It is not all about the big budget blockbusters this August as there are a whole host of indie movies that you cannot miss.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
There is a great mix of films on the horizon - including two that have been performing incredibly well on the festival circuit so far this year.
We take a look at some of the indie films that are a must see over the next few weeks as well as the movies that we are really looking forward to.
- The Diary of a Teenage Girl - released 7th August
The Diary of a Teenage Girl has been one of the most talked about movies on the festival circuit so far this year after premiering at Sundance at the beginning of 2015.
The movie is based on the graphic novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures by Phoebe Gloeckner and sees Marielle Heller in the director's chair; she has also penned the screenplay.
Heller kicked off her career in front of the camera and The Diary of a Teenage Girl will mark her feature film directorial debut - it may be her debut, but that has not stopped her from assembling an impressive cast.
Bel Powley will take on the central role of Minnie and is joined on the cast list by Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig, and Christopher Meloni.
Like most teenage girls, Minnie Goetze (Powley) is longing for love, acceptance, and a sense of purpose in the world. Minnie begins a complex love affair with her mother's (Wiig) boyfriend, Monroe Rutherford (Skarsgård). What follows is a sharp, funny, and provocative account of one girl's sexual and artistic awakening, without judgment.
This coming of age tale was met well when it screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival earlier this summer and is a movie that is not to be missed this August.
- Manglehorn - released 7th August
It has already been a successful year for Al Pacino with Danny Collins under his belt and now he is back with his latest film Manglehorn.
Manglehorn sees David Gordon Green back in the director's chair as he continues to take his career in a different direction. Green was known for his outrageous comedies such as Pineapple Express and Your Highness but the likes of Prince Avalanche and Joe have seen him take a dramatic turn.
Manglehorn sees Green team up with Al Pacino for the first time as the Oscar winner takes on the title role alongside Holly Hunts, Chris Messina, and Harmony Korine.
AJ Manglehorn is an aging, ordinary guy in a small town. He nurses his sick cat, squeezes out a conversation with the local bank teller every Friday, and eats at the same place every day. But there is more to Manglehorn than meets the eye: he's an ex-con who, 40 years ago, gave up the woman of his dreams for a big 'job'.
He now obsesses daily over the choices he made. After a dramatic effort to start over, Manglehorn faces a terrifying moment and is unmasked as a guy with a very, very dark past.
It is always great to see Pacino back on the big screen, but I am particularly interested to see what Green delivers this time around.
- American Ultra - released 28th August
Kristen Stewart is set to reunite with Jesse Eisenberg this summer as they team up for action/comedy American Ultra.
The pair first worked together on Adventureland back in 2009 and now they are set to take on the roles of Phoebe and Mike - a couple whose lives are turned upside down when Mike's past comes back to surprise them both.
Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Connie Britton, John Leguizamo, and Bill Pullman make up a great cast list, while Nima Nourizadeh is in the director's chair.
American Ultra will mark only the second feature film of Nourizadeh's directing career and comes three years since be made his debut with comedy Project X.
The movie follows stoner Mike and his girlfriend Phoebe whose lives are turned upside down when his past catches up with him. A government operation is on the hunt for him and are determined to wipe him out.
Stewart and Eisenberg are two of the most exciting young actors around and I am looking forward to seeing them team up once again - this is a very different movie to Adventureland.
- 45 Years - released 28th August
45 Years is one of the summer movies that I am looking forward to the most as it has already been whipping up a storm and picking up awards on the festival circuit.
The movie sees Andrew Haigh back in the director's chair as he teams up with Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay - who will play a husband and wife about to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.
Rampling and Courtenay have already picked up Best Actress and Best Actor gongs at the Berlin International Film Festival and they are being tipped as ones to watch as we start the run into the awards season. Will they be in the Oscar mix? I guess we are just going to have to wait and see.
45 Years follow the life of Kate Mercer (Rampling) during the five days leading up to her forty-fifth wedding anniversary. Party plans are going well, until a letter arrives for her husband (Courtenay) informing him that the body of his first love has been found frozen in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. As their anniversary celebrations grow closer, they delve further into their past, leaving their future in question.
Haigh has brought us Greek Pete and Weekend during his directing career and 45 Years is his third feature film - it looks set to be the movie that will really put him on the map as a filmmaker to watch out for.
45 Years is already winning over the critics and looks set to be one of the most heavily praised movies of the summer. Rampling and Courtenay are two of terrific actors and it is always great to see them back on the big screen. It looks like they are set to create a little bit of magic with this latest film.
