that plays as a horror film, the project…...

Ever since his first directorial outing—with the revelatory Super Size Me—documentarian Morgan Spurlock has always been in favor of embracing experience, throwing himself into a subject, however discomfiting, to create an eye-opening experience for the viewer. Suffice it to say that with Discovery Channel’s Rats—based on Robert Sullivan’s book of the same name—Spurlock once again immersed himself in the material. A documentary that plays as a horror film, the project…...

Morgan Spurlock has joined forces with consumer activist Erin Brockovich and “Fed Up” director Stephanie Soechtig to help bring the new documentary “The Devil We Know” to audiences. The film, currently in post-production, centers on the toxic chemical C8, which is found in countless consumer products and contaminated the town of Parkersburg, West Virginia, where Spurlock was born and raised.

‘Bodyslam: Revenge of the Banana’ Trailer: Morgan Spurlock Presents Doc Explores Wild World of Amateur Wrestling — Watch

“The Devil We Know” centers on “one of the greatest environmental scandals of our time,” Spurlock said in an Indiegogo video shot to help raise post-production funds for the film. Found in the blood of 99.7 percent of Americans, C8 is used in the making of Teflon, invented by DuPont, one of the largest chemical companies in the world, and is also found in consumer products ranging from carpeting to dental floss to waterproof clothing and pizza boxes. “The Devil We Know” is directed and produced by Soechtig and executive produced by Spurlock.

The story of how C8 contaminated the town of Parkersburg was also the subject of a 2016 New York Times Magazine story. Studies have linked exposure to the chemical to diseases including kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease and more.

“With the Trump administration gutting the Epa and filling its ranks with chemical industry insiders, the timing of this film is more important than ever,” Spurlock said in the Indiegogo video.

Read More: Morgan Spurlock’s New Documentary ‘Rats’ Will Definitely Make You Lose Your Lunch — Watch

To watch a clip from the documentary featuring Brockovich explaining the dangers of C8, check out the video below, via Deadline.

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Related stories'Bodyslam: Revenge of the Banana' Trailer: Morgan Spurlock Presents Doc Explores Wild World of Amateur Wrestling -- WatchMorgan Spurlock Opening Fast-Food Restaurant Holy Chicken!Oregon Militia, Subject of Morgan Spurlock Documentary, Acquitted After Standoff...

From Kerri Borsuk, Glen Zipper (“Undefeated”) and Ross Dinerstein (“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”), along with lauded documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, comes Ryan Harvie and John Paul Horstmann’s “Bodyslam: Revenge of The Banana.” And yes, that title almost speaks for itself.

Read More: Morgan Spurlock’s New Documentary ‘Rats’ Will Definitely Make You Lose Your Lunch — Watch

The film debuted at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival and was recently acquired by Virgil Films. You too can soon experience the power of The Banana.

Per the film’s official synopsis, it “follows a unique group of social outcasts who partake in an unfamiliar world of amateur wrestling via Ssp Wrestling (Seattle Semi-Pro Wrestling.) By day they are chefs, hairdressers, and delivery men, but by night these ‘cabaret combatants’ put on raunchy matches while rabid fans chant obscenities and hurl beer cans at their heads. The de-facto spokesman of the wrestling...

Twenty-five of the UK's special effects experts have come together for a good cause. Each artist is customizing a bust of Frankenstein's monster, and 100% of the proceeds raised at the auction of these busts will be donated to Make-a-Wish UK. Also, details on the premiere screening of Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies, Ravenwolf Towers episode 2 details, a new trailer for Pitchfork, and the trailer and tie-in Vr video for Go North.

The Monster Charity Project 2017 Details: From the Press Release: "25 of the UK's top prop-making, sculpting and Spfx make-up artists have been brought together to take part in a unique charity project. Each artist has been given a bespoke Frankenstein-inspired monster bust, created and supplied by Svfx University of Bolton Special & Visual Effects team, with the simple instruction: Customise him into any design you like.

Once customised, the artists then donate the finished bust back to the Monster Charity Project...

“The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” film series may have finished, but pop culture hasn’t seen the last of coming-of-age post-apocalyptic stories. Matthew Ogens’ new film “Go North” examines a world ruled by teenagers and children after a global catastrophe wiped out every single adult.

Read More: Morgan Spurlock’s Digital Vision: What The ‘Super Size Me’ Creator Has In Common With the YouTube Generation

Executive produced by Morgan Spurlock, the film follows a young boy named Josh (Jacob Lofland) who decides to flee the dangerous confines of his abandoned city and embark on a journey with his classmate and neighbor Jessie (Sophie Kennedy Clark) to the last safe haven in the world. Though they don’t know how to get there or if it even exists, they strive to migrate to the place safe from disaster. The film co-stars Patrick Schwarzenegger (“Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”), James Bloor...

The post-apocalyptic Go North is the narrative debut of Emmy-nominated documentarian Matt Ogens (Meet the Hitlers) and was Executive Produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, Rats).

Its haunting, evocative score was composed by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla.

Synopsis:

In the aftermath of an unknown catastrophe, a community left with zero living adults has descended into a modern-day Lord of the Flies, run by a small cabal of what had been the jocks occupying the athletic and social upper crust of the local high school, headed by Caleb (Patrick Schwarzenegger).

Faced with the bleak despair of their situation, Josh (Jacob Lofland) and Jessie (Sophie Kennedy Clark) strike out on a dangerous journey into the unknown to find family and hope for the f [Continued ...]...

Gunpowder & Sky Distribution have released the theatrical poster and trailer to the post-apocalyptic coming-of-age tale Go North, which hits select Us cinemas and VOD on January 13th 2017.

In the aftermath of an unknown catastrophe, a community left with zero living adults has descended into a modern-day Lord of the Flies, run by a small cabal of what had been the jocks occupying the athletic and social upper crust of the local high school, headed by Caleb (Patrick Schwarzenegger). Faced with the bleak despair of their situation, Josh (Jacob Lofland) and Jessie (Sophie Kennedy Clark) strike out on a dangerous journey into the unknown to find family and hope for the future, with Caleb and his vicious underling Gentry (James Bloor) in hot pursuit.

Go North is the narrative debut of Emmy-nominated documentarian Matt Ogens (Meet the Hitlers) and was Executive Produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, Rats). The film features a haunting,...

Morgan Spurlock’s documentary about the ubiquitous rodents is superficial, and peppered with silly horror movie effects

Yuck. Yeecccch. Yikes. Yooowwww. Is there any other reaction to the subject of rats? Morgan Spurlock’s documentary about the horrible critters pretty much sticks to this basic response. I kept waiting for him to tell us that the rat issue is getting worse, that they are getting bigger, nastier or more numerous, or, alternatively, that our rat fear is an irrational sociocultural construct. But no. It’s just about rats. Rats all over the world.

They are perceived in differing ways, but this is not considered that deeply. In Rajasthan, there are holy “kabbas” rats in the Karni Mata temple. In south-east Asia, people cook and eat them: “It tastes like chicken, but sweeter.” In New York, Spurlock interviews a tough-looking guy smoking a cigar in a basement who is a professional rat-catcher.

If two is a trend, 2016 is the year of fascinating documentaries about some of the planet’s most misunderstood vermin: Rats. Between Morgan Spurlock’s aptly named “Rats” and Theo Anthony’s debut feature “Rat Film,” the world is suddenly privy to some shocking new revelations about the long-tailed beasties. Spurlock’s doc has been available since September, but Anthony’s Locarno-premiering doc has been looking for a home since it bowed earlier this year. It’s got one now — plus an enthralling new teaser trailer to go right alongside it.

Read More: The 10 Best Undistributed Movies of 2016

IndieWire can exclusively announced that Cinema Guild has picked up the film, and already has plans in the works to unveil the doc for its U.S. premiere at a major film festival this spring. Cinema Guild will bring the film to theaters across North America in partnership with the filmmakers and...

“Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock is determined to prove that fast food doesn’t have to be unhealthy, opening his own fast-food “chicken experience” called Holy Chicken! in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, November 19.

Read More: Oregon Militia, Subject of Morgan Spurlock Documentary, Acquitted After Standoff

“Everything about the food is made and backed with integrity and openness including closing the loop in sustainability by raising our own chickens,” the company said in a statement. “The food is not only hormone free, its antibiotic free, cage free, free range, farm raised, humanely raised and 100 percent natural!”

Holy Chicken!’s signature dish is The Grilled Crispy Chicken Sandwich. The menu also includes a kid’s item called the Lil’ Cluckers Chicken Tenders, made from 100 percent natural free range chickens and locally sourced and locally produced beverages.

Read More: Morgan Spurlock’s Digital Vision: What The ‘Super Size Me’ Creator Has In...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday morning. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?” can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: What is the best horror film of the 21st century?

Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Freelancer for Rolling Stone, The Verge, Vulture

Everyone knows that the greatest Halloween film of all time is the 1962 nudie-cutie “House on Bare Mountain,” and my slavish devotion to giallo means that personal favorite horror movie of the new century is “Berberian Sound Studio”, but those are both answers to questions nobody asked. The finest horror film of the new millennium is “Cabin in the Woods”, both a dissertation on the history of the American scary movie and a chilling piece of work in its own right. With a fiendishly clever narrative hook,...

Glenn here. Despite writing about (at least) one documentary a week since March, it feels like we've barely made a dint in covering the mammoth list of 145 titles that will be competing for the five coveted nominations in Best Documentary Feature category at the upcoming Oscars. Collectively, The Film Experience has reviewed 30 of the list, and we hope to cover a bunch more as we get closer to nominations.

There are a lot of noteworthy titles on this list so even making it to the 15-strong shortlist will be tough. And it's worth remembering that big titles are left off and smaller little-known titles get elevated every year. I have never heard of quite a few of these - and many others only have/had qualifying runs with releases planned for 2017 so it's impossible to really gauge some of them. What big titles will be left off? Will the recent scandals help or hinder Weiner,...

Before the Ice Bucket Challenge, there was “Super Size Me.” When little-known filmmaker Morgan Spurlock challenged himself to eat at McDonald’s for every meal, three times a day, for thirty days straight, he anticipated the era of viral marketing with purpose. The documentary grossed $11.5 million theatrically in 2004 and ignited an international conversation about the fast food industry.

By appearing in his film as subject and narrator, Spurlock popularized a kind of personality-driven commentary that is now regularly found in another format — video blogging, or “vlogging.” And that’s why he’s a good fit to produce “Vlogumentary,” the first feature film to explore one of the more ubiquitous ways that personalities develop on the site.

Read More: Morgan Spurlock’s New Documentary ‘Rats’ Will Definitely Make You Lose Your Lunch — Watch

The film not only offers fans an intimate look at their favorite vloggers, but also demystifies the strange career path for would-be skeptics.

Morgan Spurlock’s documentary, Rats, premieres on Discovery Channel October 22nd. You can also behold the vile and ferocious first trailer for Rats, which is not for the weak stomached. They’re depicted as monsters, while there are quite a few shots of people mutilating them. You’ve been warned. The following clip is just a taste of what happens in this scene, and it’s […]...

Morgan Spurlock’s upcoming documentary Rats on Discovery is going to be a real crawly affair. The man who forever changed the way people look at fast food — and who opened the eyes of Americans in his excellent series 30 Days showing how impossible it is to live on minimum wage — is taking his analytical documentary style to the pestilence of the ages, the rat. Thanks to a lot of backyard breeders who imported Gambian rats from Africa, our plentiful Norwegian rats are “supersizing” as they mate and breed with these behemoths. Now we have rats everywhere the size of labradors....read more...

Morgan Spurlock, whose every documentary feels like it should have an exclamation point at the end of its title, has yet another coming out soon: Rats. It's about rats! Actual rats, who are kind of cute in isolation but not so cute when hordes of them are running across a subway platform or rooting through garbage bins. Billed as a "history of rat infestations in major cities throughout the world," this clip from Rats focuses on the rodent-plagued streets of New York. To make his point that the pests are a public, disease-carrying menace bent on our destruction, Spurlock lays it on thick, ladling throbbing horror-movie music over the scene of dozens of the critters rushing and squealing out of a heap of trash bags on a street corner. If your skin isn't crawling by the end of this, I have literally nothing in common with you. Watch the clip above.

We now have the first clip from Morgan Spurlock’s documentary, Rats, premiering on Discovery Channel October 22nd. You can also behold the vile and ferocious first trailer for Rats, which is not for the weak stomached. They’re depicted as monsters, while there are quite a few shots of people mutilating them. You’ve been warned. Inspired by Robert Sullivan’s New York […]...

Los Angeles, CA (October 10, 2016) . The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (Btja) have announced the nominees for the inaugural Critics. Choice Documentary Awards. The winners will be presented their awards at a gala event on Thursday, November 3, 2016 at Bric, in Brooklyn, New York.

.It is an amazing time for documentaries, with the ever-increasing number of platforms enabling producers to reach enthusiastic and growing audiences for non-fiction storytelling,. said Bfca and Btja President Joey Berlin.

.This is clearly demonstrated in the depth and quality of our inaugural nominees. We have a wealth of brilliant creators who are bringing to light some of the most entertaining and illuminating stories being told today. Indeed, documentary filmmaking is modern investigative journalism. We look forward to celebrating all these fine and important achievements at the first Critics. Choice Documentary Awards gala on November 3rd..

13th, 30 For 30: O.J.: Made in America...

Since its premiere at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, Theo Anthony's Rat Film (not to be confused with Morgan Spurlock’s Rats)—ostensibly a documentary on Baltimore’s rat problem—seems to have burrowed under the radar, not surfacing till its recent showing at the 35th Vancouver International Film Festival. Though its subject may seem like strange material for an excellent documentary, let alone a striking debut, the film shatters those expectations within seconds of its opening—voiceover about the origins of the universe (“Before the world became the world, it was an egg…”) accompanied by shots of a racetrack; a (common) Norway rat trying to jump out of a trash can, then a smash cut to the title—and over the course of its 82 minutes, Rat Film becomes one of the most inventive and consistently surprising features of the year.“It ain't never been a rat problem in Baltimore.

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (Btja) have announced the nominees for their inaugural Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, taking place next month at a first-time gala event in Brooklyn, New York. Ava DuVernay’s “13th,” Ezra Edelman’s “O.J.: Made in America” and Clay Tweel’s “Gleason” lead the pack of nominees, with five nominations each. Other nominees include Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson,” the gob-smacking “Weiner” and recent Netflix features “Amanda Knox” and “Audrie & Daisy.”

“It is an amazing time for documentaries, with the ever-increasing number of platforms enabling producers to reach enthusiastic and growing audiences for non-fiction storytelling,” said Bfca and Btja President Joey Berlin. “This is clearly demonstrated in the depth and quality of our inaugural nominees. We have a wealth of brilliant creators who are bringing to light some of the most entertaining and illuminating stories being told today. Indeed, documentary filmmaking is modern investigative journalism.

The raucous alternative during festival season boasted world premieres of new Tim Burton and M Night Shyamalan films – but the oddities made it unique

Moments after the world premiere of A Dark Song, a touching Irish film about loss and forgiveness, I was on a school bus headed to a boxing gym where two men fought about the virtues of Rocky IV. This is a fairly typical set of back-to-back events at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, a marriage of the smartest and edgiest in international cinema blended with madcap hijinks (festival co-founder Tim League introduced Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Rats by gobbling a bowl of cooked rat with his own bare hands. Has Cannes’ Thierry Fremaux done this? I think not!). If cinephilia has a Burning Man, it’s this annual event, which lands smack dab in the oh-so-serious autumn cycle of the Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York film festivals.

While best documentary conversations start to take shape in January at the Sundance Film Festival, making the transition from rapturous festival play to awards-season contender is a harrowing road. A documentary must be truly extraordinary to make the final Oscar five.

The number of Sundance docs with awards potential is breathtaking: Breaking out of Sundance 2016 were U.S. Grand Jury Prize winner “Weiner” (IFC), an entertaining portrait of a politician brought down by his weakness for sexting, which turned into a summer hit; U.S. Documentary Directing Award winner “Life, Animated” (The Orchard), a moving portrait of an autistic child who grows up with Disney movies; and HBO’s Audience Award winner “Jim: The James Foley Story.”

Scoring great reviews were Ezra Edelman’s five-part movie “O.J.: Made in America” (Espn), an exhaustive examination of O.J. Simpson and race relations in Los Angeles from the ’60s through the Trial of...

While we often see headlines about spec script inciting studio bidding wars, the reality is most screenplays don’t sell themselves. Attracting financiers to help turn screenplays into actual movies usually requires one or more agents who are highly skilled in the art of packaging — the process of attaching actors, directors or other essential ingredients to a project.

Read More: Ifp Film Week Announces Public Events, Including Chats With ‘Hamilton’ Cast, ‘High Maintenance’ Stars and More

During a panel conversation at Ifp Film Week on Monday, two film agents and one sales agent shared examples of how packaging movie ideas or completed screenplays with other elements helped get projects off the ground fast.

One example from Los Angeles-based ICM agent Peter Trinh involved an actor with no writing credits named Scott Cooper who had written a script called “Crazy Heart,” based on the tragic story of an aging country music musician.

Not for nothing is Toshiro Mifune one of the most renowned actors of world cinema. Known mostly for his many collaborations with Akira Kurosawa — including such classics as “Rashomon,” “Seven Samurai” and the “Yojimbo” cycle — as well as Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai Trilogy,” the Japanese thespian appeared in nearly 170 films before his death in 1997. Steven Okazaki directed the new documentary “Mifune: The Last Samurai,” which just released its first trailer.

Read More: Morgan Spurlock’s New Documentary ‘Rats’ Will Definitely Make You Lose Your Lunch — Watch

Narrated by Keanu Reeves and featuring interviews with the likes of Martin Scorsese (who offers that “Mifune’s performance is layered, complex. He studied the movement of lions. He’s like a caged animal”) and Steven Spielberg, the trailer touches on Kurosawa and Mifune’s joint influence on American cinema as well as the actor’s two main vices: alcohol and cars.

Read More:...

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival was more than just a bunch of screenings. For anyone on the ground at the major Canadian gathering, Tiff is a full-on immersion into the film world filled with memorable encounters. Here are a few from our staff who attended this time.

Read More: The 2016 IndieWire Tiff Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival

Dinner With Isabelle

The great thing about a fest like Tiff is that, with so much going on around the city, you never really know what’s going to happen next. Case in point: I found myself stepping out of a screening of “Barry” and into a rain-soaked dinner with Isabelle Huppert (star of three different movies in this year’s lineup). Journalists are herded into these fancy studio dinners on a nightly basis at the major festivals, but the events often feel so forced...

★★★☆☆ Cinema is littered with films that have pitted man against some terrifying beast from the animal kingdom. Genre flicks have seen us hunted by wolves, sharks, snakes, bears and birds. Morgan Spurlock's new film Rats puts a different spin on this familiar trope, however, because it's not just some science-fiction about rodents preying on humans; it's a documentary about it. "They will literally kill us," explains a lecturer early on in what the filmmakers frame as a fully-fledged horror complete with jump-scares, an ominous score, and all manner of squeamish moments.

Few creatures on this Earth conjure as much of a reaction as rats. Knowing this full well, Morgan Spurlock is here to creep you out with a new documentary all about the rodents. First premiering at Toronto International Film Festival (fittingly in the Midnight Madness sidebar), then having a one-night screening later this week, followed by a Discovery Channel premiere in late October, the first trailer has now arrived.

THR said in their review, “Prepare for some heebie-jeebies, o ye who would watch Morgan Spurlock’s Rats, a skin-crawling hour and a half about the vermin who share our cities and live on our trash: The documentarian who flirted with body-horror in Super Size Megoes full-tilt here, offering shock-cut inserts and skittery sound effects in a film that already has little trouble keeping viewers on edge.”

Check out the unnerving first trailer below, along with the Tiff Q&A and a poster.

M.R. Carey’s celebrated genre novel “The Girl With All the Gifts” is one of the few novels-turned-films included in the Midnight Madness program (Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Rats is the other). This is important to note because Carey is also the film’s screenwriter and many of the book’s deficiencies unfortunately carry over into his script. Veteran […]...

One of America’s greatest unsolved mysteries is getting reexamined in CBS’ new limited event docuseries, “The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey.” The four-hour, two night special will unite former investigators with new experts to review the 1996 unsolved murder of the six-year-old beauty queen. Before its premiere this Sunday, IndieWire has a new clip where investigators Jim Clemente and Laura Richards and renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee analyze transfer DNA data to determine if it had an impact on the original investigation.

“DNA is reliable evidence if you interpret it properly,” says Clemente, former New York City prosecutor, retired FBI supervisory special agent and profiler.

“We can all look at it, and once we get the result, we should let the evidence speak for itself,” adds Dr. Lee in the clip.

Read More: Weinstein Co. and National Enquirer Aim to Beat CBS with Their Own JonBenet Ramsey Docuseries

The docuseries...

Great horror movie trailers hope to evoke real fear in their audience. Many horror films, even those that are really good, have lackluster trailers. Who would have thought that the best horror trailer this year would come from a documentary? The trailer for “Rats” arrived this week, and the footage is enough to make your skin crawl and keep you up at night.

Read More: Morgan Spurlock To Direct Biopic Of Hollywood SuperAgent Sue Mengers

From the fast cutting of rats attacking and jumping around, to the close-ups of the parasites that live inside of their little bodies, there’s enough material in the 2 ½ minute trailer to make your stomach turn.

Continue reading Trailer For Morgan Spurlock’s New Doc ‘Rats’ Might Just Give You Nightmares at The Playlist.

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is back with possibly his strangest film ever, Rats. The film just had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and now we have the first trailer and poster below. Fans will get to see this film on both the big and small screens very soon.

Deadline reports that Landmark Theaters and Submarine Deluxe are teaming up to screen this film in 10 markets for midnight showings on September 23 and September 24. Fans in Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and St. Louis will be able to see this innovative film on the big screen, before it airs on the Discovery Channel on October 22. Here's what Morgan Spurlock had to say about his new film in a statement.

"I am so proud of this genre-bending movie and am very excited that people will get to experience all its horror...

Morgan Spurlock‘s new documentary Rats takes a look at the history of rat infestations in major cities throughout the world. The film premiered this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, and now the first trailer is online. Edited almost like a part horror movie, part pre-apocalyptic disaster warning movie, the trailer looks nothing like any of […]

The post Rats Trailer: Morgan Spurlock’s Doc Will Make You Scared To Sit On A NYC Toilet appeared first on /Film.

Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary, “Rats,” doesn’t seem like a huge step away from his Academy Award-nominated “Super Size Me,” and the filmmaker appears to be once again exploring a topic that society has almost become numb to: The effects of vermin.

Read More: Watch: Morgan Spurlock Wants You to ‘Call Bullsh*t’ on the Presidential Debates

The documentary’s shocking new trailer plays out almost as a trailer for a horror movie would, especially when the rats are shown from a distance as mere foragers and up close as gigantic monsters. The trailer also has the vague feel of a disaster movie, with scientists discussing the effects of rat population growth and mutations. Spurlock’s new documentary definitely seem to have a more dour tone then his previous humor-laden ones. Perhaps the most curious aspect of the trailer is that Spurlock, who typically shows up on his films,...

The world is filled with two types of people; those who have a natural aversion to rats, and those who haven’t been fully exposed to them. If you fall into that latter category, Morgan Spurlock’s latest project, Rats, may help you adjust your mindset. Based on Robert Sullivan’s Rats: Observations On The History & Habitat Of The City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants, the film is ostensibly a documentary, but this trailer plays more like a horror film. A natural completionist, Spurlock looks at rats from just about every horrifying angle.

First, there’s the Manhattan exterminator who should absolutely be played by Kurtwood Smith in the fictionalized adaptation, chasing down rat pellets and discovering a jump scare in the form of a drop-ceiling nest. The trailer reminds us of that in cities, rodents are legion. Then all of their diseases and pathogens are pointed out for our...

If you don't like rats, you might want to skip this trailer for Morgan Spurlock's new documentary film, Rats. The movie gives us a terrifying, nightmarish look at the dark world of rats and how they are taking over the world. This is a true life horror and after watching this trailer, I'll never look at rats the same way again. 

Inspired by Robert Sullivan's NY Times bestselling book, Rats goes deep beneath the surface to explore the lives of man's greatest parasite. Oscar nominated director Morgan Spurlock unveils a new form of documentary horror storytelling, journeying around the world to bring viewers face to face with rats while delving into our complicated relationship with these creepy creatures. 

The movie will get a special midnight screening event at Landmark Theaters on September 23rd. It will then be released on the Discovery Channel on October 22nd.

"It's becoming harder and harder to kill 'em." Discovery Channel has debuted the first official trailer for Morgan Spurlock's latest documentary titled Rats, and it is indeed about rats, the creepy little (or actually pretty big) vermin that live under our streets, eating our garbage, spreading disease. The doc is premiering in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto Film Festival this week, which is perfect for this kind of film. While it's based on the book about rats in New York City, Spurlock's doc examines the history of rat infestations in major cities throughout the world. I'm a big fan of Spurlock and his documentaries, and this looks like it's going to be freaky and fun. Thankfully as viewers we won't have to get anywhere near any rats, but be prepared there are some seriously disgusting shots in this. But I still want to see it - looks fascinating.

Update 9/14/16 Pm: A trailer was released today, which you can watch above. Original article 9/13/16 at 11:30 Am: Exclusive: Landmark Theatres and Submarine Deluxe are teaming to release Morgan Spurlock’s new feature documentary Rats in 10 markets nationwide in midnight screenings September 23-24 exclusively at Landmark venues. The innovative theatrical play comes ahead of the docu’s TV bow October 22 on Discovery Channel. The pic, described as a modern-day horror film…...

Morgan Spurlock’s Rats screens midnights in St. Louis Friday and Saturday September 23rd and 24th at Landmark’s The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar Blvd). Tickets are $8.

Inspired by Robert Sullivan’s New York Times bestselling book, the Discovery Documentary Film Rats goes deep beneath the surface to explore the lives of man’s greatest parasite. Oscar-nominated director Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) unveils a new form of documentary horror storytelling, journeying around the world to bring viewers face to face with rats while delving into our complicated relationship with these creepy creatures.

Taking us into the Rattus nests in ways never before captured on film, Rats dives deep into New York City’s parks, subway tunnels and sewers; venture to rice paddies in Cambodia and Vietnam where rats are caught and sold as food; cross worldly streets in India paroled by the revered Night Rat Killers; journey to the English...