Aug. 1
Shin Godzilla
As the creator of legendary anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, maybe only director Hideaki Anno could have made something so weirdly modern for this entry in the beloved giant monster franchise. It’s a simultaneously sincere and absurd anti-kaiju that begins as a nightmare bureaucratic comedy of errors, then pivots to embrace a collectivist Japanese spirit of ingenuity—a reflection of the country’s psychic fallout from Fukushima. —Matt Lynch
Aug. 15
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 50th Anniversary Edition
Everyone knows this is one of the greatest Westerns ever made. Sergio Leone’s vivid widescreen vistas contrast with close-ups on the actors’ craggy faces, Ennio Morricone’s legendary score has become shorthand for showdowns of any genre, and Clint Eastwood is in his most iconic role. This new edition presents the original U.S. theatrical cut, not to mention a motherlode of extras. —Matt Lynch
Ogroff: Mad Mutilator
Back in the halcyon days of gore cinema, a Frenchman named Norbert Moutier wanted to make a horror film he could rent at his video store. With some pals, a Super 8 camera and a few francs, the amateur auteur spent his weekends in the countryside concocting this notorious and endearingly crude trash-horror rarity. Ogroff is a psycho lumberjack with a leather mask who mutilates random people, other lumberjacks, cars and a chessboard. The surreal Ogroff twists the standard slasher template into his own unique, unpredictable nightmare. —Spenser Hoyt
Ronin
This film was master action director John Frankenheimer’s last big bang. It’s set in Paris, as a partial tribute to French Noir director Jean-Pierre Melville, with a script by an uncredited David Mamet. Frankenheimer enlisted an international cast (Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean) to play out a gripping tale. The meaty plot, combined with hair-raising car chases through the streets of Nice and tunnels of Paris, makes Ronin the perfect action movie with a brain. —Mark Steiner
