Shudder August 2020 movie highlights announced!

AMC’s horror-tinged streaming service Shudder has unveiled its movie and TV highlights for the month of August, including the upcoming slasher horror Random Acts of Violence from co-writer/director/star Jay Baruchel and a new Last Drive-In special episode! Check out the full calendar for what to watch on Shudder next month!

RELATED: Shudder Orders Season 3 Scripts of Creepshow, No Renewal Yet

Shudder August 2020 Original/Exclusive Movies

Host (premieres Thursday, July 30)

Six friends hire a medium to hold a séance over Zoom during lockdown but get far more than they bargain for as things quickly go wrong. Host was shot remotely during quarantine and features practical scares, stunts, and surprises, all filmed by the actors in their own homes. Director Rob Savage (Dawn of the Deaf) never set foot in the same room as his actors at any point during production and instead directed them remotely. Starring: Haley Bishop (Deep State), Radina Drandova (Dawn of the Deaf), Edward Linard (The Rebels), Jemma Moore (Doom: Annihilation), Caroline Ward (Stalling It) and Emma Louise Webb (The Crown).

La Llorona (premieres Thursday, August 6)

Winner: Venice Days. Official Selection: TIFF, Sundance Film Festival

Indignant retired general Enrique finally faces trial for the genocidal massacre of thousands of Mayans decades ago. As a horde of angry protestors threatens to invade their opulent home, the women of the house—his haughty wife, conflicted daughter, and precocious granddaughter—weigh their responsibility to shield the erratic, senile Enrique against the devastating truths being publicly revealed and the increasing sense that a wrathful supernatural force is targeting them for his crimes. Meanwhile, much of the family’s domestic staff flees, leaving only loyal housekeeper Valeriana until a mysterious young Indigenous maid arrives. Starring María Mercedes Coroy, Margarita Kénefic, Sabrina de la Hoz and Julio Díaz. Directed by Jaryo Bustamante.

Random Acts of Violence (premieres Thursday, August 20)

Official Selection: Fantastic Fest

Comic book creator Todd, his wife, assistant and best friend all embark upon a road trip from Toronto to New York Comic Con, and bad things start to happen: people start getting killed. Is a crazed fan using Todd’s “SLASHERMAN” comic as inspiration for his stylized slaughter? Starring: Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), Jordana Brewster (Furious 7), Niamh Wilson (Saw series) and Jay Baruchel (This Is the End). Directed by Jay Baruchel.

The Shed (premieres Thursday, August 27)

Official Selection: Sitges International Film Festival, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival

Stan and his best friend Dommer have put up with bullies their entire lives. All of that changes when Stan discovers he has a ravenous vampire living in his shed. Seeing the bloodshed and destruction the monster is capable of, Stan knows he has to find a way to destroy it. But Dommer has a much more sinister plan in mind. Starring Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, Sofia Happonen, Frank Whaley and Timothy Bottoms. Directed by Frank Sabatella.

New Specials for August

The Last Drive-In: Summer Sleepover Special (Friday, August 14 at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST)

Fire up the popcorn and slip into your PJs: Joe Bob Briggs, America’s foremost drive-in movie critic, is back for a special summer sleepover double-feature. Joining Joe Bob and Darcy in the trailer park will be director Adam Green (Frozen, Hatchet series) along with other surprise guests.

RELATED: Random Acts of Violence Trailer Brings an R-Rated Comic Book to Life

New Movies for August

August 1

Squirm (Director: Jeff Lieberman)

Beware the crawling terror! A surge from a downed powerline mutates a seemingly endless population of worms into a bloodsucking, man-eating onslaught.  Starring Don Scardino, Patricia Pearcy, R.A. Dow

Urban Legends: Final Cut (Director: John Ottman)

A film student’s thesis project runs into production problems when her cast and crew members start turning up dead. Starring Jennifer Morrison, Eva Mendes, Anthony Anderson, Joseph Lawrence

August 3

Amityville 1992: It’s About Time (Director: Tony Randel)

An antique clock brought back from New York brings supernatural terror to a California neighborhood. Starring Stephen Macht, Shawn Weatherly, Megan Ward, Damon Martin

August 6

La Llorona

August 10

Ring (Director: Hideo Nakata)

Ring 2 (Director: Hideo Nakata)

Ring 0 (Director: Norio Tsuruta)

In the film that kicked off the franchise as well as a Western surge in interest in so-called J-horror, a group of teenage friends are found dead, their faces twisted in terror, supposed victims of an urban legend about a cursed videotape. One year after the success of his horror classic, director Hideo Nakata returned to the world of viral video to deliver his own follow-up. And in the prequel Ring 0, a journalist tracks a young woman who uses her supernatural powers to kill members of an acting troupe.

August 14

The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Summer Sleepover Special

August 17

Jawbreaker (Director: Darren Stein)

Teen girls must cover up the accidental murder of a friend in this twisted ‘90s classic. Starring Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, Judy Greer, Chad Christ, Carol Kane, Pam Greer

Hellmaster (Director: Douglas Schulze)

A mad professor at a rural campus injects students with a drug to make them superhuman mutants. Starring John Saxon, David Emge, Amy Raasch (Also available on Shudder Canada)

Uncaged (Director: Dick Maas)

A zoo veterinarian is caught up in a grisly adventure as she leads the hunt for a monstrous lion terrorizing Amsterdam. Starring Sophie van Winden, Abbey Hoes, Mark Frost, Julian Looman

August 20

Random Acts of Violence

August 24

The Evil (Director: Gus Trikonis)

A psychologist and his wife turn a house of the devil into a drug-rehabilitation center. Starring Richard Crenna, Joanna Pettet, Andrew Prine

Mortuary (Director: Howard Avedis)

Christie has been having terrifying nightmares ever since her father drowned, causing her to re-evaluate the circumstances surrounding his death. Starring Mary Beth McDonough, David Wysocki, Bill Paxton, Lynda Day George, Christopher George

One Dark Night (Director: Tom McLoughlin)

As part of an initiation into a club called The Sisters, a young girl must spend the night in a mausoleum. Starring Meg Tilly, Melissa Newman, Robin Evans, Leslie Speights, Donald Hotton

30 Miles From Nowhere (Director: Caitlin Koller)

When five college pals return home for their estranged friend’s funeral, what begins as an uneasy reunion becomes a terrifying fight for survival. Starring Carrie Preston, Rob Benedict, Birgundi Baker

August 27

The Shed

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CS Interview: Tuppence Middleton on heartwarming Fisherman’s Friends

ComingSoon.net got the opportunity to chat with star Tuppence Middleton (Sense8, Possessor) to discuss her role in the heartwarming British music biographical comedy Fisherman’s Friends, which is now available on digital platforms! Click here to rent or purchase the well-received film centered on the Cornish singing group!

RELATED: CS Interview: James Purefoy on Fisherman’s Friends & Possible Sequel!

When Middleton first got the script for the film, she found that the biggest draw for wanting to star in the film was the “community spirit” present throughout the story that “really reminded me of the village that I grew up in” the west country of England.

“It wasn’t dissimilar to the sort of upbringing that I had, really, you know, everyone knows everyone in the village, and it was like one big family,” Middleton recalled. “They even have very similar accents to the place that I am from. So it felt like kind of home reading it, really, and I haven’t seen anything about that part of the world on the screen for a long time, and I felt like it was a really good time to have a film that makes you feel good, because there’s so much hardship and conflict going on in the world at the moment that sometimes you just want to escape that. When I read that script, I felt like for two hours I was like transported. And I felt like I was by the seaside and that’s what I needed at that point.”

In taking on her character of Alwyn, Middleton found her two biggest creative challenges to be portraying a single mother, as she doesn’t have children and “didn’t know what that experience was like,” and mastering her character’s accent, while also calling it one of the “least stressful” film shoots of her career.

“You have to create that intimacy with, in this case, Meadow, who played my daughter Tamsyn, which really wasn’t difficult because she was such a lovely girl and so polite and talented and sweet and very, very lovable, so it was very easy to feel protective over her and to kind of create that bond,” Middleton warmly explained. “But there was also, you know, technically there was also the accent to master, and we all had to come from the same place geographically, so we all kind of worked with the same voice coach for that. But to be honest, I would say on this, there was many more just joyful things than there were difficulties, to be honest, because it was kind of like, almost like a holiday atmosphere filming it, because we were living in that village by the seaside. You know, every day I walked to work, which took me about two minutes up a beautiful little hill by the sea. And then, on the way back from work, we would all pass the local pub and went in and had a drink with the real fishermen who would sing songs in the pub, like they do in the film. And it wasn’t for our benefit, just how life is like down there. So it was kind of a really peaceful experience, shooting it. We were filming in May and it was really hot. It’s not usually very hot in May in the UK, it tends to come a bit later in the year, but we happened to have this unseasonably hot month. It was just before the tourists came in, basically, because there were huge amounts of people that traveled down to this village every summer, which is usually between kind of June and August. So we got in there just before the streets were completely chaotic and you couldn’t move or find a seat or get into the local pub. But so it felt like we had the village to ourselves, it was just us and the locals, which was lovely because you get a sense of what life is really like off season, and what it’s like to live and grow up there. So it was wonderful and we got to spend a lot of time with the real fishermen’s friend’s band and we got to see them sing out by the seaside, just outside the pub. And it was great that they still do that, you know, they’re still performing and bringing in these really big crowds that are kind of loyal fans and have been for years.”

Prior to getting the script to the film, the 33-year-old actress recalled that she wasn’t familiar with the titular group or their story and that the first thing she did after reading the script was to “go onto YouTube and watch about 100 videos of them singing.”

“I was just like, enthralled, I thought they were amazing, and I thought it was incredible that they were keeping this tradition alive,” Middleton expressed. “I hadn’t heard of them, it was kind of crazy because they’d had this amazing set at Glastonbury. They’d topped the charts in the UK. And I don’t know how they managed to slip through my awareness, but I was so happy to finally discover them because now I’m definitely one of their biggest fans.”

When it came to building the rapport with the rest of her ensemble cast, Middleton called it great, stating that “everyone just really got on” well together and called the production “one of those really lovely experiences where everyone just had a shared sense of humor” and worked well together.

“What was lovely about James Purefoy playing my dad was that he’s from a very similar part of England to where my family’s from, so we kind of grew up in the same area around Somerset,” Middleton explained. “So we both have family that have that same accent that is very similar to the one that we’re doing in the film. So there’s immediately that shorthand that you know what it is to grow up in that kind of a village and you almost know who these characters are already. So that’s where when you only have a few days to kind of create that sort of a bond, you know, if you’re playing someone’s daughter. So that was a really nice sort of fast track for us.”

The film had been a box office success in the UK following its theatrical release last March and in looking at it finally coming to the US, Middleton expressed she was “really excited” American audiences were getting to see the film as “it’s probably a side to the UK that you don’t often get to see.”

“I think that if you’re a Brit watching it, then you immediately recognize these people and this kind of setting, where I think that a lot of Americans wouldn’t have that experience of having visited an English town like that or that seaside village in Cornwall,” Middleton opined. “It’s like a very specific area of the world, and I think it’s so quintessentially British, that I think I’d imagine that in the same way as watching something like Downton, that Americans have a reaction to something which just feels like almost a little bit alien to them, maybe. I mean, maybe I’m wrong in saying that, but I think that it’s nice to show this part of the world to the States because yeah, it’s a really kind of very British, very traditional kind of community, and yeah. I hope that it inspires people to come visit those little towns.”

Earlier this year also initially brought word that a sequel was reportedly in the works for the film, with star Purefoy also confirming to us that one is in development, but with it being early on into development cycle Middleton revealed she hasn’t “heard much about it” and noted that with the global pandemic seeing productions “grounding to a halt,” that may be why she hasn’t heard word on it.

“I mean, I had such a good time doing it and I don’t know, I haven’t heard anything about like, storylines or anything, so I don’t know if I would be involved,” Middleton said. “But yeah, all I know is that I have a lovely time doing the first one, and I was grateful to be a part of it.”

Fisherman’s Friends is just one of a few major titles American audiences will get to see the Sense8 alum in this year, with others including the David Fincher-helmed Mank and the Sundance body horror hit Possessor from Brandon Cronenberg, son of iconic director David, which was recently acquired by NEON for a wide release. In looking at the recent announcement, Middleton expressed excitement and happiness for the writer/director, stating that “he worked so hard on that film” and feeling “he has such a unique vision” that deserves the wide attention from audiences and critics.

“I’m not surprised because I think he has such an interesting voice and people are going to want to see a lot more from him,” Middleton stated. “I was really thrilled to hear that, and Andrea and Chris are so brilliant in it that it’s just exciting that more people get to see their performances. But it’s definitely quite a wild trip, and I think yeah, I think people are going to like it. It’s definitely not—it’s very different than Fishermen’s Friends [laughs].”

RELATED: Exclusive Dirt Music Clip Featuring Garrett Hedlund & Kelly Macdonald

A fast-living, cynical London music executive (Daniel Mays) heads to a remote Cornish village on a stag weekend where he’s pranked by his boss (Noel Clarke) into trying to sign a group of shanty singing fishermen (led by James Purefoy). He becomes the ultimate “fish out of water” as he struggles to gain the respect or enthusiasm of the unlikely boy band and their families (including Tuppence Middleton) who value friendship and community over fame and fortune. As he’s drawn deeper into the traditional way of life he’s forced to reevaluate his own integrity and ultimately question what success really means.

The movie stars Daniel Mays (1917), Purefoy, David Hayman (Blinded by the Light), Dave Johns (Blithe Spirit), Sam Swainsbury (Fearless), Tuppence Middleton (Sense8), Maggie Steed (Paddington 2), Vahid Gold, Christian Brassington (Poldark) and Noel Clarke (Bulletproof).

Fisherman’s Friends was directed by Chris Foggin (Kids in Love) from a script by Meg Leonard (Finding Your Feet, Blithe Spirit) and Nick Moorcroft (Blithe Spirit).

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Natalie Portman reveals Thor: Love and Thunder shooting start date

With productions starting to resume overseas for a number of major film and TV titles, it looks like Thor: Love and Thunder, the highly-anticipated fourth installment in the MCU franchise, will begin shooting soon as Natalie Portman has revealed an estimated start date for production. (Via Slash Film)

RELATED: Taika Waititi Finds a Positive in Thor: Love & Thunder Delay

Featured on tennis superstar Serena Williams’ Instagram account, the Oscar winner revealed that the plan is to begin shooting in Australia, star Chris Hemsworth’s home country, in “the beginning of next year,” which would keep the film on track to make its March 2022 release. In addition to Portman’s revelation, co-writer/director Taika Waititi revealed in an interview to BBC News that the writing for the film is “going really good” and that he and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson are “doing another pass on it” this week, describing the script as “so insane” and “also very romantic.”

“I’m into romances now,” Waititi said. “I would like to make something that I’ve never done or never cared for. I would like to attack something like that.”

Thor: Love and Thunder will be directed by Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) on a script co-written by him and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great), which will be the followup to Waititi’s wildly successful 2017 sequel Thor: Ragnarok. Oscar-winner Natalie Portman is set to return as Jane and will now be wielding the mighty Mjolnir. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will also return as Thor and Valkyrie, respectively. Academy Award winner Christian Bale (The Dark Knight trilogy) will portray the main antagonist in the film. The female Thor storyline is based on Jason Aaron’s run on “The Mighty Thor” in which a cancer-stricken Jane Foster takes up the mantle and powers of Thor.

Thor and Valkyrie were last seen in this year’s highest-grossing film of all time Avengers: Endgame, with the god of thunder entrusting his responsibilities as the King of Asgard to Valkyrie as he joins the Guardians of the Galaxy on their next mission. According to Vin Diesel, the Guardians might also make an appearance in the fourth Thor film.

RELATED: Taika Waititi Clarifies Plans for Star Wars and Akira

Originally set to debut on November 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder will now be arriving in theaters on March 25, 2022.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

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Eternals Director Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland gets fall release

Searchlight Pictures has announced that Eternals director Chloé Zhao’s upcoming feature Nomadland starring Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) is set to hit the major film circuit this fall at Venice, Toronto, Telluride and New York followed by a domestic wide release.

RELATED: Kumail Nanjiani Discusses Developing Kingo for Marvel’s Eternals

Based on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 non-fiction book of the same name, the story centers on Fern (McDormand), a woman who, after the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.

Alongside McDormand, the film will feature appearances from real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West, while also co-starring Oscar nominee David Strathairn (Nightmare Alley).

Click here to purchase the original novel!

“The American road fascinates me,” Zhao said in a statement. “It’s heartbreakingly beautiful and deeply complicated. I’ve traveled it for many years and always hoped to capture a glimpse of it. I’m thankful to be able to make Nomadland and excited for audiences to join Fern on her adventure.”

The film will make its world premiere with simultaneous screenings on September 11 at the 77th Venice International Film Festival and the 45th Toronto International Film Festival, both of which will feature virtual introductions by producer, writer, editor and director Zhao and producer/star McDormand. With Telluride having cancelled its 47th edition due to the global pandemic, it will host a special “Telluride from Los Angeles” drive-in screening later that evening with in-person appearances from the duo.

RELATED: Tenet Opening Overseas One Week Ahead of US Release

“It is both a great pleasure and honor to be part of Chloé Zhao’s new film’s unveiling to the world,” Venice International Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera said in a statement. “Nomadland is a brave and touching journey into a world that exists under the radar of mainstream social consciousness. It is a film that acquires particular meaning in a moment of pandemic induced seclusion, proving that values like mutual support and a strong sense of community can save us from solitude, failure, and despair. I am also happy to share the opportunity to support this beautiful film with our fellow festivals of Telluride, Toronto, and New York: a concrete sign of solidarity and collaboration in this unprecedented and difficult time.”

McDormand produces the film alongside Peter Spears (Call Me By Your Name), Mollye Asher (The Rider), Dan Janvey (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Zhao (The Rider), who adapted the screenplay and has edited the film herself.

“Chloe’s understanding and depiction of the layered beauty of the human experience achieves new heights in Nomadland,” Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a statement. “Tom Luddy and I believe in her vision and are grateful to unite with our colleagues in Toronto, Venice, and New York to highlight this sensitive and stunning achievement.”

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Inception 10th Anniversary Theatrical Event Set for This August

Along with the announcement that Christopher Nolan’s Tenet will be releasing domestically on Thursday, September 3, Warner Bros. revealed that the Inception 10th Anniversary Theatrical Event will be released on August 21, 2020. The re-release will open up against Lionsgate’s horror movie Antebellum starring Janelle Monáe.

RELATED: Tenet Opening Overseas One Week Ahead of US Release

According to Warner Bros., the special 10th Anniversary theatrical event for Inception will give audiences a never-before-seen look at footage from Tenet as well as an exclusive sneak peek of select films on Warner Bros.’ upcoming slate.

Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an international cast in an original sci-fi actioner that travels around the globe and into the intimate and infinite world of dreams. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved.

Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible—inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

Inception’s ensemble cast also includes Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, and Michael Caine.

RELATED: Inception Re-Release to Feature Sneak Peek of WB’s Upcoming Films

The four-time Oscar-winning movie was originally released on July 16, 2010.

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