Ridley Scott’s Alien was a groundbreaking piece of cinema that redefined the horror and sci-fi genres. Marking the 40th anniversary of the film hitting theaters, a new documentary from director Alexandre O. Philippe (78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene) showcases the film’s enduring legacy and the filmmakers that helped shaped its brilliance. Featuring interviews from Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Roger Corman, and previously unreleased archival footage, this new documentary includes original story notes, rejected designs and storyboards, and the original script from 1971, titled Memory. Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times called the tribute “a well-mounted peek behind the scenes of Ridley Scott’s 1979 science-fiction masterpiece… more interested in what you can see, as well as what you cannot unsee.”

Playing Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Columbus, Kansas, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Denver, Springfield, Phoenix, San Diego, San Fransico, Seattle, Portland, Sante Fe, and Washington DC this weekend; and available on on VOD.

There’s a certain high-profile clown movie in theaters this weekend that will make headlines and likely rake in a ton of cash, but a quiet documentary about another clown should not be overlooked. In 2014, a grainy video of a clown emerging from a girl’s bed compartment as she sleeps gave birth to one of the most popular creepy-pasta (internet lore) videos in YouTube history. For Wrinkles the Clown, director Michael Beach Nichols takes a look at the sensation surrounding the viral phenomenon, how we reacted to it, and the expected twists and turns the narrative took over the past five years. After a raucous debut at Fantastic Fest a couple of weeks ago, the unexpected doc has had critics buzzing. Adam Patterson of Film Pulse called it “an entertaining documentary that explores both a wildly successful social experiment and the reasons behind its universal fascination.”

Playing New York, Los Angeles, Boulder, Birmingham, Baltimore, Columbus, Eugene, Ithaca, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Portland, Santa Fe, Seattle, Tucson, Winston-Salem, and major markets in Florida this weekend; and available on VOD.

Antonio Banderas is finally getting his due and we couldn’t be happier. He and Pedro Almodóvar have a long history of collaboration, and now in their eighth team up, they have crafted their most highly acclaimed film. Playing in Almodóvar’s signature style of auto-fiction (autobiographical fiction), Pain and Glory follows Banderas as an aging director, who has been sidelined by chronic back pain, reflecting on his filmography, frequent collaborators, and, more importantly, his youth and those first sparks of inspiration. The result has netted both Banderas and the Bad Education director rapturous reviews since the film’s Cannes Film Festival premiere earlier this year. Katie Walsh of Tribune News Service said of Almodóvar, “Working with the legends of his long career to operationalize his past, [he] crafts a singularly unique and medium-specific autobiography in which cinema is inextricably linked to his own story, to his heart, soul, and body.”

Playing New York and Los Angeles this weekend; expanding to more screens on October 10. 

Now in wide release! Renée Zellweger is riding high in her first musical since her Oscar-winning performance in Chicago. The Bridget Jones star recently re-emerged after a self-imposed hiatus and has been dominating the awards conversation since Judy debuted at the Telluride Film Festival earlier this month. Zellweger vanishes into her role as Judy Garland in the film, which focuses primarily on the tragic star’s final days and a sold-out comeback tour in London. From the voice to the mannerisms, nothing is out of place in this intimate portrait of the American icon. Joey Magidson of Hollywood News raved, “This is Renée’s show, through and through. She’s terrific in the role and you almost instantly forget you’re watching her. Zellweger inhabits Garland perfectly.”

Expanding to wide release this weekend.