New 'Star Wars' Pics Show Off Droids and Storm Troopers

On a day of Disney news out of the annual D23 expo, here are some new stills from The Force Awakens, which didn't have a panel today, because J.J. Abrams (smartly) doesn't want to oversaturate the market with too much Star Wars stuff before the movie has a chance to actually open. But here's another appetite-wetter anyway, as we get some looks at the two new leads in action and hey, C3PO and R2-D2 are back! As we always knew they would be. A picture of Luke Skywalker in full old man, Obi-Wan-esque Jedi garb was also leaked today, but immediately pulled down by Disney (if you look semi-hard enough you can still see it- it kinda gave me Gandalf vibes, but what did you think?).

Hailee Steinfeld and Brit Marling Fight Off Civil War Soldiers in 'The Keeping Room'

This looks kind of interesting. A period thriller being billed as a "feminist western," this holdover from last year's TIFF is being released on September 25th and is about three women fighting off the intrusion of Union Army deserters into their home. I'm always here for feminist westerns, which is a practically non-existent genre, since the role of women in so many of them was to bunker down behind the man.

New Trailer for Jason Statham-free 'Transporter' Movie

So, I don't really know why you would make a Transporter movie without Jason Statham, since I'm pretty sure he's the only reason anyone was a fan of those movies in the first place (I mean, are there fans of this property by itself? Didn't it only exist because of Statham?), but for reasons unbeknownst to us, Ed Skrein takes over for The Transporter Refueled, which will arrive in theaters in September and be promptly forgotten about in a day, mark my words.

Bradley Cooper is a Struggling Chef in 'Burnt'

The new Weinstein film this year is from director John Wells, and stars Bradley Cooper as a guy trying to become a great chef and run his own kitchen, etc. I had heard this was supposed to be a comedy, but this trailer sure advertizes it as a drama, doesn't it? It doesn't look too bad, but a movie that's had three title changes (it was originally Chef, then Adam Jones) and settled on Burnt might be something of a bad sign. But you never know. It's coming out October 23rd.

Bryan Cranston Battles the Blacklist in 'Trumbo'

It must almost be Oscar season. We're starting to get trailers for the fall movies every day now, and that means a deluge of biopics about important people, right? In this one Bryan Cranston stars as the blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who wrote dozens of Hollywood movies in the 1950's that he was never given credit for until decades later. It looks a bit like an HBO movie to me, but the story is interesting, since there haven't really been too many films that explored the wild scandal of the Hollywood blacklist in the '50's. The House Un-American Activities Committee's dogged pursuit against Hollywood remains somewhat underknown history to a lot of people.

First Trailer for 'The Hateful Eight' Shows Off a Great Cast

After plenty of poster and picture leaks, we finally get the first trailer for Quentin Tarantino's new western, The Hateful Eight. What can I say, other than that it looks like a Tarantino movie? Actually, I get the feeling this is going to be one of his talkier ones, with most of it set in the one cabin room and lots of dialogue, if this teaser is anything to go by. I hope Jennifer Jason Leigh's part isn't silent though, as looks like might be the case. Hateful Eight is coming out on Christmas Day, so set your calendars.

New 'Jem and the Holograms' Trailer Adds a Robot

So I guess this is meant to target fans of the old show, but boy does it look terrible. Sorry guys, this movie just isn't for me, and the wobbly little robot guy doesn't make things better. It also seems to disrupt the flow of the movie, which kinda looks like a coming of age teenage girl thing, but then suddenly there's a friendly robot in the mix? Um, wtf? Yeah, not here for this.

Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "The Knick" Season 1 (2014)

Honestly, I didn't like many of the movies that came out on blu-ray this week, so I'm recommending this series instead, which was ten episodes in its first season for Cinemax (a channel not a lot of people have) and all directed by Steven Soderbergh, who gives the season a distinct visual and cinematic flourish. It can be pretty graphic at times, but it's an enthralling look at medical practices at the turn of the twentieth century, as a group of doctors at the Knickerbocker hospital come to terms with the rapid changes in medicine right as it's coming down the pipeline. Clive Owen is the star, but Andre Holland is just as compelling as the only black doctor in the hospital at a time when that was dangerous and rare. Catch up before Season 2, which premieres on October 16th.

Season 1 Trailer:

Jennifer Jason Leigh on the Front of the New 'Hateful Eight' Poster

Another new poster for Tarantino's latest is the coolest one, with Jennifer Jason Leigh front and center- I hope she's the lead of the film, although I've heard she's more of a supporting role. Still, it's been a long time since she's been prominently featured in anything, so maybe this is the comeback role for her that Quentin Tarantino has shepherded for so many other actors.