Matt Damon Fights For Survival in New Trailer for 'The Martian'

As I said recently, the more I see of this, the more I think it's going to be really good. Both Matt Damon and Ridley Scott's best movie in a long time. It's obviously trying to break out as the Gravity/Interstellar of this year, and with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence's sci-fi Passengers coming out next year, it looks like fall has suddenly become to go-to season for the annual space movie. That's a bit of an odd trend I guess, but with this one based on the best-selling novel, I have a feeling it's going to be a big hit. Plus, it just looks downright exciting. The Martian comes out October 2nd.

'The Witch' Unleashes Horror On a Puritan Family

Finally! I've been hearing about this movie since it debuted at the Sundance film festival in January and won the best director prize, and now there's an actual trailer ahead of its showing at TIFF in a couple weeks. Sundance has become the place for original, genuinely scary horror movies in the last two years (The Babadook, It Follows), and this is another one that got rave reviews from the critics, who labeled it the most terrifying one yet. Set in 1635, a Puritan family is terrorized by a mysterious presence in the woods and it looks pretty damn frightening. I just wonder why A24 is saving it for next year and not releasing it in time for Halloween. Doesn't it seem like the perfect time for genuine horror movies is in October?

James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe Star in a New Take on 'Frankenstein'

Wigs galore in this new, comedic and somewhat campy adaptation of the Frankenstein novel, as James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe intro the trailer here for the film coming out on November 25th. Unfortunately it kinda reminds me of that movie Van Helsing with Hugh Jackman- sometimes the contemporary "spin" on these stories doesn't work out so great. All the action stuff in the last part of this trailer doesn't really bode well either, but we'll see.

Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "The French Lieutenant's Woman" (1981)

A year before her iconic Sophie's Choice performance, Meryl Streep was nominated for this film, a movie she was just as good in, and in a way I consider to be her quintessential performance. It's because she got to play two parts, the character in a period drama racked by torment with all the theatricality and mannered accents Streep is known for, and the present day actress playing that part, who's also having an affair with her co-star Jeremy Irons. In that role she's subtle, natural and laid-back, the opposite of the character she's playing in the film within the film. For that reason this is Meryl Streep in all the ways you know her, all on the screen at one time. This is more of a movie about acting than the story based on the actual novel, and that makes it kind of a strange film overall, different than what you'd expect. But it's worth checking out for Meryl, as it could have easily been her first Best Actress award, but of course that was coming right after this.

Original 1981 Trailer:

Jennifer Lawrence Covers the Poster for 'Joy'

In what will undoubtedly be the better of her two movies coming out this fall (after Hunger Games, which is finally, mercifully over), Jennifer Lawrence is finally the unabashed lead of a David O. Russell movie, although this poster gives you no more sense of what it's about. He's also reuniting much of his steady crew of actors here, with Bradley Cooper (of course) and Robert DeNiro billed alongside his star. Who knows though, it may be time for him to have a miss, since nobody stays on a hot streak forever.

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara Shine in the First Teaser for 'Carol'

Todd Haynes's Carol, which premiered at the Cannes film festival to stellar reviews, is expected to be one of the heavy-hitters this fall season, and with the Weinstein Co. behind it, you can at least expect it to get as big a push as possible. Rooney Mara won the Best Actress prize at Cannes for her performance here, in which she and Cate Blanchett share screentime equally as the lead. Based on a Patricia Highsmith novel from the 1950's about a lesbian romance, and from Haynes, who directed Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven and I'm Not There (also with Blanchett), I think this is definitely one of the ones to watch out for.

D23 Reveals New 'Star Wars' and 'Jungle Book' Posters

The Star Wars one is pretty bad, to tell you the truth (an obvious riff on the old 70's posters, but everyone's face looks weird), but The Jungle Book one isn't terrible. Although I really am wary of the idea of an entirely CGI animal cast with a human Mowgli, and the animals are singing the old Disney tunes on top of it. That sounds kind of freaky to me, actually.

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?).