A Most Wanted Man
by John le Carre
Been waiting on this one for a while as yet another John le Carre adaptation heads to theaters and perhaps Anton Corbijn (Control, The American) is exactly the kind of director to do so, though I expect his patience in telling stories will turn a lot of people off.
Here’s the book synopsis:
A half-starved young Russian man in a long black overcoat is smuggled into Hamburg at dead of night. He has an improbable amount of cash secreted in a purse around his neck. He is a devout Muslim. Or is he? He says his name is Issa.
Annabel, an idealistic young German civil rights lawyer, determines to save Issa from deportation. Soon her client’s survival becomes more important to her than her own career — or safety. In pursuit of Issa’s mysterious past, she confronts the incongruous Tommy Brue, the sixty-year-old scion of Brue Frères, a failing British bank based in Hamburg.
Annabel, Issa and Brue form an unlikely alliance — and a triangle of impossible loves is born. Meanwhile, scenting a sure kill in the “War on Terror,” the rival spies of Germany, England and America converge upon the innocents.
Thrilling, compassionate, peopled with characters the reader never wants to let go, A Most Wanted Man is a work of deep humanity and uncommon relevance to our times.
Paddington
by Michael Bond
Yup, even kids books get noticed as Paddington Bear will make his way to theaters, bring to life the adventures of a young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British who travels to London in search of a home. Colin Firth will voice the bear as the story finds him battling a taxidermist, played by Nicole Kidman.
Here’s the book synopsis:
Nearly fifty years ago, a small bear from Darkest Peru set out on an adventure of a lifetime. With nothing but a suitcase, several jars of marmalade, and a label around his neck that read, “Please Look After This Bear,” he stowed away on a ship headed for faraway England. When the little bear arrived at London’s busy Paddington Station, he was discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown. As luck would have it, the Browns were just the sort of people to welcome a lost bear into their family.
Paddington Bear has charmed readers worldwide with his earnest good intentions and humorous misadventures. This reissue of the classic story, with new artwork by original artist R. W. Alley, will surely let a whole new generation of children find a home in their hearts for this lovable lost bear.
Railway Man
by Eric Lomax
Speaking of Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, the two star opposite one another in The Railway Man, which I saw and reviewed last September and referred to as “another traditionally told period piece, but the elegant nature in which it’s told and performed elevates this story of revenge, retribution and reconciliation to heightened levels.”
Here’s the book synopsis:
Here is a remarkable true story of forgiveness–a tremendous testament to the courage that propels one toward remembrance, and finally, peace with the past. A classic war autobiography, The Railway Man is a powerful tale of survival and of the human capacity to understand even those who have done us unthinkable harm.
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Serena: A Novel
by Ron Rash
It’s been a long time waiting for Susanne Bier‘s Serena and with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper opposite one another yet again it leads me to believe something has gone awry, otherwise they would be capitalizing on the success both have had working together.
Adapted from Ron Rash‘s New York Times notable book of the year and 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction finalist, this is a book described as a “gothic tale of greed, corruption, and revenge with a ruthless, powerful, and unforgettable woman at its heart, set amid the wilds of 1930s North Carolina and against the backdrop of America’s burgeoning environmental movement.”
Here’s the book synopsis:
The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains–but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons’ intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
by Frank Miller
Frank Miller‘s stark black-and-white world will come to life once again as Robert Rodriguez returns to the world he last visited in 2005 with Josh Brolin stepping in for Clive Owen to play the role of Dwight.
SIDE NOTE: If you’re wondering why I’m not highlighting Miller’s “Xerxes”, the sequel to “300”, which is hitting theaters in the form of 300: Rise of an Empire, it’s not being released… yet. Apparently the sequel “has not progressed since the complete two issues Miller handed in to Dark Horse in early 2011” according to Bleeding Cool, which can’t mean good things for the film… can it?
Here’s the book synopsis:
The second volume of Frank Miller’s signature series is now planned as the lead story in the upcoming Sin City 2! This newly redesigned edition sports a new cover by Miller- some of his first comics art in years!
Stuck with nothing but a seedy gumshoe job and some demons, Dwight’s thinking of all the ways he’s screwed up and what he’d give for one clear chance to wipe the slate clean, to dig his way out of the numb gray hell that is his life. And he’d give anything. Just to feel the fire. One more time. But he can’t let himself lose control again, can’t ever let the monster out. And then Ava calls.
This Is Where I Leave You
by Jonathan Tropper
Directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) and starring Jason Bateman, this adaptation of Jonathan Tropper‘s novel tells of a Jewish family that isn’t used to observing their faith’s traditions that is forced to fulfill their father’s final wish and sit Shivah together for an entire week and confront their problems.
The rest of the film’s cast includes Rose Byrne, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Abigail Spencer, Dax Shepard, Tina Fey, Kathryn Hahn, Jane Fonda, Ben Schwartz, Corey Stoll and Adam Driver.
Here’s the book synopsis:
The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman clan has congregated in years. There is, however, one conspicuous absence: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose affair with his radio- shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the demise of his father and his marriage, Judd joins his dysfunctional family as they reluctantly sit shiva-and spend seven days and nights under the same roof. The week quickly spins out of control as longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed and old passions are reawakened. Then Jen delivers the clincher: she’s pregnant.
This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper’s (One Last Thing Before I Go) most accomplished work to date, and a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind-whether we like it or not.
