David Farnor | On 31, Jul 2016

The question for many this summer isn’t whether to watch Mr. Robot Season 2 on Amazon Prime Video, but what to do for seven days between each episode. Amazon’s line-up for August 2016 has the answer with some well-chosen old movies and a host of new TV exclusives.

Amazon’s latest range of pilots, including Peter Serafinowicz finally stepping into the blue costume of The Tick and Jean-Claude Van Damme playing an imagined version of himself as a hitman, will arrive later in the month, but Amazon’s AMC deal is the star of the show, bringing us the fifth season of Hell on Wheels and the finale of Preacher.

Best of all, though, is the return of the superb Halt and Catch Fire for Season 3, beginning with a double-bill at the end of August. One of the best shows of 2015, the series is the ideal answer for what to watch in between episodes of Mr. Robot. In fact, Mr. Robot might even become the thing to watch in between episodes of Halt and Catch Fire.

Here is what’s coming soon to Amazon Prime Video UK in August 2016:

Preacher: Season 1 Finale – 1st August

What better way to begin a month than with the end of one of 2016’s most interesting series? AMC’s bold, brilliant and bloody adaptation of the comic books reaches it grand finale on Monday 1st August, with the first nine episodes already available to stream.

Watch the first five minutes of the finale here.

Mad Max – 4th August

With our ears only just stopping ringing from the awesomeness of Fury Road, now’s the perfect time to go back and check out the original Mad Max – with Mad Max 2 and Beyond Thunderdome also on the way to Amazon Prime Video later this month.

The Science of Sleep – 4th August

Michel Gondry’s solo directorial debut is charmingly whimsical stuff, starring Gael Garcia Bernal.

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride – 4th August

The director mixes his Gothic sensibility with stunning stop-motion to spooky effect in this darkly comic tale of a man (Johnny Depp – who else?) who finds himself accidentally betrothed to a dead woman.

Cloud Atlas – 11th August

Adapted from the best-selling novel by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas is an exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future. As one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. But trust us when we say that description does no justice to the stunning, epic mastery that’s on display in this unique, dazzling film.

I Love Dick (TV Pilot) – 19th August

Exe produced by Transparent’s Jill Soloway and adapted from Chris Kraus’ novel by Sarah Gubbins, I Love Dick stars Kathryn Hahn (Chris) and Griffin Dunne (Sylvere) as a married couple who move to the colourful intellectual community of Marfa, Texas, after Sylvere is offered a fellowship to finish a book he’s been writing on the Holocaust. When they meet Dick (Kevin Bacon), he taunts their imaginations and upends their preconceptions about love and monogamy. An exploration of the female gaze and how we tell stories about love and desire, I Love Dick charts the evolution of a marriage, the awakening of an artist… and the deification of a writer named Dick.

The Tick (TV Pilot) – 19th August

In a world where superheroes have been real for decades, an underdog accountant with zero powers comes to realise his city is owned by a global super villain long-thought dead. As he struggles to uncover this conspiracy, he falls in league with a strange blue superhero. The Tick stars Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy), Griffin Newman (Vinyl), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), Valorie Curry (House of Lies), Yara Martinez (Jane the Virgin) and Brendan Hines (Scorpion).

Jean-Claude Van Johnson (TV Pilot) – 19th August

If you need to eliminate a political rival, debilitate a multinational corporation, or overthrow an entire government, there’s only one person to turn to: one of the most internationally recognisable movie stars in the history of film. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays Jean-Claude Van Johnson, a global martial arts and film sensation – and, operating under the simple alias of “Johnson”, the most dangerous undercover private contractor in the world. Lucky for the world’s bad guys, he’s been retired for years. Unlucky for them, a chance encounter with a lost love is about to bring him back to the game… and this time, he’ll be deadlier than ever. Probably.

Argo – 21st August

Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning thriller, based on true events, sees a CIA agent (Baffleck) lead a rescue team to extract six kidnapped US diplomats from Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis. The mission? Pretend to make a Hollywood movie… Tense, funny, classy stuff that confirmed beyond a doubt that Baffleck was more than his beard and chin.

Bastille Day – 22nd August

Idris Elba and Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden team up for this enjoyably old-fashioned action thriller, which sees a young con artist and a rebellious CIA agent team up to take down a terrorist attack in France. What it lacks in brains and understanding of social media, it makes up for with James Watkins’ ably-directed set pieces and Elba’s scowling charisma.

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 3 – 25th August

Season 3 of AMC’s excellent period tech drama begins with a double-bill of Episodes 1 and 2 on Thursday 25th August, within 24 hours of their US premiere. Picking up events in March 1986, we see our four computing pioneers still trying to make their way in a rapidly evolving industry. As Mutiny leaves Texas for the big leagues of Silicon Valley, founders Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) and Donna Clark (Kerry Bishé) search for the idea that will launch their start-up as a player. Gordon (Scoot McNairy), meanwhile, struggles to find a place within his wife’s company, as Joe McMillan (Lee Pace) builds upon his empire, reinventing himself with a bold play that shocks the Valley. Seasons 1 and 2 are already available to stream. For more, click here.

The Kicks – 26th August

Based on Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan’s best-selling books, the show follows Devin Burke (newcomer Sixx Orange), who was the star player on her school soccer team, until her family moved to California midway through the academic year. Now, she has to rise to the challenge after discovering her new school team, The Kicks, has been on a losing streak over the last few months and are badly in need of a leader to rally the team. Read our review of the pilot.

The Dark Knight Rises – 29th August

Christopher Nolan’s third Batman flick not be as strong as the previous two but from Anne Hathaway’s slinky cat burglar to Tom Hardy’s physically intimidating Bane, it’s an epic conclusion to the trilogy.

Vikings: Season 4, Part 2…?

Following Episode 10’s cliffhanger, Episode 11 of Vikings Season 4 will return to continue the saga of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons. The show’s expanded renewal for a 20-episode fourth run is a sign of the programme’s growing ambition and confidence. The second half is yet to have a confirmed air date, but with the return initially rumoured to be in July, don’t be surprised if this pops up by the end of the month. Seasons 1 to 3 and the first half of Season 4 are already available to stream.

 

Other new releases coming soon to Amazon Prime Video UK in August 2016:

1st August
Scooby Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery
A Cinderella Story 3: Once Upon A Song
Batman: Year One
Jersey Boys
New Year’s Eve
Superman Vs. The Elite

2nd August
Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map!
UnREAL: Season 2, Episode 9

4th August
City Hall
For Your Consideration
Jeremiah Johnson
The Pledge
The Postman
Mr. Robot: Season 2, Episode 5
American Gothic: Episode 7

8th August
Roadies: Episode 7
BrainDead: Episode 7

9th August
UnREAL: Season 2, Episode 10

11th August
Arthur (1981)
Mad Max 2 (Road Warrior, The)
Murder At 1600
Presumed Innocent
Yogi Bear
You’ve Got Mail
Mr. Robot: Season 2, Episode 6
American Gothic: Episode 8

13th August
The Hallow

15th August
Tammy
Roadies: Episode 8
BrainDead: Episode 8

18th August
Forever Young
Grind
Ironclad
Legends Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Rush Hour
Town & Country
Mr. Robot: Season 2, Episode 7
American Gothic: Episode 9

21st August
Intruders

22nd August
Roadies: Episode 9
BrainDead: Episode 9

25th August
10,000 BC
The Big Bounce (2004)
Gossip
Hall Pass
Invictus
Looney Tunes: Back In Action
Nights In Rodanthe
Rails & Ties
Mr. Robot: Season 2, Episode 8

26th August
The Campaign

29th August
Roadies: Episode 10

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