Adam Sandler is in Betting Trouble in 'Uncut Gems'

I’m not a huge Adam Sandler fan, although I can admit that he has occasionally shown flashes of being a good actor in the past (Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish). This time he’s making a play for Oscar, apparently, or at least according to the people who saw Uncut Gems at Telluride. It’s supposed to be pretty damn good, with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating (and even more significantly, an 88 on Metacritic). It comes out December 13th.

Elsa Gets Lost in the Magic in New 'Frozen 2' Trailer

I have no idea why they’re marketing this movie as being so serious, and why they’re hiding what are presumably the new songs in this presumed musical sequel, right? Isn’t that what everyone liked about the first one? (Not me, but I wasn’t big on the first one in general).

Alfre Woodard is a Prison Warden in 'Clemency'

This looks intense. It premiered at Sundance and is apparently mostly a vehicle for Alfre Woodard, who supposedly gives a great performance. It’s coming out in limited release on December 27th.

Mark Ruffalo Stars in Legal Thriller 'Dark Waters'

To me, the most surprising thing about this movie, which brings back echoes of Erin Brockovich and Michael Clayton, is that it was directed by Todd Haynes. Really? The guy who made Far From Heaven, Carol, Velvet Goldmine and I’m Not There directed what looks like a generic throwback to 1990’s legal thrillers? That seems to have no connective tissue to any of his other movies, but maybe this is just an extremely misleading trailer. Not to say that the genre is bad or anything either- just seems like an odd choice for a guy like Haynes.

Christian Bale and Matt Damon Bond in New 'Ford v. Ferrari' Trailer

This movie also got good reviews out of Telluride and Toronto, and is expected to be a possible Oscar contender for 20th Century Fox, which is now owned by Disney of course, who will be watching closely the success or failure of this movie. I suppose we all need to root for it on that basis alone, if we want studios to actually still make original films that aren’t franchises or superhero movies (and release them in actual theaters). That may not matter to Disney anymore though, unless they can prove profitable. So here’s hoping.

Eddie Murphy Goes for Another Comeback With 'Dolemite is My Name'

Exactly how many comebacks has Eddie Murphy staged over the years? I feel like people are always talking about his inevitable next “comeback,” from his 1980’s high to The Nutty Professor to Dreamgirls to this. I suppose in a sense they’re probably referring to his comedic comeback this time, since he’s also set to return to standup soon, and host SNL in December (for the first time since he left the show in the early 80’s). Anyway, this got great reviews at Toronto and looks really good to me, so I’ll be checking it out when it hits Netflix next month.

'Jojo Rabbit' Wins the 2019 TIFF People's Choice Award

And just like that, we’re off to the Oscar races, much to the dismay of many critics, apparently. This movie got a massive reaction from the crowds at Toronto, according to all reports, which is why I’m not that surprised that it took this prize, the first big bellwether of Oscar season (not since 2011 has the winner not been nominated for Best Picture). But it’s currently got a 49 on Metacritic, which means a lot of major critics not only took issue with it, but flat out despised it. The movie, directed by Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi, appears to be extremely divisive, with people either loving or hating it, but this could be a critics versus audience thing (remember, Bohemian Rhapsody had a 49 on Metacritic too). I was instantly suspicious when I saw several comparisons to 1997’s Life is Beautiful, a movie that was also hated by a lot of critics (and for similar reasons- for supposedly trivializing Nazis and the Holocaust), but audiences didn’t care and it turned into the most popular foreign-language film of all time in the U.S. (still surpassed today only by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and was a major Oscar contender that year. So Jojo Rabbit is in the Oscar race with this win, whether they like it or not. Runners-up were the well reviewed Marriage Story and Parasite, but in no year has all three of the TIFF winners made it into Best Picture, so history says at least one of those will miss.

Craziness Abounds in New 'Lighthouse' Trailer

I know it’s the whole point that this movie looks crazy, but I still wonder how bearable that madness will be to sit through for two hours. Is it just a movie for critics or is it at all accessible to an audience?

NEON Shares Official Trailer for 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'

Since the last trailer I posted for this was surreptitiously removed, I had to get rid of my post. But now I finally get to post this new official trailer from Neon, since the movie’s coming out in December. This French film got raves at Cannes and again at Toronto yesterday, so be on the lookout, because I’m sure it’s going to be France’s Oscar submission. And it looks soooo good.

Sterling K. Brown Stars in New Movie 'Waves'

This film is a small indie from A24, but it made a big splash at Telluride a few days ago, with critics raving about the emotional impact it creates. About a family in Florida who deals with the aftermath of a tragedy, this could be a player in the awards season if the studio can get enough attention for it. It’s got a prime release date of November 1st, which means A24 is confident in its chances and its quality.

Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx Star in 'Just Mercy'

This drama directed by Destin Daniel Crettin (Short Term 12) is based on a true story, a memoir by the lawyer Jordan plays in the movie, and is coming out at Christmas. It was intended for next year but pushed up to make it in for awards consideration, so WB thinks it’s good at least. It will also premiere at TIFF this week. Keep an eye out.

Full Trailer for Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit'

I wasn’t sure about the original teaser for this film, but this new trailer makes it look kinda good. Thomas Mackenzie plays the girl hiding in their house and she was really great in last year’s Leave No Trace. It will premiere in Toronto in five days, so we’ll see then.