Here's your guide to the most interesting movies hitting cinemas this August*.
*Based on UK release dates.
Suicide Squad
There's a curious lack of what might be considered potential blockbusters this month, so it would take an absolute disaster for Suicide Squad not to rake in the cash. After the lukewarm reaction of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, DC and Warner Bros. need audiences to embrace their latest offering. It seems like we've already seen most of the movie, given how many trailers and clips have been released, but it will be fascinating to see if director David Ayer can deliver a film that wins over moviegoers and critics.
Read our review
Sweet Bean
Japanese director Naomi Kawase follows up last year's Still the Water with this tale of the relationship between a struggling street food vendor and the elderly woman whose culinary magic turns his business around.
Read our review
Nerve
Catfish creators Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost drop the found footage aesthetic they carried over to their Paranormal Activity entries for this cyber thriller in which Emma Roberts and Dave Franco become embroiled in a potentially deadly online game of truth or dare.
Read our review
Ingrid Bergman: in Her Own Words
One of Hollywood's most iconic stars tells her story through the copious amounts of footage filmed by the actress herself throughout her life. Fellow Swede Alicia Vikander brings Bergman's words to life. A must see for fans of classic cinema.
The Shallows
Given how many overblown blockbusters we've had this summer, a simple woman versus shark thriller may come as a gentle relief to viewers. Probably the only movie you'll see this summer featuring an animal that doesn't speak.
Read our review
Valley of Love
Guillaume Nicloux follows up his Catholic torture porn flick The Nun with a surprisingly faith-based tale of two estranged parents following the wishes of their late son's suicide note. Gallic screen legends Isabelle Huppert and Gerard Depardieu star.
Read our review
The Wave
A small Norwegian village is hit by a tsunami in this acclaimed Scandinavian disaster movie. Expect San Andreas with brains. Director Roar Uthaug is set to direct Alicia Vikander in the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot next.
Wiener-Dog
Todd Solondz delivers his distinctive riff on Au Hazard Balthazar, following the titular canine across several owners including Greta Gerwig (playing a grown-up Dawn Wiener of Welcome to the Dollhouse fame), Julie Delpy and Danny De Vito.
Read our review
Black
Romeo and Juliet is transferred to the African ghettos of Brussels as a teenage girl betrays her Congolese gang by falling for a member of a rival Moroccan mob in a movie that's been labelled Europe's City of God.
The Childhood of a Leader
Actor Brady Corbet has spent the last few years working with some of Europe's most exciting filmmakers, and now makes his directorial debut with a movie that looks at the childhood of a fictional would be dictator. The script is said to be a loose combination of Jean-Paul Sartre's short story The Childhood of a Leader and John Fowles' novel The Magus.
Cosmos
Polish auteur Andrzej Zulawski sadly passed away earlier this year, but fortunately for cinephiles he had one final movie in the can after a 15 year absence from filmmaking. Cosmos is set at a country guesthouse where a series of mysterious events unfold and is described by its producers as a "metaphysical noir-thriller". Sold!
Lights Out
Some movie concepts are so simple it's amazing they haven't been exploited before. Director David Sandberg's expansion of his cult viral short explores our primal fear of the dark, with a villain that only appears in darkness. Positive Stateside reviews have us very excited for this.
Cell
Having appeared together in 2007's 1408, John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson reteam for another Stephen King adaptation. King worked on the screenplay for this one himself, based on his 2006 novel in which cell phone users are turned into rabid killers by a signal broadcast.
Julieta
Three Alice Munro short stories provide the basis of Pedro Almodovar's latest. The eponymous protagonist goes in search of her missing teenage daughter in a movie that received a lukewarm reaction from those who saw it at Cannes.
The Purge: Election Year
Pulled from its July slot (presumably due to unfortunate plot similarities with the murder of UK politician Jo Cox), the latest installment in the Purge series now arrives at the end of August. This is a frustrating franchise that boasts a fascinating concept but has so far failed to fully explore it in a satisfying manner. Let's hope this one bucks the trend.
War Dogs
Miles Teller and Jonah Hill play a pair of young arms dealers in this drama based on a real life incident, as documented in a Rolling Stone article. The two head out to Afghanistan to secure a contract with US allies, only to find themselves in serious trouble.
Also out in August:
Aug 5th:
A Hungarian immigrant cares for Brian Cox's grumpy former Shakespearean actor in The Carer.
A woman falls for the man who finds her lost phone before meeting him and discovering his diminutive stature in French comedy Up For Love.
Aug 10th:
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates asks us to believe that Zac Efron would need to advertise for a date.
Aug 12th:
Cult '90s football hooligan thriller ID gets a belated sequel in ID 2: Shadwell Army.
The Idol tells the tale of a Palestinian refugee and singer who went on to win the Arab Idol TV competition.
Julia Roberts' beloved '90s comedy My Best Friend's Wedding gets a Chinese remake.
Disney continue remaking their classics with an update of Pete's Dragon.
August 19th:
A group of astronauts are subjected to a sinister experiment in 400 Days.
Dutch thriller Clean Hands sees a washroom attendant drawn into a web of crime.
Ricky Gervais returns to his signature role in David Brent: Life on the Road.
Kevin Spacey is trapped in the body of a cat in 2016's latest talking animal movie, Nine Lives.
Classic children's novel Swallows and Amazons gets another screen adaptation.
August 26th:
Three mothers enjoy a raucous night in Bad Moms.
Kids in Love sees Will Poulter fall for a girl who opens his eyes to London's bohemian scene.
Jason Statham and his stubble return for action sequel Mechanic: Resurrection.
The music industry is spoofed in Popstar: Never Stop, Never Stopping.