It takes a lot to get me into a movie theater. The expense combined with the smell and relentless chomping of popcorn are big turnoffs, but maybe two or three times a year I'll make a trip to the big screen. This Fall there are eight films that I'm keeping an eye on - a couple that I'll definitely leave the house for, the remainder I'll wait for on Netflix, or maybe spring for on pay-per-view - or, better still, put myself on the waitlist at our local library which carries a veritable cornucopia of film delights.
If you don't share my tastes or you just love, love, love the movies and like to know about everything new - keep reading to the end for an additional 9 movies based on books which hold less appeal for me but maybe just up your alley!
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With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Thriller based on the book by Gillian Flynn. Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick Harris.
Feels like I'm the only person on the planet not to have read this book so probably should catch the movie. Will get myself on the list to borrow from the library or maybe blow a few dollars on pay-per-view.
Rosie and Alex have been best friends since they were five, so they couldn't possibly be right for one another...or could they? When it comes to love, life and making the right choices, these two are their own worst enemies.
Romantic comedy based on the book by Cecelia Ahern. Starring Sam Claflin, Lily Collins, Christian Cooke.
Alright, I admit it, I have no interest in reading rom-com but (some) chick flicks are a different matter. I can't see myself springing for a movie ticket but might just check to see if it's on Netflix in a few months' time.
A journalist is detained in Iran for more than 100 days and brutally interrogated in prison.
A biographical drama based on the book Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival by Mazia Bahari and Aimee Molloy.
Written and directed by Jon Stewart; stars Gael García Bernal, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Golshifteh Farahani.
I'll follow Jon Stewart pretty much anywhere but it takes a lot to get me into a movie theater so maybe not that far - but definitely a contender when on pay-per-view.
A chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe.
Drama based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific West Trail. Directed by Nick Hornby and Cheryl Strayed. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Gaby Hoffmann, Laura Dern
Strayed (a pseudonym) provides a powerful story on which to build a movie, but much will be in the delivery - put aside thoughts of Eat, Pray, Love - this is more Tarp, Knife, Snakebite. Not sure I'll be in the movie theaters for this one, but definitely will look out for it later to fill a cold winter's evening.
Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.
Adventure, sci-fi, based on the final volume of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Usually, I don't see the point in watching the movie (and certainly not paying to see it!) if I've read the book but in the case of The Hunger Games trilogy I was intrigued to see how they would translate to the big screen - and the answer is rather well. If a certain familial teenager wants a mother-daughter outing, I'm game, otherwise will nab it soon after home release.
The Company of Thorin has reached Smaug's lair; but can Bilbo and the Dwarves reclaim Erebor and the treasure? And, if so, can they hold on to it?
Fantasy adventure based on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
I must fall on my sword as I was one of the naysayers - vocal in my opinion that stretching The Hobbit to two films would be a challenge, but to three, well really! But I take it back, add a dash of Silmarillion here and a soupçon of LOTR foreshadowing there and there's still ample to fill the third film. Expect to find me lined up for a first-day showing.
A young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British travels to London in search of a home...
Family comedy based on the books by Michael Bond. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters
Move over Stewart Little! Looks good enough to warrant borrowing a small child for the day. Hope it lives up to expectations, marmalade sandwiches and all - now where to find said child?
A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
Action biography based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand. Directed by Angelina Jolie. Starring Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Jai Courtney.
Brilliant book and could be a brilliant movie, except for the tiny catch that it's a challenge for an actor to pull off the emaciated look of someone adrift at sea for weeks and then interned in a Japanese prison of war camp - without which it's difficult to fully comprehend the extent of what Zamperini went through. So I anticipate that while the movie will be good, and will undoubtedly be a contender for awards, it will be a shadow of the book.
Other Movies Based on Books in Fall 2014
Left Behind, Oct 3
A small group of survivors are left behind after millions of people suddenly vanish and the world is plunged into chaos and destruction.
Sci-Fi/Thriller based on the novels of Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye
Addicted, Oct 10
A wife is tested when she cheats on her husband, and it threatens to ruin her and her family.
Rated R, based on the novel by Zane
Kill The Messenger, Oct 10
A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California. Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb.
Biography, crime drama based on the book Dark Alliance by Gary Webb and Kill the Messenger: How the CIA's Crack-Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb by Nick Schou
You're Not You, Oct 10 limited release
A drama centered on a classical pianist who has been diagnosed with ALS and the brash college student who becomes her caregiver.
Based on the book by Michelle Wildgen. On second thoughts, maybe this should have been in my top 8, but can't please all the people all the time, not even myself - so will leave it on the B List for now.
Stonehearst Asylum, Oct 24
A recent medical school grad who takes a position at a mental institution soon finds himself taken with one of his colleagues -- though he has no initial idea of a recent, horrifying staffing change.
Thriller, based on a short story by Edgar Allan Poe
Significance, Nov 18
After Maggie Masters saves Caleb Jacobson from a near death experience, strange things began happening to her. A world beyond human knowledge emerges, once you meet your Significant.
Adventure, fantasy based on the novel by Shelly Crane
The Homesman,
Nov 14 limited release
A claim jumper and a pioneer woman team up to escort three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa.
Western based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout
Thanks for the movie updates. With all the chaos going on in the world now why would anyone want to see more chaos in the movie theater. Why aren't they producing some good comedies to take our mind off of the everyday world news?
Hi Edie, I hear you! There is one comedy in the list above - Love Rosie - but that does seem to be about it, putting aside the family films. But there are a few that offer distraction from the world, I think, e.g. get lost in the world of Middle Earth in The Hobbit in the knowledge that good will overcome evil, or be reminded of a man who rose above all that was thrown at him in Unbroken. Or what about the personal quest offered in Wild?
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