Best international movies to stream this August, from M3gan to The Black Phone

8th Aug 2023 | Source: Showmax

<div><em>M3gan, The Black Phone, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, Vengeance & more</em></div>

<div><strong>M3GAN</strong><span style="color:#ff0000"> </span><span style="color:#000000"> | Stream from 21 August</span></div>

<div><em>M3GAN</em><span style="color:#000000"> is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a lifelike doll that's programmed to be a child's greatest companion and a parent's greatest ally. When its designer, Gemma, becomes the unexpected caretaker of her eight-year-old niece, Cady, she pairs the girl with a M3GAN prototype - with terrifying consequences. </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Named Best Horror Movie of 2023 at the Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards,</span><em> M3gan</em><span style="color:#000000"> has a 93% critics' rating on </span><em>Rotten Tomatoes</em><span style="color:#000000">, where the critics' consensus says, "</span><em>M3GAN</em><span style="color:#000000"> is the rare horror-comedy that delivers chuckles as effortlessly as chills."</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Critics Choice nominee Allison Williams (</span><em>Get Out</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Girls</em><span style="color:#000000">) stars as Gemma, with Young Artist nominee Violet McGraw (</span><em>The Haunting of Hill House</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Black Widow</em><span style="color:#000000">) as Cady, and Amie Donald (</span><em>Sweet Tooth</em><span style="color:#000000">) nominated for a 2023 MTV Movie Award for Best Villain as M3gan.</span></div>

<div><em>M3gan</em><span style="color:#000000"> is the brainchild of horror legend James Wan (</span><em>Annabelle</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Malignant</em><span style="color:#000000"> and the </span><em>Insidious</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>The Conjuring</em><span style="color:#000000">, and </span><em>Saw</em><span style="color:#000000"> franchises) and Black Reel-nominated scriptwriter Akela Cooper (</span><em>Malignant</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Luke Cage</em><span style="color:#000000">). </span></div>

<div><strong>THE BLACK PHONE </strong><span style="color:#000000">| Stream from 14 August </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Set in the late 1970s, </span><em>The Black Phone</em><span style="color:#000000"> stars four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (</span><em>The Northman</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Before Midnight</em><span style="color:#000000">) in the most disturbing role of his career as a sadistic killer who kidnaps Finney, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy. </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use, Finney finds a lifeline when a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring and he discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer's previous victims, who are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn't happen to Finney.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Produced by Oscar-nominated horror legend Jason Blum (</span><em>Get Out</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>The Invisible Man</em><span style="color:#000000">), </span><em>The Black Phone</em><span style="color:#000000"> was the third highest-grossing horror film of 2022, with an 83% critics' rating on </span><em>Rotten Tomatoes</em><span style="color:#000000">.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">As Finney, Mason Thames won at this year's Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, where his co-star Madeleine McGraw (young Hope in </span><em>Ant-Man and the Wasp</em><span style="color:#000000">) beat Hawke for Best Supporting Performance. </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Based on a short story by Stephen King's son, award-winning author Joe Hill (</span><em>Heart-Shaped Box</em><span style="color:#000000">), </span><em>The Black Phone</em><span style="color:#000000"> also won the 2023 Chainsaw Award for Best Wide-Release Film, as well as Best Screenplay for C. Robert Cargill and co-writer and director Scott Derrickson, the team behind Marvel's</span><em> Doctor Strange </em><span style="color:#000000">and the </span><em>Sinister</em><span style="color:#000000"> movies.</span><em> The Black Phone </em><span style="color:#000000">was also nominated for 2023 Critics Choice Super Awards for Best Horror Movie and Best Actor in a Horror Movie (Hawke).</span></div>

<div><strong>BODIES BODIES BODIES</strong><span style="color:#000000"> | Stream from 17 August</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">A group of rich 20-somethings, a remote family mansion, a hurricane, and one party gone very, very wrong... </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Not released in South African cinemas, </span><em>Bodies Bodies Bodies</em><span style="color:#000000"> has an 86% critics' rating on </span><em>Rotten Tomatoes</em><span style="color:#000000">, where the critics' consensus says, "Impeccably cast and smartly written, </span><em>Bodies Bodies Bodies</em><span style="color:#000000"> is an uncommonly well-done whodunit." </span><em>Entertainment Weekly</em><span style="color:#000000"> calls the film, "Summer's must-see horror comedy." </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Rachel Sennott (</span><em>The Idol</em><span style="color:#000000">) was nominated for two MTV Movie Awards (Breakthrough Performance and Most Frightened Performance) and a 2023 Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Performance, while Teen Choice winner Amandla Stenberg (</span><em>Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse</em><span style="color:#000000">) was nominated for a Queerty. </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">The ensemble cast also includes Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova (</span><em>Borat Subsequent Moviefilm</em><span style="color:#000000"> and the voice of Cosmo in </span><em>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3</em><span style="color:#000000">), People's Choice nominee Pete Davidson (</span><em>The King of Staten Island</em><span style="color:#000000">), Myha'la Herrold (</span><em>Industry</em><span style="color:#000000">), and Emmy nominees Lee Pace (Ronin in </span><em>Captain Marvel</em><span style="color:#000000"> and </span><em>Guardians of the Galaxy</em><span style="color:#000000">, and </span><em>Foundation</em><span style="color:#000000">'s Brother Day) and Conner O'Malley (</span><em>Palm Springs</em><span style="color:#000000">).</span></div>

<div><strong>MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON</strong><strong> </strong><span style="color:#000000">| Stream from 31 August</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Nominated for a 2023 Oscar, BAFTA and Critics Choice Award for Best Animated Feature Film, </span><em>Marcel The Shell With Shoes On</em><span style="color:#000000"> follows an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colourful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. But when a documentary filmmaker discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and new hope for finding his long-lost family. </span></div>

<div><em>Marcel The Shell With Shoes On</em><span style="color:#000000"> has won 37 awards, including three Annies this year, for Best Animated Independent Feature, Writing and Voice Acting (co-creator Jenny Slate, of </span><em>Zootopia</em><span style="color:#000000"> and </span><em>The Secret Life of Pets </em><span style="color:#000000">fame). </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Not released in South African cinemas, the mockumentary has a 98% critics' rating on </span><em>Rotten Tomatoes</em><span style="color:#000000">, where the critics' consensus says, "Poignant, profound, and utterly heartwarming, </span><em>Marcel the Shell with Shoes On</em><span style="color:#000000"> is animated entertainment with real heart."  </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">As </span><em>Empire </em><span style="color:#000000">says, "Funny, profound, weird, sad, and gorgeously constructed — Marcel is a true original, liable to melt even the most cynical heart."</span></div>

<div><strong>VENGEANCE </strong><span style="color:#000000">| Stream from 24 August</span></div>

<div><em>Vengeance</em><span style="color:#000000"> is a darkly comic mystery about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with.</span></div>

<div><em>Vengeance</em><span style="color:#000000"> is the feature directorial debut of writer and star B.J. Novak, a five-time Emmy-nominated writer and director on the US version of </span><em>The Office</em><span style="color:#000000">, where he stars as Ryan Howard. </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Not released in South African cinemas, </span><em>Vengeance</em><span style="color:#000000"> has an 81% critics' rating on </span><em>Rotten Tomatoes</em><span style="color:#000000">. </span><em>Variety</em><span style="color:#000000"> calls it, "a one-of-a-kind movie that's so wide awake and sharp-edged it marks the arrival of a potentially major filmmaker."</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">The all-star support cast includes award winner Boyd Holbrook (Klaber in </span><em>Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny</em><span style="color:#000000"> and The Corinthian in </span><em>The Sandman</em><span style="color:#000000">), Emmy-winning actress Dove Cameron (</span><em>Schmigadoon!</em><span style="color:#000000">), Emmy nominee J. Smith-Cameron (</span><em>Succession</em><span style="color:#000000">'s Gerri Kellman), People's Choice winner Ashton Kutcher (</span><em>That 70's Show</em><span style="color:#000000">), and eight-time Emmy nominee Issa Rae (</span><em>Insecure</em><span style="color:#000000">). </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Triple Oscar nominee Jason Blum (</span><em>BlacKkKlansman</em><span style="color:#000000">,</span><em> Get Out</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>The Invisible Man</em><span style="color:#000000">) produces.</span></div>

<div><strong>SHOTGUN WEDDING</strong><strong> </strong><span style="color:#000000">| Stream from 7 August </span></div>

<div><em>Shotgun Wedding</em><span style="color:#000000"> stars Emmy nominee Jennifer Lopez (</span><em>Marry Me</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Hustlers</em><span style="color:#000000">) and Emmy winner Josh Duhamel (</span><em>Bandit</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>The Thing About Pam</em><span style="color:#000000">) as Darcy and Tom, who gather their families for the ultimate destination wedding on a private island. But when the entire wedding party is taken hostage, the bride and groom must save their loved ones – if they don't kill each other first.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Emmy winner Jennifer Coolidge (</span><em>The White Lotus</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>American Pie</em><span style="color:#000000">) was nominated for a 2023 MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance as Tom's mother Carol, while Grammy-winning comedy legend Cheech Marin (of </span><em>Cheech & Chong</em><span style="color:#000000"> and </span><em>Nash Bridges</em><span style="color:#000000"> fame) plays Darcy's wealthy father, Robert. Grammy record-breaker Lenny Kravitz (</span><em>The Hunger Games</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Precious</em><span style="color:#000000">) and Emmy nominees Sônia Braga (</span><em>Kiss of the Spider Woman</em><span style="color:#000000">) and D'Arcy Carden (</span><em>Barry</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>The Good Place</em><span style="color:#000000">) co-star.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">From the producers of </span><em>The Proposal</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Shotgun Wedding</em><span style="color:#000000"> is directed by Jason Moore (</span><em>Pitch Perfect</em><span style="color:#000000">), with</span><em> Mashable </em><span style="color:#000000">describing it as "</span><em>Die Hard</em><span style="color:#000000"> at a destination wedding." </span></div>

<div><strong>AFTER EVER HAPPY </strong><span style="color:#000000">| Stream from 10 August</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">The fourth film in the hit </span><em>After</em><span style="color:#000000"> franchise finds Tessa and Hardin at a crossroads. Does Tessa continue trying to save him and their relationship, or is it time to save herself? </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin return in their Teen Choice-winning roles as Tessa and Hardin, with the likes of Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (</span><em>Romy and Michele's High School Reunion</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Mighty Aphrodite</em><span style="color:#000000">) and Teen Choice nominee Stephen Moyer (</span><em>True Blood</em><span style="color:#000000">'s Bill Compton) among the cast. </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">The fifth movie, </span><em>After Everything</em><span style="color:#000000">, is due out later this year. Until then, you can binge the full, four-movie box set on Showmax, including </span><em>After</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>After We Collided</em><span style="color:#000000"> and </span><em>After We Fell</em><span style="color:#000000">. The movies are all based on Anna Todd's bestselling </span><em>After</em><span style="color:#000000"> novels.</span></div>

<div><strong>7 DAYS</strong><span style="color:#000000"> | Stream from 31 August </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">In </span><em>7 Days</em><span style="color:#000000">, Ravi and Rita find themselves on a pre-arranged date set up by their old-fashioned Indian parents. They're just discovering that they have almost nothing in common when the COVID-19 lockdown traps them inside for a week... together.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">Unreleased in South African cinemas, the romcom is led by </span><em>Miracle Workers</em><span style="color:#000000"> co-stars, Hollywood Critics Association Next Generation of Hollywood winner Geraldine Viswanathan and Karan Soni (</span><span style="color:#000000">Dopinder in </span><em>Deadpool</em><span style="color:#000000"> and </span><span style="color:#000000">the voice of Pavitr Prabhakar in </span><em>Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse</em><span style="color:#000000">). Soni co-wrote the screenplay with debut feature film director Roshan Sethi (co-creator and co-writer of </span><em>The Resident</em><span style="color:#000000">), with Emmy winners Mark and Jay Duplass (</span><em>Somebody Somewhere</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Safety Not Guaranteed</em><span style="color:#000000">, </span><em>Togetherness</em><span style="color:#000000">) producing. </span></div>

<div><em>7 Days</em><span style="color:#000000"> won the 2022 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and has an 86% critics' rating on </span><em>Rotten Tomatoes</em><span style="color:#000000">, with </span><em>Film Threat</em><span style="color:#000000"> calling it, "An absolute joy," and </span><em>The Wrap</em><span style="color:#000000"> saying, "Karan Soni and Geraldine Viswanatha are perfect." </span></div>

<div><strong>EVERYTHING ON SHOWMAX IN AUGUST 2023</strong></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000">To see everything on Showmax in August 2023, including the cancel culture Showmax Original documentary series, </span><em>Unfollowed</em><span style="color:#000000">; the most nominated series in Black Reel history, </span><em>The Best Man: The Final Chapters; </em><span style="color:#000000">and 2023 triple Emmy nominee </span><em>A Black Lady Sketch Show</em><span style="color:#000000">, click </span><a href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/291/8j61bt3rithuqh2oo0olwxyr8/8/a9ce00e68f2dd31fb268fa4d317a93f83264329156c88ff5768c2a7b7e8afe21" rel="noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color:#ff0000">.</span></div>