Each year, as summer comes to a close, smaller independent films reach more audiences as they find their way into larger theaters after a preliminary run during the early summer season. These films gain more exposure and are sure to become awards darlings or simply great movies caught by those who know where to look. The end of summer also extends a much-needed breather for many independent theaters, as all the blockbusters movies have come and gone, allowing space to showcase some noteworthy flicks.
The heat is indeed up in the Hudson Valley, and whether you’re looking for a fun night out to catch the latest indie darling or just in the mood for an old favorite, there’s no shortage to choose from at local theaters. Here are five film events and movie screenings at Hudson Valley independent theaters to keep your eye on in August.
Hudson Film Festival
The Hudson Film Festival has quickly become one of the dominant local film fests showcased in the area, always with an eye on both individuality and commercial awareness. Their third year lineup follows this trend with indie favorites such as East of Wall, The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick and the extraordinary Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears). They are also showcasing the documentaries Folktales and Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, both exquisite frontrunner entries into the 2025 documentary awards season. And it doesn’t stop there, as they have also curated a phenomenal lineup of short films, with some to be played as part of other screenings, as well as their very own Shorts Showcase, which will include My Memory Walls, Reality of Hope, Bad for a Moment, Loving Silence, The Cat Man Eshete, and Au Revoir Mon Monde. On top of all of this, they will also be presenting a screening of 2021’s Encanto, with Spanish subtitles, in collaboration with the Hudson Area Library and Olana, with free popcorn and soft drinks.
The Hudson Film Festival runs August 7 through 10 at Time & Space Ltd, The Spark of Hudson, Story Screen Cinema, and Half Moon.
My Cousin Vinny
This one’s for all the yutes out there! This 1992 comedy classic is an absolute banger, a film that has only improved with time and remains a staple of what comedy movies are all about. Joe Pesci plays a New York lawyer who has NEVER won a case and is in way over his head when he is called in to defend his young cousin accused of murder in Alabama. Luckily for him, he brings along his girlfriend, Mona Lisa Vito, played to Oscar-winning perfection by the great Marisa Tomei, who has all the cards needed to play this game of justice. The movie remains, to this day, one of the pinnacles of mainstream comedy, incorporating Pesci’s comedic timing with Tomei’s intergalactic charm, with a little Fred Gwynne and Ralph Macchio to make it all go down even easier. This special screening is made even all the more so by being projected on 35mm, the way Vinny Gambini himself would most likely prefer.
My Cousin Vinny screens August 13 at Jacob Burns Film Center.
Oh, Hi!
Relationships can be hard. Especially when one person doesn’t want what the other does. Sophie Brooks’s latest comedy tells that exact story, but with a tiny twist. The film opens with a couple of young romantics, played by Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, who are immediately infatuated with one another. When they go on their first “vacation getaway,” it becomes obvious that one of them may not feel as strongly about their relationship as the other. What ensues is a comedic (and dark) take on how relationships work in a world where everyone knows everything, even if they assume 50 percent of it. Molly Gordon has skyrocketed to fame after her supporting role in Shiva Baby, as well as her writing, directing, and starring role in 2023’s Theater Camp. Logan Lerman, most known for his roles in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the Percy Jackson film franchise, continues to surprise where his starpower will take him, and in this film he shows that he is up to any task. Even when handcuffed to a bed.
Oh, Hi! is currently playing at Upstate Films Starr Cinema and starts August 22 at The Moviehouse.
Clue
1985’s Clue is a great movie in every way you explain what makes a great movie. A phenomenal cast, including Madline Kahn, Tim Curry, Michael McKean, Colleen Camp, Lesley Anne Warren, Eileen Brennan, and Christopher Lloyd, and that’s not even breaking into the legendary bit parts! The Jonathan Lynn-directed film is a timeless time capsule of comedy and talent, utilizing the charm of its cast with beat-for-beat, second-by-second, laugh-out-loud moments that make it the perfect movie to see on the big screen surrounded by friends and strangers alike. The Hudson Valley Picture Show brings this tentpole of ’80s ensemble comedy to the big screen at the luscious Olana landscape, complete with good times and even better views. What’s even better is that kids under 12 get in for free. There’s no better time than this to expose your children, or nephews and nieces, to one of the greatest comedies ever made!
Clue screens August 22 at Olana as part of Hudson Valley Picture Show.
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
Embeth Davidtz is a name you may not know, but you’ve most definitely seen her in movies and on TV. Her career as an actress includes iconic performances in films such as Army of Darkness, Mansfield Park, Bicentennial Man, Fallen, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Mad Men, and Old. Now she executes this thrilling and unbelievably lived-in biopic about an eight-year-old Zimbabwean (formerly Rhodesian) child working on a farm near the end of the Zimbabwean War for independence. The film was co-written by Davidtz and Alexandra Fuller, whose real life and memoir is the inspiration for the film. Conflict and struggle are the name of the game in this intense and expertly articulated story concerning deep scars and unbreakable bonds, all translated in a way so magical that it leaves the audience bewildered in the best of ways.
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is currently playing at Upstate Films Starr Cinema and starts August 28 at The Rosendale Theatre.
