February 2015
Books on Screen
February 2015
Valentine's Day may be just around the corner, but if you're not into romance and hearts this February, you may want to check out the action-filled antidote, Kingsman: The Secret Service instead. Based on the comic book series, this is the story of Eggsy, an edgy teenager, who gets recruited by a secret spy organization. He joins their viciously competitive training course just in time to try to save the world from an evil genius. There's also The Duff, in which high school student Bianca seeks to turn the school's social structure upside down.
Or if you don't want to brave the winter weather, check out all the great choices on TV and on DVD, below!
In Theaters:
The Duff
Cast: Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell, Allison Janney
Director: Ari Sandel
Distributor: Lionsgate Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February 20th
Based On: THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger
Frumpy high-school senior Bianca has a rude awakening when she learns that her classmates secretly know her as the DUFF --- designated ugly fat friend --- to her prettier and more popular pals. Desperate to reinvent herself, Bianca enlists the aid of Wesley, a charming jock. In order to save her senior year from becoming a complete disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow a judgmental student and revolutionize the school's social order.
Cast: Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: February 13th
Based On: The Secret Service comic series by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons
Based upon the acclaimed comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn, Kingsman: The Secret Service tells a story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
On TV:
Cast: Victoria Justice, Harvey Guillen, Casey Jon Deidrick, John Garet Stoker
Network: MTV
Air Dates: Mondays at 10pm ET
Based On: EYE CANDY by R.L. Stine
Lindy is a 21-year-old hacker with a gift for seeing clues and connections in the digital world that others can't. Persuaded by her roommate to try online dating, Lindy begins to suspect that one of her suitors is a deadly cyber stalker. When the local cyber-crimes unit uncovers a potential serial killer in Manhattan, all signs point to this mysterious stalker. Teaming up with the cyber unit and some hacker friends, Lindy leads the charge to solve these murders while unleashing her own style of "justice" on the streets of New York City.
Cast: David Walton, Minnie Driver, Benjamin Stockham, Al Madrigal
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Tuesdays at 9pm ET
Based On: ABOUT A BOY by Nick Hornby
After writing a hit song, Will Freeman was granted a life of free time, free love and freedom from financial woes. He's single, unemployed and loving it. So imagine his surprise when Fiona, a needy single mom and her oddly charming 11-year-old son, Marcus, move in next door and disrupt his perfect world.
Cast: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Rick Cosnett, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jessie L. Martin
Network: The CW
Air Dates: Tuesdays at 8pm ET
Based On: The Flash: DC Comics character created by Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Carmine Infantino
“The Flash” follows the adventures of scientist Barry Allen, who is a superhero with incredible speed.
Cast: Stephen Amell, Colin Donnell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Susanna Thompson, Paul Blackthorne
Network: The CW
Air Dates: Wednesdays at 8pm ET
Based On: DC Comics character Green Arrow created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp
After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he's become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow --- a vigilante --- to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society and restore Starling City to its former glory.
Cast: Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Steven R. McQueen, Kat Graham, Candice Accola
Network: The CW
Air Dates: Thursdays at 8pm ET
Based On: The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith
Months after this devastating tragedy, everyone is dealing with the loss of their loved ones in different ways, some more destructively than others. What happened to Bonnie and Damon, and if they can even be saved, remains a mystery. Meanwhile, their beloved hometown of Mystic Falls continues to be a magic-free zone, protected by a mysterious new community watch program. If there’s any hope of salvaging their former lives, our heroes must find a way to push through their grief and band together. This season will explore themes of loss, denial and what it means to move on in the face of immortality, ultimately begging the age-old question --- can you ever really go home again?
On DVD:
Cast: Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Samantha Barks
Director: Gary Shore
Distributor: Universal Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: February 3rd
Based on: DRACULA by Bram Stoker
Facing threats to his kingdom and his family, Vlad Tepes looks to make a deal with dangerous supernatural forces --- without succumbing to the darkness himself.
Cast: James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey Liana Liberato,
Director: Michael Hoffman
Distributor: Relativity Media
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: February 3rd
Based On: THE BEST OF ME by Nicholas Sparks
A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Cast: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette, Kerris Dorsey, Bella Thorne
Director: Miguel Arteta
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG
DVD Release Date: February 10th
Based on: ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY by Judith Viorst
Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life --- a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns he is not alone when his mom, dad, brother and sister all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn't had one.
Cast: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Emily Watson
Director: James Marsh
Distributor: Focus Features
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: February 17th
Based on: TRAVELING TO INFINITY: My Life With Stephen by Alma Books
The Theory of Everything is the extraordinary story of one of the world's greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde. Once a healthy, active young man, Hawking received an earth-shattering diagnosis at 21 years of age. With Jane fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of --- time. Together, they defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed.
Cast: Voices of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr.
Director: Don Hall and Chris Williams
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG
DVD Release Date: February 24th
Based On: Marvel comic characters by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau
With all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Big Hero 6 is an action-packed comedy-adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius-thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion --- a robot named Baymax --- and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery.
