Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic — her sophomore directorial effort after 2017’s Oscar-nominated Lady Bird — hits theaters on Christmas Day (naturally), and the first trailer arrived Tuesday morning. The following bits are courtesy Entertainment Weekly: “We wanted [the trailer] to feel like the movie feels, which is both classical and fresh,” Gerwig tells EW and PEOPLE. “We wanted it to feel light on its feet. And even though it does take place in the 19th century, we in no way wanted it to feel like it was something that was past. We wanted it to feel like it was present right now.” Good luck not being knocked over by the very present emotion of seeing Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy (Florence Pugh) brought to vivid life in the joyous, colorful footage, with glimpses of gentle Marmee (Laura Dern), stern Aunt March (Meryl Streep), and the wonderful, almost-irresistible Laurie (Timothée Chalamet). “It’s like their hearts are as big as the landscape,” Gerwig says, and the two-and-a-half-minute clip is packed with love — sisterly, motherly, complicated, unconditional, unrequited, and otherwise. Watch the trailer above, and read on for a breakdown of all the ways the December release has already got our hearts soaring.

According to Variety, Meryl Streep will receive the Toronto International Film Festival’s Tribute Actor Award during this year’s festivities. “Meryl Streep is undoubtedly one of the most talented and versatile actors of her generation,” TIFF co-head Joana Vicente said in a statement. “Her tremendous contribution to cinema, television, and the stage spans five decades; from her early roles in “The Deer Hunter,” “Kramer vs. Kramer,” and “Sophie’s Choice” to later films including “The Devil Wears Prada,” “The Iron Lady,” and “The Post,” she has portrayed characters that are as compelling as they are timeless. TIFF could not be more thrilled to honor such a skilled and exemplary artist.” Streep will be presented with the award at the Tribute Gala on Sept. 9 at Fairmont Royal Oak. Streep stars in Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat,” which will have its North American premiere at TIFF. The 44th annual TIFF runs Sept. 5-15. As previously announced, Participant Media will receive the TIFF Impact Award at the gala. The recipient of the inaugural Mary Pickford Award, honoring a female emerging talent in the industry, will be announced at a later date. In addition to “The Laundromat,” this year’s lineup also includes “Joker” starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers” as well as “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” a Mr. Rogers biopic starring Tom Hanks as the legendary children’s television host.

Great news from Venice today. Ahead of the aforementioned premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, “The Laundromat” will also be screened (assumingly its world-premiere) at the 76th Venice Film Festival. With the announcement, a first synopsis for the film has been released which indicates that a) Streep is playing the central character of the film and b) announces James Cromwell and Sharon Stone as co-stars. As The Hollywood Reporter writes, “Netflix will have a solid lineup once again in Venice this year after scoring big last year when Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma took home the Golden Lion and the Coen Bros.’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs won the Best Screenplay award. Also from Netflix, Steven Soderbergh’s uber-timely Panama Papers comedy The Laundromat follows Meryl Streep as Ellen Martin, whose dream vacation takes a wrong turn and leads her down a rabbit hole of shady dealings that can all be traced to one Panama City law firm, run by seductive partners played by Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. She soon learns that her minor predicament is only a drop in the bucket millions of files linking an off-shore tax scheme to the world’s richest and most powerful political leaders. The all-star cast also includes Jeffrey Wright, David Schwimmer, Larry Wilmore, Matthias Schoenaerts, James Cromwell and Sharon Stone”. After facing backlash for an almost all-male lineup in recent years, the good news is that Venice has doubled the number of female directors in competition. The bad news is that wasn’t too hard to do, going from one director to two out of 21 competition films. The 76th Venice Film Festival runs August 28 – September 07, 2019.

Lucky us! Only one day without Meryl Streep on “Big Little Lies”, and the next project is already waiting around the corner. Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat” will have its world-premiere at the Toronto Film Festival before its release in theaters and on Netflix November 01, 2019. The Toronto International Film Festival seems to outdo itself year after year with its lineup of film presentations and premieres. In the 44th annual iteration of the buzzy Canadian fest, star vehicles and award season hopefuls will screen for critics and industry insiders Sept. 5–15. “Some of the year’s biggest films will land in Toronto this September,” said Bailey, co-head and artistic director of TIFF, in a statement. “Our new programming team has been hard at work for months to deliver the compelling stories, acclaimed filmmakers, and top onscreen talent that mark our two highest-profile sections.” In a record number for the festival, 50% of the gala films announced are directed or co-directed by women. This year’s 18 galas and 38 special presentations includes 29 world premieres, six international premieres (films that debuted in the U.S.), 13 North American premieres, and eight Canadian premieres.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the finale of the HBO drama scores its biggest audience ever for an initial airing, and the season as a whole is up substantially. Sunday’s episode, which (seemingly) brought the series to a close, drew just under 2 million viewers — 1.98 million, to be precise. It passed the season one finale (1.86 million) as the show’s most-watched hour for its first airing. Replays and streaming pushed the Sunday total to 3.1 million, also a series high. Across all platforms, season two of Big Little Lies is averaging 10 million viewers per episode, according to HBO (which, like the rest of the industry, doesn’t break out streaming figures from the aggregate). That’s an increase of 18 percent over the 8.5 million who watched the first season. That linear increases for the current season are even larger: It averaged 1.64 million viewers for first airings, a 40 percent jump over season one’s 1.17 million. Each episode of season two improved on the comparable installment from the first season. The increases in viewership came despite some cooling of critical acclaim for the series and a report that director Andrea Arnold had creative control taken away in postproduction so the episodes would be more in line with the style of season one helmer Jean-Marc Vallée. Sources say Arnold’s contract did not include final cut on the series, and HBO released a statement praising her work.

It’s a wrap for the second season of “Big Little Lies”. Screencaptures from the seventh and final episode, “I Want To Know”, have been added to the photo gallery. The episode has been a courtroom showdown between Mary Lousie and Celeste in a custody fight over her boys – a highlight in a sometimes slow season (some reviews have called it disappointing while others have highlighted Streep as a standout for the show) and definately something to remember when the 2020 awards season starts rolling. A clip from the episode, in which Renata confronts Mary Louise, has been added to the video archive, as well as the final part from HBO’s roundtable discussion. With screencaptures from all episodes being added, I would like to thank Ashley for helping me with the first episode and to Jess for her generous support with the rest of the series. Thank you very much!

Celeste (Nicole Kidman) questions Mary Louise (Meryl Streep) about a tragic event from Perry’s childhood; Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) worries their lie is tearing the Monterey Five apart.

Screencaptures from the sixth episode of “Big Little Lies”‘ second season, “The Bad Mother”, have been added to the photo gallery with many thanks to Jess. Now we’re only one episode away from the finale, and probably the last ever episode of “Big Little Lies”. While episode six didn’t feature too much Mary-Louise, the season finale will be a courtroom showdown between Mary Louise and Nicole Kidman’s Celeste. So I think we can all be excited for Sunday’s episode. As always, make sure to find highlight clips of each episode in the video archive.

Celeste (Nicole Kidman) is blindsided by Mary Louise (Meryl Streep); Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) contemplates a solution to her mother’s suffering and her own ongoing guilt; Ed (Adam Scott) entertains an unusual proposition; The Monterey Five feel the pressure of increased scrutiny of Perry’s death.

Screencaptures from the fifth episode of “Big Little Lies”‘ second season, “Kill Me”, have been added to the photo gallery with many thanks to Jess. Only two more episodes to go! On a sidenote, since many fans are looking forward to the Emmy nominations being announced later this month – please keep in mind that “Big Little Lies” is eligible for the 2020 Emmy Awards, not the ones this year. So, don’t be disappointed when “Big Little Lies” doesn’t show up this year. As always, make sure to find highlight clips of each episode in the video archive.

Renata (Laura Dern) deals with the fallout from Gordon’s (Jeffrey Nordling) legal troubles and attempts to help Celeste (Nicole Kidman); Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) relives painful memories from her past.

Screencaptures from the fourth episode of “Big Little Lies”‘ second season, “She Knows”, have been added to the photo gallery with many thanks to Jess. As always, make sure to find highlight clips of each episode in the video archive.

Celeste (Nicole Kidman) accuses Mary Louise (Meryl Streep) of overstepping boundaries with Jane (Shailene Woodley). Renata (Laura Dern) endures a prying court hearing with Gordon (Jeffrey Nordling). Jane opens up to Corey (Douglas Smith) at Amabella’s (Ivy George) birthday party. Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) continues to try to make things right with Ed (Adam Scott).

Even more magazine scans, including four brand-new cover-stories, have been added to the photo gallery. All articles cover either Meryl Streep’s birthday on June 22, and/or the premiere of “Big Little Lies”. The new additions come from Austria, Australia, Finland and the United States. Many thanks to Alvaro for some of these great finds. For a complete list, have a look at the list below.