Online platforms have released four new productions including The Number of the Beast, The Last House, Sterling Point, and The Last Frontier.
The lineup features Russian crime drama, international science fiction, Canadian mystery, and World War II history. Viewers can stream all four titles during mid-August.
Russian crime thriller set in the nineties
Director Aleksey Bystritsky has released The Number of the Beast, a 12-episode crime series running 48 minutes per episode. Set in the 1990s, the story begins when a brutal family murder in Yaroslavl Oblast mirrors the signature of a serial killer from the 1980s. Meanwhile, Smolensk Oblast Prosecutor's Office investigator Aleksey Kirsanov, played by Dmitry Palamarchuk, receives a threat from a local organized crime group leader.
To escape mob turf wars, colleague Igor Sazonov, played by Mikhail Gorsky, transfers to Yaroslavl Oblast and invites Kirsanov to join him. Kirsanov takes charge of the murder case, but available evidence only confuses the investigation. Filming took place in Yaroslavl and Samara, with a planned 2023 premiere delayed until 2026.
Bystritsky previously directed the thriller series Dusheguby, which depicted the case of serial killer Gennady Mikhasevich, who murdered 36 women in Vitebsk between 1971 and 1985. The new show features Dmitry Palamarchuk as a prominent Russian crime television star and marks one of the final projects for actor Yury Vaksman, known for playing Kolyunya in Molodezhka, before his death in 2024. Viewers tired of nineties crime tropes and investigator drama may find the genre formulaic.
International pandemic allegory and survival story
Director Louis Leterrier presents The Last House, a feature film running one hour and 50 minutes with a 5.9 rating on KinoPoisk. On a rainy day in Seattle, married couple Riley, played by Greta Lee, and Jason, played by Wagner Moura, attempt a walk with their two children. They discover all doors and windows are locked and impossible to break, before learning that people worldwide face identical confinement.
The family engages in indoor farming and hunting after food supplies run out, until an evil, hungry entity opens their doors. Serving as an allegory for the pandemic era, promoters built a living room inside a Los Angeles billboard on Sunset Boulevard, equipping an occupant with furniture, maps, books, and a whiteboard to talk with passersby. Crew members filmed the Seattle scenes in rainy London.
Early viewers describe the movie as weak, reporting that the narrative loses logic and resembles a mix of Jaws and Alien.
Canadian island mystery and family secrets
Director Megan Park delivers Sterling Point, an eight-episode series with 51-minute episodes and a 7.3 KinoPoisk rating. New York resident Annie, played by Ella Rubin, receives a letter from her estranged grandfather revealing that she and her twin brother Connor, played by Kean Ruffalo, inherited a Canadian island. Raised by a stepfather after their mother died early, Annie travels to the Muskoka property.
On the island, Annie meets Ramona, played by Amelie Hoeferle, who looks identical to her mother, claims ownership of the estate, and asserts that Annie's family photos show Ramona's mother. Filming began at Sparrow Lake camp, moved to Mortimers Point marina in Muskoka, filmed at Forks of the Credit in August 2025, and shot main scenes in Toronto. Park previously filmed My Old Ass at a real cottage named Sterling Point on Lake Joseph, while the screen estate combined three separate houses.
World War II battle behind enemy lines
Director Rod Lurie presents The Last Frontier, a war film running one hour and 43 minutes with a 5.6 KinoPoisk rating. Set on the Western Front in 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge Ardennes operation, a Nazi ambush wipes out an American unit, leaving only wounded Captain John Castle, played by Scott Eastwood. Stranded in Belgium, Castle carries his unit radio transmitter to reach friendly lines.
Producer Mark Friedman conceived the film after participating in a teenage program bringing American World War II veterans back to European battle sites. Military advisor Jariko Denman researched combat engineering, weapons, explosives, tactics, and training using archival films, photos, and eyewitness accounts, combining historical data with his combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. Production filmed battle sequences against SS troops in single continuous shots with real-time destruction in Bulgaria.
Viewers who missed earlier digital releases can browse the Kino Zdes column published by Omsk Zdes.
