This month is going to be fairly short and sweet but with some films that, fingers crossed, should knock your socks off. Blockbusters, comedies, dramas and a little horror is coming your way, starting with (unsurprisingly)…Don’t forget to click on the film title to head over to their IMDB page for more information!
Suicide Squad (05/08)
When it was announced that one of the most anticipated and possibly badass films of the summer was going to be rated 12A, expectations begun to waiver, until you remember that The Dark Knight was the same and managed to massively succeed nonetheless (despite hundreds of complaints that it was inappropriate for that age). Then again how crazy and badass can someone really be when they’re expected audiences to include those under the age of 12? Though regardless it’s difficult not to get excited about the line-up and that’s just beginning with Margot Robbie and Jared Leto as Harley Quinn and The Joker, then you’ve got Will Smith, Viola Davis, Jai Courtenay, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman, Adewale Akkinuoye-Agbaje and an unspecified amount of Ben Affleck’s Batman. Joining together a group of possibly insane criminals to risk their lives for the greater good in situations no sane person would get within a mile of is a great set up, now it’s all about whether they can pull it off and show the world (better than the mixed reception of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) that there’s more than one comic book franchise at the box office.
Review: https://filmcarnage.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/review-suicide-squad/
Pete’s Dragon (12/08)
Now most people will have seen the original and beloved children’s classic of 1977 but it is quite clearly outdated at this point, and is one film that is due a remake unlike so many others. A remake which surprisingly was lead by director David Lowery who will be known for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, a slightly unusual move but as he is slated next to be heading up yet another Peter Pan reboot (let’s forget last year’s atrocity), it must be a genre for him. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Oakes Fegley (Fort Bliss) and Oona Laurence (Southpaw). Most kids have imaginary friends growing up, whatever they may be, but this one happens to be a dragon and not so imaginary.
Reviewed here: https://filmcarnage.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/review-petes-dragon-2016/
The Shallows (12/08)
By now you’ll have heard of this one, Blake Lively is currently breaking her way back into cinema starting with The Age of Adaline and after this she will be seen in Woody Allen’s Café Society, but for now she’s stranded in view of the shore with a predator in her midst. Films involving sharks have had a fairly mixed past, though Jaws is ultimately the pinnacle, in the 40 years following nothing has lived up to it, not even its own sequels (especially not them), but the trailers and clips that have so far been seen for The Shallows, as well reviews across the pond are highly promising. Woman vs great white shark, 200 yards from the beach could be the sleeper hit of the summer, and a massive win for Lively. Directed by Jaume Collet-Sera (Unknown, Non-Stop, Orphan, House of Wax) and written by Anthony Jaswinski (Kristy, Vanishing on 7th Street, Satanic).
Wiener-Dog (12/08)
Originally slated for last month, this charming drama comedy revolves around one dachshund and it’s journey from one owner to another, all of whom have their own eccentricities and dysfunctional lives that are all somehow impacted by the presence of one wiener dog. Written and directed by Todd Solondz (Dark Horse, Welcome to the Doll House, Happiness) and starring Greta Gerwig, Julie Delpy, Danny DeVito, Kieran Culkin, Ellen Burstyn and Zosia Mamet, this one makes the list for simply looking like the most charming film for the month.
Lights Out (19/08)
This film however is slightly more unexpected and it was a trepidatious pick but early buzz is good and the basic premise is simple yet appears very effective. Teresa Palmer stars as Rebecca who returns home to help her brother when he begins to experience the same events that terrified her as a child, she works to unlock the truth about the entity she learns has an attachment to their mother Sophie (Maria Bello). This is a first feature film for director David F. Sandberg but is based on his own short film, and is next up to direct the follow up to The Conjuring spin-off Annabelle, aptly currently named Annabelle 2.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (26/08)
Brought to us by the Lonely Island boys, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, and has already been released in the US almost 3 months prior, this one looks like some good fun, a spoof of the music world with some great cameos and some hilarious lines. Revolving around Conner 4 Real popstar whose attempt to follow a solo career is failing and so he does everything possible to retain his star status, also starring: Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Joan Cusack, Imogen Poots, James Buckley and Ahmir-Khalib Thompson A.K.A Questlove.
Also Out: Songs for Amy (05/08), Sweet Bean (05/08), The Carer (05/08), Up For Love (05/08), How to Be Yours (06/08), Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (10/08), Nerve (11/08), The Wave (12/08), Valley of Love (12/08), Blinky Bill the Movie (19/08), David Brent: Life on the Road (19/08), Nine Lives (19/08), Swallows and Amazons (19/08), Bad Moms (26/08), Cell (26/08), Julieta (26/08), Mechanic: Ressurection (26/08), The Purge: Election Year (26/08)
FilmCarnage.com 