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The same appealingly anarchic, punk-scented strain of indie comedy that made cult favorites of “Repo Man” and the more recent “Dinner in America” also marks territory for “Rats!” Maxwell Nalevansky and Carl Fry’s debut feature is a sustained goof whose nonsensical progress scores higher for energy and attitude than wit, let alone substance. Truth to tell, the humor here is frequently at a pretty crass level that might induce mere eye-rolls if less deftly handled. But the writer-director duo lend it all a certain deadpan panache that’s diverting even when the material is less than inspired. At its best, often spiked by gleefully gratuitous gore, this very tall Texas tale trades in a kind of snarky absurdism likely to leave suitably jaded viewers in stitches. Yellow Veil opened it on limited U.S. theater screens Feb. 28, with digital release following March 11.

It’s 2007 in the faceless fictive Lone Star State suburbia of Pfresno,...

Ne Zha 2 from Cmc Pictures is no. 7 this weekend, its third consecutive in the top ten, on 600 screens with a domestic gross of $2.9 million and a cume of $17.95 million, an impressive feat. While an India film occasionally does two weeks at the top it’s highly unusual for any foreign film stick around for three. The Chinese New Year title has become the top animated film globally and the highest grossing film ever from a one country (China).

Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst for Comscore North America, calls the performance “remarkable,” representing “a rare example of a non-u.S. film holding steady in the domestic Top 10 for multiple consecutive weeks” and another example of how a film can transcend borders and cultures to become a phenomenon on the big screen” — with a cume at or near $2 billion, a record for an animated film.

Oscar nominated shorts and Best Pictures contenders...

If you’re not rushing out to catch Oscar nominees before Sunday’s ceremony there are more new films in theaters now than there have been in weeks. Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Wicked and more are still out there but screens have opened for a crop of moderate releases.

Grindstone and Roadside Attractions open dysfunctional family crime comedy Riff Raff on just over 1,000 screens. The film by Dito Monteil, which was warmly received at its TIFF 2024 premiere (see Deadline review), was adapted by John Pollono from a stage script from a 1995 production of the same name written by actor Laurence Fishburne.

The ensemble cast features Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Lewis Pullman, Pete Davidson, Bill Murray, Miles J. Harvey and Emanuela Postacchini.

The story follows Vincent, an ex-criminal seeking a normal life and a nice weekend at a winter cabin with his wife Sandy and their son...

You may question the mental state of co-directors/screenwriters Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky as Rats!unfolds before your very eyes. Between crazed cops, shock humor, generous amounts of body fluids and, well, grotesque rats, this new indie film may end up to be the most absurd comedy of the year. To their credit (and favor), the filmmakers are in on the joke. This whacky comedy knows just how bonkers it is. (At least we hope it does.)

Originally from Austin, Texas, Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky have been best friends and longtime collaborators who hit it off creatively on the set of that great cult classic film Lingua Franca. They’ve been collaborating ever since, and while their brand of humor may not jibe with general audiences — it’s an acquired taste — it’s only a matter of time before the duo winds up in an arena where their work can be seen regularly.

Raphael (Luke Wilcox) is a a typical 2007 teenage dirtbag who gets wrangles into working as an informant for a local lunatic cop in directors Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky’s uproariously funny cringe comedy, Rats! When Rafi is picked up for tagging a beloved payphone in his native Pfresno, Texas, he finds himself firmly in the sights of the town’s worst law enforcement agent, Officer Williams (Danielle Evon Ploeger). Convinced that Rafi’s small time dope dealer cousin, Mateo (Darius Autry) is using his hustle as a cover for supplying international terrorists with nukes, Williams and Rafi’s mom force him to move in with Mateo and report back on his activity. From there, Rafi’s life spins increasingly out of control in the most hilarious ways possible. The...

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This is one of those better late than never things.   We knew that the trailer for Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky's cringe comedy, Rats! had come out a few days ago but somehow we failed to follow through on sharing it with you.  Aware of our folly we are here to rectify that error. There is no time like the present to share that trailer with you and put this movie on your radar.    Our friends at Yellow Veil Picturs are releasing Rats! in theaters on February 28th, followed by VOD on March 11th, 2025.   It's 2007 in Pfresno, Texas. Raphael is in county jail following an arrest for graffiti. He's a good kid. It's just graffiti. So you can't blame Raphael...

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Angst is alive and well in Collider's exclusive trailer debut of Rats!, an upcoming film that embodies all the punk rock vibes of the early aughts that you’ve been missing. Throwing things back to familiar and simpler times when movies like Slc Punk! and the Cky film series gave us plenty of reasons to believe in the heavily sarcastic and rage-filled counterculture, the Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky co-helmed feature is a love letter to the coming-of-age genre mixed with small town life and big personalities. Ahead of its theatrical arrival on February 28 and its March 11 digital drop, the trailer for Rats! teases one teenager’s battle with growing up and keeping his nose clean, even when the rest of the world pulls him into its drama.

Bookworm

This year's Fantasia international Film Festival came to a close on Sunday night after a bumper year, with record attendance and more sold out screenings than at any time since before the Covid pandemic began. Full details of its Audience Awards have now been released, with Ant Timpson's Bookworm, starring Nell Fisher and Elijah Wood, named Best international Feature.

Next year's festival will be held between 17 July and 3 August.

Those awards in full:

Best International Feature Gold: Bookworm Silver: The Count Of Monte Cristo Bronze: Rats!

Best Asian Feature Gold: A Samurai In Time Silver: Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In Bronze: Penalty Loop

Best Animated Feature Gold: Ghost Cat Anzu Silver: [film id=44072]The...

Raphael (Luke Wilcox) is a a typical 2007 teenage dirtbag who gets wrangles into working as an informant for a local lunatic cop in directors Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky’s uproariously funny cringe comedy, Rats! When Rafi is picked up for tagging a beloved payphone in his native Pfresno, Texas, he finds himself firmly in the sights of the town’s worst law enforcement agent, Officer Williams (Danielle Evon Ploeger). Convinced that Rafi’s small time dope dealer cousin, Mateo (Darius Autry) is using his hustle as a cover for supplying international terrorists with nukes, Williams and Rafi’s mom force him to move in with Mateo and report back on his activity. From there, Rafi’s life spins increasingly out of control in the most hilarious ways possible. The...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Yellow Veil Pictures has boarded worldwide sales for Cannes on Elric Kane’s feature The Dead Thing, which it was announced on Thursday will premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in July.

Described as a contemporary haunted romance and urban legend for the internet dating app era, the film follows a young woman who, lost in a string of meaningless hook-ups, falls in love with a sensitive and charismatic man harbouring a dark secret that turns their affair into a twisted obsession.

Kane co-wrote the script with Webb Wilcoxen (The Frontier)

The Dead Thing stars Blu Hunt, Ben Smith-Petersen...

Heading into Cannes Yellow Veil Pictures has boarded worldwide sales and will handle North American distribution on Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky’s stoner comedy Rats!

Inspired by the DIY filmmaker scene that came out of Austin, Texas in the 1990s the feature centres on Raphael, who after being busted by an overzealous police officer becomes embroiled in the world of drug kingpins, ecoterrorists, mallrats, and proto-soundcloud rappers.

Set in 2007, Rats! Is set to a score of Epitaph Records bands like From First to Last, The Blood Brothers, and Thursday, as well as an original song by Ka5sh featuring Lil B The BasedGod.