By Annie Colao and Rachel Montpelier
All synopses are courtesy of press materials, unless otherwise noted.
Film and TV Premieres
August 3
“Don’t Blame Karma!” (Feature) – Directed by Elisa Miller; Written by Fernanda Eguiarte Hernández and Marcelo Tobar de Albornoz (Available on Netflix)
When her younger sister and high-school crush get engaged, Sara must find out whether her alleged bad luck is the real culprit behind her misfortunes.
August 4
“Wedding Season” (Feature) – Written by Shiwani Srivastava (Available on Netflix)
Under parental pressure to find spouses, Asha and Ravi pretend to date during a summer of weddings – but their ruse goes awry when feelings turn real.
August 5
“Bodies Bodies Bodies” (Feature) – Directed by Halina Reijn; Written by Sarah DeLappe (In Theaters)
When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game goes awry in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong.
“Mija” (Documentary) – Directed by Isabel Castro (In Theaters)
“Mija” features Doris Muñoz and Jacks Haupt, two daughters of undocumented immigrants from Mexico who are both navigating their careers in the music industry. Seeking to provide for their families while achieving their dreams, Doris and Jacks bond over the ever-present guilt of being the first American-born members of their undocumented families and the financial risks of pursuing their dreams. For them, the pressure of success is heightened due to their families’ hope for green cards and reunification.
“Luck” (Feature) – Directed by Peggy Holmes; Written by Kiel Murray (Available on Apple TV+)
“Luck” centers around the story of Sam Greenfield, the unluckiest person in the world. When she discovers the never-before-seen Land of Luck, Sam must unite with the magical creatures there to turn her luck around. Stars such as Jane Fonda and Whoopi Goldberg lend their voices to this heartwarming new animated film.
“Memory Box” (Feature) – Directed by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige; Written by Joana Hadjithomas, Gaëlle Macé, and Khalil Joreige (In Theaters)
“Memory Box” is an inventive multi-media, multi-generational drama that toggles between 1983 war-torn Beirut and present-day Montreal. A teenage girl, Maia (Manal Issa), intercepts a mysterious package addressed to her mother. Defying her grandmother’s protective instincts and determined to break through her mother’s secrecy and stoicism, she surreptitiously immerses herself in the box’s contents. Her mother’s scrapbooks, letters, and audio recordings from her own heady youth, vibrant with romantic euphoria, political happenings, and familial despair, fill the young girl’s imagination and spark her need to know more about her historical and emotional lineage. The story processes media of the past via modes of the present: emoji-filled texts, emails, and smartphone snapshots.
“Darlings” (Feature) – Directed by Jasmeet K Reen; Written by Jasmeet K Reen and Parveez Sheikh (Available on Netflix)
In “Darlings,” Badru (Alia Bhatt) hopes her volatile husband will reform if he stops drinking. However, when his rage goes too far, she and her mom boldly, albeit clumsily, seek revenge. In this Hindi-Indian language black comedy-drama, a quirky mother-daughter pair find courage and love while navigating their familial struggles in Mumbai.
“Rosemary & Sage Race Against Thyme” (Feature) – Written by Brielle Norton, Kristal Jimenez, Jared Campbell, John Felix, and Donnie Lester (In Theaters)
After the mysterious death of her partner, police officer Reba Rosemary (Sky Brady) teams up with FBI agent Samantha Sage (Jill Symes) to track down a group of terrorists known as THYME.
“Prey” (Feature) (Available on Hulu)
A skilled Comanche warrior, Naru (Amber Midthunder), protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against the wilderness, dangerous colonizers, and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.
“Stowaway” (Feature) (Available on AMC+)
A tenacious party girl (Ruby Rose) fights to survive after three thieves commandeer her luxury yacht. Unable to escape and trapped on the yacht at high seas, the prey becomes the hunter as she turns the tables on the intruders and takes matters into her own hands.
August 8
“Darby & Joan” (Series) – Created by Glenys Rowe and Phillip Gwynne (Premieres on Acorn TV)
Two lone strangers trekking on the road — a retired Australian policeman (Bryan Brown) with a dog as his only company and a widowed English nurse (Greta Scacchi) — meet each other and embark on an epic odyssey in the outback of northern Australia.
August 9
“I Just Killed My Dad” (Docuseries) – Directed by Skye Borgman (Premieres on Netflix)
Anthony Templet shot his father and never denied it. But why he did is a complex question with profound implications that go far beyond one family.
August 10
“I Am Groot” (Short Film Anthology) – Written and Directed by Kirsten Lepore (Premieres on Disney+)
“I Am Groot” is a collection of five original shorts starring Baby Groot, everyone’s favorite little tree, and will feature several new and unusual characters.
August 11
“Bump” (Series) – Created by Claudia Karvan and Kelsey Munro (Premieres on The CW)
An overachieving 17-year-old student’s (Nathalie Morris) life is irrevocably changed by an unplanned pregnancy.
August 12
“Girl Picture” (Feature) – Directed by Alli Haapasalo; Written by Ilona Ahti and Daniela Hakulinen (In Theaters)
Best friends Mimmi (Aamu Milonoff) and Rönkkö (Eleonoora Kauhanen) have each other’s backs, always. They want to live adventurous lives, loaded with experiences and passion. Emma (Linnea Leino), on the contrary, has given her whole life to figure skating. Nothing gets between her and success. But when the girls meet, life opens new paths, and they all rocket in new directions. While Mimmi and Emma experience the earth-moving effects of first love, Rönkkö is on a quest to find pleasure.
“Emily the Criminal” (Feature) (In Theaters)
Down on her luck and saddled with student debt, Emily (Aubrey Plaza) gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, by acting as a dummy shopper and buying increasingly risky products with stolen credit cards, which ultimately leads to deadly consequences.
“Summering” (Feature) (In Theaters)
As their last summer before middle school comes to a close, four best friends, Daisy (Lia Barnett), Lola (Sanai Victoria), Dina (Madalen Mills), and Mari (Eden Grace Redfield) face the uncertainties of growing up and embark on their biggest adventure yet.
“Le Temps Perdu” (Documentary) – Written and Directed by María Álvarez (In Theaters)
This immersive documentary follows a group of elderly literati who’ve met regularly for 20 years in a Buenos Aires café to read aloud and discuss Proust’s 3,000-page, seven-volume masterpiece, “In Search of Lost Time.”
“Mack & Rita” (Feature) – Directed by Katie Aselton; Written by Madeline Walter and Paul Welsh (In Theaters)
After wandering into a regression pod during her best friend’s bachelorette party, a woman in her 30s (Elizabeth Lail) wakes up as a 65-year-old (Diane Keaton), which is nothing like she imagined. Having always felt like an old soul, Mack’s world is turned upside down when she literally transforms into the older woman she identified with inside.
“13: The Musical” (Feature) – Directed by Tamra Davis (Available on Netflix)
After his parents’ divorce, Evan Goldman (Eli Golden) moves from NYC to small-town Indiana. As his 13th birthday nears, he must master the complex social circles of his new school and win friends by turning his Bar Mitzvah into the coolest party ever.
“A League of Their Own” (Series) – Created by Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham (Premieres on Prime Video)
“A League of Their Own” evokes the joyful spirit of Penny Marshall’s beloved classic, while widening the lens to tell the story of an entire generation of women who dreamed of playing professional baseball, both in and outside of the AAGPBL. The show follows Carson (Abbi Jacobson) and Max (Chanté Adams) and a new ensemble of sharp and hilarious characters as they carve their paths toward the field, along the way finding their teams and themselves. Also with D’Arcy Carden, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Roberta Colindrez, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Kate Berlant, Kelly McCormack, Priscilla Delgado, Molly Ephraim, Melanie Field, and Dale Dickey.
“Children of the Underground” (Docuseries) – Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and Ted Gesing (Premieres on FX)
“Children of the Underground” tells the pulse-pounding true story of charismatic vigilante Faye Yager, who built a vast underground network that hid hundreds of mothers and children, saving them from the alleged abuse of husbands and fathers when a broken court system would not. Stepping out into the spotlight of daytime TV talk shows to raise awareness for the cause, Yager placed herself in the crosshairs of the FBI, setting off a highly publicized trial that raised the specter of a dark side to the movement.
August 13
“The Princess” (Documentary) (Premieres on HBO/HBO Max)
The relationship of Diana and Charles, the Princess and Prince of Wales, was tabloid fodder for nearly two decades, the subject of almost daily headlines in the 24-hour news cycle. “The Princess” draws solely from contemporaneous archival audio and video footage to take audiences back to key events in Diana’s life as they happened, including the seemingly fairy-tale public courtship and wedding, the birth of two sons, the bitter divorce, and her tragic and untimely death on August 31, 1997.
August 14
“Tales of the Walking Dead” (Anthology) – Created by Channing Powell and Scott M. Gimple (Premieres on AMC/AMC+)
“Tales of the Walking Dead” consists of six original one-hour standalone episodes focused on both new and established characters within the walker apocalypse. Each episode has its own distinct tone and point of view — but the stakes are high in each story, pushing new, indelible characters with relentless, life-threatening choices and situations. We get to see the apocalypse through different eyes, discovering more worlds, mythos, and mysteries of the Walking Dead. Olivia Munn, Samantha Morton, Parker Posey, Poppy Liu, Jillian Bell, Embeth Davidtz, and Daniella Pineda are among the stars.
August 17
“Look Both Ways” (Feature) – Directed by Wanuri Kahiu; Written by April Prosser (Available on Netflix)
On the eve of her college graduation, Natalie’s (Lili Reinhart) life diverges into parallel realities: one in which she becomes pregnant and remains in her hometown, and another in which she does not and moves to Los Angeles. In both journeys, Natalie experiences life-changing love, pursues her dream career as an artist, and rediscovers herself.
“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” (Series) – Directed by Kat Coiro and Anu Valia; Written by Jessica Gao (Premieres on Disney+)
“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” follows Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) as she navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk. The cast also includes Ginger Gonzaga, Jameela Jamil, and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
August 18
“Glorious” (Feature) – Directed by Rebekah McKendry (Available on Shudder)
Spiraling out after a bad breakup, Wes (Ryan Kwanten) ends up at a remote rest stop miles away from civilization. His situation worsens after he finds himself locked inside the bathroom with a mysterious figure (J.K. Simmons) speaking to him from an adjacent stall. As Wes tries to escape, he finds himself an unwilling player in a situation bigger and more terrible than he could possibly imagine.
“The Undeclared War” (Miniseries) (Premieres on Peacock)
Set in a post-pandemic 2024 in the run up to a British general election, a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of GCHQ secretly works to ward off a cyberattack on the country’s electoral system. Saara Parvan (Hannah Khalique-Brown) is a young student getting work experience in the malware department when a security breach leads to a high-stakes first day at the office. She’s quickly thrust into the center of an escalating data war with Russia that has dangerous implications extending far beyond cyberspace.
August 19
“The Legend of Molly Johnson” (Feature) – Written and Directed by Leah Purcell (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
In 1893 on an isolated property, a heavily pregnant woman named Molly Johnson (Leah Purcell) and her children struggle to survive the harsh Australian landscape. Her husband is gone, droving sheep in the high country. Molly finds herself confronted by a shackled Aboriginal fugitive named Yadaka (Rob Collins). As an unlikely bond begins to form between them, secrets unravel about her true identity. Meanwhile, realizing Molly’s husband is missing, new town lawman Nate Clintoff (Sam Reid) becomes suspicious and sends his constable to investigate. The deadly encounter between Molly, Yadaka, and the constable results in a tragic chain of events with Molly becoming a symbol of feminism and anti-racism.
“Get Away if You Can” (Feature) – Written and Directed by Dominique Braun and Terrence Martin (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
Hopeful that an open-ocean sail might relight the spark of their passion, a troubled married couple (filmmakers Dominique Braun and Terrence Martin) hit a breaking point when one’s refusal to explore a foreboding deserted island sends them on a deep internal journey that will require drastic decisions in order to survive.
“The Runner” (Feature) – Directed by Michelle Danner (In Theaters; Available on VOD August 23)
Privileged teenager Aiden (Edouard Philipponnat) has one last chance to get his life back on track. His lucrative side hustle dealing drugs to his classmates and his own personal addiction have forced his distraught mother to turn him over to the police. If he acts as a confidential informant and sets up a major drug kingpin, the cops promise to reward his cooperation. As the sting operation is set in motion, Aiden falters, threatening to jeopardize the deal with the police and his very life.
“Bad Sisters” (Series) – Directed by Dearbhla Walsh, Josephine Bornebusch, and Rebecca Gatward (Premieres on Apple TV+)
A delicious blend of both dark comedy and thriller, “Bad Sisters” follows the lives of the Garvey sisters, who are bound together by the premature death of their parents and a promise to always protect one another. The series stars Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson.
“Kleo” (Series) (Premieres on Netflix)
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, a former East German spy resolves to find out who betrayed her and why — and use her lethal skills to exact revenge.
August 22
“Anne” (Miniseries) (Premieres on Acorn TV)
“Anne” tells the extraordinary story of Anne Williams (Maxine Peake), a Liverpool housewife whose 15-year-old son Kevin (Campbell Wallace) was tragically crushed to death at the FA Cup semi-final in 1989 between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
August 25
“Everything I Know About Love” (Series) – Created by Dolly Alderton; Directed by China Moo-Young and Julia Ford (Premieres on Peacock)
The central love story of “Everything I Know About Love” is between childhood best friends Maggie (Emma Appleton) and Birdy (Bel Powley). But it is also a raucous girl gang show, set in a 2012 London house-share inhabited by four girls: Maggie, Birdy, and their mates from university, Amara (Aliyah Odoffin) and Nell (Marli Siu). The series is an unflinching deep dive into bad dates, heartaches, and humiliations and begs the question: can platonic love survive romantic love as we grow up?
“Little Demon” (Series) – Created by Darcy Fowler, Seth Kirschner, and Kieran Valla (Premieres on FXX)
After being impregnated by the Devil (Danny DeVito), a reluctant mother (Aubrey Plaza) and her Antichrist daughter (Lucy DeVito) attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware.
August 26
“The Invitation” (Feature) – Directed by Jessica M. Thompson; Written by Blair Butler (In Theaters)
After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) takes a DNA test — and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she’s at first seduced by the sexy aristocrat host but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history and the unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity.
“Jane” (Feature) – Directed by Sabrina Jaglom; Written by Sabrina Jaglom and Rishi Rajani (In Theaters)
When Olivia (Madelaine Petsch) is deferred from her dream college she begins to spiral. To regain control, she embarks on a social media war against those in her way, but as things escalate, she is forced to embrace her darkest impulses to get ahead.
“Breaking” (Feature) – Directed by Abi Damaris Corbin; Written by Abi Damaris Corbin and Kwame Kwei-Armah (In Theaters)
When Marine Veteran Brian Brown-Easley (John Boyega) is denied support from Veteran’s Affairs — financially desperate and running out of options — he takes a bank and several of its employees hostage, setting the stage for a tense confrontation with the police. Based on the true story.
Returning Series
“Industry” (HBO/HBO Max, August 1)
“Good Morning, Verônica” (Netflix, August 3)
“Good Grief” – Created and Written by Eve Palmer, Grace Palmer, and Nick Schaedel (Sundance Now, August 4)
“The Ms. Pat Show” – Created by Patricia Williams and Jordan E. Cooper (August 11, BET+)
“Never Have I Ever” – Created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher (August 12, Netflix)
“Chesapeake Shores” – Created by Nancey Silvers and John Tinker (August 14, Hallmark)
“Devils” – Created by Elena Bucaccio, Barbara Petronio, Daniele Cesarano, Ezio Abbate, Guido Maria Brera, Mario Ruggeri, and Alessandro Sermoneta (August 16, The CW)
“Kevin Can F**k Himself” – Created by Valerie Armstrong (August 22, AMC/AMC+)
“Stargirl” (August 31, The CW)
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