Listen, I’m not going to lie to you – August is bleak for new movies. If I look back on my biggest new movies list for 2022, August is empty. This isn’t to say we should throw in the towel and just not watch anything new for August. There are some promising options, and variety in genre – we’ve got action, romance, and even horror. Sure, it’s not the stacked list that June was, but maybe that’s okay. After all, Jurassic World Dominion ended up not being too great despite the hype.
So, let’s believe in August shall we? Here are the biggest new movies of August 2022.
New Movies of August 2022
1. Bullet Train | August 5th, 2022
The greatest pull of Bullet Train is its star-studded cast. We’ve got Brad Pitt, whose career has taken quite the action star turn in recent years. There’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who’s been quietly impressive both in action and dramatic roles. Joey King seems to be moving into action star territory as well. She played the titular role in The Princess a month ago, and in this movie she’s the Prince. And there’s also Brian Tyree Henry, who’s usually the best part of most movies he’s a part of.
In the movie, Pitt plays Ladybug, an assassin determined to do his job peacefully, especially since things have gone off the rails one too many times. His latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe on the world’s fastest train. Be prepared for speed and lots of blazing action.
2. Easter Sunday | August 5th, 2022
Comedian Jo Koy stars in Easter Sunday, a movie that celebrates his Filipino-American culture. He plays Joe, a man returning home with his son in tow for Easter Sunday celebrations. The trailer makes the movie look like a lot of fun, and I’m loving the shift towards more diversity in comedies and storytelling.
The movie even has Lou Diamond Philips and Tia Carrere, which already makes it a must-watch in my book.
3. Bodies Bodies Bodies | August 5th, 2022
Bodies Bodies Bodies is the latest A24 film to be released this year. They had great success with Everything Everywhere All at Once, and not as much luck with Alex Garland’s Men. How will Bodies Bodies Bodies fare? A read of the early reviews seems to suggest a favourable outcome.
When the movie first opens we’re introduced to Bee (Maria Bakalova) and Sophie (Amandla Stenberg), who have been dating for more than a month. Sophie introduces Bee to her vapid, rich friends, and things take a turn when Bee suggests they play a game called Bodies Bodies Bodies, which functions the same way as party game murderer. When the lights are turned off, if the murderer touches you, you’re dead. The whole point is to band together with the rest and out the murderer to stop the rampage.
What was supposed to be a fun party game ends up a slasher fest as a party guest actually ends up dead. Who’s the murderer, and who will survive?
4. They/Them | August 5th, 2022
They/Them is another slasher movie out in August. Kevin Bacon plays Owen Whistler, who works at an LGBTQIA+ conversion camp with his wife Cora (Carrie Preston). Several queer campers join Whistler for a week of programming intended to help cure them of their queerness. The campers expect condemnation and the evoking of God’s name, but surprisingly Kevin is genial and kind. When an unidentified axe murderer starts claiming victims, both campers and staff, it becomes increasingly difficult to know who to trust.
The critical reception isn’t very positive at the moment, but this could change on release date. The current issues seems to be that it tries to do too much with its characterisation that it spreads itself a bit too thin when it comes to other elements. Opening weekend should give us a better sense of how this film will fare.
5. Look Both Ways | August 17th, 2022
Look Both Ways is kind of like a modern day Sliding Doors, where we follow Natalie (Lili Reinhart) as she lives out two different timelines. In one version, she gets pregnant after a friends with benefits situation, and in the other, she doesn’t and her life carries on as before. One path leads to motherhood, while the other’s focus is more on her career and ambition.
The trailer does look good, and it tackles a subject that many of us modern women can relate to. It also looks like it will be more hopeful than Sliding Doors, which is a great movie but also one that made me ugly cry. Look Both Ways will be released on Netflix.
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