Labor Day is sneaking up on us, kids are getting in their back-to-school routines, but you can escape the summer season winding down by watching a new movie. There are plenty of places to see them with theaters up and running and new films still streaming at home to entertain you and your family.
This weekend, Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson find mystery and romance in a futuristic noir sci-fi thriller, Rebecca Hall is a haunted widow in a freaky psychological thriller, Maggie Q joins Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson for an action-packed assassin drama, Jason Momoa is a dad on a mission in a Netflix action flick, and a pack of animated superhero dogs jumps from their own TV show to a kid-friendly movie.
Here’s a guide to new movies that’ll satisfy every cinematic taste:
Review:Unnerving and moody ‘The Night House’ is more creepy fixer-upper than manor masterpiece
Contents
- 1 If you like newfangled gumshoe tales: ‘Reminiscence’
- 2 If you dig emotional ghost stories: ‘The Night House’
- 3 If your youngsters live for cartoon superhero pups: ‘Paw Patrol: The Movie’
- 4 If you want to see Maggie Q wreck a bunch of dudes: ‘The Protégé’
- 5 If you’ve been missing Jason Momoa: ‘Sweet Girl’
- 6 If you’re a Bella Thorne super-fan: ‘Habit’
- 7 If you’re seeking a different sort of possession film: ‘Demonic’
- 8 If you appreciate complicated love stories: ‘Ma Belle, My Beauty’
- 9 If you adore rock docs with musical icons: ‘Under the Volcano’
If you like newfangled gumshoe tales: ‘Reminiscence’
“Westworld” co-creator Lisa Joy writes, directs and crafts a cool post-apocalyptic future where Miami is a half-sunken metropolis and a machine allows private investigator Nick Bannister (Jackman) to create holographic scenes of his clients’ past memories. But it’s snazzy wrapping for a familiar, old-school hard-boiled story: Nick meets Mae (Ferguson), a singer wanting to use his signature services, and after they fall in love, she goes missing and the PI ventures down a dangerous path and into dark corners to find her.
Where to watch: In theaters and on HBO Max
If you dig emotional ghost stories: ‘The Night House’
Rebecca Hall is the gem of this creepy show, playing grieving widow Beth who just lost her husband to suicide and is living in the lake house he built for her when she starts having disturbing nightmares of doppelgangers, shadowy figures and mirror versions of her life and home. Rather than getting out of Dodge (as most would), Beth instead digs into her dead spouse’s secrets to uncover mysterious truths about the surreal real estate as well as their relationship.
Where to watch: In theaters
If your youngsters live for cartoon superhero pups: ‘Paw Patrol: The Movie’
This thing’s better than any kids movie with an Avengers-y squad of talking dogs has any right to be. Adventure Bay’s resident furry do-gooders venture to nearby Adventure City, where cat-loving Mayor Humdinger is up to no good with a weather-manipulating machine. The solidly entertaining film introduces new member Liberty, finds top dog Chase wrestling with insecurities, and features a supporting cast including Jimmy Kimmel, Tyler Perry and Kim Kardashian West (as a high-maintenance poodle, natch).
Where to watch: In theaters and on Paramount+
If you want to see Maggie Q wreck a bunch of dudes: ‘The Protégé’
The “Nikita” action star plays an assassin named Anna raised by a hitman (Jackson) to be a hired killer after being orphaned in Vietnam as a child. When her latest assignment digs up what some powerful folks want buried, Anna and her loved ones are targeted for death – and she doesn’t take kindly to that. While the bullet-riddled B-movie thriller doesn’t make a ton of sense, it’s still enjoyable to watch Maggie Q shoot and bash baddies as well as flirt (and tussle) with Keaton, playing a suave mystery man.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you’ve been missing Jason Momoa: ‘Sweet Girl’
Aquaman is back on land to play a protective and vengeful Pittsburgh father in a decent thriller with an ambitious twist that doesn’t quite work. Ray (Momoa) lost his wife to cancer and blames the CEO (Justin Bartha) of the pharmaceutical company that promised a breakthrough new treatment. But there’s a bigger conspiracy at play and an important part of Ray’s violent quest is protecting his daughter (Isabela Merced) from a pursuing hitman (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo).
Where to watch: Netflix
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If you’re a Bella Thorne super-fan: ‘Habit’
This bizarre and extremely gory crime comedy is like a 1990s Quentin Tarantino knockoff featuring kooky characters, a religious streak and Thorne as an LA party girl with a complicated relationship with the Lord. She and her pals, known for dressing as nuns, run drugs for a washed-up TV star (Gavin Rossdale, who somehow wandered into this strange affair). When they run afoul of an unstable beehive-haired drug queen (Josie Ho), the women seek shelter in a local convent and make an unholy mess.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Google Play
If you’re seeking a different sort of possession film: ‘Demonic’
Director Neill Blomkamp (“District 9”) takes a big swing with this sci-fi horror film starring Carly Pope as a woman who enters a simulation to interact with her estranged comatose mother (Nathalie Boltt) and disturbs a supernatural force in the digital space. The demonic goings-on make their way into reality, which is when a Vatican black-ops unit gets involved, but the high-tech variation on a theme unfortunately zaps away the personal and spiritual aspects that make exorcism movies so darn disturbing.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Google Play
If you appreciate complicated love stories: ‘Ma Belle, My Beauty’
The complexities of a polyamorous relationship are explored with nuance amid the sights of scenic France in director Marion Hill’s drama. Jazz singer Bertie (Idella Johnson) and trumpet player Fred (Lucien Guignard) were New Orleans musicians who married and absconded off to Europe, and when Fred invites their old flame Lane (Hannah Pepper) for a surprise visit, the two women navigate old passions, unresolved feelings and also jealousy when Lane meets an enchanting local (Sivan Noam Shimon).
Where to watch: In theaters
If you adore rock docs with musical icons: ‘Under the Volcano’
It probably seemed like a crazy idea when Beatles producer George Martin opened a recording studio on the Caribbean island of Montserrat in 1979. This absorbing documentary proves how insanely successful it was as a creative haven for Dire Straits, The Police, Elton John, Jimmy Buffett, Paul McCartney and many more, plus those who worked there tell amazing stories of the studio’s heyday, including one of Stevie Wonder shutting down a local bar at 4 in the morning.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play
