August (2008)

Best movie of this year hands down!

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I like this film, takes the viewer into a strange world that had really existed Perhaps I'm too much of an insider to judge this film from a purely objective orientation, but as a quasi refugee of sorts from the dot com frenzy days, "August" does connect on multiple levels.Sadly, I've met more than my share of "Tom" characters in real life, and for the most part, that entire world has faded away into obscurity. It was a strange time, when the real world seemed evermore like an episode of the Twilight Zone.Though there might have been some minor glitches in the film, I think overall it captured the essence of that period and its odd collection of characters surprisingly well.If there is any one film that is a portal into that culture and time, and does so in an entertaining but reasonably accurate way, this would be that film. It certainly deserves notice and the time it takes to watch, which is a lot more than can be said for some other attempts at this genre'.

Many find life like a boat with a sail billowing in the wind. Sometimes, the wind is not there, but for a few, those that can will sail away into fortune. Josh Hartnett's character epitomizes those optimists. We catch up to this wheeler dealer just a few months before the actual huge part of the bubble finally burst starting in March 2001. There was no indication from watching this film that it had anything to do with the times other than the film was supposedly taking place and ended soon before the fateful day of 9/11. This apparently was not mentioned in the film, however, some reviewers tend to connect this film to a procession of unraveling events that seem to showcase the end of our way of thinking (the dawn of a new era).There are many wonderful things that I could say about this film. Some would argue that it's just a meandering waste of time. After watching other films such as Purpose (2003), Boiler-room, and Wall-Street, this film seemed to fit a different kind of niche in my memory. More or less that niche centered around the extreme confidence and undying drive that Hartnett portrayed playing Tom.Whereas the message pretty much comes off the same in the end; a person or company hitting a so-called brick wall or the end of the track right before the train falls off into the ravine. In Promise, the main theme seemed to be centered around John, a software developer who becomes a billionaire overnight when he takes his company public. John unfortunately gets caught up in the fame, greed and power and all the vein distractions that go along with living the new high life. Inevitably, our Dot-com guy must learn what's really important in order to save his invention and company from a hostile takeover. Fundamentally, John learns that love and a sense of purpose are more powerful and more valuable than money.With Tom in "August", you already know that this guy has a sense of purpose but can't really believe that failure is in the picture. Thus, for all intents and purposes, we are taken on a journey into the daily life of Tom to see how he really ticks and what he really thinks. We finally see who Tom really is and how he blames the other leeches for his unforeseen failure. Some animosity comes out when Rip Torn, who plays his father, pushes Tom to the limit of his own inner ego bubble, when he insinuates that LandSharks (the company) is a company of Oreo eating lazy teenagers who do absolutely nothing. Tom views his brother's and his father's ideology foreign and corrupt from his own. That's when the partying pansy pretty passively provokes pity pugnaciously putting punches on his own face by pissing someone he knows off just for the fun of it. This behavior soon carries him to the final seen where David Bowie tells him how the cow is getting ready to eat the cabbage. Bravo performance goes to everyone including Ron Insana who plays himself, Robin Tunney who plays Melanie Hanson, Naomie Harris who plays the on again failed relationship Sarrah, and Adam Scott who plays the brilliant, yet not so business-minded brother Joshua who delivers his down to earth perspective on what's really going on. In conclusion, John Hartnett makes this film totally believable and, hands down, should have put him in the running for an Oscar for his role except that somehow his pervasively pensive prose put people off. Too bad he could never do this again with his own brother was the last thought felt by him but that was alright!

In New York City, during the George W. Bush Administration, handsome tattooed Josh Hartnett (as Thomas "Tom" Sterling) struggles to keep his multi-million dollar "dot.com" business going, after the stock market slides downward in "August" of 2001. His partner, the "creative genius" of the organization, is Adam Scott (as Joshua "Josh" Sterling), a nervous new papa. Mr. Hartnett is optimistic, even when it comes to beautiful brown-skinned ex-girlfriend Naomie Harris (as Sarrah).Singer-musician David Bowie has a cameo, as wheeler-dealer mogul after Hartnett's business.Unfortunately not a great film, but "August" should put director Austin Chick and cinematographer Andrij Parekh on a watch list; their green-hued New York looks rich. Showing off his long torso, Hartnett still needs that great movie role; besides looking good, he performs the unfocused character well. With a tight soundtrack and trendy script ("My bad", "Hey yourself"), this "August" doesn't stick because the short-lived drama is, like Hartnett's character says, "so over" and "way over." ***** August (1/22/08) Austin Chick ~ Josh Hartnett, Adam Scott, Naomie Harris, Robin Tunney

This movie was what it was - a story about a less than honorable person being less than honorable. They show him being vile to people, including an old girlfriend who is doomed to find out he hasn't changed at all. In the end, he makes a decision about his life and his family.I didn't find anything at all hopeful about this movie. It was pure angst from the minute it began; the music weighing it down more than the script already did. This movie could only be interesting to someone in this type of business in New York. I fell asleep twice. I was hoping to see information about how 9-11 affected companies on the brink, but it never went there. The closest they got was the passing of Aaliyah.If you enjoy looking at Josh Hartnett's body, you'll be able to get through this film. If not, you may wish you had these two hours back. He was very good at playing the type of character he was asked to play, but the character itself was hideous. Just my opinion.