“Spin Me Round”
Here’s a kind of quirky, fun story. Filmmaker Jeff Baena is married to Aubrey Plaza, they met during his directorial zom-com debut, “Life After Beth” (2014). Plaza is also friends with Alison Brie; they both starred in Baena’s “The Little Hours” (2017). And ever since, Brie and Baena have started a creative partnership together. He directed “Horse Girl,” which she co-wrote and starred in, and they both co-wrote again on Baena’s new directorial effort, “Spin Me Round,” a romantic comedy thriller in which she stars again. Co-starring Alessandro Nivola, Molly Shannon, Lil Rel Howery, and Plaza, with appearances by Tim Heidecker, Fred Armisen, Zach Woods, and more. The film centers on a woman (Brie) who wins an all-expenses trip to a gorgeous “institute” outside of Florence and also the chance to meet the restaurant chain’s wealthy and charismatic owner. However, once there, she gets much more than she bargained for. [Our review]
Release Date: August 19 in select theaters and VOD via IFC Films.
“Funny Pages”
The Safdie Brothers produced “Funny Pages” follows a teenage cartoonist who leaves the comforts of his suburban home and finds a begrudging teacher and friend in a low-level comic artist. Directed by Owen Kline, perhaps still best known for his role as the younger brother in Noah Baumbach’s 2005 film “The Squid and the Whale,” the film’s aesthetic fits the grungy, low-fi vibe of its producers. The A24 film stars Daniel Zolghadri and Matt Maher as the main duo.
Release Date: August 26 in theaters via A24.
“Breaking”
John Boyega stars in the true story of a desperate Marine veteran in Abi Damaris Corbin’s tense drama “Breaking.” In need of money and with few options, Boyega’s Brian Brown-Easley resorts to holding hostage patrons and employees of a bank which leads to a dire confrontation with police. Co-written between Corbin and Kwame Kwei-Armah and starring Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, and Michael Kenneth Williams in one of his last roles, our critic saw the film at the Sundance Film Festival and commended them, writing that the “…star-studded cast does good, dependable work.”
Release Date: August 26 in theaters via Bleecker Street.
“Three Thousand Years of Longing”
Director George Miller returns for the first time since “Mad Max: Fury Road” with the surprise “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Based on the story “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye,” by A.S. Byatt, Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba star as a lonely scholar (Swinton) who discovers a Djinn (Elba) while in Istanbul who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Our critic described it as a “…sumptuous banquet of storytelling in service of storytelling.”
Release Date: August 31 in theaters via United Artists Releasing.
Also Coming In August
There are still plenty of other films for your viewing pleasure in August including “The Invitation,” “The Immaculate Room,” “Delia’s Gone,” “Orphan: First Kill, “Free Chol Soo Lee,” and “Girl Picture.”
