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.

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.