Cinema legend James Caan has passed away. He was 82. The incredibly versatile and charismatic actor’s career has spanned nearly 60 years. His filmography is filled with memorable appearances from early performances in movies like Howard Hawks’ “El Dorado” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Rain People” to his most well-known performance playing Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather”. He continued to do great work in the 70’s all the way through last year – “A Bridge Too Far”, “Thief”, “Misery”, “The Program” (an underrated performance), and of course the perennial Christmas classic “Elf” among many others.

Caan always had a magnetic screen presence and an inherent toughness that really came out in a number of eccentric yet entertaining movies. But he wasn’t restricted to tough-guy roles. He also had a sly sense of humor and was more than capable of handling more dramatic roles.

James Caan leaves behind quite a legacy and is sure to be missed by fans around the world.

RIP

Filmmaker David O. Russell’s long-awaited new film “Amsterdam” has dropped its first trailer and it’s something to see. The period dark comedy is Russell’s first film since 2015’s “Joy” and there’s no denying its impressive star power. It features Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Rami Malek, Zoe Saldana, Robert De Niro, Michael Shannon, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Anya Taylor-Joy, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Taylor Swift, and Matthias Schoenaerts among others. That’s a lot of talent.

The film follows three close friends – a doctor, a nurse, and an attorney (Bale, Robbie, and Washington) who find themselves prime suspects in a murder and drawn into one of the “most shocking secret plots in American history.” This thing looks kinda bonkers and I say that as a compliment. With the tag “a lot of this actually happened,” it looks to combine a bit of history with a bit of wacky humor. I’ve always been a bit mixed when it comes to Russell’s filmography, but this one looks to be a lot of fun.

“Amsterdam” opens this November. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Viola Davis stars in the upcoming historical epic “The Woman King”. It’s a movie focused on the Dahomey Amazons, a name given to the brave and tenacious all-female military regiment who defended the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood whose last movie was the not-so-good “The Old Guard” for Netflix. This one looks more promising with Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu and John Boyega co-starring.

In the film’s first trailer we see Davis playing General Nanisca, the ruthless leader of the Agoji warrior women. The film follows their intense training and eventually their fight to protect their kingdom from the influx of white settlers. Judging by this first look, the movie looks to be epic in scale with incredibly detailed costume design by Gersha Phillips and some intense action-fueled set pieces. How in-depth will the story be? That’s the question. But everything else looks impressive.

“The Woman King” hits theaters September 6th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The new trailer for “Barbarian” is full of moments that’ll have you constantly thinking “That’s a bad idea!”. Characters do some things that are absolute no-no’s in the horror genre. Yet the trailer still leaves a lot under wraps. Rather than tipping his hand, writer-director Zach Cregger keeps us wondering by teasing us rather than showing too much. I have no idea how the movie will turn out, but I do appreciate that aspect of the trailer.

The story goes like this: Georgina Campbell plays Tess who arrives in Detroit for a job interview. She gets to her Airbnb only to find it occupied by Keith (Bill Skarsgård). He’s as shocked as she is and immediately tries contacting the house’s owners. Unable to reach them, Keith invites Tess to stay the night until they can get things worked out. She agrees. Bad idea. Soon she learns the house is full of terrifying secrets and she’s caught like a rat in a deadly maze. I like the look of this. Does it have anything fresh and original to offer? That’ll be the big question.

“Barbarian” opens in theaters August 31st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The terrific trio of George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Kaitlyn Dever drive the upcoming feature “Ticket to Paradise”. Ol Parker directs and co-writes this romantic(ish) comedy from Universal Pictures. The film reunites Clooney and Roberts who worked together in two “Oceans” movies and “Money Monster”. The first trailer manages to be both fun and a tad cringy. But for me it’s worth seeing just for star power alone.

Clooney and Roberts play a divorced couple who are brought back together when their daughter Lily (Dever) announces her sudden engagement to a young man from Bali. Fearing she’s repeating a mistake they made, her cynical parents reluctantly set aside their bitterness towards each other and join forces to stop their daughter’s plans. Silly and cheesy hijinks ensue. Not sure exactly how to feel about this one. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it looks kinda fun.

“Ticket to Paradise” lands in theaters October 21st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Russell Crowe, Ray Winstone, and Matt Hookings shine in the new trailer for “Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher”. While it explores the life of the bare-knuckle fighter and first ever world champion, the film is also about the birth of boxing itself. The British-American feature is directed by Daniel Graham from a script penned by the film’s star, Hookings. It’s had a rocky production, marred by infighting and money issues. But it was finally finished with Amazon Prime set to distribute.

The story takes place at the turn of the 19th century. Hookings plays the titular character while Winstone plays his trainer and father-figure Bill Warr. A burly Russell Crowe plays Belcher’s rough and tough grandfather. Belcher seems to follows in his grandfather’s shoes, making the same mistakes but also excelling as a fighter. The period costumes and production design looks great and having the always reliable Crowe and Winstone onboard really adds to the appeal.

“Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher” hits Amazon Prime Video on July 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.