Last week I had the pleasure of appearing on Tavern Talk to chat about “Joker”. The show is from Initial Reaction and the idea is that the host Phillip and his guest watches the newest release of the week and then immediately share their raw first impressions. We had a ton of fun.

Check it out below and let me know what you think.

The story of security guard Richard Jewell is as fascinating as it is troubling. Director Clint Eastwood’s new film simply titled “Richard Jewell” chronicles his life following the Centennial Olympic Park bombing of 1996. Jewell discovered the bomb and quickly began clearing people out of the area saving many lives. But some were quick to brand him the bomber and the media ran with the story, vilifying Jewell despite having unreliable information and sources.

Character actor Paul Walter Hauser plays Richard Jewell and he is surrounded by a wealth of talent including Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wylde, Kathy Bates, and John Hamm. The first trailer seems to indicate that the film will be digging deeper into those surrounding Jewell – the media, the government, his devoted attorney, his loving mother. It’s compelling stuff. Let’s see if Eastwood can bring it all together.

“Richard Jewell” opens December 13th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

When DC Films released the stink bomb that was “Suicide Squad” there wasn’t much to like. The lone bright spot was Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and that’s no exaggeration. It seems DC was paying attention. The new trailer has dropped for “Birds of Prey” and guess who gets the bulk of the attention?

“Birds of Prey” is based on the DC Comics all female superhero team. Interestingly I don’t think the team ever included Harley Quinn. But Judging by the trailer she’s clearly the film’s focus and she even finds her name in the subtitle “and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”. Hopefully she doesn’t dominate the entire movie because there are some really great characters in the group and it would be a shame to see them wasted.

“Birds of Prey” is set to release February 7, 2020. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The new trailer for “Motherless Brooklyn” starts off a little shaky but quickly won me over with its period setting and classic noir flavor. The film is adaptation of a 1999 Jonathan Lethem novel and is written by, directed by, and starring Edward Norton. It’s a cool looking crime thriller with some really interesting names attached to it.

Out of the gate I was drawn to the casting of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, a seriously talented but painfully underused actress. It also features the always good Willem Dafoe and even Bruce Willis. But Norton is the lead playing a detective with Tourette syndrome looking for the person who killed his friend and mentor. The potential is there for something really good.

“Motherless Brooklyn” is set to hit theaters November 1st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Movies about loved ones battling illnesses touch on things everyone has or will experience at some point in their lives. At the same time they can often be too manipulative and melodramatic. There’s a fine line to walk but when they get it right these movies can be very affecting.

“Ordinary Love” has the dressings of a run-of-the-mill drama, but the new trailer left me feeling like this one could have some real substance. It starts with the casting. Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville play a loving husband and wife who have their worlds rocked when she discovers she has cancer. The film looks to take an intimate and unvarnished look at their relationship as much if not more so than the illness.

“Ordinary Love” is set to release sometimes before the end of 2019. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The new trailer for the Todd Haynes corporate drama “Dark Waters” gives us a good idea of the company it wants to keep. It clearly shoots to be in the vein of the fabulous “Spotlight” and the lesser “The Post”. But something feels off. Perhaps it’s the ominous horror movie score pulsating in the background. Maybe it’s the well-worn ‘noble blue-collar vs. nefarious white-collar’ storyline. I can’t put my finger on it.

Mark Ruffalo plays a corporate defense attorney who has his eyes opened to the shady and life-threatening negligence of DuPont chemicals. This one-time company loyalist turns against his employers to defend a small town which puts his career and potentially his life in danger. The trailer revs up the tension throughout which makes it feel slightly more romanticized than it needs to be. But that could just be the trailer.

“Dark Waters” is set to hit theaters November 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.