Upcoming Releases
July 2009
The summer blockbuster season is already in full swing, and July’s Books into Movies feature boasts some of the most anticipated, buzzworthy films of the year, starting with the July 1st release of Public Enemies, directed by Michael Mann and starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard. This 1930s gangster flick chronicling the rise and fall of John Dillinger and the Chicago crime scene should not be missed by history buffs, action/thriller junkies, crime lovers…and maybe even those in search of a little eye candy!
Sure to win over younger viewers with its charm, slapstick humor and quirky teen antics is I Love You, Beth Cooper, based on the award-winning YA novel by Larry Doyle. This teen romantic comedy will give hope to nerds everywhere, as a geeky valedictorian professes his affections for the most popular girl in school in the middle of his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, she doesn’t turn him down.
And in case you hadn't already marked your calendars and begun your countdown, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits the big screen on July 15th. The sixth installment of the epic good-vs.-evil saga promises plenty of magic, mystery, heart-pounding adventure and hair-raising suspense, not to mention some long-sought answers to dark secrets, raging teenage hormones and a jaw-dropping, gasp-worthy ending.
This month’s DVD releases include Coraline, a delightfully creepy animated film à la The Nightmare Before Christmas fit for the whole family, and Watchmen, the big-screen, live-action adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s groundbreaking graphic novel about a band of retired superheroes attempting to uncover a plot against them in an alternate 1985.
Public Enemies
Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Stephen Graham, Giovanni Ribisi, Billy Crudup
Director: Michael Mann
Distributor: Universal Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: July 1st (wide)
Based on: PUBLIC ENEMIES: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI 1933-34 by Bryan Burrough
In the action-thriller Public Enemies, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Academy Award Winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger --- the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis, and a folk hero to much of the public.
No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone --- from his girlfriend Billie Frechette to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression.
But while the adventures of Dillinger’s gang --- later including sociopathic Baby Face Nelson and Alvin Karpis --- thrilled many, Hoover hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw’s capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America’s first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis, the dashing “Clark Gable of the FBI.”
However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis’s men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals --- from the infamous “Lady in Red” to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti --- were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger.
I Love You, Beth Cooper
Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Lauren Storm, Shawn Roberts
Director: Chris Columbus
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated
Release Date: July 10th (wide)
Based on: I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER by Larry Doyle
I Love You, Beth Cooper chronicles the story of a nerdy valedictorian who proclaims his love for the hottest and most popular girl in school, Beth Cooper, during his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, Beth shows up at his door that very night and decides to show him the best night of his life.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Director: David Yates
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: July 15th (wide)
Based on: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE by J. K. Rowling
Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together, they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds the crucial information.
Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealousy but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.
August 2009
Julie & Julia
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Jane Lynch
Director: Nora Ephron
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: August 7th (wide)
Based on: JULIE & JULIA: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.
Taking Woodstock
Cast: Demetri Martin, Kevin Chamberlin, Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton, Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Paul Dano
Director: Ang Lee
Distributor: Focus Features
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: August 14th (limited)
Based on: TAKING WOODSTOCK by Elliott Tiber
A man working at his parents' motel in the Catskills inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean
Director: Robert Schwentke
Distributor: New Line Cinema
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: August 14th (wide)
Based on: THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger
Clare has been in love with Henry her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated. Henry is a time traveler --- cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry’s travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.
September 2009
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cast: Anna Faris, Bill Hader, Bruce Campbell, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Tracy Morgan, Mr. T
Directors: Phil Lord and Chris Miller
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
MPAA Rating: G
Release Date: September 18th (wide)
Based on: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett
A scientist tries to solve world hunger only to see things go awry as food falls from the sky in abundance.
The Informant
Cast: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Mike O’Malley, Andrew Daly, Adam Paul, Melanie Lynskey, Thomas F. Wilson
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated
Release Date: September 18th (wide)
Based on: THE INFORMANT: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald
Mark Whitacre, a high-level employee at ADM (Archer Daniels Midland), the "supermarket to the world," wears an FBI wire to uncover a major price-fixing scam. ADM pleads guilty and pays a $100 million fine, but Whitacre ends up doing more time than the corrupt leaders he helped to capture.
October 2009
The Road
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall, Garret Billahunt
Director: John Hillcoat
Distributor: Dimension Films
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated
Release Date: October 16th (wide)
Based on: THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy
Based on Cormac McCarthy's bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Road is the epic post-apocalyptic tale of a journey taken by a father and his young son across a barren landscape that was blasted by an unnamed cataclysm that destroyed civilization and most life on earth.
Where the Wild Things Are
Cast: Catherine Keener, Max Records, Benicio Del Toro, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose
Director: Spike Jonze
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated
Release Date: October 16th (wide)
Based on: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are tells of the adventures of a young boy named Max who, after being sent to bed for misbehaving, imagines that he sails away to where the wild things are. Max is loved by the wild creatures who make him their King, though he soon longs to be back home with his family.
Shutter Island
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Max Von Sydow
Director: Martin Scorsese
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing International
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated
Release Date: October 22nd (wide)
Based on: SHUTTER ISLAND by Dennis Lehane
Two U.S. Marshalls are sent to a federal institution for the criminally insane located in Boston's Outer Harbor to capture a violent female escapee.
Youth in Revolt
Cast: Michael Cera, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Jean Smart, M. Emmet Walsh, Justin Long, Fred Willard
Director: Miguel Arteta
Distributor: MGM Distribution Company
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: October 30th (limited)
Based on: YOUTH IN REVOLT by CD Payne
Youth in Revolt is the journal of Nick Twisp, an 18-year-old high school student, who goes on a quest to lose his virginity after his parents’ breakup.
Past Releases
June 2009
There’s no shortage of drama this month, as June’s Books into Movies feature spotlights three films heavily dosed with romance, heartbreak and tragedy. In limited release are Chéri --- a Stephen Frears-directed, turn-of-the-century period piece about a mismatched pair of lovers who discover their true feelings for one another too late --- and The Stoning of Soraya M., a Toronto Film Festival favorite that chronicles the haunting, true story of a woman’s arranged marriage to an abusive husband in 1986 Iran. Hitting theaters on the same day is the guaranteed tear-jerker My Sister’s Keeper, based on Jodi Picoult’s bestselling emotional rollercoaster of a novel about an 11-year-old girl seeking emancipation from her parents, who have been using her to keep her older, cancer-stricken sister alive.
This month’s DVD releases include the Oscar-nominated Revolutionary Road, the family-friendly adventure Inkheart, and the charming comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Cheri
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend, Felicity Jones, Iben Hjejle, Stephen Frears, Christopher Hampton
Director: Stephen Frears
Distributor: Miramax Films
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: June 26th (limited)
Based on: CHÉRI by Colette
Set in the luxurious demi-monde of pre-First World War Paris, Chéri is the story of the love affair between the beautiful Léa and Chéri, the son of her old colleague and rival, Mme Oeloux.
Léa has educated the spoilt and callow boy in the ways of love, but after six years Mme has secretly arranged a marriage between Chéri and Edmée, daughter of another rich courtesan, Marie Laure.
As the inevitable moment of parting approaches, Léa and Chéri try to come to terms with their imminent separation, but the roots of their life of ease and pleasure reach deeper than even they imagine and they begin to understand, too late, how much they mean to one another.
My Sister’s Keeper
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin, Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack, Jason Patrick
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 26th (wide)
Based on: MY SISTER’S KEEPER by Jodi Picoult
Sara and Brian Fitzgerald’s life with their young son and their two-year-old daughter, Kate, is forever altered when they learn that Kate has Leukemia. The parents’ only hope is to conceive another child, specifically intended to save Kate’s life. For some, such genetic engineering would raise both moral and ethical questions; for the Fitzgeralds, Sara in particular, there is no choice but to do whatever it takes to keep Kate alive. And what it takes is Anna.
Kate and Anna share a bond closer than most sisters; though Kate is older, she relies on her little sister --- in fact, her life depends on Anna.
Throughout their young lives, the sisters endure various medical procedures and hospital stays --- just another part of their close-knit family’s otherwise normal life. Sara, a loving wife and mother who left her career as an attorney to care for her daughter, is sometimes lost inside the single-minded caregiver she has become in her efforts to save Kate. Her strong, supportive husband, Brian, is often rendered powerless and passive by his wife’s strength and determination. And their only son, Jesse, drifts, at times all but forgotten as Kate and Anna take center stage.
Until Anna, now 11, says “no.” Seeking medical emancipation, she hires her own lawyer, initiating a court case that divides the family and that could leave Kate’s rapidly failing body in the hands of fate.
Based on the bestselling book from Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper reveals surprising truths that challenge one’s perceptions of family love and loyalty and give new meaning to the definition of healing.
The Stoning of Soraya M.
Cast: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jim Caviezel, Mozhan Marnó, Navid Negahban
Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: June 26th (limited)
Based on: THE STONING OF SORAYA M. by Freidoune Sahebjam
In a world of secrecy, corruption and injustice, a single courageous voice can tell a true story that changes everything.
This is what lies at the heart of the emotionally charged experience of The Stoning of Soraya M. Based on an incredible true story, this powerful tale of a village’s persecution of an innocent woman becomes both a daring act of witness and a compelling parable about mob rule. Who will join forces with the plot against her, who will surrender to the mob, and who will stand up for what’s right. It is both a classic fable of good and evil and an inspiring tribute to the many fighting against injustice around the world, The Stoning of Soraya M. was a rousing runner-up to Slumdog Millionaire as the Audience Favorite at the Toronto Film Festival.
Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo stars in the heroic role of Zahara, an Iranian woman with a burning secret. When a journalist is stranded in her remote village, she takes a bold chance to reveal what the villagers will stop at nothing to keep hidden.
May 2009
Though spring is definitely in the air this May, Bookreporter.com’s Books into Movies feature boasts the first taste of this year’s summer blockbuster season with the hugely anticipated Angels & Demons, set to hit the big screen on May 15th. In this adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestseller, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon of The Da Vinci Code fame takes on a secret organization set out to destroy the Vatican. Controversies aside, Angels & Demons promises to be dark, creepy, nail-biting, thought-provoking, and just plain fun.
Also, set to be released on DVD this month: last year’s epic love story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the stark emotional indie film Wendy and Lucy, and the familial drama A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.
Angels & Demons
Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Director: Ron Howard
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 15th (wide)
Based on: ANGELS & DEMONS by Dan Brown
The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated Angels & Demons, based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals.
When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati --- the most powerful underground organization in history --- he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican’s only hope for survival.
April 2009
This month’s Books into Movies feature boasts three films that promise plenty of thought-provoking drama, as well as the best form of guilty pleasure fit for a quiet Saturday night at home.
April 24th marks the release of The Soloist, a poignant and emotional film about the redemptive power of friendship, based on true events first chronicled by journalist Steve Lopez in articles for the L.A. Times. Written by the screenwriter of Erin Brockovich, directed by Joe Wright --- responsible for Oscar nominees Atonement and Pride & Prejudice --- and starring Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx and Catherine Keener, The Soloist will surely be one to keep your eye on come next year’s awards season.
If April showers are keeping you indoors this month, then fans of romance, mystery and suspense are in luck, as Lifetime Network rounds out its Nora Roberts 2009 Collection. High Noon and Tribute --- featuring the likes of Brittany Murphy, Cybill Shepherd, Tippi Hedren and Jason Lewis of “Sex and the City” --- will be airing on April 4th and 11th.
Lastly, April’s DVD releases include the animated family-friendly film The Tale of Despereaux and the over-the-top Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man.
High Noon
Cast: Emilie de Ravin, Ivan Sergei, Cybill Shepherd
Director: Peter Markle
Air Date: April 4th at 9pm ET/PT on Lifetime Network
Based on: HIGH NOON by Nora Roberts
In the Nora Roberts movie High Noon, expert hostage negotiator Lieutenant Phoebe McNamara juggles her high-pressure career with the demands of raising her young daughter and contending with her agoraphobic mother, Essie. When Phoebe meets handsome bar owner Duncan Swift, he can’t resist her take-charge attitude and attempts to earn her affections. Though she tries to resist his charms, Phoebe soon realizes no amount of negotiation will keep Duncan at arm’s length. When Phoebe is assaulted by an unknown assailant in her precinct, she can’t help but be deeply shaken. She later receives a series of mysterious and threatening messages, and soon discovers she is the target of a psychopathic killer out to destroy her personally and professionally.
Tribute
Cast: Brittany Murphy, Jason Lewis, Tippi Hedren, Diana Scarwid
Director: Martha Coolidge
Air Date: April 11th at 9pm ET/PT on Lifetime Network
Based on: TRIBUTE by Nora Roberts
In the Nora Roberts movie Tribute Cilla McGowan is a former child star who has found more satisfying work restoring old houses. In search of a normal life, Cilla buys her grandmother’s farmhouse in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to rescue it from ruin. Her hope for serenity is soon eclipsed by haunting dreams of her famous grandmother, who died of a supposed overdose in the house more than 30 years ago. Cilla soon forges a romantic relationship with Ford Sawyer, her handsome new neighbor, who ultimately comforts and protects her when her dark dreams and family secrets spiral into a real-life nightmare.
The Soloist
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Steven Root
Director: Joe Wright
Distributor: DreamWorks
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: April 24th
Based on: THE SOLOIST: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez
In The Soloist, an emotionally soaring drama about the redemptive power of music, journalist Steve Lopez discovers Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives.
March 2009
March's Books into Movies lineup includes one of the most highly anticipated movies of the season, a critically acclaimed TV series based on a set of hugely popular international bestsellers, and a couple of romantic suspense dramas sure to spice up your evenings at home.
March 6th marks the release of Watchmen, the big-screen, live-action adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s groundbreaking graphic novel about a band of retired superheroes attempting to uncover a plot against them in an alternate 1985. Directed by Zack Snyder --- whose 2006 adaptation of Frank Miller’s comic 300 broke box office records --- this larger-than-life, action-packed thriller is sure to draw in huge crowds and bring out the fan boys and girls in all of us.
If vengeful superheroes just aren't your cup of tea, then starting March 29th, you can spend your Sunday evenings with the women of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." This new HBO series based on Alexander McCall Smith's charming novels revolves around Precious Ramotswe, Africa's very own Agatha Christie, and her (mis)adventures solving other people's problems in her Botswanan village.
Also on the bill for quiet nights at home are two steamy and suspenseful dramas adapted for the small screen from bestsellers by Nora Roberts. Airing on Lifetime Network March 21st and 28th are Northern Lights and Midnight Bayou, which promise plenty of drama, romance, mystery and a touch of the supernatural that only the Queen of Romance can deliver.
New on DVD this month are some of last year’s favorites, like Twilight and Marley & Me, along with the heart-wrenching Holocaust film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and the French drama A Secret.
Watchmen
Cast: Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matt Frewer, Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino
Director: Zack Snyder
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: March 6th (wide)
Based on: WATCHMEN (graphic novel) by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” --- which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union --- is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion --- a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers --- Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity…but who is watching the Watchmen?
Northern Lights
Cast: LeAnn Rimes, Eddie Cibrian
Director: Mike Robe
Air Date: March 21st at 9pm ET/PT on Lifetime Network
Based on: NORTHERN LIGHTS by Nora Roberts
In the Nora Roberts movie Northern Lights, former Baltimore policeman Nate Burns was hoping to start a new life by accepting the job of chief of police in the town of Lunacy, Alaska. He escapes to the small, remote town in an effort to forget the traumatic death of his partner, for which he holds himself partially responsible. But the moment he meets Meg Galligan, an independent and feisty bush pilot with her own demons, he finds himself falling for her. The town is rocked when the body of Meg’s father, a man who Meg believed had abandoned her and her mother Charlene 16 years ago, turns up in a mountain cave. Nate finds himself in the middle of a high-profile murder investigation and quickly learns the killer is someone in the community. Nate must use his big-city instincts to solve the mystery that threatens his new life and new love.
Midnight Bayou
Cast: Jerry O’Connell, Lauren Stamile, Faye Dunaway
Director: Ralph Hemecker
Air Date: March 28th at 9pm ET/PT on Lifetime Network
Based on: MIDNIGHT BAYOU by Nora Roberts
In the Nora Roberts movie Midnight Bayou, Harvard-educated lawyer Declan Fitzpatrick impulsively gives up his settled life to buy Manet Hall, a newly restored plantation manor near New Orleans to which he has always found himself drawn. Legend has it that the house is haunted, and shortly after Declan moves in he starts hearing voices and seeing things. Declan is also distracted by an undeniable attraction to Cajun local Lena Simone, who grew up on the bayou with her grandmother Odette and has her own deep connection to the manor. Living in the house, Declan begins to have visions from a century past and details of events that took place in the mansion. With the help of Odette, Declan and Lena realize that they are inextricably linked with Manet Hall and uncover a shocking secret that has been hidden there for more than 100 years.
"The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency"
Cast: Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose, Lucian Msamati, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Desmond Dube, Tumisho Masha, Bongeka Mpongwana, David Oyelowo, John Kani
Premiere Date: March 29th at 8pm EST on HBO
Based on: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith
Based on Alexander McCall Smith's passionate book series, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" chronicles the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, the proprietor of the only female-owned detective agency in Botswana. Aided by her highly-efficient secretary Mma Makutsi, Mma Ramotswe investigates cases and helps people solve problems in their lives.
February 2009
Love (or something like it) is in the air this month, as February’s Books into Movies feature offers a few excuses to work a trip to the theater into your Valentine’s Day plans. Releasing just in time for the big day with that special someone are He’s Just Not That Into You, inspired by the bestselling relationship guide from “Sex and the City” writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo and featuring an all-star cast boasting the likes of Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connolly and Scarlett Johansson; and Confessions of a Shopaholic, a madcap romantic comedy that follows unlikely heroine Rebecca Bloomwood as she conquers life, love and looming credit card debt in the big city. Sure to be a big draw with teen audiences is Youth in Revolt, starring Juno and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist’s Michael Cera as a sex-obsessed 16-year-old wooing a girl he can’t have.
For some alternatives to these chick-lit and teen-angst movies, be sure to check out Neil Gaiman’s Coraline --- a delightfully creepy animated film à la The Nightmare Before Christmas fit for the whole family --- and the highly acclaimed Gomorrah, which won big at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and depicts real-life organized crime in modern-day Naples.
And those who prefer to enjoy movies from the comfort of their own homes will be thrilled with the plethora of films available on DVD this month. They include Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, The Secret Life of Bees, Nights in Rodanthe, The Midnight Meat Train, Choke, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, Body of Lies, Sex Drive and What Just Happened.
Coraline
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, John Hodgman, Ian McShane
Director: Henry Selick
Distributor: Focus Features, Universal Pictures International
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: February 6th (wide)
Based on: CORALINE by Neil Gaiman
For the last three years, the world’s oddest and most talented animators, artisans and puppet fabricators have been hand-making LAIKA’s first animated feature film, Coraline. Led by Henry Selick, the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, this team has created the first stop-motion feature shot in stereoscopic 3D.
Based on the beloved bestselling children’s classic by Neil Gaiman, Coraline is a fairy-tale nightmare steeped in classic storytelling, craftsmanship, and the old-fashioned art of moviemaking magic. In Coraline, a young girl walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life --- a better version. But when this wondrously off-kilter, fantastical adventure turns dangerous and her “Other” parents try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination and bravery to get back home.
He’s Just Not That Into You
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long
Director: Ken Kwapis
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February 6th (wide)
Based on: HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
Based on the wildly popular bestseller from “Sex and the City” scribes Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, He’s Just Not That Into You tells the stories of a group of interconnected, Baltimore-based twenty- and thirty-somethings as they navigate their various relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the deep, murky waters of married life, trying to read the signs of the opposite sex… and hoping to be the exceptions to the “no-exceptions” rule.
Gigi just wants a man who says he’ll call --- and does --- while Alex advises her to stop sitting by the phone. Beth wonders if she should call if off after years of committed singlehood with her boyfriend, Neil, but he doesn’t think there’s a single thing wrong with their unmarried life. Janine’s not sure if she can trust her husband, Ben, who can’t quite trust himself around Anna. Anna can’t decide between the sexy married guy, or her straightforward, no-sparks standby, Conor, who can’t get over the fact that he can’t have her. And Mary, who’s found an entire network of loving, supportive men, just needs to find one who’s straight.
If you’ve ever sat by the phone wondering why he said he would call, but didn’t, or if you can’t figure out why she doesn’t want to sleep with you anymore, or why your relationship just isn’t going to the next level… he (or she) is just not that into you.
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb
Director: P.J. Hogan
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: February 13th (wide)
Based on: CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC by Sophie Kinsella
In the glamorous world of New York, Rebecca Bloomwood is a fun-loving girl who is really good at shopping --- a little too good, perhaps. She dreams of working for her favorite magazine, but can’t quite get her foot in the door --- until ironically, she snags a job as an advice columnist for a financial magazine published by the same company. As her dreams are finally coming true, she goes to ever more hilarious and extreme efforts to keep her past from ruining her future.
Gomorrah
Cast: Toni Servillo, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale, Salvatore Cantalupo, Gigio Morra, Salvatore Abruzzese, Marco Macor, Ciro Petrone, Carmine Paternoster
Director: Matteo Garrone
Distributor: IFC Films
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: February 13th (limited)
Based on: GOMORRAH: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples’ Organized Crime System by Roberto Saviano
Power, money and blood: these are the values that the residents of the province of Naples and Caserta confront every day. They have practically no choice, and are forced to obey the rules of the “System,” the Camora. Only a lucky few can even think of leading a normal life. Five stories are woven together in this violent scenario, set in a cruel and ostensibly invented world, but one that is deepy rooted in reality.
Youth in Revolt
Cast: Michael Cera, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Jean Smart, M. Emmet Walsh, Justin Long, Fred Willard
Director: Miguel Arteta
Distributor: MGM Distribution Company
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated
Release Date: February 20th (wide)
Based on: YOUTH IN REVOLT by CD Payne
Youth in Revolt is the journal of Nick Twisp, an 18-year-old high school student, who goes on a quest to lose his virginity after his parents’ breakup.
January 2009
This January, Bookreporter.com’s Books into Movies feature is kicking off the new year with six literary-based offerings for both the big and small screen. Running the gamut from the Elmore Leonard thriller Killshot to the family (and pet)-friendly Hotel for Dogs, these films are loaded with drama, action, suspense and entertainment, while also promising to inspire some laughs, a few tears and plenty of food for thought.
Quite heavy in the drama department are Not Easily Broken --- based on T. D. Jakes’s novel about a longtime couple whose already fragile marriage is put to the test when one of them is seriously injured in an accident --- and Defiance, a raw and poignant tale based on true events about three brothers who organize what was to become the largest armed rescue of Jews by Jews during the Holocaust.
For a more light-hearted alternative, take the kids to see Inkheart, a fantasy adventure based on Cornelia Funke’s beloved bestseller about a young girl and her father who both possess the ability to bring storybook characters to life, and the unexpected and disastrous consequences that follow an outing to a used bookstore.
For an excuse to spend a few nights in, be sure to check out “The Last Templar,” a new primetime miniseries to air on NBC starting January 25th. Adapted from Raymond Khoury’s bestseller, this historically-based thriller explores the legend behind the Templars, an order of Knights from early Christianity that, strangely enough, seems to be thriving in present-day New York City.
And lastly, new on DVD this month are the futuristic thriller Babylon A.D., the period classic Brideshead Revisited and the sci-fi fantasy family adventure City of Ember.
Not Easily Broken
Cast: Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Jenifer Lewis, Maeve Quinlan, Kevin Hart, Eddie Cibrian, Wood Harris
Director: Bill Duke
Distributor: Screen Gems
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: January 9th (wide)
Based on: NOT EASILY BROKEN by T. D. Jakes
Chronicling the story of one couple’s love, loss and ultimate faith in another, Not Easily Broken follows the lives of Dave and Clarice Johnson in their second decade of marriage. Dave’s dreams of major league baseball success were dashed by an injury in college, leading him to a steady but unfulfilling career as the head of a small construction firm. Clarice is basking in the glow of real estate stardom, creating a life that revolves around her rise to the top. She has become blind to Dave’s needs, the most important being his desire to become a father and start a family with her.
They face a total disruption in their lives when a car crash seriously injures Clarice, whose meddling mother, Mary, blames Dave for her daughter’s leg injuries and derailed career.
Help comes in the form of a kind-hearted physical therapist and single mom Julie Sawyer, whose son Bryson is coached by Dave and his pals Brock and Tree in Little League baseball. Though Clarice is helped by Julie’s care, she becomes concerned that her constant criticism of Dave has pushed her husband away possibly into the arms of the empathetic Julie. Soon Dave and Clarice must face a married couple’s most serious questions: are we really meant to be together, and if we are, how do we fight to keep what we have built as man and wife?
Defiance
Cast: Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, Allan Corduner, Mark Feuerstein
Director: Edward Zwick
Distributor: Paramount Vantage
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: January 16th (wide)
Based on: DEFIANCE: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec
Based on an extraordinary true story, Defiance is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The year is 1941 and the Jews of East Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There, they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis, turning a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential --- a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others.
At first it is all they can do to stay alive. But gradually, as whispers of their daring spread, they begin to attract others --- men and women, young and old --- willing to risk everything for the sake of even a moment’s freedom. Tuvia is a reluctant leader and his decisions are challenged by his brother Zus, who worries that Tuvia’s idealistic plans will doom them all. Asael is the youngest --- caught between his brothers’ fierce rivalry. As a brutal winter descends, they work to create a community, and to keep faith alive when all humanity appeared to be lost.
Hotel for Dogs
Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Don Cheadle, Johnny Simmons, Troy Gentile
Director: Thor Freudenthal
Distributor: DreamWorks
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: January 16th (wide)
Based on: HOTEL FOR DOGS by Lois Duncan
When 16-year-old Andi and her younger brother, Bruce, find themselves in a foster home with a strict “no pets” policy, Andi has to use her quick wit to help find a new home for their dog, Friday. The kids stumble upon an abandoned hotel and begin transforming it into the perfect home for Friday --- as well as all the strays in the city. In no time, the kids have transformed the old hotel into something truly magical: a home for both the dogs and themselves. But they have also aroused the suspicions of the police who want to know --- who let the dogs in?
Inkheart
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Eliza Hope Bennett, Rafi Gavron
Director: Iain Softley
Distributor: New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: January 23rd (wide)
Based on: INKHEART by Cornelia Funke
Mortimer “Mo” Folchart and his 12-year-old daughter Meggie share a passion for books. What they also share is a unique gift for bringing characters from books to life when they read aloud. But there is danger: for every character brought to life from a book, a real person disappears into its pages.
On one of their trips to a secondhand book shop, Mo hears voices he hasn’t heard for years, and when he locates the book they’re coming from, it sends a shiver up his spine. It’s Inkheart, a book filled with illustrations of medieval castles and strange creatures --- a book he’s been searching for since Meggie was three years old, when her mother, Resa, vanished into its mystical world.
But Mo’s plan to use the book to find and rescue Resa is thwarted when Capricorn, the evil villain of Inkheart, kidnaps Meggie and demands Mo bring other evil fictional characters to life. Determined to rescue his daughter and send the fictional characters back where they belong, Mo assembles a unique group of friends and allies --- some real, some magical --- and embarks on a daring and perilous journey to set things right.
Killshot
Cast: Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Johnny Knoxville, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don McManus
Director: John Madden
Distributor: MGM Distribution Company, The Weinstein Company
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: January 23rd (wide)
Based on: KILLSHOT by Elmore Leonard
The beautiful Carmen Colson and her husband Wayne become entangled in a scam with a bumbling, small-time con artist and his over-the-hill hitman partner, the Blackbird. Ultimately, it all comes down to one wife, one husband, two killers…and one lethal killshot.
Made-for-TV miniseries:
“The Last Templar”
Cast: Mira Sorvino, Scot Foley, Anthony Lemke, Kenneth Welsh, Victor Garber, Omar Sharif
Air Dates: January 25th, 9pm/8c and January 26th, 9pm/8c
Based on: THE LAST TEMPLAR by Raymond Khoury
“The Last Templar” stars Oscar winner Mira Sorvino as Tess Chaykin, a Manhattan archaeologist who reluctantly teams up with FBI agent Sean Daley, played by Scott Foley. The pair are drawn into a fast-paced, romantic adventure as they attempt to uncover the lost secrets of the medieval Knights Templar. The miniseries also features Victor Garber as Monsignor De Angelis, high-placed Vatican envoy. Veteran thespian Omar Sharif rounds out the all-star cast. Sharif takes on the newly-created role of Konstantine, a Greek wise man who rescues Tess and Daley after they are shipwrecked and wash up on the beach at Symi.
"The Last Templar" opens in 1291 with the fall of the Latin Kingdom's reign in the Holy Land in Acre. As the burning city is taken by the Sultan's forces, a lone galley escapes out to sea, carrying Martin of Carmaux, a young knight from the historic order of the Knights Templar. Also on the galley are Martin’s mentor, Aimard of Villiers and a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's dying Grand Master. But the ship never reaches its destination.
Fast forward to present-day New York City. During a gala opening night for an exhibition of Vatican treasures at the Metropolitan Museum, Tess witnesses four masked horsemen, dressed as Templar Knights, storm into the Museum, scattering Manhattan society. Tess watches in silent terror as the leader of the horsemen hones in on one particular piece --- a strange geared device that he grabs as he disappears into Central Park.
As the horsemen's dead bodies start turning up --- and the importance of the stolen device becomes more apparent --- Tess and Agent Daley are drawn into the dark, hidden history of the crusading Knights and of the last surviving Templars' fateful journey from Acre. The pair is soon propelled into a dangerous adventure that takes them into the cemeteries and sewers of Manhattan, across continents, through desolate Turkish highlands and finally to a violent storm on the Mediterranean that shipwrecks them onto a remote Greek island --- and into the very heart of an incredible Vatican secret.
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