August 2023 Movies Ranked

With August coming to a close, I wanted to share my thoughts and ranking on the 8 August new releases that I saw. August is usually a bit lighter on big studio films as this month and September are usually when the big studios wind down and prepare for fall awards season. I was still able to see some bigger studio films as well as a few fun independent movies. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the 8 August new releases that I saw.

8. Heart of Stone

Heart of Stone is the one Netflix movie I saw this month but is unfortunately not all that good. It looks really slick as they threw a lot of money at it. All of the action and effects are all big and well done. Some of the action sequences are also pretty interesting and the movie as a whole is never boring. However, the story and characters are just extremely forgettable. None of the characters have any sort of charm to them. Even Gal Gadot just feels like a lifeless version of herself. I also thought the story had way too many ideas. It tries to do three different stories and cram them all into one movie. There is the plot about Gal Gadot working undercover in MI6, a plot about Gal Gadot getting stranded with one of the villains, and then a generic plot about retrieving an important device. Any one of those plots could work, but having all of them in the film was just not effective. This movie is a prime example of what is wrong with Netflix. They throw tons of money at a movie with a mediocre story that doesn't do well and then wonder why they are losing billions of dollars. Overall, this is a very slick-looking looking just incredibly mediocre action film that shows that Netflix really needs to stick with mid-budget films.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

7. Haunted Mansion

Haunted Mansion is yet another Disney film to be based on a Disney World ride and the second to be based on The Haunted Mansion. This movie has some decent enough moments. There were a few times that made me laugh out loud. It also had a bit more heart to it than I was expecting with some emotional moments from the main character. I also felt the movie did a good job of capturing a "spooky" vibe. It isn't scary enough to turn away families but has just enough ghosts and haunts to keep you on edge. It is a movie of a fun kind of scary Halloween movie more so than actually scary. Something similar in tone to Multiverse of Madness, Ghostbusters, or Casper. Unfortunately, as a whole, this movie is just really bland. Most of the characters are pretty forgettable. There is the occasional funny moment but most of the jokes fall flat. I also felt the story in general was just incredibly forgettable. It doesn't make many bad choices. It just doesn't do anything particularly fun either. The movie plays things pretty safe and doesn't really push for anything exciting. In the end, this is just another generic Disney movie that plays things pretty safe but at the expense of being memorable.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

6. Meg 2: The Trench

Meg 2: The Trench was probably the most fun movie I saw this month. It is very entertaining from start to finish between all the shark fights and giant fish monsters. I found the plot of this movie to be a lot more focused than the original Meg. The action in this film was also a lot better and more over the top. Unlike the first movie which took itself too seriously, this movie found the perfect tone that acknowledges how goofy and stupid the movie is. With that being said, this is by no means a good movie. It has very weak characters and an incredibly paper-thin and stupid plot. This movie is a perfect example of a junk food movie. It isn't very good, you could nitpick everything to death but it is very entertaining and a blast to watch. You know exactly what kind of movie you are signing up for going in. Overall, this is a very dumb yet very entertaining movie that doesn't have a lot to offer story and quality-wise but makes up for it in entertainment value. I'm not here for the plot and characters, I'm here to see Jason Statham riding a Jet Ski while fighting three sharks.

Score: 6.2/10 Grade: C+

5. Jules

Jules is one of the two independent films I saw this month. Jules follows Milton, a retired man, who encounters an alien that crash lands into his backyard and tries to help him return home. This film is essentially ET but with an old man instead of a child. This was a very small simple story that is just a nice 90 minutes to sit through. The story is very sweet as we see Milton and his friends bond with Jules the alien. There are a lot of sweet moments of friendship in this movie and by the end it just makes you feel all fuzzy inside. There are also a few funny moments in the film particularly between Milton and his two friends. The dynamic between them is just so fun and sweet. I think Ben Kingsly does a great job as Milton. He plays the grumpy old man role so well and can balance the grump of an old man with sweetness. Overall, I like how small-scale the movie is. After seeing so many big spectacle films, it's refreshing to have something small and simple. If a blockbuster is a big meal, then Jules is the after-dinner mint. The main thing keeping it from the top 3 is just because it is so small. There is nothing special about it that stands out. It's just a short story that was nice to go through once but then isn't something you'll want to see again. In the end, this is a nice refreshing small-scale film that achieves exactly what it is going for.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

4. Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle is the newest film in the DCEU and is surprisingly smaller scale than other DCEU films. This is a fun small-stakes story that works on a lot of levels. At its core, it is all about the importance of family. The family plays a big role in the story and delivers a lot of funny and sweet moments. George Lopez steals the show whenever he is on screen as his character embodies such fun energy. The movie also has a lot of heart and surprisingly emotional moments. I also found that there were quite a few funny moments in the movie, many of which made me laugh out loud. I really like how small-scale this story is. Instead of being about a world-ending threat, it is just about a boy trying to provide for his family. There are still some typical blockbuster action moments but it's nowhere near as big as other films. There are a few things that keep this film back for me. I felt that Jaime gets a little sidelined in the second half of the film and kind of gets buried with the rest of the family. I also felt that the villain was a bit forgettable. She has some motivation but is mostly just a generic greedy CEO. Finally, I felt that the movie was a bit familiar with the story. It feels kind of like a mix between Iron Man and Spider-Man and doesn't really do anything new story-wise. Overall, this is a fun yet familiar DCEU film that is a solid low-stakes adventure.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Mutant Mayhem is the newest reboot in the TMNT franchise. This movie puts the teenage back in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. The four turtles perfectly embody how a teenager would act today. The movie is very high energy with a lot of fun action. There are a lot of fun moments in this as well as a solid story. I also felt that there was a good amount of heart in the movie with some very sweet moments in the second half of the film. The voice cast and supporting characters are all a lot of fun. Super Fly and all of his guys are a fun addition to the story with Super Fly being a very fun villain. Finally, I really liked the animation style of this movie. It reminds me a lot of Into the Spider-verse and is just so unique in its style but still totally matches the energy of the story. I don't have any big issues with the story but there are a couple of minor things that hold this film back. I wasn't much of a fan of the portrayal of Splinter. He felt more like a joke than a valuable mentor character. I felt that the TCRI characters were a bit out of place. They either needed to be more predominant as a secondary villain or not in it at all. In the end, this was a fun kids' movie that perfectly captured the energy of the Ninja Turtles.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

2. Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo was a very fun racing movie by Neill Blomkamp. All the racing elements were very well done and exciting. I also quite enjoyed all of the training aspects of the film. The suspense and excitement in this film are done very well as you are always wondering whether Jann is going to make it to the next round. I also really liked the added video game elements to the story. When the race is going on, sometimes the movie will add elements from the video game over the top such as the placement and ranking. It was just another interesting layer to add to the story. There were a few sold performances as well. David Harbor does a great job as Jack Slater. He plays the role of the tough-love coach very well. I didn't realize how good of an actor he was until I saw this movie. I also enjoyed the Orlando Bloom performance. He hasn't been in much since Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean so it was fun to see him in a movie like this. The main thing holding this film back is that it plays the racing movie formula pretty hard. Granted it does the formula well, but it still sticks to the standard formula and doesn't add anything new. Overall, this a fun racing movie that while it sticks to the formula, does it well.

Score: 8.2/10 Grade: B+

1. Theater Camp

Theater Camp is the second of the independent films that I saw and was actually a lot better than I was expecting. Theater Camp follows a rundown theater camp that must band together to keep their camp afloat. This movie was able to capture a certain level of charm that really made it fun to watch. Just like Jules, this is a very small film but unlike Jules, this film is very unique and does something different. It is styled in a documentary format which works well with the story they are trying to tell. Because of this format, the movie feels a lot like The Office but for theater nerds, as it has a lot of that same humor. The movie also uses the documentary format as a great storytelling device and manages to keep a focused and clear story. There is also a lot of humor in this movie. It is not laugh-out-loud funny but more like a subtle kind of humor that just gets a chuckle. I thought all of the jokes worked and felt that everyone around me enjoyed them as well. This movie also has a lot of heart with so many of the characters going through various struggles and having to grow beyond their issues. In the end, the movie ends up paying off all of the various character arcs and ends in a very satisfying way and in typical theater fashion, a big musical number. Finally, I felt that this movie was a perfect embodiment of how theater people act and the interactions they have with each other. Overall, this was a very fun and charming movie that is a refreshing break from the normal blockbusters and prestige films.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-