August (2008 film)
August is a 2008 American drama film directed by Austin Chick and presented by 57th & Irving. The screenplay by Howard A. Rodman focuses on two brothers, ambitious dot-com entrepreneurs attempting to keep their company afloat as the stock market begins to collapse in August 2001, one month prior to the 9/11 attacks.
| August | |
|---|---|
 US Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Austin Chick |
| Produced by | Josh Hartnett David Guy Levy Charlie Corwin Clara Markowicz Elisa Pugliese |
| Written by | Howard A. Rodman |
| Starring | Josh Hartnett Naomie Harris David Bowie Rip Torn Adam Scott Emmanuelle Chriqui |
| Music by | Nathan Larson |
| Cinematography | Andrij Parekh |
| Edited by | Pete Beaudreau |
Production company | Original Media Periscope Entertainment |
| Distributed by | First Look Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.4 million |
| Box office | $12,636[1] |
The film premiered as an official selection of the Spectrum section at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Plot
Tom and Joshua Sterling are brothers whose Internet startup company, Landshark, is as hot as a New York City summer – only this is the summer of 2001, their company is in lock up, its stock price is plunging and, in a few weeks, the world will change forever.
In the meantime, Tom is living the hedonistic life of an Internet star; he dates multiple women, drives a 67 Camaro convertible and hangs out at a new club called Bungalow 8. Tom Sterling is a true showman, a demigod in a cult – and culture – of personality.
Cast
- Josh Hartnett as Tom Sterling
- Naomie Harris as Sarah
- Adam Scott as Joshua Sterling
- Robin Tunney as Melanie Hanson
- Andre Royo as Dylan Gottschalk
- Emmanuelle Chriqui as Morella Sterling
- Laila Robins as Ottmar Peevo
- Caroline Lagerfelt as Nancy Sterling
- Alan Cox as Burton
- John Lavelle as Brad
- David Bowie as Cyrus Ogilvie
- Rip Torn as David Sterling
Festival screenings
| Festival | Section | Screening Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Sundance Film Festival | Spectrum[2] | January 22, 2008 January 23, 2008 January 24, 2008 January 26, 2008 |
| Seattle International Film Festival | Contemporary World Cinema[3] | May 29, 2008 June 2, 2008 |
| Brooklyn International Film Festival | Narrative Feature Films[4] | May 31, 2008 June 6, 2008 |
| Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Horizons[5] | July 7, 2008 |
| Oldenburg International Film Festival | International Section | September 11, 2008 |
| Flanders International Film Festival Ghent | World Cinema | October 10, 2008 |
| Bahamas International Film Festival | Spirit Of Freedom: Dramatic[6] | December 8, 2008 |
Critical reception
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film 36% based on 25 reviews, with a consensus that "Josh Hartnett puts in a well-intentioned performance but overall, August only superficially explores its dotcom-burst setting."[7] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 39 out of 100 based on 10 reviews, indicating a generally negative response.[8]
References
- "August (2008)". Box Office Mojo. July 24, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- 2008 Online Film Guide Archived January 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Sundance International Film Festival
- The Festival – Films & Events Archived 2011-01-06 at the Wayback Machine, Seattle International Film Festival
- 2008 Edition – Category Feature / Film Details, Brooklyn Film Festival Film Library
- History – Film Archive, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- "Bahamas Festival to close with Spike Lee's Miracle of St Anna". Screen Daily. Jeremy Kay. November 13, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- "August Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
- "August (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
External links
- August at IMDb
- August at Rotten Tomatoes
- August at Metacritic
- August at Box Office Mojo
- August at the Movie Review Query Engine
- International Sales (ContentFilm)