Good news for those movie fans itching for a love story. Yesterday Netflix dropped the first trailer for it’s time-hopping romantic drama “The Last Letter From Your Lover”. The film is based on a 2008 Jojo Moyes romance novel and features two interwoven stories, one set in the 1960’s on the French Riviera and the other in present day London. It’s helmed by Augustine Frizzell and stars Felicity Jones, Shailene Woodley, Callum Turner, and Nabhaan Rizwan.

Jones plays an enthusiastic London journalist who discovers a collection of love letters from 1965. They chronicle an intense forbidden love affair between the wife of a wealthy businessman (Woodley) and a journalist (Turner) assigned to cover her husband. It looks like Frizzell’s movie will bounce back-and-forth between present day and the past as two different romances unfold. The film looks beautiful but it’s hard to get a read on it. Will it be a sweet and heartbreaking or sappy and schmaltzy? I’m anxious to see.

“The Last Letter From Your Lover” premieres on Netflix July 23rd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

It’s May 4th which means it’s Star Wars Day. Sadly I dropped the ball this year. Due to the load of movie screeners I STILL need to watch, I wasn’t able to put together a big post celebrating that galaxy far, far away. But that couldn’t stop from at least geeking out a little. After all, that’s what this day is all about and as an unashamed Star Wars geek, I feel it’s my duty.

This year’s highlight is the premiere of a new Disney+ animated show “The Bad Batch”, a spiritual successor of sorts to the acclaimed “The Clone Wars” series. I had the privilege of seeing the first two episodes early and let me just say the series gets off to a stellar start. The 72-minute pilot is available now on Disney’s streaming service and you don’t want to miss it.

So how can I pay tribute to this franchise that has meant so much to me over the years? How about with a simple gallery of some of the greatest, most unique, and utterly unforgettable characters who have populated this incredible universe over the years? Enjoy them, let me know which are your favorites, and share some of your favorite Star Wars memories. Oh, and of course, May the 4th be with you….always.

Christoph Waltz makes his feature directorial debut in the acidic crime drama “Georgetown”. The film actually had its world premiere way back in 2019 at the Tribeca Film Festival and is just now set for its release here in the States. It’s based on Franklin Foer’s 2012 New York Times Magazine story “The Worst Marriage in Georgetown”. Waltz not only directs but also stars alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Annette Benning, and Corey Hawkins.  

Waltz plays Ulrich Mott, a man starving for social status who marries a wealthy 90-year-old socialite (Redgrave). When she suddenly winds up dead, attention turns to Mott. Soon a web of previously unnoticed lies and deception reveal that Mott may not be the man he claims to be. This looks like a nasty and toxic crime drama which (if handled well) could be utterly fascinating. It could also go the other way fast. I’ll remain optimistic. I really like the cast and I love the potential bite that this movie could pack.

“Georgetown” is set to release May 14th in select theaters and May 18th on VOD. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

German filmmaker Christian Petzold made two of my favorite films of the last decade – 2014’s crushing post-World War II drama “Phoenix” and 2018’s beguiling “Transit”. His most recent film “Undine” released in Europe in 2020 and now it’s finally getting a US release courtesy of IFC Films. And considering his last two stellar efforts, I’m for anything Petzold puts out there.

The film sees Petzold reuniting with his two stars from “Transit”, Paula Beer and Frank Rogowski. Beer plays the titular character, a historian and museum guide who watches her world crumble after she learns her love Johannes (Jacob Matschenz) is leaving her. But when she meets Christoph (Rogowski) the movie takes on a sly fairy tale feel. The new trailer gives us a lot to chew on and makes it clear Petzold’s romance will be filled with mystery and may have a supernatural flavor. I’m incredibly intrigued.

“Undine” releases June 4th in select theaters and on VOD. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

NEON is one of the most compelling distributors of our day. A few days back they dropped a trailer for what looks to be another fascinating part of their catalog. “New Order” is the latest film from visionary writer-director Michael Franco. This dystopian thriller looks to have a biting relevance and an unflinchingly brutal perspective on class, civil unrest, and government power. The film premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Frstival. Now it’s on its way to American theaters courtesy of NEON.

The film sets itself in Mexico in the not-to-distant future. In the early scenes we see a lavish high-society wedding suddenly interrupted by armed rioters. The invaders are part of a violent uprising of the oppressed lower class who overrun the city. Meanwhile the government sees the chaos as an opportunity to overpower the populace and put in place a military-ran dictatorship. Obviously Franco lays some heavy topics on the table and it will be interesting to see how far he goes with it.

“New Order” opens in select theaters May 21st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

An exciting first trailer as dropped for the upcoming Netflix survival thriller “Oxygen”. It comes from director Alexandre Aja whose last movie was the surprisingly entertaining “Crawl”. You know, the one about a father and daughter trapped inside their flooded home by killer alligators during a Category 5 hurricane. On paper it sounded ludicrous. But Aja showed off a real knack for harrowing tight-quartered action and tension-building. I had a blast with it.

With “Oxygen” Aja is going in a much different direction but shows off the same tension-soaked style of filmmaking. Making it even more appealing is the wonderful French actress Mélanie Laurent. In the trailer we see her wake up in what appears to be a high-tech cryo chamber, no bigger than a casket but with all kinds of futuristic bells and whistles. She’s instantly distressed, not aware of who she is or how she got there. Even worse, the unit is slowly running out of oxygen meaning she’ll need to piece together her memories if she has any hope of getting out alive. I love the concept, I love the look of the film, and I’m a fan of Laurent. Sign me up.

“Oxygen” premieres May 12th on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.