A24 has released a second theatrical trailer for “Hereditary”, and while it’s only running for a minute, it serves to raise the hype that is surrounding the film ever since its Sundance premiere. Fans of the film have already drawn comparisons to horror icons like The Exorcist and Firestarter, though there are also hints of more contemporary twists on the genre like The Babadook and Under the Shadow, and it’s plain to see that the Stranger Things effect is still in full swing. Hereditary will certainly be its own thing … a very, very creepy thing. The first atmospheric and adrenaline-pumping trailer introduced the family drama at the center of the horror film that drives the action and ratchets up the tension, and I’m happy to say this new trailer keeps that spirit intact. Writer-director Ari Aster‘s feature horror debut stars Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, and Milly Shapiro, and opens June 8th against Ocean’s 8.

The theatrical trailer for “Hearts Beat Loud” has been released today and it looks charming. The Brett Haley directed dramedy tells the story of how a father (Nick Offerman) and his daughter (Kiersey Clemons) form an unlikely songwriting duo in the summer before she leaves for college. They are supported by a fantastic supporting cast of Ted Danson, Blythe Danner, Sasha Lane and Toni Collette as Offerman’s landlord (and – as the trailer suggests – love interest). Upon its world-premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, “Hearts Beat Loud” was met with positive reviews and currently holds a 100% score at Rotten Tomatoes. Let’s have our fingers crossed it finds its audience when it releases on June 8 – the same day as “Hereditary”! Screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery and the trailer has been archived in the video archive.

In an article by The Hollywood Reporter about the Black-ish’ creator Kenya Barris’ exit from ABC Studios, there have been some details on the pilot “Unit Zero”, which Toni Collette shot last year for the network: “In addition to Black-ish, [Barris] has developed multiple projects for the network but landed only one series pickup: spinoff Grown-ish, which was originally developed for ABC. Grown-ish was one of three projects Barris developed for ABC in 2017. Politically themed family comedy Libby and Malcolm, starring Felicity Huffman and Courtney B. Vance with a script from Barris, was considered a frontrunner to go to series given its timely premise of two politically divided pundits who fall in love, but ABC passed. The network also went to pilot on Toni Collette CIA drama Unit Zero, a passion project for Barris who described it as the “type of drama television I love doing. It pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to be a woman in a historically male-dominated field and it shows underrepresented voices.” It also did not go to series.” So, say goodbye to “Unit Zero”, you can still check out a couple of on-set pictures from March 2017.

It’s been merely four weeks since we got a chance to watch the theatrical trailer for “Birthmarked”, an odd-quirky comedy starring Toni Collette and Matthew Goode, which has been filmed last year. Now, it has received a theatrical release – THIS WEEK! As its distributor Vertical Entertainment has posted on its Facebook page, “Birthmarked” will be released across the USA on March 30th. A complete list of venues can be found below. No word on further international releases yet or an on-demand premiere, so we’ll see. The fast release will most likely mean that there will not be a lot (or any) promotion for the release, which would be a shame. Here’s the official synopsis: “When two respected scientists quit their jobs at a prestigious university and tackle their biggest experiment to date – parenthood! Raising three children against their genetic predispositions, they seek to prove that everyone has the same potential to become anything they choose. The big question being, are we born as we are, or can we blame our parents for who we become? Hilarity ensues as this unconventional family soon discovers the ultimate power of nurture over nature.”

I’m a bit late on this one. Back in January, one of Toni’s latest films, the Ben Lewin-directed “Please Stand By” was released on demand and in select US cities. Maybe I’m too old, I still connect an on-demand release of a feature film with its quality, as it was direct-to-video only a few years back. It’s rather a question of promotion budget and giving people the opportunity to see it directly, so I’m good – plus, if you need one film to prove to on-demand releases are not back, check out “Please Stand By”. It tackles some hefty issues wrapped around lots of Star Trek, and it works, for some miraculous reasons. Dakota Fanning plays an autistic girl who wants to submit her screenplay for a Star Trek contest, and leaves her care to do so. Toni Collette gives a warm supporting performance as her caretaker – we even have a small “United States of Tara” reunion with Patton Oswalt. Screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

Toni Collette has added yet another project to her already packed list of upcoming tv and feature films for 2018. Dan Gilroy’s untitled Netflix thriller (although the title Velvet Buzzsaw has been bandied about online) reteaming him with Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo has amped up its star wattage adding Oscar nominees Toni Collette and John Malkovich as well as Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs, Tony Award nominee Tom Sturridge, Zawe Ashton and Stranger Things breakout Natalia Byer. Gilroy earned an Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for his previous effort with Gyllenhaal and Russo, 2014’s “Nightcrawler” and his last film, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” got Denzel Washington his 8th Academy Award nomination. This new film centers on the dark underworld of big money and art collectors in Los Angeles and is currently filming for a 2018 release. This news was first reported in Variety.