“Paramount is back” is studio chief Brad Grey’s mantra, and he may be right. Grey unveiled a clip reel last night at the New York Viacom screening room of upcoming Paramount films– and it was impressive.

Acknowledging that lately Viacom had been in the news for reasons “other than films and TV,” Grey did something very important to restore confidence and show pride in his upcoming slate. (The “other” is the Sumner Redstone family and corporate soap opera, which can’t be of much interest to regular filmgoers.)

The clip reel included a small bit from Martin Scorsese’s passion project, “Silence,” that looked terrific. Grey told me Scorsese is “still editing” but we should see something soon of the finished film starring Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver.

Also in the reel was a longer clip from Denzel Washington’s much anticipated adaptation of August Wilson’s “Fences.” The clip left no doubt that Washington, Viola Davis, and the great (but lesser well known) Stephen Henderson are at the top of their respective games. “Fences” also boasts a really interesting look from Danish cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen (“The Girl on the Train”).

There was also a funny scene from “Office Christmas Party” with Jennifer Aniston battling her brother, played by T.J. Miller from “Silicon Valley” that looked hilarious. Aniston can be very, very funny, and this looks promising. Kate McKinnon, now hotter than ever, and Jason Bateman, are also featured.

We also got to see Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard in a bit of “Allied,” Robert Zemeckis’s World War II thriller that looks more complex than previously thought.

And, of course, there was a scene from “Arrival” — a movie I’ve written about here before– featuring Amy Adams. She’s really great in this mind blower of a brainy, sci-fi alien adventure.

Really intriguing: an advance look at Scarlett Johansson in “Ghost in the Shell,” directed by Rupert Sanders. The presentation certainly whetted appetites, and looks like this may be a surprise hit.

Grey has run Paramount steadily for the last several years– and he’s made it a much more inviting place than in the past, that’s for sure. The next year or so looks pretty exciting– and my guess is, he’ll really bring the 104 year old studio “back” and more!

Tom Hanks and Ron Howard have cracked the Da Vinci Code again!

Their new Dan Brown movie, “Inferno,” racked up $94.3 million this past week around the world, one week before its US opening.

“Inferno” was most popular in Italy, Brazil and Russia. The thriller featuring Ben Foster, Irrfan Khan. Omar Sy and Felicity Jones hasn’t opened in China yet.

This was a smart move on Sony’s part since “Inferno” has a very weak 27% here on Rotten Tomatoes, and may not be so much of a blockbuster. But if they can clean up abroad before the October 28th American premiere ushers in a lot of negative reviews, American box office numbers will be irrelevant.

I am really sorry to hear this news: Viola Davis is going to campaign for Best Supporting Actress in “Fences.” She won the Tony Award for playing the same role as a lead actress. Hmmmm…

Davis was among the top 5 contenders for Best Actress as the Oscar race has shaped up. The other leaders are Annette Bening in “20th Century Women,” Natalie Portman in “Jackie,” Meryl Streep in “Florence Foster Jenkins” and Emma Stone in “La La Land.” I don’t know why Davis made the decision to opt for supporting. She’s one of our absolutely finest actresses, on a par with Streep and Cate Blanchett. I wish she would reconsider.

Taking Davis out of the Lead group moves Amy Adams up from “Arrival” or “Nocturnal Animals.” Some other names are lurking out there, too, including Marion Cotillard in “Allied,” Isabelle Huppert in “Elle,” and Kristen Stewart in “Personal Shopper.” There’s another rumor that Bening is also thinking of going into Supporting, which would be a heartbreaking decision. She’s the star of the movie.

Davis goes into Supporting with a solid group already forming including Michelle Williams from “Manchester by the Sea,” Margo Martindale in “The Hollars,” Greta Gerwig from either “20th Century Women” or “Jackie,” Elle Fanning from “20th Century Women,” Octavia Spencer from “Hidden Figures,” and Nicole Kidman from “Lion.”

Me? I say vote Viola into Lead anyway. Academy voters have the option of moving actors around in categories. I advocated that a few years ago when I wrote that Kate Winslet could be moved from supporting to lead in “The Reader.” And she won. Viola Davis is a superstar. Let her play on the main stage.

Viola, rethink this choice. Annette, please, stay where you are.