Trailer Blitz: Matt and Mara, Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse, The Siege at Thorn High, Counterstrike, Demon City and More
Welcome to Trailer Blitz!
This is where we catch up on movie trailers we missed covering over the past few days—upcoming films that slipped through the cracks and may have flown under our radar until now.
Speaking of which, studios have been dropping a trove of new trailers showcasing everything from major studio releases to indie gems. To keep our readers updated on the most diverse films on the horizon—not just the biggest and most anticipated titles—we’ve gathered the latest previews for movies that deserve a spot on your radar, whether they’re headed to theaters, digital platforms, or streaming services.
So, let’s dive in and see what’s coming soon!
"Matt and Mara" Trailer: Kazik Radwanski’s Lo-Fi Romantic Drama Explores an Unexpected Love Between Longtime Friends, Starring Deragh Campbell and Matt Johnson — Streaming on MUBI
In the mood for an unexpected romance between longtime friends? This new lo-fi drama might be just what you're looking for!
Canadian filmmaker Kazik Radwanski (Anne at 13,000 Ft.) returns with Matt and Mara, a poignant relationship drama about a disenchanted university professor who reconnects with a former college friend she hasn’t seen in years.
Evoking the spirit of the mid-aughts mumblecore movement with its breezy camerawork and seemingly improvisational small-talk dialogue, the film stars Canadian actress Deragh Campbell, who previously collaborated with Radwanski as the lead in Anne at 13,000 Ft.. It also features Canadian actor and filmmaker Matt Johnson, who also appeared in a small role in Radwanski’s Anne at 13,000 Ft. but is best known for directing and starring in his own acclaimed Canadian films like BlackBerry, Operation Avalanche, and The Dirties.
Campbell and Johnson take on the title roles of Matt and Mara, two former friends who reunite after years apart, only to spark a romance that arrives, sadly, at the wrong time in their lives.
Matt and Mara was well received following its premiere last year at both the Berlin and Toronto International Film Festivals. The film is now currently streaming on the arthouse-friendly platform MUBI.
"Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse" Trailer: Documentary Explores the Pulitzer-Winning "Maus" Creator’s Legacy — Opens in NY on Feb. 21 and Airs on PBS April 15
Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, a handful of comic books revolutionized the medium, elevating the comic book industry to a new level of respectability. No longer could people dismiss comics as just for kids or relegate the so-called funny papers to the bargain basement of the literary world.
Arguably, the work of comic book artist Art Spiegelman might be the single most important piece of fiction that changed how people viewed the storytelling potential of the comic book medium. Breaking presumed rules and norms, Spiegelman’s Maus is a deeply personal account of his Polish Jewish family’s struggles and survival during the Nazi Holocaust. By using cartoonish imagery—depicting Jews as mice and Nazis as cats—the metaphor is strikingly clear, illustrating the dehumanizing nature of war, where Jewish people were hunted down like animals.
(And to think that some believe Spiegelman’s groundbreaking graphic novel should be banned is simply unimaginable. Outrageous. The gall of some people.)
In the new documentary Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse, the 76-year-old comic book legend gets a fitting profile, chronicling his life, career, and the legacy of his landmark comic Maus, which became the first graphic novel ever to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. The documentary tracks Spiegelman’s beginnings in the underground comic scene to the making of his revolutionary work. The film also covers Spiegelman’s recent public response to Maus’s controversial ban by a Tennessee school board.
Directed by Molly Bernstein and Philip Dolin, Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse is slated to open in New York at Film Forum on February 21. The film is also expected to air on PBS on April 15 through its American Masters programming series.
"The Siege at Thorn High" Trailer: Indonesian Action Thriller Revives the ‘80s “Tough Teacher vs. School Gangs” Subgenre — Hits Theaters in Indonesia on April 17
In the 1980s, a new type of action subgenre emerged—one where a no-nonsense high school principal, teacher, or substitute put his foot down and physically took on the criminal element at his school. Brutal fights would erupt as control of the school hung in the balance. For the most part, the adult disciplinarian would win—not before knocking in the heads of supposedly underage gang leaders and their minions. Okay, we’re not saying it was right, but it was a lot of fun to watch back then.
Well, here comes a new Indonesian action thriller that takes that old-school premise and runs with it.
Set in the near future, in 2027, The Siege at Thorn High follows a substitute teacher (Morgan Oey) who finds himself at a school that looks more like a prison—where he must knock some sense into a gang of juvenile delinquents. Ultimately, it leads to an all-out school riot that spills into the streets, causing total societal breakdown. — That ’80s kid in all of us will be so happy right now.
Written and directed by Joko Anwar (The Forbidden Door, Satan’s Slaves), The Siege at Thorn High will hit theaters in Indonesia on April 17. But since the film was produced by Amazon MGM, one would presume it will eventually find its way to Prime Video.
"Counterstrike" Trailer: Mexican Special Forces Captain Takes On a Ruthless Drug Cartel in Netflix's Gritty Spanish-Language Action Thriller – Streaming February 28 on Netflix
Looking for a revenge action thriller that kicks ass and takes names? Well, try this on for size!
Counterstrike is a new Spanish-language gritty action thriller for Netflix about a Mexican Special Forces captain who, by chance, witnesses a brutal hostage kidnapping in the streets. Stepping in to prevent the crime, he saves a young woman from being abducted—only to find himself in the crosshairs of a ruthless Mexican drug cartel.
When ambushed on the road by a gang of thugs, Captain Guerrero is lucky to have his army buddies with him. They quickly go into beast mode, taking out truckloads of bad guys. Now, the stage is set for the ultimate showdown between soldiers and drug runners.
Emilia Perez, this is not!
Counterstrike debuts on Netflix starting February 28.
"Demon City" Trailer: A Hitman Awakens From a 12-Year Coma to Unleash Brutal Revenge in Netflix’s Japanese Action Thriller Based on the Comic Oni Goroshi — Streaming February 27.
We don’t know what’s gotten into Netflix lately, but they’ve been cranking out some brutally intense action thrillers—and we’re all for it. Keep them coming!
Up next is Demon City, a Japanese action-packed revenge thriller based on the ultra-violent manga Oni Goroshi. In the film, a hitman is ready to retire when a mysterious organization murders his wife and daughter, framing him for the crime. Left for dead with a bullet to the head, he falls into a coma for twelve years. But when a botched assassination attempt meant to tie up loose ends goes wrong, he wakes up—consumed by vengeance. Now, he’s out to settle the score once and for all.
Demon City hits Netflix on February 27.
"Invader" Trailer: A Young Woman’s Search for Her Missing Cousin Takes a Terrifying Turn in Mickey Keating’s Psychological Thriller — In Select Theaters February 21
Indie horror filmmaker Mickey Keating (Psychopaths, Carnage Park, Darling) returns with a more subdued psychological thriller, this time collaborating with producer Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies, Digging for Fire).
Invader stars newcomer Vero Maynez as Ana, a young Latina woman who arrives in Chicago by bus, searching for her cousin. When she can't reach her, Ana sets out on foot—visiting her cousin’s workplace and then her home in the suburbs. As the day wears on, an unsettling paranoia takes hold, gnawing at her with each passing hour. By nightfall, she finally reaches her cousin’s doorstep, where she expects to discover the reason for her disappearance. But the answer she finds may be far more terrifying than anything she imagined.
Invader arrives in select theaters on February 21.
"Shiver Me Timbers" Red Band Trailer: Public Domain Horror Strikes Again as Popeye Becomes a Brutal Killing Machine in This New Low-Budget Slasher — Arrives on VOD & Digital This April
Public domain can be a beautiful thing, breathing new life into classic stories and expanding the world of art. It’s the very reason Walt Disney was able to build his animation empire, with early films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty all rooted in public domain works.
But then there’s the other side—the one that fuels quick cash grabs. Lately, that’s meant a wave of low-budget horror films turning beloved characters into slashers. That said, we have to admit, this Popeye horror reinvention at least gets points for a clever and funny title: Shiver Me Timbers.
Written and directed by Paul Stephen Mann, Shiver Me Timbers takes advantage of Popeye’s recent entry into the public domain, reimagining the iconic sailor as an unstoppable killing machine. The film follows a group of campers who witness something strange in the sky during the 1986 arrival of Halley’s Comet—only to find themselves hunted by a monstrous version of Popeye.
Shiver Me Timbers sails onto VOD and digital platforms this April.