Release Radar: Our pick of the week's best TV, movies, and games (August 12-18)
Jason Vorhees, Charles Manson, a massive shark and more
1. Friday the 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition will bring a helping of horror to the Switch
Having some friends over anytime soon? There’s nothing quite like cosying up with your Nintendo Switch for a night of multiplayer survival horror. If you fancy filling the shoes of Jason Vorhees and slicing and dicing your way through camp Crystal Lake to hunt down other players, Friday the 13th: The Game is the fright fest for you. On the flip side, you can also take on the role of one of the camp counselors with a team of other players who have to try and outwit the hockey mask-wearing killer. Originally released back in 2017, the Ultimate Slasher edition coming to the Switch has oodles of extra content, including different Jason skins to unlock, new ways to murder your victims, and plenty of different methods to escape Vorhees when he’s out for blood.
What: Friday the 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition
Where: Nintendo Switch
When: August 13
2. The Angry Birds Movie 2 is looking to break the video game movie curse... No, really
Don’t get yourself in a flap. The Angry Birds Movie 2 is swooping into cinemas this week and, honestly and truly, it’s capital-G Good, blending laugh-out-loud moments with a rich sense of style and vibrant color that’s been so sorely missing from most animated movies in the past few years. It’s technically a video game movie, too, so it should go some way to breaking the genre’s curse at the box office. That is, until Sonic speeds into sight early next year.
So, what’s new this time around? Following on from the first movie, Red, Bomb, and Chuck, the Angry Birds, are forced to put aside their differences with the pigs to battle a new threat: more birds. Shakespeare, this ain’t, but, as the trailer shows, this will be a movie that will have kids and adults alike beaming all the way through with its silly sense of madcap humor – and there’s no flossing, dabs, or any other ‘down with the kids’ attempts in sight. Phew.
What: The Angry Birds Movie 2
Where: Movie theaters
When: August 14
3. Mindhunter returns to remind you to lock your doors at night
Netflix's thrilling exploration of criminal profiling is back on August 16, and this time the gang from the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit are taking on the Atlanta Child Murders and serial killer Son of Sam. The new trailer suggests the series will explore the internal machinations of the bureau, and face America's racial tensions as they race to find the Atlanta killer. We also know that Charles Manson will be one of the featured killers, played by Damon Herriman, who also took on the role of Manson in Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.
What: Mindhunter Season 2
Where: Netflix
When: August 16
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4. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged promises just as many shark scares as the original, plus more horrors
Two years ago, 47 Meters Down was a box office smash. The horror film told the story of two sisters trapped inside of a deep sea diving cage with limited oxygen in their scuba tanks. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged keeps the sharks and deletes the cage, as four friends set out to explore ancient underwater ruins in Brazil only to discover they're trapped in a labyrinth full of hungry sharks. The sequel promises to up the anxiety ante by adding claustrophobic tunnels to the equation. It's sure to be pulpy horror at its finest, but if that doesn't interest you, you can watch Sylvester Stallone's daughter Sistine in her acting debut. Maybe she'll punch a shark.
What: 47 Meters Down: Uncaged
Where: Movie theaters
When: August 16
5. The Righteous Gemstones brings wild family fun to HBO
A fan of Danny McBride’s brand of humor? Then you’re in for a treat. The comedian returns this week with a new HBO show, The Righteous Gemstones, which follows an extremely wealthy family who are all God-loving muppets obsessed with money. John Goodman - arguably the world’s greatest character actor - plays the Gemstone family’s patriarch, trying to keep everyone else’s ridiculous antics slightly grounded. Other cast members include Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine and Cassidy Freeman, who all play members of the family. Considering this is created, directed, written and starring McBride, this idiosyncratic show looks set to be an absolute blast.
What: The Righteous Gemstone
Where: HBO
When: August 18
Release Radar picks the best games, movies, and shows of the next seven days every Monday at 11am GMT.
Rachel Weber is the former US Managing Editor of 12DOVE and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She joined 12DOVE in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team.