February means a lot of things to a lot of different people. For the movie industry, it means cashing in on our mid-month obsession with all things L-O-V-E. And for those of us who keep our wary Valentine’s distance, there’s plenty to see on TV (or to load up on your DVR for post-Olympics binge-watching on February 24th). Let's just say if channel surfing were an Olympic sport, I’d be draped in stars and stripes and gleaming gold medals.

In theaters this month are two movies based on books about love taken to the extreme. The first is Endless Love, which stars Alex Pettyfer and newcomer Gabriella Wilde as --- what else? --- star-crossed lovers David and Jade in this adaptation of the Scott Spencer novel of the same name. The lines between love, sex and obsession become increasingly blurred as the pair pursue each other, despite the disapproval of Jade’s overprotective parents. If you like your love stories unambiguous and starring Colin Farrell, look no further than A Winter’s Tale, which is actually a beautiful story about the power of love to overcome the constraints of space and time --- and even death. The movie looks devastatingly lovely, and I recommend bringing tissues and chocolates to get you through it.

If that’s not your tear-diluted cup of tea, then George Clooney-helmed The Monuments Men is a can’t-miss World War II comedy-drama. It’s like a highbrow Ocean’s Eleven about a ragtag team of art directors, curators and historians who work together to get behind enemy lines and rescue artwork stolen by the Nazis. With an ensemble that includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Can’t-Miss Cate, this movie is my personal one to watch this February. And for some real thrills, check out Odd Thomas, based on the Dean Koontz novel of the same name, about a clairvoyant cook who gets into some supernatural trouble of epic proportions.

If you’re looking to avoid the mid-month movie madness, there’s plenty to watch in the comfort of your own home. All 13 episodes of season two of fan- and critic-favorite “House of Cards” will be available for instant streaming on Netflix February 14th, so clear your calendar of social obligations that weekend and prepare to order in. “The Walking Dead” resumes its fourth season, so unless you’re like me and can’t watch anything with zombies before bed, be sure to check that out (and for added incentive, read 20SomethingReads.com contributor Lauren Sarner’s blog post about zombies’ pop culture comeback). Plus, the pilot for "Bosch," based on Michael Connelly’s long-running mystery series, is now available on Amazon.

There’s also NBC’s criminally underwatched “Hannibal” and all our old favorite vampires, but if you’re in the market for something a little bit more lighthearted (or with any kind of beating heart at all), don’t miss NBC’s wildcard comedy “About a Boy” --- based on the Nick Hornby book of the same name. It stars David Walton as Will Freeman, whose carefully constructed carefree lifestyle is shattered when a single mom and her 11-year-old son move in next door. I once saw David Walton on the subway, so I can credibly vouch for him.

And finally, among this month’s DVD releases are Ender’s Game, Austenland, Diana and How I Live Now.

Whatever your plans, there are plenty of books on screen to check out this month. Happy watching!
 

--- Written and compiled by Emily Hoenig

In Theaters:

The Monuments Men
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, John Goodman
Director: George Clooney
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February 7th (wide)
Based On: THE MONUMENTS MEN: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action-thriller focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys --- seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 --- possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1,000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements.

Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters
Cast: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Dominic Sherwood, Sarah Hyland, Danila Kozlovsky, Cameron Monaghan
Director: Mark Waters
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February 7th (wide)
Based On: VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead

Based on author Richelle Mead’s worldwide bestselling series, Vampire Academy tells the legend of Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir, two 17-year-old girls who attend a hidden boarding school for Moroi (mortal, peaceful vampires) and Dhampirs (half-vampire/half-human guardians). Rose, a rebellious guardian-in-training and her best friend, Lissa --- a royal vampire princess --- have been on the run when they are captured and returned to St. Vladamir's Academy, the very place where they believe their lives may be in most jeopardy. Thrust back into the perils of Moroi society and high school, Lissa struggles to reclaim her status while Rose trains with her mentor and love-interest, Dimitri, to guarantee her place as Lissa’s guardian. Rose will sacrifice everything to protect Lissa from those who intend to exploit her from within the Academy walls and the Strigoi (immortal, evil vampires) who hunt her kind from outside its sanctuary. 

Endless Love
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde, Bruce Greenwood, Joely Richardson, Robert Patrick, Rhys Wakefield
Director: Shana Feste
Distributor: Universal Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February 14th (wide)
Based On: ENDLESS LOVE by Scott Spencer

Endless Love stars Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike) and Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers) in the story of a privileged girl and a charismatic boy whose instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.

Winter’s Tale
Cast: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt, Eva Marie Saint, Russell Crowe, McKayla Twiggs, Ripley Sobo
Director: Akiva Goldsman
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February 14th (wide)
Based On: WINTER’S TALE by Mark Helprin

Peter Lake is a master thief, who never expected to have his own heart stolen by the beautiful Beverly Penn. But their love is star-crossed: she burns with a deadly form of consumption, and Peter has been marked for a much more violent death by his one-time mentor, the demonic Pearly Soames. Peter desperately tries to save his one true love, across time, against the forces of darkness, even as Pearly does everything in his power to take him down --- winner take all and loser be damned. What Peter needs is a miracle, but only time will tell if he can find one.

In Secret
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton, Jessica Lange
Director: Charlie Stratton
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: February 21st (limited)
Based On: IN SECRET by Émile Zola (originally published as THERESE RAQUIN)

Set in the lower echelons of 1860s Paris, Thérèse Raquin, a sexually repressed beautiful young woman, is trapped into a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille, by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin. Therese spends her days confined behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame play dominoes with an eclectic group. After she meets her husband's alluring friend, Laurent, she embarks on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences.

Odd Thomas
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Addison Timlin, Willem Dafoe, Patton Oswalt
Director: Stephen Sommers
Distributor: RLJ Entertainment, Inc.
MPAA Rating: Not rated
Release Date: February 28th (limited)
Based On: ODD THOMAS by Dean Koontz

Small-town fry cook Odd Thomas is an ordinary guy with a paranormal secret: he sees dead people, everywhere. When a creepy stranger shows-up with an entourage of ghostly bodachs --- predators who feed on pain and portend mass destruction --- Odd knows that his town is in serious trouble. Teaming up with his sweetheart Stormy and the local sheriff, Odd plunges into an epic battle of good vs evil to try to stop a disaster of apocalyptic proportions.

On TV:

"Bosch"
Cast: Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector
Air Dates: Available on Amazon Instant Video beginning February 6th 
Based On: The Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly

An Amazon Original Pilot: Based on Michael Connelly's bestselling book series, Bosch, an LAPD homicide detective, works to solve the murder of a 13-year-old boy while standing trial in federal court for the murder of a serial killer.

“About a Boy”
Cast: David Walton, Minnie Driver, Benjamin Stockham, Al Madrigal
Network: NBC
Series Premiere: Saturday, February 22nd after the Olympics
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.

"House of Cards"
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Corey Stoll, Michael Kelly
Season 2 Premiere: Available for streaming on Netflix beginning Friday, February 14th
Based on: HOUSE OF CARDS by Michael Dobbs

Three Emmy Award wins including David Fincher (The Social Network) for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and nine nominations including Outstanding Drama Series went to this acclaimed political thriller. Lead Actor nominee Kevin Spacey stars as ruthless, cunning Congressman Francis Underwood, who will stop at nothing to conquer the halls of power in Washington D.C. His secret weapon: his gorgeous, ambitious, and equally conniving wife Claire (Lead Actress nominee Robin Wright).

“Hannibal”
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Hettienne Park, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Lara Jean Chorostecki
Network: NBC
Season 2 Premiere: Friday, February 28th at 10pm ET
Based On: RED DRAGON by Thomas Harris

The dark and haunting series "Hannibal" returns for a second season with more shocking revelations and psychological cat and mouse games. Will Graham is locked in a mental asylum accused of Hannibal Lecter's crimes. Now that Will sees Hannibal for what he truly is, he faces a fight to prove his own sanity and convince those closest to him he is innocent of murder. Jack Crawford is dealing with his own feelings about Will and whether his protégé is in fact a cold-blooded killer. Looking for answers, Jack turns to Hannibal, a man he has come to trust. With Will locked up, Hannibal becomes Jack's new consultant on cases. Hannibal is torn between self-preservation and his desire to keep Will close to him, despite advice from his psychiatrist, Bedelia Du Maurier, to stay away. 

The deadly dance between these characters continues to turn in startling and unexpected ways, in a season that will show that nothing can ever be the same again.

“The Walking Dead”
Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Chandler Riggs, Danai Gurira
Network: AMC
Season 4 Resumes: Sunday, February 9th at 9pm ET
Based On: The Walking Dead comic book series by Robert Kirkman

In this highly anticipated new season, we see Rick and the group of survivors fostering a thriving community in the safe haven of the prison. Sadly, in this brutal world, happiness is short-lived and walkers and outside threats are no match for danger brewing inside the fences. The group’s home and new way of life will be thoroughly tested, and their struggle to survive has never been so perilous. Season 4 also introduces several new characters including Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gilliard Jr. of "The Wire").

"The Vampire Diaries"
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

In the tumultuous fourth season of "The Vampire Diaries," the world of Mystic Falls was turned upside down when the beautiful and compassionate Elena Gilbert came face-to-face with her worst nightmare --- life as a vampire. While Elena struggled to control her new powers and the overwhelming thirst for blood, the astonishing news that a cure for vampirism may actually exist reached Damon and Stefan Salvatore, the two vampire brothers who love her. Their search for the cure leads the brothers, along with Elena’s brother Jeremy and her best friends Bonnie and Carol, to a horrifying confrontation with the ancient and all-powerful immortal, Silas, who has been entombed with the cure for more than 2,000 years. But Elena isn’t the only vampire who longs to return to life as a human, and the question of who will take the cure is resolved in the heart-stopping season finale, along with moments of unexpected joy, unspeakable sorrow, and a confession of true love.

The series heads into its fifth season with some characters headed off to college, a newly cured vampire trying to survive as a human, and a shocking Salvatore secret.

On DVD:

Austenland
Cast: Keri Russell, JJ Field, Bret McKenzie, Jennifer Coolidge
Director: Jerusha Hess
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: February 11th
Based On: AUSTENLAND by Shannon Hale

30-something, single Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young woman with a secret: her obsession with all things Jane Austen. But when she decides to spend her life savings on a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined.

Diana
Cast: Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews, Douglas Hodge, Geraldine James, Charles Edwards
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Distributor: Entertainment One Films
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: February 11th
Based On: DIANA: HER LAST LOVE by Kate Snell

Diana takes audiences into the private realm of one of the world’s most iconic and inescapably public women --- the Princess of Wales, Diana --- in the last two years of her meteoric life. On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of her sudden death, acclaimed director Oliver Hirschbiegel explores Diana’s final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, the human complications of which reveal the Princess’s climactic days in a compelling new light.

Ender’s Game
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, Harrison Ford
Director: Gavin Hood
Distributor: Summit Entertainment, LLC
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: February 11th
Based on: ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card

In the near future, a hostile alien race called the Formics have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham, all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Hyrum Graff and the International Military are training only the best young minds to find the future Mazer.

Ender Wiggin, a shy but strategically brilliant boy, is recruited to join the elite. Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult challenges and simulations, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military’s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he’s trained by Mazer Rackham himself to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.

How I Live Now
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, Anna Chancellor, George McKay, Corey Johnson
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
DVD Release Date: February 11th
Based on: HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff

Set in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund. But on the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive.

Blue is the Warmest Color
Cast: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Distributor: Sundance Selects
MPAA Rating: NC-17
DVD Release Date: February 25th
Based on: BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR by Julie Maroh

The sensation of the Cannes Film Festival and the most controversial film of the year, Blue is the Warmest Color made cinema history as the first film ever awarded the Palme d’Or to both its director and its actresses. In a star-making role, Adèle Exarchopoulos is Adèle, a passionate young woman who has a yearning she doesn’t quite understand until a chance encounter with the blue-haired Emma ignites a flame and brings her to life. Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) gives a fearless performance as Emma, the older woman who excites Adèle’s desire and becomes the love of her life. Abdellatif Kechiche’s (The Secret of the Grain) intimate epic of tenderness and passion charts their relationship over the course of several years, from the ecstasy of a first kiss to the agony of heartbreak. Pulsing with gestures, embraces, furtive exchanges, and arias of joy and devastation, Blue is the Warmest Color is a profoundly moving hymn to both love and life.

Thor: The Dark World
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins
Director: Alan Taylor
Distributor: Legend Cinemas, Walt Disney
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: February 25th
Based On: Thor comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby

Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. To defeat an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor sets upon his most dangerous and personal journey yet, forced into an alliance with the treacherous Loki to save not only his people and those he loves…but our universe itself.