By John Corrado

New releases for the week of August 9th, 2024.

Theatrical Releases:

Borderlands (Wide Release): Eli Roth takes a stab at trying to bring the video game Borderlands to the big screen, and the result is kind of a mess. This is an uninspired sci-fi adventure, that feels slapped together from a variety of better sources. The plot is thin and predictable, the characters are vaguely annoying, the humour mostly falls flat, and the ensemble cast led by Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett feels weirdly mismatched. It’s an absolute flop, at least with critics. (Full Review)

Cuckoo (Wide Release): Hunter Schafer gets her first leading role in this intentionally bizarre horror movie from German filmmaker Tilman Singer. Schafer stars as a 17-year-old who begins to experience strange things when she travels to Germany with her family, while Dan Stevens is the German-accented owner of the resort they are staying at. The film has some pacing issues and the themes can feel too vague. But Shcafer and Stevens keep us watching, as Singer blends elements of pulpy, B-movie thriller with something that feels more arthouse and esoteric. (Full Review)

More Releases: It Ends With Us (Wide), Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Limited), War Game (Limited), Daughters (TIFF Lightbox)

Streaming Releases:

The Instigators (Apple TV+), One Fast Move (Prime Video), The Umbrella Academy: Season 4 (Netflix)