After last month’s bland and thrill-free “Blacklight”, it’s not a stretch to wonder if the Liam Neeson action thriller era has finally reached its end. But not so fast. The first trailer for his new film “Memory” just dropped and it gives a little hope that the great Irish actor still has a few good movies left in them. Directed by Martin Campbell, “Memory” teams Neeson with Monica Bellucci and the often underappreciated Guy Pearce.

In some ways, “Memory” has a lot of the same flavor as every other Neeson flick. But this one has an interesting twist. This remake of a 2003 Belgian film sees Neeson playing a hitman-for-hire who is suddenly targeted after refusing to carry out a job involving a kid. The catch is Neeson’s aged assassin, though still lethal, is showing signs of early dementia. This adds an intriguing wrinkle and both Pearce and Bellucci have some interesting roles to play. How will it all turn out? I have no idea. But I’m genuinely curious about this one.

“Memory” is set to hit theaters April 29th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

I have to admit, back in 2020 my expectations for a “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie were pretty low. And while Jeff Fowler’s zany action-adventure comedy was far from perfect, I was surprised at how entertaining it managed to be. Fowler returns with the inevitable sequel that brings back the anthropomorphic hedgehog with lightning fast speed. And this time Sonic brings along a few new faces from is long running video game mythology.

The new action-heavy trailer sees Sonic (once again voiced by Ben Schwartz) duking it out with a evil mustachioed Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik (Jim Carrey), a mad scientist with serious world domination ambitions. This time Robotnik has brought some muscle – a red echidna named Knuckles (voiced by none other than Idris Elba). So Sonic teams with an orange fox named Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) to stop the villains and save earth. Meanwhile James Marsden returns as the straight man to Sonic’s nuttiness. I’m not sure what to think about this one. The effects look pretty great, but it also could be a case of overkill. Hopefully not.

“Sonic the Hedgehog” races into theaters April 8th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

“Umma” is creepy supernatural chiller written and directed by Iris K. Shim. The name that’ll catch many people’s eye is Sam Raimi who produces. Yesterday distributor Sony Pictures dropped the first trailer, and I can honestly say it wasn’t what I expected. Now “Umma” is high on my ‘to watch’ list thanks in large part to it’s eerie vibe and the intriguing casting of Sandra Oh as its lead.

Oh plays a hermit named Amanda. She’s a Korean immigrant who has made a home for herself and her daughter on a remote rural farm. There she raises bees and holds to a strict policy of no modern technology – no televisions, no radios, not even automobiles are allowed. But her secluded life is interrupted when a mysterious man arrives unannounced carrying the ashes of her recently deceased mother. It opens the door to something wicked and utterly terrifying. The trailer rightly keeps a lot under wraps, and I’m anxious to see where this thing goes.

“Umma” lands in theaters March 18th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

I’ve been waiting for this one. “Bullet Train” is a star-studded action-comedy directed by David Leitch, the man behind movies like “John Wick”, “Hobbs and Shaw”, and “Deadpool 2” (ugh). Here he teams with a stacked cast of noteworthy names that includes Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, Michael Shannon, Andrew Koji, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Zazie Beetz, Logan Lerman, Bad Bunny, Masi Oka, and more.

This is the kind of crazy action movie where characters sport goofy names like Ladybug, Prince, Tangerine, Kimura, and Lemon. Set aboard a non-stop train speeding through the Japanese countryside, the story follows five assassins who each find themselves after the same silver briefcase. It looks like we’re in for loads of crazy action and lots of humor. Punch my ticket!

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

The 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring “outstanding” performances from 2021, took place last night at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California. It’s the year’s first big televised awards show on the road to Oscar night. As the name applies, the awards are all about the acting, and there were some fascinating nominees duking it out. Here’s a brief wrap-up of last night winners in the six film categories.

1. Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – “CODA” – The big award of the night went to the sweet, feel-good drama “CODA”. While it may not be the best movie of the year or even the best ensemble, it’s hard not to love this win. The film marked the first time that a deaf cast has been nominated for the award. Now they can also say they’re first-time winners. But this is no sympathy win. “CODA” is a really good movie and the extraordinary cast in a big reason why.

2. Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role – Will Smith (“King Richard”) – Things were starting to slightly trend in Will Smith’s favor as the week progressed, but I have to admit to being a little surprised. That said, it’s hard to argue with his acting in “King Richard”. I’ve always liked Will Smith more than his actual performances. But in “King Richard” he does some of the best work of his career. While my personal choice is Denzel Washington, it was great hearing Smith’s name announced.

3. Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) – And just like that we have some actual suspense heading into Oscar night. Jessica Chastain won for her portrayal of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker and it sets up quite the showdown. Chastain gives a really good performance in an okay movie so interested in scrubbing clean Tammy Faye’s image that it comes unglued. Yet despite the movie’s struggles, Chastain steadily delivers. I was all-in for Olivia Colman, but Chastain is such a talent and a deserving winner.

4. Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Troy Kotsur (“CODA”) – Talk about the win the made my wife and me audibly yell for joy. Troy Kotsur was wonderful as the eccentric yet devoted father in “CODA”. Not only was his work as a deaf actor inspiring, but his embodiment of his character is top-notch. He has such an infectious charm and personality both on screen and throughout awards season. Who couldn’t be excited to see him win?

5. Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Supporting Role – Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) – What an electric performance! I loved Ariana DeBose in Steven Spielberg’s glorious “West Side Story” and it has been fun watching her rack up the wins. DeBose not only has the dance moves, but she really owns so many of the scenes she’s in. My personal choice is still Caitríona Balfe for “Belfast”, and the Academy’s ridiculous snub still makes no sense whatsoever. But after Balfe, there’s no one else I would rather see win. DeBose is sublime.

6. Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture – “No Time to Die” – The fact that this category exists makes me happy. While a part of me was rooting for “Dune”, in terms of sheer stunt work how can you argue with the latest James Bond adventure? The movie is full of jaw-dropping stunts and more than worthy of this award.

And that wraps it up. One step closer to Oscar night. What did you think of this year’s winners? Let me know below.

Anyone who reads this site regularly knows I’m a huge Christopher Nolan fan. Any Nolan film is an event for me. His next film sounds considerably different than his past work but just as intriguing. It’s “Oppenheimer”, a biographical drama that sees Cillian Murphy playing the “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer. Sporting an absolutely star-studded cast, Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” should be phenomenal. And now we have the striking first poster. Check it out.

DIRECTOR – Christopher Nolan

WRITER – Christopher Nolan

STARRING – Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh, Robert Downey, Jr, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, Dane DeHaan, Matthew Modine, Jack Quaid, Alden Ehrenreich

RELEASE – July 21, 2023