While many of Meryl Streep’s more recent films have seen her in supporting roles, she still knocks out the occasional starring turn. And while the Academy is prone to shower accolades on any Streep performance, I find she’s at her best when given meatier lead roles. It looks like she gets one in the upcoming film “Let Them All Talk”, a Steven  Soderbergh dramedy streaming soon exclusively on HBO MAX.

The film sees Streep playing an author who reunites with old friends played by Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest. The “Gang of Three” as they were once known come together with all of the surface niceties but soon old wounds start to fester. The film also stars the wonderful Gemma Chan and Lucas Hedges.

“Let Them All Talk” premieres December 10th on HBO MAX. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

It has been 12 years since we last saw John Patrick Shanley behind the camera. The Oscar-winning writer-director is perhaps best known for his 1987 romantic comedy “Moonstruck” but he also hit critical gold with 2008’s period drama “Doubt”. His latest film sees him returning to the light-hearted charms of his debut. “Wild Mountain Thyme” is based on Shanley’s own play “Outside Mullingar” and it puts together an eye-opening ensemble.

Emily Blunt plays a headstrong farmer and Jamie Dornan plays her childhood friend and the oblivious object of her affections. Joining them in this Irish romance is John Hamm playing one of those annoying Americans and Christopher Walken, an Irish accent and all, playing Dornan’s father who seems intent on selling their family’s farm. I love the cast and there looks to be plenty of room for both ample drops of comedy and drama.

“Wild Mountain Thyme” opens December 11th in theaters and on VOD. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

While I may have grown out of trick-or-treating, I can still have fun on Halloween. And what better way to do it than by watching a good horror movie. And in case you’re looking for some recommendations, what better time to revisit my Phenomenal 5: The Horror Classics edition. The horror genre goes way back to the silent movie era and it has kept audiences fascinated ever since. While you won’t find any films that old on my list, these are still true horror classics that everyone should see (especially on Halloween night). Of course considering how broad of a subject, I wouldn’t call this the definitive list. But you can’t deny that these 5 horror movie classics are nothing short of phenomenal.

#5 – “Psycho”

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece “Psycho” sports what is arguably the most well-known scene in horror movie history. But there’s so much greatness beyond that memorable murder in the shower at the hands…err, knife of Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins is unforgettably creepy and you know something is off with Bates from the first moment you see him until that final unnerving grin. And of course there is his macabre relationship with his dear, dear mother. “Psycho” still holds up brilliantly and it’s the perfect mix of mystery and horror presented with the sharp style of a master filmmaker. Sure, today many consider it more of a thriller. But it terrified audiences during its release and I’ll always see it as a horror classic.

#4 – “Halloween”

Oh there are so many things I love about “Halloween”. The great John Carpenter gives us a host of special ingredients that has made this movie both influential and timeless. “Halloween” gives us the quintessential scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis. It gives us the frightening Michael Myers. It gives us Donald Pleasence’s wonderfully goofy prophecies of doom. And how can you forget the simple yet haunting piano score by Carpenter himself. Working with an incredibly small budget, the movie still broke new ground and invented many of the genre tropes that are still imitated today. It’s a true horror movie classic and the king of the slasher sub-genre. It also still entertains me today just as much when I first saw it.

#3 – The Evil Dead”

In 1981 two young new filmmakers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell made what would become one of the scariest horror movies of all time. “The Evil Dead” is another example of how to create a great horror film with the tiniest of budgets. It’s a highly influential picture that spawned two uniquely great sequels. It tells the story of five college kids who spend spring break in an isolated cabin in the woods. They accidentally release demonic spirits who begin possessing the friends one by one. “The Evil Dead” is a genuinely creepy experience and everything from its wicked concept to the unsettling makeup effects contribute to it. And of course it introduced us to Campbell’s wonderful character Ash. Nuff said. This is a true horror treasure that is very much a film of its time yet it has stood the test of time.

#2 – “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”

For years I thought “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was based on a true story. That belief made the movie all the more frightening. Once I learned it was largely fictional I was surprised to find it still had the same effect on me. Tobe Hooper directed, produced, and co-wrote this classic film, making it for under $300,000 and casting a group of unknowns. The story of five friends who encounter a cannibalistic family in rural Texas didn’t rely on a buckets of blood and gore for its frights. Instead Hooper creates a disturbing sense of unease with this material alone. Throw in Leatherface and pinches of dark comedy and I have no problem calling it one of the greatest horror movies of all-time.

#1 – “Night of the Living Dead”

I never have a hard time telling people what my favorite horror movie is. George Romero’s classic “Night of the Living Dead” was the first horror movie that really affected me. Culturally speaking, this is the film that put zombies on the map and inspired the insanely popular horror sub-genre. As with some others on this list, Romero uses a small budget and no-name actors yet develops a horror picture that truly broke new ground. Expertly crafted and wonderfully unsettling, “Night of the Living Dead” sets its creepy tone and sustains it through smart and crafty filmmaking. I love everything about Romero’s classic. Not only is it my favorite horror movie, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, period.

So there you have them, five phenomenal horror movie classics to curl up with tonight. They’re also five films that prove if you’re creative and skilled you don’t need loads of money and a big backing to make a great horror picture. So what did I miss? What would you have included on your list? Please take time to let me know in the comments section below.

It was only a few days ago that I was asking someone about Aaron Eckhart. And wouldn’t you know it, over the weekend a trailer dropped for his new film called “Wander”. I’ve always liked Eckhart and this new thriller from director April Mullen gives him what looks like a meaty role. It also helps to have the great Tommy Lee Jones attached. That’s a pretty solid one-two punch.

The new trailer isn’t the easiest to decipher but the story goes something like this. Eckhart plays a mentally unhinged private detective who’s as close to the edge as possible without falling over. He’s brought into a small town to investigate a murder which he grows to believe is connected to the death of his daughter. He also believes there is a huge cover-up that he is determined to expose. But is there really some big conspiracy or is the detective’s mind playing tricks on him? The film also stars Heather Graham and Katheryn Winnick.

“Wander” is set for release December 4th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

George Clooney makes his return to movies as star and director of Netflix’s upcoming science-fiction film “The Midnight Sky”. The last time Clooney appeared in front of the camera was in 2016’s “Money Monster”. The last film he directed was the 2017 disaster “Suburbicon”. His latest works from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith and features an intriguing cast including Felicity Jones, Kyle Chandler, David Oyelowo, Demián Bichir, and Tiffany Boone.

The post-apocalyptic story sees Clooney playing a scientist in the Arctic. The Earth has become inhabitable following some unknown global calamity. Clooney gets word that a team of astronauts are returning to Earth but they are unaware of the planet’s state. If he doesn’t warn them in time they will surely die, but sending a message would require him to venture into the icy contaminated unknown. I love the premise and there is still plenty we don’t know about the story. The first trailer gives us a really good taste. Clooney has called it “Gravity” meets “The Revenant”. I’m sold.

“The Midnight Sky” premieres December 23rd on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Tom Hanks meets the Western genre – what a combination! Few things excite me more than seeing this almost perfect union which we’ll be getting in “News of the World”. Another interesting tidbit – the film will reunite Hanks with director Paul Greengrass. The two previously worked together in 2013’s “Captain Phillips”. And wouldn’t you know it Hanks plays another Captain in their new film. So many cool connections!

Hanks plays a traveling newsman telling real-world stories in towns all across the west. He encounters a traumatized 10-year-old girl (Helena Zengel) who’s lost and all alone. The Captain decides to make the trek across the treacherous frontier to return the young girl to her family. But it won’t be easy in a land full of violence, conflict, and peril. The new trailer strikes all the right chords and it has the potential to really shake up awards season.

“News of the World” is set for a Christmas theater release. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.