Happy New Year everybody! With HBO Max’s coming attractions trailer for 2022, the appropriate title for this update should be “First Seconds” really, since we get a blink-and-you-miss it moment of the upcomig miniseries “The Staircase”. But these moments are worth pausing since they reveal a first look at most of the series’ characters, including Colin Firth as Michael Peterson and Toni Collette as his wife Kathleen. In the courtroom scene we can also spot Michael Stuhlbarg as his lawyer David Rudolf, Parker Posey as the defense attorney Freda Black (this will be one performance to look forward to), as well as Sophie Turner and Patrick Schwarzenegger as two of the Peterson children, as well as Dane DeHaan as Peterson’s son, standing next to Toni Collette. No airdate has been released yet. Catch the first look below.

I recently stumbled across “Muriel’s Wedding” on Blu-Ray and was hesitant to buy it at first – simply because I have seen it countless times on VHS, DVD and on tv. Anyway, I bought and rewatched it – and I’ve never seen the film in such great image quality. I definately recommend getting the digitally restored Blu-Ray to revisit Porpoise Spot and the film itself – still a perfect heartfelt comedy and a timeless classic. So – as the last update for this year and as an early Christmas present to all you visitors – here are Blu-Ray captures from the film in wonderful high definition. Enjoy the Holidays everybody and see you all in 2022.

“Nightmare Alley” opened in US theaters this Friday, unfortunately to a dismal box office revenue. As Forbes let’s us know, “Guillermo del Toro’s very good and very ambitious Nightmare Alley never had a chance. Even with solid reviews and decent buzz, the period piece film noir melodrama earned just $1.192 million yesterday, setting the stage for a $1.95 million opening weekend. That’s below even the over/under $5 million “Covid normal” for the likes of King Richard, The Last Duel and Last Night in Soho, closer to the $2.3 million launch of Lisa Joy’s Reminiscence. Again, these are exactly the kind of big-budget, adult-skewing, star-driven, non-franchise studio programmers everyone claims Hollywood never makes.” The film hasn’t been released in European countries yet (which won’t make a big difference with everything shutting down due to the new Covid variant), so here’s hoping for a swift home-video release. To wrap-up the updates on the film, new pictures, tv spots and a making of featuring an interview with Toni Collette have been added to the site. Enjoy.

While we’re eagerly anticipating next week’s theatrical release of “Nightmare Alley” in the US (and hopefully a press tour for the film that will include at least some virtual appearances by Toni), an international trailer for the United Kingdom has been released, giving us more glimpses of Toni’s Zeena Krumbein, a featurette with a focus on the film’s noir effect, as well as a couple of television spots have been released. All clips can be viewed below and in the video archive.

According to Deadline, Toni Collette, Anna Faris and Thomas Haden Church will lead the cast of The Estate, the latest comedy from writer-director Dean Craig (Death at a Funeral). The pic revolves around two sisters who learn their wealthy and estranged aunt is terminally ill. Seeing this as an opportunity to get their inheritance and rescue their dying café, the sisters plan to improve their bitter relationship and cater to their aunt’s needs, but when they arrive at their aunt’s estate they find that they are not the only ones in the family with shifted morals, with their cousins also having formed a similar plan. Signature Films and Capstone Global are financing the pic, with Signature’s Marc Goldberg and Sarah Gabriel producing alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Alison Benson’s Pretty Matches Productions. Executive Producers include Capstone Global’s Christian Mercuri and David Haring and Thruline’s Josh Kesselman. Dean Craig recently helmed Love, Wedding Repeat, starring Olivia Munn and Sam Claflin, for Netflix, and is in post-production on The Honeymoon starring Maria Bakalova. “Dean’s knack for farce is one of a kind. We look forward to bringing this comedy to life and working with this extraordinary group of talent; Toni, Anna and Thomas couldn’t be more perfectly cast,” said Signature’s Marc Goldberg.

Better late than never, I’m happy to finally cover one of the COVID film casualties that is “Dream Horse”. After a well received premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the film was postponed, canceled, re-scheduled and postponed again during the chaotic theatre restrictions during the first year of the pandemic. The film finally released theaters in a couple of countries and went straight on-demand in others. Over time, I have almost forgotten that the film even existed, so I was greatly surprised to find it on Blu-Ray a couple of days ago. Screencaptures from the film, an on-set interview and the b-roll have been added to the photo gallery. Make sure to grab your copy or find it on a streaming service, as it’s just the perfect film for a rainy Sunday (or any other day of the week).