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September 2016

Books on Screen

September 2016

Hello, Books on Screen lovers! At long last, September is upon us, which means there's a reason to visit theaters besides their indefatigable AC: fall-quality movies. What a time to be alive! Where do we even begin? Like a '90s boy band, there's something for everyone this month. Instead of our usual dense, paragraphs-long roundup, we're going to go with a different approach and break some of our movies down by target demo. You ready? I'm ready!

If you loved Blue Valentine but wished there was a stolen baby subplot (à la Gone Baby Gone): The Light Between OceansDerek Cianfrance's adaptation of the M. L. Stedman bestseller, was basically made for you. Come for the chunky knits and Alicia Vikander's poreless skin, stay for the heartbreaking meditation on love, loyalty and justice.

If you like Renée Zellweger's face very much, just as it is: Hugh Grant may have sat this one out, but everyone's favorite hot mess is back in Bridget Jones's Baby, and this time she has a perfectly good reason to be eating for two. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll attempt your best British accent as our plucky heroine debates whether to raise her baby with old flame Mark Darcy or a dashing American suitor. 

If you're my dad: The Clint Eastwood-helmed Sully, based on the memoir of real-life American hero Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger who miraculously executed an emergency water landing of a disabled airliner, is sure to have spirits soaring. Just don't take mom, because she'll never get on an airplane again. 

If you're intrigued by "Penny Dreadful" but have historically been too afraid to actually watch it: Check out the latest from Tim Burton, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, starring national treasure Eva Green and my son, Asa Butterfield. Based on the bestselling YA series by Ransom Riggs, it's the story of a group of kids with uncanny abilities and the teenage boy who is tasked with protecting them from a deadly threat.

If you're a tech bro, a hacker bro, or just can't get enough of Joseph Gordon-Levitt doing a wacky voice job: Oliver Stone may not be known for his subtlety, but a heavy hand can still deliver thrills. Unlikely though it may be, here's hoping that Snowden --- his biopic of the controversial former NSA computer specialist --- will include the "Snowbot" and some "Big Bang Theory"-type shenanigans.

If you know what's good: Catch "Queen Sugar," a lush new series that follows three siblings as they come together to claim their complicated inheritance after the death of their father: an 800-acre sugarcane farm in the heart of Louisiana. Brought to us by the holy union of Oprah and Ava DuVernay, you can watch this one Wednesday nights on OWN.

If you enjoy watching beautiful men do good and bad (but mostly bad) things: It's a win-win for you this month! Either get out and see Nick Jonas' turn as an aggressive frat brother in Goat, or stay in and chill with "Luke Cage," a very welcome spin-off of Netflix's butt-kicking "Jessica Jones."

So little time, so much to see! This must be how Val Kilmer felt in At First Sight. Go out and enjoy!

 

---Written and compiled by Emily Hoenig

 


 

In Theaters:

The Light Between Oceans
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Florence Clery
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Distributor: Entertainment One
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: September 2nd
Based on: THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS by M. L. Stedman

A couple who reside in an Australian lighthouse discover a baby in a boat along with a dead body. They decide to raise the child, a choice that leads to devastating consequences.

 

The 9th Life of Louis Drax
Cast: Jamie Dornan, Aaron Paul, Sarah Gadon
Director: Alexandre Aja
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: September 2nd
Based on: THE NINTH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX by Liz Jensen

A psychologist who begins working with a young boy who has suffered a near-fatal fall finds himself drawn into a mystery that tests the boundaries of fantasy and reality.

 

Sully
Cast: Tom Hanks, Anna Gunn, Laura Linney, Aaron Eckhart
Director: Clint Eastwood
Distributor: Warner Bros.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: September 9
Based on: HIGHEST DUTY: My Search for What Really Matters by Chesley B. Sullenberger

On Thursday, January 15th, 2009, the world witnessed the "Miracle on the Hudson" when Captain Chesley Sullenberger, nicknamed "Sully,” glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.

 

Bridget Jones’s Baby
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Patrick Dempsey, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent
Director: Sharon Maguire
Distributor: Universal Studios, Miramax
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: September 16th
Based on: BRIDGET JONES: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

The continuing adventures of British publishing executive Bridget Jones as she enters her 40s.

 

Fallen
Cast: Addison Timlin, Joely Richardson, Jeremy Irvine, Lola Kirke
Director: Scott Hicks
Distributor: Lotus Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: September 16th
Based on: FALLEN by Lauren Kate

A young girl finds herself in a reform school after therapy since she was blamed for the death of a young boy. At the school she finds herself drawn to a fellow student, unaware that he is an angel, and has loved her for thousands of years.

 

Snowden
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Nicolas Cage, Zachary Quinto
Director: Oliver Stone
Distributor: Open Road Films
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: September 23rd
Based on: THE SNOWDEN FILES: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and TIME OF THE OCTOPUS by Anatoly Kucherena

Snowden, the politically-charged, pulse-pounding thriller, reveals the incredible untold personal story of Edward Snowden, the polarizing figure who exposed shocking illegal surveillance activities by the NSA and became one of the most wanted men in the world. 

 

Goat
Cast: Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, Gus Halper
Director: Andrew Neel
Distributor: The Film Arcade
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: September 23rd
Based on: GOAT: A Memoir by Brad Land

Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19 year-old boy enrolls into college with his brother and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there, in the name of "brotherhood," tests the boy and his loyalty to his brother in brutal ways.

 

Queen of Katwe
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine
Director: Mira Nair
Distributor: Disney
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: September 23rd
Based on: THE QUEEN OF KATWE: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster by Tim Crothers

Queen of Katwe is the colorful true story of a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess, and, as a result of the support she receives from her family and community, is instilled with the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion. 

 

Denial
Cast: Rachel Weisz, Andrew Scott, Timothy Spall
Director: Mick Jackson
Distributor: Bleecker Street
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: September 30th
Based on: HISTORY ON TRIAL: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier by Deborah Lipstadt

Denial recounts Deborah E. Lipstadt's legal battle for historical truth against David Irving , who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier. In the English legal system, the burden of proof is on the accused, therefore it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust occurred.

 

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Cast: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson. Allison Janney, Ella Purnell
Director: Tim Burton
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: September 30th
Based on: MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs

When Jake discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds a magical place known as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers...and their powerful enemies. Ultimately, Jake discovers that only his own special "peculiarity" can save his new friends.

 


 

On TV:

"Queen Sugar"
Cast: Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Kofi Siriboe, Tina Lifford
Director: Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey
Network: OWN
Airdate: Premieres September 6th; Wednesdays at 10pm ET
Based on: QUEEN SUGAR by Natalie Baszile

The series follows the life of two sisters, Nova Bordelon, the formidable journalist and activist from New Orleans, and Charley Bordelon, a modern woman, who, with her teenage son Micah, leaves her upscale apartment in Los Angeles and moves to the heart of Louisiana to claim an inheritance from her recently departed father --- an 800-acre sugarcane farm.

 

"Quarry"
Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Jodi Balfour, Peter Mullan
Director: Greg Yaitanes
Network: Cinemax
Airdate: Premieres September 9th; Fridays at 10pm ET
Based on: The Quarry series by Max Allan Collins

A Marine returns home from Vietnam in 1972, only to find himself being shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public.

 

"The Exorcist"
Cast: Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels, Geena Davis
Director: Jeremy Slater
Network: Fox
Airdate: Premieres September 23rd; Fridays at 9pm ET
Based on: THE EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty

Two very different men tackle a family's horrifying case of demonic possession.

 

"Poldark"
Cast: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Heida Reed
Director: Edward Bazalgette, William McGregor
Network: PBS
Airdate: Premieres September 25th at 8pm ET; Sundays at 9pm ET 
Based on: The Cornwall series by Winston Graham

In 18th century Cornwall, times are as tough as the rocky shoreline: unemployment, hunger, and sickness are widespread among the working class, while the wealthy landowners prosper. Only one man dares to defy the status quo, and he is behind bars. After a new generation of viewers fell in love with adventurer Ross Poldark, season one's tragic cliffhanger left fans everywhere reeling. What will become of our swashbuckling hero? Can the ever-resilient Demelza find a way to save him?

 

"Luke Cage"
Cast: Mike Colter, Mahershala, Frankie Faison
Director: Cheo Hodari Coker
Network: Netflix
Airdate: Episodes available Friday, September 30th
Based on: LUKE CAGE by Archie Goodwin and John Romita, Sr.

Given superstrength and durability by a sabotaged experiment, a wrongly accused man escapes prison to become a superhero for hire.

 


 

On DVD:

Love & Friendship
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel
Director: Whit Stillman
MPAA Rating: unrated
DVD Release Date: September 6th
Based on: LADY SUSAN by Jane Austen

 

Beautiful young widow Lady Susan Vernon visits to the estate of her in-laws to wait out the colorful rumors about her dalliances circulating through polite society. Whilst ensconced there, she decides to secure a husband for herself and a future for her eligible but reluctant daughter, Frederica. In doing so she attracts the simultaneous attentions of the young, handsome Reginald DeCourcy, the rich and silly Sir James Martin and the divinely handsome, but married, Lord Manwaring, complicating matters severely.

 

Captain America: Civil War
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: September 13th
Based on: Captain America comic books by Jack Kirby

Political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability when the actions of the Avengers lead to collateral damage. The new status quo deeply divides members of the team. Captain America believes superheroes should remain free to defend humanity without government interference. Iron Man sharply disagrees and supports oversight. As the debate escalates into an all-out feud, Black Widow and Hawkeye must pick a side.