Who: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan
What: Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind’s only hope for survival.
When: August 23rd
Why: Fans of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” have been badgering director Edgar Wright about the final installment in his self-titled Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy for so long that it seemed like it might never happen. Granted, it’s not really a trilogy at all, at least not in the traditional sense, but any time that good friends Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost get together is cause for celebration, and the long-awaited “The World’s End” is no exception. I had the chance to see the movie the week before its UK premiere, and while expectations are undoubtedly high for their third (and hopefully not last) cinematic outing together, Wright and Co. have produced another excellent comedy that, although it falls a little short of their previous two films, still delivers all the laughs that we’ve come to expect from the trio.

Who: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, AJ Bowen and Joe Swanberg
What: When the Davison family is attacked during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of killers learns that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.
When: August 23rd
Why: August may not seem like the best time to open a horror movie, especially now that “Paranormal Activity 5” has been pushed back from its October release, but Adam Wingard’s “You’re Next” has endured such a long road on its way to theaters that it’s just nice to see the film is being released at all. After earning strong buzz at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival, and then again more recently on the festival circuit after it was purchased by Lionsgate, “You’re Next” could give “The Conjuring” a run for its money as the best horror movie of the year. Though the cast is comprised almost entirely of unknown actors, the film boasts a simple but classic premise (the hunted becomes the hunter) and promises to deliver more than its fair share of scares, thanks in part to those creepy animal masks.

Who: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez and Jon Voight
What: Brent Magna must get behind the wheel and follow the orders of a mysterious man to save his kidnapped wife.
When: August 30th
Why: It’s unbelievable that director Courtney Solomon is still getting work after the humiliation of “Dungeons & Dragons,” but this “Speed”-inspired thriller actually doesn’t look that bad, due mostly to the involvement of Ethan Hawke (who’s quickly becoming the go-to guy for low-budget genre flicks) and what appears to be a healthy dose of action. The biggest question mark, of course, is Selena Gomez, who will either surprise audiences with her latest attempt to break free of her Disney image or ruin the movie trying. Hawke has enough experience that he was hopefully able to help Gomez grow a little as an actress, because while “Getaway” may look like a generic thriller on paper, whenever a film spends that much time with only a few characters stuck in one location, it depends even more on the actors’ performances to succeed.