Clint Eastwood is more than an on-screen legend. He’s also a prolific filmmaker who still steps in front and behind the camera even at 91-years-old. His latest film is “Cry Macho”, an adaptation of N. Richard Nash’s 1975 novel of the same name. It’s the 40th film Eastwood has directed and his first since 2019’s “Richard Jewell”. The first trailer reveals what looks like a heartfelt redemption story set around the United States/Mexico border.

Eastwood plays a former rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who is approached by his old boss (Dwight Yoakam) to go into Mexico and bring back the man’s son. The dangerous job turns into a trip of reflection and mentoring as Eastwood’s character forms an unexpected bond with the youth. Eduardo Minett and Fernanda Urrejola also star. I’m anxious to see where Eastwood goes with this and whether he can capture this material in a fresh and compelling way.

“Cry Macho” premieres September 17th in theaters and on HBO Max. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

John Wick inspired action movies are popping up everywhere these days and Netflix has another one just around the bend. “Kate” has all the kinetic blood-soaked markings of a Wick flick. And while I’m always up for a stylish hyper-violent romp, the real draw here is the film’s lead, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. After getting back-burnered in her last film “Birds of Prey”, here she takes center stage and judging by the first trailer she’s relishing every second.

In “Kate” Winstead plays an assassin (of course) assigned to kill a prominent Yakuza leader. But the hit goes south after she discovers she has been poisoned. With roughly fifteen hours to live Kate sets out to find who’s responsible, leaving a trail of carnage in her wake. Speaking of “carnage”, Woody Harrelson pops up as her handle/contact/mentor…something like that. It’ll be interesting to see how he fits in with everything. I like the look of this and I love seeing Winstead get a meaty action role.

“Kate” premieres September 10th on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

So I had completely forgotten there was a new “Cinderella” movie coming until yesterday when Amazon dropped their first trailer. Hopefully it won’t take me long to forget it again. This particular first look doesn’t do the upcoming fantasy musical any favors. Originally slated for a big screen release, Sony Pictures axed its theater run and sold the film to Amazon Studios. Good move Sony.

Written and directed by Kay Cannon, “Cinderella” is a modernized retelling of the classic fairy tale and stars Camila Cabello in the titular role. It looks like the bare basics of the original story are there – a young woman is kept from going to the ball by her wicked stepmother, but with a little magic she finally gets to go and meets her Prince Charming. But that’s about all in terms of similarities to the original story. This looks to be an aggressive overhaul which brings along a certain level of uncertainty. And the cringy dialogue, bad jokes, and iffy music certainly doesn’t help.

“Cinderella” premieres September 3rd on Amazon Prime streaming. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

As someone not all that acquainted with the world of tennis, the name Richard Williams doesn’t really ring a bell. But even an out-of-the-loop know-nothing like me can tell you about his two famous daughters Venus and Serena. The new film “King Richard” looks at the life of the tennis pro and father who trained two of the greatest tennis players to play the game. It’s an interesting choice to focus on Richard Williams, but one that lets the filmmakers lean on the star power of Will Smith.

The first trailer dropped a few days ago and much of what we see looks like a pretty traditional biopic. Smith is giving the kind of performance that the Academy eats up – transforming and with the kind of big scenes that grabs the attention of voters. All that said, there is an inspirational story at the film’s core and Smith is an actor who can deliver with the right material. There are also two compelling young actresses playing the super-talented sisters (Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton).

“King Richard” hit theaters November 19th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Sony Pictures has done a good job slow-feeding us bites of their upcoming superhero sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”. First there was the creepy reveal teaser. Next came the first full trailer which had a peculiar mix of playfulness and menace. But this new look digs a little deeper into the darkness. It’s still has its jokey moments which makes it hard to get a grasp on what the movie is trying to be. But if the movie fully embraces the madness and the carnage (sorry for that) then this could be a really fun sequel.

As we have already learned, Tom Hardy returns as Eddie Brock and Woody Harrelson debuts at psychopathic Cletus Kassidy aka Carnage. The new trailer gives us some glimpses into Kassidy’s initial transformation and the inevitable showdown between villain and anti-hero Venom. It’s impossible to miss the obvious CGI but there is such ferocity to Carnage and the scenes we so look both thrilling and terrifying. Still not sure about the shots of comedy, but I’m anxious to see what director Andy Serkis has in store for us.

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” opens September 24th in theaters. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Ridley Scott is 83-years-old yet he has two major movies coming out and only a month between them. Last week we were treated to a trailer for the first of the two, “The Last Duel”. Last night the trailer dropped for Scott’s second, “House of Gucci”. The film is co-written by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna and features one knock-out all-star cast that includes Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayak, and Jack Huston. Star-studded indeed.

The first trailer gives us a good taste of what this wild and zesty bio-drama is going for. The film is set in 1995 and focuses on the fall of the Gucci fashion house following the highly publicized murder of its leader Maurizio Gucci (played by Driver). In her first major film role since “A Star is Born”, Lady Gaga plays his socialite wife Patrizia Reggiani. The two Oscar nominees get flashy and meaty roles they can really sink their teeth into. And the great names rounding out the ensemble only make this look and sound better. You can see where the movie could fly completely off the rails. But you can also see where this could be a legitimate Oscar season contender.

“House of Gucci” releases in theaters November 24th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.