August at the Cinema

Having graduated over a month ago now, I am making the most of my post-university life and my current unemployment by investing in Cineworld Unlimited and spending a large portion of my time at the cinema catching the newest releases on the big screen. August is my first full month since moving back home where I can take advantage of the two larger Cineworld cinemas as well as a one-screen independent cinema in my town. In total, I have watched 12 films, six of which were at Cineworld, one at the independent cinema, and five of which were at home. I’m pleased to have been to the cinema plenty of times; I often watch films multiple times at the cinema and so having Unlimited has been so helpful! Overall, it’s been a light month for viewing. During my degree I would watch a minimum of four films a week, one for each class, however I have a vastly different schedule which makes watching films more difficult. Although I hope August is the beginning of more consistent film viewing, and it’s great to see how much I’m saving by utilising Cineworld Unlimited as much as I can.

On the first of August, I started the month right by watching the short film Sister Wives written, directed by and starring Louisa Connolly-Burnham that came out in 2024. I saw someone recommend it online and thought it would be worth the watch, especially because it’s available on Channel 4 for free. The film explores the relationship between two young women who are married to the same man in a rural Mormon community. Connolly-Burnham does well to squeeze so much emotion into such a short space of time and her chemistry with Mia McKenna-Bruce is subtle yet grows intoxicating as the narrative unfolds.

A day later I watched Passport to Pimlico (Henry Cornelius, 1949) on DVD with my parents. The black-and-white Ealing comedy was smartly written as many older films unexpectedly are and made us chuckle throughout.

The seventh brought my first Cineworld watch of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Matt Shakman) with my whole family to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. This is a film I was eager to watch as Pedro Pascal, one of my favourite actors, joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it is generally agreed that the MCU has faltered since Avengers: Endgame (Anthony and Joe Russo, 2019), The Fantastic Four is one of the studio’s more recent efforts that seems to be bringing them out of that post-Endgame slump.

The day after I enjoyed Zach Creggor’s Weapons (2025) at 11:30 in the morning. It felt strange seeing a horror film so early in the morning but the screening was busier than I was expecting. I felt uncertain on my initial watch (you can read that review here), however, after much contemplation and a striking review from Aaron Nolan, I feel as though Weapons deserves a second viewing.

And on the ninth, my third cinema trip in a row, I saw The Ballad of Wallis Island (James Griffiths, 2025) at my local independent cinema. This film, written by and starring Tom Basden and Tim Key, was perhaps my most anticipated watch of this year and it did not disappoint. If you want to hear more about this film, you can read my full, raving review here.

That evening, I did some research on this film and found it was based on the short The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island made by Griffiths, Basden, and Key back in 2007. The short film is a glimpse into the budding potential that the trio had 18 years ago and it’s so amazing to see how The One and Only transformed into such a brilliant feature.

On the twelfth of August, I randomised my Letterboxd watchlist and decided to watch the first film on the list, Cowboys & Aliens (2011) directed by Jon Favreau. This film was recommended to me by someone I had met in London last year as I expressed interest in westerns that do something to subvert the genre. Despite many Letterboxd reviews looking down on this film, I think it had a lot of really enjoyable elements. And, honestly, I’m a sucker for Jon Favreau.

I then saw the much anticipated Materialists (Celine Song, 2025) at Cineworld with my Mom. Since its release, this film has been incredibly divisive, with some people loving it and some heavily criticising it. I thought it was a well-shot film that creates an incredibly relevant conversation surrounding modern dating and introduces a sub-plot that feels far more important than the main narrative. That being said, I do understand many of the critiques, mainly surrounding the believability of the relationship between Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and John (Chris Evans).

I returned to the cinema with my Mom a few days later to watch Superman (James Gunn, 2025). I’d seen it when it was first released back in July, however I was happy to rewatch it with someone else. I noticed that the film did feel slow in a few places upon rewatch, but overall I had a great time with it and enjoyed James Gunn’s interpretation of the character, and I think the casting of David Corenswet was perfect!

A week later, the cinema saw me returning to view The Fantastic Four: First Steps for a second time (I have a habit of watching the same films in cinema with different people. I can’t resist saying yes to a cinema trip). This viewing just cemented Vanessa Kirby as the standout performer in this film.

I then had the pleasure of watching Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) at IMAX for its 50^th anniversary on August 30th. I love Jaws. This film just gets better and better with every watch; it is a true masterclass in filmmaking. I don’t think I can say much about Jaws that hasn’t already been said. But what I can say is that I watched that film with a smile on my face for its whole duration, except for when the shark was on screen, then it was replaced with a look of terror. But for a good few days after, my Dad and I discussed new things we had noticed or scenes we had appreciated more this time around. I honestly cannot contain my love for this film. If I wasn’t so stubborn about my Letterboxd Top 4, Jaws would be in there.

And to see August out, as I sat in a caravan in rural Wales with my childhood best friend, we watched The Wild Robot (Chris Sanders, 2024) on an old DVD player that was hooked up to an equally old and tiny computer monitor. The Wild Robot was a film that slipped under my radar last year and so I’m pleased to have finally watched it. It’s a classic heartwarming animation that makes you a little teary by the time it’s finished and has the emotional score to accompany it.

As I reflect on the past month of film viewings, I’m glad to have seen so many new releases in cinemas! Visiting cinemas, commercial and independent alike, is crucial for keeping the film industry alive. I urge you to see as many films in cinemas as you can and be sure to support your smaller local cinemas because without viewers like us, they wouldn’t exist.

September, amongst many other great films, sees the release of Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk which I have been looking forward to since finishing Stephen King’s book earlier this year. I also hope that my at-home viewing habits move away from the sunny summer films and into more cozy autumnal watches as the weather starts to get colder and snuggling up under a blanket on the sofa seems ever more appealing.