7 Movies To See In Theaters This August

Features, Top Story

Here we are. The last month of the summer blockbuster season. Blockbuster seems like an overused adjective to describe the type of releases that Hollywood pushes to viewers this time of year. It used to be blockbuster meant the type of success a film achieved when it was a hit among viewers; now it is used to describe a film’s astronomical budget. Nowadays certain visual effects heavy releases cost in excess of $150 to $250 million dollars. And that’s just on the production side. You also have to consider the costs of adverting – it used to be P&A (for print and advertising costs), but the transition to digital has resulted in a decreased in print costs – which includes ads in periodicals and on TV. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying this, but this is a summer where bigger wasn’t always better. Just because you have money to throw at a project doesn’t mean you should. The Lone Ranger and R.I.P.D. were big failures, yet World War Z, a film that was getting tons of bad press of its development woes becomes Brad Pitt’s biggest film release ever. Go figure. This summer proved that the horror genre can be a major force with films like The Purge and The Conjuring having major openings despite their R-rating. While it’s not possible to always please all audiences with a four-quadrant release, this summer has proven that good movies still exist, they are just getting harder and harder to find. Why must Hollywood reserve a lot of promising stuff for the fall? Because I’m about to have a Veruca Salt moment say that I want Gravity, American Hustle, The Counselor and Monuments Men NOW, NOW, NOW!!

If you’ve been following these “What to See” features we had run for the months of May, June, and July, Scott Sawitz, Brendan Campbell and myself have offered up selections on a total of 19 films. As opposed to putting a cap on each month and picking a set number of films, we offered up our individual picks and ultimately crafted lists that didn’t necessarily favor big Hollywood. Of the 19 selections six of them could be considered blockbuster releases based on their production budgets. But we also made sure to highlight small releases, including some that were made accessible on VOD, a growing trend for independents that have limited theatrical distribution, as was the case of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives.

The month of August is no different. As summer comes to an end so does the term blockbuster season. Now we’re shifting into that time of year where studios are hoping a bad flop from a month or two prior can be rectified by a release it didn’t think could succeed earlier in the summer. Such is the case with one science-fiction release. We also have another great coming-of-age tale, plus a few genre-type titles that may be worth your time this month.

The Spectacular Now (opens in limited release August 2nd)

For those interested in a romantic coming of age story to delve into, you need look no further than The Spectacular Now. The story follows a young man named Sutter Keely, who lives life in the “now” and doesn’t worry about the future at all. He’s someone who’s seen as the life of the party, and tends to always have liquor on hand in some capacity. Things take a turn for him, however, when he’s dumped by his girlfriend and wakes up drunk on the lawn of a girl who’s almost entirely his opposite – and yet, they find themselves drawn to one another.

Why You Should See It: This is a romantic comedy from the writers of (500) Days of Summer, one of the best films of 2009. It’s based off the novel by Tim Tharp, and was one of the most talked about films at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. While this definitely won’t be a film that’ll have you rolling in the isles, or leaving with your sides hurting from laughter, odds are you’ll be drawn in by the charm of the characters, the wit of the writing, and the strength of the story. (Brendan Campbell)

2 Guns (opens August 2nd)

An ‘80s throwback to the buddy cop days, here we have an elaborate scam involving a DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer who rob a bank of drug money, all the while thinking the other one is dirty. But when they realize that the money they stole belongs to someone more powerful than a cartel, they must work together to return the money and stay alive.

Why You Should See It: Denzel Washington has a certain level of film he’s known for: it generally will gross about 100 million domestic and be worth three stars every time.  You can always go in to a film he stars in and know it’s going to be good enough to be worth the cash.  Throw Mark Wahlberg and you have a buddy action film that could be something fun. (Scott Sawitz)

Elysium (opens August 9th)

Neil Blomkamp’s anticipated follow-up to 2009’s District 9 looks to venture into familiar territory once again involving class status. Only instead of humans and aliens, here we have the privileged living in a Beverly Hills-inspired man-made space station. The rest of the population lives in squalor on Earth, ruined by decades of overpopulation and depleted resources. Now it’s up to one man on a mission to try to bring equality to both worlds.

Why You Should See It: The film had me at Neil Blomkamp. After being unable to make a Halo movie happen after years of trying, he looks to get back to business in offering up science-fiction films in which its stories serve as metaphors to issues current to today. And the ability to get Matt Damon and Jodie Foster on board, not to mention Blomkamp’s former boss, Sharlto Copley (who starred in District 9 and will play the antagonist in Spike Lee’s Oldboy adaptation this fall), looks to instill faith in the material even if, on the surface level, it’s about the haves and the have-nots. (Travis Leamons)

Kick-Ass 2 (opens August 16th)

In 2010, the film Kick-Ass answered the question of “What would happen if an ordinary guy threw on a superhero outfit and decided to fight crime?” This time around a new group of masked vigilantes, led by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), are out there fighting crime after being inspired by Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). When the group begins to get hunted down by Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) – now known as The Mother F#%ker – it’s up to Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) to stop him.

Why You Should See It: While the first film wasn’t a box-office smash, it did make enough money to warrant a sequel – and with comic book writer Mark Millar already working on Kick-Ass 3 in comic form, odds are that’ll get made too if this one does decent numbers. That said, there’s something about superheroes played by normal people who have to deal with the sometimes violent consequences of fighting crime. There’s no doubt about it, Kick-Ass earned its R-rating, and odds are this one will too. While Jim Carrey made news earlier this summer by backing out of supporting the film due to its violence, his addition to the cast will be a welcome one and this should definitely be at the top of your must-see list for August! (BC)

You’re Next (opens August 23rd)

There’s been a solid mix of thrills and scares this summer, and August has its own horror film opening nation-wide to keep the trend going. You’re Next sees a family reunion being crashed by a group of axe-wielding maniacs, until one of the guests at the reunion shows off some particular skills at how to fight back.

Why You Should See It: There’s something about horror films that have an essence of “it could actually happen” about them that makes them all the more frightening. Odds are you’ll never come across a group of axe-wielding maniacs at a family reunion – but that’s not to say something along those lines couldn’t happen. Much like High Tension in 2003, Vacancy in 2007 and The Strangers in 2008, this film looks to scare audiences by showing that you’re never really safe anywhere.

Getaway (opens August 30th)

How’s this for a change of a pace: A film about a driver that doesn’t star Jason Statham. Ethan Hawke, who took his indie street cred and headlined a surprising hit this summer with The Purge, looks to do the same as Brent Magna, a husband who must get behind the wheel and follow the orders of a mysterious man (Jon Voight) to save his kidnapped wife. He is aided on his race against time by an anonymous, computer savvy girl known just as “The Kid” (Selena Gomez).

Why You Should See It: The one thing I dig about Ethan Hawke is that even studio fare tends to be as interesting as his indie films. They may not be necessarily as good as one another but he’s picked a number of interesting projects as of late. Hawke is to acting what Louis CK is to stand up comedy; he’s the kind of actor more want to be like. It’s easy to be Channing Tatum and take the topless, baby oiled up roles that Matthew McConaughey doesn’t take. It’s difficult to go after interesting roles in interesting films and this looks to be just that. I’m not sure if it’ll be good or not, probably not, but it continues Ethan Hawke’s trend of branching out and not being identified as “that guy from Training Day,” or a bunch of Richard Linklater movies. (SS)

I Declare War (opens August 30th)

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that tweens are getting shortchanged when it comes to fun movies that make a lasting impression. They’re at an age where they become too old to watch animated films with mom and dad, so they want to watch something with a little edge. The stuff that Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment used to make. They may have their answer in I Declare War, a Drafthouse Films release the label acquired after its impressive showing at last fall’s Fantastic Fest where it went on to win the Audience Award.

Why You Should See It: I was fortunate enough to see it at FF and I can tell you that we need more movies like this. The filmmakers, Jason Lapeyre and Robert Wilson, take a simple concept, like kids playing Capture the Flag after school, and shows what happens when your imagination is allowed to run wild. A game involving rocks and sticks suddenly looks like grenades and submachine guns. Throw in some Lord of the Flies-inspired shenanigans, a kid with a Napoleon complex, and what happens when you don’t follow the “rules of the game,” and you’ll witness a crazy fantasy adventure that is sure to attract audiences of varying degrees, be you a tween, a teen, or an adult. (TL)

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!