The Arkansas Cinema Society has announced more exciting events for Filmland 2023 highlighted by a special screening featuring Michael Shannon. The two-time Oscar-nominated actor is bringing his directorial debut film “Eric LaRue” starring Judy Greer, Alexander Skarsgård, and Paul Sparks to Filmland on Saturday, October 14th. A screening of the film will be followed by a Q&A hosted by filmmaker Jeff Nichols. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the film starts at 7:00 PM. Tickets are on sale NOW at Filmland.org.

Here’s more from the Arkansas Cinema Society’s official press release…

Old friends will reunite during Filmland 2023 as Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon brings his directorial debut, “Eric LaRue“, to Little Rock for a special screening with long-time collaborator Jeff Nichols on Saturday, October 14th at CALS Ron Robinson Theater, located at 100 River Market Avenue. The filmmakers will have a Q+A following the screening. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $40 and tickets can be purchased at Filmland.org. Come connect and network at the happy hour before the screening at Flora Jean’s and after the screening + Q&A at Cache!

“Michael Shannon and Jeff Nichols have a powerful creative partnership that spans almost two decades, having collaborated on eight films to date. We are beyond excited to see them talk from this new perspective, peer to peer as directors, with Michael Shannon’s directorial debut. We are so thankful to Filmland for this special opportunity,” said producers Sarah Green, Karl Hartman and Jina Panebianco.

In the aftermath of a shocking crime at the hands of their son, two parents seek solace in rival religious congregations in Michael Shannon’s emotional directorial debut, Eric LaRue. This special screening takes place during the second weekend of Filmland 2023, running from Oct. 13-17th. All other events will take place at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, located at 501 E. Ninth St., including the Filmland: Arkansas weekend of homegrown films on Oct. 6-7th.

The Arkansas Cinema Society has also announced two intriguing workshops, both set for the afternoon of Saturday, October 14th.

The first is THE ART OF DIRECTING featuring writer/director Jeff Nichols. From ACS: “Take a deep dive into the creative process with master storyteller Jeff Nichols as he discusses his process for taking a story from the page to the screen.” The workshop begins at 1:30 PM and tickets can be purchased HERE.

The second is THE ART OF BEING A FILM CRITIC featuring Variety‘s chief film critic, Peter Debruge and writer/director Jeff Nichols. From ACS: “Writing a movie is one thing; writing about a movie is a whole different set of skills. Join Variety’s chief critic, Peter Debruge, in a conversation with Jeff Nichols about Peter’s experience being a film critic.” The workshop begins at 4:00 PM and tickets can be purchased HERE.

More Filmland 2023 announcements are on the way so stay tuned…

How’s this for an exciting cast: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and Kevin Bacon. The quartet star along with Myha’la Herrold, Farrah Mackenzie, and Charlie Evans in writer-director Sam Esmail’s “Leave the World Behind”. Netflix has dropped the first trailer for this intriguing psychological thriller which is based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name.

Roberts and Hawke play Amanda and Clay, a couple who have their Long Island vacation interrupted when the two mysterious owners of their Airbnb (Ali and Herrold) arrive to warn them of an impending blackout. The man claims that the “patterns of the world” indicate that something far more serious is on the horizon. The apocalypse perhaps? I love the look of this and can’t wait to find out where Esmail takes this story.

“Leave the World Behind” premieres on Netflix on December 8th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Netflix has dropped a new trailer for their upcoming drama “May December” from director Todd Haynes. It’s written by Samy Burch and based on a story he conceived with Alex Mechanik. The film had its premiere in May at the Cannes Film Festival where it was promptly acquired by the Netflix for $11 million. The very premise is discomforting and by the looks of the trailer we’ll be able to say the same thing about the movie itself.

“May December” is anchored by two terrific leads, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. Portman plays an actress who visits a married couple’s home to do research for a film about their lives. It turns out that 20 years earlier the wife (Moore) and her significantly younger husband (played by Charles Melton) were involved in a scandalous affair that made headlines across the country. Their relationship begins to crumble as they’re forced to relive their troubling past in the presence of their watchful guest. Without question there is an ickiness baked into the story. I’m anxious to see what Haynes does with it.

“May December” opens in select theaters on November 17th before streaming on Netflix on December 1st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

This week Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is bringing their supernatural horror film “Insidious: The Red Door” to home video. It’s the fifth movie in the Insidious franchise and the directorial debut for the film’s star, Patrick Wilson. Released in theaters earlier this year, the film was a financial success and now it’ll be available to own in this new combo-pack that is releasing just in time for the start of spooky season.

This Blu-ray + Digital edition of “Insidious: The Red Door” hits shelves on September 26th. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

Official Synopsis:

Year: 2023

Runtime: 107 Minutes

Director: Patrick Wilson

Screenwriter: Scott Teems

Story by: Leigh Whannell and Scott Teems

Produced By: Jason Blum, Oren Peli, James Wan, Leigh Whannell

Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Sinclair Daniel, Hiam Abbass, Rose Byrne, Andrew Astor, Juliana Davies, Steve Coulter, Peter Dager

Rating: PG-13 for violence, terror, frightening images, strong language and suggestive references

From the Studio:

The original cast from the horror franchise is back for the final chapter of the Lambert family’s terrifying saga, with Patrick Wilson (also making his directorial debut), Ty Simpkins, Rose Byrne and Andrew Astor. To put their demons to rest once and for all, Josh and a college-aged Dalton must go deeper into The Further than ever before, facing their family’s dark past and a host of new and more horrifying terrors that lurk behind the door.

Special Features:

• Special Featurettes
  • Past, Present, Further
  • A Possessed Director

Specs:

1080p High Definition / 2.39:1 • Audio: English, French (Doublé au Québec), Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English – Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital • Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish • Mastered in High Definition • Color

One thing about Nicolas Cage, he’s certainly not afraid to work. That has led to a a near assembly line of movies (five this year alone), many of which aren’t what you would call stellar quality. Yet this has also helped give him a cult status among moviegoers. It’s hard not to enjoy the wackiness that is Nicolas Cage. But it’s easy to forget that Cage is also a really good actor. He reminds us of that from time to time and it looks like he may be doing it again with “Dream Scenario”.

This new off-beat comedy from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is now set to be released by A24. It sees Cage playing a homely college professor who suddenly gains celebrity status after he begins appearing in everyone’s dreams. The trailer reveals a movie that looks really unique and a lot of fun. I’m excited to see how this thing plays out.

“Dream Scenario” hits theaters on November 10th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

It goes without saying that the state of DC superhero movies isn’t great. Whether it’s good movies like “The Flash” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” or a not so good movie like “Blue Beetle”, Warner Bros. is struggling to find an audience for their DC releases (there are several frustrating reasons why, but I’ll save that for another day). “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” seeks to remedy that. Its predecessor made over $1.1 billion at the box office. It’s hard to see the sequel matching those numbers.

All that downer stuff aside, I really liked the first Aquaman and all I want from its follow-up is more of the same fun and wacky flavor. The long-awaited first trailer certainly promises that. Director James Wan and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick return, as does the film’s fun-loving star Jason Momoa, reprising his role as Arthur Curry. Also returning is Patrick Wilson as Arthur’s brother Orm and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the revenge-fueled Black Manta. Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman, and Amber Heard are also back. I really like this gonzo first look, and I hope the movie is as crazy as it looks.

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” swims into theaters on December 20th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.