I don’t know what your summer looked like, but ours was nuts. My last movie post was on May 30th as a kickoff to the summer movie season. That’s also when things gear up for board game conventions. When that last article posted, we had just left Kublacon game convention in California and were in England for UK Games Expo. It’s been pretty much nonstop since then so I didn’t have the opportunity to put together articles about which movies to see in theaters in July and August.
What little time we had between the chaos was reserved for 1) recovering from travel, 2) doing laundry for the next trip and 3) actually going to see some of the summer releases. Among those, we hit the theater for Deadpool & Wolverine (saw it TWICE, actually), Fly Me to the Moon and Alien: Romulus. There were others such as Sing Sing and Twisters that we wanted to see, but the schedule didn’t allow. Hopefully you had the chance to hit the theaters recently. But we’re back and have put together September movies so you have some ideas on what to see.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Release Date: September 6, 2024 Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Sequel Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, Jenna Ortega, and Willem Dafoe
Beetlejuice is back! Oscar-nominated, singular creative visionary Tim Burton and Oscar nominee and star Michael Keaton reunite for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to Burton’s award-winning Beetlejuice.
After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
The Front Room
Release Date: September 6, 2024 Genre: Horror, Thriller Cast: Brandy, Andrew Burnap, Neal Huff, and Kathryn Hunter
Everything goes to hell for newly-pregnant Belinda(Brandy) after her mother-in-law(Kathryn Hunter) moves in. As the diabolical guest tries to get her claws on the child, Belinda must draw the line somewhere…
The Thicket
Release Date: September 6, 2024 Genre: Crime, Drama Cast: Peter Dinklage, Juliette Lewis, Levon Hawke, Esme Creed-Miles, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Leslie Grace, Ned Dennehy, James Hetfield, Macon Blair, Arliss Howard, David Midthunder
When a bounty hunter and a band of unlikely heroes pursue a brutal killer, they find themselves in a deadly no-man’s-land known as The Thicket.
The 4:30 Movie
Release Date: September 13, 2024 Genre: Comedy Cast: Ken Jeong, Sam Richardson, Genesis Rodriguez, Justin Long, Jason Lee, Rachel Dratch, Kate Micucci, Adam Pally, Harley Quinn Smith, and Method Man
Set in the summer of 1986, THE 4:30 MOVIE is a coming-of-age story about three sixteen year old friends (played by Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo and Reed Northrup) who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local multiplex. But when one of the guys also invites the girl of his dreams (Siena Agudong) to see the latest comedy, each of the teens will learn something serious about life and love before the credits roll.
Set in the mobile phoneless, social media-free era of the 80’s, Smith shot THE 4:30 MOVIE at his Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey – the same movie theater he haunted every weekend when he was a teenager. Smith and his co-owners saved the century old Atlantic Highlands bijou from demolition two years ago, renaming it after his podcast theater.
The Killer’s Game
Release Date: September 13, 2024 Genre: Action, Thriller, Comedy Cast: Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, with Pom Klementieff and Ben Kingsley
In the new action-comedy THE KILLER’S GAME, when top hitman Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late.
My Old Ass
Release Date: September 13, 2024 Genre: Comedy, Drama Cast: Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks, Maria Dizzia, Alexandria Rivera, Al Goulem, Seth Isaac Johnson, and Aubrey Plaza
In this fresh coming-of-age story, an 18th birthday mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott (Maisy Stella) face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). But when Elliott’s “old ass” starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn’t do, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love, and what’s becoming a transformative summer.
Speak No Evil
Release Date: September 13, 2024 Genre: Thriller, Horror Cast: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough and Scoot McNairy
When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.
From Blumhouse, the producer of The Black Phone, Get Out and The Invisible Man, comes an intense suspense thriller for our modern age, starring BAFTA award-winner James McAvoy (Split, Glass) in a riveting performance as the charismatic, alpha-male estate owner whose untrammeled hospitality masks an unspeakable darkness.
A Different Man
Release Date: September 20, 2024 Genre: Thriller, Comedy Cast: Sebastian Stan, Adam Pearson, Renate Reinsve
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.
Transformers One
Release Date: September 20, 2024 Genre: SciFi, Animation, Action, Prequel Cast: Chris Hemsworth (Orion Pax), Brian Tyree Henry (D-16), Scarlett Johansson (Elita-1) and Keegan-Michael Key (B-127), Steve Buscemi, with Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm
TRANSFORMERS ONE is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
Never Let Go
Release Date: September 20, 2024 Genre: Horror, Drama, Thriller Cast: Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins
From visionary director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Crawl) and producers of Stranger Things and Arrival comes NEVER LET GO. In this new psychological thriller, as an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Academy Award® Winner Halle Berry (Actress in a Leading Role, 2001 – Monster’s Ball), and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.
Megalopolis
Release Date: September 27, 2024 Genre: SciFi, Drama Cast: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman
MEGALOPOLIS is a Roman Epic set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.
Lee
Release Date: September 27, 2024 Genre: Biography, Historical Drama, War Cast: Kate Winslet, Josh O’Connor, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Marion Cotillard
Lee, the directorial feature from award-winning Cinematographer Ellen Kuras, portrays a pivotal decade in the life of American war correspondent and photographer, Lee Miller (Kate Winslet). Miller’s singular talent and unbridled tenacity resulted in some of the 20th century’s most indelible images of war, including an iconic photo of Miller herself, posing defiantly in Hitler’s private bathtub.
Miller had a profound understanding and empathy for women and the voiceless victims of war. Her images display both the fragility and ferocity of the human experience. Above all, the film shows how Miller lived her life at full-throttle in pursuit of truth, for which she paid a huge personal price, forcing her to confront a traumatic and deeply buried secret from her childhood.
The Wild Robot
Release Date: September 27, 2024 Genre: Family, Adventure, Animation Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Kit Connor and Stephanie Hsu, with Mark Hamill, Matt Berry and Ving Rhames
From DreamWorks Animation comes a new adaptation of a literary sensation, Peter Brown’s beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot.
The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
Notice to Quit
Release Date: September 27, 2024 Genre: Comedy, Drama Cast: Michael Zegen, Kasey Bella Suarez, Isabel Arraiza, Michael Angelo Covino, Eric Berryman, Robert Klein, Nell Verlaque, Rose Jackson-Smith
Andy Singer, a resilient yet struggling New York City rental agent ironically caught in the midst of his own eviction crisis. As his world begins crashing down around him, his estranged 10-year-old daughter, Anna (played by newcomer Kasey Bella Suarez), appears unannounced on his doorstep just as he’s being thrown out of his apartment.
Shot on 35mm across all five boroughs of the city, Notice to Quit unfolds as a poignant comedy of misadventures amidst the oppressive heat of a single summer day. Hacker’s film captures the relentless hustle of New York City life as Andy, a modern-day Sisyphus, races against time to save his home and rebuild his fractured relationship with Anna as his get-rich-quick schemes and threadbare employment are thrown into a tenuous high gear. Isabel Arraiza, Eric Berryman, and Michael Angelo Covino also star in this exploration of family dynamics, redemption, and survival amidst the chaos of urban life.
There are some movies like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Speak No Evil and Transformers One that have a big advertising budget so you’ve probably heard of those. But hopefully this introduced you to some sleepers that are likely to be pretty good as well. I think The Killer’s Game and A Different Man will be a couple that end up surprising viewers!
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