The Last Voyage of the Demeter is the latest volley in Hollywood’s long-running game of “What to do with Dracula?”, taking the fresh angle of focusing on the boat that, in the original Bram Stoker novel, transports the count from Romania to England. So, kind of like Below Deck, but with fewer blood-suckers. Consist­ently interesting Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the very fun Troll Hunter) is at the helm while Corey Hawkins and the increasingly ubiquitous David Dastmalchian lead the cast. Awarding three-and-a-half stars, Pete has high hopes… and low expectations: “This absolutely should be how you set up a horror franchise. Small-scale movie, one monster. But I have a hunch this thing will die in the theaters, and then we’ll have a Dracula reboot in 2027 that tries to ‘modernize’ a novel published in 1897.” Now in theaters.

It’s been a strange journey for director Neill Blomkamp since he blew us all away with his dazzling debut District 9 in 2009. While I remain an ardent defender of the flawed-but-amazing Elysium, recapturing that early magic has remained elusive. His latest film is a unique spin on the currently thriving video-game-adaptation subgenre—Gran Turismo tells the true story of a PlayStation ace who becomes an actual race-car driver. Produced by PlayStation Productions, as with last year’s Uncharted, early reactions can’t seem to get beyond the intense product placement of it all: “Love it when movies are one big ad,” says Monaiza. Cooperviktor never­the­less likes it: “Cheesy and very much feels like a sponsored billboard, but I was surprised at how much better this film was than I expected.” Now in theaters.

Hitting theaters in the States following a UK release in June, Thomas Hardiman’s debut feature Medusa Deluxe is a campy British one-take whodunnit set in the heightened world of competitive hairstyling. There are elaborate up-dos, illegal levels of hairspray use and, most impressively for a single-take film, a real live baby that hits all its marks. Zayn makes a strong case for this “dynamic, rhythmic amalgamation of the traditional murder-mystery and inter­sectional humor + social consciousness”. Damian reckons “Hardiman’s going places… Engrossing as hell.” Milky says it’s an “exquisite little slice of another world.” Now in US theaters.

In The Pod Generation, Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor play a couple in an AI-centric future attempting the complicated process of procreation via an external egg-shaped pod. If the premise of the sci-fi satire, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, reminds you of a certain anthology TV show, Brandon confirms that it resembles an “extended episode of Black Mirror that plays with its own satirical ideas on progress”, while Jackson had some highly specific enjoyment: “I loved watching Chiwetel Ejiofor fall in love with the egg, I loved Emilia Clarke’s eyebrows”. Vshefali says the film contains a “very interesting conversation about how the government and corporations control our bodies”, and for another film in the same vein, Ajespe recommends seeking out Sophie Barthes’ “criminally underrated 2009 gem” Cold Souls. Now in US theaters.

Taking its name from Upton Sinclair’s 1917 exposé about the brutality of coal mining, Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s semi-documentary King Coal (which also premiered at Sundance) examines how coal still impacts modern-day Appalachia even as the industry’s power shrinks. Many reviews celebrate how Sheldon blurs the lines of the traditional documentary form: “Intriguing mix of objective documentary and scripted narrative,” says Sarina. Ben hails it as “that rare documentary masterpiece that simultaneously manages to feel sweeping and intimate.” Now in select US theaters.

Fresh from its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, writer-director Jared Moshé’s ideas-forward indie sci-fi Aporia stars everybody’s favorite Judy Greer as a grieving woman who uses a time-travel device to try to bring back her dead husband (Edi Gathegi). That usually goes well, and sure enough, Ema notes that Aporia “examines what happens when humans tinker too much with the past,” praising Greer’s heartstring-tugging, “beautifully grounded performance”. Brittni calls it “one of the more unique takes I’ve seen lately about timey-wimey stuff,” while Dwight intriguingly comments that it feels “like softer Brandon Cronenberg”. Jonathan speaks for us all when he says: “Let Judy Greer lead more movies.” Now in select US theaters.

American filmmaker Cory Finley, who charmed us with his 2017 feature debut Thoroughbreds and kept us on the hook with 2019’s Bad Education, directs the splendidly titled Landscape with Invisible Hand. It’s an adaptation of M.T. Anderson’s 2017 novel about a young couple (here played by Asante Blackk and Beau is Afraid’s Kylie Rogers) earning a living live-streaming their relationship in a future Earth controlled by squishy box-like aliens who are fascinated by human emotions. The sci-fi flick certainly garnered some fans after its Sundance premiere: “An insanely clever and entertaining take on alien invasion as capitalist hellscape,” raves Andrew. “You think you know what the meat of the story is going to be, and then it changes, then changes again,” comments Eric. Brother Bro says, “It’s “f—king weird in the best way.” In US theaters from August 18.

Although it was already underway when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over leadership of DC’s big-screen offerings, Gunn has said that Jaime Reyes, AKA the Blue Beetle (played by Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña) is the first official member of his new DC extended universe. Reyes is the third iteration of the storied comic-book character, and this incarnation brings a welcome Latin flavor to DC’s superhero offerings—Blue Beetle is directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, who helmed the Baltimore dirt-bike indie Charm City Kings. At one stage planned for Max, this has been upgraded to a theatrical release, so the pressure is on to perform. In theaters in most territories August 18.

“Mutt is a film made by my generation for my generation. This is us,” writes Sarina of Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s debut feature. “It’s all just so human and beautiful and real. This is going to change the lives of so many people in the queer community.” Yet another 2023 Sundance premiere getting a theatrical release this week, Mutt follows Feña as he contends with various figures from his past over the course of a day. Zoë celebrates its “impressively authentic and refreshingly tender look at life post-transition,” while Beca praises the lead performance: “Lio Mehiel breathes such wonderful life and emotion into the character of Feña.” Mutt joins the cinematic pantheon of life-in-a-single-day films, a unique, focused time-compression in an art form that usually leaps years in a single jump-cut. In select US theaters from August 18.

Benji would never. Will Ferrell voices an abandoned pet dog who teams up with some other strays (voiced by Jamie Foxx, Randall Park and Isla Fisher) to get revenge on his awful former owner Doug (Will Forte) in Strays, a gleefully foul-mouthed, R-rated, live-action animal comedy. In US theaters August 18.