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“Did you like that?” Whether he knows it or not, writer-director Alex Russell has recreated the core dynamic of his debut feature, Lurker, by asking me this question at one point during our interview. The relationship between an artist and their admirers is often envisioned as a one-way, unequal dynamic where one party produces and the other consumes. But there’s a more complicated cycle of mutually reinforcing validation that his film explores to provocative, and often frightening, ends.

At this moment in our conversation, Russell flipped the traditional flow of an interview and asked for my thoughts on a theory he floated about tweaking The King of Comedy. His contemporary take on the obsession of fandom centers on a retail worker, Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), who will seemingly stop at nothing to ingratiate himself with an emerging pop star, Oliver (Archie Madekwe). The filmmaker shared his interpretation of the seminal...

"You don't have to do all of this weird s*!t to hang with us." Mubi has revealed the first official trailer for a sneaky thriller titled Lurker, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year (it made my Best of the Fest list). Lurker is the feature directorial debut of writer / director Alex Russell, who already made a name for himself writing for the "Beef" series and episodes of "The Bear" & "Dave" previously. This fantastic parasocial, paranoid film arrives to watch in the US in theaters this month. Starring Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu, Wale Onayemi, Daniel Zolghadri, and Sunny Suljic. When a wannabe-famous nobody working at a clothing store surprisingly befriends a famous celebrity musician, he'll do anything (anything!!) to stay in his orbit and leech off of his fame. "A screw-turning psychological thriller made for the moment." Online fixation meets reality...

Lurker was previously reviewed by us at the Sundance Film Festival. Having now played Fantasia, Mubi will release it theatrically this month.

Plot: A retail employee (Théodore Pellerin) worms his way into the inner circle of a rising pop star, Oliver (Archie Madekwe) and will do whatever he needs to in order to stay there.

Review: Lurker is exactly the kind of movie I want to see when I hit Sundance. I went in knowing next to nothing about it other than the fact that some folks involved with The Bear had a hand in it. Days before its premiere, it screened for many of the Sundance volunteers, which is usually something they do when they know they have a real winner on their hands.

Sure enough, Lurker is a terrific blend of black comedy and psychological thriller, with it playing out as almost an evil, demented version of Almost Famous.

As the summer comes to an end, August delivers the season’s most eclectic lineup of films. From a few studio highlights to Cannes premieres to festival favorites some years back that are finally arriving, there are many worthwhile opportunities to beat the heat.

14. Harvest (Athina Rachel Tsangari; Aug. 1 in theaters and Aug. 8 on Mubi)

One of the most beautifully shot films of the year, courtesy of Sean Price Williams, Athina Rachel Tsangari’s period piece Harvest is rolling out this month. Savina Petkova said in her Venice review, “An unnamed village, an unknown time; somewhere in Britain, sometime in the Late Middle Ages, something is about to end. Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest sees the twilight of an old social order, but is not mourning a paradise lost. That would be too simplistic a comparison for a filmmaker whose work has always succeeded in weaving the allegorical with the political,...

The Fantasia International Film Festival kicks off its 29th year this week. The Montreal-based festival is a haven for genre fans and films from all corners of the world. Horror, sci-fi and fantasy fans gather every year to celebrate some high-profile premieres, festival favorites, and smaller films just beginning to find their fans. There is something at this fest for everyone, and it’s always exciting to see what will be on offer.

Though it’s nearly impossible to cover every single inch of what Fantasia has to offer, we have put together a snapshot of some of our most anticipated films. Keep checking back for reviews over the course of the festival, as your next favorite film might be around the corner.

And for more details on the films screening at this year's Fantasia International Film Festival, visit: https://fantasiafestival.com/en

Influencers

In the sequel to his 2022 hit Influencer,...

As video game film adaptations continue to find success on streaming platforms, the same can be said for video game movies based on true events. Tetris, starring Taron Egerton, is a film that can be described in many ways, but a video game adaptation, it has become a streaming hit on Apple TV+ since its release in 2023, showing that even the stories behind these iconic titles are just as interesting as the game itself.

According to FlixPatrol, Tetris landed at #4 on Apple TV+'s Top 10 Movies in the United States on July 15, 2025, sandwiched between The Gorge and Wolves. Tetris is based on a true story where Dutch game developer Henk Rogers (Egerton) travels to Russia to acquire the rights to Tetris before the GameBoy's release, and how it became an iconic game to this day. However, this mission is far from easy, as it was during the Cold War era,...

Benedict Cumberbatch continues to rock the mustache while attending the Prada Spring/Summer 2026 Menswear Fashion Show on Sunday (June 22) in Milan, Italy.

The 48-year-old actor was seen sitting next to fellow Brit Archie Madekwe at the runway presentation during Milan Menswear Fashion Week.

Also in attendance were fellow actors Benito Skinner, Nicolas Maupas, Lee Do-hyun, Harris Dickinson, Riz Ahmed, Tipnaree Weerawatnodom, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Tosin Cole, Frank Dillane, Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, Finnegan Oldfield and Fernando Lindez, plus singers Stormzy, Mahmood and Giovanni Caccamo, model Caroline Daur and stylist Marc Forne.

Following the recent release of his movie The Phoenician Scheme, Benedict has another movie coming out later this summer – The Roses – with Olivia Colman.

Just last week, Benito opened up about the potential for a second season of Overcompensating, and making a new movie with co-star Owen Thiele.

Check out more photos of the celebrities attending the Prada fashion show in Milan…...

A sci-fi show starring Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista called See is getting new attention on Apple TV+. The series first came out when Apple TV+ was just starting to build its collection of original shows.

Even though it launched alongside popular titles like The Morning Show and Ted Lasso, See didn’t get a big audience at first and ended quietly after three seasons in 2022.

Recently, See has been making a comeback. According to Cbr, it has moved into the top ten most-watched shows on Apple TV+ worldwide. At one point, it climbed as high as number seven on the global charts. This is surprising because See is actually the oldest show on the list, having debuted a year before many others.

Related: Dave Bautista Joins the Sequel to Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Action Hit

One reason for its slow start might be the mixed reactions to the first season.

A sci-fi series starring Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista is getting new attention on Apple TV+. The show, called See, was one of the very first original series released by Apple TV+. It premiered alongside other early Apple shows like The Morning Show, For All Mankind, and Dickinson.

Despite the big launch, See didn’t become as popular as Apple probably hoped. After three seasons, it ended in 2022 and was mostly forgotten.

But recently, See has been climbing back up in Apple TV+’s streaming charts. According to Cbr, the show is currently in the top ten worldwide on Apple TV+, even reaching number seven on June 12. Other popular shows like Ted Lasso, Severance, and Your Friends and Neighbors are also on the list. Interestingly, See is the oldest show on the list, having premiered a year before Ted Lasso.

Related: Jason Momoa’s Lobo Is the Key to Supergirl’s Big-Screen Journey,...

How many times have you spotted a stunning car and dropped everything just to take it in? Be honest—whether it’s a vintage Mustang rumbling down the street or a souped-up Jdm beast screaming through the night, you’ve paused, stared, maybe even followed it for a block. What was once just a machine built to go from point A to point B has become something else entirely. It’s in our DNA now. It’s emotion. It’s an obsession.

For many of us, the automobile bug bit early. Watching Dom Toretto and his crew fly through the streets—turbochargers whining, engines roaring, tires screeching—turned our veins into fuel lines. Pops, bangs, and gear shifts? Goosebumps, every time.

And Hollywood noticed. Over the years, the big screen has given us some absolute gems—racing movies that do more than show off speed; they show heart, pressure, passion,...

What’s the difference between love and obsession? Find out in the Lurker trailer below.

Described as “Nightcrawler for the social media generation,” the psychological thriller opens in theaters on August 22 via Mubi.

With an incisive view to contemporary culture, Lurker presents an exhilarating take on the music industry, the blurred line between friend and fan, and our universal search for validation.

When 20-something Los Angeles retail clerk and loner Matthew encounters rising pop star Oliver, he takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. But staying there isn’t easy.

With an entire entourage vying for attention, Matthew must prove himself to Oliver as more than just a follower. As their bond grows strained and mainstream fame appears within reach, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

Théodore Pellerin (Beau Is Afraid) and Archie Madekwe (Saltburn) star with Zack Fox (“Abbott Elementary”), Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms), Wale Onayemi,...

Marathi-language feature “Cactus Pears” (“Sabar Bonda”) continued its festival winning streak by taking home the Grand Jury Prize at the inaugural SXSW London festival.

The award was announced by the festival’s features jury, comprising writer-director Julia Jackman, actor Archie Madekwe and actor-writer Susan Wokoma.

Directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade in his feature debut, “Cactus Pears” follows two men navigating societal pressures in a rural Indian community. The story centers on Anand, a 30-something city dweller forced to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in western India’s countryside, where he bonds with Balya, a local farmer struggling to remain unmarried. As the mourning period ends and Anand must return to the city, he faces a crucial decision about their relationship.

At the SXSW London closing gala, jury member Wokoma said: “The winning film is a stunning portrait of love and tenderness and beauty in and amongst grief...

Gold Derby's top news stories for June 5, 2025.

Nick Jonas is about to get Kiss-ed

Deadline is reporting that the youngest JoBro is set to play Kiss lead singer Paul Stanley in the upcoming biopic about the band, Shout It Out Loud. McG will reportedly direct the movie from a script by Darren Lemke. The other three members of Kiss have yet to be cast.

Willem Dafoe heads to the Basement

The four-time Oscar nominee is the tenant from hell (maybe literally?) in the first trailer for The Man in My Basement. Corey Hawkins plays the owner of the titular subterranean dwelling, which comes from a book by acclaimed novelist Walter Mosley (Devil in a Blue Dress).

First look at Prime Video's spy series Butterfly

Daniel Dae Kim is blowing up something behind him, and he is not looking back. Images from the upcoming series Butterfly, based on the graphic novel by Arash Amel,...

"We all want the same thing... I just want it more." Mubi has revealed the first official trailer for a superb thriller titled Lurker, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year (it made it onto my Best of the Fest list). Lurker is the feature directorial debut of writer / director Alex Russell, who already made a name for himself writing the script for the "Beef" series as well as episodes of "The Bear" and "Dave" previously. He's made his mark with this one. This fantastic parasocial, paranoid film arrives to watch in the US starting this August. The film stars Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu, Wale Onayemi, Daniel Zolghadri, and Sunny Suljic. When a wannabe-famous loser working at a clothing store befriends a famous celebrity musician, he'll do anything to stay in his world and leech off of his fame. "A screw-turning psychological thriller made for the moment.

Where does the boundary between lust, obsession, fandom, and devotion lie? Alex Russell’s directorial debut “Lurker” explores the twisted nature of celebrity in Los Angeles. The feature, which wowed at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, stars Théodore Pellerin as Matthew, a socially-obsessed videographer who becomes entangled with a rising pop star, Oliver (Archie Madekwe).

Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu, Wale Onayemi, Daniel Zolghadri and Sunny Suljic co-star. Pat Scola was the cinematographer.

Russell has been known for his writing and supervising producing work on TV series “The Bear” and “Beef.” His debut “Lurker” became one of the most buzzed-about sales titles at Sundance; it was later acquired by Mubi.

“The characters in this movie are archetypes,” Russell told IndieWire earlier this year. “I’ve seen every character in this movie 10 times over. Relating to Matthew is very important because the movie is subjective in that way, whereas a lot of movies about an obsessive person,...

Earlier this year, JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch Lurker, the boundary-pushing debut feature from writer/director Alex Russell, at the Sundance Film Festival. Describing the film as “a terrific blend of black comedy and psychological thriller” and “exactly the kind of movie I want to see when I hit Sundance,” Bumbray gave Lurker a 9/10 review that can be read at This Link. Recently, it was announced that film distributor Mubi (which is also a streaming service and production company) is planning to give Lurker a North American theatrical release on August 22nd – and now, with that date just two months away, a trailer for the film has dropped online. You can check it out in the embed above.

Here’s the official synopsis: When a twenty-something retail clerk encounters a rising pop star, he takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. But...

One of the most buzzed-about films to come out of Sundance and New Directors/New Films this year, Lurker marks the directorial debut from The Bear and Beef writer-producer Alex Russell. The cat-and-mouse thriller starring Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu, Wale Onayemi, Daniel Zolghadri, and Sunny Suljic has been set for an August 22 release from Mubi and now the first trailer has arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “When a twenty-something retail clerk encounters a rising pop star, he takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. But as the line between friend and fan blurs beyond recognition, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.”

Daniel Eagan said in our Nd/Nf preview, “The thirst for celebrity drives Lurker, a canny, mean-spirited look at a music industry driven by viral videos. Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), a clerk in a clothing store, worms his...

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Hulu is ready with an entertainment-packed June this year. The upcoming month will see the release of the much-anticipated adult animated film Predator: Killer of Killers and the return of one of the most popular series of recent times, The Bear. Just like every month, Hulu is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the 10 new movies and TV shows coming to Hulu in June 2025.

Presence (June 3) Credit – Neon

Presence is a supernatural thriller drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay by David Koepp. The 2024 film follows the point of view of a ghost who haunts a house as the Payne family moves into it. Presence stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, Julia Fox, Natalie Woolams-Torres, and Lucas Papaelias.

I, Addict Season 1 (June 4) Credit – Disney+

I,...

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It always seems like Netflix has an unending library of great movies and TV shows, but at the same time, it is also quite difficult to figure out what you actually want to watch. So, we thought why not let Netflix make it easy for you, as it removes movies and TV shows from its library every month, and we decided to pick the best of the best films and TV shows you should watch before you can’t anymore.

Closer (June 1) Credit – Sony Pictures

Closer is a romantic drama film directed by Mike Nichols from a screenplay by Patrick Marber. Based on Marber’s 1997 play of the same name, the 2004 film explores love and relationships through the perspectives of four different but interconnected people. Closer stars Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen.

Cult of Chucky...

Paris-based The Party Film Sales has boarded “Nino,” Pauline Loquès’ feature debut which stars rising Canadian actor Théodore Pellerin (“Lurker”).

Pellerin stars Nino, a young man on a journey to reconnect with the world and himself in the streets of Paris, following the suggestion of his doctors. “In three days, Nino will face a major challenge,” reads the enigmatic synopsis.

The cast is completed by William Lebghil, Salomé Dewaels and Jeanne Balibar. “Nino” is produced by Sandra da Fonseca at Blue Monday Productions, and co-produced by France 2 Cinéma. It was also pre-bought by Ciné+, Ocs and Disney+. The Party Film Sales will represent the film in international markets.

Estelle de Araujo and Samuel Blanc, co-heads of The Party Film Sales, said “Nino” “demonstrates an impressive maturity” for a first feature, and describes it as an “immensely delicate generational portrait.”

The pair praise Pellerin for delivering a “mesmerizing performance, all in subtlety.

It’s quite surprising to me how far our society has come in the past few years. We’ve seen studios and the MPAA show filmmakers much more latitude than ever before. Case in point: Saltburn. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen much edgier exchanges than anything that transpires in Saltburn in indie pictures. However, I think Academy award-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell moved the needle on what a filmmaker can get away with in mainstream cinema with Saltburn. I won’t go too in-depth on what makes the flick controversial to some. I’ll let you experience it for yourself as it’s probably better that way. However, before you take in the flick, you’ll want to check out auteur filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s endorsement.

The Blade 2 director is a big fan of Saltburn. He previously tweeted his thoughts on the picture, saying: “Saltburn (’23) Was...

Earlier this year, JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch Lurker, the boundary-pushing debut feature from writer/director Alex Russell, at the Sundance Film Festival. Describing the film as “a terrific blend of black comedy and psychological thriller” and “exactly the kind of movie I want to see when I hit Sundance,” Bumbray gave Lurker a 9/10 review that can be read at This Link. Now, it has been announced that film distributor Mubi (which is also a streaming service and production company) is planning to give Lurker a North American theatrical release on August 22nd. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a trailer for this one very soon.

Here’s the official synopsis: When a twenty-something retail clerk encounters a rising pop star, he takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. But as the line between friend and fan blurs beyond recognition, access and proximity...

Hot off the success of The Substance, Mubi will release Lurker in theaters on August 22.

The announcement comes with new stills of stars Théodore Pellerin (Beau Is Afraid) and Archie Madekwe (Midsommar), pictured above and below.

The parasocial, paranoid thriller follows a 20-something retail clerk who encounters a rising pop star, taking the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. As the line between friend and fan blurs beyond recognition, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

“The Bear” and “Beef” writer-producer Alex Russell makes his feature directorial debut from his own script.

Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms), Sunny Suljic (The Killing of a Sacred Deer), Daniel Zolghadri (Y2K), and Zack Fox (“Abbott Elementary”) round out the cast.

High Frequency Entertainment, MeMo, Arts & Sciences, Twin Pictures, and Case Study Films produce.

Lurker premiered to critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in January. It’s set...

Exclusive: The Substance distributor Mubi has announced a North American release date for Lurker, its Sundance cat-and-mouse thriller starring Théodore Pellerin (Beau Is Afraid) and Archie Madekwe (Saltburn), also unveiling a pair of new stills, which you can view above and below.

The film is set to hit theaters on August 22, opening against Lionsgate’s indie Sydney Sweeney vehicle Americana and Vertical’s thriller Eden from Ron Howard.

World premiering to critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival, where it notched one of this year’s few deals, Lurker watches as a 20-something retail clerk encounters a rising pop star, taking the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. As the line between friend and fan blurs beyond recognition, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

Set to close out New Directors/New Films in New York City after making its international premiere at the Berlinale,...

Looking for bold new work from first- and second-time feature filmmakers? Look no further than New Directors/New Films, the New York City festival that annually highlights them. Now in its 54th year, New Directors/New Films (Nd/Nf) returns to New York April 2 through 13, hailing from the Museum of Modern Art and Film at Lincoln Center.

Sarah Friedland’s debut feature, “Familiar Touch,” will open the festival with its New York premiere. The drama centers on a dementia-suffering octogenarian Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), who has a surreal experience after relocating to an assisted-living facility. The film nearly swept the 2024 Venice Film Festival Orizzonti Competition, winning Lion of the Future, Best Director, and Best Actress for Chalfant.

The festival closes with the post-Sundance New York debut of the stylish “Lurker,” directed by Emmy-winning “Beef” and “The Bear” writer and producer Alex Russell. Théodore Pellerin stars as a retail worker who becomes...

After showcasing work from the likes of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Kelly Reichardt, Pedro Almodóvar, Souleymane Cissé, Jia Zhangke, Spike Lee, Lynne Ramsay, Michael Haneke, Wong Kar-wai, Agnieszka Holland, Denis Villeneuve, Luca Guadagnino, and more, New Directors/New Films is back for their 54th edition, taking place from April 2-13 at Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art. The 2025 lineup has now been unveiled, including Sarah Friedland’s Opening Night selection Familiar Touch, Alex Russell’s Closing Night selection Lurker, as well as more acclaimed features such as Invention, Drowning Dry, Fiume o morte!, No Sleep Till, Two Times João Liberada, Timestamp, and more.

Dan Sullivan, 2025 Nd/Nf Co-Chair and Flc Programmer, says, “The lineup for this year’s edition of New Directors/New Films inevitably reflects the uncertainties and tragedies of our global situation in 2025, yet it also evinces the sheer resilience of cinema and the...

The 54th annual New Directors/New Films festival is almost here. IndieWire can unveil this year’s lineup of the beloved program from theMuseum of Modern Art and Film at Lincoln Center. The 2025 New Directors/New Films (Nd/Nf) will take place April 2 – April 13.

Sarah Friedland’s debut feature “Familiar Touch” will open the festival with its New York premiere. The drama centers on octogenarian Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant) who has a surreal experience after relocating to an assisted-living facility. The feature earned three awards in the 2024 Venice Film Festival Orizzonti Competition, including the Lion of the Future, Best Director, and Best Actress for Chalfant.

Nd/Nf will close with the New York premiere of buzzy Sundance 2025 film “Lurker,” directed by “Beef” and “The Bear” writer and supervising producer Alex Russell. Théodore Pellerin stars as a retail worker who becomes obsessed with an up-and-coming musician (Archie Madekwe). “Lurker” is Russell’s feature directorial debut.

For a film literally called “Lurker,” Archie Madekwe’s casting in Alex Russell’s chilling directorial debut about fame and fandom came about through a spot of, well, lurking.

The fast-rising British star — one of the few survivors from Emerald Fennell’s aristocratic “Saltburn” murders — had actually submitted a tape for the role of Matthew, the shop assistant/fawning superfan who manages, through near excruciating-to-watch persistence, to insinuate himself into the entourage of music star Oliver.

“I honestly thought I crushed the tape,” he tells Variety. Naturally, the actor then heard nothing back, and in the years that followed, as the project went through various iterations, simply figured it wasn’t to be. As it turned out Russell — best known as a writer on “Beef” and “The Bear” — hadn’t even seen his recording.

But he had spied Madekwe in a Los Angeles coffee shop.

“When we met, he said to me,...

Focus Features has bought international rights to “Lurker,” Alex Russell’s directorial debut about clout-chasing and the dark side of fame that became one of the standouts hits from this year’s Sundance, Variety has learned.

Arthouse distributor Mubi had already picked up the film for the U.S. out of the festival in a rumored mid-seven-figure deal, as Variety reported.

A tense feature about an ambitious hipster and the rising pop star he exploits, “Lurker” stars Théodore Pellerin as Matty, a lowly clerk at a high-end sneaker and apparel store in Los Angeles. When his favorite singer (“Saltburn” star Archie Madekwe) saunters in, Matty starts cozying up to the social media star. Before long, he’s installed himself in a world of hedonism and opportunity — and he can stay, as long as he manages the pecking order of the entourage and the fickle demands of celebrity. Everything that can go wrong does,...

The democratization of celebrity in the 21st century has accelerated the process of audience capture: Tell fans what they want to hear and reap the rewards. Lurker portrays an even more contemporary permutation of this feedback loop by dismantling the presumed hierarchy of its participants. The artist and audience member are coequal—and codependent—in this perceptive drama about a parasocial relationship that enters the realm of reality.

The value exchange is clear from the moment in Alex Russell’s film where Matthew (Théodore Pellerin) steals an Av jack at the clothing store where he works to blast a song meant to resonate with rising music star Oliver (Archie Madekwe). Instead of professing his deep knowledge of Oliver’s work, Matthew plays dumb and lies that his selection of the song, which inspired the artist, was just pure coincidence. Mistaking the artificial meet-cute for an authentically serendipitous connection, Oliver invites...

Move over Eve Harrington and Rupert Pupkin, we have a new fame-obsessed sociopath for the age of social media clout. Played with squirmy panache by Théodore Pellerin, Matthew – the anti-hero of Alex Russell’s Lurker – seems destined to worm his way into cineaste consciousness with a needy smile and a series of awkward proposals. The fame-hungry, cringe-inspiring young man enters the film’s narrative running, and rarely takes a break as he manipulates and sabotages those around him – as well as himself – in increasingly unpredictable fashion.

In Matthew’s mind, “fan” is a dirty word. He wants to be part of rising musician Oliver’s (Archie Madekwe) entourage – a friend, certainly, and the more he thinks about it, a collaborator. Matthew becomes part of the world at breakneck pace, and soon finds himself doing anything he can to remain within it.

At a time when streaming services ask screenwriters...

Debut writer-director Alex Russell has produced some of the most popular and acclaimed television series in recent years, Beefand The Bear, but now, at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, he is showing his chops as a singular visionary with his film Lurker. The thriller, starring Théodore Pellerinof Beau is Afraid fame and Saltburn's Archie Madekwe, examines the darker side of celebrity obsession.

“The Substance” distributor Mubi has acquired Sundance favorite “Lurker” following a highly competitive bidding war and will release the movie in theaters later this year. The film will receive its international premiere at the 2025 Berlinale.

The film, which made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year, tells the story of a retail employee who infiltrates the inner circle of a music artist on the verge of stardom. But, “as he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.”

Writer and director Alex Russell has been part of major shows like “Dave” and “The Bear,” but “Lurker” marks his feature directorial debut.

“It was already such a privilege to show our movie at Sundance last week. I’m honestly still reeling and recovering from that experience” said director Russell in an official statement. “To have found such an ideal...

Riding momentum from its five Academy Award nominations for “The Substance,” boutique movie distributor Mubi has picked up another buzzy indie film for the U.S. market.

“Lurker,” a tense feature about an ambitious hipster and the rising pop star he exploits for fame and community, has been snapped up by Mubi following this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Screening in the fest’s premiere section, Mubi took “Lurker,” written and directed by Alex Russell, in a competitive situation for a mid-seven-figure price tag.

Exact numbers weren’t disclosed but one person with knowledge of the deal told Variety that the sale represents a significant domestic theatrical release commitment from Mubi. The indie distributor previously released “The Substance” and “Decision to Leave.”

Rising star Théodore Pellerin plays Matty, a lowly clerk at a high-end sneaker and apparel store in Los Angeles. When his favorite singer (Archie Madekwe of “Saltburn”) saunters in,...

This year’s edition of the Sundance Film Festival felt a touch bittersweet to me. You see, Sundance is on the verge of relocating, with it increasingly unlikely that it will continue in Park City past the 2026 festival edition. Having been going to Sundance since 2010 (where does the time go), I must admit I felt a little sad sitting in some of the classic Sundance spots this year, like the Holiday Village Cinemas (where all the press screenings are) and the classic Eccles theatre, as after next year that might be the end of their run as premium Sundance spots. I’ve seen so many classics in these theatres, and it will be a shame to bid adieu to Park City.

Oh well, at least we have the 2026 edition to look forward to. As it is, the 2025 edition turned out to be the best edition of the festival since it was rocked by the pandemic.

Using the lens of fame, L.A.-based writer/director Alex Russell explores why the need to belong brings out the worst behavior in some men in his debut feature film “Lurker.” Life for Matthew, a retail worker, gets an unexpected boost when rising music artist Oliver comes into his store and ends up inviting him to come hang with him and his crew. Matthew’s initial encounters with them are understandably awkward since Oliver and his boys, not to mention Shai, the one woman in their crew who serves as gatekeeper and fixer, are a tight-knit group who were around him pre-fame. As Matthew eases into a role as Oliver’s videographer, they get into a rhythm. But when Oliver begins to pull away from Matthew, the thought of no longer being in their circle is something Matthew cannot bear — and goes to great lengths to avoid.

“Lurker” doesn...

“I’m not a fan,” snaps Matthew, the master manipulator in the guise of a harmless nobody eager to soak up some of the refracted rays of celebrity in Lurker. Once he has penetrated the inner circle of emerging pop star Oliver, a fan is the most insulting thing you could call him. Proximity gives Matthew — played by Théodore Pellerin with an evil innocence from which you can’t look away — the illusion of being a best friend, a bro, a creative collaborator to the mononymous singer. Everyone in his entourage wants to bask in Oliver’s glow, but nobody wants it as badly as Matt.

Alex Russell, a writer on The Bear, Beef and Dave making an assured feature directing debut, clearly knows the Los Angeles music scene, with its aspirational strivers and anointed supernovas, its hangers-on, its calculating opportunists and, yes, its lowly fans for whom an all-access...

Alex Russell is already an Emmy-winning writer and producer, but with “Lurker,” he steps into the director’s chair — and he got some advice from Baz Luhrmann before he did it.

The film, which made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year, tells the story of a retail employee who infiltrates the inner circle of a music artist on the verge of stardom. But, “as he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.”

Russell has been part of major shows like “Dave” and “The Bear,” but “Lurkers” marks his feature directorial debut. Sitting down at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio presented by World of Hyatt, he revealed that Luhrmann actually gave him some lasting writing advice that he put to work in the project.

“He wrote it in my notebook, and it said something like, when you’re...

In writer-director Alex Russell’s remarkably impressive feature-length debut, Lurker, a rando, a fan-turned-stan, and an obsessive narcissist with sociopathic tendencies, Matthew Morning (Théodore Pellerin), finds himself perfectly situated to leverage a supposedly chance meeting with an up-and-coming pop star with an outsized ego and narcissistic tendencies of his own, Oliver (Archie Madekwe), at the no-frills, up-market LA boutique where Matthew works. It’s a match made in cult of personality/celebrity heaven. When two narcissists meet, egos inevitably collide, metaphorical battle lines drawn, allies won and lost, and winners and losers apportioned according to their relentlessness and willingness to use any means necessary to "win." Just as inevitably, power structures shift, often in surprising or...

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

A transfixing morality tale cleverly turned on its head, “Lurker” opens with an overture: its protagonist, Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), goofing around for a camcorder wielded by a friend. When the person holding the camera jokingly asks Matthew where he sees himself in five years, Matthew replies sincerely. “I already have everything I want,” he says, stealing a glance into the lens.

Rewind to the before times, when Matthew is living with his grandma and working as a retail employee at a hip clothing store in Los Angeles. In walks Oliver (Archie Madekwe), a pop music artist famous enough to cause a murmur among the store patrons. Matthew, abuzz with anticipation, pops on a track that impresses the VIP, and the next thing he knows he’s being folded into the small, sycophantic entourage of not-quite friends and not-quite collaborators fortunate enough to accompany Oliver on his excursions.

So begins a...

“Lurker” is a tight, nifty, and unsettling little parable of the pathology of fame in our time. It tells the story of Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), a nobody who works in one of those bare-bones L.A. clothing boutiques, and how he insinuates himself into the inner circle of Oliver (Archie Madekwe), a budding pop star who has legions of screaming fans but is trying to leap to the next level. (He still rides around in a tour bus.) Matthew becomes Oliver’s bro, his hanger-on, his social-media camera buddy. And Matthew is grateful for the attention — so grateful, in fact, that he’ll do anything, and stop at nothing, to keep it coming.

Thirty years ago, a premise like this one might have been the fuel for a conventional Hollywood thriller. But Alex Russell, the writer-director of “Lurker,” works with a highly accomplished jittery cell-phone-camera aesthetic that makes the entire...

Théodore Pellerin plays a parasocial obsessive who craves proximity to fame in writer/director Alex Russell’s impressive, uneasy debut feature “Lurker,” premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Set in a present-day Los Angeles where everyone is defined not by who they are but by what they do, “Lurker” follows Matthew (the rising and wonderful Canadian actor Pellerin), who becomes obsessed with pop star Oliver (Archie Madekwe) after a chance encounter. Oliver ropes Matthew into his social orbit in ways that start to feel exploitative, potentially to use him as a videographer to document his rising success (a level of fame Oliver himself is becoming uncomfortable with).

But their relationship becomes much more parasitic and toxic — and even homoerotic — in Russell’s tense and absorbing film, one of the most buzzed-about debuts playing Sundance.

“The characters in this movie are archetypes,” Russell, known for his writing and supervising producing work...

Hollywood is heading up the mountain for what’s possibly one of the final Sundance Film Festivals to be held in the posh ski-resort town of Park City. It’s a place that’s hosted its fair share of all-night bidding wars, where films ranging from “Reservoir Dogs” and “Napoleon Dynamite” to “Brooklyn” and “The Big Sick” landed massive deals before going on to box office, and in some cases, Oscar glory. But it’s also been the setting of some frenzied sales that didn’t always pay off, like “Happy, Texas”or “Blinded by the Light.”

Sundance has already announced the festival is considering decamping Utah for Ohio or Colorado in 2027. Even if it does stay in the state, the focus of the festival will shift to Salt Lake City, which is better positioned than Park City to host the crowds that the celebration of movies attracts. So will...

Jessica Chastain, Ben Whishaw, Rebecca Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard were among a first wave of star guests confirmed for the 75th edition of the Berlinale at its line-up press conference on Tuesday.

Chastain will hit the festival as the co-star of Michel Franco’s Golden Bear Contender Dreams, while Whishaw and Hall will attend with Ira Sach’s Peter Hujar’s Day, which plays in the competitive Panorama sidebar. Sevigny is the star of another Panorama title, Magic Farm by Amalia Ulman.

Cotillard tops the cast of Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s Golden Lion Contender The Ice Tower in the role of the enigmatic star of a production of The Snow Queen, who bewitches a young runaway.

Other confirmed guests include Archie Madekwe, who co-stars in Berlinale Special Gala title Lurker; Rose Byrne, who tops the cast of Golden Bear contender If I Had Links I’d Kick You and Lars Eidinger,...

Following last week’s lineup announcement, the Berlinale 2025 has now fleshed out its slate with the Competition, Special, and Perspectives sections. Highlights include the world premieres of Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott; Radu Jude’s Kontinental ’25; Hong Sangsoo’s What Does that Nature Say to You; Michel Franco’s Dreams starring Jessica Chastain; Lucile Hadžihalilović’s The Ice Tower starring Marion Cotillard; and Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Hot Milk with Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, and Vicky Krieps.

The festival will also include international premieres from Julia Loktev, Mary Bronstein, Kahlil Joseph, and more. In terms of omissions for films that potentially could have been a strong fit: there’s no Steven Soderberg’s Black Bag, Wes Anderson’s German production The Phoenician Scheme, nor Berlinale regular Christian Petzold, who wrapped Miroirs No. 3 only a few months ago.

Check out the lineup...

Now that Hereditary is streaming on Netflix, viewers may have an itch for even more terrifying horror movies, and fortunately, A24 has a number of amazing picks. First released in 2018, Hereditary is a supernatural horror film which follows a suburban family who start to notice strange occurrences after the family matriarch dies. As the family edges closer and closer to falling apart, the horrifying secret their grandmother hid threatens to be revealed. The movie is Ari Aster's directorial debut and stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, and Millie Shapiro.

Hereditary held the title of A24's highest-grossing movie for four years, and this achievement shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Hereditary helped put A24 on the map as a serious production company. The movie not only presents a compelling premise and strong filmmaking, but it also includes some of the most shocking and disturbing scares in A24's history. Hereditary...

When it comes to cinematic adaptations of beloved PlayStation games, so far we've enjoyed a mixed bag. HBO's The Last Of Us series ranks among the great TV shows of the millennium thus far; Sony's Uncharted movie with Tom Holland certainly ranks among the films that were released in February 2022; and Neil Blomkamp's Archie Madekwe/Orlando Bloom/David Harbour led Gran Turismo is, well, actually probably a bit better than it gets credit for honestly. And after our first look at David F. Sandberg's take on survival horror game Until Dawn caused no small measure of discourse about how much you can change a game and still keep its title for your movie earlier this week, a new, full trailer for the time loop chiller has just dropped. Check it out below:

Wendigos are in. Ski chalets are still out. But Until Dawn looks... pretty good, actually. Sure,...

A24 has emboldened itself with some incredibly successful films in the last decade, making for an impressive modern box office run few other cinematic brands can compete with. The independent entertainment company has become a trusted name in quality ever since its inception in 2012, taking chances on more bizarre, offbeat, or irreverent stories that bigger studios would be likely to overlook. From A24's unique brand of horror movie to their genre-defining dramas, the production and distribution powerhouse has an impressive box office record.

When it comes to their most profitable ventures, around half of A24's biggest winners are indeed horror movies, with the brand relating itself to scary films that go above and beyond simple campy jumpscares. Beyond that, there are several unique films many may not realize are under A24's umbrella that have done the artistically-minded independent production company well in theaters. The franchise's best-performing movies...

From the best indie horror movies to low-budget horror films that exceeded expectations, movies from the horror genre typically make use of a shorter runtime than their peers. Unlike other brands of cinema, the success of such films is not contingent upon elements that other genres traditionally rely on. The goal of these movies is to elicit fear, revulsion, and suspense among their audience. As such, they don't necessarily have to rely on an intricate plot or nuanced character development to produce a successful and memorable viewing experience.

With that being said, several preeminent films from the genre have effortlessly bucked this trend, proving that a lengthy running time doesn't necessarily constitute a death knell for successfully maintaining terror and tension across a longer period of time. From modern stand-outs to classic offerings from the genre, a number of the best horror films of all time have garnered beloved status...

The 2024 British Fashion Awards brought out So many stars!

Alessandra Ambrosio, Glen Powell, Julia Fox and Leomie Anderson were just a handful of the celebs in attendance at the event held at Royal Albert Hall on Monday night (December 2) in London.

The annual event is presented by the British Fashion Council and “is a key fundraiser for the Bfc Foundation and celebrates the role of fashion at the intersection of culture and entertainment, spotlighting creative talent and telling the stories of the year in fashion.”

Keep reading to find out more…

Among those being honored this year include designers Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Simone Rocha and Tom Ford, as well as A$AP Rocky, Issa Rae, Alex Consani and more.

Chloe x Halle kicked off the evening with a performance of the Bee Gees‘ “To Love Somebody,” with performances also from Debbie Harry and Wizkid.

Keep scrolling below to...