Even though Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be the top choice once again for moviegoers, there are new offerings in wide and limited release that could grab some attention. There is a rom-com, One Night Only, with a Purge-like premise that allows premarital sex to be legal for one a year, the third film in a popular cult comedy film franchise from the Broken Lizard team, a slasher film with Friday the 13th firmly in its DNA, an Eli Roth gorefest, and a biopic based on the early years of Anthony Bourdain. All of this doesn’t even include what can be watched at home, so let’s dive into what to watch this weekend!
What’s Opening In Theaters?
The top new wide release is the romantic comedy One Night Only, directed by Will Gluck and coming from a screenplay by Travis Braun. In the film, three years ago, the government passed a mandate that sex should be exclusively between married couples, with the lone exception of one night a year when premarital sex is legal; however, protection must be used. What happens when Allie (Monica Barbaro), a commercial singer tired of being ghosted after sex, happens upon Owen (Callum Turner), a pizza shop owner in a committed relationship whose significant other thinks they should have sex with other people? Likely the appropriate romantic comedy sparks. The film also stars Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, King Princess, and Molly Ringwald.
One Night Only gained traction when it was announced because the premise made it seem like it would be a romantic comedy with a bit of a raunchy edge, but early reviews seem to suggest it’s a rom-com with an identity crisis. Some believe the film plays it too safe with the subject matter, while others say there is enough salacious material to make the film stand out. That could explain why critics are split on this one at 51 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. What is agreed on is that Barbaro and Turner are very charming leads, and they make much of One Night Only worthwhile based on that alone. Gluck had rom-com success on the big screen in 2023 with Anyone but You during a time when this sub-genre was being relegated to streaming. That film cleared $220 million worldwide ($88.3 million domestic) on a $26 million budget. If One Night Only finds similar success remains to be seen, but it could prove to be a fun date night option, and that’s something that has been missing the last few weeks at the box office.
The Broken Lizard comedy team returns this weekend with the release of Super Troopers 3, the third installment of the cult-favorite comedy franchise. Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by the Broken Lizard team, Super Troopers 3 finds Trooper Rodney “Rod” Farva’s (Kevin Heffernan) Indiana engagement to Senior Trooper Arcot “Thorny” Ramathorn’s (Chandrasekhar) sister spiraling into chaos which leads the Super Troopers to intervene so that Thorny’s scemes don’t break up the relationship all while cracking the case on a pernicious new drug ring. The film also stars Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske, along with appearances from Brian Cox, Marisa Coughlan, Nat Faxon, and Chace Crawford.
Super Troopers began its journey in 2001 when the comedy became a modest hit in terms of budget, grossing $23 million worldwide on a reported $3 million budget. The film truly took off on home video, going on to gross $60 million from VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray rentals, turning the movie into a cult classic. This was enough to generate a sequel years later in 2018 when Super Troopers 2 was released, which went on to earn $32 million on a $13.5 million budget. There is no doubt a fanbase for these films, and reviews be damned! All of the films are rotten on Rotten Tomatoes, with the first film scoring 36 percent, the immediate sequel at 35 percent, and the recently released third installment currently sitting at 33 percent. These films aren’t made for critics and are strictly for the fans that helped turn these films into cult favorites. All signs point to them being very satisfied with this third entry.
Director Eli Roth debuts a slasher film that turns little kids into homicidal maniacs after consuming sweet treats with Ice Cream Man, a film he co-wrote with Noah Belson. In Ice Cream Man, an idyllic suburban neighborhood is turned on its head when a mysterious ice cream man begins serving tasty treats to children that turn them into murderous little cretins. The film stars Ari Millen, Charlie Zeltzer, Shiloh O’Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Sarah Abbott, and Benjamin Byron Davis.
Kudos to Roth for stepping outside of the studio system following his disaster with Borderlands to release Ice Cream Man. The film is being released by Iconic Events, an event cinema and film distribution company, and comes under Roth’s The Horror Section banner. The $5.5 million horror film was funded partially out of his own pocket, and he was able to cut out major Hollywood studios by financing the project through foreign pre-sales, Canadian tax credits, and backers from his The Horror Section company. However, according to reviews, the kudos stop there because, even for horror aficionados, Ice Cream Man is a mess that doesn’t even qualify as being so bad that it’s good. The film currently sits at 29 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and will likely not make much of a dent this weekend, but if any movie looks like a cult favorite in the making, it’s this one, if Roth can get beyond the criticism he has received for using Generative AI in certain scenes. That backlash might be scarier than anything in the film.
A slasher film opening in limited release might fare better with genre fans, as Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma has garnered solid reviews out of the Cannes Film Festival and has maintained them heading into its opening weekend. Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma follows a queer filmmaker (Hannah Einbinder) who is hired to direct the brand new installment of Camp Miasma and becomes obsessed with hiring the actress (Gillian Anderson) who portrayed the final girl in the original film. The movie also stars Jack Haven and Patrick Fischler.
Schoenbrun became truly one to watch after the release of I Saw the TV Glow. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was given a limited release by A24 to glowing reviews (84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). It appears that Schoenbrun has scored again with Miasma which is being praised as a love letter to slasher films, self discovery and filmmaking as a whole. It’s the best reviewed film of the weekend at 99 percent fresh on rotten Tomatoes with 96 reviews counted so if it’s playing in your rea, it’s one to definitely check out.
Also opening in limited release is Tony, the A24 biographical film based on Anthony Bourdain’s early years working in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Directed by Matt Johnson and from a screenplay he co-wrote with Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels, and Lou Howe, Tony takes some stories featured in Bourdain’s 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential and takes place in 1975 when a then 19-year-old Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) wanted to be a writer but took on a summer job at a Cape Cod restaurant where he would learn under the tutelage of a Brazilian-born restaurateur (Antonio Banderas). The film also stars Emilia Jones, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, and Leo Woodall.
Tony has received wonderful notices from critics, carrying a current score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Sessa’s work as Bourdain is especially being praised, with many saying he’s living up to the promise he showed in the critically acclaimed The Holdovers. What’s interesting is whether A24 tries to position this film for awards attention. They typically focus on one major release during awards season, and that slot seems reserved for The Invite, but given the glowing notices, Tony is a film they may want to consider as well.
What To Watch At Home
Home viewing is a solid mix of films and television series, some new and some returning, that could make a weekend in at home worthwhile if you don’t feel like making a trip to your local movie theater. The latest Evil Dead entry hits home while a film we forgot to mention last week from the M3GAN universe could be worth a look. In addition, we have a Netflix original, Ted Lasso makes a return for Apple TV while Ryan Murphy’s latest hot people doing dirty things television series makes its debut.
Arriving on digital this week is Evil Dead Burn, a film that has polarized some fans of the franchise. Directed by Sébastien Vanicek from a screenplay he co-wrote with Florent Bernard, Evil Dead Burn follows Alice (Souheila Yacoub), who, after the loss of her husband, finds herself in tight quarters with her in-laws as they transform one by one into deadites. The film also stars Hunter Doohan, Tandi Wright, Luciane Buchanan, Erroll Shand, and Maude Davey.
Evil Dead Burn is an unrelenting, nasty piece of work that seemed like it would please most horror fans and fans of the franchise, but after its theatrical release, it seemed like the reception was more mixed. Some loved it for its nasty and mean-spirited nature, while others were turned off by it for the very same reason. The truth is, this series has been nasty since Sam Raimi conceived this thing in 1981 with The Evil Dead. The sequel and subsequent films like the more comedic Army of Darkness have leaned things into straight comedy or dark humor, but since the 2013 reimagining, these movies have been brutal to their core, so it should come as no surprise that this entry goes there as much as it can and makes no apologies for it. Honestly, Evil Dead Burn has more added dark humor compared to its predecessor, but the brutality quotient increases so much that the moments of uneasy laughter might be hard to catch. The debate should carry on now that it’s on digital as fans discuss whether or not Evil Dead Burn played things too mean.
Released for rental last week, although we didn’t showcase it, was Soulm8te, a science-fiction erotic thriller that serves as a spin-off of the M3GAN universe. Directed by Kate Dolan and from a screenplay she co-wrote with Rafael Jordan, Soulm8te follows a lonely man who is grieving the death of his wife that beta tests an android to cope with the loss. However, as he programs her to be more human, the android becomes dangerously obsessed with him. The film stars Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, and Claudia Doumit.
Soulm8te was originally intended for a theatrical release at the top of the year, but it was pulled from the release calendar. Some saw it coming when M3GAN 2.0 majorly underperformed at the box office compared to its predecessor, but, having seen the movie, Universal Pictures, Blumhouse, and Atomic Monster may have also gotten cold feet about releasing it theatrically because it shares similarities with the already released Companion and the huge summer horror hit, Obsession. Opting to release the film on digital via Universal Pictures Home Entertainment was probably the best option for the film because while it’s serviceable entertainment, it likely would’ve come up short at the box office because it falls into cliches and doesn’t lean into its satirical impulses enough. The film is currently 55 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, so the critics who have reviewed it are mixed, but it really is a movie made for a quick watch at home, and it’s a breezy viewing at just 99 minutes.
Netflix has one of there signature originals with The Last House, a science fiction thriller film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Matthew Robinson. In the film, a family of four becomes sealed inside their home without a way out. Together, they have to fight to survive as their resources run low and a looming threat keeps them confined inside. The movie stars Greta Lee and Warner Moura.
Have to say, don’t know much about this one, but reviews, of the nine counted on Rotten Tomatoes so far, range from calling it a glossy and gripping B-movie thriller to an unpleasant viewing experience that doesn’t generate thrills. I suppose take that as you will, but at least it features two talented leads (Moura is now Oscar-nominated and may avoid films like this in the future), and there is no doubt it will be in the top five on their platform for a few days (if not number one) before disappearing into obscurity. Making The Last House no worse than most rushed Netflix titles, so why not give it a shot if there’s nothing else left to watch? The Last House is now streaming as of today.
On the TV side of things, Ted Lasso returns for its fourth season when it was originally intended to end with Season 3. Developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly, Ted Lasso is based on a character created by Sudeikis for promotional media for NBC Sports coverage and follows the titular character, an American college football coach, as he’s hired to coach an English soccer team. Season 3 focuses on AFC Richmond’s return to the Premier League as Ted decides his future and other core characters go through their own personal redemptions. Season 3 also stars Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, and Nick Mohammed.
Ted Lasso has been critically acclaimed for its entire run, with its first season being nominated for 20 Primetime Emmy Awards, making it the most nominated first-season comedy in Emmy history. The show won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2021, with Sudeikis, Waddingham, and Goldstein also receiving accolades. The plan was to end things with Season 3, but there was a door open to return for a fourth season, and that had to be music to Apple TV’s ears since it’s one of their most popular shows on the platform. Season 4 is fresh at 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, so it looks like the show hasn’t lost its spark, which should make fans very happy. Season 4 premiered on Aug. 5 on Apple TV and will drop episodes weekly until October for a ten-episode season.
Ryan Murphy does what he does best, and that’s producing salacious TV about pretty people doing bad things with The Shards, a series he co-created with Bret Easton Ellis. Based on Ellis’ semi-autobiographical novel, The Shards is set in 1981 Los Angeles and follows a 17-year-old version of Ellis (Igby Rigne) during his final year at the elite Buckley prep school. Throwing his life into a tailspin is the arrival of a mysterious new student named Robert Mallory (Homer Gere), whose unsettling arrival seems to coincide with the activities of a serial killer prowling the streets known as The Trawler. The series also stars Kaia Gerber, Hayes Warner, Graham Campbell, Evan Rachel Wood, and Wes Bentley.
The Shards screams guilty-pleasure television, and having watched the first two episodes, it’s all vapid and superficial, but it’s all done with sleek style and a gorgeous cast that clearly understands the assignment. It has potential to grow into something more addicting and prove to be a fun entry into late summer viewing. The series has a 53 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and the audience score is 33 percent, which means some might not be as hooked as I already am, but The Shards has room to grow and certainly deserves that chance. Even if it’s more style over substance. The first two episodes premiered on Aug. 5 on FX and Hulu, while subsequent episodes will air weekly through September on both platforms.
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