Whoa, dudes. 

“Bill & Ted Face the Music” comes out Aug. 28, but we won’t be able to review the Keanu Reeves/Alex Winter sequel just yet. But here are some other options.

“The Garden Left Behind”: Flavio Alves’s eloquent debut is a rarity, a caring, complex and realistic drama anchored around a transgender lead character played by a transgender actress. An outstanding and restrained Carlie Guevara plays Tina, an undocumented Mexican woman living in a small New York City apartment with her loving grandmother (Miriam Cruz). Tina seeks to make her way as a transgender woman while dealing with a rich but erratic boyfriend (Alex Kruz).

Alves’s screenplay — co written by John Rotondo — never comes off as didactic, remaining truthful to the characters and the situations while covering topics from love to hate to liberation.  Particularly refreshing is how honest the film is in depicting the harsh realities that confront the transgender community as well as the bonds that form from joining a group and raising your voice. In small but critical roles, Ed Asner and Michael Madsen bring depth and acting gravitas.

“The Garden Left Behind” will break your heart; a film of utter grace, poignancy and deep understanding. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; streaming Aug. 28 as part of independent theaters’ Virtual Cinema series; available Sept. 8 on multiple platforms.

“Get Duked!”: In this dark comedy, four Scottish lads participate in the annual Duke of Edinburgh Award, an actual event where teens forage through the Scottish Highlands to prove their moxie, all in the name of Prince Philip. No one in this tousled bunch, except for goody-two shoes Ian, is skilled on surviving in the wilderness. That’s particularly true of dubious rapper DJ Beatroot (scene stealer Viraj Juneja) who greets the boggy terrain in white duds and writes ridiculously crass songs about his crotch.

Writer/director Ninian Doff takes this “Survivor”-like premise and runs wild with it, especially with the outrageous kooks the “boys” encounter, including a serial killer (Eddie Izzard), a clueless band of cops and a notorious bread thief. What a welcome comedy to snap us out of the Debbie Downer doldrums. Details: 3½ stars, available Aug. 27 on Amazon Prime.

“Rising Phoenix”: Forget Wonder Woman, Batman and Captain America (OK, maybe not the ‘Cap). The most legit superheroes can be found in Ian Bonhote’s and Peter Ettedgui’s inspiring, gorgeously shot documentary on the Paralympics. Interspersed between interviews with Italy’s Bebe Vio, Australia’s Ellie Coe and the U.K.’s Jonnie Peacock, South Africa’s Ntando Mahlangu amongst others, “Phoenix” explores the World War II roots of the Paralympics and the obstacles the event has experienced. Originally set to film during the Tokyo Summer Olympics, “Phoenix” is a testament to resiliency, determination and passion, and is one of the best documentaries of 2020. Details: 4 stars; available now on Netflix.

“The Vanished”: It’s every parent’s ultimate nightmare: You look away for one instant and your child disappears. Actor-turned-director/writer Peter Facinelli plays on that parental panic attack but adds something unique, if loopy, to a well-worn storyline. Anne Heche and Thomas Jane are incredible as distraught parents who transform from happy campers to armed vigilantes when their daughter vanishes at a campsite. “Vanished” is one of the more compelling thrillers of the year. Details: 3 stars, available now on various platforms.

“The Prey”: If you’re looking for a martial arts smackdown you could do a whole lot worse than Jimmy Henderson’s homage to the classic “The Most Dangerous Game.” Gu Shangwei kicks it as a cop whose undercover work lands him in a Cambodian prison, where he becomes a target for rich creeps playing a hunting game. It’s low budget and sticks to the basics, but is entertaining throughout. Details: 2½ stars, available to stream now.

“Ride Your Wave”: Superior animation and a tender storyline about grief make Masaaki Yuasa’s a must for teens and adults. Hinako, a devout surfer attending college, falls in love with firefighter Minato, a guy who is too good to be true. When tragedy strikes, Hinako’s bond with her boyfriend only strengthens. It’s another anime triumph from the director of “The Night is Short, Walk on Girl.” Details: 3½ stars, available to stream now.

“Centigrade”: In this merely adequate survival thriller, a squabbling American couple pull over to nap during a ferocious snow/ice storm in Norway and awaken to find themselves buried under in their car. If you’re claustrophobic, skip director/ co-writer Brendan Walsh’s one-note squirmer. Actors Genesis Rodriguez and Vincent Piazza show some acting might, but this based-on-a-true drama gets itself stuck and has nowhere to go. Details: 2 stars, available to stream Aug. 28.

“Max Winslow and the House of Secrets”: This “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” for tech teens is a surprise, a family film with well played messages about social media and teens pursuing their dreams not the ones of their parents. Chad Michael Murray pops in  as a quirky tech genius who selects randomly (or so we think)  teens from his old high school to participate in a contes in which the winner receives the keys to his posh estate. Brainy Max (Sydne Mikele) joins four others receiving lucky tickets — er texts — but an AI at the estate has other plans.It’s low in budget but high in quality thanks to the acting, writing and direction. Details: 3 stars, available to stream now.

“Gripped: Climbing the Killer Pillar”: This passable outdoor adventure tale slips about whenever there’s no rock climbing involved. While on vacay, a neophyte climber (Amanda Maddox) meets a hunky experienced climber (Kaiwi Lyman). Not much remarkable happens till late in the going, but the Sierra Nevada range strikes beautiful poses, and there’s a clear sense that co-writer/director Ben Galland knows climbing. Now if only he could get a grip on screenwriting. Details: 2 stars; available to stream now.