Brand New Look at 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'

I missed this Comic-Con trailer a while back, so here it is now. I have to say, this has been a mostly terrible year for movies in general, with so little overall worth seeing, and as far as studio movies go, I don't think this one looks too bad. It's the same team that made the Harry Potter movies of course, this time with JK Rowling having actually written the script, but I'm kinda curious. I should probably read the actual book, right? I read all the Harry Potters but missed out on this one. 

Matt Damon Stars in Fantasy Action Epic 'The Great Wall'

So, there's already been some reactions to this movie from those who are questioning, to say the least, the decision to cast Matt Damon as the star of an action movie that takes place in 15th century China, and it does look a little out of place. However, this is Zhang Yimou, master director of Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou, House of Flying Daggers, and the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies. As strange as this story may look [I don't know what's going on with the monsters over the wall], we're at least going to be getting some amazing visuals, I think it's safe to say. But yeah, it definitely looks...different.

Comic-Con Launches 'Doctor Strange' Trailer

The initial teaser was intriguing, but I have to say, this new trailer makes the movie seem a hell of a lot more generic than that first glimpse revealed. Huh. Then again, it is another Marvel movie. What can I even say now that hasn't been said about their films? The most distracting thing to me here though is Benedict Cumberbatch's jarring American accent. I don't even know if it's good yet, all I know is he opens his mouth and I expect to hear that slick, silky British baritone. Why couldn't they just let him keep it? Tilda Swinton and Chiwetel Ejiofor got to keep theirs. I don't like hearing him talk like that. It's weird.

Oscar Winner Brie Larson Stars in 'Kong: Skull Island'

So, the studio seemed to know that the whole King Kong character is old news, which is why they've apparently decided to turn him into Godzilla. Because that's what this ludicrous looking film is, King Kong by way of Godzilla. Not the Beauty and the Beast story we know, but a generic action movie with Samuel L. Jackson yelling at people and various other human cardboard cutouts looking scared before Kong appears, now the size of a mountain. Yeah. This does not look good. Thoughts?

New Comic-Con Trailer for 'Suicide Squad'

At this point, I don't really know why we need any more trailers for Suicide Squad. I'm pretty sure we've seen 95 percent of the movie. But if you want it, here's another look at it, this one reminding you that Will Smith is in it too, which has kinda been getting lost in the marketing, with so much of it focusing on the Joker and Harley Quinn. It looks the best of the DC menu, I'll say that much. But once again, I'm asking myself if it's the soundtrack doing the talking for this film in every single promo that's released. The first teaser for this by the way, was released at last year's Comic-Con, and the movie STILL hasn't come out yet.

Batman Assembles the 'Justice League' in New Sizzle Reel

As many issues as I had with the way they seem to have approached Wonder Woman in that trailer, this footage taken from the ongoing filming of Justice League just made me laugh. And no, not in the way they wanted me to. This IS Zack Snyder directing again, probably for the last time, and boy, do you think the studio notes mandated some HUMOR this time around or what? I think it said jokes, jokes, jokes- MAKE IT FUNNY. Because this really looks nothing like Batman v Superman, and I suppose that's a good thing, but then again, Zack Snyder, ultimate self-important dude bro being forced to deliver a "fun" superhero movie against his natural instincts as a filmmaker...this sounds like a recipe for disaster, frankly. Oh, and the studio also ordered some rock music thrown in, because people love that in their trailers these days. Don't see this working either. And can I just say, the fact that they're ripping off the TV version of The Flash character is lame, but how much more lame is The Flash's costume in this? UGH. Nice robot shoulders, dude. Give me the TV one any day.

Comic-Con Debuts 'Wonder Woman' Trailer

Comic-Con of course brought us some big time trailers this weekend, one of which is the much anticipated Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot as the titular iconic heroine in her first ever feature film. So what do you think? I'm only gonna say a couple of things. One, I don't trust any single DC movie until they get rid of Zack Snyder from any trace of the production, and I know that his fingerprints are all over this one, including the screenplay. So there's a red flag. Two, I am pretty mortified by Gal Gadot's acting here, but acting is less of a problem for superheroes than not having a screen presence. And she looks to be entirely missing that last part, which is crucial. I mean, that beach scene with Chris Pine? Man, that looks bad. Finally, I see a lot of self-serious slo-mo action in this, another Snyder stamp, and frankly, Wonder Woman as a violent WWI-era actioner makes no sense to me whatsoever. So I'm not very optimistic about this movie- I know some people think it looks great, but I have serious doubts. And I HATE that horrible, god awful theme music they're bringing over from her appearance in Batman v Superman. WHY??? I also really don't like her costume. This is just not the Wonder Woman movie I would have wanted to see.

Garry Marshall 1934-2016

Film and television titan Garry Marshall has passed away last night at the age of 82. He was an actor, director, producer and writer of some the most beloved movies and television shows of the last century. He started out as a joke writer for comedians on television in the 1950's, before going on to become a writer for shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Danny Thomas Show and The Lucy Show. He eventually created the sitcom Happy Days and its spin-offs Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy (this after discovering Robin Williams) developed Neil Simon's The Odd Couple for television, and then went on to direct many notable films in the 1980's up to today, including The Flamingo Kid, Nothing in Common, Beaches, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride and The Princess Diaries. His most recent was Mother's Day, again starring his longtime friend Julia Roberts, who became a megastar thanks to his Pretty Woman. He also acted himself in many movies and television shows, going all the way back to the 1950's, including a recurring role on Murphy Brown in the 90's, voice acting on The Simpsons, and most recently guest appearances on shows like Louie and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. His contributions to pop culture and entertainment were enormous and continue to live on to this day.

Full Trailer for 'Magnificent Seven' Shows Off Diverse Cast

I though the first look at this was extremely generic, but this new one looks a little more intriguing. I do like the diverse casting part of it, and it doesn't look like it's inviting comparison to any past versions at all, which is always a wise move. Then again, like Girl on a Train, this is being helmed by a director of only average style or talent in Antoine Fuqua, so the original generic feel may be right on the money. Coincidentally, also like Girl on a Train, this movie has the JLaw clone again, this time with red hair instead of blonde. Odd.

Steamy New Trailer for 'Girl on a Train' Drops

I think I've said before that Emily Blunt pretty much does nothing for me, and I still don't get it even as this trailer tries its hardest to show off any potential Oscar moments she might have. The whole thing looks like a low rent Gone Girl, which, let's face it, was kinda low rent material to begin with, only elevated by David Fincher's Hitchock-ian directing style. I don't think we'll be saying the same for Tate Taylor, director of The Help. I'm also kind of distracted by this JLaw lookalike playing the murder victim. Anyone else see the clone-ish resemblance there?