August 2014 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
Okay, July was a pretty dead month. Only a few reviews, not that many new releases that I saw. However, August is almost the opposite, with tons of new films coming out, most of which I intend to see.

August 1st

Guardians of the Galaxy
Christ Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Deisel

Marvel is taking what some may view as a bit of a gamble with Guardians of the Galaxy. It doesn't seem like their usual superhero film, but more something like Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, and Star Wars  all rolled into one. As a fan of those three things (plus Marvel), I'm definitely hyped to see this film.

Get on Up
Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Lennie James

Chadwick Boseman, who was fantastic in last years 42, returns to biopics with Get on Up, a film about funk musician James Brown. Tate Taylor did a good job with The Help, so I'm hoping he'll be able to do a good job with this film as well.

August 8th

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Megan Fox, Johnny Knoxville, William Fichtner, Will Arnett

I'll be honest, I don't have high hopes for this film. It looks decent enough, the action could be fun, but there's also a lot going against it. Mainly the fact that all the turtles look like Shrek. However, there's also some stuff I'm excited to see, such as Johnny Knoxville as Leonardo.

August 15th

The Giver
Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Alexander Skarsgard

This may surprise some of you, seeing as how (at this point in time) everyone I know has read it, but I have not read the book. I'm going to be going into this film with no idea what to expect. However, that being said, I think it looks alright. Kind of strange, but alright regardless.

Let's be Cops
Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans, Nina Dobrev, Rob Riggle

This is a comedy film I've been waiting to see for a while now, mainly due to its very clever and funny premise. Basically, these two guys dress up as cops for Halloween, but are mistaken for actual police officers. They decide to take advantage of this, and pretend to be actual cops, going so far as to buying a cop car and doing cop stuff. A premise like that, you bet I'm interested.

Life After Beth
Dane Dehaan, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Rielly, Anna Kendrick

Speaking of interesting premises, this film has one as well. Basically, this guy, Zach, is mourning the loss of his girlfriend, Beth. However, by some freak occurrence, she's brought back to life. Only now, she's pretty much a sentient zombie, with a hunger for humans. So yeah, it's kind of reverse Warm Bodies. I'm pretty hyped for this film as well, a lot of good films coming out this month.

August 22nd

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Mickey Rourke, Eva Green

This film is one I've been waiting for an annoyingly long time, all the way back to 2012 (when it was announced to come out in 2013). I loved the first film, I thought it was one of those films I would call a perfect film. I think perfection is hoping for a little too much, but I'm hoping it will be good and do the first film justice.

My favourite film from July 2014: Snowpiercer

I really don't want to repeat the last few sentences of my review, but I feel like there's no avoiding it. This film has something for everyone, whether you want a subtle and profound social political commentary, or an entertaining and well executed action film. July was a surprisingly slow month, with only two movies I was considering for best of the month (three new movies in total). Oddly enough, Snowpiercer and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are built around a similar idea. But back on topic, Snowpiercer is a pretty entertaining and grim thriller with some profound statements on how our modern society works.

Click Here to read my review of Snowpiercer!