Another week of action, horror and a bit of romance

Above : Sylvester Stallone stars in “Samaritan,” which is scheduled to open Friday. (Photo/

As August comes to a close, and yet the hot temperatures linger on, spending a couple of hours or more in an air-conditioned theater seems like a particularly good idea.

And, fittingly, it appears as if Friday’s movie slate will help feed that need. Here are some of the possible openings:

“Samaritan” : Sylvester Stallone stars as a superhero who, having gone to ground following an epic battle 20 years before, is outed by a young boy in need.

No advance reviews available. Seldom a good sign.

“Three Thousand Years of Longing” : George Miller directed and co-wrote this film that features Tilda Swinton playing a woman who is granted three wishes by a lowly spirit (played by Idris Elba) in exchange for his freedom. Based on the A.S. Byatt short story “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye.”

David Erlich of IndieWire wrote, “George Miller could find more cinema in a single hotel minibar than some contemporary directors could squeeze out of an entire galaxy far, far away, and he manages to do exactly that without unbalancing the delicate soul of [this] intimate two-hander.”

“Breaking” : John Boyega plays a veteran, desperate because the Veterans Administration has unfairly cut off payments, who attempts to rob a bank. Based on a real story and co-starring the late Michael K. Williams.

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as “A chilling and heartbreaking portrait of a man teetering on the brink of despair.”

“The Invitation” : A young woman (played by Nathalie Emmanuel) discovers her connection to a British family and accepts an invite to come and meet them. It doesn’t go well – especially at night.

Again, no advance reviews are available.

Whatever, I’ll update as the week progresses.