WOLVES
Rated: R
Release: August 8th
If you are a director looking to cast a superb actor as a less than admirable character in your next movie Michael Shannon should be on your list. Mr. Shannon impressed critics and audiences alike as the Orlando realtor who evicts families from their foreclosed homes in 99 Homes and was Oscar-nominated for playing the cowboy detective in Nocturnal Animals. In Wolves, he adds another unsavory character to his filmography as Lee, an English professor by day and gambler by night placing his family’s financial security in jeopardy. Lee’s irresponsible choices primarily affect his son Anthony (Taylor John Smith) the star basketball player on his high school team with plans to attend the college of his choosing. Anthony seeks advice from the aptly named Socrates (John Douglas Thompson), a former Nets player who confers with his uncle (Chris Bauer) on how to impress the coach of the Cornell team. Those who know more about the sport than I assured me the games are well choreographed and well played by actors for whom this is not their first time on a court.

GOING IN STYLE
Rated: PG 13
Release: August 1st
Oscar winners, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin, slip into the roles of three jobless factory workers who come up with a risky plan to pay the bills. These suddenly unemployed men face a financial disaster similar to real life American blue collar workers whose jobs evaporated due to either automation, corporate greed, bad management decisions or a combination of all three. With their pension plans frozen and bank balances at zero Willie (Mr. Freeman), Joe (Mr. Caine) and Albert (Mr. Arkin) hatch a plan to rob the (fictional) Williamsburg Savings Bank. When Willie asks Joe “Aren’t you afraid of being caught?” Joe replies, “These banks practically destroyed this country and nothing happened to them.”

Director Zach Braff’s comedy is an altered, updated version of Martin Brest’s 1979 movie which co-starred George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg as the inexperienced thieves.

These three actors share an enviable Oscar history. Mr. Freeman won the Academy Award for Million Dollar Baby and was nominated for Street Smart, The Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy and Invictus. Mr. Caine received the coveted award for Hannah and Her Sisters and Cider House Rules. His work in Alfie and Sleuth was also recognized. Little Miss Sunshine brought Mr. Arkin Hollywood’s biggest prize. He was nominated for his performances in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter and Argo.

SNATCHED
Rated: R
Release: August 8th
The producers’ plan had merit. Convince a much-admired star with three decades worth of hit comedies to come out of a self-imposed 15-year retirement and pair her with one of the most famous comedic talents of her generation. Despite the combined talents of Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer, the mother-daughter comedy adventure did not capture the attention of moviegoers or find favor with critics. Made for $45 million, Snatched grossed $45.6 million domestically. By comparison, Ms. Schumer’s 2015 hit Trainwreck took in $110 million. Emily (Ms. Schumer), recently dumped by a boyfriend, persuades her risk averse mother Linda (Ms. Hawn) to take a vacation at a posh resort in Ecuador. Despite being told of the statistic that one in four tourists are kidnapped, mother and daughter accept a stranger’s offer to see the countryside. It will not surprise you to know that the libidinous Emily is eager to spend time with the aforementioned handsome stranger or that the women are snatched. Unremarkable comedic shtick follows as the two hatch an escape plan. You will need an excuse to exit as well if friends and family members who have not read the reviews insist on viewing Snatched in your living room.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE LONG HAUL
Rated: PG
Release: August 8th
It’s enough to discourage any sensible person from taking a summer road trip. In The Long Haul—adapted for the screen from author Jeff Kenney’s ninth book in the series—the Heffley kids and their parents head west to celebrate grandma’s 90th birthday. None of the original cast members appear in director David Bower’s fourth installment: Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott replace Rachel Harris and Steve Zahn. Eleven-year-old Jason Drucker is the new Greg. He and older brother Rodrick have their own agenda which involves taking a detour to attend a gamer convention in Indianapolis. Only the Griswold family in National Lampoon’s Vacation had more problems than the Heffley’s, but with a cast led by Chevy Chase, the Griswold’s were more entertaining. According to Rotten Tomatoes, only 37 percent of the audience enjoyed this Wimpy Kid sequel. The critics were less impressed with a low 20 percent approval rating.

THE BLACKLIST: SEASON 4
Release: August 15th
One of the program’s major assets is Golden Globe recipient James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington—an unapologetic criminal who makes a deal with the FBI. He gives the feds a list of the most dangerous criminals on all continents and the Bureau grants him immunity from prosecution So far Mr. Spader has appeared in 67 episodes. May I humbly suggest to members of the Emmy nominating committee the establishment of a Lifetime Achievement Award and present one of the statuettes to Mr. Spader for his work on Boston Legal, The Office and, of course, The Blacklist. Although the show is set in Washington DC, episodes are shot on the set formerly occupied by Law and Order. Be of good cheer all of you avid fans awaiting Season 5 of NBC’s crime thriller on October 17th.

ALIEN COVENANT
Rated: R
Release: August 15th
Michael Fassbender plays David and Walter, two physically identical but otherwise different androids in director Ridley Scott’s sequel to his 2012 Prometheus. Walter joins the Covenant crew comprised of five couples who were selected to colonize a habitable planet before Earth reaches its expiration date. David, displaying many human traits is the mastermind behind a plan to eliminate those involved in the mission who are attacked by an, an army of xenomorphs the powerful four-legged creatures first seen in the 1979 film and later in various Alien sequels. The movie grossed over $231 billion at the worldwide box office.

THE WALL
Rated: R
Release: August 15th
Director Kathryn Bigelow’s 2008 Oscar-winning film, The Hurt Locker, David O. Russell’s Three Kings and Clint Eastwood’s controversial American Sniper are, in my opinion, the three best commercially successful films about the war in Iraq. The Wall directed by Douglas Limon (Edge Of Tomorrow and The Bourne Identity) is set in 2007 during the waning days of George W. Bush’s and Dick Cheney’s war. There are three characters—Staff Sgt. Shane Matthews (John Cena), shot by an unseen gunman; Sgt. Allen Isaac (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) whose so-called safe space is behind a crumbling stone wall; and the chatty sniper who may be the Islamic Army’s secret weapon known as Juba (Laith Nakli). Mr. Taylor-Johnson’s most notable film role thus far is Quicksilver in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Mr. Cena has another career as a WWE superstar with 25 championships. Winning at the box office is an entirely different challenge. The Wall grossed a disappointing $3 million globally. Based on the financial success of the many action movie franchises, the evidence suggests that male ticket buyers 18-35 prefer cheering on superheroes as they vanquish an enemy rather than watch a film based on the real heroics of men and women in uniform and who put themselves in harm’s way.