2014 Preview: August

We’ve come to the month of August, the time of the year when the Summer Movie Season starts to come to a close but still a while before the Oscar movie season officially begins. However, I will say that, compared to the films that came out this July, this month’s lineup of films is actually a bit more promising. So with that said welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films set to come out in 2014. This is part 7 of 11 (previously 12) and today we’ll be looking at the films that will be released in the month of August.

AUGUST 1- The month opens up with the last major comic-book film of the year though this time it’s not the only wide release of the week as it will be accompanied by a musical biopic.

*Probably the riskiest project that Marvel Studios has ever done (and considering their resume, that’s saying a lot), ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, directed by James Gunn (‘Slither’, ‘Super’) is based on an comic book series of the same name that initially began in 1969 before it was revived in 2008 (this film is primarily based off of the more recent series). It centers on a group of misfits, consisting of human thief Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) AKA Star-Lord, assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), warrior Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), genetically-engineered raccoon Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Rocket’s accomplice, the tree-like creature Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), who team up after Quill comes across a mysterious orb that’s coveted by the villainous Ronan (Lee Pace), an ally of Thanos (AKA the purple alien seen at the end of ‘Avengers’ (played here (and in next year’s ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’) by Josh Brolin)). The film also stars Karen Gillan as Gamora’s adopted sister Nebula, Michael Rooker as Quill’s friend/father figure Yondu, and Glenn Close and John C. Reilly as members of the Nova Corps.

*After playing Jackie Robinson in ‘42’ to solid success, Chadwick Boseman takes on his second role as a major historical figure in ‘Get on Up’, in which he plays the ‘Godfather of Soul’, James Brown. The film, directed by Tate Taylor (‘The Help’), will focus on Brown’s life and also stars Nelsan Ellis, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer.

AUGUST 8- The busiest movie week of the month, four new releases will hit theaters this weekend.

*Produced by Michael Bay and directed by Jonathan Liebesman, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ is a reboot of the TMNT film franchise based off of the media franchise created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird of the same name. This new film follows the ‘heroes in a half-shell’ as they face off against Shredder and the Foot Clan in New York. The film stars Megan Fox as April O’Neil, the fearless reporter who befriends the Turtles, and also stars Will Arnett, William Fichtner, and the voices of Johnny Knoxville and Tony Shalhoub.

*Directed by Lasse Hallstrom (‘Cider House Rules’) and produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ is based off of the book of the same name by Richard C. Morais. The film centers on an Indian family who open a restaurant in France after being displaced from their home in India, resulting in them coming into conflict with the owner of another restaurant down the street (played by Helen Mirren).

*The fifth film in the ‘Step Up’ dance film franchise, ‘Step Up All In’ features an ensemble cast consisting of multiple characters from previous installments of the franchise as they all travel to Las Vegas in order to compete in a dance competition.

*In ‘Into the Storm’, directed by Steven Quale (‘Final Destination 5’), a group of high school students document the events and aftermath of a tornado. The film also stars Richard Armitage (‘The Hobbit’).

AUGUST 15- Two films hit theaters this weekend along with a film that will see an early release two days early on August 13^th.

*The ‘Expendables’ franchise returns with ‘The Expendables 3’, this time directed by Patrick Hughes (‘Red Hill’ and the upcoming American remake of ‘The Raid’) and is the first film in the series with a PG-13 rating. In this film, The Expendables, led by co-founder Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), face off against the group’s other co-founder, arms trader Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson). Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (among others) reprise their roles from the previous films and are joined in this one by Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, and Antonio Banderas (also among others).

*Based off of the 1993 novel of the same name by Lois Lowry, ‘The Giver’ centers on a 16-year old boy named Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) who lives in a utopian society. Jonas is selected to be the society’s ‘Receiver of Memory’, someone who stores away past memories that may one day be needed for future use. However, Jonas soon learns the darker side of the ‘perfect world’ he lives in. The film also stars Jeff Bridges as the titular ‘Giver’ along with Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgard, and Taylor Swift.

*Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. star in ‘Let’s Be Cops’ in which they play a pair of friends who pretend to be cops but soon find themselves in way over their heads. The film opens early on August 13^th.

AUGUST 22- Another trio of films hit theaters this weekend.

*Nearly a decade after the original ‘Sin City’ film was released in 2005, directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller return to helm the sequel, ‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’, also based on Miller’s graphic novel ‘Sin City’. Like the previous film, the film is a collection of stories (AKA ‘yarns’) set in the fictional Basin City (commonly referred to as ‘Sin City’). This also includes two original stories written by Miller exclusively for the film. Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Mickey Rourke, and Clive Owen (among others) reprise their roles from the previous film and are joined here by Eva Green, Josh Brolin, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (among others).

*Based off of the book of the same name by Gayle Forman, ‘If I Stay’ stars Chloe Grace Moretz as a young musician who ends up in a coma after her entire family is killed in a car crash. She then ends up in limbo and is forced to decide whether or not she will eventually wake up.

*‘When the Game Stands Tall’ is the true story of the De La Salle High School Football team and their record-breaking 151-game winning streak that ran from 1992 to 2004. The film stars Jim Caviezel as head coach Bob Ladouceur, Laura Dern, and Michael Chiklis.

AUGUST 29- The month closes out with two films, one of whom gets an early release on August 27^th.

*Pierce Brosnan reunites with director Roger Donaldson (‘Dante’s Peak’) for ‘The November Man’, based off of the book ‘There are No Spies’ by Bill Granger. Brosnan stars as an ex-CIA operative who is brought back into action where he faces his protégé (played by Luke Bracey) in a deadly game. The film also stars Olga Kurylenko and Will Patton. The film opens on August 27^th.

*The final release of the month, ‘As Above, So Below’ is a found footage film focusing on a group of explorers who venture into the catacombs of Paris, France in search for treasure but they soon come across some paranormal terrors.

And those are the films that will be coming out in August 2014. Check back next month for Part 8 as we’ll be looking at the films coming out in September.