Six To See August 10-23, 2024

1. Alien: Romulus: the new science fiction horror film, which is the seventh installment in the Alien franchise. It is set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) and is directed by Fede Álvarez, who co-wrote it with Rodo Sayagues. It stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. The story concerns a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, come face to face with the most terrifying life form in their universe. The film was released in theatres on August 16.

2. Blink Twice: a new psychological black comedy-thriller film directed by Zoë Kravitz in her directorial debut, from a screenplay she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, and Alia Shawkat. It follows a cocktail waitress who becomes infatuated with a tech mogul, and travels with him to his private island, where things begin to go wrong. Blink Twice was released in theatres on August 23.

3. The Crow: a new supernatural superhero film directed by Rupert Sanders from a screenplay by Zach Baylin and Will Schneider, based on the 1989 limited comic book series of the same name by James O’Barr. It is the fifth installment in The Crow film series and serves as a reboot. The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven / The Crow, a murdered musician who is resurrected to avenge the deaths of himself and his fiancée, played by FKA Twigs. The film was released in theatres on June 7 in the UK and on August 23 in the US, Canada and other countries.

4. Jackpot!: a new action comedy film directed by Paul Feig and written by Rob Yescombe. It stars John Cena, Awkwafina, Simu Liu, and Seann William Scott. It follows new L.A. transplant Katie who accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis, who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission. Jackpot! was released on Prime Video on August 15.

5. The Union: a new spy action comedy-thriller film directed by Julian Farino from a screenplay by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, Mike Colter, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alice Lee, Jackie Earle Haley, and J. K. Simmons. It follows a construction worker who is roped into the espionage world by his former high school girlfriend. The Union was released on Netflix on August 16.

6. Close to You: a new drama film directed by Dominic Savage and starring Elliot Page, Hillary Baack, Peter Outerbridge, and Wendy Crewson. Savage and Page wrote the story together and both acted as producers. It follows Sam who is heading back home for a family reunion and bumps into an old friend. The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released in theatres in the United States on August 16 and in Canada and the UK a week later on August 23.

Bonus series:

• Bad Monkey: a new drama series developed and executive produced by Bill Lawrence. It is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Carl Hiaasen. The series stars Vince Vaughn, Michelle Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Meredith Hagner, Rob Delaney, Natalie Martinez, L. Scott Caldwell, Ronald Peet, and John Ortiz. Ashley Nichole-Black, Victor Turpin, Charlotte Lawrence and Alex Moffat also star in recurring roles. It follows Andrew Yancy, a former police detective who has been reduced to conducting restaurant inspections in Southern Florida. A severed arm found by a tourist pulls Yancy into the world of greed and corruption that decimates the land and environment in both Florida and the Bahamas. Bad Monkey premiered on Apple TV+ on August 14.