Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette Are Best Friends in 'Miss You Already'

Tearjerker alert. For some reason this movie kind of reminds me of Beaches- not sure if that's a good thing or not. But it's nice to see Drew Barrymore again in something that could (potentially) be decent. Actually, the sad thing about this movie is that it's coming out in the UK in September, but it's one of those that has not secured a U.S. release date, likely because it's a low budget female friendship comedy. This is a movie that would have easily been in theaters a decade or so ago, but now these kinds of movies get sidelined from even a theatrical release. It's a sad state of affairs, people.

Saoirse Ronan Comes to America in 'Brooklyn'

I smell a potential Oscar contender here. This coming of age independent film set in the 1950's was very warmly received at Sundance and immediately picked up by Fox Searchlight for a fall release, and it looks right up Oscar's alley to me. Saoirse Ronan is a teenage immigrant from Ireland (so she gets to use her natural accent) and she looks great in the lead role, sensitive and genuine as she often is. Surrounded by colorful character actors in the supporting parts and with a script written by Nick Hornby (Wild, An Education), I'd say to definitely be on the lookout for this one.

Chris Pine and Casey Affleck Battle Storm Waters in 'The Finest Hours'

Looks like Disney wants a Perfect Storm type movie with this disaster flick, but as always, the January release date raises suspicion. Chris Pine keeps trying to break through outside the Star Trek franchise, but I'm not sure this will be the vehicle for him. Frankly, the only person who sounds believable with that Cape Cod accent is Casey Affleck (for obvious reasons). It's coming out January 29th, so be wary of this one.

Jack Black is R.L. Stine in the 'Goosebumps' Trailer

I was never a Goosebumps fan as a kid- for the TV show I preferred Are you Afraid of the Dark?, and with the books I liked Stine's own Fear Street series better. But if I had been I would probably think the premise they chose here to make a movie out of the property seems weird and convoluted. Apparently R.L. Stine's book monsters literally spring to life out of the pages and chase everyone around the neighborhood? Huh. Seems aimed at really little kids, but I guess that was why I wasn't into the books in the first place.

Tom Hanks Negotiates a Trade in New 'Bridge of Spies' Trailer

This new look at the Spielberg/Hanks thriller showcases a better side of the action part of it, at least in the second half. It looks pretty talky, but I loved the last talky Spielberg movie (Lincoln), so that doesn't bother me at all. Still mostly feels like an old-fashioned kind of spy movie, but I'm in based on the cred of the people involved. Comes out October 16th.

New 'Ant-Man' Trailer Connects it to the Avengers

Early word on Ant-Man is surprisingly positive, although most of it is from fanboy critics who are always given the benefit of early screenings to enhance buzz. Still, they were kinda lukewarm on the last Avengers flick, so it may mean something that Ant-Man is faring better than that one at this stage. Reviews start dropping tomorrow, and the early embargo lift (the movie doesn't come out until the 17th) means Marvel at least thinks it's decent. Of course, that seems to be their MO these days- make at least a "decent" movie at all costs. No epic disasters on the DC scale (like with Green Lantern). Slick professionalism has turned into formula filmmaking at its most efficient.

Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "The Killers" (1946)

On blu-ray this week is this hardboiled noir from the '40's, which gives us early, pre-star performances from Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner as a couple of criminals who fall for each other. You can see the screen presence they both had in this early film, and how they would both go on to become iconic stars of the 1950's. I love the word "hardboiled" that's often used to describe film noir, because it always tells you exactly what you're going to get- cynical, gritty, tough subject matter, hardened characters and steely acting that doesn't soften for one second. Some noirs are more of that than others, and this is definitely one of them- there's not a vulnerable second for any of these burned out people as they try to flee from their past crimes. You should check this one out as soon as you can, it's worth a watch.

Original 1946 Trailer:

Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel Get Married in 'Jenny's Wedding'

In a timely move, Jenny's Wedding is a movie coming out soon about a lesbian who must get her family to accept who she is. Katherine Heigl hasn't exactly had a lot of success since Knocked Up and her days on Grey's Anatomy (her recent TV show was canceled almost as soon as it premiered), but maybe this one will be a comeback vehicle. I kind of doubt it, but the subject matter sure hits the zeitgeist.