Chris Pine leads a new action film called “The Contractor”. The film comes from television producer, graffiti artist, journalist, and film director Tarik Saleh. It was actually shot way back in 2019 where it went by the name “Violence of Action” (changing it was a good move). Now it’s set for an official release via Paramount Pictures and yesterday the first trailer dropped. In addition to Pine several other familiar faces appear including Ben Foster, Kiefer Sutherland, Gillian Jacobs, Nina Hoss, and Eddie Marsan.

Pine plays James Harper, a soldier who (by no choice of his own) is given his honorable discharge from the U.S. Special Forces. Now struggling to support his family, he joins his best friend (Foster) in taking a job with a private contracting firm ran by a fellow military veteran (Sutherland). But once he learns his employer is running crooked jobs for the U.S. government it puts him at odds with his boss. Soon he’s fighting for his life (as action stars tend to do in situations like this). While there are several familiar strokes to the story, it looks entertaining enough.

“The Contractor” opens in theaters on April 1st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Baz Luhrmann is a filmmaker with a style all his own. Over the years it’s a style that has earned him as much criticism as praise. Personally, Luhrmann’s handful of films have been a struggle for me which is why I wasn’t sure about him doing a movie on Elvis Presley. Yet here we are with the trailer for a film first announced in 2014, officially green-lit in 2019, started shooting in 2020, and wrapped up in 2021. This first detailed look gives us a lot to chew on. And I have to admit, it has me more interested in this movie than I was before.

Austin Butler gets the duty of playing Elvis Presley. And while there are moments of resemblance, there are also times where he looks more like John Travolta, Val Kilmer, or Ray Liotta. We get a glimpse of Presley’s childhood, but the film mostly chronicles his monumental rise from struggling act to a rock-and-roll legend. Tom Hanks gets a meaty role playing Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker and Olivia DeJonge plays Priscilla Presley. The film also features Luke Bracey, Yola Quartey, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Dacre Montgomery, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, among others. I have no idea how this will turn out. But if Luhrmann’s style can be present but in-check, this could be pretty good.

“Elvis” opens in theaters June 24th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Easily one of the strangest trailers I’ve seen in awhile came a couple of days ago. It was for “Father Stu”, a nearly impossible to define drama that sees Mark Wahlberg go from a womanizing boxer to an upright Catholic priest. Yep, you heard me right. The film is written and directed by Rosalind Ross and features a supporting cast that’s anchored by Mel Gibson and Jacki Weaver. Clearly it’s set as a redemption story, but the weirdness of Wahlberg playing a priest is tough to get past.

The film tells the real-life story of the late Fr. Stuart Long. As mentioned, it’s a story of redemption that also seeks to inspire. Long‘s journey from fighter to friar begins when he meets and is instantly smitten with a Sunday school teacher Carmen (Teresa Ruiz). A terrible motorcycle accident leaves him worried that he has lost his second chance at life. But he soon realizes that he can still help and inspire others despite his deteriorating health. Obviously there is some good dramatic material here. Hopefully Wahlberg can pull it off.

“Father Stu” hits theaters April 15th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

While my excitement for the Marvel Cinematic Universe has somewhat lessened since “Avengers: Endgame”, one of the movies on the MCU roadmap that has always had my attention was “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness”. One of the big reasons was the return of Director Sam Raimi to the superhero genre. But there’s also the sheer craziness of the idea behind it. And the ‘anything goes’ possibilities in the wake of what happened in “Spider-Man: No Way Hone” means this movie could have a major impact on the MCU’s future. The new trailer proves that to be true!

Just before the Super Bowl, Disney dropped a trailer that gives us a good idea of how far Raimi and company are going. As already known, Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff are going to have prominent roles and the trailer teases some pretty potent back-and-forths between them. We also see Strange facing punishment for his inadvertent actions in the Spider-Man flick. But perhaps the most buzzworthy thing sinners around a certain voice that we hear. I’ll let you watch and discover it for yourself. Needless to say, I’m excited.

“Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” opens in theaters May 6th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

To say Jordan Peele’s filmmaking career has started with a bang would be an understatement. His debut picture “Get Out” released to almost unheard of adoration and praise (I’m still trying to figure that one out. It’s a pretty good movie, but one with plenty of first-time writer/director missteps). His next film “Us” was a major step up for Peele and features one of the best performances in recent years from Lupita Nyong’o. And that brings us to his third feature, “Nope”.

The long-awaited first trailer dropped hours before this year‘s Super Bowl and to say it’s intriguing would also be an understatement. There’s not much revealed in terms of plot, but it definitely gives us a good sense of the vibe Peele is going for. It also sees Peele reteaming with Daniel Kaluuya, an actor with a lot of intensity but who generally only works at one temperature. But the rest of the cast excites me more, especially Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun. I like what this trailer teases and I’m excited to see where “Nope” goes.

“Nope” is scheduled to release in theaters July 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The “Jurassic Park” films have a special place in my heart and not because I’m a huge fan myself. But they happen to be my son’s favorite franchise (at least next to Star Wars). To clarify, for me the first “Jurassic Park” was an extraordinary experience that still holds up today. I absolutely love it. And I enjoyed the two sequels that followed (to lesser degrees). I had some fun with 2015’s “Jurassic World” but felt 2018’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” was a huge disappointment. As goofy as it was, “Fallen Kingdom” did leave the series in an interesting place. And that brings me to the new trailer for “Jurassic World Dominion”.

Set four years after the previous film, “Dominion” takes place in a new era with genetically engineered dinosaurs and humankind attempting to co-exist. After being released on America’s mainland, the dinosaurs have turned society on its head – the very result of mankind‘s meddling with nature. It’s hard to really nail down the plot as the trailer is mostly full of dinosaur spectacle and some awesome returning faces. But it looks like such a wild ride, and I am incredibly curious to see where they are going with this.

“Jurassic World Dominion” hits theaters June 10th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.