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In a world overrun by the undead, two young boys form an unlikely bond as they struggle to survive a brutal post-apocalyptic society in the award-winning sci-fi thriller M: Beyond the Wasteland.
Directed by Vardan Tozija (Amok), this haunting and deeply moving fable follows a boy's desperate search for what remains of humanity amid a landscape ravaged by plague-ridden creatures.
After an acclaimed festival run, including a screening at Grimmfest 2024, the celebrated Macedonian survival drama is set for its UK digital release on 10 November, courtesy of GrimmVision.
In a desolate future where zombies, known as the Evil Ones, have wiped out much of civilisation, a lonely boy named Marko (Matej Sivakov) lives deep in the forest under the strict care of his mysterious father (Sasko Kocev). His world changes when he meets Miko (Aleksandar Nichovski), a gentle boy with Down syndrome, whose kindness sparks both friendship and curiosity about the world beyond their secluded home.
When fate intervenes and Marko's wish for freedom is suddenly granted, his journey becomes one of peril, discovery, and the faint hope that humanity might still endure.
Set against a stark and chilling backdrop, M: Beyond the Wasteland is a powerful and emotional tale of connection and resilience, reminding us that even in ruin, hope can still survive.
Available on digital from 10 November via GrimmVision.
MUBI and Film4 have confirmed that principal photography is now underway in Alberta, Canada on Andrew Haigh's latest feature, A Long Winter. The BAFTA-nominated filmmaker directs from his own script, adapted from Colm Tóibín's short story of the same name.
Set high in the mountains as autumn fades, the story follows a family preparing for the long, isolating winter ahead. The film stars Fred Hechinger (Thelma, Gladiator II), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear, The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Caitríona Balfe (Belfast, Ford vs Ferrari), Kit Connor (Warfare, Rocketman), and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Warfare, Reservation Dogs). The cast also features Manuel Garcia Rulfo (Jurassic World: Rebirth) and David Furr (The Gilded Age).
Production is led by Tristan Goligher for The Bureau, alongside Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev of Calgary-based Nomadic Pictures, and Michael Elliott. MUBI holds distribution rights across the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, and India, while The Match Factory handles global sales. The film, co-financed by MUBI and Film4, was developed by MUBI, with Farhana Bhula and Max Park overseeing for Film4.
The creative team includes cinematographer André Turpin (Mommy, Incendies), production designer Emmanuel Fréchette (Wayward, The North Water), and editor Jonathan Alberts (All of Us Strangers, 45 Years).
Haigh's recent film All of Us Strangers (Searchlight Pictures and Film4) earned six BAFTA nominations, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, along with multiple Gotham and Independent Spirit Award nominations. His earlier works include Lean on Pete (2017), 45 Years (2015) – which won Charlotte Rampling an Academy Award nomination – and his breakout Weekend (2011).
Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite sets out to explore the nightmare scenario of a nuclear missile threatening the United States, presenting the story through three overlapping perspectives: Capt. Olivia Walker in Washington, the military generals at STRATCOM, and the President himself. Each segment covers roughly the same thirty minutes of escalating crisis, creating a structure that, in theory, promises a fresh take on political thrillers. It's an intriguing approach, letting audiences see the mounting tension from multiple vantage points, but in practice, it feels like the film struggles to fully commit to its own narrative ambition.
The first third, Inclination Is Flattening, situates viewers in the White House Situation Room with Rebecca Ferguson's Capt. Olivia Walker. Ferguson brings credibility to her role as an officer tasked with making life-and-death decisions in real time, balancing calm authority with the human vulnerability of someone watching the clock tick down on a city. Moments like her phone call to her family humanise the stakes, reminding viewers that behind government protocol are individuals with personal lives on the line.
The second part, Hitting a Bullet With a Bullet, shifts focus to STRATCOM, led by Jared Harris as Secretary of Defense Reid Baker and Tracy Letts as General Anthony Brady. This segment emphasises military precision and the frantic attempts to identify the missile's origin. Gabriel Basso's Jake Baerington serves as a moral and procedural compass, urging caution in the face of incomplete intelligence. These scenes are tense and methodical, highlighting how military and diplomatic considerations collide when nuclear escalation looms. The interplay with Russia's foreign minister and the scramble of B-2 bombers adds realism, and Bigelow captures the meticulous calculations and near-misses that define such high-stakes decision-making.
Finally, A House Filled With Dynamite examines the President's perspective as Idris Elba navigates evacuation, familial concern, and the unbearable weight of a potential nuclear strike. Anthony Ramos' portrayal of Major Daniel Gonzalez at Fort Greely adds another layer, showing the human cost of technical failure when interceptors fail to launch. This segment is emotionally charged, particularly in the subplot of Secretary Baker trying to save his daughter. The President's indecision over retaliation leaves the narrative unresolved, which is meant to underscore the moral ambiguity and pressure inherent in such decisions, but instead results in a frustrating anticlimax.
The performances are consistently strong. Ferguson, Elba, and Basso carry the film with convincing authority and subtle emotional depth, while Harris, Letts, and Ramos provide strong support. Their portrayals lend credibility to the story even when the film itself struggles with pacing and scope.
However, the production has clear limitations. The film looks and feels like a TV miniseries squeezed into 90 minutes. Some of the tension is undercut by low-budget visuals and staging that don't match the gravity of the narrative. The narrative structure, while innovative, sometimes feels repetitive, as the overlapping perspectives cover similar ground without adding sufficient new information. And the decision to withhold the President's ultimate choice leaves viewers dissatisfied, as the film ends without resolution, undermining the suspense built across three perspectives.
A House of Dynamite is a film of contrasts: a fascinating premise undermined by uneven execution, a talented cast navigating a plot that never quite delivers on its promise, and a structure that is ambitious in design but frustrating in practice. The moral, procedural, and human stakes are all present and often compelling, but the anticlimactic ending and TV-like production ensure the experience remains unfulfilling. For all its effort and occasional brilliance in character moments, it is an instantly forgettable film. I score it 4 out of 10.
Macon Blair's reboot of The Toxic Avenger is exactly the sort of noisy, grimy revival fans hoped for. It is the fifth instalment in the series and a remake of the 1984 original. The film knows what it is, an ultra-violent, black comedy that mixes cartoonish gore with broad satire and a measure of heart. It will delight those who came for the shock value and unsettle anyone expecting a straightforward superhero picture.
Peter Dinklage leads the charge as Winston Gooze, a downtrodden janitor who is transformed after a catastrophic toxic accident. Dinklage brings a steady humanity to the role. He makes Winston more than a mask of green fury. When the story asks for pathos, he supplies it. Jacob Tremblay is touching as Wade, Winston's stepson, giving the film its emotional centre.
Taylour Paige's J.J. Doherty adds fire as the whistleblower whose actions kick some of the plot into motion. Kevin Bacon is gleefully sleazy as company boss Bob Garbinger, and Elijah Wood supplies a twitchy intensity as Fritz. Luisa Guerreiro, credited as the suit performer, does the physical work of the Toxic Avenger with commitment.
The plot is straightforward, which serves the film well. There is a corrupt pharmaceutical company, BTH. There are thugs, a mob connection, a whistleblower in danger and a community under threat. From those raw ingredients Blair assembles a string of violent set-pieces, gross-out gags and darkly comic encounters. The film leans into parody more than into earnest reinvention. It is loud, filthy and frequently funny. Moments of genuine feeling sit between the carnage, so the film never becomes merely a parade of shocks.
That said, it is not flawless. The storyline is thin by design, and at times it feels like a series of skits linked by blood and bile. A few jokes overstay their welcome and the middle section can meander. At about 100 minutes the picture runs a little long for its material. If you want tight plotting and subtlety, this is not the Toxic Avenger to choose.
But those are small complaints in a film that mostly knows its audience. Blair respects the source by keeping the tone filthy and anarchic, while allowing the core relationship between Winston and Wade to give the film an emotional anchor. There are throwaway scenes that land beautifully and others that do not. Overall, the sheer commitment on screen keeps the momentum going. Performances are uniformly strong, the satire lands often enough, and the film finds a strange affection beneath its nastiness.
The Toxic Avenger is not a film for everyone. It will offend, it will shock and it will laugh at its own grotesquerie. For viewers willing to embrace that, it is a raucous, often touching reboot that pays its respects to the original while firmly staking its own claim. I score it an 8 out of 10.
Jess Varley's The Astronaut is a small but effective slice of sci-fi horror that works best when it leans into mystery and mood. It's a film that feels familiar at first, yet manages to pull the rug out just when you think you've got it figured out.
Kate Mara is the film's biggest strength. She gives Sam Walker real emotional weight, showing both the toughness of an astronaut and the vulnerability of someone coming apart at the seams. When Sam starts seeing things that shouldn't be there and her body begins to change, Mara never overplays it. She lets the fear sit quietly beneath the surface, which makes it far more unsettling.
The story moves at a tight pace. At just under ninety minutes, it never overstays its welcome. From the moment Sam wakes up in quarantine, we're locked in with her, watching things slowly slide from odd to terrifying. When the twist hits, it's a genuine surprise. I can usually spot a reveal long before it happens, but this one caught me off guard in the best way.
Laurence Fishburne adds a touch of authority as General Harris, though it's a pity he turns up so late. His presence steadies the film and gives it a sense of weight that the early scenes slightly lack. Gabriel Luna and Ivana Miličević also give good support, but this is very much Mara's film.
On the downside, the title is a bit misleading. For something called The Astronaut, we don't spend any time in space. Everything happens on Earth, mostly around the secluded house where Sam is being monitored. The limited setting helps with the tension, but it also makes the film feel smaller than it needs to be. The low budget shows at times too, with some effects and creature moments that don't quite land.
Still, there's a lot to like. Varley keeps the focus on atmosphere rather than spectacle, using silence, shadow and suggestion to build unease. It feels old-fashioned in a good way, more The X-Files than Alien.
The Astronaut isn't going to redefine the genre, but it's a confident, tightly made story with a clever twist and a standout lead performance.
A smart and surprisingly tense sci-fi horror that rises above its limitations. A solid 7 out of 10.
