With the month of August just days away,Peacockhas released their highly-anticipated list of new content making its way to the popular platform. Kevin Bacon is returning to his horror roots after having previously appeared in the iconic 1980 slasherFriday the 13th,with the actor portraying an unhinged conversion camp leader in the Blumhouseoriginal filmThey/Them.The horror movie has been setting the internet ablaze with its approach to the gory genre, and Bacon’s performance has been garnering rave reviews.
Peacock is also adding a slew of cherished cinema staples to their already impressive catalog, with the iconic Amy Heckerling ‘80s classicFast Times at Ridgemont Highand feel-good Reese Witherspoon rom-comSweet Home Alabamabeing available in the upcoming month. Whether you’re in the mood to laugh at Steve Carell’s romantic woes withThe 40-Year-Old Virginor want to go on an adventurewith Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell in the excitingThe Mummytrilogy, the streaming giant is sure to satisfy your entertainment needs. These are the best movies coming to Peacock in August 2022.
8They/Them
Kevin Bacon headlines the horror flickThey/Them,a new slasher movie which takes place at a gay conversion camp. Its enigmatic leader, Owen Whistler, forces his young LGBTQ+ camp-goers to undergo psychologically unsettling methods throughout the week. The teenagers attempt to seek comfort in one another from their disturbed counselors and intense manipulation, only to be later terrorized by a mysterious axe murderer.
Director John Logan opened up about what he hoped to achieve with the film,having said,“Audiences can expect a frightening, thrilling movie, but even more so, it’s a story about queer empowerment and about seven queer kids who are heroes, which is something we don’t see a lot and we really don’t see a lot in the horror genre.”
7The Mummy Trilogy
Stephen Sommers directed the fantasy action-adventure trilogyThe Mummy, athrilling movie seriesthat follows the swashbuckling American Rick O’Connell as he travels to the ancient city of Hamunaptra with the brilliant librarian Evelyn and her bumbling brother Jonathan, only to awaken a vengeful mummy. Sommers did not want to create a direct remake of the 1932 classic, and instead make a romantic adventure movie with horror elements and a frightening, scarier monster.
The overwhelming success of the original picture led to two thrilling and lucrative follow-up sequels, 2001’sThe Mummy Returnsand 2008’sThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperorin addition to the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson standalone prequelThe Scorpion King.
6Pride and Prejudice
Based on the beloved Jane Austen classic literature novel of the same name, the 2005 romantic dramaPride and Prejudicefeatures thetalented Keira Knightleyand Matthew Macfayden and centers on the Bennet family as the spirited eldest daughter Elizabeth begins a courtship with the handsome yet snobbish Mr. Darcy.
Related:Why Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Bennet is the Best Adaptation of the Character
The adaptation was the recipient of four Academy Award nominations including a Best Actress nod for Knightley, who garnered rave reviews by fans and critics alike; theDenver Postwrote, “Knightley is the best thing about this enjoyable adaptation, immediately owning the wardrobe and the words and the weather as if she were born to the manner – and manor.”
5The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The always entertaining Steve Carell skyrocketed to fame when he starred in the 2005 romantic comedyThe 40-Year-Old Virgin,appearing as the shy but kind titular character Andy Stitzer, who’s co-workers encourage the nerdy man to lose his virginity after falling for a single mother. Carell co-wrote the sidesplitting flick with its director Judd Apatow (in his cinema debut), with the endearingly awkward character beingbased off a sketch Carell createdwhen he was performing with the improv comedy troupe The Second City.The 40-Year-Old Virginwas a critical and commercial hit, firmly establishing Carell and Apatow as leading comedic forces on the silver screen.
4Sweet Home Alabama
Touting a dynamite cast led by Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey, the 2002 romantic comedySweet Home Alabamacenters on New York City fashion designer Melanie Carmichael, who must return to her small town in Alabama after reinventing herself in order to finalize her divorce from the husband she has been separated from for years.
Related:Reese Witherspoon’s Best Rom-Com Movies, Ranked
The charming picture certified Witherspoon as a dazzling leading lady and has since become a beloved rom-com favorite; in an interview withPeople Magazinethe actress looked back on the film and its meaning, having expressed, “You want to leave home and then you realize that there’s so many important things about the closeness of family or people who knew you before. And I feel really like that movie really encapsulated those ideas.”
3You’re Next
Adam Wingard directed the 2011 slasher filmYou’re Next,focusing on the estranged Davison family as they terrifyingly find themselves targeted by assailants in animal masks during a wedding anniversary getaway. Writer Simon Barrett came up with the screenplay based on Wingard’s idea of a home invasion themed horror flick, and drew inspiration from Agatha Christie mysteries in addition to screwball comedies.You’re Nexthad its worldwide debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it garnered widespread praise for its cynical black humor, blood and gore and impressive cast performances, and has sinceattracted a cult following.
2American Gangster
Therenowned Ridley Scott directedthe award-winning 2007 biographical crime dramaAmerican Gangster,which tells the story of Harlem drug trafficker Frank Lucas, who during the Vietnam War used service planes to smuggle heroin into the country and used the coffins of fallen American soldiers to do so. Denzel Washington is brilliant as the conniving criminal Lucas, who squares off against Russell Crowe’s detective Richie Roberts as the law enforcement officer works tirelessly to bring an end to the drug smuggler’s operation.
American Gangsterwas a hit with both critics and audiences alike, withThe Sydney Morning Heraldcalling the picture “one of the most intelligent gangster films in years” and adding that “the spectacle of grand themes and two bigger-than-life characters played by two of the best actors in cinema."
1Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The iconic 1982 coming-of-age dramedyFast Times at Ridgemont Highcenters on a diverse group of high school students in the San Fernando Valley as they experience the hardships of adolescence, with one subplot following sophomore Stacy Hamilton and her complicated love life and the other following resident stoner and surfer Jeff Spicoli as he faces off with his uptight history teacher.
The beloved ‘80s staple featured appearances by many of Hollywood’s most impressive modern day performers,most notably Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage and Forest Whitaker and has since achieved iconic cinema status, withPenn retrospectively statingabout its legacy, “None of us had any idea it would take on a life of its own.”
