Tuesday (August 9th, cinemas)
The feature debut of writer/director Daina O. Pusić, Tuesday stars Lola Petticrew as Tuesday, a young woman
coming to the end of a terminal illness, a condition her mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is struggling to comprehend. Their lives take an unexpected turn with
the arrival of Death in the form of a talking parrot.
The Instigators (August 9th, cinemas/AppleTV+)
Directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow; The Bourne Identity) and written by Chuck MacLean and Casey Affleck, The Instigators stars Matt Damon as a desperate father who teams
up with an ex-con (Affleck) to steal money from a corrupt politician. When
their plan backfires the two men find themselves on the run with
a therapist (Hong Chau) in tow.
Trap (August 9th, cinemas)
Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller Trap appears to dispense the supernatural elements he's generally known
for in favour of a more grounded narrative. Of course, you just never know
what surprises Shyamalan will spring on you. The film stars Josh Hartnett as a possible serial killer who attends a concert with his
daughter, only to learn the police are lying in wait. No doubt there's a
lot more than that simple premise hints at.
Sky Peals (August 9th, cinemas)
The feature debut of writer/director Moin Hussain, Sky Peals stars Faraz Ayub as Adam, a thrirtysomething whose lonely existence
is rocked when his estranged father passes away. Looking into his father's
mysterious past, Adam comes to believe he may have been an alien from
another world.
Only the River Flows (August 16th, cinemas)
Directed by Wei Shujun, Only the River Flows takes place in the 1990s and follows a police chief (Zhu Yilong) who begins to question if there is more to a series of "solved" murders
than meets the eye. Shujun employs the tropes of police thrillers to
examine the double lives people are forced to lead under an authoritarian
regime.
Alien: Romulus (August 16th, cinemas)
Following Ridley Scott's divisive Prometheus and Covenant, writer/director Fede Alvarez appears to be getting
back to basics with Alien: Romulus, which appears to have a similar premise to his cult thriller Don't Breathe. Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike
Fearn and Aileen Wu play a group of young colonisers who
come up against an alien life form while scavenging an abandoned space
station.
Cadejo Blanco (August 23rd, cinemas/VOD)
Written and directed by Justin Lerner, Cadejo Blanco stars Karen Martinez as Sarita, a young woman who infiltrates the criminal underworld of
Guatemala City in an attempt to find her missing sister.
Cuckoo (August 23rd, cinemas)
Writer/director Tilman Singer follows up his German debut Luz with a first venture into English language filmmaking
with Cuckoo. Hunter Schafer plays Gretchen, a young American woman whose family moves to a
German resort. As her father's boss (Dan Stevens) takes a suspicious interest in her mute half-sister (Mila Lieu), Gretchen begins to experience terrifying visions of a hooded
woman.
Oddity (August 30th, Irish cinemas)
Writer/director Damien McCarthy's debut
Caveat
was one of the most original horror movies of recent years. He's followed it
up in some style with Oddity, which stars Carolyn Bracken as a blind psychic who enlists a wooden mannequin
in her quest to solve the puzzle of her sister's murder.
Paradise is Burning (August 30th, cinemas)
One of our favourite movies from the 2023 festival circuit, Paradise is Burning, the narrative feature debut of Swedish documentary director
Mika Gustafson, arrives in time to be the bittersweet feelgood
movie of the summer. The film is centred on three sisters left to fend for
themselves when their mentally troubled mother disappears.
It's a nostalgic treat for anyone who fondly recalls the childhood joy of
breaking adult rules.