Category Archives: based on a book

“Red Sparrow” Poster, Trailers, TV Spot

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

I will pick up the book and give it a read before watching the movie. My daughter took ballet for 10 years, and it is a demanding, alluring, and disciplined art.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, Red Sparrow follows Dominika Egorova, played by Jennifer Lawrence, when she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika, and her mother faces a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons.

After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust.  The thriller also stars, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jeremy Irons.

Another interesting note is the movie is based on a book series, and I wonder if the next book in the series will be produced.

The Blu-ray/DVD hit the streets with streaming at the usual platforms.  I am not sure how the movie did at the box office. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time to take a look. I find the storyline interesting because it is based on a book written by a former government operative.  In interviews, they claim he based it on his experiences in the secret intelligence agency.

Here is the TV Spot. Like all TV Spots, it’s a bit short.

The second trailer tells us the story of a ballerina turn spy in Russia. The trailer also tells us who is starring with Jennifer Lawrence.

Here is the first movie trailer but it doesn’t say much, which is why I am interested in reading the novel.

“Death Wish” Starring Bruce Willis

based on a book, drama, remakes,

Directed by Eli Roth, Death Wish is a remake of a very cool classic movie that starred the late Charles Bronson. The story follows Dr. Paul Kersey, played by Bruce Willis. The surgeon only sees the aftermath of Chicago violence when he is rushed to his ER. His wife, played by Elisabeth Shue, and college-age daughter, played by Camila Morrone, are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for vengeance, hunts his family’s assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous slayings of criminals capture the media’s attention, the city wonders if this deadly vigilante is a guardian angel or a grim reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense action-thriller.

The new poster is so much better, with the red color showing the violence of the movie.

Screenplay by Joe Carnahan, who is from my hometown, brings the classic story up to date. Eli Roth, whose credits are mainly producing, has directed unfamiliar movies like Cabin Fever and Knock Knock for horror movie fans.

The Blu-ray and DVD are on the streets, so you can see the movie in the comfort of your home if you have or have not seen the movie yet.

The movie trailer is good and shows a contemporary story with ever so silent Willis befitting Bronson, who was also an actor with few words. The poster conveys the same stark message with a pure white background.

“Wonderstruck” Trailers, Clips, and Featurettes

based on a book, children movies, family movies, kid movies, , , , ,

Directed by Todd Haynes and based on Brian Selznick’s novel, Wonderstruck follows Ben, played by Oakes Fegley, and Rose, played by Millicent Simmonds. They are children from two eras who secretly wish their lives were different.

Ben longs for the father he has never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook.

When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his home and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out on quests to find what they are missing that unfold with a mesmerizing balance between them.

The trailer looks excellent, and Selznick wrote the screenplay.

A new clip and poster make me even more excited about this movie. It was such a great book.

Great featurettes! The director and cast shine.

“Lady Macbeth” Trailer

based on a book, drama, thriller,

Directed by William Oldroyd, Lady Macbeth occurs in rural England in 1865. Don’t let the title fool you. It has nothing to do with Shakespeare.  The story is about a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage to a much older man and begins a passionate affair with a man her own age

The movie is adapted from Nikolai Leskov’s 1865 novel Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. The director’s debut weaves a storyline that is nothing new, but the trailer seems intense, not revealing too much like most trailers do these days.

“Thank You For Your Service” Trailer, Featurette, Interviews

based on a book, drama, true stories, , , , , , , , , ,

Directed by Jason Hall, Thank You for Your Service follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq. They struggle to fit in with a “normal” life, such as being with family and living in general civilian life. It is the memories of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.

The story is told with a strong ensemble cast led by Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Amy Schumer, Joe Cole, Beulah Koale, Scott Haze, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Brad Beyer, Omar J. Dorsey, and Jayson Warner Smith. The story is based on the bestselling book by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author David Finkel.

This is Jason Hall’s directorial debut. He received recognition for his screenplay American Sniper. He also wrote the script for this heart-wrenching drama.

The trailer and featurette with an in-depth interview with Jason Hall are awesome and touches on the battle our service men experience when they return home. Let’s help them by thanking them for their service and using green mental health treatments, not psychotropic drugs, because they are not the answer.

“Forever My Girl” Trailer, Poster, and Blu-ray/DVD

based on a book, romance, , , , ,

Written and directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf and based on the novel by Heidi McLaughlin, Forever My Girl, follows country music superstar Liam Page, played by Alex Roe. He left his bride, Josie, played by Jessica Rothe, at the altar choosing fame and fortune instead.

However, Liam never got over Josie, his one true love, nor did he ever forget his Southern roots in the small community where he was born and raised.

When he unexpectedly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his high school best friend, Liam is suddenly faced with the consequences of all that he left behind.

Whether the movie follows the book, I don’t know. But, below should give you an idea of the storyline. I am guessing it is content from the book.

“I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after. I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. And now I’m going back. After ten years. I hope I can explain that after all this time. I still want her to be my forever girl.”

The Forever My Girl Blu-ray/DVD hit the streets, which means it is streaming, too, and I am looking forward to watching the movie. The country music sounds uplifting in the trailer. Before I watch the movie, I will make sure I have a box of tissues nearby.

For some reason, this trailer pulls my heartstrings. This movie looks like a chick flick who loves country music.

My guess is the movie is predictable with a happy ending.

“Murder On The Orient Express” Trailer

based on a book, drama, mystery, remakes, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Directed by Kenneth Branagh and based on the novel by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express arrives again on the silver screen.

As we climb aboard the prestigious train that starts as a lavish train ride through Europe, it quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told.

The movie tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again. A veritable director leads them with a stellar cast, including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad.

“The Glass Castle” Trailer and Clips

based on a book, comedy, drama, , ,

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton with a stellar cast, the movie is based on a book by Jeannette Walls.  The Glass Castle follows a woman’s life that gets turned upside down when her dysfunctional parents move to New York to live nearer to her.

The movie stars Brie Larson, who is from my hometown.  Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Lawrence, Naomi Watts,  and Max Greenfield join Larson.

The movie is being called a comedy-drama. I just hope it hits its mark.

Here is the final poster for the movie. I have also added a featurette that is pretty darn good.  Enjoy!

“My Cousin Rachel” Trailer

based on a book, drama, mystery, romance,

Daphne du Maurier is one of my favorite authors because she writes poignant descriptions with edgy suspense. I devoured her novel “Rebbeca.” She is a great storyteller.

Here we have My Cousin Rachel,  based on the novel by the British author, published in 1951.  Like the earlier Rebecca, it is a mystery-romance, set primarily on a large estate in Cornwall.

I can’t recall reading My Cousin Rachel, though I have read a lot of du Maurier’s books.  With such a moving and calculating trailer, I am compelled to download the book on my Kindle and read the novel to see if I can remember if I ever read it.

Directed by Roger Mitchell and starring Rachel Weisz, the movie follows a young Englishman as he plots revenge against his mysterious, beautiful cousin, believing that she murdered his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms.

This featurette offers an insight into the story.

“The Dark Tower” Trailer and Clips

based on a book, fantasy, horror, , , , , , , ,

Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, I have not read many Stephen King’s books, so I am not familiar with The Dark Tower storyline or whether it follows the book at all.

Though, I am intrigued to see a young boy telling a story to a therapist of some sort. There are some talented people behind the camera and in front of the camera as well. Ron Howard is one of the producers.

The story follows a gunslinger, played by Idris Elba,  and we are told there are other worlds than these, which is not that ambitious these days.  Other worlds are quite common in the movie industry.

Still, it is an expansive story from one of the world’s most celebrated authors, and now it is headed to the big screen.  So, the last Gunslinger, known as Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black, played by Matthew McConaughey, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.

Also in the cast is Jackie Earle Haley, who is fondly known for playing Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise movies.

It really sounds like dark fantasy where kids tell the story late a night during a sleepover.  I sure it will do well at the box office because King has a legion of fans.