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
-Ann Wilson & Tripsitter, Consecrated Ground
Sports
-Little League World Series (August 19-30 on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC)
(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
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.
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
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.
Starring: Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, Molly Ringwald, LeVar Burton, King Princess, Okieriete Onaodowan, Este Haim, Ziwe, Michelle Hurd
Director: Will Gluck
Running Time: 102 Minutes
Rating: R for Frank Pent-Up Sexuality
Release Date: August 7, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: It’s been three years since the United States outlawed premarital sex, save for a single annual 12-hour period of debauchery. Ergo, One Night Only is indeed the Carnal Version of The Purge. Pizzeria owner Owen (Callum Turner) is planning to use the occasion to propose to his girlfriend (Maya Hawke), but she actually thinks that they should sleep with other people. Meanwhile, daydreamer Allie (Monica Barbaro) is a singer of commercial jingles who plans to spend the evening hunting alongside her friend (King Princess), but she ditches her almost immediately. Left to wander the streets of NYC on their own, Owen and Allie keep bumping into each other throughout the night. It sure seems like the universe is trying to tell them to hook up, but their various hangups end up making that a rather roundabout journey.
What Made an Impression?: The Political Picture: Outlawing premarital sex sounds rather dystopian to me, but the society of One Night Only comes off as just plain frustrated and exhausted rather than oppressed. So you kind of just have to roll with the premise and not worry if it’s terribly realistic or not. Although, upon further consideration, I suppose there are real world examples of citizens continuing to have social lives despite the best efforts of governments taking their rights away. It would have been interesting to see ONO grapple more with the political implications of its premise (though it does a bit), but you kind of just have to accept that it has other things on its mind. Worst-Laid Plans: Part of the One Night Only Mandate is that anyone partaking must use protection while having relations. This leads to a series of gags in which Owen and Allie desperately venture into any bodega and health clinic they can find in search of a condom, only for every location to inevitably be out of stock. Which begs the question: why wouldn’t these establishments increase their inventory tenfold or a hundredfold for the occasion? I understand the desire to create a desperate situation from a screenwriting perspective, but it’s hard not to be disappointed by such a lack of foresight. They’re Dancing About It Too: A different running gag that I’m much more fond of takes its aim at an odd trend in the current media landscape. When we’re introduced to Allie, she’s singing Sara Bareilles’ inspirational anthem “Brave”, but it’s actually a reworked version for a psoriasis medication commercial. We’re also treated to revamped editions of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “A Thousand Miles”, the latter for a personal hygiene product. If this is the fate of all pop music in the 21st century, then that sounds more oppressive than the no-sex Mandate (but hilariously so). Do They Win Us Over?: With One Night Only leaving me with multiple questions about its approach, its potential success ultimately comes down to how charming its leads are. And they’re pretty charming! Plus, director Will Gluck (Easy A, Anyone But You) is a reliable rom-com veteran with a knack for playing around with the tropes of the genre. Plus, I would be remiss not to mention the steady hands of Molly Ringwald as Owen’s mother and LeVar Burton as her boyfriend. Ultimately, I’m in the mood to root that it all works out for Allie and Owen, at least for the one night that I’m focused on them.
One Night Only is Recommended If You Like: Cheekiness over Profundity
Keep on Troopin’, eh? (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)
Super Troopers 3 is set to arrive in theaters on August 7, and I’m going to review it quite differently than how I generally review the attractions on the silver screen. Specifically, I shall initially focus on the first third of the movie and then speculate how the rest of the flick might go. Then on August 7 or later, I am going to return with Part 2 of the review and assess the rest of it in light of my speculation.
On my way to see August movies (CREDIT: Ketchup Entertainment)
They keep making new movies, and some of them are even worth watching. Here’s what’s at the top of the slate for August 2026:
One Night Only: It’s like The Purge, but for sex. Which is to say, One Night Only is about a world in which pre-marital relations are legal for only a single night per year. Callum Turner (who’s everywhere right now) and Monica Barbaro (formerly of Lifetime’s UnREAL) play the leads.
You can see One Night Only as often as you want in movie theaters beginning on August 7.
TV
–ESPN Jeopardy! Series Premiere (July 31 on Disney+, Hulu, and the ESPN App) – Hosted by Joe Buck.
–Futurama Season 14 (or Season 11) Premiere (August 3 on Hulu)
Music
-Ariana Grande, petal
-Shaboozey, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales
Sports
-Little League Softball World Series (August 2-9 on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC)
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