From David Brent to Bridget Jones, here’s Popcorn’s definitive guide to the month’s biggest movies

War Dogs

Tagline Money, corruption and the American dream.

Certificate 15

Directed by Tod Phillips

Cast Jonah Hill, Miles Teller

Plot summary Based on a book (Arms And The Dudes by Guy Lawson), War Dogs tells the real-life story of two friends in their 20s, David and Efraim, who exploit a government loophole that allows small businesses to bid on US military contracts. All goes well and they’re living the high life until they stretch themselves too far and win a $300million deal to arm the Afghan military that gets them into hot water with the, er, fun people involved in that side of life. Think 21 Jump Street having a baby with The Hangover.

Excitement level 4

Jamie’s low-down I love Jonah Hill – he’s a tour de force and, along with Miles Whiplash Teller, should do a brilliant job in this movie, which sounds more farce than fact. Surely these
things didn’t really happen?! Apparently they did. Brought to you by The Hangover team (Bradley Cooper is a producer and appears as international arms big-shot Omar), it should be the tonic we need after the year we’re having. 

Released August 26

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Sausage Party

Tagline A hero will rise.

Certificate 15

Directed by Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon

Cast Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill

Plot summary Be warned – this is not for kids! A spoof of the past two decades’ worth of Pixar, DreamWorks and Disney films, this animated adventure features some of the biggest stars in the world (Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Edward Norton and Salma Hayek) playing items of food. Living in a supermarket, they all dream of being picked by the lovely customers… until they realise what we actually do with our food. The existential journey
to try to escape their inevitable fate ensues.

Excitement level 5

Jamie’s low-down A film eight years in the making (no studio
dared touch it) after Seth Rogen had a moment of clarity wondering what life would be like if food had feelings. The trailer for Sausage Party was recently accidentally played before Finding Dory in
front of hundreds of horrified kids. You can see why – if you watch without the sound, it seems innocuous enough – nice, funny food charging around on an adventure, right? Hmm… This is one of the sweariest, funniest trailers I’ve ever seen and if the film keeps up with that pace, we’re in for a real treat.

Out now

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Swallows and Amazons

Tagline Some summers you treasure forever.

Certificate U

Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe

Cast Andrew Scott, Rafe Spall, Kelly Macdonald

Plot summary An updated movie version of the classic 1930s children’s novel by Arthur Ransome about the adventures of two families in the Lake District during their summer holidays. Set in the pre-internet era when imagination was a necessity, it sees the children fill their days with old-fashioned pursuits like camping, fishing, pirates and sailing dinghies (called Swallow and Amazon). Captain Flint, the common enemy of the kids, finds himself the focus of their mischief after daring to spend time writing his memoirs rather than playing with them. But then the kids get a chance to play grown-ups when something precious is stolen from Captain Flint… What follows is a tale of days gone by, ginger beer, corned beef and good old-fashioned, rose-tinted adventure.

Excitement level 3

Jamie’s low-down I’m aware that I’m in the minority, but this book completely passed me by as a child. However, the thought of taking my kids to see a Blyton-esque romp with such a formidable cast raises my hopes that maybe one day they’ll realise that the answers to the universe won’t be found playing Pokémon Go.

Out now

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Bad Moms

Tagline Party like a mother.

Certificate 15

Directed by Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

Cast Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Christina Applegate

Plot summary An ensemble cast tackles this comedy about… well, you work it out.
A group of mums – completely overworked, exhausted and under-appreciated – decide to cut loose and go on a massive bender, ridding themselves of responsibility and indulging in a bit of fun and freedom one last time. All that is fine and dandy – unless you’re one of those goody-two-shoes mums who is a member of the PTA and is squarer than a nun with principles…

Excitement level 3

Jamie’s low-down I’m really not the target audience of Bad Moms, that much is very
clear. I’m not sure if this is the final part of
the trilogy started by Bad Santa and continued by Bad Teacher, but I think I get the gist. It’s
the female version of Hall Pass. The movie looks very funny, the cast is great, and the trailer shows us it’s not exactly one to watch with Grandma.

Released August 26

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Bridget Jones’ Baby

Tagline Relationship status: beyond complicated.

Certificate TBC

Directed by Sharon Maguire

Cast Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey

Plot summary She’s broken up with Mark Darcy, is in her 40s and single. Again. But Bridget Jones, back for her third instalment, is not alone for long. Instead of wallowing in her singledom, this time around Bridge is refocusing on her work as a TV producer, catching up with friends and finding life to be pretty good. So no one is more surprised than she is to discover she’s up the duff. Only thing is, Bridget’s not entirely sure who the father is: Patrick Dempsey as American Jack Qwant or Colin Firth’s Darcy. Most of the gang are back, including Jim Broadbent, Sally Phillips and Ed Sheeran (wait, what?), for a script based on a series of Helen Fielding’s newspaper columns.

Excitement level 3

Jamie’s low-down In real-life this scenario would be on Jeremy Kyle, but this is brought to you by the same original Bridget Jones gang, so expect wine, big knickers, ice cream, plenty of laughs and a Hollywood-style happy ending. It’s almost impossible to dislike Bridget Jones films, isn’t it? They’re harmless, very funny and make you feel good. Once I get used to Renée’s new, erm, face, I’m sure I’ll love it!

Released September 16

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David Brent: Life on the Road

Tagline Live fast, die old.

Certificate 15

Directed by Ricky Gervais

Cast Ricky Gervais, Doc Brown

Plot summary Ricky Gervais resurrects his iconic David Brent character for this follow-
up mockumentary. Set over a decade after The Office, this time the cameras chronicle Brent as he chases musical stardom with his band Foregone Conclusion. Now a sales rep (what else?), David uses his holiday leave and pension fund to tour the UK, inviting a film crew along for the ride in a bid to recreate Scorsese’s Rolling Stones film Shine A Light (spoiler: he doesn’t). It features a bunch of original (and very funny) songs recorded especially for the film, including Lady Gypsy, Life on The Road and the undoubted classic Equality Street.

Excitement level 4

Jamie’s low-down Much like Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge, Ricky’s David
Brent must feel like a blessing and a curse – he just can’t shake him off, and thank goodness for that. He’s one of our best-loved characters and I cannot wait to see what bum-clenchingly awful situations he finds himself in. Let’s face it, we all like Brent because the “chilled-out entertainer” makes us all look that little bit less rubbish! 

Out now

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Ben-Hur

Tagline First to finish, last to die.

Certificate 12A

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

Cast Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Rodrigo Santoro

Plot summary Ben-Hur is a new interpretation of the novel and classic 1959 film (starring Charlton Heston) we all know and love: the biblical tale of nobleman Judah Ben-Hur, who is falsely accused of an assassination attempt by his adopted brother Messala. After surviving years of Roman slavery, Ben wreaks revenge on Messala by challenging him to, yup, a chariot race. Jesus pops up at some point too, which is nice.

Excitement level 2

Jamie’s low-down I’m dubious about this one, TBH. A reimagining of one of the greatest films of all time by the director who brought us Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? Hmm. Forgive me if I don’t sit here expecting the next Gladiator, let alone anything remotely close to the brilliance of the original Ben-Hur. This was supposed to star Tom Hiddleston, Gal Gadot and Pedro Pascal – all of whom ended up pulling out, which doesn’t bode well. Could well be this year’s Clash of The Titans.

Released August 26

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Captain Fantastic

Tagline Stick it to the man.

Certificate 15

Directed by Matt Ross

Cast Viggo Mortensen, Frank Langella

Plot summary It might sound like a superhero flick, but this is actually about a man trying to reintegrate into society after living in isolation in the forest for 10 years. After his wife is sent to an institution for bipolar disorder, Ben Cash raises his six children while completely shunning society. Following a family tragedy, however, he takes the kids on a road trip to New Mexico to seek some closure – despite warnings that he may face arrest. Ben soon realises that while going off grid may be idyllic, it isn’t always the best choice.

Excitement level 4

Jamie’s low-down I bloody love Viggo Mortensen. I can’t remember a duff film he’s done – from Eastern Promises to The Road, he encapsulates everything men should aspire to be: decent, moral and upstanding. The posters and premise of this film have me salivating – I know Mortensen will be amazing, I know it’s going to be beautifully shot and I know I’m going to love it. Not a Hollywood big-hitter of a movie, but some food for the soul.

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