Category Archives: based on a book

“The Boys in the Boat” Directed by Clooney

based on a book, sports, true stories, , , , , , , , , , , ,

My daughter read Daniel James Brown’s The Boys in the Boat because her swim coach recommended it. She talked incessantly about how good it was, describing it as an underdog story.

Bruce Herbelin-Earle stars as Shorty Hunt, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, and Wil Coban as Jim McMillan. Photo credit: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

George Clooney directs the film based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction novel.
The story is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression. The situation thrusts them into the spotlight and takes on elite rivals from around the world.

Chris Diamantopoulos stars as Royal Brougham, James Wolk as Coach Bolles, and Joel Edgerton as Al Ulbrickson. Photo credit: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The impressive cast includes Joel Edgerton, Chris Diamantopoulos, Callum Turner, Jack Mulhern, Sam Strike, Luke Slattery, Thomas Elms, Tom Varey, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Wil Coban, James Wolk, Hadley Robinson, and Courtney Henggeler.

“Argylle” Trailers, Posters, Interviews, Clips and Featurette

action, based on a book, thriller, , , , , , ,

Matthew Vaughn directed Argylle follows Elly Conway, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, who is writing a yet-to-be-released novel about a spy, Argylle.

The story resembles a true espionage situation, which spins Conway into deception, intrigue and danger with the insistence of Sam Rockwell’s character.

Scripted for the screen by Jason Fuchs, Conway’s story follows Argylle, played by Henry Cavill, to exotic locations around the world.

Argylle goes on a treasure hunt, but his secret and troubled past may jeopardize the espionage mission.

The cast includes Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Catherine O’Hara, and Sofia Boutella.

Apple TV+ “Lessons in Chemistry” Trailer

Apple TV, based on a book, comedy, drama, , , ,

Apple TV+ brings us the eight-episode and limited series Lessons in Chemistry. Brie Larson is the executive producer and stars based on the best-selling novel by author, science editor and copywriter Bonnie Garmus.

Set in the early 1950s, the series follows Elizabeth Zott, played by Larson, whose dream of being a scientist they put on hold in a patriarchal society. When Elizabeth finds herself fired from her lab, she accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show and sets out to teach a nation of overlooked housewives — and the men who are suddenly listening — a lot more than recipes.

Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Stephanie Koenig, Kevin Sussman, Patrick Walker, and Thomas Mann are starring alongside Larson.

“Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom” Trailer, TV Spot and Posters

action, adventure, based on a book, fantasy, sequels, super heroes, , , , ,

James Wan directed Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom with a cast that features Nicole Kidman, Jason Momoa, Ben Affleck and more.

“Dark Harvest” Trailer and Poster

based on a book, fantasy, horror, , ,

David Slade directed Dark Harvest, which is based on Norman Partridge’s award-winning novel of the same name.

In a cursed town, the annual harvest becomes a brutal battle for survival. On Halloween 1963, Sawtooth Jack, a terrifying legend, rises from the cornfields, threatening the town’s children.

Groups of boys unite to defeat the murderous scarecrow before midnight. Casey Likes plays Richie, an outcast who joins the run because his brother, played by Britain Dalton, won the last time.

As the hunt progresses, Richie makes a shocking discovery and faces a pivotal choice to break the relentless cycle.

“The Bikeriders” Starring Hardy, Shannon, and Butler

based on a book, crime, drama, ,

Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, The Bikeriders follows the glory days of a 1960s motorcycle gang to its inevitable demise. Danny Lyon’s photo book The Bikeriders inspired the movie with a great cast, including Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Austin Butler and Jodie Comer.

“The Marsh King’s Daughter” Trailer, Clips, and Images

based on a book, thriller,

Neil Burger directed an intense thriller, The Marsh King’s Daughter, based on the bestseller by Karen Dionne. The story follows a woman with a secret past who ventures into the wilderness she left behind to confront the most dangerous man she’s ever met: her father.

Daisy Ridley as Helena Pelletier in The Marsh King’s Daughter. Photo Credit: Philippe Bossé

In the film Helena’s, played by Daisy Ridley, ordinary life hides a dark and dangerous truth. Her estranged father is the infamous Marsh King, played by Ben Mendelsohn, the man who kept her and her mother captive in the wilderness for years.

When her father escapes from prison, Helena must confront her past. Knowing that he will hunt for her and her family, Helena must find the strength to face her demons and outmaneuver the man who taught her everything she knows about surviving in the wild.

There was never a doubt for the producers and director that Daisy Ridley was their perfect Helena. Remarks Teddy Schwarzman, “Daisy has these emotive eyes, and she can convey so much by doing so little. Additionally, Daisy not only has the physicality that the role requires but possesses the intelligence and empathy to perfectly nail the role of Helena.”

“Foe” Featuring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal

based on a book, science fiction, thriller, ,

Directed by Garth Davis with a screenplay by Iain Reid and Davis based on the book by Iain Reid, Foe stars Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre.

Foe is a science-fiction thriller as a haunting exploration of marriage and identity with a setting in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior, played by Ronan and Mescal, farm a secluded piece of land that’s been in Junior’s family for generations. 

An uninvited stranger, played by Pierre, throws their otherwise quiet life into turmoil. He shows up at their farm door with a startling proposal. 

Davis helms a story through Foe’s mesmerizing imagery. He brings persistent questions to the surface. They concern the nature of humanity and artificial humanity. Davis draws attention to the not-too-distant future of a luminous life. 

Davis is an Australian film and television director known for directing Lion (his debut feature) and Mary Magdalene. He also directed episodes for Top of the Lake, starring Elisabeth Moss, noted in a Vanity Fair.

“The Exorcist: Believer” Trailers, Featurettes, Clips, Posters and Burstyn Interview

based on a book, horror, sequels, , ,

David Gordon Green directed The Exorcist: Believer from a screenplay by Peter Sattler and Green, from a story by Scott Teems, Danny McBride and Green. William Peter Blatty created the characters in this new Exorcist film. 

Exactly 50 years ago this fall, the most terrifying horror film in history landed on screens, shocking audiences worldwide. A new chapter begins thanks to Blumhouse and Green, who resurrected the Halloween franchise.  

Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding, played by Leslie Odom Jr., has raised their daughter, Angela, played by Lidya Jewett, on his own. 

Angela and her friend Katherine, played by Olivia Marcum, disappear into the woods, only to return three days later without knowing what happened to them. It unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the lowest point of evil. In terror and desperation, he seeks out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before—Chris MacNeil. 

For the first time since the 1973 film, Ellen Burstyn reprises her iconic role as Chris MacNeil, forever altered by what happened to her daughter Regan five decades before.

The film also stars Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles Norbert Leo Butz. 

When The Exorcist, based on the best-selling book by William Peter Blatty, hit the movie theaters, it changed the culture forever. It obliterated box office records and earned 10 Academy Award nominations, becoming the first horror film nominated for Best Picture.  

Emma Stone in “Poor Things” Trailers, Clips, Featurettes, Images and Posters

based on a book, drama

Yorgos Lanthimos directs Emma Stone in this Victorian tale of love, discovery and scientific daring.

Poor Things tells the incredible story of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by an eccentric but brilliant scientist.

Emma Stone in POOR THINGS. Photo by Yorgos Lanthimos. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.

Baxter runs off with a lawyer for a whirlwind adventure across the continents. She blossoms from the freedom of prejudices and becomes steadfast in supporting liberation and equality.

Emma Stone in POOR THINGS. Photo by Yorgos Lanthimos. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.

Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and Christopher Abbott star in the film.

Films directed by Yorgos Lanthimos:

Favourite

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Lobster

Alps

Dogtooth