Some great new releases are coming to the big screen and to streaming

Whether you’re heading out to the cinema or staying in, there’s plenty to enjoy in the coming weeks. Here are the best movies and on demand offerings that you can enjoy this August.

We've picked a selection of movies coming to cinemas and on demand, as well as some much anticipated TV series.

Check it out.

Stillwater

In cinemas from 6th August

There was lots of buzz around Matt Damon when he was filming 'The Last Duel' here in Ireland last year. Before that movie hits cinemas though, his next big screen venture seems him play a father fighting to exonerate his daughter (Abigail Breslin) for a crime she says she didn’t commit. His character is an American oil-rig roughneck from Oklahoma named Bill Baker. He travels to Marseille for his daughter and finds himself confronted with language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system.

'Stillwater' is directed by Tom McCarthy, who previously wrote and directed the Oscar-winning film 'Spotlight'.

Free Guy

In cinemas from 13th August

'Deadpool' star Ryan Reynolds has a major following. Thus there's no doubt people will be interested to see his latest. Reynolds plays a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player (or NPC, non-player character, for gamers in the know) in an open-world video game. He decides to become the hero of his own story.

Jodi Comer, Taika Waititi, ‘Stranger Things’ star Joe Keery & ‘Get Out’ star Lil Rey Howery co-star. Early social media reactions have been very positive.

Candyman

In cinemas from 27th August

There’s something about seeing horrors on the big screen which drives in audiences in droves. This latest acts as a sequel to the 1992 horror of the same name (in a similar way to what the 'Halloween' franchise did a few years back).

The housing projects of Chicago's Cabrini Green neighborhood have long been terrorised by the supernatural killer referred to as the Candyman. In the present day, a visual artist and his girlfriend, an art gallery director, move into a luxurious loft there. It's not long before Candyman starts his haunting... The cast is led by Yahya Abdul Mateen II, who gave a great turn in 'Aquaman' and is said to be playing Morpheus in 'The Matrix 4', as well as Teynoah Parris, who MCU fans would’ve seen in the series 'Wandavision'.

Our Ladies

In cinemas from 27th August

On the other hand, you may be looking for something much lighter, and funny. Scottish movie 'Our Ladies' is the solid answer.

After premiering in the BFI London Film Festival back in 2019, it finally makes its way to Irish and UK cinemas. Set in 1996, it follows a group of Catholic school girls from the Scottish Highlands town of Fort William who get an opportunity to go into Edinburgh for a choir competition. However they are more interested in drinking, partying and hooking up than winning the competition. The movie has been likened to 'Derry Girls', and if the hilarity and sharpness of that series is anything to go by, 'Our Ladies' should be great fun.

Modern Love season 2

Coming to Amazon Prime on 13th August

'Modern Love' season two sees 'Game of Thrones' star Kit Harington, 'X-Men' alum Anna Paquin, Irish actor Jack Reynor from 'Midsommar', 'Harry Potter' actress Miranda Richardson, and 'Good Will Hunting' star Minnie Driver all lead their own independent love stories. John Carney (‘Once’, ‘Sing Street’) returns for executive producing, writing, and directing duties.

Particularly of local interest is that one of the episodes from 'Modern Love' season two was filmed on location in Dublin; the rest were filmed in and around New York City and state. Kit Harrington attempts an Irish accent while Jack Reynor sported a moustache. Thus our intrigue.

Nine Perfect Strangers

Coming to Amazon Prime on 20th August

The main selling point of 'Nine Perfect Strangers' is its stellar cast as Nicole Kidman (who plays the resort’s host), Melissa McCarthy, Manny Jacinto, Bobby Cannavale, Luke Evans and Samara Weaving all star.

The eight-part series is based on The New York Times bestseller from Liane Moriarty, and produced by the teams behind 'Big Little Lies' and 'The Undoing'. Nine strangers from the city gather for a 10-day retreat at a health and wellness resort which promises to transform and heal the guests who stay there. However, the resort is not what it seems to be and the guests are about to discover many secrets about each other, and about their host.

The Kissing Booth 3

Coming to Netflix on 11th August

The conclusion to the cringeworthy, dumb and frankly kind of sexist teen rom com trilogy that is 'The Kissing Booth' finally comes to a welcoming close. The first two movies proved a big hit for Netflix (the first 'Kissing Booth' movie was the most watched Netflix movie in Ireland back in 2018), for some surreal reason. Still, they’re worth a mention here because everyone will inevitably want to see how the final feature pans out.

Lee (Joel Courtney), Rachel (Meganne Young), Noah (Jacob Elordi) and Elle (Joey King) are spending one last summer together at the beach house before college. But Elle has a big decision to make as to where she wants to go for uni – go to the same school as her best friend, follow her boyfriend, or live out her big New York City-bound dreams? It’s all such a mystery…

What If..?

Coming to Disney Plus on 11th August

'What If..?' features a whole bunch of Marvel fan favourite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor and more. It imagines alternative paths for the characters in a "multiverse of unlimited possibilities."

The show marks Marvel Studios' first animated series. No need to worry that voice impersonators will be playing the roles. The likes of Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Hayley Atwell, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dominic Cooper, Sean Gunn, Tom Hiddleston, Michael B. Jordan, Natalie Portman, Jeremy Renner, Sebastian Stan, Taika Waititi, Michael Douglas, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Rooker, Toby Jones, Stanley Tucci, and the late Chadwick Boseman all return to voice their famous MCU characters.

Mr. Corman

Coming to Apple TV from 6th August

It’s been a while since we saw '500 Days of Summer' and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a starring role. He makes the most of time lost by not just taking the lead in this series. He also wrote, directed and exec produced this project. Josh Corman, a school teacher in his late ‘30s, start to reexamine his lifestyle. He's got a passion for music, but he's not living out this part of himself as much as he would have hoped, and he starts to struggle with lack of self-confidence and anxiety.

There’s an emotional depth to this series which is bound to hit home. The series airs new episodes weekly from Friday, August 6th, after the first two episodes drop that first day.