The 5 Essential Indie Flicks of August 2013

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | August 7, 2013 |

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | August 7, 2013 |

By our official count here at Pajiba headquarters, there were 983 summer blockbusters this year, and 979 of them included a superhero in some form. The number of casualties in those films combined actually topped the nation’s debt ceiling for the first time ever, permissible only by an act of Congress. Sadly, however, there were no serious heart injuries during summer blockbuster season (although, a few suffered minor bruises thanks to The Way Way Back). Thankfully, it’s August, where the indie studios swoop in and take advantage of the fact that you just can’t take one. more. goddamn. superhero. movie.

Good news! It’s a good month if you want to feel the feels or the sads or the fuzzies or whatever it is that you kids like to say on the tumble bumbles. There are several great movies coming down the pipeline, movies that will probably be better than most of this year’s Oscar contenders but that likely won’t do that much competing on account of the fact that they blew their Oscar bribery budget on Brie Larson.

It was a good call.

Here’s five films coming to theaters (and/or VOD/ITunes/XBox/YourMomsaWhore) this month. Watch them all when they finally arrive in your mid-sized market in November of 2014.

Short Term 12 — The rising princess of Indie, Brie Larson, as well as John Gallagher, Jr. star in what has been my favorite movie of the year, and maybe my favorite movie of the past several years. It is a marvel of kindness and warmth that will break you wide open, and then give you a big f*cking hug that will restore your faith in humanity.

Spectacular Now — If, for some reason, Brie Larson loses her princess of Indie tiara due to scandal, Shailene Woodley will be there to take it from her. Both Larson and Woodley star, along with Kyle Chandler and Miles Teller, in Spectacular Now, which opened in a couple of theaters last Friday and should be arriving in your mid-sized market by the end of the month. Several of us have seen it already, and we have all loved it, even if Kyle Chandler is terribly unlikable Dad.

In a World — Due out this Friday, In a World is written, directed, and stars Lake Bell as an aspiring movie trailer voice over actor. It’s getting stellar reviews so far, and if you know Lake Bell from her work on Adult Swim, you know how funny she can be (really funny).

Drinking Buddies — It’s already available for rental, but it also hits theaters at the end of the month. The film, which stars Anna Kendrick, Jake Johnson, and Olivia Wilde is probably my second favorite flick of the year for all the reasons enunciated here and here.

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints — Our own Caspar Salmon gave the film, starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, solid marks out of Cannes, and Seth — who saw it at the Los Angeles Film Festival — was even more enthusiastic about the David Lowery film.