11 Movies You Don’t Want to Miss in August

Aug. 4

It’s a battle of brawn in this big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s famed novel of the same name. Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey star as The Gunslinger, aka Roland Deschain, and the evil Man in Black, Walter O'Dim (respectively), two rivals stuck in an eternal battle with pretty high stakes. If the Man in Black prevails, he’ll topple the Dark Tower—and the universe. Abbey Lee and Katheryn Winnick also star.

Aug. 4

This poignant film tells the too-familiar story of a police raid in 1967 Detroit that served as the catalyst for a massive civilian uprising. Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow helms the gripping feature, starring John Krasinski, Samira Wiley, and John Boyega.

Aug. 4

Elizabeth Olsen stars as an FBI agent who teams up with a town's veteran game tracker (played by Jeremy Renner) to investigate a heinous murder that occurred on a Native American reservation. Leave the kids (and the faint of heart) at home for this one—it’s dark. Kelsey Asbille also stars.

Aug. 11

Jeannette Walls’s bestselling memoir will finally get the big-screen treatment this month. Academy Award-winner Brie Larson plays Walls as a self-realized, successful woman recounting her upbringing in a dysfunctional family of eccentric nomads. Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts star as Walls’s parents.

Aug. 11

Imagine being stuck in a Groundhog Day-style loop that starts with being naked and humiliated over and over. That’s the case for Rob (played by Marlon Wayans), who’s got to figure out why he’s trapped in an elevator in the nude—and how to get ahold of a pair of pants—so he can marry his fiancé Megan (played by Regina Hall). No need to head to the theater to see this one—you’ll be able to stream from home on Netflix!

Aug. 18

The world’s top bodyguard, Michael Bryce (played by Ryan Reynolds), is livid when he finds out his latest client is also his arch nemesis—a hitman named Darius Kincaid (played by Samuel L. Jackson). Follow the outrageous 24 hours they spend together dodging attacks from a ruthless European dictator (played by Gary Oldman), so that Kincaid can testify at the International Court of Justice. Salma Hayek also stars.

Aug. 18

Funny guy Brett Gelman plays Isaac Lachmann, a quirky man whose sinking ship of a life is just about capsized when his girlfriend Ramona (played by Judy Greer) decides to leave him. Watch as he awkwardly, yet charmingly, attempts to pick up the pieces. Michael Cera, Nia Long, Gillian Jacobs, and Shiri Appleby also appear.

Aug. 18

Channing Tatum and Adam Driver star as brothers in this wacky Steven Soderbergh romp. In an attempt to break a family curse, they set out to pull off a huge heist during the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 race in North Carolina. The star-studded cast also includes Katie Holmes, Seth MacFarlane, Sebastian Stan, and Riley Keough.

Aug. 25

Another stream-from-home option (score!), but you probably won’t want to watch this one alone: Death Note follows a student named Light Turner (played by Nat Wolff) who finds himself in possession of a mystical notebook with the deadly power to kill anyone whose name is written inside. The boy starts to use his dark discovery to launch a secret crusade against criminals, and it's not long before he has a target on his own back. You’ll recognize Atlanta’s Lakeith Stanfield, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley as his co-stars.

Aug. 25

A delightful back-to-school hoorah for kids and adults alike, Leap! has family movie night written all over it. It tells the story of an orphan girl named Felicie (voiced by Elle Fanning) who runs away to Paris in 1884 to pursue her dream of becoming a prima ballerina. She takes on the identity of a rich girl and enters the rigorous Opera Ballet School, where she learns that nothing worth having comes easy. The voice cast also includes Nat Wolff, who plays her aspiring inventor pal Victor, as well as Kate McKinnon, Carly Rae Jepsen and Maddie Ziegler.

Aug. 25

This steamy romance is set in 17th-century Netherlands and stars Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander as Sofia, a beautiful young wife who has a torrid affair with an artist, Jan Van Loos (played by Dane Dehaan). Complicating matters is the fact that her rich husband (played by Christoph Waltz) is the one who commissioned the artist to paint their portrait. The adulterous young lovers invest in tulips (a huge craze at the time) in an effort to make enough money to run away together.