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“Look around you, you may find in your peers your collaborators.” These are the words of advice award-winning writer and director Amman Abbasi gave during his keynote at the annual Future Filmmaker Showcase at Inner City Arts in Dtla. This past Friday, July 18th, Film Independent’s Education Programs premiered 13 short films written, directed and produced by some of the most talented and insightful high schoolers you’d ever meet. The students also took the opportunity to heed Amman’s advice and network with themselves alongside some industry professionals over lunch.

Get to know the 2025 class and their shorts below, including what inspired them to make movies, their favorite genres, directors, and where they shine best during the filmmaking process.

All good things must come to an end. When Julia Park and Henry Anderson’s marriage falls apart and crash lands into a messy divorce, Julia is left to pick...

The Original Queen of TikTok Loren Gray admits to some serious LOLs while filming her first movie role in Incoming, Netflixs hilarious high school romp. As Katrina, the singer/actress/social media influencer was jazzed to play a popular high schooler, but she had to draw from her research of iconic drunk scenes from a hit film to help her shoot a sprawling house party scene, which finds her ultimately binging on Taco Bell while being driven home by two nerdy escorts.

I definitely had some personal experiences to pull from, Gray admitted to MovieWeb in a recent interview about the Netflix hit. Right before that movie, I was like a Taco Bell fiend. I went through three months when I pretty much ate Taco Bell every single day. After I filmed that [drunk] scene, I have not had Taco Bell since. One too many loaded burritos during the shoot perhaps?...

Raphael Alejandro, star of Netflix's recent film Incoming, gave some insight into that disgusting Tesla scene as well as the prospects of a sequel.

The movie follows Mason Thames' Benj and his group of friends as they navigate becoming freshmen in high school. The crux of the story revolves around Benj's love interest and the antics of a crazy party being thrown by Koosh's (Bardia Seiri) brother.

Alejandro, who plays Connor, doesn't actually get to attend the party. Instead, he gets stuck driving around a Tesla with one nasty surprise.

Read full article on The Direct.

Singer and actress Loren Gray, dubbed The Original Queen of TikTok, has become a mega social media influencer with more than 80 million followers online. Her TikTok account alone has 53.7 million followers and 3 billion likes. But the star of Netflixs new house party comedy, Incoming, recently admitted to MovieWeb that there was another influencer who informed her own choices when it came to pursuing a music career: Taylor Swift.

Several years ago, Gray landed a spot in Swifts music video for The Man, which also featured a cameo from Dwayne The Rock Johnson. During the shoot, Gray was emerging as a social media darling. She said Swift took time out to talk to her, noting, The first thing she told me was not to listen to anybody else when it comes to your project, your creativity, and your art because you know the best and you know your audience the best.

There are a solid number of good movies similar to Incoming, which wears its influences on its sleeve. The raunchy new Netflix teen comedy, which follows a group of four incoming freshmen who prepare to attend what they believe will be a life-changing party, has already become a hit on the platform, debuting at No. 2 on the streamer's weekly global chart of the most-watched English language movies in its first three days.

The Incoming cast is led by up-and-coming stars Mason Thames, Ramon Reed, Raphael Alejandro, and Bardia Seiri alongside a supporting cast of familiar faces that includes Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Isabella Ferreira, and Bobby Cannavale (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle). While co-directors Dave and John Chernin made their feature debut with the 2024 title and thus have no other movies to pursue afterward, there are plenty of other teen comedy movies, particularly those centered around parties,...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for 1992, The Deliverance and Only Murders in the Building.

Adam Sandler: Love You special screening

Sandler debuted his new Netflix comedy special in NYC on Aug. 20, alongside director (and former Uncut Gems collaborator) Josh Safdie.

Josh Safdie and Adam Sandler The Crow premiere

Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs walked the carpet at the NY premiere of their new version of The Crow on Aug. 20. The premiere was followed by an afterparty hosted by Lionsgate, TikTok and Ssense.

Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs Director Rupert Sanders at the afterparty. Only Murders in the Building premiere

With season four of the hit Hulu comedy heading to Los Angeles, stars Steve Martin, Martin

Short, Selena Gomez and Meryl Streep followed suit for the premiere on the Paramount lot on Aug. 22.

Meryl Streep,...

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Dave and John Chernin are taking audiences back to the time of R-rated teen comedies with Incoming. The sibling creative duo first kicked off their career as both writers and executive story editors on the long-running comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, having worked on 30 episodes of the hit show, ranging from "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore" and "Mac and Dennis Buy a Timeshare", among others. They also went on to create the Fox sitcom, The Mick, which was led by Sunny star Kaitlin Olson and ran for two seasons.

With Incoming, the Chernins are making their feature directorial debut and telling the story of Benj, a high school freshman who, with his friends Eddie, Connor and Koosh, anxiously kick off their high school experience by going to a party thrown by Koosh's older brother. While there, Benj looks to...

Incoming has become a global Netflix hit. The new teen comedy is the feature debut of co-writers and co-directors Dave and John Chernin, following a group of four best friends who prepare for their first party in high school, which they believe is going to change their lives forever. The Incoming cast also includes Love, Victor's Isabella Ferreira, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson, and The Watcher's Bobby Cannavale. At the time of writing, the movie has earned a Rotten Tomatoes splat with a critic score of 30%.

Netflix has now calculated their global Top 10 chart of the most-watched English language movies for the week of August 19 through August 25, 2024. Incoming has landed at No. 2 with 9.9 million viewers amassing a total of 15 million hours viewed. This is enough to make it the most-watched debut movie in any language on the platform for the week, though it fell behind the...

Quick Links What Is Incoming About? Incoming's Pros & Cons Critical Response to Incoming

New to Netflix on August 23, 2024, Incoming has enjoyed great steaming success despite ranking as one of 2024's worst feature film comedies. The story concerns a quartet of first-year high school students overcoming great trepidation as they gear up to attend their first high school party. The derivative paint-by-numbers comedy by first-time filmmaking siblings Dave and John Chernin adds nothing new to the subgenre, calling to mind much funnier examples such as Porky's, American Pie, and Superbad.

Yet, despite earning a lowly 13% Rotten Tomatoes score, the sophomoric teen comedy has found a viewership groove on the streaming platform that continues to favor quantity over quality to accommodate the current binge-watching trend. Over the past weekend, Incoming ranked behind only The Union as Netflix's most-watched movie in the U.S., further magnifying Netflix's biggest existential question - at what...

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One party will make or break four highschoolers' freshman year in Incoming. The Netflix comedy primarily centers on Benj, Eddie, Connor and Koosh and one wild night for the group as Koosh's older brother hosts a first-week-of-school party, though only Benj is able to get in, which he takes as an opportunity to try and make a move on his sister's best friend, Bailey. Eddie and Connor, meanwhile, embark on their own journey as they steal the former's mom's boyfriend's car and get caught up in increasingly chaotic situations.

Incoming features a cast of young up-and-coming actors, with The Black Phone breakout Mason Thames starring as Benj, with Grey's Anatomy alum Bardia Seiri starring as Koosh and Disney Channel alums Ramon Reed (Just Roll With It) and Raphael Alejandro (Bunk'd) playing Eddie and Connor. The cast also features a number of well-established comedy stars,...

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Mason Thames, Raphael Alejandro, Ramon Reed, and Bardia Seiri star in the new Netflix coming-of-age comedy, Incoming. The young actors spoke with MovieWeb's Greg Archer about bonding during the film and the often emotional journeys they've taken to get here. Incoming is now streaming on Netflix here: netflix.com/incoming

Four freshmen are faced with the greatest challenge of their young lives: their first high school party. Alongside the four young stars, Incoming features Isabella Ferreira, Ali Gallo, Kaitlin Olson ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"), Bobby Cannavale and multi-hyphenate Loren Grey, in her first ever breakout film role.

This new Netflix original film is a teen comedy, but it is a far cry from sugar, spice, and everything nice. There are also many characters that define the film and the kind of message it is trying to put across. Incoming is not for the faint of heart, but there is a lot to understand about characters from this film. The characters in it will help build the crescendo and the climax that everyone expected.

Spoilers Ahead

Benji

The movie is primarily about Benji, aka Benjamin Nielsen, portrayed by Mason Thames. His character is that of the good guy ready to do everything right to get the attention of his crush, Bailey, his sister’s best friend. The good thing about Benji is that he never listens to his friend’s outlandish ideas on how to woo Bailey. He makes up his own plans and makes sure Bailey does...

Netflix's "Incoming" is a modern take on teen comedy similar to "Superbad." The film follows a group of freshmen navigating chaos at their first high school party. "Incoming" may be the closest thing to a sequel to "Superbad" due to similar themes and premise.

Netflix has a long list of a variety of movies coming in 2024, and among them is Incoming, which will be the closest we will get to a sequel to Superbad. While many genres go through good runs and not-so-good ones, the branch of teen comedies is one that tends to keep its relevance and popularity despite many failures. Netflix has its own catalog of teen comedies, both licensed and original, and joining the latter is Incoming, written and directed by Dave and John Chernin in their feature-length directorial debut.

Incoming follows friends Benjamin (Mason Thames), Connor (Raphael Alejandro), Eddie (Ramon Reed), and Koosh (Bardia Seiri...

How often do you come across a decent explicit teen comedy that would leave you with your jaw on the floor? We are not talking about the American Pie movies where actors in their twenties act like high schoolers navigating through puberty, adolescence, and attraction towards men or women. The new Netflix film named Incoming forays into teen comedy that attempts to be funny and will likely keep you engaged till the end. It will enrage you as well, but how often do we come across such films that are completely unabashed? Dave Chernin and John Chernin’s comedy drama film was released on the streaming platform on August 23, 2024.

This ninety-one-minute-long film has a title that has no connection to the content or the events of the film. As high school is about to start, Benjamin, aka Benji, can’t wait for the new year at school, while his friends Eddie,...

There's a new teen comedy to check out on Netflix and it's called Incoming. If you're a fan of the movie Superbad, this film will be right up your alley. It follows a group of four friends as they try to navigate their first week of freshman year and their first-ever high school party.

The friend group is made up of Benj, Connor, Koosh, and Eddie. While each has an objective when attending the party, Benj's main goal is to make a move on the girl of his dreams, Bailey. We're not going to spoil if Benj gets the girl or not. You'll have to check out our ending explained for that. However, what we do want to share is the parents guide. Although this film is described as a teen movie, that doesn't always mean it's appropriate for all teens.

Incoming. (L-r) Bardia Seiri as Koosh, Mason Thames as Benji Nielsen,...

Comedies focused on teenage hijinks and keg parties have been a mainstay since the 1980s. You can learn a lot about a generation in their party movies. Incoming hopes to join the ranks of Superbad, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Bottoms. Instead, it lands with a resounding thud, making it one of the worst modern attempts at crafting a raunchy high school flick.

Incoming – The Plot

Over the summer, Benj Nielsen (Mason Thames) hung out with his sister’s friend Bailey (Isabella Ferreira). While Bailey is older, Benj believes he has a chance to hook up with the girl he’s loved his whole life. When his friend Koosh (Bardia Seiri) gets their friend group invited to a party (hosted by Koosh’s older brother), Benj seizes his chance. With their other friends, Connor (Raphael Alejandro) and Eddie (Ramon Reed), the four freshmen hope to change their high school fate.

Incoming fails to make viewers invested in characters due to a lack of depth and compelling motivations. The movie emphasizes nostalgic elements over establishing a contemporary connection with Gen-z audiences. Incoming's absurd humor is not fully developed, leaving the film feeling disjointed and failing to justify its outlandish choices.

Netflix's newest foray into teen comedies, Incoming (2024) , harkens back to the golden age of high school party flicks but does little to subvert the well-worn genre. Written and directed by two veterans of TV comedy, Dave and John Chernin, in their feature debut, it's obvious the sibling duo grew up watching classic films set in high school. The movie follows a group of freshmen boys in their first week of high school and the rager they get invited to. Starring Mason Thames as Benji, the lovable but boring protagonist, Incoming has funny moments, but it never hits its stride.

Incoming (2024)

Director John Chernin,...

Netflix has finally released the raunchy teen comedy Incoming, and this film will easily remind you of classic teen comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and the American Pie movies. We had the opportunity to watch the film in advance before its release, and after watching it, we have to say it's a pretty solid movie.

It's a comedy written and helmed by The Mick creators Dave and John Chernin, the sons of well-known film producer and businessman Peter Chernin. This film marks their feature debut. It stars Mason Thames (Benj), Raphael Alejandro (Connor), Bardia Seiri (Koosh), and Ramon Reed (Eddie) as four friends starting their freshman year of high school. It's their first week at Waymont High School, and while the teen boys are ready to see what the school year may bring, they're really looking forward to experiencing their first-ever high school party.

Out of the group,...

Incoming is a teen comedy film written and directed by Dave and John Chernin. The Netflix film follows the story of four teen friends as they go to their first high school party, which turns out to be one of the most memorable nights of their lives. Incoming stars Mason Thames, Raphael Alejandro, Bardia Seiri, Ramon Reed, Bobby Cannavale, Kaitlin Olson, Isabella Ferreira, and Ali Gallo. So, if you loved the carefree vibes, hilarious comedy, and the insane story in Incoming here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Project X (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Warner Bros.

Project X is a found-footage teen comedy film directed by Nima Nourizadeh from a screenplay co-written by Matt Drake and Michael Bacall. The 2012 film follows the story of three high school seniors who decide to throw a party to gain popularity amongst their peers but their plans to throw a...

The gross-out high school comedy: we all get older, they stay the same. “Incoming” marks the genre’s latest addition, a Netflix release written and directed by Dave and John Chernin, who cut their teeth on the landmark vulgarity of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” before creating the short-lived but memorably raucous Fox comedy “The Mick.” The filmmaking brothers’ story for “Incoming” is chock-full of tried-and-true tropes: the rizzless freshman, the grump sister, the wannabe ladies’ man, the blond queen bee. But the Chernins manage a jaunty pace that energizes these familiar ingredients, more in the gag department than in the film’s superficial dramatic components.

Fourteen-year-old boys aren’t the most complicated people on Earth, and “Incoming” knows it, establishing its main ensemble with a punchy opening act that benefits from the Chernins’ sitcom background. Four uncertain young men have entered the gauntlet of high school. Benj (Mason Thomas...

Raucous teen film about out-of-control high school party never finds its footing, relying on tiresome gross-out humor

There are a few tried and true staples of the American high school: yellow buses, homecoming, prom, the social safari that is the school cafeteria. And with each micro-generation, raunchy teen movies about trying to get some or remain a loser for life. Incoming, a new Netflix teen film from The Mick creators Dave and John Chernin, is the latest attempt to revive the type of outrageous R-rated comedy that Hollywood now makes in fits and starts. Like last year’s No Hard Feelings, Joy Ride or Bottoms, it’s trying to channel the unfiltered debauchery of American Pie or Superbad, but for kids born after both of those movies premiered.

As in both of those antecedents, Incoming focuses on one pod at the bottom of the food chain: nerdy freshman boys who haven’t grown yet.

Netflix is all set for an entertainment-packed August this year. As we have already told you about all the entertaining AMC shows coming to Netflix in August, but there is more because Netflix being Netflix, makes a ton of original content and some of that is coming out this month. From the final season of Netflix’s hit superhero series The Umbrella Academy to a series that is being described as a “darkly comedic and contemporary reimagining of Greek gods” starring Jeff Goldblum. So, we also picked out the 10 best Netflix originals that will be coming out on Netflix this August.

Unstable Season 2 (August 1)

Unstable returns for more mayhem, more parental drama, more hilarious antics, and even more father-son bonding in its second season. Created by Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe, and Victor Fresco, the Netflix workplace comedy series will see Jackson trying to prepare for an eventual takeover of his father’s company,...

Protagonizada por el actor revelación de ‘Black Phone’, Mason Thames. © Netflix

Netflix ha publicado el primer tráiler y póster de “Inexpertos” (titulada en versión original “Incoming”), escrita y dirigida por Dave y John Chernin (“Colgados en Filadelfia”).

En “Inexpertos”, cuatro alumnos de secundaria se enfrentan al mayor reto de sus jóvenes vidas: su primera fiesta de instituto.

La película está protagonizada por Mason Thames (“Black Phone”), Ramon Reed (“9-1-1: Lone Star”), Raphael Alejandro (“Érase una vez”), Isabella Ferreira (“Crush”), Bardia Seiri (“Anatomía de Grey”), Loren Gray (“Outsiders”), Ali Gallo (“La Vida Sexual de las Universitarias”), Scott MacArthur (“Suncoast”), Thomas Barbusca (“The Mick”), Kim Hawthorne (“How to Get Away with Murder”), Victoria Moroles (“Teen Wolf”), Kayvan Shai (“FBI”), Kaitlin Olson (“Colgados en Filadelfia”) y Bobby Cannavale (“The Irishman”).

“Inexpertos” se estrena el 23 de agosto en Netflix.

¡Os dejamos con el tráiler y póster de la película!

TRÁILER:

PÓSTER:

© Netflix

¡SÍGUENOS!

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Netflix has just released the trailer for the new raunchy high school comedy from the Chernin brothers — Dave Chernin and John Chernin — who are veterans of irreverent shows It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the tragically cut-short Fox sitcom The Mick. The Chernins reunite with The Mick‘s Kaitlin Olson and Thomas Barbusca in Incoming. The cast includes Mason Thames, Ramon Reed, Raphael Alejandro, Isabella Ferreira, Bardia Seiri, Loren Gray, Ali Gallo, Scott MacArthur, Thomas Barbusca, Kim Hawthorne, Victoria Moroles, Kayvan Shai, with Kaitlin Olson and Bobby Cannavale.

The short but sweet synopsis reads,

“Incoming is the story of one night in the life of a group of high school freshmen, the party they crash, and the chaos that ensues.”

Dave and John Chernin write and direct the film. The producers on the movie include Nicholas Stoller, Conor Welch, Todd Garner, Mark Korshak, Gary Barber, Peter Oillataguerre, Peter Principato and Ben Silverman.

"This isn't just a party... this is our future!" Netflix has unveiled an official trailer for a party movie comedy called Incoming, arriving to watch on Netflix streaming later this summer. It's set for an end-of-summer release just before all the kids go back to school. Four freshmen are faced with the greatest challenge for their young lives: their first high school party. Directed by brothers John and Dave Chernin (of "The Mick" series), Incoming is full of all kinds of wild & crazy things going down. Creating their own party comedy, the Chernins add: "We landed on the title of Incoming and realized, 'Oh, this is four freshmen having this weird early-life identity crisis.' That kind of became the engine..." This stars Mason Thames as Benj, Ramon Reed as Eddie, Raphael Alejandro as Connor, Isabella Ferreira as Bailey, Bardia Seiri as "Koosh", Loren Gray, Ali Gallo, Scott MacArthur, Thomas Barbusca,...

Netflix has snapped up rights to Incoming, a comedy written and directed by The Mick creators Dave Chernin and John Chernin, in their feature debut.

First announced last summer, the film stars Mason Thames (The Black Phone), Bardia Seiri (Grey’s Anatomy), Ramon Reed (Just Roll with It) and Raphael Alejandro (Acapulco) as four high school freshmen who navigate the terrors of adolescence at their first-ever party. Among those rounding out the cast are Bobby Cannavale (Old Dads), Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Scott MacArthur (No Hard Feelings), Isabella Ferreira, Thomas Barbusca (The Mick), Ali Gallo (The Sex Lives of College Girls), and Loren Gray (100% Wolf).

Producers on the pic include Nicholas Stoller and Conor Welch for Stoller Global Solutions; Todd Garner, Peter Principato, Ben Silverman and Mark Korshak for Artists Road; and Peter Oillataguerre. Caroline James and Noah Nusinow served as executive producers.

The Chernin...

Netflix has picked up It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia grads John and Dave Chernin’s high school comedy Incoming, which stars The Black Phone actor Mason Thames, Bobby Cannavale, Kaitlin Olson and Scott MacArthur (The Righteous Gemstones).

The Chernin brothers’ directorial debut from Artists Road and Spyglass Media production follows four freshmen — played by Thames, Bardia Seiri, Ramon Reed and Raphael Alejandro — as they navigate the terrors of youth at their first-ever party.

The Chernins wrote and directed Incoming, which also stars Isabella Ferreira, Ali Gallo and Loren Gray. Spyglass Media came on board to co-finance the project after Artists Road boarded the indie comedy. Gary Barber’s Spyglass Media Group, Ben Silverman’s Propagate Content, Artists First and Off-Road Productions combined to launch Artists Road as a comedy film joint venture in 2020.

The Chernin brothers are also known for the popular TV series It’s Always Sunny, the FX sitcom...

Exclusive: Dave and John Chernin’s Incoming has begun production in Los Angeles, we’ve learned, with an ensemble cast that includes 2x Primetime Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale, Primetime Emmy nominee Kaitlin Olson, Scott MacArthur as well as Raphael Alejandro, Isabella Ferreira, Ali Gallo, Loren Gray, Ramon Reed (13:The Musical) and Bardia Seiri.

All of them join previously announced Mason Thames (The Black Phone).

The Chernin brothers co-wrote the screenplay and are making their directorial film debut on the Artists Road and Spyglass Media production.

Incoming follows four incoming freshmen as they navigate the terrors of adolescence at their first-ever high school party.

Artists Road landed the sought-after project in a competitive situation from the Chernin brothers with Spyglass Media Group boarding to co-finance.

Artists Road’s principals Todd Garner, Peter Principato, Ben Silverman and Artists Road’s CEO, Mark Korshak will produce alongside Stoller Global Solutions Company’s Nick Stoller and Conor Welch.

Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not watched “No Time to Die,” the Feb. 24 episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

When viewers last saw Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) in December’s “Grey’s Anatomy” midseason finale cliffhanger, he literally fell off a cliff, seemingly to his death.

In that episode, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” Owen, his wife Teddy (Kim Raver) and Hayes (Richard Flood) had gone to retrieve a donor heart for Owen’s nephew, Farouk (Bardia Seiri), who would die without it — which would destroy Megan (Abigail Spencer), Owen’s sister. The trio of doctors had gone in order to ensure that nothing would go wrong with the transfer. But this is “Grey’s Anatomy,” so suffice it to say, something did: Their driver had a massive stroke, causing the car to veer off the road, and perch precipitously at the edge of a cliff. At Owen’s insistence,...