August
 

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August

by FIRST LOOK PICTURES

$28.98
buy from amazon.com
Average Rating: * * * - -
Sales Rank:19417 (lower is better)
Price Used:$1.30
Shipping:Free Shipping on most orders over $25*
Availability:Usually ships in 24 hours
Director:Austin Chick
Release Date:2008-08-26
Label:FIRST LOOK PICTURES
UPC:687797124791
Binding:DVD
Published By:FIRST LOOK PICTURES
ASIN:B00177YA74
Category:DVD

Actors and Actresses

Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions

Description

AUGUST follows Tom Sterling (Josh Hartnett) as an aggressive, young dot-com entrepreneur who fights to keep his start-up company afloat. Tom finds himself on a personal and professional downward spiral as he struggles to reunite with girlfriend Sarrah (Naomie Harris), attempts to regain control of his company from his apathetic investor Ogilvie (David Bowie), and must deal with age-old family wounds with his father, David (Rip Torn) and his brother Joshua (Adam Scott). The film also stars Emmanuelle Chriqui as Morela and Andre Royo as Dylan.
Amazon.com

The specter of September 11th looms over August--there are numerous indications that it’s set in 2001, and the title alone is an ominous indication of the imminence of that awful day--but watching this 2008 offering, one gets the feeling that even if Tom Sterling knew 9/11 was coming, he wouldn’t change a thing. As written by Howard A. Rodman, directed by Austin Chick, and portrayed by John Hartnett, Tom is almost completely unlikable. A dot-com entrepreneur in those heady days before the techno bubble burst and internet companies like his Land Shark went directly south, Tom’s hipper than his neck tattoo, disdainful of his competition, borderline abusive to his younger, meeker brother (the technical brains behind the company they founded together), hostile to his parents, and a jerk to his former girlfriend, the one person he actually seems to care about. He’s also a master at talking loud and saying absolutely nothing. One of the filmmakers’ conceits is that we’re never told exactly what it is that Land Shark does; Tom mouths some nonsense about providing "bleeding-edge, mission-critical, cross-platform, robust, scale-able architectures," but the company’s principal function, as his dad (Rip Torn) puts it, seems to be to provide office space for his young employees to eat Oreos and play computer solitaire, and when Land Shark meets the fate of others of its ilk, it’s mighty hard to care. No flies on Hartnett--the guy is a star, and rarely less than watchable. But August is a cold film, in both look and feel, and even a brief but memorable scene near the end with David Bowie as the one character who seems able to talk straight won’t keep you from wanting to take a shower when it’s all over. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Josh Hartnett is a brilliant actor!!! - Reviewed on 2008-10-31
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1 customer found this review helpful.

Its really amazing when you see an actor as big as Josh Hartnett working on a serious film. I think this is one of the first films to really show his diversity. The man can act! I think that down the road we're gonna look back on this film as the turning point in his career - the point at which he starts working on more than just big/predictable Hollywood films. I heard he's now acting on the London on the live-stage version of Rain Man. The film has a really good story about the dot com crash back in 2001 - which is really appropriate with what's going on with the stock market right now. It will be a very cool addition to your DVD collection.
Movies of Josh Hartnett - Reviewed on 2008-10-02
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3 customers found this review not to be helpful.
I am a fan of Josh Hartnett. He is so sexy and good looking. I have watched "August" over and over. I enjoyed his acting in this movie with Naomie Harris. The race mixing is beautiful. There should be more movies produced like this. However, the story line shows that you can never think that you are so high and above anyone in the business world. You will be brought down eventually. Anyway, I enjoyed this movie. It wasn't long enough and I hope there's a sequel.
I recommend this movie to mostly anyone.

Love you, Josh Hartnett

Mildred Peebles
WOW! Part II - Reviewed on 2008-09-16
* * * * *
4 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.

The first three reviewers of this film could not be more wrong - I just had the chance to watch "August" and found it satisfying on every level. This is the kind of movie that I love - one that sneaks in under the radar and knocks my socks off. Josh Hartnett, while never impressing me much in past roles, knocks this one out of the park. If I was in charge of Academy Award selections, he would be nominated for Best Actor for this role. Don't miss this one.
WOW! - Reviewed on 2008-09-01
*
4 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.

Im imbaressed i made some visiting family watch this! First film that everyone agreed that was a complete waste of time!

I thought they could have had alot more going for them with this movie but did not deliver!

Good day!
Washcloth Please - Reviewed on 2008-09-01
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6 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.

Austin Chick's second feature since "XX/XY" @ Sundance is like the dot-com metaphor about which the film tells its story. It's a disaster. Josh Hartnett who looked good in even the turkey Lucky Number Slevin (Widescreen Edition) and really good in The Black Dahlia (Widescreen Edition) by Brian DePalma gives a paper-thin performance about a self-centered jerk who risks his family for pride. At one point, Tom is leaving the office to an important business conference & has apparently not bathed. He changes shirts, smells his armpit, wrinkles his nose, puts on a fresh shirt, and heads out the door. Will someone please give the stinky man a washcloth? Dorothy Parker once wrote about Katherine Hepburn on Broadway that she covered all the emotions "from A to B." This about describes the level of dejection that Hartnett is able to reach.

Adam Scott who was in Knocked Up (Unrated Widescreen Edition) in 2007, Monster-in-Law (New Line Platinum Series) in 2005 & The Aviator (Two-Disc Special Edition) in 2004 looks the best as Tom's brother Joshua who has a new baby and must place concerns for his family above his brother's business needs to raid his bank account. Scott reaches an excellent level of anxiety as he tries to evade his brother, but ultimately loves him even in failure.

Naomie Harris from "Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3" and "Miami Vice" does fairly well in a thin role as the object of the affections Tom Sterling can spare on anyone but himself. Rip Torn who has a lone supporting Oscar nomination for "Cross Creek" in 1983 is a bit over the top as his father David. Caroline Lagerfelt who was in "Minority Report" and works sporadically did well as the mother who can't quite keep her grown family together. David Bowie's appearance is brief, but he looks good.

The best thing about this film is its look. The cinematography and the wild nightclub look suit the story well. I also liked the black and white photography on the cover of the DVD. The big problem with the film is that the protagonist Tom Sterling is not likeable so when he fails we really don't care. Boy creates business; boy is a creep; boy loses business, end credits. Taxi!
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