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.

I know a lot of people are pretty jazzed for the return to the Matrix universe. Me, I’m having a hard time mustering up the excitement. To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of any of the Matrix movies, even the beloved first film. So for me it’s more about nostalgic curiosity than real anticipation. All that said, I do like the new poster just released by Warner Bros. Talk about a cool updated flash to the past. Tell me what you think.

DIRECTOR – Lana Wachowski

WRITER – Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, Aleksander Hemon

STARRING – Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jada Pinkett Smith

RELEASE – December 22, 2021

Netflix’s star-studded comedy “Don’t Look Up” is just around the corner and today the streaming platform dropped a brand new trailer. It’s hard not to be excited with a cast like this, but my one hesitation remains Adam McKay. While not a huge fan of his many Will Ferrell collaborations, I did find some of them mildly funny. His films afterward went from tolerable (“The Big Short”) to absolutely insufferable (“Vice”). So I go into caution mode whenever a new McKay movie comes around.

The plot of this one sounds ludicrous, but in a good way. Two small-time astronomers (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) learn that a giant comet is on a path to destroy the world. They first try telling the government but no one, including the President (Meryl Streep), believes them. So they take their story to the media which thrusts the two awkward scientists into the world spotlight. Adding to the star power is Mark Rylance, Rob Morgan, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Chris Evans, Ron Perlman, Tyler Perry, and so on. Hopefully McKay can wrangle all of this together and not turn it into some toothless comedy full of celebrity cameos. If he can, this has a chance to be really good.

“Don’t Look Up” is scheduled for a limited theater release on December 10th and then streaming on Netflix December 24th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Paul Thomas Anderson fans rejoiced following the release of the long awaited trailer for his next movie “Licorice Pizza”. Despite being the filmmaker behind two movies I adore (“There Will Be Blood”, “Phantom Thread”), I’m a little lukewarm on much of Anderson’s other stuff. But it was hard not to be won over by the first look at his latest. To make things even better, they’ve dropped a terrific new poster that features the same throwback vibes as the trailer. Check it out and tell me what you think.

DIRECTOR – Paul Thomas Anderson

WRITER – Paul Thomas Anderson

STARRING – Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Tom Waits, Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Maya Rudolph, John C. Reilly

RELEASE – December 25, 2021

Mahershala Ali stars in the interesting new drama “Swan Song”. It comes from writer-director Benjamin Cleary and is set to release later this year on AppleTV+. Showing off a nice supporting cast and an eye-catching style, the first trailer does a good job setting up this heartbreaking moral tale.

Ali plays Cameron, a loving husband and new father who’s keeping a painful secret from his wife (Naomie Harris) – he’s dying. Rather than leave his family alone, Cameron sees a doctor (Glen Close) about a controversial new cloning practice. A fascinating array of questions follow. Is it ethical? Is it fair to his wife and child? Is he doing it for his wife or is it more for himself? Awkwafina also stars in this compelling and thought-provoking film.

“Swan Song” premieres December 17th on AppleTV+. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.