August may be the last month of the summer, but at least the new Brad Pitt film Bullet Train will give audiences one last blockbuster thrill before the fall. The veteran actor has already starred in several action movies including Inglorious Basterds and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, so seeing him in a high-octane thrill ride that’s mostly set on a train will surely be a treat — and likely the highest-grossing new release of the month.
Audiences also have other movies to look forward to in August 2022. From a Filipino family comedy (Easter Sunday) to a twisted genie fantasia by Mad Max helmer George Miller (Three Thousand Years of Longing), this month has something for everyone. If you want to see at least one new movie in theaters before the summer ends, here are some films you should check out.
Bullet Train (August 5)
What’s it about: A skilled-yet-luckless hitman takes what he thinks will be a simple job on a Japanese bullet train only to realize that it’s not as easy as it looks.
Who will love it: Action movie aficionados, Brad Pitt stans, anyone who loves trains.
Preview: What makes the idea of Brad Pitt fighting several assassins on a speeding train sound even more exciting is that it’s directed by David Leitch, who already has experience making balls-to-the-wall action movies such as Deadpool 2 and Atomic Blonde. These opposing assassins are also played by several talented actors including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Joey King, Zazie Beatz, and pop singer Bad Bunny. If that’s not enough, Bullet Train marks the second collaboration between Pitt and Sandra Bullock to come out this year after The Lost City, which is great news for anyone who enjoyed watching them work together in that film.
Easter Sunday (August 5)
What’s it about: A struggling comedian celebrates Easter with his dysfunctional yet kind-hearted Filipino family.
Who will love it: Super Troopers fans, family comedy buffs, almost everyone.
Preview: Judging by the trailers, Easter Sunday flips a familiar premise on its head by highlighting a culture that isn’t often represented in American cinema. Furthermore, the film is loosely based on the life of lead actor Jo Koy, which adds some authenticity to the movie’s portrayal of Filipino culture. Not to mention Koy acts alongside many other established actors and comedians in the film including Jimmy O. Yang, Tia Carrere, Brandon Wardell, Eva Noblezada, Eugene Cordero, Lou Diamond Phillips, Tiffany Haddish, and Jay Chandrasekhar, the last of whom also directed the movie.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (August 5)
82%
6/10What’s it about: A group of twenty-something rich kids plays a party game involving murder, but things get dark when one of their friends is actually murdered.
Who will love it: Whodunit enthusiasts, A24 completionists, anyone who can’t get enough of Lee Pace.
Preview: Even though many whodunit movies have been released over the last few years, Bodies Bodies Bodies looks different from the rest because it’s also a horror/comedy that pokes fun at Gen Z youth. Borat 2 breakout star Maria Bakalova joins Amandla Stenberg, Pete Davidson, and Lee Pace in a movie that is hopefully as scary as it is funny. After all, the film received plenty of praise from critics when it first premiered at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival.
Mack & Rita (August 12)
What’s it about: A 30-year-old woman turns into a 70-year-old woman.
Who will love it: Diane Keaton fans, comedy aficionados, anyone who loves Big.
Preview: Legendary actress Diane Keaton has recently starred in several comedies about growing old, such as Book Club and Poms, but this new movie is different because it employs a fantastical premise: what is it like when a 30-year-old is turned into a 70-year-old? Like past body switch comedies 17 Again and Vice Versa, the film is likely about how growing old isn’t so bad, which is a life lesson that moviegoers of all ages should appreciate. Let’s hope there are enough laughs to go along with the life lessons.
Emily the Criminal (August 12)
75%
7/10What’s it about: A young woman struggling with debt takes part in a credit card scam, sending her down a dark and dangerous path that she might not be able to get out of.
Who will love it: people who like Aubrey Plaza (i.e. everyone), crime-thriller enthusiasts.
Preview: Aubrey Plaza has spent most of her career starring in comedic movies and TV shows such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Parks and Recreation, but the trailers for Emily the Criminal make it look much more intense than the actress’s standard fare. This movie is also presumably about how far someone is willing to go to get out of debt. Emily the Criminal already premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and received mostly positive reviews from critics so hopefully, the film lives up to the hype.
Beast (August 19)
What’s it about: A wildlife biologist and his two daughters travel to the Savanna where they come face to face with a man-eating lion.
Who will love it: Idris Elba fans, survival thriller aficionados, adults who love killer lions.
Preview: Idris Elba has been on a roll lately as he’s starred in the ultraviolent comic book movie The Suicide Squad and the more family-friendly video game movie Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but now the British thespian stars in a heart-pounding killer animal movie. The director of Beast, Baltasar Kormákur, already made 2015’s Everest and 2018’s Adrift, so a film about a man being hunted by a vicious lion is right up his alley. Despite being a movie about lions, parents should not take their children to see Beast. After all, it’s rated R for a reason.
Spin Me Round (August 19)
63%
6.4/10What’s it about: A restaurant manager wins a trip to Italy where she falls in love with the chain’s charming manager, who she soon suspects is hiding something.
Who will love it: Alison Brie fans, dark comedy enthusiasts, anyone who loves Italy.
Preview: Spin Me Round is the second movie by writer/director Jeff Baena that Alison Brie co-wrote and stars in after 2020’s Horse Girl. Whereas the latter is a trippy psychological thriller, the former looks like a much more lighthearted film that is still very offbeat. Other actors in Spin Me Round include Aubrey Plaza, Tricia Helfer, Debby Ryan, Fred Armisen, Alessandro Nivola, Molly Shannon, Zach Woods, Tim Heidecker, and Lil Rel Howery. Moreover, Plaza stars in two movies that come out a week apart from each other.
The Invitation (August 26)
What’s it about: An American woman is invited by her recently discovered cousin to an extravagant wedding in the English countryside, but she soon realizes that something sinister is afoot.
Who will love it: Nathalie Emmanuel fans, horror aficionados, anyone who loves vampires.
Preview: Game of Thrones actress Nathalie Emmanuel stars in a horror movie that might make viewers think twice about getting a DNA test. Even though Sony already released one vampire movie this year (Morbius), this film may succeed where the other stumbled. Hopefully, not too many people confuse it with a horror movie from 2015 that is also called The Invitation.
Breaking (August 26)
61%
6.8/10What’s it about: A cash-strapped Marine Corps veteran uses a bomb to rob a bank and take several of its employees hostage.
Who will love it: John Boyega fans, crime-thriller enthusiasts, anyone who misses Michael K. Williams.
Preview: Judging by the trailers, Breaking looks like it has an awards-worthy performance from Star Wars veteran John Boyega as real-life war veteran-turned-bank robber Brian Brown-Easley. What makes this movie even more heartbreaking is that also stars Michael K. Williams in one of his final film roles. Fortunately, Breaking received mostly positive reviews from critics when it first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and even won the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.
Three Thousand Years of Longing (August 31)
57%
5.6/10What’s it about: A widowed academic travels to Istanbul and finds a Djinn, who says he can grant her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
Who will love it: Tilda Swinton fans, George Miller die-hards, genie aficionados.
Preview: The trailers for Three Thousand Years of Longing present it as a psychedelic journey of epic proportions. It’s also the second movie starring Idris Elba to come out this month, which is always welcome as the actor usually stars in interesting projects. George Miller already delivered one of the best movies of the 21st century with Mad Max: Fury Road, so he might produce another with this new film.
