BY JOE REID |

This Weekend's Indies: 'The East,' 'Kings of Summer,' and More

Opening this week in limited release: Brit Marling rides again, plus coming of age laughs and across-the-pond thrills.

This Weekend's Indies: 'The East,' 'Kings of Summer,' and More

The East
Writer/producer/star Brit Marling and writer/director Zal Batmanglij have been on quite a roll as of late, scoring indie successes with Sound of My Voice and (in Marling's case) Another Earth. They're teaming up again with this story about infiltrating an eco-terrorist organization (Marling plays the mole), and they're joined by their most all-star cast yet, including Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgard, and Patricia Clarkson. Sound of My Voice was another film that portrayed a hooky premise (cults, in that case) in a less-mainstream manner, and the results were fantastic, so anticipation for this one is fairly high.

The Kings of Summer
All the fun of a coming-of-age summer movie + serious festival buzz + Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally? That's basically all the enticement one would need. The trailer promises something along the funny/heartwarming lines and is probably as good a summer-movie counterprogramming option as you're going to find if you still want to watch movies about boys goofing off.

Shadow Dancer
Director James Marsh (read our interview with him HERE) has made his biggest cinematic mark in documentaries (Man on Wire; Project Nim), but here he's working on a narrative tale of IRA bombings and MI-5 subterfuge in 1990s Northern Ireland. A few things stand out from the trailer, particularly the choice to use John Murphy's brilliant 28 Days Later score, which might have merited its own Trailer Tunes entry if the marketing had been a bit more prominent stateside. But most especially are actors Clive Owen and Andrea Riseborough, both of whom have been starving for proper chances to show off their considerable talents lately. Oh, and a SUPER-blonde Gillian Anderson!

Previously: Jesse Eisenberg: 11 Roles Ranked in Order of Self-Confidence

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