The star-powered action-driven Netflix Original “The Gray Man” is easily one of the streaming service’s biggest and most-anticipated movies of 2022. It’s directed by MCU big dogs the Russo brothers and stars Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas. Netflix has poured at least $200 million into the film so they clearly have high hopes. After seeing the exciting newly released first trailer I gotta say I have hopes too.

Gosling plays a deadly CIA mercenary who goes by the designation Sierra Six. After he uncovers some the agency’s darkest secrets, he is ruled a danger and targeted for elimination. Leading the manhunt to track him down is an old colleague played by Chris Evans. He plays an unhinged psychopath who is let off his leash. And no amount of destruction or body count will stop him from finishing his mission. Evans is a good mix of silly and sinister while Gosling fits nicely as our stone-faced protagonist. The first trailer teases big action galore and I can’t want to see how this thing plays.

“The Gray Man” will get a limited theatrical release on July 15th and will premiere on Netflix on July 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

A couple of weeks back Marvel Studios dropped a teaser for the next lucrative installment in their ever-growing cinematic universe, “Thor: Love and Thunder”. Now they have released their first full trailer which (as expected) sent MCU fandom into the stratosphere. The teaser left me with several worries, namely it’s jarring tone, the question of how a dark character like Gorr the God Butcher would fit, and it being yet another story of Thor setting out to find himself. Unfortunately the new trailer does little to cure my concerns.

The trailer shows the same playful lightweight tone with director Taiki Waititi once again infusing as much comedy into his story as drama. This time around we don’t see much of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Instead it reveals more of Thor’s inner circle. Hemsworth once again embodies the character despite the material making him look like a clown at times. We get more of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster/Mighty Thor, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie gets a few more lines, and we get a glimpse of Russell Crowe’s Zeus in a weird final scene that really sees the film stretching itself.

The biggest treat of the trailer is Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. He looks absolutely terrifying and he’s the kind of villain who could (and frankly should) have a big impact. That said, the dark and sinister shots with Gorr clash hard with the silly tone of most of the trailer leaving me still wondering how it all will play out. Even more, will Gorr end up a casualty of the movie’s more comedic ambitions?

“Thor: Love and Thunder” hits theaters July 8th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Ooooooh yes! There’s really no need in me trying to hide or even downplay my enthusiasm for the next Mission: Impossible installment. I’ve love this blockbuster franchise, and it has only gotten better and better. In fact, a good argument could be made that the last film, “Fallout” has been the best of the lot. But not to be outdone, Tom Cruise and company are back for the series finale. And if the new trailer is any indication, we’re in for the biggest M:I film yet.

Cruise teams up again with writer-director Christopher McQuarrie to give the iconic action character Ethan Hunt a fitting send-off. The film brings back franchise favorites Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Vanessa Kirby. New to the series are Hayley Atwell, Shea Whigham, Carl Ewes, Pom Klementieff, and Rob Delaney. The trailer shows Hunt once again hopping the globe, and we get glimpses of some truly incredible action sequences. And of course if features Cruise doing his own signature stunt work. Originally slated for a 2021 release, we’re finally getting the first of the two-part finale next year. I can’t wait.

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” hits theaters July 14th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

“The Forgiven” is the latest movie from writer-director John Michael McDonagh, the filmmaker behind 2014’s stellar “Calvary”. Here he leads an electric cast featuring Ralph Fiennes and recent Oscar winner Jessica Chastain. The film also stars Matt Smith, Caleb Landry Jones, Saïd Taghmaoui, Christopher Abbott, and Ismael Kanatar. “The Forgiven” premiered last September at the Toronto International Film Festival and is finally set to be released via Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment.

The story follows a wealthy couple (Fiennes and Chastain) who hit and kill a young local while driving to a friends wedding in a remote section of Morocco. Instead of notifying the authorities, the couple load the body into their car and take it to their friend’s (Smith) home. And the cover up begins. But when the young man’s grieving father unexpectedly shows up, the couple come face-to-face with the consequences for their choices. This looks to be a sharp and candid haves vs. have-nots story, and I’m interested to see how far McDonagh goes with it.

“The Forgiven” hits theaters July 1st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

It has been 13 years since James Cameron’s “Avatar” hit theaters, shattering box office records and ushering in a 3-D craze that (thankfully) has died off. The story of “Avatar” was essentially an overly preachy “Dances with Wolves” rip-off. But technically the movie was an eye-popping wonder and unlike anything moviegoers had ever seen. And it utilized 3-D in a way that no other movie after it could ever do.

Following numerous delays, many were wondering if the rumored “Avatar” sequel would ever see the light of day. Well, it most certainly is and we actually have the first teaser. There’s not much there in terms of story. We do know it’s set a decade after the first film and it revolves around Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) protecting their family from a new evil on Pandora. But this teaser is all about the visuals and it looks stunning. You could say it looks more like a PC graphics card demo than an actual movie. But I’m sure we’ll see more soon.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” hits theaters December 16th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

I hate to say it, but I’ve reached the point where whenever I hear “Adam Sandler” and “new movie” together I brace myself for the worst. It’s a reaction I think the always likable actor has earned. I can’t remember his last movie that I really liked (yes, that includes “Uncut Gems”). But his lucrative deals with Netflix has ensured that we still get a new Sandler movie nearly every year. This year it’s “Hustle”, a sports drama that sees Sandler shedding his signature goofiness for a more serious story.

Directed by Jeremiah Zagar, “Hustle” has Sandler playing a washed-up basketball scout attempting to revive his career by bringing a talented overseas player with a sketchy past to play in the NBA. The movie also features Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, and Robert Duvall. But then you have the shameless list of basketball cameos that have become a staple in movies like this. It’s a lazy recipe and hopefully one the movie doesn’t milk too much. Either way, it’s hard for me to get excited for a movie that looks too similar to countless other sports movies of its kind.

“Hustle” premieres June 10th on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.