Could Amazon Studios have a winner on its hands with “The Tender Bar”? The film is an adaptation of a 2005 best-selling memoir by J. R. Moehringer. It’s a coming-of-age drama directed by George Clooney and written by Oscar-winner William Monahan (“The Departed”). Adding to its star power is the cast led by Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan. The first trailer dropped over the weekend, and while the sentimentality is pretty heavy, I admit to being drawn in by the sweetness of what we see.

The film tells the story of young J. R. Moehringer, a wide-eyed ambitious kid in Long Island whose father ran out on him. So now he finds much-needed father figure in his bartender uncle Charlie (Affleck). The younger J.R. is played by Daniel Ranieri while the college bound J.R. is played by Sheridan. The movie looks to follow J.R.’s journey while putting a heavy emphasis on the people who helped shape his life. It’s Clooney’s second directorial effort for a streaming platform in two years following 2021’s terrific “The Midnight Sky”. I’m hoping this one turns out as good.

“The Tender Bar” is getting a limited theater release December 17th and will stream on Amazon Prime beginning January 7th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

And just like that I have my most anticipated movie of 2022. I already new “The Batman” would be in the running, but after the release of the new trailer over the weekend as part of DC FanDome 2021, I’m more convinced than ever that director Matt Reeves has something big in store for us. And just as exciting, we won’t have to wait until the summer to see it.

The new trailer is a dark and moody spectacle that captures the very essence of Gotham City and the Dark Knight. Reeves gives us plenty of cool glimpses at key characters including Paul Dano’s Riddler, Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman, and Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon. And of course there’s Robert Pattinson’s Batman, a more pained and violent take on the character that really shows in the trailer. And those final 45 seconds had me coming out of my seat. I LOVE the look of this and they can take my money now!

“The Batman” opens in theaters on March 4th, 2022. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The Halloween season is kicking into full gear and it seems like we’re getting one new horror film after another. Here’s one from director Scott Derrickson and the folks at Blumhouse that actually looks original. “The Black Phone” is most certainly a horror movie, but it’s just as much much a dark abduction thriller. Better yet, the chilling antagonist is played by none other than Ethan Hawke who worked with Derrickson on 2012’s underrated “Sinister”.

Derrickson’s last feature film was 2016’s “Doctor Strange” for Marvel Studios. He was set to direct its upcoming sequel but left the MCU due to creative differences. Now he returns to the horror/thriller genre with screenwriting partner and friend C. Robert Cargill. The two set their story in a Colorado suburb during the 1970s where several children have been kidnapped by an eerie creep known as “The Grabber”. In the new trailer Hawke is absolutely terrifying which is all I needed to have this added to my watch list.

“The Black Phone” opens in theaters February 4th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Soooo normally this would be one of those movies that I would say a quick “No Thank You” to and then move along. But there are a couple of things that stood out about the upcoming Disney+ original movie “Home Sweet Home Alone”. Sure, it’s title is cringe-worthy and the very thought of another “Home Alone” doesn’t exactly thrill the soul. But seeing young Archie Yates, who stole every single scene he had in 2019’s “Jojo Rabbit”, in the lead role brought a big smile to my face.

Advertising it as the sixth installment in the “Home Alone” franchise (yes, I suppose it is a franchise) isn’t the best sales pitch. I genuinely like the first two Macaulay Culkin led films, both directed by Chris Columbus and written by the late John Hughes. But everything after that was borderline unwatchable. So will this new installment play closer to the original two films or the abysmal last three? It’s hard to tell by the trailer. It’s basically a Christmas time copy of the first film but with a new setting. Still, with Archie leading the way I’m compelled to give it a shot.

“Home Sweet Home Alone” premieres November 12th on Disney+. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

For those who haven’t gotten their fill of old slasher movie franchises being revived, along comes “Scream”. Though advertised as a franchise relaunch, this is a direct sequel to “Scream 4” from 2011. It’s worth noting that his will be the first “Scream” movie not to be directed by the late Wes Craven. It also continues a trend of dropping the number at the end of the title and simply reusing the original name (I still haven’t figured out why that’s a thing).

The first trailer dropped today from Paramount and franchise fans will instantly notice the similarities between this and the original movie. We see a modernized remake of the famous Drew Barrymore opening from the 1996 film. And of course we see the signature characters: Neve Campbell’s Sidney, David Arquette’s Dewey, and Courteney Cox’s Gale. A smattering of new young faces ensures that the new ghost-faced killer has plenty of fresh meet to slash.

“Scream” hits theaters January 14th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Full disclosure (again) – I don’t have any real connection the “Paranormal Activity” series. I don’t know anything about its timeline and couldn’t tell you anything of value about the previous movies outside of the first couple. I’m also not a fan of found-footage horror movies (they were fun at first but wore out their welcome years ago). Yet strangely, the new trailer “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin” grabbed my attention.

“Next of Kin” is essentially the seventh installment in the “PA” franchise, but it’s advertised as a full reboot of the series. Horror guru Jason Blum produces this story of a young woman shooting a documentary that chronicles her visit to an Amish village. There she’s set to meet a biological relative who may have information about her late mother’s past. As the trailer makes abundantly clear, things get pretty macabre and her visit quickly turns terrifying.

“Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin” premieres October 29th on Paramount+ streaming. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.