I had a great time appearing on Tavern Talk by Initial Reaction to discuss Adam McKay’s wacky end-of-the-world satire “Don’t Look Up”. It was late and we had screened two movies, so please forgive my rambling. But (as it always is on that show) I had a lot of fun.

Please click below and check it out.

George Mackay stars in the upcoming World War II thriller “Munich – The Edge of War”. One of the first in Netflix’s 2022 slate of movies, “Munich – TEOW” comes from director Christian Schwochow and screenwriter Ben Power. It’s based on a Robert Harris novel of the same name and is set in late 1938 on the eve of Hitler’s planned invasion of Czechoslovakia. So automatically we’re in historically rich territory.

The story follows two young men, British civil servant (George MacKay) and a German diplomat (Jannis Niewöhner) who join together to try and broker a peace deal. With Europe on the brink of war, Neville Chamberlain (Jeremy Irons) and the British government hatch a plan to stop the inevitable attack that would eventually set in motion events that would lead to the deadliest military conflict in history (an estimated 75-85 million perished as a result). I’m a sucker for thoughtful historical war dramas and I like the look of this one.

“Munich – The Edge of War“ opens in limited release before dropping on Netflix January 21, 2022. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The upcoming gangland movie “The Outfit” sees Academy Award winner Mark Rylance in yet another role that seems custom made for him (I beg you, please forgive the gruesome pun). The film is the directorial debut for Graham Moore who won an Academy Award himself for writing 2015’s “The Imitation Game”. Here Graham and Rylance team with Zoey Deutch to create what looks like a tense and confined thriller. The first trailer gives us a good taste of what we can look forward to.

Rylance plays an English tailor named Leonard who leaves London’s renowned Savile Row for Chicago following a personal tragedy. There he opens up a shop making finely tailored suits for those who can afford them. In his case, most of his clients happen to be gangsters. But as the trailer shows, Leonard finds himself caught up in the middle of a mob squabble and he’ll have to use his smarts if he wants to survive the night. I like everything about this. I looks to mostly take place in a single location and brimming with suspense. Sign me up.

“The Outfit” is set to release February 25th, 2022. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

I just want to take a second to wish everyone who celebrates it a very Happy Thanksgiving. Myself, I’m thankful for all of the people I’ve gotten to know through this goofy website. Thanks for all of the reads, likes, comments, and conversations. They means a lot.

Have a terrific day and a wonderful holiday season.

Oscar winner Riz Ahmed leads “Encounter”, an enigmatic science-fiction thriller from writer-director Michael Pearce. The film had its world premiere at Telluride and is now set for its full release via Amazon Studios. Ahmed is joined by co-stars Octavia Spencer, Janina Gavankar, Rory Cochrane, Lucian-River Chauhan, and Aditya Geddada.

Ahmed plays Malik, a decorated Marine veteran and the father of two young sons. The new trailer is pretty cryptic, but it looks to show Malik load up his boys and head on a road trip that turns into (as he himself puts it) “a rescue mission”. There are hints of an impending attack from outer space. But what’s most revealing is the number of law enforcement agencies who are hot on Malik’s tale. Clearly there’s more going on here than meets the eye.

“Encounter” is slated for a limited theater release on December 3rd prior to premiering on Amazon Prime streaming on December 10th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Sports movie tend to be pretty hit or miss and the new sports drama “National Champions” looks to fall into that category. But to the film’s credit, the movie (directed by Ric Roman Waugh) appears to have a lot more on its mind than what happens on the field. An interesting cast leads the way in what could either be a smart and provocative story or yet another sports yarn overloaded with industry cameos.

The movie centers around a college football star (played by Stephan James) who leads his team all the way to the national championship game. But as the big game approaches, he causes a firestorm when he begins to speak out about player compensation and better treatment of college athletes. With the eyes of the country on him, the young man must decide whether to lead his teammates on the field or in a players strike for his cause. The film also stars J.K. Simmons, Lil Rel Howery, Tim Blake Nelson, Jeffrey Donovan, Alexander Ludwig, Andrew Bachelor, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, and countless ESPN and NFL celebs. We’ll see how it turns out.

“National Champions” releases December 10th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.