Review: 'Tenzing' is So Much More Than a Mountain Climbing Movie

"I needed to go... the pull of Everest was stronger for me than any force on Earth." 🏔️ I must admit I have been waiting to see this film for many years. I first encountered wonderful Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom as the 2015 Telluride Film Festival, where she premiered her documentary titled Sherpa. In the 11 years since then, I've never seen any doc or feature which properly captures Nepal, Sherpas, or the actual experience being on the mountains better than that. However, in those 11 years I have been to Nepal myself and I even met the star of Sherpa, a Nepalese climber named Phurba Tashi. Peedom has been preparing to make this her entire life. Tenzing is the definitive, exceptionally accurate, thrilling story of the first summit of Mount Everest in May 1953. The two men who reached the top were Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand member of the British expedition and one of their local Sherpa guides named Tenzing Norgay, who was working with them as a climber and not just a porter. Both of them became instantly famous worldwide, but this film is focused on Tenzing and his story. Peedom properly frames the triumph of conquering Everest by focusing on the native man who grew up in the shadow of the mountain and put in the most extraordinary effort to achieve the impossible. Luckily Tenzing is also so much more than just a mountain climbing movie. // Continue Reading ›

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Rhys Ifans & Laura Linney in UK Comedy 'Onwards & Sideways' Trailer

"When the dark clouds come – keep going." Icon Film Distribution in the UK has revealed the first official trailer for an uplifting comedy titled Onwards and Sideways, an extra sweet romantic comedy about two people diagnosed with the same illness. This is premiering at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival this month, before it opens in the UK in November this fall. Two people with lots in common - a great sense of humour, a love of dance and they both have Parkinson's. From acclaimed director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Onwards and Sideways stars Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney. A emotional and surprisingly funny story of two people with lots in common - a great sense of humour, a love of adventure, and... an unexpected diagnosis of Parkinson's. A powerful, life-affirming British drama – also featuring Monica Dolan and Rory Kinnear. This looks like a heartfelt & hopeful story of connection & intimacy while getting older. We always need nice stories like this to keep us going no matter what happens. // Continue Reading ›

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Venice 2026: 'The Basics of Philosophy' is Disgusting, Pathetic Drivel

"I do not know how to teach philosophy without becoming a disturber of the peace." –Baruch Spinoza. I'm not a fan of writing negative reviews, but when I sit through something this despicable, this exceptionally awful, this disgusting in every way, I must "disturb the peace" and call it for what it is: one of the worst films I have ever seen. Paul Schrader's latest film The Basics of Philosophy is an atrocious, heinous, stinking pile of excrement. Not only should they throw every DCP into the trash immediately, this film should be forgotten immediately and never shown in any cinema. There is nothing provocative or interesting about it, there is nothing philosophical or contemplative found within, there is no point to this story and no talent found in any frame of it. It is simply an old fart ruminating on how he "can't change" and instead blaming everyone around him for his own idiotic troubles and his misfortunes. It made my sick to my stomach sitting through this drivel. Every scene is trash, every moment is laughable nonsense. Yes it's THAT excruciatingly bad. I'm sorry to be so negative, but every once in a while this happens, and these words just pour out of me. // Continue Reading ›

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Sneaky Teaser for Season 4 of 'Silo' Sci-Fi Series with Jessica Henwick

"You have the right to hear the truth – we are not alone." Whoa! Watch out! Apple TV has unveiled a very sneaky first look teaser for Season 4 of the Silo sci-fi series just moments after Season 3 wrapped up this summer. Earlier in the year we posted the trailers for the third season of this underground bunker mystery series, which featured flashbacks to the time before these silos were created. Now that Season 3 has aired its final episode, they're already teasing the continuation with this quick glimpse (including a spoiler warning!). Rebecca Ferguson returns again as Juliette Nichols, along with Ashley Zukerman, Jessica Henwick, Laura Innes, Morven Christie, Reed Birney, Jessica Brown Findlay, Matt Craven. Plus returning cast members Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Rick Gomez, Billy Postlethwaite, Clare Perkins. "The end of the world cannot be stopped, it can only be survived." I'm intrigued by how blatant they're being with this nuke footage and how it leads to the silos and the stories in the first three seasons. Where will they go next? How will they explore this underground society further? The next season (already shot) arrives July 2027 – rewatch all the other episodes until then. // Continue Reading ›

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First Trailer for Iraq War Drama 'Atonement' Feat. Branagh & Holbrook

"When you pickup a gun and shoot – the bullet moves both ways." "Do you want forgiveness?" Kino Lorber has unveiled their official trailer for an emotional Iraq war drama titled simply Atonement, made by the American filmmaker Reed Van Dyk as his very first feature following other shorts. This actually premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, but only in the sidebar Directors Fortnight section where it received mostly good reviews so far. It's also playing at TIFF next this fall before it hits limited theaters starting in October. The film follows a troubled marine who seeks to reconcile with the survivors of an Iraqi family he and his unit fired on in 2003. Starring Boyd Holbrook, Kenneth Branagh, Hiam Abbass. Anchored by moving, unforgettable performances, Atonement is a powerfully human story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, redemption, and the nature of forgiveness. Reviews also state: "An intelligent and involving film that successfully questions Hollywood cliches of war drama, while drawing knowingly on that tradition." This looks bleak but there's apparently a hopeful thread found within. // Continue Reading ›

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Venice 2026: Two CIA Buddies Visit Easter Island in 'Wild Horse Nine'

"Don't pull rank on me! I've killed people in countries you can't even spell." Who's ready to take a trip down to Easter Island and see some big heads? Join Lee and Chris on their adventure to Rapa Nui and find out just what they're up to there. Or maybe it's better we don't know. Wild Horse Nine is the latest raucous comedy written and directed by British filmmaker Martin McDonagh and it's premiering across the 2026 Venice & Telluride & Toronto Film Festivals this fall. I'm pleased to report that this is one of McDonagh's best films yet! Perhaps even his best since In Bruges from 2008 (which is still one of my favorites all these years later). Just like all of his films, this one feature a couple of psychopaths causing some violent mayhem in a strange place all the while dropping copious F-bombs and offensive jokes galore. Wild Horse Nine is an amusing buddy comedy about two CIA goofballs who go on a little vacation to Easter Island (aka Rapa Nui) right before bad stuff is about to go down in Chile in the 1970s (unfortunately thanks to the help of the CIA). // Continue Reading ›

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Mountain Climbing + Grief Doc 'Everest: The Other Side' Official Trailer

"Even if we make it to the top, I have to ski down the 9000 foot face." National Geographic has unveiled the first official trailer for the intense documentary film titled Everest: The Other Side, the latest from doc filmmakers E. Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin. This is premiering at the 2026 Venice Film Festival this week and also playing at Telluride this weekend before it hits theaters in the fall. Of course it's being released on IMAX screens as well, as NatGeo loves featuring every Everest movie on IMAX. Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morisson shared a dream to climb and ski Everest's direct North Face Side, located in Tibet, a feat no one had ever accomplished. This is the story of what went wrong and then how the dream continued. Those who follow the climbing community know that Hilaree Nelson passed away in an avalanche on Manaslu in 2022. The rest of this doc film follows Jim Morisson partnering up with Jimmy Chin to finally fulfill their dream and uphold her legacy by completing the mission in her honor. It is not an easy task – not only is the climb incredibly hard on this side of the mountain, attempting to ski down it safely is even harder. ⛷️ I've just seen the film and I have some issues with it in how they capture the experience and the depiction of their Sherpa partners, but it's still an inspiring film about accomplishing your dream(s) no matter what gets in the way. // Continue Reading ›

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