Weekend Watch - August 2022 Recap
Welcome back to the Weekend Watch, where each week we talk about a new piece of film or television media and give it a review and recommendation. We’ve come to the end of August, so it’s time to recap this past month’s movie releases. In a month full of television premieres, the film releases continued the trend set by June and July – mostly underwhelming with a few films that made a bit of a splash and have the potential to stick around among the Greatest Films of All Time. Again, there’s no sure things coming out of the month of August, but there were some films that were possible things and long shots to make that list. Let’s get into it.
Long Shots:
Resurrection: This Rebecca Hall-led film about a woman whose past comes back to haunt her has done well among critics and certain audiences. Unfortunately, its thriller/horror nature will probably keep it out of most awards conversations, which it will need to overcome its overall low audience scores. From what I’ve heard, this one is worth seeing, but it’s not necessarily one of the Greatest Films ever made.
Bodies Bodies Bodies: A24’s ensemble slasher for Gen-Z has seemingly become an immediate cult classic, dividing younger viewers and older viewers with its cast of young stars (and Lee Pace) and darkly comedic take on the slasher genre. Critics are high enough on this film to keep it in the conversation, but A24 is more likely to focus on building awards momentum for its other films (Everything Everywhere All at Once and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), so don’t expect to see this one vaulting out of its cult status any time soon.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero: Films from anime series can be hit and miss. Recent history suggests that the new Dragon Ball film will continue to make money and build its ratings. For this film to stand out from the ranks of other similar films (like Demon Slayer’s film in 2020), it will need a little bit more traction than it probably will get. That being said, there is no doubt that this has been a solid fan-pleaser among the Dragon Ball faithful.
Breaking: The hostage, crime-thriller starring John Boyega has seemingly overperformed among audiences and critics, even drawing some love from the Academy’s Twitter account after its release. The film, based on a true story, also constitutes one of Michael Kenneth Williams’s last credits following his death last year. While Boyega’s performance looks strong, it’s hard to see this breaking out past all the other awards-bait films still to come this year.
The Good Boss: A Spanish dramedy about a boss seeking to get a good review for his company, this film had a limited release in the U.S. this month and seems to be doing decently well for itself. Javier Bardem is certainly the biggest draw for this film, and it looks to be a better film than his upcoming English-language release, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. With all the highly rated foreign films already this year, even from Spain, it’s hard to see this making a bigger splash though.
Possible Things:
Thirteen Lives: This film looks to be Amazon’s big awards film, but it also seems to have already disappeared into “the discourse”. It contains some big-name actors, is directed by Ron Howard, and tells a story that is currently popular. Its ratings say that it’ll hang around when nominations come out, but it’ll need a few to really stick around and get a review on the list.
Prey: Hulu’s surprise hit Predator prequel has been arguably the biggest film ever to go the streaming only route. Many fans are already disappointed that (so far) they won’t get to see this one in theaters. Boasting a unique take on the monster-flick, a strong female lead, and some stellar reviews so far, it’s not outside the realm of possibility to see this one sticking around among the Greats.
Emily the Criminal: Aubrey Plaza’s crime thriller about a woman whose credit card schemes take her deeper than she intended has opened to limited viewership but positive reviews. If the below-the-radar Sundance hit can make a few more waves, it’s possible that Roadside might try a long-shot awards push to elevate this film to greatness. Don’t sleep on Aubrey Plaza’s versatility.
Inu-oh: This self-proclaimed animated rock opera based on a novel by Hideo Furukawa has thus far had positive reviews from both fans and critics. Its GKIDS release studio is known for its distribution of many other great Japanese animated films in both recent and distant history. Telling a story about outcasts finding their way through music seems to speak to a potential for this one to make its way onto the stage at the Oscars this year – we’ll see.
Girl Picture: Alli Haapaslo’s romance film about young women looking to have a good time during the long darkness of Finland’s winter has taken critics and fans by storm. Its limited American release has brought it a solid Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritc score. This looks to be another Scandinavian film that flies under the radar but makes its way onto the list thanks to its ability to tell a unique story that western audiences can’t help but review positively.
