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 6th, 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 6th 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 5th.)
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 6th in theaters nationwide, including the Century Stadium 14 & XD in Sioux Falls, with preview showings beginning at 7PM on Thursday, August 5th.)
New to Streaming and VOD
Val
Vivo
Faking a Murderer
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 5th on Shudder.)
Bleed with Me
Returning to Theaters
The Great Muppet Caper
Showing at the State!
Wet Hot American Summer
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 6th and Sunday, August 8th 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 6th and Saturday, August 7th 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 7th and Sunday, August 8th 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 7th; 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 8th)
Hulu:
- Princess Cyd (2017) (premieres Thursday, August 5th)
- The Party (2018) (premieres Sunday, August 8th)
- Together Together (2021) (premieres Tuesday, August 10th)
- AWOL (2016) (premieres Wednesday, August 11th)
Amazon Prime:
- No additional movies premiering on Amazon Prime this week. Sorry!
Shudder:
- The Dead Pit (1989) (premieres Monday, August 9th)
- Bloodthirsty (2020) (premieres Monday, August 9th)
Disney+:
- Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) (premieres Friday, August 6th)
HBO Max:
- All My Life (2020) (premieres Saturday, August 7th)
Peacock:
- John Wick (2014) (premieres Monday, August 9th)
- John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) (premieres Monday, August 9th)
- John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) (premieres Monday, August 9th)
Paramount+:
- No movies premiering on Paramount+ this week… but watch this space!
The Criterion Channel:
- Thursday, August 5th: Three Dimensions: Three by Lee Isaac Chung: Munyurangabo (2007), Lucky Life (2010), Abigail Harm (2012)
- Friday, August 6th: Double Feature: Life’s a Drag: The Queen (1968), Paris is Burning (1991)
- Saturday, August 7th: Saturday Matinee: Annie (1982)
- Monday, August 9th: True Stories: Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love (2008)
- Tuesday, August 10th: 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!