For the next few days things will be pretty mellow around here as I’m off for a week-long beach vacation with my wife and kiddos. I still have a few things planned to post this week but for the most part it’s rest and relaxation.

I hope everyone has a great week!

I’ve had the privilege of guest appearing a few times on a terrific local movie show called Tavern Talk by Initial Reaction. A few days ago I was honored to be invited back to the show to discuss the highly anticipated “Fast & Furious 9”. It was a great time.

Please check out our discussion below and I would love to hear what you think.

Sometimes I look at a preview and find myself intrigued from the very first frame even though I have no idea what the filmmakers are going for. Such is the case with the new trailer for “The Harder They Fall”. No, this isn’t a remake of Humphrey Bogart‘s 1956 boxing drama (which was Bogie’s final film). Instead it looks to be a super stylized Western packed with a great cast. Will that translate into interesting characters and a great story? It’s hard to tell, but first-time director Jeymes Samuel looks to be brimming with confidence.

Right off the bat you can’t help but notice the cast – Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors, Regina King, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, and Lakeith Stanfield (recent baggage and all). That’s some major league talent! The trailer doesn’t give us much in terms of story. We see a gang busting out Elba as he is being transported to prison and then setting out on what looks to be a mission of revenge. It’s hard to see a movie with this much talent failing and visually it looks amazing. Hopefully it doesn’t get lost in its effort to be cool and stylish.

“The Harder They Fall” releases this Fall on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

DC and Warner Brothers dropped a new trailer for their upcoming superhero-ish action film “The Suicide Squad”. Many of us remember their last effort, the disastrous 2016 film led by Will Smith and directed by David Ayer. This is considered a direct sequel to that film but with an alleged different approach. This one is helmed by James Gunn who’s known well in superhero movie circles as the man behind Marvel’s two “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies. Here he tries his hand with a new team comprised of villains brought together to save the world.

Nothing about this new film has excited me with the exception of some interesting bits of casting. I love seeing Idris Elba leading the team. And of course Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, and Jai Courtney return. Some new faces include John Cena, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Michael Rooker, Alice Braga, and Sean Gunn among others. We even get Sylvester Stallone voicing a talking shark! I’m still not sold on its aggressively snarky comedy angle which could be either really funny or an annoying crutch. But I’m still going to give it a look.

“The Suicide Squad” premieres August 6th in theaters and streaming on HBO Max. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Check out the killer poster for Edgar Wright’s upcoming psychological thriller “Last Night in Soho”.

DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright

STARRING: Thomason McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Terrence Stamp, Dianna Rigg, Rita Tushingham

RELEASE: October 22, 2021

I love the look of IFC Midnight’s “Settlers”, a mysterious science-fiction Western that packs quite a bit into a trailer that runs just under two minutes. It’s the first feature for writer-director Wyatt Rockefeller and it had its world premiere a few days ago at the Tribeca Film Festival. The premise alone is full of potential and the film’s unique embrace of several cool genres has me intrigued.

The story follows a family of four who have settled on an isolated patch of the Martian frontier. We learn they left Earth in search of something better, but you can’t help but believe there is more to the story. One day a mysterious stranger shows up with an ominous revelation, “This place doesn’t belong to you.” He refuses to leave leading to a tense and uneasy situation. The film stars Sofia Boutella, Nell Tiger Free, Jonny Lee Miller, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Natalie Walsh, and Brooklynn Prince.

“Settlers” releases July 23rd in theaters and on VOD. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.