This week is stacked with exciting new releases both in theaters and on streaming. Bullet Train is speeding into theaters on Friday, Aug. 5, while Bodies, Bodies, Bodies is getting a soft launch in select cities on the same day. So far, critics are not too fond of the Brad Pitt-led action flick, but that’s not stopping people from heading to the movies to watch this on the big screen—and to also watch Bad Bunny in his feature film debut. It’s an adventure that will for sure stress you out but keep you thoroughly entertained. Critics and viewers alike are already enjoying the A24 flick, though, and that will be in theaters everywhere next Friday.
Hulu has a monster release on its hands this week with Prey. The sci-fi Predator prequel is so good that it will make you wish you could watch it in theaters to experience it fully. So go ahead and find the biggest TV you can find and hit play because it is definitely one you want to sink your teeth into this weekend. The Sandman fans have had to wait quite some time but Netflix finally released the show’s first season and it checks all the boxes. Industry is back on HBO with Season 2, and if you need a show to fill your Euphoria or Succession-filled heart, look no further; Industry is it.
Summer is nearing its end quicker than we realize so we recommend spending time outside this weekend, but when you’re ready, check out all our recs for the movies and shows you should be watching this week. There are some on this list you really need to see.
'Bullet Train'
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When: Friday, Aug. 5
Where: In theaters
Get your popcorn and your stress ball ready before you head to theaters to watch Brad Pitt’s latest action thriller, Bullet Train. There are enough action and fighting scenes in this movie to make your head spin, so if you are in the mood to turn your brain off for two hours and enjoy a loud, explosive film that is also overflowing with humor, this is the one for you. Pitt really exercises his comedy and action star muscles in this one as Lady Bug, who is an accidentally lucky former assassin who happens to also be really good at his job. He boards a train traveling through Japan to collect a mysterious briefcase and finds himself having to fight against other high-skilled hitmen and assassins who are on the same mission.
The film also features a star-studded cast and some standout performances from Brian Tyree Henry, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beets, and more. While the film is not getting much love from critics or on Rotten Tomatoes so far, based on our conversation with Pitt, Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the cast had a hell of a good time making this movie, and sometimes that’s all that a film needs for it to work. Bad Bunny’s role as a Mexican assassin named “The Wolf” is also enough of a reason to go see this in theaters. He may not be in it for a long while, but it’s definitely enough time to see that he surely does have a solid future in acting ahead of him.—Karla Rodriguez
'Bodies, Bodies, Bodies'
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When: Friday, Aug. 5
Where: In select theaters
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies is releasing in select theaters this week. This is the kind of movie that is better to go into eyes closed, without expectations or knowledge of what you’re getting yourself into, so I’ll try to not give too much away here. The comedic thriller tells the story of a group of rich friends in their 20s who plan a hurricane party at a family mansion. Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) brings her new girlfriend Bee (Maria Bakalova) to the party unannounced to meet her childhood friend, David (Pete Davidson), his girlfriend, Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), and their friends Jordan (Myha’la Herrold) and Alice (Rachel Sennott), who has also invited her new 40-year-old) boyfriend, Greg (Lee Pace). Once the storm hits and the lights go out, they start to play a murder mystery-style game that quickly goes awry and turns this could-be fun young adult movie into an absolute shit show.
This is a refreshing and comedic look at friendships between young women that shows how ugly they can truly be. It’s similar to fan favorites like Mean Girls and Gossip Girl, but with a hint of Jennifer’s Body. This also features Stenberg in her most adult role yet, while Sennott delivers the funniest, most captivating performance in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, and makes me excited for everything she has in the works going forward. Davidson feels like he’s pretty much playing himself but his character is the reason why this movie goes from a fun party movie to a thrill-filled whodunit that accurately showcases the downsides of growing up in this day and age. The film will be available in theaters everywhere next week and it’s a must-watch for what’s left of summer 2022. —Karla Rodriguez
'Prey'
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When: Friday, Aug. 5
Where: Hulu
The premise of Prey is so brilliantly simple that I’m shocked it’s taken this long for it to come to fruition. Dan Trachtenberg’s (10 Cloverfield Lane, The Boys) direct-to-Hulu reboot/sequel of the Predator franchise has an absolute killer hook: What if a Predator landed in 1719 and faced off against a Comanche warrior? Considering how hard it was for a group of Vietnam War veterans to kill the alien creature, how tough would it be for a Comanche to do the same?
That tension drives a lot of Trachtenberg’s excellent film. The plot follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), who is eager to break out of the box her brother (Dakota Beavers) and the rest of her tribe have placed her in as a simple tracker and healer. The film opens with Naru practicing her tomahawk skills in a lush wooded area and quickly shows she’s just as capable as her fellow (male) warriors—if only she could get a chance to prove herself accordingly. That chance arrives rather quickly, as a Predator (one whose design looks to be highly influenced by Kratos’ appearance in 2018’s God of War) soon arrives on the territory and gets down to his brutal business.
Trachtenberg trades the suburban sprawl of 2018’s much-maligned The Predator for wide open spaces evocative of The Revenant’s naturalism (much of the movie looks like it was photographed with little to no additional lighting, letting nature do the work) which further adds tangibility to the realism of the film. Throughout the all-killer, no filler hour, and 40-minute run time, Naru is consistently persistent in how she plans to outwit and outlast her prey. The hunted becomes the hunter in the most interestingly compelling ways, including through some truly memorable set pieces (one towards the latter portion invokes a burned-out forest with smoke, ash, and fog is a definite highlight).
Despite the rumored reasons 20th Century had for releasing it straight to Hulu, there’s no shortage of money spent or craft executed, which makes it a shame that we can’t see these fantastic moments on a big screen. Sometimes, to reset, it helps to go back to the beginning—so Prey does, reinvigorating a fledgling franchise with bloody brilliance. —William Goodman
'The Sandman'
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When: Friday, Aug. 5
Where: Netflix
Adaptation is difficult, especially when moving from a visual medium like comics to the world of television or film. That’s long been the issue with Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. Considered one of the seminal works of comic books alongside stories like Watchmen and The Dark Knight, The Sandman’s path from paper to screen way back in 1991, not long after the publication of the series’ first issue. And now, a staggering 31 years later, Gaiman’s masterwork arrives as a 10-episode series on Netflix.
For those unfamiliar, the story of The Sandman goes as such: in 1916, Morpheus, aka Dream, the king of dreams and one of the seven Endless—humanlike personifications of various entities, including Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction—is captured in an occult ritual and held captive for over 100 years. When he’s freed, he begins a whirlwind adventure to regather his power, collect the personifications of his created dreams and nightmares creating horrific havoc on Earth, and ponder his purpose. That’s pretty heady stuff for any story, let alone a comic book or a TV series—especially one that often switches genres between epic fantasy and haunting horror while exploring thoughtful meditations on death, the importance of storytelling, and what it is to have a purpose. You may understand why it’s taken this long to adapt the series.
Developed by Gaiman with David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg, the Netflix version of The Sandman arrives as an extremely faithful adaptation of the series. After exposition-heavy first and second episodes that feel pretty draggy in portions, the show is off to the races, bringing plenty of thrills and chills, especially as the show enters its middle stretch of episodes. The fifth and sixth chapters are particular standouts, with the former functioning as one of the more chilling bottle episodes I’ve ever watched and the sixth (effectively) translating two of the most beloved Sandman stories ever with skill and grace.
The Sandman also excels in its stacked cast ensemble of Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Boyd Holbrook, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Jenna Coleman, Patton Oswalt, Charles Dance, and David Thewlis, to name a few. Particular standouts include Christie (playing a picture-perfect version of Lucifer), Coleman (having an absolute blast as occult detective Johanna Constantine), and Howell-Baptiste as Death (easily the best performance of the six episodes I’ve seen thus far). Visually, the show captures a lot of the dream-like visuals of The Sandman artist Mike Dringenberg, which is no small feat. The show doesn’t feel or look cheap, which can be hard to do on a TV-sized budget.
While I haven’t finished the series yet—as you can see from this list, we’ve had quite a busy viewing week—but I’m keen to sit down and let the remaining episodes wash over me. The biggest thing for Netflix’s The Sandman was simply not to mess it up. From what I’ve seen, Gaiman, Goyer, and Heinberg seem to have nailed it to the best of their ability, albeit with a few quibbles along the way. Fans of The Sandman may have felt like they waited as long for this series as Dream did during his captivity—but the long wait was worth it. —William Goodman
‘Industry’ Season 2, Episode 1 — “Daddy”
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When: Monday, Aug. 1
Where: HBO
HBO’s Industry returned for its second season premiere this week and drew comparisons to Euphoria and Succession in the lead-up to its return. It’s a fair assessment; Industry draws from the competitive, back-stabbing nature of the Roys by seeing its cast of young London-based investment bankers jockey for position, power, and riches and channels the drug and sex-fueled antics of Euphoria when the 20-somethings are off the clock. But Industry’s Season 2 premiere reminded me of another show whose name I don’t evoke lightly: Mad Men.
One of the things about AMC’s beloved golden age series that I loved is how it often structured its premieres; audiences were often dropped into what felt like the middle of a story. Time had passed, and life continued, but we got a chance to peer through the window at an opportune moment. That’s how I feel about the premiere, entitled “Daddy,” as we return to check in on determined Harper (Myha’la Herrold, having a big week between this and Bodies Bodies Bodies), rich girl Yasmin (Marisa Abela), and working-class Robert (Harry Lawtey) in the wake of surviving the RIF (reduction in force) at the end of the first season. After a kinetic montage detailing how the three have lived during the pandemic, “Daddy” dives headfirst into a feeling many working professionals have experienced: the dreaded return to the office post-COVID. Harper, in particular, is dreading it, not only because she’s been able to stay productive (despite the panic attack she had during her RIF day presentation) from the hotel room she’s living out of, but because she and Yas still have some lingering resentment towards one another after the events of the finale.
Upon returning, dynamics have shifted. Harper’s relationship with Eric is strained (at best), and the New York branch of Pierpoint is looking to subsume the London office if they can’t produce. So much so that NYC has sent a spy—albeit a smart and charming one by the name of Danny Van Deventer, aka DVD—to keep tabs on what’s happening. As such, the stakes for the season are effectively established, and Harper needs something big to save both herself and, possibly, the London office too. Perhaps the silver-haired Jesse Bloom (Jay Duplass), who earned a fortune during the pandemic, might be her meal ticket. There’s plenty of other intrigue happening around Harper, too. Robert is trying to better himself in the wake of his mentor’s death, and Yas seems keen on finally allowing her ambitious nature to come out at work by pursuing a career change from the trading floor to Pierpoint’s more affluent wealth management offering.
You may have missed Industry when it debuted towards the end of 2020, and the first season felt so lived-in and alive in how it just dropped you into this banking world and trusted its audience to keep up with its layered characters accordingly. That’s something Mad Men did too. The overlapping DNA between the two is simple: they’re both engaging and propulsive shows that demand your attention. If you’ve not invested in Industry yet, there’s still time to buy stock before it soars. Get in on the ground floor now. —William Goodman
When: Monday, Aug. 1
Where: AMC
Even if you’re not watching Better Call Saul weekly, you’ve likely heard about this week’s episode on the Internet. After months of teasing, this week’s episode featured the return of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul—albeit in a way fans may not have anticipated.
In a clever inversion and nod towards the episode where Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) first appeared (aptly named “Better Call Saul”), this week’s episode, “Breaking Bad,” uses the initial appearance of Saul Goodman in the ABQ universe as a way to “run between the raindrops” by providing context on Saul’s decision to get involved with Walt and as a way to inform events happening in the Gene storyline. After deciding to (literally, perhaps) hang the Saul persona up for good, Gene embarks on a trip out to an undisclosed location to speak with his former secretary, Francesa. The call takes place a few months after the events of both the Breaking Bad series finale and El Camino; Skylar was absolved of any wrongdoing, and the authorities did indeed find Jesse’s car near the Mexican border, sending the search for him opposite of the new life he’s starting in Alaska. As Francesa makes it clear that the heat is still on Saul, she informs him (out of pity or respect or some combination of the two) that Kim called to check on her—and also asked if Saul was alive.
As Gene drives away from the pay phone, he comes to a four-way intersection. Perhaps as a visual nod to Mike’s discussion of actions and their resulting consequences in “Bad Choice Road,” Gene makes another series of bad choices, each more catastrophic than the last: he calls Kim, and the conversation (based on what we see since we don’t hear the call), ends poorly as Gene kicks and smashes the bottom portion of the payphone glass. From there, Gene enlists Jeff and Buddy for a new series of schemes that involve getting a mark drunk, having Jeff show up in a cab to drive the mark home after providing water laced with a sleeping agent, and then having Buddy enter the house for some identity theft while the mark is sleeping. As he did when Kim left and as he now does when she spurns him once again, Gene fully embraces the cruel Saul Goodman persona; it’s not a shock that it’s only a matter of time before facets of Saul materialize in the form of a Swing Master and a Bluetooth earpiece.
As Gene continues his descent back into Saul behavior, the Breaking Bad-era set scenes provide a strikingly informative juxtaposition. After surviving his encounter with Walt and Jesse in the desert, Saul sees the soon-to-be-infamous Heisenberg as his new golden goose. Sure, Walt and Jesse’s operation may have found other ways to expand (Gus was already aware of the blue meth courtesy of Gale’s ravings). Still, Saul sees the (now) feeble Walt as someone he can mold to his will accordingly, despite Mike’s warnings otherwise. Yet, Saul can’t let go, so he drives to Walt’s school. And yet, Gene can’t let go and starts a new scheme.
At one point inside the Crystal Ship, Saul gazes through a beaker, effectively rendering Walt and Jesse under his microscope. It’s a fitting image; in examining an untold part of Breaking Bad’s history, we get more critical insight into Jimmy McGill. If Breaking Bad was a detailed character study about how much a person can change under the circumstances, Better Call Saul is a story about how little someone evolves under extreme conditions. Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman, who became Cinnabon Gene. Still, the foundation of Slippin’ Jimmy is always there, just below the surface, treading water like the fish Saul mentions to Walt and Jesse. And as Gene heads towards another (seemingly) dangerous conclusion, he may find himself unable to swim away this time around. —William Goodman
