Sky is once again pulling out the big guns with its movie premieres this August.
Among them are some of the highest-grossing blockbusters of recent years, plus an Oscar favourite from earlier this year.
But the real gems are among its TV offerings.
Sky and the Sky-operated streaming service NOW TV have an array of American and home-grown series to get stuck into coming up, and they all sound pretty unique.
From a true crime docu-series to a timely drama about nude leaks (quelle horror!), here’s our pick of the best content coming up next month.
Little Birds – 4 August
Actress Juno Temple – known for her roles in Atonement, Unsane and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – stars in this zany-sounding adaptation of the late Anaïs Nin’s collection of erotic novellas.
All we can advise is to expect orgy scenes.
Set in the 50s in the port city of Tangier, Morocco (considered the European gateway to Africa, and a then-International Zone, making it a melting pot of cultures and characters), Juno plays Lucy: a woman on a sexual odyssey that doesn’t much concern her closeted gay husband Hugo (Fleabag’s Hugh Skinner).
Recently discussing the show’s sex scenes with The Times, Juno said she didn’t feel she ‘needed’ an intimacy coach, explaining: ‘The most important thing is making sure you and your co-star have got each other’s backs, you’re cool with what’s about to happen.’
She then said there’s something that usually helps the process along: ‘You’re normally shooting it with a rather gorgeous human being that you get to make out with.’
Joker – 7 August
Dropping on Sky Cinema and Sky Cinema Pass on NOW TV almost a year after its release is the all-conquering Joker.
Directed by Todd Phillips and starring an Oscar-winning Joaquin Phoenix, Joker offers a satisfying origin story for the most recognisable Batman super villain of them all.
But it’s also a superhero movie for people who don’t like superhero movies, doubling up as a very serious study of one man’s psychological breakdown.
Compelling stuff.
The Assistant – 8 August
We’re used to her big and brash in Ozark, but Julia Garner switches gear to startling effect in this simple but hard-hitting drama inspired by the downfall of Harvey Weinstein.
The film depicts a day in the work life of Jane, our titular assistant to a powerful figure in the entertainment world, and as aspiring movie producer.
As she dutifully completes humdrum tasks (photocopying, lunch-ordering etc), the real story registers on Jane’s face, as the recent graduate becomes increasingly aware of the vile abuse her megalomaniac boss is throwing in all directions. Will she join the toxic culture of complicity apparent among her colleagues?
A film guaranteed to make you see the world differently.
Jumanji: The Next Level – 14 August
The sequel to 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome To the Jungle, The Next Level reunites Kevin, Hart Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan and Jack Black as the adult avatars of teenagers once again trapped in Jumanji’s jungle world.
Featuring familiar tropical landscapes where giant anacondas and angry mandrills abound, new cast members include Awkwafina, Danny DeVito and Danny Glover.
Lovecraft Country – due mid-August
What do you get when Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) and J.J. Abrams (Star Wars, Cloverfield) executive produce a show together? Judging from the trailer for Lovecraft Country, something very foreboding indeed.
Adapted from Matt Ruff’s horror novel, the 50s-set show stars Jonathan Majors as Atticus and Jurnee Smollett-Bell as his friend Letitia, who set out on a road trip across the Deep South to find Atticus’s father – who has gone missing in an era of Jon Crow segregation laws.
I Hate Suzie – 27 August
Billie Piper fronts this searing comedy-drama about an actress, Suzie, whose life spirals out of control after a nude photo leak.
In the trailer, Suzie is seen recording a video in which she tells followers the woman in the pictures isn’t her (we’re guessing that’s a fib), adding: ‘Don’t w**k to lies, kids.’
This feels very 2020!
I’ll Be Gone In the Dark – due late August
Netflix has been crushing it in the true crime documentary stakes for a while now. But HBO have received critical acclaim for this six-parter, exploring the unsolved case of the Golden State Killer.
The show, which lands on Sky and NOW TV next month, is based on the book by late author Michelle McNamara.
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