Between a stylish Guillermo del Toro horror and a critically acclaimed Paul Thomas Anderson coming of age drama, who would have thought that the common theme drawing those two new cinema releases together is… Bradley Cooper? Not me!
The rest of the new movies include Denzel Washington directing Michael B. Jordan in a guaranteed tear-jerker of a true-life drama, and an allegedly gripping new thriller that reveals all its plot points in the trailer (according to the YouTube comments).
Licorice Pizza
Alana Kane and Gary Valentine grow up, run around and fall in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, this coming of age comedy drama stars Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie. Licorice Pizza is considered one of the best films of 2021 by critics, elevated by its raw authenticity.
Nightmare Alley
In the 1940s, an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, neo-noir psychological thriller Nightmare Alley features an all-star cast. Look out for Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, and David Strathairn.