David Farnor | On 01, Sep 2015

As autumn begins, it’s hard not to look ahead to October, when The Walking Dead becomes NOW’s MVP, but the VOD service is already doing the same, with the return of the first five seasons as a binge-viewing box set for people looking to catch up. They join The Knick, Criminal Minds and Ballers, starring Dwayne Johnson – the second of two new HBO dramas to hit the service, following Oscar Isaac’s Show Me a Hero in August – but Sky’s emphasis will be on its original show, You, Me and the Apocalypse, with a globe-trotting cast promising big things. And, of course, there’s the small matter of Scientology documentary Going Clear… NOW is currently offering a £1 monthly trial (until 27th September) for its TV-streaming Entertainment Membership, which normally costs £6.99 a month.

For NOW Cinema Membership members (£9.99 a month), September is Disney / Pixar month, thanks to the arrival of the original Toy Story movies, as well as Up. Tom Hardy’s The Drop and Jude Law’s Black Sea add to the line-up of thrillers and dramas, while the arrival of Pride promises feel-good laughs galore.

Here are the top movies and TV shows coming soon to NOW in September 2015:

TV

Criminal Minds Season 1 to 9 – Tuesday 1st September

Jeff Davis’ police series is still going 10 years after it first premiered on CBS. Now’s your chance to catch up on the cases of the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit, who focus on profiling criminals to catch them.

The Fixer (FOX) – Friday 4th September

This four-part conspiracy miniseries from FOX follows Ellie Molaro (Kathleen Robertson – Murder In The First), an investigator with the NTSB, the US federal body which determines the causes of major accidents. When a secret tipster, named Carter, claims that a conspiracy of Fixers are behind some of the worst global disasters, all rigged to manipulate the stock market, Molaro spearheads a private investigation.

Ballers – Tuesday 8th September

Dwayne Johnson stars in this half-hour comedy about the lives of former and current football players. He plays former superstar Spencer Strasmore, as he gets his life on track in retirement while mentoring other current and former players through the daily grind of the business of football.

Going Clear: Scientology and The Prison of Belief – Sunday 21st September

Alex Gibney’s controversial documentary, which has already picked up 7 Emmy nominations, will be broadcast at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. The movie – produced by Jigsaw Productions for Sky Atlantic – was released in a limited number of UK cinemas earlier this year, but the Sky broadcast will be its first chance to be seen by a wider audience. The movie profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion. The powerful film highlights the Church’s origins, from founder L. Ron Hubbard to its rise to popularity in Hollywood and beyond. The movie is based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright, but claims by former insiders (including screenwriter Paul Haggis) of systematic abuse and betrayal have been denied by the movement.

You, Me and the Apocalypse (Sky 1, 9pm) – Wednesday 30th September

The cast alone for this series makes it worth watching: Rob Lowe leads the transatlantic ensemble, which includes Jenna Fischer (The Office), Emmy winner Megan Mullally (Will and Grace), Mathew Baynton, Pauline Quirke, Paterson Joseph and Joel Fry. Set against a backdrop of apocalyptic chaos, the adrenaline fuelled comedy drama about the last days of mankind follows an eclectic group of seemingly unconnected characters, as their lives start to intersect – all triggered by the news that a comet is on an unavoidable collision course towards earth, which prompts a dash to make it to a bunker deep beneath the suburbs of Slough.

The Walking Dead Seasons 1 to 5 – Thursday 3rd September

With the new season of The Walking Dead set to air in the UK on Sky in October – available to all NOW Entertainment Membership subscribers – the first five seasons will be added as a box set for fans to catch up. (Click here to start bingeing.)

The Knick Season 1 – TBC

Steven Soderbergh’s period hospital drama was a fascinating watch when it premiered in October 2014. Now, the show returns as a box set, so you can binge on the antics of Clive Owen’s Dr. John Thatcher, who leads the ground-breaking surgery team at Knickerbocker Hospital in 1900 New York.

Movies

Up – Friday 4th September

Pixar’s tale of an elderly widower who floats away on a balloon-covered home to South America to see the paradise he always dreamed of visiting with his wife.

Pride – Friday 4th September

Lesbians and gays support the miners in this heartwarming take on a true story, which sees one group of social outcasts stand side-by-side with another during the 1984 miners strike. Simply lovely.

Toy Story – Friday 11th September

“You are a child’s play thing!” “You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.” It may be 20 odd years since Toy Story was released, but Pixar’s classic tale of friendship, toys and animated space rangers never gets old.

Toy Story 2 – Friday 18th September

“You never forget kids like Emily, or Andy, but they forget you,” says Jessie the Cowgirl, who brings the heart to match Pixar’s trademark humour in a rare sequel that manages to be better than (or at least as brilliant as) the original.

St Vincent – Friday 11th September

Bill Murray stars in this comedy about an old man who ends up having to babysit his 12-year-old neighbour (the son of Melissa McCarthy’s single mum). But not before he finishes his latest bottle of booze and spends time with Naomi Watts’ Russian stripper.

Horrible Bosses 2 – Friday 11th September

Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz join the cast for this sequel, which sees Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Kason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) try to start their own company after failing to get revenge on their bosses.

All Cheerleaders Die – Friday 11th September

Does exactly what it says on the tin: Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson’s film follows a cheerleader who ends up having to fight supernatural forces in what could either be a trashy high school horror or a smart, subversive satire.

Black Sea – Friday 18th September

From the writer of Channel 4’s Utopia comes this blackly gripping thriller about a group of men from different social scales all plunging into the depths of the Black Sea in an attempt to find a legendary U-boat full of lost Nazi gold. Jude Law stars.

The Drop – Friday 18th September

Tom Hardy is as versatile as ever in this crime drama about a good-natured barman who gets caught up in the mob’s system of leaving cash behind the bar on big weekends. An ill-timed robbery later and Hardy and his boss (James Gandolfini) are in a difficult spot. The brooding Gandolfini, in his last on-screen role, steals the show.

Dumb & Dumber To – Friday 25th September

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reunite for this sequel, 20 years after Harry and Lloyd first graced cinema screens.

Big Eyes – Friday 25th September

Tim Burton’s movie follows painter Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), whose depictions of big-eyed waifs proved popular – only for his wife, Margaret (Amy Adams), to be revealed as the real artist.

Other new movies coming soon to NOW in September 2015

Friday 4th September
Better Living through Chemistry
Just One Day
The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman

Friday 11th September
Vijay and I

Friday 18th September
Stephen King’s A Good Marriage
Reclaim

One Night in Istanbul
American Heist

Dates TBC
Clash of the Titans
Surf’s Up
Deep Blue Sea

 
Photo: HBO, All Rights Reserved
 

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