Back to the Cinema: 5 Upcoming Must-See Movies in August
Movie buffs can now catch their favourite flicks on the big screen!
Our well-loved cinemas have finally reopened and we can watch our favourite blockbusters on the big screen again! From Scoob! to Mulan, we’ve tailored a list of noteworthy movies coming soon to a theatre near you. If you’re wondering what cinemas are doing to encourage moviegoers back, here are the safety measures put in place to make you feel more comfortable about returning to the silver screen.
The new normal in cinemas
For starters, there will be reconfigured seating arrangements to ensure safe distancing of at least one-metre between patrons. Groups of up to five friends and family will, however, be allowed to sit together. There will also be a capacity limit of 50 patrons in each theatre hall.
Other safety measures include mandatory temperature checks, SafeEntry check-in, and the wearing of masks in the premises, except when eating or drinking. Cinemas are also required to regularly clean and disinfect high touch point areas, as well as the premises after closing and before opening.
To reduce face-to-face contact with cinema staff, we encourage you to purchase your tickets online. If you are unable to book online, there are automated ticketing machines for cashless and contactless payment. It is also important that you keep a 1-metre safe distance from other groups when queuing to enter or waiting to collect your ticket and snacks.
Now that you’ve taken a moment to familiarise yourself with the health and safety guidelines, buckle up and let the reels roll!
Disclaimer: Release dates are subject to change, so please check the cinema’s website regularly for updates.
Force of Nature
Genre: Action, Drama
Rating: To be advised
Running time: 1hr 31min
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Mel Gibson, David Zayas, Kate Bosworth
In theatres: 30 July 2020
Force of Nature fits into a startling number of subgenres, each with its own rules. It’s a heist movie and a siege movie and a disaster flick and a cop drama. Oh, also: it has Hollywood stalwart Mel Gibson in it, who stars as a trigger-happy retired cop. Despite being the biggest star on the bill, Gibson isn’t quite at the center of the narrative. Instead, Emile Hirsch (Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood) has the lead role of Cardillo, a desk cop in San Juan, who’s ordered out on evacuation duty when a Category 5 hurricane hits the island.
Along with a rookie partner, Officer Pena (Stephanie Cayo), Cardillo heads into a crumbling apartment complex seeking stragglers from the storm. Once there, he catches sight of love interest Dr. Troy (Kate Bosworth), who’s trying to get her dad, played by Gibson, to evacuate the apartment building during the storm. The arrival of the bad guys, led by a heavy-set mastermind who calls himself John the Baptist (David Zayas), complicates matters.
Between the shootouts, fistfights, knife-fights, stairwell confrontations, and raging hurricane, Force of Nature comes off as a thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat.
Scoob!
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: PG
Running time: 1hr 33min
Cast: Will Forte, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Isaacs, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron
In theatres: 30 July 2020
The newest addition to the Scooby-Doo franchise, Scoob!, sees our beloved mystery-solving Great Dane and the Mystery Inc. gang make the leap to CG-feature animation for a sweet and amusing family flick. The movie reveals how lifelong friends Scooby-Doo and Shaggy first met young detectives Fred, Velma, and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now with hundreds of cases solved, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global “dogpocalypse”, the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.
Within the movie, are many nods to the Hanna-Barbera properties of the past, building a complete Hanna-Barbera universe. Shaggy (Will Forte) and Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker) wind up collaborating with characters drawn from other Hanna-Barbera shows, like Dynomutt (Ken Jeong), a crime-fighting mechanical dog; Dee Dee Skyes (Kiersey Clemons), the brainiest member of mystery-solving team Teen Angels; and Dynomutt’s master, the Blue Falcon — or rather, his son (Mark Wahlberg) — to take on the villain Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs), one of Hanna-Barbera's most recognised villains.
The Scooby-Doo franchise has been around since 1969, starting with the classic Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! series. Since then, there have been numerous reboots and spin-offs, as well as animated and live action films like 2002’s Scooby-Doo, which starred Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Matthew Lillard.
Unhinged
Genre: Thriller
Rating: To be advised
Running time: 1hr 30min
Cast: Russell Crowe, Jimmi Simpson, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman
In theatres: 30 July 2020
Unhinged is one heck of a ride, and stars award-winning actor Russell Crowe, as a man who takes road rage to frightening new levels. Crowe plays a stranger whose life has left him feeling powerless and invisible. After a traffic altercation with Rachel (Caren Pistorius), he decides to follow her from a distance to apologise for the incident. But when she refuses to accept his apology, he feels like she needs to know what a bad day really is.
The event proves to be a tipping point for Crowe’s downtrodden character, who then embarks on a wicked and murderous rampage. Things quickly escalate and Rachel finds herself, and everyone she loves, the target of a man who has decided to make one last mark upon the world, by teaching her a series of deadly lessons.
Derrick Borte (known for the dark comedy The Joneses) directs this terrifying cat-and-mouse chase, that explores the fragile balance of a society pushed to the edge, taking something we've all experienced — road rage — to a terrifying conclusion.
Mulan
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 1hr 55min
Cast: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee
In theatres: 20 August 2020 (Postponed until further notice)
Mulan is China’s legendary heroine and Disney’s first Asian Princess. The movie is based on the legend of a maiden who disguises herself as a man to take her sick father’s place in a war against the Huns. With utmost courage, strength and resourcefulness, she embraces the warrior in her and saves both her family and her country. In this live-action extravaganza, you’ll get to see Chinese superstars Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Gong Li display jaw-dropping martial art skills. Better yet, watch 32-year-old actress Liu Yifei — who plays the titular Mulan — perform 90 percent of her own stunts!
This big-budget wuxia (武侠) take on the original 1998 animated film, and will take the story back to its roots to focus on Mulan, who joins the Chinese Imperial Army. In doing so, she takes a stand against her more traditional upbringing and all the expectations of marriage and homemaking that come with it.
The live-action Mulan’s score will feature instrumental versions of the animated film’s classic soundtrack. But moviegoers hoping for a full-fledged singalong will have to rely on the original for that, as the new Mulan promises to cut a different path.
The New Mutants
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Rating: To be advised
Running time: 1hr 39min
Cast: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt
In theatres: 27 August 2020
The New Mutants’ plot revolves around a group of five young mutants trapped in a remote hospital after having just become aware of their powers. Pitched as Marvel’s first horror-superhero movie, this slice of the X-Men universe is said to be the first in a planned trilogy.
The cast includes Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar, the Native American telepath, a.k.a Mirage, who can create illusions based on people's fears and inner desires; Henry Zaga as Roberto da Costa, a.k.a Sunspot, a mutant with the ability to absorb and channel solar power; Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin, a.k.a Magik, who uses teleportation; Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball, who has the ability to fly at jet speeds while encased in an impenetrable force field; Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair, a.k.a. Wolfsbane, who can turn into a wolf; and Alice Braga as Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a medical doctor who has the ability to generate a protective bio-field around herself but also has more going on than she lets on.
Watching The New Mutants’ trailer doesn’t feel much different to watching one for a horror movie, because that’s exactly what the movie is meant to be. Director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars), a self-professed Stephen King fan, obsessed with both horror stories and Marvel comics, has created a movie about heroes who aren’t trying to save the world, but themselves. Unlike other X-Men movies, The New Mutants leans more toward horror than a traditional superhero flick.
With so many thrills and spills coming your way, we hope you’ll find this list to be a helpful tool not just for planning, but to keep you up to date with all the new releases. With that, we wish all of you a pleasant and safe trip to the movies!