Premieres to Watch Out For – August 2021

While our Box Office Bonanza is still going strong with a hit film every night in August, I thought I’d take a little time to highlight 10 premieres of unique older films and deeper cuts which may have made less of an impact at the box office but might tickle your fancy. See all of this month’s Hollywood Suite premieres here.

Pedicab Driver (1989)

My highest recommendation goes to this gem from the golden age of Hong Kong action that highlights the tremendous talents of Sammo Hung both as a star and behind the camera. Set in a beautifully re-created 1930s Macao, the story sets Hung in his usual underestimated plus-sized charmer role as the leader of a rickshaw driver crew who finds his compatriots stirring up more and more trouble. The story has everything from tragic romance to hard-hitting kung fu, including a tremendous showdown between Hung and Shaw Brothers staple Lau Kar-Leung, but it may be the unbelievable pedicab chase that makes this a film that must be seen to be believed.

Premieres August 11 at 9pm ET on HS80 – Available On Demand

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

If you’re looking for big swooning emotions, you can’t get better than this movie from golden age icon Howard Hawks. A surprisingly effective mix of romance and flyboy intrigue, this film sees Jean Arthur stumbling into the travails of a ragtag team of delivery pilots run by Carey Grant. Sparks fly, fights ensue and it’s all set on the dangerous backdrop of early aeronautics including some amazing onscreen stunts. The film was also Columbia studio head Harry Cohn’s planned coming out party for the recently re-named Rita Hayworth and, while she doesn’t have the biggest role, the way she burns up the screen ensured she’d dominate in the next decade.

Premieres August 19 at 9pm ET on HS70 – Available On Demand

When A Stranger Calls (1979) 

With one of the most influential first acts in horror history, director Fred Walton’s chiller brings the urban legend that haunted babysitters to the big screen. Regarded as sleazy and uneven at the time, this film’s unusual mix of a slasher, detective film and revenge movie stands out today compared to many repetitive 80s slashers. Shifting perspectives between the killer, his desired victim and the detective hunting him make this film an experience with more in common with the Italian Giallo films that inspired the genre than the Friday The 13th riffs that followed. While the role may not have had the awards heft of Carol Kane’s early work, she sells the tension beautifully throughout and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Premieres August 13 at 9pm ET on HS70 – Available On Demand

Eat The Rich (1987)

It is truly hard to describe this raucous Thatcher-era satire which features everything from a drunken action hero Home Secretary to mass cannibalism, but it’s easy to see why the legacy of this unusual punk comedy endures. Boasting a cast lead by UK Trans icon Lanah P, Lemmy from Motörhead, boxer-turned-stuntman Nosher Powell and the iconic cast of The Comic Strip (Including Rik Mayall, French & Saunders and Robbie Coltrane), this film gives you everything comically but the kitchen sink. If a violent overthrow of upper-class Britain in the 80s set to the tune of Motörhead seems up your alley then strap in!

Premieres August 6 at 9pm ET on HS80 – Available On Demand

Wide Awake (1998)

On a completely different end of the spectrum lies this gentle coming-of-age film unexpectedly from the mind of writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. While he carries more heft as the master of twists these days, Shyamalan also has a proven hand tackling religious themes and this film takes a unique child’s perspective on a crisis of faith as a young boy struggles with the passing of his grandfather . Backed up by a tremendous supporting cast including Dana Delaney, Denis Leary, Rosie O’Donnell and Robert Loggia this is a uniquely thoughtful film that’s good for the whole family.

Premieres August 27 at 9pm ET on HS90 – Available On Demand

The Sea Wolves (1980) 

Do you like Roger Moore but feel like his turn as James Bond leaned a bit too hard on the slide-whistle goofiness? Well then The Sea Wolves is for you! This based-on-a-true story spy thriller deals with grimy street-level tradecraft while boasting adventure movie charm. It follows the tale of spies and soldiers hoping to discreetly attack a Nazi ship in the neutral port of Goa, India during WW2. Moore is commissioned to the quest by Gregory Peck and joined by a battalion of the best of British actors including Trevor Howard, David Niven and Patrick Macnee.

Premieres August 16 at 9pm ET on HS80 – Available On Demand

Coupe de Ville (1990)

Speaking of stacked casts, this forgotten 90s dramedy features a corker with three estranged brothers played by Daniel Stern, Arye Gross and Patrick Dempsey trying to drive their father (Alan Arkin) home a beloved car without wrecking it or each other in the process. The nostalgia-filled cross-country road trip recalls movies like Diner and Stand By Me as it tackles the tense emotional relationships between men.

Premieres August 9 at 9pm ET on HS90 – Available On Demand

The Lunchbox (2013)

Our World Cinema Wednesdays this month includes this charming film from Indian director Ritesh Batra which became an international sensation. The story follows the unlikely friendship and blossoming romance between two strangers (the late Irfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur) only connected by a culinary mix-up from Mumbai’s infamous “dabbawalas” which causes her to make him a daily lunch instead of her husband. A mix of subtle emotion, beautiful cinematography and delicious food makes this a universal tale that’s an absolute crowd pleaser. Ritesh Batra started the film as a documentary about dabbawalas but was compelled to bring some of their more charming stories of the delivery men to fictional life with this film and the cinematic community is better for it.

Premieres August 18 at 9pm ET on HS00 – Available On Demand

Bell, Book and Candle (1958)

If you like your romance even more unusual than mixed-up lunchbox correspondence, then you need go no further than the magical tension of this classic. Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart (the same year as Vertigo, no less) star as a witch and the regular man who gets inadvertently enchanted by her in more ways than one. While it’s a part of the same mid-20th century wave that birthed I Married A Witch and Bewitched, you might be surprised at the places this strange little film goes and how steamy it gets. Add to that colourful design and fabulous gowns from Jean Louis as well as a rare big screen turn from comedy icon Ernie Kovacs and you’ll have no question why this film has kept audiences spellbound for decades.

Premieres August 12 at 9pm ET on HS70 – Available On Demand

Room for Rent (2017)

Canada has always had a talent for dark comedy and this entry from writer/director Matthew Atkinson is a hilarious thriller that will keep you guessing. Mark Little, who you might recognize from cult hits Cavendish and Picnicface, stars as a pathetic former lottery winner who must give up space in his parent’s house to a charming but strange new renter played by American comedian Bret Gelman. Both performers are great at playing weirdos who are willing to push the limits of awkwardness and this quickly becomes a battle royale for how much one man can push the other

Premieres August 19 at 7:25pm ET on HS00 – Available On Demand