We’re entering the final month of the summer movie season, and August usually has a bad reputation. In fact, August is one of three times in the year that I try not to watch newly released movies. January is the dumping ground for most big studios to get rid of pricey releases that no one will watch. My mother would tell me to never watch a film released on April 1 because you’d be a fool to think that a good movie would premiere on April Fool’s Day. However, there are a few titles that look to change that perception of the eighth month of the year. From action flicks to family films, August has a lot of entertaining movies waiting for an audience.
Aug. 2
The second spinoff of the successful “Fast & Furious” franchise kicks off the month with “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.” Dwayne Johnson returns as Los Angeles cop Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham is on board as British frenemy Deckard Shaw. The duo who have feuded throughout “Fast & Furious” movies are forced to get along when Shaw’s sister, MI6 spy Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), possesses a biological weapon belonging to Brixton Lorr (Idris Elba). And Lorr is not your average baddie; he’s a cyber-enhanced, genetically altered supervillain. Expect car chases, explosions, muscle and the like.
Aug. 9
Characters from the popular Nickelodeon series “Dora the Explorer” are starring in the live-action movie “Dora and the Lost City of Gold.” Dora (Isabela Moner) is on the biggest adventure of her life, starting high school after spending most of her life in the jungle with her zoologist mom (Eva Longoria) and archaeologist dad (Michael Peña). She navigates her new landscape with her cousin/sidekick Diego (Jeff Wahlberg). When Dora’s parents search for an ancient city of gold, Dora and her classmates are kidnapped during a school trip by villains, led by Alejandro (Eugenio Derbez), to help a group of bad guys find her folks. The family movie also stars Benicio del Toro and Danny Trejo as the voice of Dora’s monkey, Boots.
Guilermo del Toro produces and André Øvredal directs the big-screen adaptation of “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” Modern-day teens encounter a book of horror stories written by a young woman in the 1960s. Sarah, the writer of the tales, details the terrible events that have happened in her life, and it’s up to the teens to survive what they unlock in her book.
Fans of graphic novels and mob movies may want to check out “The Kitchen.” Melissa McCarthey, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss star as three mob wives in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in 1978 who take up their husbands’ business after their spouses are sent off to prison. These women work their way up from the bottom and take over a tough turf. How far can they go? It has the vibe of last year’s “Widows” with the backing of DC Comics. Andrea Berloff makes her directorial debut.
The popular novel “The Art of Racing Through the Rain” will hit theaters this month. Starring Milo Ventimiglia and Amanda Seyfried, a golden retriever named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) recalls the life he shared with Denny (Vetimiglia), a race car driver, and the moments that shaped them both.
“Brian Banks” is based on the true story of a University of Southern California football player (Aldis Hodge) who is falsely accused of rape. Greg Kinnear plays Banks’ lawyer with the California Innocence Project. The film chronicles the setbacks and triumphs Banks encounters to prove his innocence.
Aug. 14-16
Everyone’s favorite mobile game is back in theaters with “The Angry Birds Movie 2.” In the first movie, birds and pigs were foes, with Leonard (voiced by Bill Hader) as the king swine causing trouble for Red (Jason Sudeikis), Bomb (Danny McBride) and the other flightless birds. Now, the two sides are joining forces as birds from a frozen island are plotting to destroy their way of life. Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage and Maya Rudolph return for the sequel, and Rachel Bloom, Tiffany Haddish and Awkwafina join the cast.
“Good Boys” is not your average coming-of-age movie. From producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, this R-rated comedy stars three middle-schoolers (Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon and Keith L. Williams) who are invited to a kissing party but feel insecure in their techniques. That sounds innocent, but the trio engages in raunchy, outrageous hijinxs that are like “Superbad” but with 12-year-olds.
Writer/director Richard Linklater returns with “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?”, based on Maria Semple’s best-selling novel. Cate Blanchett takes on the title role, a woman with the perfect husband, daughter and home. However, Bernadette no longer has the creative spark that kept her going. One day, out of the blue, she disappears, and it’s up to her teenage daughter, Bee (Emma Nelson) to find her. The search is only the start of a great adventure. Billy Crudup and Kristen Wiig also star.
It’s still not safe to enter the water with “47 Meters Down: Uncaged.” The sequel to the 2017 film features four teens who discover an underwater city that is home to very aggressive sharks. Corinne Foxx, Sistine Rose Stallone, Brianne Tju and Brec Bassinger star in the sea horror flick.
Aug. 21-23
A wedding day should be the happiest day of a bride’s life, but for Grace (Samara Weaving), she must fight for her life in “Ready or Not.” Her in-laws are out to get her — literally — with a deadly game of hide-and-seek. Andie MacDowell and Adam Brody also star.
The president is in danger again in “Angel Has Fallen.” Gerard Butler returns as Secret Service Agent Mike Banning who is tasked with protecting President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), but when Trumbull is targeted in a drone attack, Banning is framed for the assassination attempt. Banning must clear his name, even if it means investigating his own government. This sequel follows “Olympus Has Fallen” and “London Has Fallen.”
A Christian drama on a high school basketball coach and a cross-country athlete he helps is at the center of “Overcomer.” When bad news comes in for the coach and the town in general, it is through hope and prayer that will lead he and his new athlete to a new challenge.
Aug. 30
Wrapping up the month is “Don’t Let Go,” a supernatural thriller featuring David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Brian Tyree Henry and Alfred Molina. When a family is murdered, a surviving member gets a phone call from the future and a way to prevent the killing from happening.
