Earlier this year I remember first seeing “The Expendables 4” on the list of upcoming 2023 movies. I hadn’t heard anything about it before reading the list and have heard nothing about it since. But is until yesterday when Lionsgate dropped the first trailer for the next installment in the previously dormant all-star action franchise. It’s the first Expendables film since 2014 and it’s said to have been given a $100 million budget. Wow!

“Expend4bles” brings back many familiar faces including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture. New to the series is Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Eddie Hall, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and more. The new trailer is full of the machismo-fueled action that has been a staple of the series. It’s said to be Stallone’s last turn as lead character Barney Ross with Statham taking the reins of any future movies. I enjoyed the first two films but didn’t care for the third. I’m curious to see how this one turns out.

“Expend4bles” hits theaters September 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Lionsgate has released a hilarious collection of character posters for their upcoming horror comedy “The Blackening”. The film comes from director Tim Story (“Barbershop”, “Ride Along”) and is written for the screen by Tracy Oliver (“Girls Trip”) and one of the films stars, Dwayne Perkins. The cast is loaded with interesting talent that includes Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, and Yvonne Orji.

“The Blackening” plays with the idea that the Black character is often the first to die in slasher films. The story follows a group of friends who fit the many character types that often populate these movies. The difference in this case is they are all Black. The group must overcome a comical array of well-worn horror movie tropes if they have any hope of surviving. The character posters tap into what kind of humor we can expect.

“The Blackening” releases exclusively in theaters on June 16th.

Happy Birthday Clint Eastwood. The legendary actor, director and producer turns 93 today. Born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, California, the acclaimed filmmaker has had a remarkable career winning four Academy Awards and having been nominated a total of eleven times. Movies he has directed have earned a total of 41 Oscar nominations.

Eastwood’s big break came in 1958 when he was cast as Rowdy Yates on the CBS television Western series “Rawhide”. In 1963 he landed the lead role in “A Fistful of Dollars”, a landmark Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Leone. Eastwood and Leone would collaborate for two more films, “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. The trilogy made Eastwood a bonafide movie star and his career would skyrocket from there.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Eastwood would both star and direct several Westerns, action comedies, dramas, war movies and psychological thrillers. And he continued to give us memorable characters from Harry Callahan to Josey Wales to Preacher. He didn’t slow down in the 1990s and the 2000s, delivering strong nuanced performances in movies like “Unforgiven”, “Million Dollar Baby” and “Gran Torino”. In the 2010s he kept working behind the camera, directing “J. Edgar”, “American Sniper”, “Sully”, and “Richard Jewell” among others. And this year he’s directing his 41st and final feature film, “Juror No. 2”.

That only skims the surface on what has been one of the greatest careers in cinema history.

Well Go USA Entertainment has announced the upcoming release of “The Tank”, a crafty horror thriller/ creature feature from director, writer, and producer Scott Walker. The film stars Luciane Buchanan and Matt Whelan as a couple who move to the country with their young daughter after inheriting a cottage along some Oregon coastal property. They make a discovery that allows Walker to show his clear love for the horror genre. You can read my full review of the film HERE .

The new Blu-ray and DVD editions of “The Tank” will release on June 27th, 2023. See below for a full synopsis and breakdown of the bonus features.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:

Year: 2023

Rating: R (Some violence/bloody images and brief language)

Runtime: 100 Minutes

Director: Scott Walker

Screenwriter: Scott Walker

After unexpectedly inheriting a mysteriously abandoned coastal property, Ben packs up his family and travels to explore the place, bewildered about why his mother had never mentioned its existence. However, her reason for secrecy soon becomes clear when the family accidentally frees the ancient, long-dormant creature that had terrorized the entire region for generations—including Ben’s own parents.

“THE TANK” stars Luciane Buchanan (“The Night Agent,” “The New Legends of Monkey“, “Filthy Rich“), Matthew Whelan (“Narcos“, “American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story”), Zara Nausbaum (“The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith“) and newcomer Regina Hegemann as the creature.

Bonus content includes the behind-the-scenes featurettes “A Look into The Tank” and “Making the Creature.”

Walt Disney Studios has released a collection of new character posters for their highly anticipated “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”. The film recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it was met with mixed reviews from critics. But franchise fans remain excited for the long awaited return of everyone’s favorite treasure-hunting, tomb-raiding, Nazi-evading, archeologist.

Harrison Ford returns to one of his most iconic roles for one last adventure. Created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman and brought to life by Ford, Indiana Jones is a character beloved by fans across the globe. This fifth and final installment of the franchise is directed by James Mangold and sees Indy meeting some old friends and facing several new enemies. He’s joined but a fun cast that includes Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, and more.

These all-new character posters look great and feature many of the characters. But any devoted Indy fan has to ask…Where’s Sallah????

The more I see of “Barbie” the more unsure I am about it. Based on the popular fashion dolls by Mattel, “Barbie” certainly seems to capture the goofy and playful spirit you might expect from such an undertaking. But with every new look we get I still find myself wondering if it’s going to be a bit too much. Like a sensory overload of bright pastels and overt silliness. The “main trailer” dropped today and it only cemented my feelings.

But as I’ve said before, in Greta I trust. Greta Gerwig is indeed directing from a script she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach. That alone is enough to get me onboard. The film’s star, Margot Robbie certainly looks, sounds, and acts the part of Barbie. The jury is still out of Ryan Gosling as Ken. Regardless there’s enough in the trailer to entice me to see it. Now here’s to hoping it delivers. We won’t have to wait long to find out.

“Barbie” hits theaters July 21st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.