What a ride it’s been. When “The Fast and the Furious” came out in 2001, I’m not sure anyone expected it to be a popular franchise. And not just a popular franchise, but one of the most successful box office franchises, raking in over $6.6 billion so far. I say “so far” because the ride’s not over yet. The much anticipated “Fast X” is on its way, sporting a whopping $340 million budget, easily the highest of the franchise. Today Universal dropped the long awaited trailer and once again Vin Diesel and his onscreen family are going all out.

Back with Diesel are long-time favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, and Sung Kang. Also returning is John Cena, Jason Statham, and Charlize Theron. And new to franchise is Brie Larson and none other than Jason Momoa who gets a juicy role as the film’s main antagonist. The trailer features everything fans are looking for – familiar faces, fast cars, and wild over-the-top set pieces. It definitely looks to have the high-octane action. Hopefully it has a good story to go along with it.

“Fast X” speeds into theaters May 19th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck lead an all-star cast in the new Amazon Studios biographical dramedy “Air”. It’s directed by Affleck from a script by Alex Convery and is set to get wide release in theaters – a significant move from Amazon. In addition to pals Damon and Affleck, the film stars Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, Viola Davis, Marlon Wayans, and Matthew Maher.

“Air” follows Sonny Vaccaro (Damon), a marketing executive and shoe salesman at Nike who attempts to sign Michael Jordan to his first ever shoe deal. Affleck plays Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike who went from selling sneakers out of his car at track meets to become the billionaire head of the world’s biggest shoe company. In the trailer we see Sonny coming up with the idea of signing a young and unproven Jordan and building the brand around him. It’s a tough sell, and “Air” chronicles the challenges that led to the landmark (and lucrative) deal.

“Air” lands in theaters April 5, 2023. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

One of my most anticipated comedies of the year is the hilariously looking indie “Paint”. Written and directed by Brit McAdams, the film stars Owen Wilson as television painter Carl Nargle (gotta love that name). For nearly three decades he has had the top-rated painting show. But when the TV station hires a younger and peppier painter, suddenly everything he has built (or painted) is put in jeopardy. The movie is clearly channeling Bob Ross vibes, and with Owen Wilson starring you know it’s going to be a riot. The just released poster for “Paint” gives us a good taste of what to look forward to. What do you think of it?.

DIRECTOR – Brit McAdams

WRITER – Brit McAdams

STARRING – Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ciara Renee, Lusia Strus, Stephen Root, Denny Dillon, Lucy Freyer, Evander Duck, Jr., Will Blagrove, Ryan Czerwonko

RELEASE – April 7, 2023

Well Go USA Entertainment has announced the home video release of the action-fueled, insanely violent genre mashup “Project Wolf Hunting”. This wild and blood-drenched 2022 South Korean action film has horror, thriller, survival, and science-fiction elements baked in. Director Kim Hong-sun doesn’t hold back, and just when we think you know what you’re watching, he throws another surprise our way. It’s not for the squeamish, but genre fans will be delighted. Read my FULL REVIEW HERE.

This new Blu-ray, Digital, and DVD releases of “Project Wolf Hunting” hits shelves FEBRUARY 14, 2023. See below for a full synopsis and breakdown of the bonus features.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:

Year: 2022

Rating: NR

Runtime: 123 Minutes

Director: Kim Hong-Sun

Starring: Seo In-guk, Jang Dong-yoon, Choi Guy-hwa, Park Ho-san, Sung Dong-il, Jung So-min, Lim Ju-hwan, Hong, Ji-yoon, Jung Moon-sung, Jang Young-nam, Ko Chang-seok, Jung Sung II

PROJECT WOLF HUNTING, the “antes-raised, safety’s off, no-holds-barred action cocktail” that is “like an adrenaline shot between the eyes” (IGN), debuts on Digital, Blu-ray^™ and DVD on February 14 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

During transport, a group of hardened criminals stages a jailbreak that quickly escalates into a bloody, all-out riot. As the fugitives exact their brutal terror campaign onboard the ship, something even more terrifying emerges from below. The action-packed thriller from director Kim Hong-Sun (Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area) stars Seo In-guk (The Master’s Sun, Hello Monster), Jang Dong-yoon (Search, Mr. Sunshine), Choi Guy-hwa (Train to Busan, The Wailing), Sung Dong-il (The Cursed, The Great Battle), Park Ho-san (The Call, Prison Playbook) and Jung So-min (Alchemy of Souls).

BONUS FEATURES:

• Features an all-new English dub
• An original featurette “Behind the Scenes”
• An original featurette “Making the Alpha”
• Audio: DTS HDMA 5.1 / Stereo (Blu-ray)
• Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital / 2.0 Stereo (DVD)

Full disclosure: Despite really liking Zachary Levi and Mark Strong, I wasn’t as smitten with 2019’s “Shazam!” as many seemed to be. It had its moments. But it was a little too silly, and I wasn’t sure how the more comedic superhero movie was going to fit in with the rest of the DCEU. As it turns out that’s no longer a concern. The DCEU has (unfortunately) been trashed, yet we still have Levi’s Shazam and a brand new sequel. I’m still not sure about the silliness, and now I have an entirely new batch of questions about where the character fits within James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new universe.

The new trailer for “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” dropped today, and it didn’t do much to excite me. David F. Sandberg returns to direct this sequel that follow’s Billy Batson and his super-powered foster siblings as they face-off against a new threat – the Daughters of Atlas. They’re played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu. You probably guessed it, the world is in peril and it’s up to our heroes to save it. The trailer puts a heavy emphasis on the action and includes some pretty wild and crazy scenes. But some of the CGI looks shaky, and I’m still not sure what to make of the story.

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” hits theaters March 17th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Over the years the annual Academy Awards nominations have become easier to predict. Perhaps its social media or maybe its their growing lean towards trendier picks. But we usually have a good grasp of where the Academy is going prior to announcement day. Yet they always manage to pack in a surprise or two, and you can always count on some glaring omissions. This year is no different, especially in the omission department. There were a few hits but FAR more misses.

This morning we heard this year’s batch, many predictable, a few mild surprises, and some ridiculous and frustrating snubs. Here are a few Random Thoughts on the 2023 Oscar nominations.

• To no one’s surprise, the trendy “Everything Everywhere All At Once” loaded up with 11 Oscar nominations. It’s an erratic and messy film, but it has a huge social media backing. And that seems to carry a lot of weight these days. It’ll be no surprise when it wins big on Oscar night.
• Speaking of trendy picks, Paul Mescal gets the final spot for Best Actor. It’s a nice performance, but I can think of several others that deserved that spot more. Take the astonishing work from Felix Kammerer in “All Quiet on the Western Front”.
• Best Actor looks to be a two-man race between Colin Farrell and Austin Butler, with Brendan Fraser having an outside chance. Let’s be real, 2022 was the year of Colin Farrell. It would be a travesty if he doesn’t win.
• As for the extraordinary “All Quiet on the Western Front”, despite being tossed aside by the majority of critics groups, the Academy (much like BAFTA) gave the film its due, handing it nine nominations including Best Picture. It was the morning’s brightest spot.
• That said, judging by how this year has gone, I can see “All Quiet” getting nine nominations and winning nothing.
• Also nine nominations went to “The Banshees of Inisherin”, a terrific film and Martin McDonagh’s best to date. It takes home nods for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, on top of FOUR acting nominations. It had a deservedly big morning.
• But just when you’re ready to praise the Academy more, they pull something like this. No Best Actress nomination for Danielle Deadwyler! It’s a ludicrous botch that frankly makes it hard to take the category seriously.
• Actually, it doesn’t appear that “Till” resonated with Academy voters at all. Not a single Oscar nomination for the piercing period drama.
• Hollywood had its own #ReleasetheSnyderCut moment with Andrea Riseborough getting a Best Actress nomination following a last minute campaign by some prominent fellows actresses. I (like most people) haven’t seen the movie so I can’t comment on the performance. But Danielle Deadwyler….
• NOTHING for “Decision to Leave”??? Nothing at all? No Best International Film. No Best Director. No Best Cinematography. No Best Actress. So much could be said but why bother.
• Surprisingly, the Academy saw through the flimsy facade of “Babylon”. It was barely a blip this morning.
• The much hyped “Naatu Naatu” gets in for Best Original Song. Don’t get me wrong, I love that it was chosen. But again I ask, would it be nominated if it hadn’t been accompanied by that magnetic dance number? I dunno, but it’ll be great seeing it on Oscar night.
• It’s ludicrous that “Everything Everywhere All At Once” has two nominees for Supporting Actress yet “Women Talking” gets nothing. Hsu and Curtis were fine, but come on.
• Sticking with Supporting Actress, give me Condon or Bassett out of that group. Both kill it in their respected roles. Bassett is the very best thing about “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” while Condon holds her own with everyone on screen in “The Banshees of Inisherin”.
• Among the few nice surprises (and there weren’t many), it was great seeing “The Quiet Girl” nominated for Best International Film. Such a beautiful and underseen movie. Hopefully more people will get a chance to check it out.
• But no “RRR” for International Film? That’s another miss for the Academy.
• “Bardo” being nominated for cinematography is terrific. It’s a stunning film in large part thanks to the incredible work from Darius Khondji.
• Both “The Fabelmans” and “Tár” find themselves in odd places. Plenty of nominations between them, but no real feeling that either will leave Oscar night with many wins.
• No Best Cinematography nomination for “Top Gun: Maverick”? Really? But hey, how could it compete with “Empire of Light” and “Tár” (sarcasm absolutely intended).
• No Best Director nomination for Edward Berger for “All Quiet on the Western Front” is sad, especially considering some of those who received noms.
• The complete dismissal of “The Batman” in the Best Original Score category still irks me. Of course it had no chance of getting an Oscar nomination since it didn’t even make the Oscar short list!!! Ridiculous.
• It was a surprising morning for “Triangle of Sadness”. The biting ‘Eat the Rich’ satire took home nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
• I would have loved to see Tom Cruise get a Best Actor nomination. He was great in the “Top Gun: Maverick”, but did he ever really have a chance? I kinda doubt it. Still, with his film have a strong showing this morning, I had hope. But leaving him out is such an Oscar move.
• So wonderful to see “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” in Best Animated Feature. It’s the clear front-runner for the category. At the same time, it’s a bummer that it didn’t get anything else. No Best Picture, no Best Original Score, no Adapted Screenplay.
• Speaking of animation, the industry-wide overlooking of Richard Linklater’s stellar “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood” was completed. Nothing for it from the Academy or any organization for that matter. Such a shame.
• The Best Supporting Actor category has no drama whatsoever this year. Ke Huy Quan is the sentimental choice, and there’s no doubt he will win. This should be Keoghan’s year, but unfortunately it’s not to be.
• Judd Hirsch getting a Supporting Actor nod for “The Fabelmans” over Paul Dano seems criminal. But it is nice seeing Brian Tyree Henry nominated for “Causeway”. He gives a terrific performance in a movie that has otherwise been overlooked for most of the awards season.
• A lot of people are disappointed in “The Woman King” being shut out. I liked the film. But to be honest, outside of Lashana Lynch, nothing else would have gotten my vote.
• Happy for “Women Talking” sneaking into Best Picture over movies like “The Whale” and “Babylon”.

And those are a few of my Random Thoughts about the 2023 Academy Awards nominations. What did you think of this year’s batch? Here is a full list of the nominees.

Best Picture

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• The Fabelmans
• Tár
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Triangle of Sadness
• Women Talking

Best Directing

• Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
• Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans
• Todd Field – Tár
• Ruben Ostlund – Triangle of Sadness

Best Actor in A Leading Role

• Austin Butler – Elvis
• Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
• Brendan Fraser – The Whale
• Paul Mescal – Aftersun
• Bill Nighy – Living

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Cate Blanchett – Tár
• Ana de Armas – Blonde
• Andrea Riseborough – To Leslie
• Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans
• Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Hong Chau – The Whale
• Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin
• Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin
• Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway
• Judd Hirsch – The Fabelmans
• Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin
• Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All At Once

Original Screenplay

• The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
• Everything Everywhere All At Once – Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
• The Fabelmans – Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner
• Tár – Todd Field
• Triangle of Sadness – Ruben Östlund

Adapted Screenplay

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
• Living
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Women Talking

Best International Feature Film

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Argentina, 1985
• Close
• EO 
• The Quiet Girl

Animated Feature Film

• Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
• Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
• The Sea Beast
• Turning Red

Original Song

• “Applause” – Tell it Like a Woman
• “Hold my Hand” – Top Gun: Maverick
• “Lift Me Up” – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• “Naatu Naatu” – RRR
• “This is a Life” – Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Documentary Feature Film

• All That Breathes
• All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
• Fire of Love
• A House made of Splinters
• Navalny

Makeup and Hairstyling

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• The Batman
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Elvis
• The Whale

Production Design

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• Babylon
• Elvis
• The Fabelmans

Film Editing

• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Tár
• Top Gun: Maverick

Cinematography

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
• Elvis
• Empire of Light
• Tár

Visual Effects

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• The Batman
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Top Gun: Maverick

Costume Design

• Babylon
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Achievement in Sound

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• The Batman
• Elvis
• Top Gun: Maverick

Original Score

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Babylon
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Elvis

Best Documentary Short Film

• The Elephant Whisperers
• Haulout
• How do you Measure a Year?
• The Martha Mitchell Effect
• Stranger at the Gate

Live-Action Short Film

• An Irish Goodbye
• Ivalu
• Le Pupille
• Night Ride
• The Red Suitcase

Animated Short Film

• The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse
• The Flying Sailor
• Ice Merchants
• My Year of Dicks
• An Ostrich Told me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It