HBO Maxis officially back, after dropping the “HBO” from their name, for reasons we still don’t quite understand. That’s beside the point, as there are plenty of great new movies that you’ll be able to stream in August.Here are seven of the films to keep your eye out for.
‘Alien: Covenant’
Available on:Friday, August 1
Later this month on Hulu, we’ll get to see the Xenomorphs return in the all-new FX original seriesAlien: Earth. But that isn’t the only streaming service that these aliens are invading, asAlien: Covenanthas just landed on HBO Max.
A sequel toPrometheus, as well as a prequel to the original film,Covenantsees a crew of colonists on board the Covenant on a mission to colonize an alien planet. After a freak accident,the ship’s Synth Walter One awakens several crew members,and the team receives a distress call from another planet. The crew ultimately decides to take a detour, where they realize that this new planet isn’t what it seems.
Academy Award nominee and franchise vetRidley Scottdirects the film, which stars Academy Award nomineeMichael Fassbender(X-Men: First Class),Katherine Waterston(Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them),Billy Crudup(The Morning Show),Danny McBride(The Righteous Gemstones), and Academy Award nomineeDemián Bichir(The Hateful Eight).
Alien: Covenant
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’
Death makes its long-awaited return in this summer’s horror hitFinal Destination: Bloodlines, the sixth installment in the beloved horror franchise.
After becoming haunted by nightmares of her estranged grandmother’s brush with death back in 1969, college student Stefani Reyes returns home to learn if there’s something more to what’s going on. Especially since she’d never actually met her maternal grandmother, Iris, and her mother, Darlene, had left her family years prior. After convincing her Uncle Howard and Aunt Brenda to give her Iris' address, Stefani finally meets her grandmother, whoreveals that her nightmare was something that had happened to herand that Death is now coming for their family, as they were never meant to exist.
Zach LipovskyandAdam Stein(Freaks) directed the film, which starsKaitlyn Santa Juana(The Flash),Teo Briones(Chucky),Richard Harmon(The 100),Owen Patrick Joyner(Julie and the Phantoms),Anna Lore(Doom Patrol),Brec Bassinger(Stargirl), and the lateTony Todd, reprising his role as William Bludworth.
Final Destination Bloodlines
‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’
The Peanut Butter Falconhas gone down as one of the most heartwarming and endearing dramedies of the 2010s, and for very good reason.
The movie follows Zak, a young man with Down syndrome who escapes from an assisted living facility in order to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler under the guidance of his hero, the Salt Water Redneck. Shortly into his journey, Zak becomes friends with Tyler, a down-on-his-luck fisherman who is on the run from his rivals. Together with Zak’s caretaker, Eleanor,the three embark on a journey through the rivers of North Carolinato get Zak to meet his hero and achieve his dreams.
Tyler NilsonandMichael Schwartz(Los Frikis) made their directorial debut with the movie, which stars breakthrough actorZack Gottsagen(Night Always Comes),Shia LaBeouf(Honey Boy),Dakota Johnson(Materialists), Academy Award nomineeJohn Hawkes(Winter’s Bone), Academy Award nomineeThomas Haden Church(Tires), andJon Bernthal(The Accountant 2).
The Peanut Butter Falcon
‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch’
Arguablyone of the most creative horror sequels of all time,Gremlins 2: The New Batchtakes what was so special aboutJoe Dante’s original film and flips it on its head. Becoming one of the wackiest, most unhinged mainstream blockbusters ever. So much so,Key & Peeleeven made a whole sketch about it.
After his owner, Mr. Wing, passes away, Gizmo the mogwai is taken in by a team of seedy scientists who experiment on him inside their high-tech laboratory located in a massive skyscraper in Manhattan. It just so happens thatGizmo’s former owner and human friend, Billy, also works inside this skyscraper,rescuing the beloved mogwai. Of course, the happy reunion doesn’t last long, as Gizmo spawns a new quartet of mogwai, who quickly transform into gremlins and mutate into bizarre new forms.
Dante directs the film, which sees the return ofZach GalliganandPhoebe Catesas Billy and Kate, alongside a cast that includesJohn Glover(Smallville),Robert Prosky(Thief),Robert Picardo(Star Trek: Voyager), andSir Christopher Lee(The Lord of the Rings).
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
‘You Hurt My Feelings’
Comedy legendJulia Louis-Dreyfus(Seinfeld) reteams with Academy Award nomineeNicole Holofcener(Enough Said) for the dramedyYou Hurt My Feelings.
Louis-Dreyfus plays Beth, a memoirist and teacher who has just written her first novel, something she is quite proud of. She begins to doubt herself when her agent tells her that she will need to make multiple revisions, but her loyal husband, Don, settles her down,telling her she may just need to find a new agent.However, Beth soon learns that Don was lying, and he also wasn’t a big fan of her novel.
The film also starsTobias Menzies(F1: The Movie),Michaela Watkins(Hacks),Arian Moayed(Succession),Owen Teague(Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), and Academy Award nomineeJeannie Berlin(The Heartbreak Kid).
You Hurt My Feelings
‘Freaky Tales’
Available on:Friday, August 8
You’ve probably already seenThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsand/or watchedThe Last of UsSeason 2. You also might have seen or heard ofMaterialistsandEddington. But there’s onePedro Pascalproject that was released earlier this year that you may not have even heard about:Freaky Tales.
Freaky Talesis an anthology film set in 1987 Oakland, California, and focuses on four different interconnected stories involving killing Nazis, revenge, samurai swords, punk rock, hip hop, and cinema. At the center of this story arean NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teen punks, neo-Nazis, and a debt collector.
The film is directed byAnna BodenandRyan Fleck(Captain Marvel)and stars Pascal,Ben Mendelsohn(Rogue One),Jay Ellis(Insecure), singerNormaniin her first acting role,Dominique Thorne(Ironheart),Jack Champion(Avatar: The Way of Water), the lateAngus Cloud(Euphoria),Ji-young Yoo(KPop Demon Hunters),Keir Gilchrist(Atypical), and Academy Award winnerTom Hanks(Forrest Gump).
Freaky Tales
‘The Legend of Ochi’
Available on:Friday, August 15
A24 has become one of the premier names in arthouse entertainment,but outside a few exceptions, they’re not particularly known for films that the whole family can enjoy. The fantastical adventureThe Legend of Ochiseeks to change that.
Ochifollows Yuri, a young girl who befriends a young mythical creature known as an Ochi. While she was raised to believe that Ochis are a threat to humans, she discovers that this is far from the truth. Alongside her new furry companion,Zuri sets off on an adventure away from her villageto reunite the cute critter with its family.
Music video directorIsaiah Saxonmakes his directorial debut with the film, which starsHelena Zengel(News of the World),Finn Wolfhard(Stranger Things), Academy Award nomineeEmily Watson(Dune: Prophecy), and Academy Award nomineeWillem Dafoe(Spider-Man).
