The first trailer for the DC Extended Universe’s “Black Adam” left me interested but not sold. Now the studio has dropped trailer #2 and now I can proudly say I’m all onboard. Sure there are still questions. But I really like the new footage and (more importantly) the collection of characters who will be be introduced to the DCEU. And just hearing the words “Justice Society” uttered had me smiling like a little boy. Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Atom Smasher…. Let’s go!

I’m still not sure if I’ll be able to see past Dwayne Johnson’s big personality to get to the core of the character Black Adam. But the actor certainly brings the intensity in the new trailer. I love Black Adam, and his story is tremendous movie material. And what I like even more is that this feels like the return of the larger-than-life superhero movie. While the MCU seems content with light, frothy, and more grounded content, DC is at its best when it takes its heroes seriously and tells their stories with plenty of grit. That’s what I want from this movie, and the new trailer looks promising.

“Black Adam” hits theaters October 21st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Currently making its rounds across the festival circuit, “Armageddon Time” is the upcoming period drama from writer-director James Gray. It’s a coming-of-age movie inspired by Gray’s own childhood in Queens during the 1980s. A stellar cast is attached including Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Anthony Hopkins. As an autobiographical piece, this is clearly close to the filmmaker’s heart. But the new trailer is hard to read. In one sense the film looks captivating. It also comes across as heavy-handed which I hope isn’t the case for the film itself.

The trailer introduces us to two classmates, Paul (Banks Repeta) who is white and Johnny (Jaylin Webb) who is black. They develop a close friendship based on mutual interests. But racism soon surfaces as various people, including some within Paul’s own family, warn the boy to stay away from his friend. Will Paul stay quiet or stand up against the heartbreaking bigotry? Gray looks to be following in the footsteps of Cuaron’s “Roma” and Branagh’s “Belfast”. But how will his film hold up against those two Oscar winners? Will it be too on-the-nose? We shall see.

“Armageddon Time” hits theaters October 28th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

A star-studded new Western was enough to capture my attention. Having it written and directed by none other than Walter Hill makes it even more intriguing. A quick gander at Hill’s filmography reveals an eclectic blend of genre films dating back to 1972. At 80-years-old, Hill slides on his boots, puts on his Stetson, and heads back to the Wild West, joined by Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Brosnahan, Hamish Linklater, and Benjamin Bratt. I love the idea and I love the cast, even if I don’t particularly love the new trailer.

Set in 1897, Waltz plays a notorious bounty hunter (a role he knows well) named Max Borlund who’s in Mexico in search of a wealthy businessman’s daughter (Brosnahan). While there, he runs into an old foe named Joe Cribbens (Dafoe). It turns out Joe is still upset that Max sent him to prison years earlier. Other players come into the mix and (as often happens in Westerns) things turn violent. While the trailer may be a touch bland, its hard not to be excited with this much talent on screen. Hopefully it delivers on its potential.

“Dead for a Dollar” opens September 30th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Netflix has dropped the teaser trailer for one of my most anticipated movies of the year. “All Quiet on the Western Front” is the latest feature film adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s acclaimed 1929 novel. Directed by Edward Berger, the film is Germany’s submission for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards. Beginning with the words “This is neither an accusation, nor a confession, and least of all an adventure”, the trailer reveals a vision that’s dramatically different than what we’re used to seeing from ‘war movies’.

The film marks the first time the novel has been adapted in its original German language, and it offers a uniquely German perspective. While Daniel Brühl gets top billing (playing vocal World War I opponent Matthias Erzberger), it’s newcomer Felix Kammerer who looks to be the soul of the movie. But this is mostly a tone-setting trailer, and it’s extremely effective. The film is sure to be a bleak and harrowing look at war through a gritty, unvarnished, and brutally honest lens. I can’t imagine it being an easy watch. But when dealing in truth, the results aren’t always pretty.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” opens in select theaters this October and streams on Netflix October 28th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Whether you’re a fan of long-time parody musician Weird Al Yankovic or not, the new film “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” looks to be worth a gander especially after seeing the recent trailer. Co-written and produced by Weird Al himself, the film is the not-so-true story of his rise from young accordion enthusiast to parody pop star. The movie openly exaggerates Weird Al’s rise to stardom and happily makes up some details along the way. Even better, the movie is a straight-up parody of the popular music biopic which makes this even more attractive.

Daniel Radcliffe plays the titular character complete with the funky mustache and big crop of curls. In the new trailer we get clips of him hamming up and down Al Yankovic’s timeline. From Al’s homelife to his discovery by Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson) to his relationship with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood). The movie looks to cover (and fictionalize) a lot of ground. I’m not sure if it will all come together, but it looks to be a lot of fun nonetheless. I’m in.

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” releases November 4th on The Roku Channel. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

With a name as goofy as this one, it’s tempting to think you have a good sense for what this movie is going for. I know I did. But then I watched the trailer for “The Greatest Beer Run Ever”. It turns out to be a far cry from what I expected. This biographical action-comedy from director and co-writer Peter Farrelly looks quite good and it sports a terrific cast that includes Zac Efron, Russell Crowe, and Bill Murray.

Based on genuinely wild and crazy real events, “Beer Run” tells the true story of John “Chickie” Donohue (Efron). In 1967, Chickie would sneak into war-torn Vietnam on a dare and began taking cans of beer to U.S. soldiers, even those on the battlefield. His idea was to let them know that there are people back home who support them. The trailer is a hearty mix of comedy, wartime action, and feel-good drama. Now hopefully the movie ends up as good as the trailer teases.

“The Greatest Beer Run Ever” hits select theaters and AppleTV+ on September 30th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.