A First Trailer for Haigh's "Lean on Pete"

Chris here. Andrew Haigh's adaptation Lean on Pete made it all through the fall festival season with only a few stills to entice us. But now we have a gorgeous new trailer to feast our eyes upon ahead of the film's March release. You might recall that the film's young star Charlie Plummer won the young actor Marcello Mastroianni prize at the Venice Film Festival - looks like we've got one of 2018's major breakthroughs, as he has the plum role of the kidnapped John Getty in Christmas's All the Money in the World.

After the impressive triple punch of Weekend, 45 Years, and HBO's short-lived Looking, we are ready to line up to anything Haigh delivers. But this story of a boy escaping home with the horse he tends to seems like an interesting narrative progression for the writer/director, and his keen emotional insights seem to be perfectly calibrated to study a troubled teen. And he looks to deliver some of his most gorgeous visuals

With this and The Rider, Chloe Zhao's horse-centric festival darling and Indie Spirit nominee, it looks to be a big spring for horses on the indie scene. Insert your "Andrew Hayyyyy" joke here. What do you think of this first trailer?

"The Last Jedi" Trailer Arrives!

Chris here. A full trailer for The Last Jedi is finally here! Now before anyone complains about long waits or lack of plot details, allow me to remind that the limited information for the new Star Wars films has been refreshing compared to other franchises. Which is good, because now officially starts a likely three month period of Star Wars invading conversation and consciousness with relentless vigor. Luckily, it looks like director Rian Johnson has created a thrilling and singular entry into the beloved franchise that even the indifferent can get excited about.

But the thing you will all be lamenting is that we get no glimpse of Laura Dern's mauve-haired Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. I'll give you a moment to let out that frustration before we dive in to the trailer. Inhale. Vent. Exhale. Very good. Shall we begin?

No need to give this one a Yes No Maybe So treatment, because we've already bought our tickets! Take a look at the trailer (if you haven't devoured it a dozen times already) and I'll give some ecstatic notes after the jump...

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YNMS: A Fantastic Woman

by Ilich Mejía

Since screening at Berlinale earlier this year, and now at TIFF and Telluride, A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica in Spanish) has been generating very positive talk. It is Sebastián Lelio's follow up to 2013's wonderful and under-appreciated Gloria. The film stars trans actress Daniela Vega as a waitress mourning her lover in what looks like will be another queer classic from this year. 

Let that stunner of a trailer sink in after the jump and let's discuss the Yes No and Maybe So of it all... 

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"You Were Never Really Here" First Look!

Chris here. Can you believe the wait for the next Lynne Ramsay film is almost over? We've only had to wait a mere six years this time after the the nine year gap between Morvern Callar and We Need to Talk About Kevin, so maybe we shouldn't complain. But this film is a promising return: Ramsay worked on You Were Never Really Here until the last minute before its Cannes debut, landing both a Best Actor trophy for Joaquin Pheonix and a tie for Best Screenplay (shared with The Killing of a Sacred Deer). And don't expect any dampened intensity from the auteur - Pheonix stars as a vigilante hitman tasked to rescue a young girl from a human trafficking circle.

The film is absent from the fall festival circuit and Amazon has yet to announce a release date, which likely spells out a slightly further wait and spring stateside release. No worry for our European readers as the film will open in a few countries this fall, and we've got a new trailer to go with it. Phoenix is pretty thrilling even in just this brief glimpse, but the trailer also hints at a pulsing score from Jonny Greenwood and gorgeous visuals from director of photography Thomas Townend. Take a look at the bloody and brutal NSFW trailer (fair warning - those who've seen the film say the trailer uses a lot of footage from the climax of the film) and rejoice Ramsay's return!

Struggle Nation and "mother!"

MPAA "R" for language but it's also really funny. Check out these two guys watching and reacting to the mother! trailer [Thanks to Winston for the heads up]. It goes without saying that we co-sign the "don't show us the whole movie in the trailer!" complaints lodged at other movies (not this one). 

Favorite line is when they're talking about how evil Javier Bardem always looks

How the fuck you look evil next to Jennifer Lawrence? I'd be the happiest negro in the US of A.

We must also rejoice that the sight of Michelle Pfeiffer starts a whole debate about how some things get more delicious with age (though that does not include beer!)