FOLLOWING FILMS

There’s something about punk rock and the ocean that just makes sense, both restless, both unpredictable, both louder than they have any right to be. On October 4, Punk in the Park took over Berth 46 at the Port of Los Angeles, turning San Pedro’s waterfront into a two-day celebration of old-school fury, new blood, and everything in between. The smell of beer, sea salt, and sunscreen hung in the air, and from the first chords to the last feedback ring, it felt like Southern California punk had come home. The Briggs , a local favorite who came out swinging like they had something to prove. Opening with  Bored Teenager  and  Mad Men , the band played with the kind of scrappy intensity that defines L.A. punk at its best. Frontman Joey LaRocca worked the crowd like a veteran rabble-rouser, his voice cutting through the afternoon sun as circle pits started to spin.  One Shot Down  and  Back to Higher Ground  got the fists pumping, while their Cock Sparrer c...

When Tenacious D release something under the “Complete Masterworks” banner, there’s always an expectation that it will be more than just a concert video. These collections are designed to serve as historical records, celebrations, and playful artifacts of a band that’s always blurred the line between comedy duo and serious rock act. With The Complete Masterworks Vol. 3, Jack Black and Kyle Gass once again attempt to capture lightning in a bottle, this time presenting their arena-filling modern incarnation alongside the eccentric animated visions that have defined their last creative phase. It’s ambitious, sprawling, and very much a love letter to fans—though not without a few quirks that reveal the challenges of bottling up the “D” experience. At the center of the release is a full concert filmed at London’s O₂ Arena in June 2023, part of their Spicy Meatball Tour. From the opening notes it’s clear the duo have no trouble scaling their act for an arena setting. One of the dangers for T...

  Thank you for listening to the Following Films Podcast. Today I’m joined by  Steven Feinartz, director of the new documentary film ARE WE GOOD The film is an intimate portrait of comedian and podcast pioneer Marc Maron, following the sudden loss of his partner and filmmaker Lynn Shelton. Maron struggles with grief, disillusionment, and a shifting comedy landscape. The film features interviews with comics including Nate Bargatze, John Mulaney, David Cross, W. Kamau Bell, and Laurie Kilmartin.  As well as WTF podcast footage from his interviews with President Barack Obama, Andrew Garfield, Patton Oswalt and many more. The film is in theaters in NY & LA on October 3rd, with nationwide theatrical events on October 5th & 8t! for showtimes go to  https://www.arewegoodmaron.com/

South Korean cinema has earned its reputation for daring storytelling and stylish reinvention, and Kim Jee-woon’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird might be one of the most vibrant examples. Released in 2008, the film is often described as a homage to Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but it is far more than imitation. Kim takes the skeleton of the spaghetti western and relocates it to 1930s Manchuria, giving the genre a new cultural and historical foundation while retaining the reckless energy of Leone’s classics. The result is a film that feels at once familiar and completely unpredictable. The decision to set the story in Manchuria during the Japanese occupation is as inspired as it is meaningful. This was a turbulent place where colonial powers, outlaws, and opportunists intersected in a landscape that resembled the lawless frontiers of the American West. It gives the film both a mythic and political dimension: deserts and train tracks may echo western iconography, but the...

Some films wear their influences on their sleeve, while others stitch them into something entirely new. MAR.IA, the latest genre entry from VOID SIGNAL, falls squarely in the latter camp. Equal parts cyberpunk nightmare and revenge horror, the film is finally making its way to U.S. audiences on October 14th, courtesy of Alliance Home Entertainment. It will be available on Digital, DVD, and Blu-ray. At its core, MAR.IA is a story about transformation. Maria Black, a celebrated adult film star, vanishes under mysterious circumstances only to reemerge as something far more dangerous: a cybernetic force of vengeance. What follows is a collision of sci-fi futurism and grindhouse ferocity, culminating in a finale soaked in blood and rage. The film has already carved out a reputation on the festival circuit, playing to packed genre crowds across the globe. Over the course of twelve international festival selections, MAR.IA pulled in a handful of top prizes, including Best Director at Cinefant...

Two of Steven Spielberg’s most celebrated early-2000s films are making their long-awaited debut in 4K Ultra HD this holiday season. Alliance Home Entertainment has announced that Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can will be released on December 9 in both standard 4K Ultra HD editions and collectible Limited-Edition SteelBooks, marking the first time either film has been available in the format in the U.S. and Canada. Both titles have undergone new 4K remasters in 2023, with Spielberg personally reviewing and approving the transfers. Each release will feature Dolby Vision and HDR-10, ensuring richer colors, sharper detail, and a more cinematic experience at home. Fans will also receive a Blu-ray disc with legacy bonus features and a digital copy of the film. Minority Report: A Vision of the Future Released in 2002, Minority Report quickly became a touchstone of modern science fiction cinema. Adapted from a story by Philip K. Dick, the film imagines a dystopian future where crimes can...

Good Boy (2025) is a horror film that manages to feel both familiar and startlingly fresh. At its core, it's a haunted-house story, but the choice to tell it almost entirely from the perspective of a dog makes the experience distinctive. Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, is not only the central character but also the emotional anchor of the entire film. By grounding the narrative in his view of the world, director Ben Leonberg creates a lens that is at once limited and deeply affecting: we see what Indy sees, we feel what he senses, and we share his frustration when he cannot communicate the danger he perceives. The premise is straightforward yet effective. Todd, played by Shane Jensen, inherits his family’s farmhouse and decides to leave city life behind. The building has stood empty for years, carrying with it the kind of folklore and whispered rumors that every good haunted house should. Todd, curious and somewhat idealistic, is drawn to the idea of reclaiming the prop...

Thank you for listening to the Following Films Podcast. Today I’m joined by Everett Blunck, star of the new film GRIFFIN IN SUMMER In the same vein as the Sundance hit Theater Camp, GRIFFIN IN SUMMER revolves around Griffin Nafly, played by breakout star Everett Blunck, who is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. He's also fourteen years old, still living with his exhausted mother in the bland suburb of Borwood, and desperately attempting to self-produce his new divorce drama Regrets of Autumn, starring his unenthusiastic friends. But when Griffin forms a surprise summer friendship with handsome twenty-five-year-old failed performance artist turned handyman Brad, played by Owen Teague, his life (and play) will never be the same. GRIFFIN IN SUMMER is now available on VOD. Now on to my conversation with Everett, I hope you enjoy the show

Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, adapted from Stephen King’s novella, is one of those rare films that defy easy categorization. It is not a horror film, despite King’s reputation and Flanagan’s own long résumé of gothic tales. Instead, it is a meditative piece that explores what it means to live, to connect, and to leave traces behind. Told in reverse chronological order, the story unspools like a puzzle, inviting the audience to piece together a life that feels both intimate and vast. The film begins not with a birth but with an ending. The world is falling apart—technology sputters, societies unravel, and the sky itself seems to be collapsing. Amid this chaos, strange billboards appear carrying a simple message: “Charles Krantz, 39 Great Years. Thanks, Chuck.” No one knows who Chuck is, or why his life seems linked to the unraveling of reality. In this opening act, the apocalypse is less a spectacle than a metaphor. Cities crumble quietly, people cling to each other, and the end of...

When Creepshow came out in 1982, it felt like a splash of lurid color ripped straight from the pages of EC horror comics. George A. Romero directed with style, Stephen King supplied pulpy stories, and the result was a mix of camp and menace that captured the spirit of twisted morality tales. Five stories, bound together by a sharp comic-book aesthetic, gave it both variety and energy. A sequel seemed inevitable, and in 1987, Creepshow 2 arrived with Romero stepping back into the role of screenwriter while his longtime cinematographer Michael Gornick took the director’s chair. Right away, the difference is clear: the sequel is leaner, offering just three stories instead of five. There’s plenty of gore, gallows humor, and supernatural justice, but it never reaches the same heights as the original. It feels smaller, less ambitious, and sometimes clumsier, though still worth a look for horror anthology fans. The film keeps the comic-inspired wraparound, this time featuring a character call...