Ah, August: That least-loved stretch of summer when makers of quality entertainment split for the beach and hope your expectations will take a dip too. We’re still a month away from fall’s big novels and Oscar-baiting films, and all of this season’s high-tone popcorn movies have already come and gone (no offense to next week’s Matt Damon–less Bourne reboot). So be thankful, then, for what we have. But is Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle really good enough to warrant her own Catwoman spinoff? And is this Frank Ocean album as good as it sounds? Or did they get a boost from the charitable end-of-summer curve?

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• Archive: “Movie Features”
• Articles by Lane Brown
• Table of Contents: Aug 6, 2012 issue of New York | Subscribe!