OUR WATCHLIST FOR AUGUST

Although the blockbuster season seems to have dropped a notch, we have some good movies coming out this August with probably deeper storylines. Okay, so reboots and franchises are still in. There seems to be a strong sense of nostalgia in Hollywood these days. August also comes with a lot of action, horror, and thriller flicks for the holiday season. African movies are still holding strong. This is our fourth Watchlist installment, so if you haven’t read any for the previous months, take some time and check them out for May, June, and July. Enjoy!

HAKEEM: SEEKING JUSTICE (August 1)

A former military officer’s homecoming is not a pleasant one. He returns to a murdered family and decides to seek vengeance in the only way he knows how. His name is Hakeem, and his vengeful path leads him to uncover a deep conspiracy he never expected. Think Nigeria’s answer to First Blood (Rambo). The filmmaker, Abdulrasheed Bello a.k.a. JJC Skillz, takes on a daunting genre for Nollywood: the action film. Budgetary constraints, credibility, and poor execution of gunfights and action sequences have been the bane of many a Nollywood director, which is why many have steered clear. But JJC Skillz decides to take the bull by the horns with this action thriller on a failed justice system. It will be quite interesting to see how the story unravels and how we connect with his pain.

Starring Deyemi Okanlawon, Kunle Remi, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha, Regina Daniels, Gabriel Afolayan, Zubby Michael, and Ali Nuhu. Directed by Abdulraheed Bello

WEAPONS (August 8)

When seventeen kids from the same classroom mysteriously disappear overnight, questions have to be asked. A mystery, horror movie. The screenplay for this movie prompted an aggressive bidding war among Netflix, New Line Cinema, TriStar Pictures, and Universal Pictures, so it ought to be good. New Line won the bid and the creator, Zach Cregger, was a lucky man.

Starring Josh Brolin, Julia Garner. Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan. Directed by Zach Cregger

FREAKIER FRIDAY (August 8)

Remember Walt Disney’s 2003 hilarious comedy, Freaky Friday, about a mother and daughter who switch bodies after taking some Chinese cookies and experience life through each other’s eyes, giving each a better perspective of what they go through? Based on a 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers? Well, the sequel is quite apt now, where the generational gap seems more like a crevice. A light-hearted take on such issues of misunderstanding could help bridge it. Welllllll… don’t hold your breath. Starring the stellar Jamie Lee Curtis and singer-actress Lindsay Lohan reprising their roles over 20 years later as mother and daughter!

Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon. Directed by Nisha Ganatra

ALIEN: EARTH (August 12)

It’s not just movies. No. There’s also an interesting series coming out in August on FX and FX on Hulu. Created by Noah Hawley, it is based on the popular Alien franchise made famous by star actress Sigourney Weaver. A science fiction horror series, it is set as a prequel to the original 1979 Aliens movie: set two years earlier, to be exact. An alien spaceship crash-lands on Earth, and all hell breaks loose for synthezoid Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and her motley crew of synthezoid and human soldiers to resolve. All I can say is if you have Ridley Scott as your executive producer, then you are definitely on to something worth watching.

Starring Matilda Lutz, Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Rhona Mitra, Veronica Ferres. Directed by M.J. Bassett

RED SONJA (August 15)

Exciting times this, when we have a reboot of a character made popular by the 1985 self-titled movie starring the red-hot Brigitte Nielsen. Red Sonja is a sword-fighting amazon living in the fictional, barbaric Hyborian Age (same age as her on-and-off partner, Conan the Barbarian). Just like Conan, she was made popular by Marvel Comics in the 70s – 90s, though we are told this version is based on Dynamite Entertainment’s reincarnation of the redhead, said to have been killed off. Recall that Schwarzenegger’s Conan was rebooted by Jason Mamoa in 2011. So with bad-ass heroines now the rage, Red Sonja, created 52 years ago, is being rebooted at the perfect time. Don’t expect the character to be like the so-called ‘sexualized’ version of the 80s.

Starring Matilda Lutz, Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Rhona Mitra, Veronica Ferres. Directed by M.J. Bassett