Directed by Lena Khan, Flora and Ulysses follow a young girl’s adventures, played by Matilda Lawler, and a squirrel with superpowers.
Written for the screen by Brad Copeland and based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, the rest of the cast includes Alyson Hannigan, Ben Schwartz, and Danny Pudi.
Directed by David Prior, The Empty Man is a supernatural horror film that centers on shocking events originating in a small Midwestern town.
It follows the mysterious disappearance of a group of teenagers. James Lasombra, played by James Badge Dale, a troubled retired cop who thrusts into action to investigate. Following leads that may tie a secretive occult-minded group to a terrifying local legend, he soon realizes that his life — and those close to him — are in terrible danger. The screen story and screenplay are by David Prior.
In The Empty Man comics, it’s been one year since the first reported case of the titular disease, and no drug has slowed its progress. The cause is unknown, and the symptoms include fits of rage, hideous hallucinations, and suicidal dementia, followed by death or a near lifeless, “empty” state of catatonia.
As a group of followers rises nationwide, the FBI and CDC enter a joint investigation of the Empty Man, racing against the clock to piece together clues to stop them from following and uncover a cure.
Directed by Doug Liman from the best-selling young adult novel The Knife of Never Letting Go, Chaos Walking starts in the distant future. Todd Hewitt, played by Tom Holland, befriends Viola, played by Daisy Ridley. She is a mysterious girl who crash-landed on his planet, where all the women have disappeared and are afflicted with “the Noise,” which forces men to display their thoughts.
In this dangerous landscape threatened by her life, Todd vows to protect Viola. He will have to discover his inner power and unlock the planet’s dark secrets.
I am not sure which book of the trilogy the movie follows. Some say it’s a combination of two of the books. Another exciting aspect when comparing the book and the film is that Viola and Todd are 12 years old in the first book, while the film has them as adults.
The film is streaming on Amazon so that you can watch it. These two actors are talented, but the storyline, I’m sorry to say, didn’t capture the audience.
Liman also directed suspense thrillers The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow. The movie also stars Mads Mikkelsen, Demián Bichir, Cynthia Erivo, Nick Jonas, Kurt Sutter, and David Oyelowo.
Directed by Paul Greengrass, News of the World follows Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, played by Tom Hanks. It’s five years after the end of the Civil War, and he is a veteran of three wars, now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe.
In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with Johanna, played by Helena Zengel, a 10-year-old taken in by the Kiowa people six years earlier and raised as one of their own. Johanna, hostile to a world she’s never experienced, is being returned to her biological aunt and uncle against her will.
Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says she belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness, the two will face tremendous challenges of human and natural forces as they search for a place they can call home.
Greengrass co-wrote the screenplay with Luke Davies based on the National Book Award finalist and best-selling novel by Paulette Jiles. The film’s music is by eight-time Academy Award® nominee James Newton Howard.
Directed by Ben Wheatley, Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 gothic novel Rebecca comes alive as the mesmerizing and gorgeously rendered psychological thriller. But, this time, the classic story streams on Netflix.
After a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo with handsome widower Maxim de Winter, played by Armie Hammer, a newly married young woman, played by Lily Jame, arrives at Manderley.
Her new husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast. Naive and inexperienced, she begins to settle into the trappings of her new life but finds herself battling the shadow of Maxim’s first wife, the elegant and urbane Rebecca, whose haunting legacy is kept alive by Manderley’s sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, played by Kristin Scott Thomas.
The mesmerizing and gorgeously rendered psychological thriller based on Daphne du Maurier’s beloved 1938 gothic novel.
Directed by Tim Hill, The War With Granpa follows Peter, played by Oakes Fegely, who is thrilled that Grandpa is coming to live with his family.
That is, until Grandpa, played by Robert De Niro, moves into Peter’s room, forcing him upstairs into the creepy attic.
And though he loves his grandpa, he wants his room back – so he has no choice but to declare war.
With the help of his friends, Peter devises outrageous plans to make Grandpa surrender the room. But Grandpa is tougher than he looks. Rather than give in, Grandpa plans to get even.
Based on a book by Robert Kimmell Smith, the film looks like a lot of fun with a stellar cast that includes Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour, Cheech Martin, and Robert Riggle.
Enjoy these movie clips because they are a lot of fun and good laughs. There is some great talent in this film. Walken looks like he is in his element with skateboarding and falling from the sky as Santa Claus.
Written and directed by Thomas Bezucha, Let Him Go is based on a bestselling novel by Larry Watson. The story follows a retired sheriff, played by Kevin Costner and his wife, played by Diane Lane. They grieve over the death of their son and set out to find their only grandson.
It appears their daughter-in-law’s second husband is an abusive man from an abusive family. The sheriff and his wife have to figure out how to get their grandson away from the deadly family.
The movie streams now on Amazon, and it’s worth watching for the sake of these two talented actors.
Based on the acclaimed Jerzy Kosiński novel, The Painted Bird is a fastidious 35mm black and white summoning of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II.
The film follows the boy’s journey, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The older woman soon dies, and the boy is on his own, wandering through the countryside, from village to village, farmhouse to farmhouse. As he struggles for survival, he suffers through extraordinary brutality meted out by the ignorant, superstitious peasants. He witnesses the terrifying violence of the efficient, ruthless soldiers, both Russian and German.
In a defining scene, one of the peasants shows him the flight of a captive bird, whom the man has painted and then released back into its flock. Immediately, the bird gets attached and ripped apart because it is different from its fellows. That lesson reinforces all he already knows and will soon know better: the difference is fatal.
But there are rare moments of compassion: a German soldier spares him, a priest intervenes on his behalf, and finally, he becomes the protégé of a Russian sniper, who is kind to the child, but ruthless with the enemy. And there are signs of love. He is seduced by an older girl, finally rediscovering the comfort of intimacy, only to realize that he has been used. When he is miraculously reunited with his weakened father at the end of the war, the boy is cold and impenetrable, hardened by his ordeal. Yet we can still glimpse something of the old, sensitive boy behind the eyes of the new. Perhaps there is hope.
The cast includes Petr Kotlár, Udo Kier, Lech Dyblik, Jitka Čvančarová, Stellan Skarsgård, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands, Aleksey Kravchenko, and Barry Pepper.
Based on the 2006 best-selling book The Secret, a global phenomenon happened. It empowered millions to lead happier and more fulfilled lives, directed by Andy Tennant. The Secret: Dare to Dream centers around Miranda Wells, played by Katie Holmes, a hard-working young widow struggling to raise three children on her own.
A powerful storm brings a devastating challenge and a mysterious man, Bray Johnson, played by Josh Lucas, into her life.
In just a few short days, Bray’s presence re-ignites the family’s spirit, but he carries a secret—and that secret could change everything.
The groundbreaking book by Rhonda Byrne has sold over 34 million copies worldwide, has been translated into 50 languages, and appeared on the New York Times best-seller list for 190 consecutive weeks.
The following trailer tells us more about the movie while keeping what is in the large envelope a secret.
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, Spiral follows the aftermath of a sadistic mastermind who unleashes a twisted form of justice in the terrifying new chapter of the book Saw.
Brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks, played by Chris Rock, works in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Zeke and his rookie partner, played by Max Minghella, take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game. The movie also stars Marisol Nichols.
Enjoy these additional featurettes.