This seems like the kind of story that could make for a great movie in the hands of a great director and a great writer. Unfortunately I don’t think that James Gray (The Yards) qualifies as either. But I do think he is competent enough to turn this into a tight and thoroughly enjoyable little thriller.

‘ve come to trust George Clooney’s choice of roles. Although I haven’t loved all of his recent movies, they are always interesting enough to be worth watching.

This one looks a lot like some kind of mix between The Insider and The Firm. Although I don’t expect it to neither as deep as the former nor as entertaining as the latter, it should still make for a worthwhile movie.

I really disliked the last Lion For Lambs trailer. This one makes it seem like a totally different, and more interesting film. But I’m still not sold.

I mostly worried that the movie will be too preachy and on the nose without actually being moving or challenging the audience intellectually. And yes, I’m afraid Tom Cruise was miscast.

I hope for the best, but I’m expecting the worse.

I still think this looks quite a bit like a Michael Mann movie, but can it be as good as a Michael Mann movie? A lot of the pieces seem to be in place. The subject matter is interesting, the actors are good and I happen to think that the director Peter Berg (The Rundown, Friday Night Lights) is very talented. Reaching Michael Mann heights might be tough, but even if it doesn’t I think it will be a very good film.

Gavin Hood, who directed Rendition, has been announced as the director of Wolverine. I’m not sure exactly what they saw in this film that made they think “you know, this guy would be a great director for a super-hero movie.” Seems like a bold choice, which actually makes me quite happy.

As for this trailer, well, the movie looks like it should at the very least be interesting. And it could turn out to be a lot more than that.

There is a reason why we get so many revenge flicks. There is something very satisfying, in a very primal way, about seeing one good person go outside the system in order to make some very bad people pay. It’s something we sometimes wish we could do, but we can’t, for very good reasons. Films allow us to see that wish fulfilled, and in the movies everything goes right, the revenge is totally justified and the bad people do indeed pay.

Unless we are talking about Oldboy, of course.

But anyway. With all the revenge flicks we had over the years, good and bad, there is some pressure put in any new film to deliver something a little different. This trailer doesn’t convince me that Death Sentence will have anything new to add, but it also doesn’t convince me it won’t. There certainly seem to be some stylish scenes, and perhaps even some non cliched story turns. And Kevin bacon can definitely pull the crazier side of the character we see towards the end of the trailer. So perhaps there is hope for this one.

Death Sentence opens August 31.

I’ll be totally honest here: I didn’t like Casey Affleck’s acting in the trailer, but it is possible that I’m being too hard on him because he is the brother of the director, who happens to be a well known movie star. I hope I’m wrong, because the trailer indicated that there is a very strong story behind this movie, and many of the actors involved are genuinely great. So, if Casey turns out to be good, this could be a really interesting film.

Richard Gere is still one charming dude. And seeing him playing a charming and funny character stuck (willingly in this case) in a hard situation seems like a good way to spend a couple of hours. And the setting, a war torn Bosnia, does offer plenty of opportunity to tell interesting and even important and meaningful stories.

The later part of the trailer does seem too much like a typical thriller for my tastes. Not that typical thrillers can’t be good, but many times when the filmmakers go for typical they hit mediocre. So, I’m not completely sold. But it sure has potential.

David Cronenberg’s films aren’t always good, but they are always interesting. So I’m definitely looking forward to this film. The trailer makes the movie look a little too typical, but I’m sure Cronenberg will deliver something unexpected.

Variety brings us the first look at the new film by the Coen Brothers “No Country For Old Men”. And it is pretty impressive. I’m getting an early Coens vibe from this film, with perhaps a little less dark humor. A little.

And in case you were wondering, I think the early Coens is a pretty great thing indeed. Blood Simple is an amazing film, and still one of the very best in their filmography.