I haven’t done many animation first looks but this one is pretty interesting. Disney’s handling of their last animated feature “Luca” was pretty weird – pulling it from its theatrical release and sending it straight to streaming. So far it looks like their next film “Encanto” is slated for the big screen, but it’s still a few months away so I’m guessing anything can happen. The first trailer dropped today to the delight of Walt Disney Animation fans. Where they will get to watch it could still be in question.

“Encanto” comes from co-directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush with music by the seemingly everywhere Lin-Manuel Miranda. It follows the Madrigals, a Colombian family living in an enchanted mountain village. Every child in the family has a magical gift except Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz). But when the household’s magic is threatened, Mirabel may be the only one able to save the day. The story sounds a little generic but the animation looks great and I really like the culture and setting.

“Encanto” is currently scheduled for a theater release November 24th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Val Kilmer’s career makes for a fascinating and sobering story. Now the 61-year-old actor gets a chance to share his life in the upcoming documentary simply titled “Val”, set to premiere this week and Cannes before streaming next month on Amazon Prime. There was a time in the 1980’s and much of the 90’s when Kilmer was everyone and a long and prosperous career seemed all but a certainty. But a two year battle with throat cancer left the star of such films as “Top Gun”, “Tombstone”, and “Heat” barely able to speak and on a feeding tube.

“Val” was put together from thousands of hours of video tapes and film reels shot and compiled by Kilmer himself. The new trailer gives us just a glimpse of the behind the scenes access we can expect, not just to his career but also his life. You get the sense from the trailer and from Kilmer’s Twitter account that this a deeply personal project for him; in many ways therapeutic and a means for him to regain his voice. I’ve always liked Kilmer and I’m really anxious to give this a look.

“Val” is getting a limited theater release July 23rd and lands on Amazon Prime August 6th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Kate Beckinsale is handed a rather…electric role in the new action thriller “Jolt” which is set to premiere on Amazon Prime streaming near the end of this month. The first trailer dropped recently and we learn pretty quick that Beckinsale’s character Lindy isn’t someone you mess with. She has some rather severe anger issues which tends to get her into trouble. It’s also tough for the people around her, like the poor schlub who makes the mistake of eating a sandwich and invading her space on the subway. I’m guessing he’s not chewing much at all after their encounter.

The only way Lindy can control her bad temper and violent tendencies is through a peculiar form of shock therapy prescribed to her by Stanley Tucci. But when her boyfriend is murdered Tucci’s electrified meds can’t stop her from seeking revenge. The killer supporting cast includes Jai Courtney, Bobby Cannavale, Susan Surandon, Laverne Cox, and David Bradley. I’m a Beckinsale fan and the “Underworld” star knows her way around action movies. So this could end up being a lot of fun. We won’t have to wait long to find out.

“Jolt” premieres July 23rd on Amazon Prime. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

A romantic vacation turns messy for John David Washington in the upcoming action thriller “Beckett”. This new Netflix film comes from Italian director Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, screenwriter Kevin A. Rice, and producer Luca Guadagnino. Right off the bat you can’t help but be drawn to its intriguing cast including Washington, Alicia Vikander, Vicky Krieps, and Boyd Holbrook.

Washington plays the title character Beckett, an American tourist who is vacationing in Greece with his girlfriend April (Vikander). After a car accident Beckett wakes up in a hospital with April nowhere in sight. Police question him and immediately become suspicious of his story. Soon a puzzled and frightened Beckett finds himself the target in a run-for-your-life manhunt through a country he doesn’t know. Clearly there are numerous secrets and potential conspiracies boiling under the film’s surface as Washington tries to survive. Shot in Athens, Filomarino seems to be leaning into the beautiful location and the action beats looks to be pretty thrilling.

“Beckett” premieres on Netflix August 13th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Well, vacation came and went in a blur but it was such a fun time with my family. Lots of sand, sun, and seafood over the last several days. Below you’ll find just a few pics from a remarkable and relaxing getaway. Now it’s back to work and back to movies. I missed my screening window on “Black Widow” while I was gone so a review for it won’t be until Friday. But I do have “The Tomorrow War”, “The Forever Purge”, ” Fear Street Part 2: 1978″, and a few more things lined up for this week.

So…let’s get back to talking about movies. And to my American friends celebrating today, Happy 4th of July!

Sony has dropped the wicked new trailer for their upcoming “Don’t Breathe 2”. It’s a sequel to the surprisingly good 2016 film which was co-produced by Sam Raimi. That film introduced Norman Nordstrom, a blind Gulf War veteran with…shall we say…a dark side. In the first film his Detroit home was invaded by some delinquent thieves leading to some pretty violent results. This time around we get a deeper dive into Norman and (you guessed it) with more violent results.

Stephen Lang reprises his role as Nordstrom, not a hero or even an anti-hero. But as screenwriter Fede Alvarez puts it, Norman is an “anti-villain”. This time around he has taken in a young girl orphaned from a terrible house fire. Their quiet and private life is interrupted by kidnappers who seem to know all about Norman’s dark past. They take the girl forcing the blind “anti-villain” to leave the seclusion of his home to rescue his adopted daughter. Fans of the first film will have tons of questions, most notably how can they make a villainous character like the Norman from the earlier movie somehow sympathetic? I’m anxious to see.

“Don’t Breathe 2” hits theaters August 13th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.