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Thanks to a successful launch at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Sanaa Lathan-directed movie “On the Come Up” has nabbed a day-and-date theatrical release from Paramount.

Initially set to launch exclusively on Paramount+ on Friday, Sept. 23, the studio announced Monday that the film will now also be released in limited theaters across the top 50 market.

The movie marks the feature directorial debut from Lathan, who pulls double duty on the project, co-starring in the film as Jayda “Jay” Jackson, mother to the story’s central character Bri.

Based on the best-selling 2019 YA novel by Angie Thomas (“The Hate U Give”), “On the Come Up” follows Bri, a talented 16-year-old high school student who dreams of making it big in the world of battle rap, with aims to lift up her family and honor the legacy of her father — a local hip-hop legend whose career was cut short by gang violence.

Utopia and Showtime have acquired the North American rights to Pulse Films’ “Meet Me in the Bathroom,” a documentary about the explosion of rock ‘n’ roll that helped define the early 2000s in New York City and ushered in a new generation of musical talent. The film, which is directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Utopia will release “Meet Me in the Bathroom” in theaters later this year. The film will air on Showtime at the end of 2022.

Based on the hit 2017 oral history of the same name by Lizzy Goodman, “Meet Me in the Bathroom” says it “tells the story of the last great romantic age of rock,” one that looks at the impact that bands like The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol had on revitalizing the cultural life of a reeling, post-9/11 city. To tell its story of this pivotal moment in music,...

"I must stress that this matter needs to be settled before 8:15Pm GMT." It's time to pay! This is why I never answer the phone if it's a number I don't recognize! This 5-minute short film will have you on edge even if it's only about one phone call. How Would You Like To Pay? is made by an English filmmaker named Andrew David Barker and it's available to watch online now. A man receives a phone call from an extremely threatening debt collection agency. Edward Wolstenholme stars as the man who receives the call. The small cast also includes Maria Forrester as the voice on the call. If you think there isn't much that seems threatening or scary about a simple phone call, just wait until you see this. The short has the vibes of early Ben Wheatley like Kill List, as there's more going on here than just a debt collection.

As interest in director A.D. Barker’s headsy post-apocalyptic film A Reckoning, starring Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers, The Descent) and Axelle Carolyn (Centurion), grows, so does the number of images that are emerging from this brilliant film. Dread Central just received ten new stills for our readers to check out.

Synopsis: A lone man, trapped and imprisoned in a barren, desolate landscape. His only companions are a village of straw people with which he converses as neighbours and friends; he even teaches straw children at the local school. Yet, this anchor, this way of habitual living, is about to become unraveled in frightening and disturbing ways. Leading the way to A Reckoning...

If you haven't yet, take some time to read our review of A Reckoning (review here), and then peruse our trio of interviews with director Andrew Barker, star Leslie Simpson, and director of photography Adam Krajczynski.

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