FOLLOWING FILMS

Steven Soderbergh’s Presence is not just a ghost story—it’s a deeply personal, introspective, and stylistically daring supernatural thriller that stands out for its bold use of perspective and moral depth. Shot entirely from the first-person point of view of a spirit, the film immerses the viewer into the consciousness of an unseen entity navigating a family’s domestic unraveling. It’s not only a technical experiment, but a story with emotional weight, subtle revelations, and a chilling undercurrent of tragedy. Premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and released by Neon in early 2025, Presence has become a sleeper hit, earning $10.5 million on a modest $2 million budget. Directed, shot, and edited by Soderbergh, with a script from veteran screenwriter David Koepp, the film offers an experience that is simultaneously eerie, emotionally nuanced, and structurally inventive. From the very first frame, Presence makes its unique perspective clear. The camera doesn’t merely observ...

Robert Wise’s 1971 adaptation of The Andromeda Strain is a methodical, cerebral, and chilling piece of science fiction that trades spectacle for authenticity—and in doing so, delivers one of the most grounded and unsettling depictions of a biological catastrophe in cinematic history. Based on Michael Crichton’s best-selling novel, the film was ahead of its time in both concept and execution, and today it stands as a quietly influential work whose impact still resonates, particularly in our increasingly bio-aware world. The film opens with an eerie and understated sequence: a U.S. military satellite crashes near a small town in New Mexico, and shortly afterward, nearly all the town’s inhabitants are found dead—apparently killed instantaneously by an invisible force. The government rapidly assembles a team of elite scientists and brings them to a secret underground lab called "Wildfire" to study the satellite and determine the cause of death. The culprit is a mysterious extra...

Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios, the creative duo behind the viral horror hits Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel, are back with another warped take on a childhood classic. Bambi: The Reckoning , the latest entry in the expanding “Twisted Childhood Universe,” is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025 , via Seismic Releasing. Directed by Dan Allen and written by Rhys Warrington , the film reimagines the beloved deer not as a symbol of innocence, but as a creature of wrath. According to the official synopsis, a mother and son survive a car crash—only to be hunted by Bambi , a mutated, grief-stricken deer on a relentless rampage, driven by revenge over the death of his own mother. It's a premise that's equal parts absurd and horrifying—and that’s exactly the point. Let’s be honest: Bambi: The Reckoning is, in many ways, a cynical cash grab, capitalizing on public domain IP. But there's something refreshingly unapologetic about it. Like its Winnie-The-...

Today’s guest is an indie filmmaker who truly embodies that spirit. We're joined by the writer, director, and editor of Blind Blood, an award-winning crime thriller now streaming on Amazon Prime in the US and UK, and on Tubi in Australia. From writing the script to pulling off a feature film on limited resources, he’s here to talk about the blood, sweat, and storytelling that went into bringing Blind Blood to life. We’ll explore the harsh truths, hard-earned lessons, and occasional victories of making—and marketing—an indie film in today’s crowded landscape. Whether you're a fellow filmmaker, a fan of gritty thrillers, or just someone who loves behind-the-scenes stories, this episode has something for you.

Robbie Williams, the cheeky lad from Stoke-on-Trent who dominated UK pop charts in the '90s and early 2000s, never quite cracked the American market. So it’s no surprise if U.S. audiences ask, “Who is Robbie Williams?” Enter Better Man , the audacious, oddly moving musical biopic from The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey, aiming to answer that question—not with a Wikipedia timeline, but with an emotional fever dream of fame, failure, and redemption. The film opens on an unexpected note: Robbie is depicted not as himself, but as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee. This striking metaphor sets the tone for the rest of the film. As voiced by Williams and performed through motion capture by Jonno Davies, this simian version of Robbie doesn’t merely serve as a visual gag. It’s a profound symbol of his own self-perception—a “performing monkey” trapped in the glare of the spotlight, caught between spectacle and sincerity. Gracey’s film embraces this surrealism wholeheartedly. There’s...

Set 10,000 years before the events of Dune , HBO’s Dune: Prophecy is a sprawling, ambitious prequel that immerses viewers in the early days of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. Developed by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker, this six-episode first season crafts a dark, cerebral tale of power, sacrifice, and survival—both a spiritual prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s epic films and a standalone chronicle of political intrigue and mystical evolution. The show begins 80 years after humanity’s hard-won victory over the sentient machines in the Butlerian Jihad. Civilization is reshaping itself, with the great Houses vying for dominance, and the fledgling Sisterhood quietly building the foundation of what will become the most influential order in the Imperium. At the heart of the series are sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen, brought to life by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams. Their arc, from noble outcasts to architects of the Bene Gesserit's rise, forms the emotional and narrative spine of ...

On this episode of the Following Films Podcast, we dive into the jaw-dropping production behind one of the most ambitious reality competition shows ever created: Beast Games. Host [Name] sits down with acclaimed production designers Stephen Leonhardt and Isabella Scanoni to talk about what it really took to build the massive, surreal world that captivated millions of viewers. With 1,000 contestants, mind-blowing challenges, and a $5 million prize, Beast Games isn’t just a show—it’s a logistical marvel. Stephen and Isabella break down how they turned an empty military hangar into a sprawling, 11-foot-high game platform, how they built a temporary city to house hundreds of people, and how they navigated the stress of delivering groundbreaking design on a brutally short timeline.