Movies Not to Miss: August

Writer: Casey Lee

Which of these are you going to watch?

Though some may say that the summer of 2016 has come and gone with lacklustre movies, but this August is not about to let summer fade away without making an impression. Other than the return of superheroes (albeit a different kind) in the release schedule, August has proven to have a good mix of amazing animations to tenuous thrillers, with even some space for a couple more blockbuster material trying to stand out at the threshold of summer. This is a well-packed month for lovers of adrenaline cinema.

As we give one last hurrah to summer of 2016, here are the movies you shouldn't miss this August.

Suicide Squad

After two hollow months of summer without a single superhero in sight, that's not to say that the year is done with them. Marvel and Warner Bros. may have wisely put their superhero tentpoles away from the usually overcrowded summer month to the chiller months of Fall to face less competition (from each other anyways), but just as the first round between Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. went down earlier this year, Warner Bros. got to go first. But this won't be the kind of superhero movie that we will expect. When the world needs saving from an unknown but powerful threat, Amanda Waller and her secret government agency decides to recruit its most notorious but skilled imprisoned supervillains of the DC universe to do the dirty work for them, in exchange for clemency.

After a mixed reaction towards what should have been a charming charge into the superhero space, all eyes are now on the supervillains of "Suicide Squad" to do what Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman could not do combined for Warner Bros. and DC. Seeing the goodwill it has generated though, hopes are more optimistic, not less by the solid cast of Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne. But most of all, the highlight of "Suicide Squad" would most undoubtedly be seeing Jared Leto as The Joker, and see if he can go above the bar set by the late Heath Ledger.

General Release Date: 4 August

The Shallows

Shortly after her mother's death, medical student and surfer Nancy Adams is taken to a secret beach where her mother once surfed after knowing that she was pregnant with Nancy. While taking a break on a rock formation, she is attacked by a great white shark and becomes stranded on it where she is cut off from all help by the fearless predator.

This Blacklist script from 2014 was initially set to be directed by Louis Letterier, but in the ended up in the hands of the even-handed Jaume Collet-Sera. Shot primarily at Gold Coast, Australia, this well contained survival thriller works with its simple premise, and we think that Blake Lively might have done a good job on it.

General Release Date: 11 August

Nerve

It's been a while since we had a good techno-thriller and it looks like "Nerve" might just fill the void. Starring Emma Roberts, Dave Franco and Juliette Lewis, this movie explores what happens when the age old game of 'truth or dare' gets envisioned as an online reality video game where people can sign up as 'players' or 'watchers'. Meek Venus (Roberts) decides to break out of her shell and take part in the game as a player. With cash prizes as a reward for each dare she completes, the game pushes her to see how far she is willing to go, especially when she gets a partner named Ian (Franco) and the only way to come out alive is to win.

General Release Date: 11 August

The BFG

Adapted from the well-loved novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, Sophie is taken to Giant Country after staying up at night when she shouldn't. Befriending the big friendly giant, they work together to stop Fleshlumpeater, the evil giants who feast on human flesh.

Long been in development since the 90s, it was Spielberg's Dreamworks that finally picked up the rights to the book and put it on film. Casting his Oscar-winning supporting actor Mark Rylance as the lead, the cast also includes Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader and Jemaine Clement as the flesh-eating giant. "The BFG" is set to be a family friendly Spielberg movie like any other, including the masterful touches of Janusz Kaminski, John Williams and Michael Kahn in the cinematography, music and editing departments.

General Release Date: 18 August

Call of Heroes

Asian movie fans will be busy this August if they intend to catch every single Cantonese and Mandarin release that are coming out this month. It wasn't easy to pick out of the litter of romances, procedurals and comedies, but we finally narrowed it down to what is uniquely a Hong Kong favourite; the epic martial arts flick.

Directed by Benny Chan, with some of the best cast gatherings (that can only be competed by David Lam's "S Storm" also released in August) this year, "Call of Heroes" is set in the 1914 after the fall of the Qing dynasty, and a criminal is set to stand trial as a corrupted warlord intervenes. Leading the rebellion is Sean Lau, and supported by an admirable Louis Koo, Eddie Peng, and Wu Jing. This is Sean Lau's first martial arts appearance in 20 years, but with the action choreographed by Sammo Hung, we are already looking forward to the dazzling display of fist, kicks and weapons to make this trip to the cinema worth it.

General Release Date: 18 August

Don't Breathe

Needing money to move out from her neglectful parents, Rocky, her boyfriend and her friend, decides to break into a blind man's apartment and steal his safe, expecting little resistance. Home invasion movies are frightening because they make us feel the insecurity of having our homes invaded. But director and co-writer Fede Álvarez, who was inspired while living in Uruguay, is turning the fear on its head. Anyone who has seen the trailer will know where the twist comes in, and it's a good spin on the home invasion formula. There has been a good run of horrors with a twist this year so far, and we are glad that "Don't Breath" is putting momentum on this trend.

General Release Date: 25 August