August 21, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Brandon Flowers, Conan O'Brien Must Go, Gold Album, Grace Potter, Hazel Eyes, Insidious: Out of the Further, It Ends, Jeopardy! Masters, Mutiny, Sam Smith, The Simpsons, THRASHER, Trespasser, Weezer, Yellow Mirror
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Insidious: Out of the Further (Theaters)
–It Ends (Theaters)
–Mutiny (Theaters)
TV
–Conan O’Brien Must Go Season 3 Premiere (August 21 on HBO Max) – India, Netherlands, Morocco, and Philippines are on the agenda this season.
–Jeopardy! Masters Season 4 Premiere (August 25 on ABC)
–The Simpsons, “Yellow Mirror” (August 26 on Disney+) – Yet another streaming ‘sclusie.
Music
-Brandon Flowers, THRASHER
-Grace Potter, Trespasser
-Sam Smith, Hazel Eyes
-Weezer, Weezer (Gold Album)
August 20, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Andrew Patterson, Angelina LookingGlass, Bruce Davis, Catherine Dyer, Chip Carriere, Cole Sprouse, Harris Stone, Jake Horowitz, Jason Davis, Kurt Russell, Matthew McConaughey, Owen Teague, Rob Morgan, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Scott Shepherd, Sharon Blackwood, The Rivals of Amziah King, Tony Revolori
Amziah Bee King (CREDIT: Black Bear/Screenshot)
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Angelina LookingGlass, Kurt Russell, Scott Shepherd, Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Cole Sprouse, Owen Teague, Jake Horowitz, Catherine Dyer, Jason Davis, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Harris Stone, Bruce Davis, Sharon Blackwood, Chip Carriere
Director: Andrew Patterson
Running Time: 131 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: August 14, 2026 (Theaters)
The Rivals of Amziah King is now almost certainly my second favorite movie featuring someone covered in bees. It’s hard to beat Candyman when it comes to that hyper-specific subgenre, but Amziah King isn’t far off with a similarly singular viewing experience. With the bluegrass music on full blast, a game-changing twist in the middle, and a surprisingly compelling focus on the economics of honey production, I found myself constantly going, “Wow, this movie is something else.” And I haven’t even mentioned the sequence of smoking out a swarm of bees from an elementary school that might just be the most thrilling action set piece of the year. This is definitely one that must be seen to be believed.
Grade: Oh Yes, Yes the Bees!
August 19, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Adrian Lester, Annabelle Wallis, Arnas Fedaravicius, Jason Statham, Jason Wong, Jean-François Richet, Mutiny, Ramon Tikaram, Roland Møller
Jason Statham as Cole Reed in Mutiny … ’nuff said? (CREDIT: Dan Smith/Lionsgate)
Starring: Jason Statham, Annabelle Wallis, Jason Wong, Roland Møller, Arnas Fedaravicius, Adrian Lester, Ramon Tikaram
Director: Jean-François Richet
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Rating: R for The Typical Violence and Language of This Genre
Release Date: August 21, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Ex-Marine Cole Reed (Jason Statham) has been laying low ever since the death of his father. He’s now serving as the bodyguard/chess rival to retiring Thai shipping magnate Tibu Campallo (Ramon Tikaram), but all, of course, is not so peaceful as it may seem. While Cole is driving Tibu home one evening (what is this, The Transporter?), they’re lethally ambushed, and Cole is framed for Tibu’s execution. As he sets out to achieve vengeance, he makes his way onto a cargo ship, where he ends up squaring off the dastardly captain (Roland Møller). He also unexpectedly teams up with third mate Angie (Annabelle Wallis), who would much rather be spending time with her young daughter but instead uncovers a human trafficking operation hidden within the vessel.
What Made an Impression?: Just the Fisticuffs, Thanks: On a Jason Statham Scale of Derangement that goes from “Some Movie I Can’t Remember the Name Of” to Crank, Mutiny scores about a 4. Or maybe just a 2. But the sort of 2 that is plenty satisfying if you’re into the no-frills straightforward action sort of thing.
Fight Choreo Eval: So since this is a straightforward action movie, what do the combat scenes actually deliver? For the most part, Cole and his adversaries face off via fairly close range gunfire, but the real fun commences when they go more mano a mano. There’s one satisfyingly gnarly moment when Cole whips out a knife to demonstrate his precision cutting skills. But other than that, Mutiny isn’t trying to wow us with any unusual and/or inventive moves. Instead, it offers the simple pleasures of cleanly shot action between clearly defined combatants, and that’s not nothing.
We Ought to Recognize Him: Is Jason Statham one of our most consistent actors working today? He’s not always as sublime as he is in the aforementioned Crank or allowed to be as loosey-goosey as he was in Spy. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen him give a bad performance. And Mutiny is just the latest concurring evidence of that. You know the baseline that he guarantees, and that’s not to be sneezed at.
Remaining on Standby: You know who delivers a subtly terrific supporting performance in Mutiny? Adrian Lester, that’s who. He’s not someone I was terribly familiar with (if at all) before this. And as a Navy captain responding to a distress call sent by Angie, he doesn’t do much besides stand still and answer the phone. But you know what? That’s an essential role in this genre, and Lester pulls it off about as well as anyone ever has. His authority is not to be questioned.
Mutiny is Recommended If You: Need your Annual Dose of Statham
Grade: 3 out of 5 Stowaways
August 18, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Alia Shawkat, Cate Blanchett, Dylan Meyer, Geena Davis, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Stewart, Kumail Nanjiani, Lakeith Stanfield, Seth Rogen, Sugar Lyn Beard, The Wrong Girls, Thomas La Barbera Christensen, Thomas Nicholson, Thor Knai, Tony Hale, Zack Fox
Getting right to be Wrong (CREDIT: NEON/Screenshot)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Alia Shawkat, LaKeith Stanfield, Zack Fox, Tony Hale, Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, Kate McKinnon, Geena Davis, Thomas Nicholson, Thor Knai, Thomas La Barbera Christensen, Cate Blanchett, Sugar Lyn Beard
Director: Dylan Meyer
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: August 14, 2026 (Theaters)
The Wrong Girls made me think that psychedelic therapy might just be right for me. Here’s how it went down: Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat play a couple of best buds who unwittingly consume an experimental drug that gives them telepathic powers. Furthermore, its interaction with all the marijuana they’ve been smoking also grants them telekinesis. Now, I certainly don’t expect the same results for myself, as fictional drugs tend not to be available in real life. However, the part where Kate McKinnon (as the Danish scientist behind the development of this drug) explains everything is pretty hilarious. So I took that as a sign that I might benefit from having my mind altered in a safe environment. Even if that turns out to not necessarily be the case, I undoubtedly appreciated how my mind was affected by The Wrong Girls!
Grade: 2 Cats out of 3 Briefcases
August 15, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Anne Gee Byrd, Anne Hathaway, Christian Convery, David Alexander Kaplan, David Robert Mitchell, Emily Kuroda, Ewan McGregor, Hudson Meek, Jordan Alexa Davis, Maisy Stella, P.J. Byrne, The End of Oak Street
This is the end, the end of Oak Street, my friends (CREDIT: Warner Bros./Screenshot)
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, Jordan Alexa Davis, P.J. Byrne, Emily Kuroda, Anne Gee Byrd, Hudson Meek, David Alexander Kaplan
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: August 14, 2026 (Theaters)
The End of Oak Street is much like another movie that recently came out (i.e., Ice Cream Man) insofar as it features people waking up one day in a seemingly peaceful neighborhood to discover that they are now completely surrounded by danger. I have experienced this sort of transformation myself multiple times. But typically only in my dreams. I’m fairly certain it’s never happened in my waking life. Oak Street makes it look pretty fun, though, so I’d kind of like it to happen for real now. With guardrails in place, of course, but also sufficiently invigorating. Any chance you think we could make that happen?
Grade: 36 Oaks out of 51 Streets
August 14, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television
Carly Simon, Comes in Waves, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Little League World Series, Lost Weekend, Phoebe Bridgers, The End of Oak Street, The Rivals of Amziah King, The Wrong Girls, Wet Hot American Summer
As opposed to “Dry Cold Russian Winter” (h/t Scotty Auks) (CREDIT: Focus Features/Screenshot)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–The End of Oak Street (Theaters)
–The Rivals of Amziah King (Theaters)
–Wet Hot American Summer 25th Anniversary Re-Release (Theaters) – Will they be selling cans of beans at the concession stand?
–The Wrong Girls (Theaters)
TV
–It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 18 Premiere (August 17 on FXX)
Music
-Phoebe Bridgers, Lost Weekend
-Carly Simon, Comes in Waves
Sports
-Little League World Series (August 19-30 on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC)
August 13, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Ari Millen, Arthur Langlie, Benjamin Byron Davis, Charlie Storey, Charlie Zeltzer, Clark Johnson, Clay Singer, Darrin Barker, Dylan Hawco, Edmund Donovan, Eli Roth, Graham Campbell, Greta Lee, Ice Cream Man, Jake Lacy, Karen Cliche, Kent Jones, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Late Fame, Luca Padovan, Luke Dietz, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Sarah Abbott, Shiloh O'Reilly, Tony Torn, Willem Dafoe
(CREDIT: Magnolia Pictures; The Horror Section/Screenshot)
Late Fame
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Greta Lee, Edmund Donovan, Clay Singer, Luca Padovan, Graham Campbell, Arthur Langlie, Jake Lacy, Tony Torn, Clark Johnson
Director: Kent Jones
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: August 7, 2026 (Theaters)
Ice Cream Man
Starring: Ari Millen, Charlie Zeltzer, Shiloh O’Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Sarah Abbott, Benjamin Byron Davis, Dylan Hawco, Karen Cliche, Eli Roth, Darrin Barker, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Charlie Storey, Luke Dietz
Director: Eli Roth
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: August 7, 2026 (Theaters)
As it turns out, I recently saw a couple of movies on back-to-back days that both featured a character who had me going, “Hey, what’s that guy doing?” In Late Fame, Willem Dafoe plays Ed Saxberger, a postal worker who decades ago published a book of poetry that is now being rediscovered by an absurdly pretentious group of young writers. After hanging out with them, Ed eventually starts acting rather arrogantly himself, which had me going, “Hey, what are you doing, guy?”
As for Ice Cream Man, it features exactly what you’d expect from a movie directed by Eli Roth with this subject matter. Which is to say, the titular truck driver offers sweets that turn children into possessed killers of all the adults in their town. To which I simply must say: “Hey, guy! What’s all this that you’re doing?” Well, as we eventually discover, he actually does have an understandable motivation. Not enough to justify murder, of course, but certainly enough to justify a horror movie premise. So yeah, in conclusion, what a surprisingly effective double feature.
Grades:
Late Fame: 70 Poems out of 53 Readings
Ice Cream Man: 4 Necromancers out of 9 Sprinkles
August 12, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Anthony Bourdain, Antonia Banderas, Dagmara Domińczyk, Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Matt Johnson, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, Tony, Tony movie
Tony! Tony! Tony! (CREDIT: Seacia Pavao)
Starring: Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Antonia Banderas, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall
Director: Matt Johnson
Running Time: 106 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: August 7, 2026 (Theaters)
When I went to see Tony (the Anthony Bourdain biopic directed by Nirvanna the Band’s Matt Johnson), I ended up having to sit in the very front row. And the theater didn’t have those recliner seats, so I had my head bent back pretty much 90 degrees the whole time. While that certainly wasn’t ideal, it felt thematically appropriate, insofar as I had to frequently turn my head to consistently focus on whichever character was speaking at any given moment. And since this is a talky, character-driven flick, that sort of attention is exactly what’s called for. And my neck didn’t even feel stiff the next day! So, all in all, another successful movie-going experience.
Grade: 38 Fellowships out of 55 Oysters
August 11, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Bill Nye, Cal Brunker, Carter Young, Fortune Feimster, Hayden Chamberlain, Henry Bolan, Jameela Jamil, Jennifer Hudson, Lucien Duncan-Reid, Mckenna Grace, Meredith MacNeill, Nylan Parthipan, Paris Hilton, PAW Patrol, PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, Rain Janjua, Ron Pardo, Snoop Dogg, Terry Crews, William Desrosiers
Here they come to PAW the day! (CREDIT: Paramount PIctures and Spinmaster)
Starring: Carter Young, Hayden Chamberlain, McKenna Grace, Henry Bolan, Terry Crews, Ron Pardo, Jennifer Hudson, Fortune Feimster, Bill Nye, Meredith MacNeill, Jameela Jamil, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Rain Janjua, Lucien Duncan-Reid, William Desrosiers, Nylan Parthipan
Director: Cal Brunker
Running Time: 88 Minutes
Rating: PG for Animals (and Some Humans) in Grave Danger
Release Date: August 14, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Those gawdang canine rescuers are back on the big screen! And this time around, they’re teaming up with T-Rexes and Stegosauruses and the like. That’s right, the PAW Patrol have wound up in their very own land that time forgot. It’s quite the idyllic island, with dinos and puppies living in perfect harmony. But like so many peaceful paradises, it’s filled with valuable natural resources that are just begging to be exploited. So once word gets out about Dino Island’s rich supply of diamonds, the Patrol’s old nemesis Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) and his kitty conspirators make their way over to do the exploiting. But these puppies and their new scaly friends aren’t exactly ones to roll over in the face of a direct threat.
What Made an Impression?: Bow Wow Wow Yippie Yo Yippie Yay: I am pleased to report that PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie commences with Snoop Dogg as the patriarch of a yachting family fishing in the middle of the ocean, while his Paris Hilton-voiced wife attempts to grill up dinner on the deck. It’s certainly not unheard of for unlikely celebs to show up in kiddie flicks (just take a look at the rest of this movie’s cast, after all), but this moment is much more surreal than I bargained for. And the only reasonable conclusion is that Snoop must now play a variation of himself in every film aimed at the preschool set.
Sound the Alarm!: Speaking of PAW Patrol‘s target audience, not many major movies are rated G these days, but you might think that this would be one that’s perfectly acceptable for general audiences. Alas, this is in fact a PG feature, and that’s no mistake on the MPA’s part, as the puppies and the dinos and their human companions find themselves in legitimate danger on multiple occasions. I’m talking fire, collapsing structures, and errant cliff diving. It’s not like bodies are being charred to a crisp or like limbs are being torn from torsos. But it is enough to make you realize that playtime is over.
The Spirit of Aesop: Obviously I’m not the target audience for this movie, so I’ll let the toddlers out there decide if this is something they want to drag their parents along to. And ultimately like a lot of movies with this demographic in mind, its entertainment is fundamentally bound with its edification. The main message is the importance of not giving up and believing in yourself even when (or especially when) you’re not perfect. It’s not revolutionary by any means, but it’s certainly sensible enough.
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is Recommended If: You’re totally obsessed with the titular creatures
Grade: 3 out of 5 Diamonds
August 7, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Andrew Dismukes, Brian Cox, Broken Lizard, Chace Crawford, Erik Stolhanske, Hannah Simone, Iqbal Theba, Jay Chandrasekhar, Jon Rudnitsky, Kevin Heffernan, Lisa Gilroy, Lynda Carter, Marisa Coughlan, Nat Faxon, Paul Soter, Sakina Jaffrey, Steve Lemme, Super Troopers, Super Troopers 3
What a Trooper! (CREDIT: Searchlight Pictures/Screenshot)
Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Erik Stolhanske, Brian Cox, Marisa Coughlan, Nat Faxon, Chace Crawford, Andrew Dismukes, Hannah Simone, Iqbal Theba, Sakina Jaffrey, Jon Rudnitsky, Lisa Gilroy, Lynda Carter
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Running Time: 104 Minutes
Rating: R for Sexual Content, Nudity, Language Throughout, and Drug Content
Release Date: August 7, 2026 (Theaters)
Well, now here I am, ready to offer a fuller assessment of Super Troopers 3 and examine if my speculations about where we were headed based on the opening act held up to snuff. I mostly expected a continuation of the initial offerings, and a continuation is what we got indeed. That is to say: more racial humor, more takeout coffee, and more of a loyal comedy troupe being (too?) comfortable with each other. On the other hand, I also worried about being exhausted by this approach, though I hoped that the bonhomie would comfortably counteract those concerns. Alas, the path that ST3 trods parallels that of early-into-mid-90s SNL, wherein edgy-but-clever comedy was gradually overwhelmed by the clever-but-obnoxious.
By the time it all wraps up with a very busy conclusion, the vibes were back to being as friendly as ever, but I couldn’t completely wipe away the tastes of all the crudeness and the disrespect. Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Vermont has permanently ruined its relations with its Indian population. I’m wincing, but I still feel welcomed by this wacky family, and I imagine plenty of other viewers will feel the same. We could have definitely gotten a bigger Bollywood-style blowout, though. Surely Farva has the moves to pull it off.
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Putzfimmel’s Syndromes
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