While I wasn’t high on 2022’s surprisingly popular “Barbarian”, its writer and director Zach Cregger showed off real skill and a ton of promise. Warner Bros. Pictures has now released the trailer for Cregger’s anticipated follow-up, “Weapons”. His sophomore film is a horror mystery with a strong cast and a compelling premise. The first trailer does a terrific job setting the table for what is one of the more intriguing films of the year.

“Weapons” has a fascinating setup. One night, at exactly 2:17 AM, an entire class of children suddenly get out of their beds, leave their homes, and wander out into the night. They are never seen again. The community immediately suspects their teacher setting her on an investigation to clear her name. Cregger has described his movie as “bigger”, “weirder”, and “twistier” than “Barbarian”. Hopefully its more cohesive as well. It certainly has a good cast with Josh Brolin, Julia Gardner, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan starring.

“Weapons” releases in theaters on August 8th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The unlikely duo of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and A24 team up in “The Smashing Machine”, a biographical sports drama from writer-director Benny Safdie. The film tells the true story of former American wrestler turned mixed martial artist Mark Kerr. It sees Johnson undergoing a significant on-screen transformation to play the troubled two-time UFC heavyweight champ. The movie’s much anticipated first trailer really gives us a sense of what Safdie is going for.

“The Smashing Machine” not only follows Kerr’s MMA success but also his personal struggles. In addition to the physical wear and tear on his body, he also battled substance abuse which took its own toll. His issues would effect his relationships, especially with his then wife Dawn Staples (played by the always exceptional Emily Blunt). I really like the look of this both visually and dramatically. It’s good to see Johnson challenging himself and Blunt enhances everything she’s in.

“The Smashing Machine” comes to theaters on October 3rd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Apple Studios have dropped the second trailer for their big budget streaming blockbuster “Fountain of Youth”. The film is an upcoming action adventure heist movie that has a strong resemblance to Nicolas Cage’s “National Treasure” films. It’s directed by Guy Ritchie and written by James Vanderbilt. But its most attractive feature is its cast. John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Carmen Ejogo, and Stanley Tucci round out a fascinating ensemble.

Kransinski and Portman play estranged siblings, Luke and Charlotte Purdue. Through a series of wild events Charlotte is convinced to join her brother on an action-packed journey to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. The movie looks to be a globe-trotting adventure to iconic locations around the world. The latest trailer gives us a better gauge of the movie’s scope as well as a good dose of the humor. Hopefully it has enough to differentiate itself from the classic adventure movies that clearly inspired it. I’ll certainly be there for it.

“Fountain of Youth” premieres May 23rd on Apple TV+. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is bringing three fan favorite films from screen legend Clint Eastwood to 4K Ultra HD for the very first time. New editions of “Dirty Harry”, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”, and “Pale Rider” will soon be available to own, each in spectacular 4K with High Dynamic Range and loaded with special features. These are great additions and must-haves for any Eastwood fan.

These new 4K Ultra HD editions of “Dirty Harry”, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”, and “Pale Rider” come with digital copies and will be available to purchase on April 29th. See below for a full synopsis of the films as well as release info including a list of special features.

“Dirty Harry” (1971)

About the Film:

Year: 1971

Runtime: 102 Minutes

Director: Don Siegel

Screenwriters: Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink, and Dean Riesner

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, Andy Robinson, John Larch, John Vernon, John Mitchum, Mae Mercer, Lyn Edington, Ruth Kobart, Woodrow Parfrey, Josef Sommer

Rating: R

Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood stars as no-holds-barred San Francisco cop Dirty Harry Callahan in this action thriller that began an action franchise. When detective Harry Callahan is assigned to pay extortion money to a serial murderer, the payoff goes wrong. Now with the life of a 14-year-old girl at stake, Callahan refuses to allow anything–including the law–to keep him from stopping the killer.

The film is directed by Don Siegel. The screenplay is by Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink, and Dean Riesner from a story by Harry Julian Fink and R.M. Fink.  The film is produced by Don Siegel.  Dirty Harry stars Clint Eastwood, Andy Robinson, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, and John Vernon.

“Dirty Harry” was selected in 2008 by Empire as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. The film was ranked No. 41 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years … 100 Thrills, a list of America’s most heart-pounding movies, and Harry Callahan was selected as the 17th greatest movie hero on 100 Years … 100 Heroes & Villains. The movie’s famous quote “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?” was ranked 51st on 100 Years … 100 Movie Quotes.

Special Features:

“Dirty Harry” 4K UHD contains the following new and previously released special features:  

• Commentary by Richard Schickel
• Generations and Dirty Harry – NEW
• Lensing Justice: The Cinematography of Dirty Harry – NEW
• American Masters Career Retrospective: Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
• Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Fighting for Justice
• Interview Gallery
  • Patricia Clarkson
  • Joel Cox
  • Clint Eastwood
  • Hal Holbrook
  • Evan Kim
  • John Milius
  • Ted Post
  • Andy Robinson
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Robert Urich

• Dirty Harry’s Way
• Dirty Harry: The Original

“The Outlaw Josey Wales” (1976)

About the Film:

Year: 1976

Runtime: 135 Minutes

Director: Clint Eastwood

Screenwriters: Phil Kaufman, Sonia Chernus

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon, Paula Trueman, Sam Bottoms, Geraldine Keams, Woodrow Parfrey, Joyce Jameson, Sheb Wooley, Royal Dano

Rating: PG

Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood stars in and directs this fast-paced Western about the fight for vengeance by a Missouri farmer whose family is murdered in the last days of the United States’ Civil War.

The film is directed by Clint Eastwood. The screenplay is by Phil Kaufman and Sonia Chernus and is based on the novel “Gone to Texas” by Forrest Carter. The film is produced by Robert Daly.  “The Outlaw Josie Wales” stars Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, and John Vernon.

“The Outlaw Josey Wales” was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Music Score. In 1996, it was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Special Features:

“The Outlaw Josie Wales” 4K UHD contains the following new and previously released special features:  

• Commentary by Richard Schickel
• An Outlaw and an Antihero – NEW
• The Cinematography of and Outlaw: Crafting Josie Wales – NEW
• Clint Eastwood’s West
• Eastwood in Action
• Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josie Wales
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing the West

“Pale Rider” (1985)

About the Film:

Year: 1985

Runtime: 116 Minutes

Director: Clint Eastwood

Screenwriters: Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Christopher Penn, Richard Dysart, Sydney Penny, Richard Kiel, Doug McGrath, John Russell, Chuck Lafont, Billy Drago, Jeffrey Weissman, Charles Hallahan

Rating: R

With 1985’s “Pale Rider”, Clint Eastwood returned to the western genre with a vengeance as the movie became the highest grossing western of that decade. Eastwood, who also directed the hit film, plays a nameless stranger who rides into a small California gold rush town (and becomes known as the “Preacher”) where he finds himself in the middle of a feud between a mining syndicate and a group of independent prospectors.

The film is produced and directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack.  The film stars Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Christopher Penn, Richard Dysart, Sydney Penny, Richard Kiel, Doug McGrath, and John Russell.

Special Features:

Pale Rider 4K UHD contains the following new and previously released special features:  

• The Diary of Sydney Penny: Lessons from the Set – NEW
• Painting the Preacher: Bruce Surtees and Pale Rider – NEW
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing Westerns
• Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story
• The Eastwood Factor

Over the weekend Star Wars fans from across the globe converged on the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba City, Japan for the latest Star Wars Celebration convention. This year’s three-day event marked the 16th Celebration and (as usual) featured a number of big announcements, surprise appearances, and star-studded panels. To no surprise Star Wars fans were given plenty to look forward to. Here are the five biggest surprises, confirmations, and takeaways from Star Wars Celebration 2025.

Rumors had been swirling for a long time regarding a Star Wars movie from director Shawn Levy. But as Star Wars fans know all too well, rumors and even some early announcements doesn’t mean a movie is a sure-thing. Levy put that concern to rest by not only appearing at Celebration 2025, but by also bringing along his film’s star, Ryan Gosling. The two unveiled his movie’s title, “Star Wars: Starfighter”. Levy revealed that his story takes place after “Episode 9” and the Battle of Exegol making it the first Star Wars production set after the sequel trilogy. He also shared that “Starfighter” is officially in preproduction and will release Memorial Day 2027.

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While we all know that the next Star Wars movie to hit theaters will be “The Mandalorian and Grogu”, creative heads Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni revealed several cool tidbits as they prepare to make the jump from episodic streaming to the big screen. During their panel, Favreau and Filoni were joined by the series and film’s star, Pedro Pascal as well as a brand new member of the Star Wars universe, Sigourney Weaver! Rumors were out about her addition and now it’s confirmed that she’ll play a former Rebel pilot who serves the New Republic. An exclusive trailer was released for those in attendance and leaked (thankfully) for those of us online. This looks to be one grand Star Wars adventure.

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During the 20th Anniversary of Lucasfilm Animation panel, Dave Filoni dropped what is arguably the most exciting news of Star Wars Celebration 2025. Darth Maul will be returning in his own animated series titled “Maul – Shadow Lord”. The series will fill in some of the gaps between the character’s escape in the final episode of “The Clone Wars” series and his later appearance in “Star Wars Rebels”. Even better, the great Sam Witwer returns to voice the titular character as he builds his crime syndicate and takes on the underworld factions that oppose him. A trailer was shown to those in attendance but has yet to release for the rest of us. Hopefully soon. The series is currently in production and will debut on Disney+ in 2026.

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The first series of “Ahsoka” was a complex swirl of nostalgic joy and admitted frustration. The show had plenty of high points, none better than its terrific star, Rosario Dawson. The series did leave a lot of doors open leading to the expectation for another season. Dave Filoni confirmed it at Celebration 2025. “Ahsoka: Season Two” will be bigger in scale and scope. It is set to begin filming this week and releases on Disney+ in 2026. Among the many other bits of news was the big reveal that Hayden Christensen would return as Anakin Skywalker. Also Lars Mikkelsen will be back as the film’s antagonist, Grand Admiral Thrawn. We are even getting Admiral Ackbar! In more somber news, an emotional Filoni announced that Rory McCann would be taking over the role of Baylan Skoll following the sad passing of Ray Stevenson.

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We are literally one day away from the much anticipated premiere of “Andor: Season Two”. To gets fans even more hyped for the 12-episode second season, creator Tony Gilroy along with cast members Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Reilly, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Alan Tudyk appeared to let fans know what we can expect. Luna was especially enthusiastic, revealing that “Season Two” will change the way we look at 2016’s “Rogue One”. Gilroy stated the second season would play out over four years with each three-episode drop covering one year. While the series was described as “wider, larger, and more ambitious“, Gilroy said the character’s would still be at the center as the story moves towards its intense conclusion.

Could the Marvel Cinematic Universe be getting back on track? I don’t want to get my hopes up, especially after the steady flow of sub-par movies and streaming shows. But “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” has the potential to be something we haven’t seen from Marvel Studios in a while – a really good MCU superhero production. The film’s earlier released teaser left me more curious than excited. Well now we have the first full trailer, and despite some lingering concerns, “First Steps” looks like it could be the movie many of us have been waiting for.

In the film, Marvel’s first family live in a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic New York city located on a parallel Earth. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are beloved by the people of their planet. But their role as Earth’s defenders is challenged with the appearance of a world-consuming being known as Galactus. The slick style of the world is an immediate draw and seeing all four team members in action is exciting. On the flipside we get our first look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer and it leaves a lot to be desired. That aside, the new trailer is a blast and here’s hoping the movie is too.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” soars into theaters July 25th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.