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July 2012

Books on Screen

July 2012

Summer is well underway, and that means big summer blockbusters are battling it out for that top spot at the box office. When you aren't enjoying the Great Outdoors, be sure to check out July's books on screen adaptations, which are sure to entertain (or at least get you out of the hot sun for a few hours).
 
 
In The Amazing Spider-Man, join a revamped Peter Parker on a new adventure to discover his own identity, by finding out the truth about what happens to his parents. Spider-Man is not the only superhero looking for answers in his city. Batman returns for the final installment of the mega-hit franchise in The Dark Knight Rises. What will happen when a new terrorist decides to attack Gotham City, and Batman refuses to protect the city that has labeled him a villain for the last eight years?
 
From award-winning director Oliver Stone comes the highly anticipated Savages, in which two men share not just their love of marijuana, but also their love of a girl. The duo decides not to team up with an extremely powerful drug cartel, and their mutual love gets kidnapped as a result.
 
From drug empires, to the French empire, Farewell, My Queen brings us the desperate escape attempt of Marie Antoinette just before she and her husband Louis XVI were beheaded at the start of the French Revolution. Another strong woman in Trishna must hold her own as her lover's wealthy family tries desperately to break them apart in this Thomas Hardy-inspired adaptation.
 
On the small screen, "Longmire", "Rizzoli & Isles", "True Blood" and "Pretty Little Liars" continue their respective seasons. And just in case you missed them in theaters, be on the lookout for Being Flynn, The Hunter and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which release on DVD this month.
 
 
In Theaters:
 
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifan, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, Sally Field
Director: Marc Webb
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: July 3rd (wide)
Based On: Spider-Man comics
 
The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker, an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy, and together, they struggle with love, commitment and secrets.
 
As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance --- leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors, his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
 
 
Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek
Director: Oliver Stone
Distributor: Universal Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: July 6th (wide)
Based On: SAVAGES by Don Winslow
 
Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben, a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon, a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry --- raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia. Life is idyllic in their Southern California town...until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them.
 
When the merciless head of the BC, Elena, and her brutal enforcer, Lado, underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon --- with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent --- wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.
 
 
Cast: Diane Kruger, Léa Seydoux, Virginie Ledoyen
Director: Benoît Jacquot
Distributor: The Cohen Media Group
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: July 13th (limited)
Based On: FAREWELL, MY QUEEN by Chantal Thomas
 
Farewell, My Queen marks the return of acclaimed director Benoît Jacquot (A Single Girl, Seventh Heaven, Sade, Deep in the Woods) and brilliantly captures the passions, debauchery, occasional glimpses of nobility and ultimately the chaos that engulfed the court of Marie Antoinette in the final days before the full-scale outbreak of the Revolution.
 
Based on the bestselling novel by Chantal Thomas, the film stars Léa Seydoux as one of Marie’s ladies-in-waiting, seemingly innocent but quietly working her way into her mistress’s special favors, until history tosses her fate onto a decidedly different path. With the action moving effortlessly from the gilded drawing rooms of the nobles to the back quarters of those who serve them, this is a period film at once accurate and sumptuous in its visual details and modern in its emotions.
 
 
Cast: Freida Pinto, Rizwan Ahmed
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Distributor: Sundance Selects
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: July 13th (limited)
Based On: TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES by Thomas Hardy
 
Trishna lives with her family in a village in Rajasthan, India's largest state. As the eldest daughter, she works in a nearby resort to help pay the bills. Jay is the wealthy son of a property developer. When he takes up managing a resort at his father's request, he meets Trishna at a dance and their fates cross. Jay finds every opportunity to win Trishna's affection and she accepts his efforts with shy curiosity. But when the two move to Mumbai and become a couple, Jay's deep family bond threatens the young lovers' bliss.
 
 
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Christopher Nolan
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: July 20th (wide)
Based On: Batman comics
 
It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act.
 
But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.
 
 
On TV:
 
Cast: Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman, Adam Bartley
Network: A&E
Air Dates: Sundays at 10:00 PM ET/PT
Based on: The Walter Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson
 
Widowed only a year, Longmire is a man in psychic repair that buries his pain behind a brave face and dry wit. Struggling since his wife’s death and at the urging of his daughter, Cady, Longmire knows that the time has come to turn his life around. With the help of Vic, a female deputy new to the department, he becomes reinvigorated about his job and committed to running for re-election. When Branch, an ambitious, young deputy decides to run against him for sheriff, Longmire feels betrayed but remains steadfast in his dedication to the community. Longmire often turns to close friend and confidant Henry Standing Bear for support as he sets out to rebuild both his personal and professional life, one step at a time.

 

"True Blood"
Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Alexander Skarsgård
Network: HBO
Air Dates: Sundays at 9:00pm ET/PT
Based On: Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris

Season five opens with Tara dead, both Bill and Eric left broken hearted by Sookie (and are now wanted by The Authority), and Lafayette's grieving over the death of his boyfriend. But the Bon Temps residents needs to bounce back fast if they are going to cope with the news that Russell Edgington is back. Will they survive his thirst for revenge? Or will they die trying?
 
 
Cast: Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Lorraine Bracco, Lee Thompson Young, Bruce McGill, Jordan Bridges
Network: TNT
Air Dates: Tuesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT
Based on: Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen
 
Jane Rizzoli is a tough-as-nails Boston police detective, and Maura Isles is a smart, impeccably dressed medical examiner from a privileged background. Despite being complete opposites, the two women share an offbeat chemistry and strong working relationship that has helped them bust some of Boston’s most notorious criminals.
 
 
“Pretty Little Liars”
Cast: Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Troian Bellisario, Shay Mitchell, Sasha Pieterse
Network: ABC Family
Air Dates: Tuesdays at 8:00pm ET/PT
Based On: Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard
 
Rosewood is a perfect little town. So quiet and pristine, you’d never guess it holds so many secrets. Some of the ugliest ones belong to the prettiest girls in town --- Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily, four estranged friends whose darkest secrets are about to unravel.
 
One year ago, Alison, the Queen Bee of their group, disappeared and the girls swore they’d never tell what really happened that night. They thought their secrets would bond them together, but just the opposite is true. Then again, who’s to say what the truth is in Rosewood. It seems everyone in town is lying about something.
 
Now, as the mystery surrounding Alison’s disappearance resurfaces, the girls begin getting messages from “A,” saying --- and threatening --- things only Alison would know. But it couldn’t be Alison. Could it? Whoever it is, they seem to know all the girls’ secrets, and seem to be watching their every move. The girls are friends again, but will they be there for each other if their dark secrets come to light?
 
 
New on DVD:
 
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Frances O'Connor, Sam Neill
Director: Daniel Nettheim
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
MPAA Rating: R                                                           
DVD Release Date: July 3rd
Based On: THE HUNTER by Julia Leigh  
 
Martin, a skilled and ruthless mercenary, travels into the Tasmanian wilderness on a hunt for a tiger believed to be extinct. Hired by an anonymous company that wants the tiger's genetic material, Martin arrives in Tasmania posing as a scientist. He proceeds to set up a base camp at a broken-down farmhouse, where he stays with a family whose father has gone missing. Usually a loner, Martin becomes increasingly close to the family; however, as his attachment to the family grows, Martin is led down a path of unforeseen dangers, complicating his deadly mission.
 
 
Cast: Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby, Lili Taylor, Wes Studi, Julianne Moore
Director: Paul Weitz
Distributor: Focus Features
MPAA Rating: R
DVD Release Date: July 10th
 
Nick Flynn is a young writer seeking to define himself. He misses his late mother, Jody, and her loving nature. But his father, Jonathan, is not even a memory, as Nick has not seen the man in 18 years.
 
Jonathan Flynn has long defined himself as a great writer, “a master storyteller.” After abandoning his wife and child, Jonathan scrapes through life on his own terms. Despite the occasional grandiose letter to his son, he has remained absent from Nick’s life.
 
Suddenly facing eviction from his apartment, Jonathan impulsively reaches out to Nick and the two come face-to-face.
 
 
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas
Director: Lasse Hallström
Distributor: CBS Films
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: July 17th
Based On: SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN by Paul Torday
 
A visionary sheik believes his passion for the peaceful pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he dreams of bringing the sport to the not so fish-friendly desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative to turn the dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain's leading fisheries expert who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary latches on to it as a "good will" story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.