August entertainment planner: 'BlacKkKlansman,' 'Better Call Saul,' and Beyoncé & Jay Z's 'OTR II' tour wrap up summer

"Christopher Robin" (August 3) 

Everyone's favorite anthropomorphous bear (sorry, not sorry, Paddington) returns to the big screen during what appears to be the summer of earnest nostalgia ("Won't You Be My Neighbor?" anyone?). The live-action film focuses on Christopher Robin, who's all grown up but has lost his sense of imagination. That is, until Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and the rest of the residents of Hundred Acre Wood show up to help him rediscover it.

"The Meg" (August 10) 

Based on the Steve Alten novel, "The Meg" can best be described as "Jaws" meets "Jurassic Park," featuring Jason Statham. If that sounds like the perfect recipe for cinematic camp, you're not wrong. After all, this "we're going to need a bigger screen" flick (it's playing on IMAX and other premium formats) was directed by Jon Turteltaub, the auteur behind such so-bad-they're-good classics like "Three Ninjas," "Cool Runnings," "National Treasure" and its sequel, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

"BlacKkKlansman" (August 10) 

With all due respect to the the godfather of black cinema, it's been a hot minute since Spike Lee delivered a film worth raving about. Luckily for us, the director appears to be in top form in "BlacKkKlansman," a "based on a true story" movie about a black cop leading a plot to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. The movie was the most recent winner of the Grand Prix, the second highest honor awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, and should be an early Oscar contender. 

"Crazy Rich Asians" (August 15) 

This movie based on the hyper-popular Kevin Kwan novel was unfairly referred to as the Asian "Black Panther" simply because of its minority-heavy cast. "Crazy Rich Asians" is not a superhero movie, but that doesn't mean it will fail to be as entertaining. If the opulent trailer and the accompanying hype are any indication, expect this movie to become an instant rom-com classic. 

"The Happytime Murders" (August 24) 

Who doesn't want to see a movie that was unsuccessfully sued by the makers of "Sesame Street"? It's true. This raunchy noir-com starring Melissa McCarthy as a cop who teams up with her former partner made from felt to investigate a string of puppet murders was made by Brian Henson, Jim Henson's son, and features the very funny Maya Rudolph and Joel McHale.

TV 

"The Sinner" (USA Network, August 1) 

Jessica Biel earned herself an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her performance in this USA Network crime mini-series about a woman who violently murders a man. If you haven't seen the first season, it's currently on Netflix (and only eight episodes long). 

"The Venture Bros." (Cartoon Network, August 5) 

"The Venture Bros." has been a cult classic from the moment it first premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in 2004. It's been more than two years since we last saw Hank and Dean Venture be rescued by Brock Samson after naively getting themselves in trouble, but by the looks of the trailer it appears Season 7 was well worth the wait. 

"Better Call Saul" (AMC, August 6) 

"Better Call Saul" has arguably been the best show on television since "Breaking Bad" wrapped up. Season 4 promises to be even better than the last. Not only will Jimmy McGill complete his transformation into Saul Goodman, but we'll also see how he'll become entangled in Gus Fring's burgeoning drug empire. 

"Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cleveland Browns" (HBO, August 7) 

With all due respect, that the Browns will be featured in the ongoing HBO documentary series will likely be the highlight of their season given the team's recent string of futility (Cleveland's won four games in the past three seasons). This iteration of "Hard Knocks" will feature the added drama of the Browns putting everything on the line by betting big on Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield. 

"Insecure" (HBO, August 12) 

It'll be interesting to see how the third season of "Insecure" plays out without Lawrence (played by Jay Ellis). The character had a devoted online following (#LawrenceHive always and forever), but he was noticeably absent from the teaser trailer. Issa Rae recently confirmed that the focal point of this season would be her character moving on from her ex.

Streaming

"Like Father" (Netflix, August 3) 

The directorial debut of Lauren Miller Rogen pairs Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer in this story of a woman who's all but left at the altar because she's too career-driven and her estranged father who left his family because he wanted to put his work first. The film also features Seth Rogen, who happens to be the director's husband.

"Disenchantment" (Netflix, August 17) 

The realm of adult animation wouldn't be the same if it weren't for Matt Groening. Not only is he the creator of "The Simpsons," the longest running scripted prime-time show in television history, but he followed it up with the hilariously dystopian "Futurama." Groening is by no means done with the genre, only this time, "Disenchantment" is set in a medieval-like fantasy world called "Dreamland."

"One Dollar" (CBS All Access, August 30) 

This recommendation comes on the strength of the show's premise — the story of multiple murders committed in a rust belt town as told from the perspective of characters connected to the story by a single dollar changing hands — as well as the past work of Craig Zobel, one of the executive producers and director of every episode. Previously, Zobel directed the psychological thriller "Compliance," as well as episodes for shows like "Westworld," "American Gods" and "The Leftovers."

"Ozark" (Netflix, August 31) 

"Ozark" has made one thing very clear: Jason Bateman was born to play Marty Byrde, an accountant in so deep with a drug cartel that only his exceptional ability as a money launderer is preventing him from being murdered. Without revealing anything, there will be a new villain in Season 2, and from what we've seen so far, he might be even scarier than the first.

"Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" (Amazon, August 31) 

We never thought we'd see the day where John Krasinski would outgrow Jim Halpert, his character from "The Office," but here we are. First there was his appearance in "13 Hours," the Michael Bay movie about Benghazi. Then there was the dystopian near future thriller "A Quiet Place," which he directed and produced. His upcoming turn as the legendary spy Jack Ryan will surely have fans saying, "Jim who?"

Music 

Lollapalooza (August 2-5) 

When it comes to popular summer music festivals, Chicago's Lollapalooza is hands down the best. Not only are you guaranteed to see a slew of great live acts (this year, Arctic Monkeys, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd and Jack White are headlining), but you won't have to spend your nights camping like at Coachella or Bonnaroo. Also, any festival that has Carly Rae Jepsen and Gucci Mane in the same lineup deserves a tip of the hat.

OTR II (August 2-31, multiple cities) 

Though the Beyoncé and Jay Z "On the Run II" tour technically kicked off at the end of July and runs until October, the bulk of their American shows will take place during the month of August — 16 of 31, to be more precise. Bey and Jay will kick things off in East Rutherford, N.J., before making their way to the Midwest, followed by stints in the South and ending the month in Miami.

Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour (August 10-31, multiple cities) 

The much anticipated tour — it will likely be the highest-grossing hip-hop tour of the year if Drake's past ticket sales performances are any indication — was supposed to start in July but was delayed until Aug. 10 because of the recent arrest of the Migos' Offset. The tour will officially kick off in Kansas City.

Death Cab for Cutie, "Thank You for Today" (August 17) 

Death Cab's ninth studio release will be the first since 2015's "Kintsugi" and the first without founding guitarist and songwriter Chris Walla. If "Gold Rush," the album's first single, is any indication, "Thank You for Today" promises to be reflective and a good sign of growth for any band, especially one that's been around since the late 1990s.

Blood Orange, "Negro Swan" (August 24) 

That Blood Orange, the musical multi-hyphenate and frequent Solange Knowles collaborator also known as Devonté Hynes, has new music coming out should be cause for celebration. To this day, there are a handful of albums that have been just as good as "Freetown Sound," a considerable feat given that it was released in 2016.