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Ultraman: Towards the Future (1990) When we talk about the sprawling legacy of Tsuburaya Productions, the early 1990s often feel like a forgotten frontier. After Ultraman 80 ended its run in 1981, the franchise went into a sort of live-action hibernation on television. The silence was finally broken not in Tokyo, but in the rugged landscapes of South Australia. Ultraman: Towards the Future (known in Japan as Ultraman Great ) stands as a fascinating anomaly: a high-concept, environmentally conscious co-production that attempted to westernize the Giant of Light without stripping away his soul. The series opens with an ambitious scope. Astronauts Jack Shindo and Stanley Haggard are exploring the surface of Mars when they witness a titanic struggle between a silver giant and a grotesque, pulsating entity known as Gudis. This isn't just a monster-of-the-week; Gudis is a sentient virus, a cosmic cancer that seeks to assimilate all life. When Stanley is killed and Jack is left strand...

Focus Features has officially announced that the upcoming romantic comedy Finding Emily will arrive in theaters nationwide on August 28th. The film, which blends the high-stakes energy of campus life with the unpredictable chaos of modern romance, looks to be a late-summer highlight for audiences seeking a mix of humor and heart. Finding Emily follows a classic "meet-cute" gone wrong. When a lovesick musician is handed the wrong phone number for the girl of his dreams, he doesn’t just give up. Instead, he enlists the help of a focused, no-nonsense psychology student. What begins as a targeted search soon spirals into a hilarious, campus-wide frenzy. As the duo navigates the social hierarchies and eccentricities of university life, they find their own ambitions and their feelings for one another put to the ultimate test.

Welcome back to another episode of the Following Films podcast. I’m your host, Chris Maynard. Today on the show, we’re diving into a genre that feels like it’s been missing from the multiplex for far too long: the warm-hearted, 80s-style coming-of-age comedy. My guest is the legendary Bobby Farrelly, who is here to talk about his latest film, Driver's Ed. In the film, a group of teens hit the road in a stolen driver’s ed car, racing against time to help a lovesick high school senior (Sam Nivola) track down his college-freshman girlfriend and win her back. In 24 chaotic hours, they’re chased by school security and the cops, shot at by small-time crooks, and somehow adopt a three-legged cat. Also starring Kumail Nanjiani and Molly Shannon.  Driver's Ed hits VOD this Friday, and honestly, it’s a breath of fresh air. It has that genuine heart and nostalgic energy that reminds you why we fell in love with these kinds of stories in the first place. Bobby and I get into the nuts and b...

There is something inherently cinematic about the isolation of a summer camp. It’s a setting that has been a staple of the genre for decades, but writer-director Avalon Fast looks to be charting a different path with her latest feature, CAMP. Following the buzz of her previous work, Honeycomb, Fast is returning to the screen with a story that seems to trade traditional slasher tropes for something more atmospheric and emotionally resonant. Dark Sky Films has officially announced that CAMP will arrive in theaters on June 26th. The film centers on Emily (Zola Grimmer), a young woman carrying the immense weight of two early-life tragedies. Seeking a reprieve from her guilt, she takes a job as a counselor at a summer camp designed for troubled youth. While she initially finds a sense of community and forgiveness among her fellow counselors—played by Alice Wordsworth and Cherry Moore—the peace is short-lived. A whispering voice from the surrounding woods begins to pull at Emily, threatening...

  Welcome back to the Following Films Podcast. Today’s guest has captured the internet's heart by proving that being a parent doesn't mean you have to look like a suburban dad. Known to millions as the "Punk Rock Girl Dad," Sid Broderius has gone viral for his videos introducing his young daughter, Lorelai, to the high-energy world of The Riverboat Gamblers, Ramones, Against Me!, and The Clash. Based in Spokane, Washington, Sid has been a staple of the local music scene for two decades and currently plays in the band The Emergency Exit. Whether he is letting Lorelai explore his guitar collection or spinning classic punk vinyl, his philosophy is rooted in sharing his deepest passions to foster genuine family bonding through music and subculture. With a following of over 32,000 on Instagram and shout-outs from bands like Bowling for Soup, Sid is showing the world that the next generation of music fans starts at home. We’re going to talk about his viral journey, his life...

Film history is often a story of compromise, but sometimes, the original vision finally wins. This October, audiences will have the rare opportunity to witness one of the most provocative and visually stunning films of the twentieth century exactly as its creator intended. Warner Bros. is releasing the first-ever 4K restoration of Ken Russell’s 1971 classic, The Devils, marking a historic moment for cinema lovers everywhere. For over five decades, this legendary masterpiece has existed primarily in truncated forms, with key sequences excised by censors to the heartbreak of its director. This new restoration, however, is a revelation. Assembled directly from the original camera negative, the 4K version presents Russell's definitive vision by using a private edit he constructed in 2004 as its blueprint. The restoration also extends to the film's sound, which has been meticulously remastered from the original English 35mm magnetic film to ensure Peter Maxwell Davies’ celebrated sc...

Film enthusiasts and physical media collectors have a massive reason to celebrate this summer. As part of their landmark 20th Anniversary celebrations, Visions Home Video has announced the highly anticipated release of James Gunn’s directorial debut, Slither, on a special limited edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray Steelbook combo. Arriving on June 1st, this release marks the first time the gooey, hilarious, and terrifying masterpiece has been available in 4K resolution. Slither is, quite simply, one of the most entertaining horror comedies ever put to film. It manages a perfect tonal tightrope walk, delivering genuine "creature feature" chills alongside a razor-sharp wit that has become James Gunn’s signature. In a year filled with blockbuster sequels, this boutique restoration feels like one of 2024’s most exciting releases. It is a reminder of a time when high-concept practical effects and character-driven horror reigned supreme. The film stars the ever-charismatic Nathan Fillion a...

 NEON has solidified its reputation as a powerhouse for independent cinema by securing the U.S. rights to Jeff Nichols’ upcoming Southern gothic horror film, King Snake. This acquisition marks a significant reunion for Nichols and NEON, further cementing the studio’s commitment to visionary directors who favor atmospheric, character-driven storytelling. Starring Margaret Qualley, Michael Shannon, and Drew Starkey, the project is already generating substantial buzz as principal photography commences this month in Arkansas. The film is being fully financed by FilmNation Entertainment, with Nichols producing alongside his longtime collaborators Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Sarah Green under their Tri-State Pictures banner. The narrative of King Snake leans into the eerie, shadow-drenched traditions of the Southern gothic genre. It centers on a young couple, played by Qualley and Starkey, who find themselves the inheritors of an Arkansas farm that is far from a pastoral retreat. As they n...

The sleek, matte-black silhouette of the modified Gazelle helicopter cuts through the hazy Los Angeles skyline like a predatory insect, a visual metaphor for the encroaching surveillance state that feels even more pointed today than it did in 1983. John Badham’s Blue Thunder is a remarkable piece of high-octane populist filmmaking, a relic of an era when practical effects and stunt flying carried a weight and physical presence that digital wizardry simply cannot replicate. It is a film of grit, sweat, and kerosene, grounded by a weary, soulful performance from Roy Scheider that elevates what could have been a standard police procedural into a haunting meditation on the erosion of privacy and the terrifying potential of militarized domestic policing. Revisiting the film in an age of drones and ubiquitous data collection reveals a prophetic edge that is genuinely unsettling. The titular aircraft is not just a weapon; it is a mobile panopticon, capable of "looking into a bedroom wind...