Have you heard of any of these movies coming out? I've listed a few of the fifty or so movies yet to make their 2016 appearance. Some of us don't get out much, but once in awhile I like to look ahead and see if there's anything I feel I must see. No, nothing so far, but in case you, too, have no idea what movies are ahead, here's a short list. (I'm sticking with Masterpiece Theater) Maybe they'll go on your NetFlix queue next year... Tell me what you think! What movies have I left off the list?
What are you planning to see this fall?
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
1810. After the
wreck of his ships, a financially-ruined merchant (André Dussollier) exiles
himself in the countryside with his six children. Among them is Belle (Léa
Seydoux), his youngest daughter, a joyful girl full of grace. One day, during
an arduous journey, the merchant stumbles across the magical domain of the
Beast (Vincent Cassel), who sentences him to death for stealing a rose. Feeling
responsible for the terrible fate which has befallen her family, Belle decides
to sacrifice herself and take her father's place. At the Beast's castle, it is
not death that awaits Belle, but a strange life in which fantastical moments
mingle with gaiety and melancholy. Every night, at dinner, Belle and the Beast
sit down together. They learn about each other, taming one another like two
strangers who are total opposites. When she has to repulse his amorous
advances, Belle tries to pierce the mysteries of the Beast and his domain. And
when night falls, the Beast's past is revealed to her bit by bit in her dreams.
It is a tragic story, which tells her that this solitary and fearsome being was
once a majestic prince. Armed with her courage, ignoring every danger, and
opening her heart, Belle manages to release the Beast from his curse. And in
doing so, she discovers true love.
This is a case of stick with something that works, I guess. But will there be a great library and what about Mrs. Potts? Yes, It's Disney.
THE LIGHT
BETWEEN OCEANS
In the years
following World War I, Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender), a young veteran
still numb from his years in combat, takes a job as lighthouse keeper on Janus
Rock, a remote island off the coast of Western Australia. As the island’s sole
inhabitant, he finds comfort in the monotony of the chores and the solitude of
his surroundings. When he meets the daughter of the school’s headmaster, Isabel
Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), in the local town of Partageuse on the mainland,
Tom is immediately captivated by her beauty, wit and passion, and they are soon
married and living on the island. As their love flourishes, he begins to feel
again, their happiness marred only by their inability to start a family, so
when a rowboat with a dead man and infant girl mysteriously washes ashore,
Isabel believes their prayers may have finally been answered. As a man of
principle, Tom is torn between reporting the lost child and pleasing the woman
he loves, and against his better judgment he agrees to let Isabel raise the
child as their own, making a choice with devastating consequences.
Drama. There's always a place for a good drama and Michael Fassbender on my list. Throw in WW1 and lighthouses, and I might just remember to watch this on DVD next year...
SULLY
Capt. Chesley
Sullenberger, a pilot for more than four decades, is catapulted to fame after
birds fly into the engines of flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, crippling the
jet. He lands the plane safely on the surface of the Hudson River, saving the
lives of all 155 passengers on board.
I was hoping this was the movie version of Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman, but this one does sound compelling. It was a fascinating true event that added to my dislike of flying in the winter.
BRIDGET JONES'S
BABY
After breaking
up with Mark Darcy (Firth), Bridget Jones’s (Zellweger) “happily ever after” hasn’t
quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to
focus on her job as top news producer and surround herself with old friends and
new. For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. What could
possibly go wrong?
Then her love life takes a turn and Bridget
meets a dashing American named Jack (Dempsey), the suitor who is everything Mr.
Darcy is not. In an unlikely twist she finds herself pregnant, but with one
hitch…she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby’s
father.
One was enough for me. Oh dear. Now you'll wonder what is wrong with me.
Other than Colin Firth in the ugly jumper, this franchise just didn't win me over. I tried. I really did. So I won't be seeing this one, though Renee Z was super in the original.
THE MAGNIFICENT
SEVEN
With the town of
Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter
Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws,
bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns – Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh
Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent
D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red
Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As they prepare the town for the violent showdown
that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for
more than money.
Again? the original movie was good. The tv show was good. Let's see how this one goes. But. Denzel. So, yes.
THE DRESSMAKER
Tilly Dunnage
(KATE WINSLET), a beautiful and talented misfit, after many years working as a
dressmaker in exclusive Parisian fashion houses, returns home to the tiny
middle-of-nowhere town of Dungatar to right the wrongs of the past. Not only
does she reconcile with her ailing, eccentric mother Molly (JUDY DAVIS) and
unexpectedly falls in love with the pure-hearted Teddy (LIAM HEMSWORTH), but
armed with her sewing machine and incredible sense of style, she transforms the
women of the town and in so doing gets sweet revenge on those who did her wrong
This one caught my eye for title, and then the actors--Judy Davis and Kate Winslet. I'll be watching for this one on Amazon Prime someday. The Helmsworth factor should make this a hit.
BIRTH OF A
NATION
Set against the
antebellum South, The Birth of a Nation follows Nat Turner, a literate slave
and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer
to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As he witnesses countless
atrocities - against himself and his fellow slaves - Nat orchestrates an
uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.
I hope this is as good as it sounds, but it's going to be a rough one, emotionally.
THE GIRL ON THE
TRAIN
In the thriller,
Rachel (Emily Blunt), who is devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily
commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that
her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking
happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.
I happened to be listening to this audiobook when I learnd that it was going to be a movie. From then on, I pictured the lead , Rachel, as Emily Blunt. The book is like watching a train wreck. Makes you glad your life has less drama. Depressing but I kept listening and it should make a hit movie, despite the F Bombs.
MANCHESTER BY
THE SEA
A Boston-living ne’er-do-well plumber is
forced to return home to the titular town after he learns his brother passed
away. There, he finds himself thrust into the care of the man's 16-year old son
but finds himself crumbling due to a secret tragedy in his past. I added this to the list because I happen to like Manchester-by-the-Sea. There's a great bookstore there! It's my list, so I get to make the rules.
RULES DON'T APPLY
It’s Hollywood,
1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist Marla Mabrey (Collins), under
contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the
airport, she meets her personal driver Frank Forbes (Ehrenreich), only two
weeks on the job and also from a religiously conservative background.
Their instant attraction not only puts their
religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes’ #1 rule: no employee
is allowed to have an intimate relationship with a contract actress. But
Hughes’ absurd behavior intersects with Marla and Frank in very separate and
unexpected ways, and as they are drawn deeper into his bizarre world, their
values are challenged and their lives are changed.
Warren Beatty as Howard Hughes. I'll be interested to see how this one does. It's not grabbing my attention but I like to be surprised (with movies only. Don't get any ideas).
It includes my latest novella, Starlight Serenade, as well a two more Old Hollywood style novellas from Jennifer AlLee and Niki Turner. Ten novellas set along Route 66 for $4.99
