‘Mistress America’
Noah Baumbach already released one of the best movies this year in While We’re Young, and the buzz out of Sundance made it seem as if his second could be even better. Mistress America holds an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and some of its supporters are really high on it.
Mistress America stars Baumbach’s life partner and frequent collaborator Greta Gerwig as well as Lola Kirke. As per the official synopsis, this is “a comedy about dream-chasing, score-settling, makeshift families, and cat-stealing.” If that doesn’t sell you, I don’t know what will.
Release date: August 14
‘Digging for Fire’
Prolific indie director Joe Swanberg has eased up on the throttle a bit, and his movies have been the better for it. He’s been on a roll in recent years with Drinking Buddies and Happy Christmas. Both of them were aided by the presence of Anna Kendrick, and she’ll be back for Digging for Fire. It got generally favorable reviews at Sundance and currently holds a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Swanberg often is the sole credited writer on his films (though most of them are incredibly improvisation heavy), but Digging for Fire credits Jake Johnson alongside Swanberg, and this is Johnson’s first feature writing credit. Johnson will star in the movie alongside Kendrick, Brie Larson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Orlando Bloom, Chris Messina, Sam Rockwell, Melanie Lynskey, Jenny Slate, Ron Livingston, Mike Birbiglia, and more.
Release date: August 21
‘Sleeping With Other People’
Leslye Headland’s Sleeping with Other People sounds like standard Sundance indie fare, and if you’re into that, this one should be enjoyable. It didn’t blow critics at Sundance away — it currently holds a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — but it should find an audience regardless, especially given its cast that includes Alison Brie, Natasha Lyonne, Jason Sudeikis, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet, and Jason Mantzoukas.
Sleeping with Other People is about a good-natured womanizer and a serial cheater who just want to be friends but, you guessed it, are attracted to each other.
Release date: August 21
‘American Ultra’
Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg were quite good together in Adventureland, and hopefully they’ll rekindle that magic in American Ultra. They’re two immensely talented actors whose careers have only upswung since that movie. Nima Nourizadeh’s first movie Project X was far from great, but he’ll probably be working from a better screenplay this time around given that the movie was written by Chronicle scribe Max Landis.
American Ultra sounds very fresh and unusual. The official synopsis states: “A stoner and his girlfriend’s sleepy, small-town existence is disrupted when his past comes back to haunt him in the form of a government operation set to wipe him out.” This sounds like the kind of movie that will be a great late summer addition.
Release date: August 21
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