Week after week we’ve been delivering our What to Watch list with the top choices of new shows and movie releases. This summer’s offerings have kept us more than entertained, and there’s more in store arriving on both the small and silver screens this week.
House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel fans have been waiting for, is premiering this weekend on HBO. The new series has a lot of expectations to live up to, but according to our review, the creators knocked it out of the park with this too. Disney+ and Marvel Studios unleashed She-Hulk: Attorney at Law this week. (Read our Season 1 review here.) Better Call Saul had its series finale this past Monday, and we had to honor the show’s impact with a must-read thorough breakdown of the episode.
Idris Elba is fighting a battle of his own in his latest movie Beast, hitting theaters Friday, Aug. 19. Fans will get to see Elba go toe-to-toe with a rogue lion in Africa, and that’s a treat in and of itself. If you’re more in the mood for horror, the sequel to 2009’s Orphan titled Orphan: First Kill also arrives Friday. If excitement and thrills are what you are looking for this week, these new releases have got you covered.
If not, head to a theater near you to watch Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick for the second, third, or fourth time, if you wish, and help the film break even more box office records. Check out our choices for the best entertainment arriving this week below.
'Beast'
View this video on YouTube
When: Friday, Aug. 19
Where: In theaters
Any film starring Idris Elba is the type of film for me. The actor did not disappoint with his performance in Beast, in which he stars as Dr. Samuels, the father to two teenage daughters reeling from the death of their mother. In order to make amends with them amid a bit of a strained relationship, he flies them to Africa, where their mother was from in order to reconnect. While there, they find themselves face to face with a rogue lion that turns their sentimental family trip into a fight for their lives. The movie is filled with thrills and jump-scares, and it will have you stressed, talking to the screen, hoping these characters make it out alive. It sort of loses its way toward the end, but it is a fun experience nonetheless. Check out our interview with Elba about the film here. —Karla Rodriguez
'House of the Dragon'
View this video on YouTube
When: Sunday, Aug. 21
Where: HBO
It’s been more than three years since the finale episode of Game of Thrones hit HBO, and regardless of how fans felt about the show’s final seasons, the story isn’t over. House of the Dragon is arriving on Sunday, and it is a prequel to GOT created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan J. Condal and based on portions of Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood. The show will be set nearly two hundred years before Game of Thrones, and the series will follow the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, the events leading up to and covering the Targaryen war of succession, known as the “Dance of the Dragons.” This is their opportunity to redeem themselves, and fans will soon be able to decide for themselves if they will follow this story as loyally and fiercely as they did the first. —KR
'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'
View this video on YouTube
When: Thursday, Aug. 18.
Where: Disney+
The string of Disney+/MCU shows is getting longer. Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres this week, and it follows the story of Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) who is an attorney specializing in superhuman-oriented legal cases. As if being a green 6-foot-7-inch hulk wasn’t hard enough, she is also tasked with navigating the complicated life of a single, 30-something, balancing a career, her love life, and everything in between. The nine-episode comedy series also features appearances from MCU vets, including Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination, and Benedict Wong as Wong. Jameela Jamil, Josh Segarra, Ginger Gonzaga, Jon Bass and Renée Elise Goldsberry also star in the project. So far the show is receiving mixed reviews, but here’s ours in case you want to know what you’re in for. —KR
'Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO'
View this video on YouTube
When: Friday, Aug. 19
Where: In theaters
The 21st movie in the franchise—and the first original Dragon Ball movie in four years—Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO revives the villainous Red Ribbon Army from the original series. Led by Magenta, Carmine, and Dr. Hedo (grandson of android mastermind Dr. Gero), the group seeks revenge against Piccolo and Gohan. They attempt this via new Gamma androids, and a souped-up version of the original Cell named Cell Max.
This is the film’s American release; it debuted in Japan on June 11, where it sold over 1.21 million tickets. This movie employs CGI animation instead of the more traditional, hand-drawn approach; critics praised the fight scenes for their cinematic, chaotic feel. Dragon Ball visionary Akira Toriyama actively participated in the creative process, and it shows. SUPER HERO is a celebration of the Dragon Ball legacy, with multiple callbacks and allusions to the prior series and films. —Kevin Wong
'Orphan: First Kill'
View this video on YouTube
When: Friday, Aug. 19
Where: Paramount+
I believe some stories need to be left alone, and this is one of them. I recall watching Orphan back in 2009 and I had nightmares for a week and I’m not ready to go down that lane again. But if horror is something you can tolerate, or somehow enjoy, Esther’s terrifying saga continues more than a decade later in a new and thrilling prequel to the original titled Orphan: First Kill. As you might remember, Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) was a 9-year-old Russian girl who was adopted by a couple named Kate and John Coleman from a local orphanage. Things started turning upside down when they realized she was not a normal child. They soon discover that Esther is actually a 33-year-old woman named Leena Klammer who was born in Estonia with a medical condition that allows her to pass as a little girl.
The film will follow Esther after she escapes from an Estonian psychiatric facility and travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family and she attempts to wreak havoc on their lives as well until the mother, Tricia Albright (Julia Stiles) decides to fight back. The trailer alone is enough to make me lose sleep, but if that’s your kind of thing, be my guest and check it out starting Friday on Paramount+. —KR
