Welcome to this week’s edition of Back Lot 605’s Coming Soon column! This week, we’ve got the second big comic-book movie tentpole of the summer… plus a regionally made film, a documentary that’s right up movie fans’ alley, and a trio of cult favorites at the State! Here’s what coming soon for the week of August 6^th, 2021:

Featured Title: The Suicide Squad

Let’s just get this out of the way: 2016’s Suicide Squad was a very bad movie. 🙂 Watching the marketing campaign as well as the final product, it’s clear that Warner Bros. and DC wanted this to be their equivalent to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies… even if the movie wasn’t actually designed to be that. (Hence, the excessive needle drops, haphazard re-editing, and other blatant post-production changes.) And then, Warner Bros. received a gift from the heavens: In July 2018, James Gunn – the writer/director responsible for the Guardians movies – was temporarily fired from the third installment of the series, due to a Twitter controversy involving old offensive tweets. As we would later learn, this was a move designed to ensure that the then-pending Disney/Fox merger would receive the necessary government regulatory approval. (And, of course, as soon as the deal was set to close, Gunn was reinstated by Marvel.) But, this move meant that Gunn was going to be sitting idle for many months… so within three months of Disney firing Gunn, Warner hired him to steer the ship of their Suicide Squad sequel. And thus, we ended up with the kind of “everybody wins!” scenario you rarely see in Hollywood these days. 🙂

And while this movie has lots more comedy and violence (this sequel is proudly rated R), The Suicide Squad is indeed a sequel to the 2016 movie, with a handful of characters staying on board. Namely, returning cast members include Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang. They’re joined by a ton of new characters filling out this movie’s squad… including Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, David Dastmalchian as Polka Dot Man (that’s right!), Daniela Malchior as Ratcatcher 2, and Sylvester Stallone as the voice of King Shark – a character who the trailers have already primed us to be a fan favorite! Together, they head off on a mission to remove all traces of the mysterious “Project Starfish” (Dun-dun-dun……)

Other cast members (because, yes, this cast is stacked!) include Peter Capaldi, Pete Davidson, Nathan Fillion, Taika Waititi, Flula Borg, and – because what James Gunn movie would be complete without them? – Sean Gunn and Michael Rooker. (Opens Friday, August 6^th in theaters nationwide, including the Century Stadium 14 & XD, the Century East at Dawley Farm, and the West Mall 7 in Sioux Falls, with preview showings beginning at 7PM on Thursday, August 5^th.)

Opening in Theaters

Nine Days

On the indie front is this afterlife drama from Sony Pictures Classics, which premiered at this year’s Sundance festival. A mysterious man (Winston Duke) interviews several unborn souls, to decide which one of them gets to go to Earth. Also starring Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, Tony Hale, and Bill Skarsgard. (Opens Friday, August 6^th in theaters nationwide, including the Century Stadium 14 & XD in Sioux Falls, with preview showings beginning at 7PM on Thursday, August 5^th.)

New to Streaming and VOD

Val

Movie buffs will certainly be intrigued by Amazon Prime’s movie premiere this week: a new documentary, produced in conjunction with A24, about actor Val Kilmer (Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone), covering the many movies he’s appeared in (via Val’s extensive archive of self-filmed home videos), his reputation for being a “difficult” actor, and his recent battle with throat cancer, which has left him largely unable to speak. (As you’ll hear in the trailer below, Val “narrates” this doc, by writing narration that were then spoken by his son Jack.) This movie premiered at Cannes last month to largely positive reviews… so I’m excited to see this! (Premieres Friday, August 6^th on Amazon Prime Video.)

Vivo

Coming to Netflix this weekend is their latest acquisition from Sony Pictures… and more specifically, their second Sony animation pickup of 2021, following April’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines! Lin-Manuel Miranda stars as the titular character Vivo, a kinkajoy (“honey bear”) from Havana, Cuba, who has to travel to Miami to deliver a love song from his elderly owner to his former musical partner. And as you can probably imagine, Lin-Manuel Miranda also wrote new songs for this movie, too! Other voices include Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, and Gloria Estefan; directed and co-written by Kirk DeMicco (The Croods). (Premieres Friday, August 6^th on Netflix.)

Faking a Murderer

Also debuting on digital services this week is this Canadian-made mockumentary! After they’re inspired by the popularity of “true crime” in pop culture, two filmmaker buddies (Adam Rodness & Stuart Stone) pursue a stranger who they believe has admitted to a murderer… or so they think! Rodness & Stone co-wrote this movie as well, and Stone also directed it… and last month, Back Lot had the pleasure of interviewing these two guys about this movie! And now, you’ll finally be able to check their work out! (Premieres Friday, August 6^th on VOD services.)

Teddy

Finally, we have this week’s Shudder premiere… or should I say, premieres, plural, because there’s two of them! In the first movie, Teddy, a twentysomething living in a foster home, is scratched by a local wolf in the woods, and begins taken by animal impulses! Uh-oh! (Premieres Thursday, August 5^th on Shudder.)

Bleed with Me

In this week’s second Shudder premiere, an outsider is invited to a remote winter cabin getaway… but she becomes convinced that the woman who invited her is drugging her and stealing her blood! (Premieres Tuesday, August 10^th on Shudder.)

Returning to Theaters

The Great Muppet Caper

This week’s Fathom Events throwback screening is a 40th anniversary presentation of the second Muppet movie, in which Kermit and the gang get caught up in a jewel heist while in London! Also starring Diana Rigg and Charles Grodin, with cameos from John Cleese, Peter Falk, Peter Ustinov, and more! (Showing Sunday, August 8^th and Wednesday, August 11^th in theaters nationwide, including the Century Stadium 14 & XD and the Century East at Dawley Farm in Sioux Falls.)

Showing at the State!

Wet Hot American Summer

The State has several cult favorites on tap this weekend… and starting things off is the raucous 2001 comedy, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary last week! (And as you may recall, we discussed this movie on the show last summer, as part of our Summer Camp miniseries!) Featuring an all-star cast of talent, including Janeane Garofolo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Christopher Meloni, and many more! Directed by David Wain (Role Models, Wanderlust). (Showing Thursday, August 5^th, Saturday, August 7^th, and Sunday, August 8^th at the State Theatre.)

Buena Vista Social Club

This week’s entry in the State’s ongoing summer music series is Wim Wenders’ Oscar-nominated 1999 documentary, in which musician Ry Cooder assembles a group of legendary Cuban musicians to record a new album, as well as to perform concerts in Amsterdam and New York’s Carnegie Hall. (Showing Friday, August 6^th and Sunday, August 8^th at the State Theatre.)

Labyrinth

Also on the weekend docket is a family favorite: Jim Henson’s 1986 fantasy/musical epic starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie… and featuring all sorts of wonderful puppet creations from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop! (And yes, we discussed this movie on the show last summer as well!) (Showing Friday, August 6^th and Saturday, August 7^th at the State Theatre.)

Flash Gordon

Flash!!! Ah-ahhhh! Rounding out the weekend is the 1980 cult favorite, starring Sam J. Jones as the iconic comic-strip hero! Also starring Max von Sydow, Melody Anderson, Topol, and Timothy Dalton… and featuring the legendary soundtrack by Queen! (Showing Saturday, August 7^th and Sunday, August 8^th at the State Theatre.)

Moonlight Movies: Black Panther!

Fawick Park’s Moonlight Movies series begins its final theme month this weekend, with a lineup filled with superheroes! Kicking things off is Ryan Coogler’s 2018 Marvel blockbuster, starring the late Chadwick Boseman in his most iconic screen role! The movie begins at dusk this Saturday, August 7^th; for more info, check out the event page on the Downtown Sioux Falls web site!

New This Week to Blu-ray and 4K

• Luca (2021)
• Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
• The Transformers: The Movie (1986) (new to 4K Blu-ray!)

Older Movies New to Streaming

Netflix:

• Quartet (2012) (premieres Sunday, August 8^th)

Hulu:

• Princess Cyd (2017) (premieres Thursday, August 5^th)
• The Party (2018) (premieres Sunday, August 8^th)
• Together Together (2021) (premieres Tuesday, August 10^th)
• AWOL (2016) (premieres Wednesday, August 11^th)

Amazon Prime:

• No additional movies premiering on Amazon Prime this week. Sorry!

Shudder:

• The Dead Pit (1989) (premieres Monday, August 9^th)
• Bloodthirsty (2020) (premieres Monday, August 9^th)

Disney+:

• Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) (premieres Friday, August 6^th)

HBO Max:

• All My Life (2020) (premieres Saturday, August 7^th)

Peacock:

• John Wick (2014) (premieres Monday, August 9^th)
• John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) (premieres Monday, August 9^th)
• John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) (premieres Monday, August 9^th)

Paramount+:

• No movies premiering on Paramount+ this week… but watch this space!

The Criterion Channel:

• Thursday, August 5^th: Three Dimensions: Three by Lee Isaac Chung: Munyurangabo (2007), Lucky Life (2010), Abigail Harm (2012)
• Friday, August 6^th: Double Feature: Life’s a Drag: The Queen (1968), Paris is Burning (1991)
• Saturday, August 7^th: Saturday Matinee: Annie (1982)
• Monday, August 9^th: True Stories: Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love (2008)
• Tuesday, August 10^th: Short + Feature: Student Bodies: The Devil’s Harmony (2019), Brick (2005)

The Shameless Plugs

Check out the Back Lot 605 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and YouTube. Follow us on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd. Support us on Patreon and get access to monthly bonus episodes! Check out our movie friends Fat Dude Digs Flicks and Somewhat Random Movie Collection for some awesome reviews and movie insights! Check out every episode of the Back Lot 605 Podcast and Slash Lot!