With the flood of reports concerning the films going to fall festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and the Fantastic Fest, it’s difficult to pay much attention to the August film slate when we know that the month that follows signals great offerings along with Oscar season starting.
That being said, despite some slim pickings on the big budgeted, studio films, there’s plenty to choose from as the summer winds down, especially in the independent department. And, anyone trying to support as many female directors in theaters as possible will have a number to seek out from big-budget comedies to Netflix romances and independent ventures.
“Christopher Robin”
Cast: Ewan Mcgregor, Jim Cummings, Chris O’Dowd, Haley Atwell
Synopsis: In the heartwarming live action adventure “Disney’s Christopher Robin,” the young boy who loved embarking on adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with a band of spirited and loveable stuffed animals, has grown up and lost his way. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into our world and help Christopher Robin remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.
What You Need To Know: Directed by Marc Foster who made this critic cry something fierce with his other literary tale weepy “Finding Neverland” (granted, more a me problem than a universal one) his filmography isn’t so settled to be confident based on his name alone. However, then you add Alex Ross Perry, Thomas McCarthy, and Allison Schroeder as screenwriters and characters who are beloved, targeting a notoriously nostalgia reliant audience, and we have a potentially magical cocktail of sap, sentiment and rich storytelling.
Release Date: August 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0URpDxIjZrQ
“The Spy Who Dumped Me”
Cast: Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux, Gillian Anderson
Synopsis: Audrey and Morgan, two thirty-year-old best friends in Los Angeles, are thrust unexpectedly into an international conspiracy when Audrey’s ex-boyfriend shows up at their apartment with a team of deadly assassins on his trail. Surprising even themselves, the duo jump into action, on the run throughout Europe from assassins and a suspicious-but-charming British agent, as they hatch a plan to save the world.
What You Need To Know: A film that reportedly did so well in test screenings that it was moved up to a more audience primed summer release date, “The Spy Who Dumped Me” looks to be a potential comedy breakout of the summer. Greater still the possibility to support one of the very, very few female directed wide release films of 2018. Susanna Fogel who directed the charming “Life Partners” a few years ago gets her chance in the action seat with two game stars in Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, a pairing we didn’t know we needed until we saw the casting announcements.
Release Date: August 3
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post”
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane
Synopsis: Cameron Post looks the part of a perfect high school girl. But after she’s caught with another girl in the backseat of a car on prom night, Cameron is quickly shipped off to a conversion therapy center that treats teens “struggling with same-sex attraction.”
What You Need To Know: For anyone who saw director Desiree Akhavan’s debut feature film “Appropriate Behaviour,” you knew that her future, if awarded the opportunities she deserved, would be a bright one. Her voice was distinct and the story refreshingly modern in its approach to relationships. With “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” she finds herself strictly behind the scenes, once again telling an important LGBTQ story but one with more of an edge due to the prejudices the characters face. The film made its debut at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival where our critic singled out Akhavan’s ability to deliver authenticity “whenever she has the kids doing things teenagers would be doing.”
Release Date: August 3
