What's Playing in August?

I always thought of August as a dead month for movies. Most of the summer blockbuster have come and went and then there's a lull until the fall/Oscar/prestige/holiday flicks start appearing in the cinema. Now maybe that's not true. And I'm sure I've seen loads of films releases in August, but for some reason this year there seems to be a glut of movies that I WANT to see that are being released next month.

Funny People (July 31st)

Technically this film comes out the very last day of July, but it's pretty much an August flick. This is Judd Apatow's third film and all of the reviews right now make it seem like it's Apatow trying to get himself taken more seriously. I've enjoyed his previous films, but the trailer for this film definitely didn't feel Apatow-esque. I have no idea if that's a good or bad thing yet. It stars Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, and Eric Bana.

Julie & Julia (August 7th)

It's Meryl Streep and Amy Adams again and instead of nuns they'll respectively be playing the legendary chef Julia Childs and the out-of-her-luck Julie Powell who takes inspiration from Childs. From the trailer it seems as if Streep was born to play Childs, but yet again isn't Streep born to play almost anyone and anything? Adams' story seems to be overpowered by Streep and from the early reviews, it seems that is the case.

District 9 (August 14th)

I only really heard about this in the past few weeks seeing a commercial for it on TV. And honestly I still don't really know what's it's about except that it has something to do with alien beings living on Earth, but being cordonned off from the general public (i.e. like a public version of Area 51) and the movie is being "presented" by Peter Jackson. That's usually good enough for me.

The Time Traveler's Wife (August 14th)

This movie has been in my radar ever since I heard it was being made. I never read the famous book it's based on, but I've always wanted to. Getting two of my favorite actors to star as the leads, Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, has also made me very excited for this film. The film is about a woman who falls in love with a man who involuntarily time travels. If that's not chock full of drama, then I don't know what is. Plus it's VERY similar to the recently cancelled show Journeyman which I really liked.

Inglourious Basterds (August 21st)

Quentin Tarantino's latest brings an over-the-top (redundant?) WWII film centered on soldiers bent on making the lives of Nazis hell. The trailers emphasize the rompness and the violence that Tarantino is known for. The film stars Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, and Diane Kruger. This might be something I see on DVD, but still something to watch out for.

Taking Woodstock (August 28th)

Based on a book by Elliot Tiber, this movie takes the coming-of-age story of a guy and put it amidst the backdrop of probably the most famous concert in the history of the world, Woodstock. I could be completely wrong, but that's what it seems like from the trailer and in any case, I would still see this movie alone for the cast with Imelda Staunton, Emile Hirch, Paul Dano, Liev Schreiber, and finally Demetri Martin.