It’s a big month for psychological thrillers with several leave-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat films hitting the big screen this month. There’s also a video game-turned-movie adaptation, a film based on the origin story of the riotous and ground-breaking Irish-language rap trio Kneecap and a Colleen Hoover flick starring Blake Lively – so lots to look forward to!
August 8
Kneecap
Written and directed by Rich Peppiatt, the film stars Kneecap trio Naoise Ó Cairealláin “Móglaí Bap”, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh “Mo Chara” and JJ Ó Dochartaigh “Dj Provaí” as themselves. When fate brings Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of confessed ‘low life scum’ Naoise and Liam Óg, the needle drops on a hip-hop act like no other. Rapping in their native Irish language, Kneecap fast become the unlikely figureheads of a Civil Rights movement to save their mother tongue. But they must first overcome police, paramilitaries and politicians trying to silence their defiant sound – whilst their anarchic approach to life often makes them their own worst enemies.
August 9
Babes
Lifelong friends Eden and Dawn, one single and wanting a baby, the other already a mother, navigate challenges to their bond when Eden pursues pregnancy alone after a one-night stand.
Tuesday
Tuesday stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lola Petticrew as a mother and daughter a mother and her teenage daughter who must confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird.
Borderlands
Lilith (Cate Blanchett), an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home, Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Edgar Ramírez), the universe’s most powerful S.O.B. Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits – Roland (Kevin Hart), a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap (Jack Black), a wiseass robot. Together, these unlikely heroes must battle an alien species and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time.
Trap
30,000 fans, 300 Cops, one serial killer. No escape. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap is a psychological thriller starring Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Night Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, and Alison Pill. The plot follows a serial killer evading a police blockade while attending a concert with his daughter.
It Ends With Us
The first Colleen Hoover novel adapted for the big screen, It Ends With US tells the story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parent’s relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realises she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.
August 16
Alien: Romulus
Now in its seventh instalment, Alien: Romulus takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots. Set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), the film follows a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, come face to face with the most terrifying life form in space.
August 23
Mrs Robinson
Brought to you by Irish filmmaker Aoife Kelleher, Mrs Robinson tells Mary Robinson’s story, in her own words, for the very first time. A reforming constitutional lawyer and senator in her early career, she detonated an electoral earthquake by winning the Irish Presidential vote in 1990. Later, as a crusading UN High Commissioner, she built a lasting legacy; fearlessly challenging perpetrators of human rights abuses all over the world. To this day, she exerts power and leadership as the Chair of The Elders; the independent group of global leaders (founded by Nelson Mandela) who work for peace, justice and human rights. As an influential global voice, Mary Robinson is also spearheading Project Dandelion: a women-led climate justice campaign.
Blink Twice
Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice stars Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum. When tech billionaire, Slater King, meets cocktail waitress, Frida, at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. However, strange things start to happen making Frida question her reality and if all really is as it seems.
The Crow
Bill Skarsgård takes on the iconic role of The Crow in this modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr. Soulmates Eric (Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
Cuckoo
Directed by Tilman Singer and starring Hunter Schafer, Cuckoo follows 17-year-old Gretchen who reluctantly leaves her American home to live with her father and his new family at a resort in the German Alps. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.
August 30
Sing Sing
Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art. Colman Domingo stars.
Afraid
In Afraid, Curtis (John Cho) and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new home device: a digital family assistant called AIA. Taking smart home to the next level, once the unit and all its sensors and cameras are installed in their home, AIA seems able to do it all. She learns the family’s behaviours and begins to anticipate their needs. And she can make sure nothing – and no one – gets in her family’s way.
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