June 2015
Books on Screen
June 2015
YA fans will not be disappointed this month: The prize-winning adaptation of Jesse Andrews’ ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL hits theaters mid-June. Hailed as the anti-THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, the book is a wry meditation on friendship and death that offers no tidy, storybook resolutions. A couple members the Book Report Network team were lucky enough to go to an advance screening of the movie a few weeks ago and were happy to find it lived up to the hype. Learn more about the movie below, as well as the rest of this month's Books on Screen!
In Theaters:
Testament of Youth
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Hayley Atwell, Dominic West, Taron Egerton
Director: James Kent
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classic
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 5th
Based on: TESTAMENT OF YOUTH by Vera Brittain
Testament of Youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a woman's point of view. A searing journey from youthful hopes and dreams to the edge of despair and back again, it's a film about young love, the futility of war and how to make sense of the darkest times.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Cast: Thomas Mann, RJ Cycler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal, Katherine C. Hughes
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 12th
Based On: ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL by Jesse Andrews
Winner of the 2015 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is the story of Greg Gaines, an awkward high school senior whose mom forces him to spend time with Rachel --- a girl in his class with whom he hasn't spoken to since kindergarten --- who was just diagnosed with cancer.
Big Game
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Jim Broadbent, Felicity Huffman, Victor Garber, Ted Levine
Director: Jalmari Helander
Distributor: Relativity Europa Distribution (RED)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 26th
Based On: BIG GAME by Daniel Smith
In the rugged countryside of Finland, a young 13-year-old embarks on a traditional quest to prove himself by spending 24 hours alone in the wild, armed with only a bow and arrow. After witnessing a spectacular crash, he discovers the escape pod from Air Force One, containing the President of the United States. When they realize a group of kidnappers is hot on their trail with the intention of taking the president, this unlikely duo must escape their hunters as they search for the American Special Forces team sent out to find them.
On TV:
“Pretty Little Liars”
Cast: Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell
Network: ABC Family
Air Dates: Premieres June 2nd; Tuesdays 8pm ET
Based On: The Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard
After years of tormenting and numerous shocking revelations, the Liars are united and ready to kick some “A” and uncover the truth! No longer just wanting to sit by and wait for "A’s" latest cruel attack, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer take matters into their own hands and try to finally put a stop to their tormentor. As relationships are put to the test, new and old secrets are revealed and the stakes are raised higher than ever before as the Liars come closer to the truth. Will all of their sacrifices be worth it in the end?
On DVD:
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Mackenzie Foy, Josh Lucas
Director: Darnell Martin
Distributor: Entertainment One
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
DVD Release Date: June 2
Based On: WISH YOU WELL by David Baldacci
A tragic accident forces 12-year old Louisa Mae and her younger brother Oz to move from New York City to live with their great grandmother on a small farm in Virginia. Once Lou and Oz finally adjust to their new home, their family is threatened to be torn apart again when a coal company tries to steal their land. Now, Lou must team-up with lawyer Cotton Longfellow, to fight for their land, their home and their future.
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz
Director: Marc Forster
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: June 9
Based On: WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks
Life for former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane and his family seems content. Suddenly, the world is plagued by a mysterious infection turning whole human populations into rampaging mindless zombies. After barely escaping the chaos, Lane is persuaded to go on a mission to investigate this disease. What follows is a perilous trek around the world where Lane must brave horrific dangers and long odds to find answers before human civilization falls.
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor
Director: Michael Bay
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 9
Based on: Characters featured in the Transformers series of comic books
Autobots must escape sight from a bounty hunter who has taken control of the human serendipity: Unexpectedly, Optimus Prime and his remaining gang turn to a mechanic and his daughter for help.
Cast: Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell, Allison Janney
Director: Ari Sandel
Distributor: Lionsgate Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 9
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: Heather Graham, Jason Lewis, Rachael Carpani, Mason Cook
Director:Nancy Savoca
Distributor: Lifetime Television
MPAA Rating:TV-14
Release Date: June 23
Based On: IF THERE BE THORNS by V.C. Andrews
The third installment in V.C. Andrews’ bestselling series that began with Flowers in the Attic, If There Be Thorns follows Christopher and Cathy Dollanganger as they live together as man and wife with Cathy’s two sons who are unaware of the incestuous nature of their parents’ relationship. But when a mysterious woman moves in next door and befriends the younger boy, Bart, he begins a strange transformation and displays accusatory behavior towards Cathy and Christopher. When Christopher discovers their mysterious neighbor is, in fact, his mother Corrine Dollanganger, all of the family’s long-hidden secrets are revealed in a tragic climax.
Cast: Maia Laura Attard, Andre Agius, Jonas Armstrong
Director: Yves Simoneau
Distributor: CBS Television Studios
MPAA Rating: TV-14
Release Date: June 30
Based On: THE DOVEKEEPERS by Alice Hoffman
Based in Alice Hoffman's historical novel about the Siege of Masada, the miniseries focuses on four extraordinary women whose lives intersect in a fight for survival at the siege of Masada.
