by Sarah Waldrop
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn’s suspenseful thriller, Gone Girl, proves marriage can be a real killer. A warm summer morning marks the fifth anniversary of Nick and Amy Dunne. Instead of romance and passion, shards of glass scatter the floor and the front door is swinging open. Amy, Rosamund Pike, has disappeared and Nick, Ben Affleck, soon becomes the lead suspect for police after a series of lies and secrets. What will happen when the police get ahold of Amy’s perfectionist diary and discover the truth under the media circus? The film is set to release in UK cinemas 3 October 2014.
This Is Where I Leave You
Judd Foxman, Jason Bateman, is at the stage of depression marked by excessive facial hair after he discovers his wife cheating on him. Simultaneously mourning the death of his father, Judd joins the rest of his family as they submit to their father’s dying wish – to spend the next week together, as a family. With a cast including Tina Fey, Rose Byrne, Dax Shepard and Jane Fonda, the week quickly spins out of control. This comedic twist on life’s loss, love and chance, by Jonathan Tropper, is emotional, funny and raw. This Is Where I Leave You is expected to release 21 September 2014 in the UK.
If I Stay
Life can change in a second. For Mia Hall, Chloe Grace Moretz, the girl who thinks about the cello, Julliard and her boy friend, that moment ends in a car accident on holiday with her family. In a coma, Mia has an out-of-body experience with the pivotal choice to live or die. In making the decision to say or go, the conscious Mia sees her grandparents visit her and reminisces on her passion for music and love for Adam. If I Stay debuts in the UK 29 August 2014 but make sure to bring your tissues.
Unbroken
May 1943 an Army Air Force bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean leaving a shower of debris, oil and blood. Breaking the surface of the water, young lieutenant and Olympic runner, Louis Zamperini This action-biography, Unbroken, tells the inspirational story of determination and courage after the crash and capture of Zamperini and his troop. Directed by Angelina Jolie and starring Garrett Hedlund and Jack O’Connell, this film will hit cinemas 26 December 2014.
The Giver
In a seemingly perfect utopia set in the future, a young boy named Jonas is chosen to learn from an Elder about the true pains and pleasures of the world. In this futuristic community there is no hunger, suffering or war. The elders of the community appoint jobs, spouses and children to members in the community and you are not allowed to leave unless you are ill. Jonas is chosen to be the receiver of memories and soon experiences the memories of humanity from the giver. Understanding these new emotions of love and loss change how Jonas sees the world and he must work against the Elders to escape the community. Starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites and Taylor Swift The Giver is expected to release summer 2014.
Where Rainbows End
Rosie and Alex are best friends, but are they soulmates? Friends from university and separated by an ocean, Where Rainbows End follows the two over a span of school and life after college. The two have stuck by one another through thick and thin, love, marriages and divorce but will they ultimately find their way back to each other? The film, starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin, has been renamed Love, Rosie and is anticipated to reach cinemas 22 October 2014.
Serena
George and Serena are newlyweds that have relocated to the mountains of North Carolina to create a timber empire. George hides a secret affair and an illegitimate child in the camp. Proving herself one to be reckoned with, Serena hunts rattlesnakes and overseas the crew. Things take a terrible turn when Serena learns of the child and her own future not being able to bear children. The scorned woman turns murderous and families and marriages begin to unravel. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper come together again to play the on-screen couple. Serena is et to release late in 2014.
Wild
What do you do when everything around you falls apart? For Cheryl Strayed it was to begin a solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State. Based on a true story, Cheryl Strayed began her journey to put the broken pieces from her mother’s death and failed marriage back together. This story captures the ride that frustrated, strengthened and healed her. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Wild releases in the UK 23 January 2015.
The Maze Runner
Thomas wakes up in a lift that opens to the Glade, a vast filed neighboring the Maze. The boys there are forced to work for food and the runners go through the Maze in order to find a way out. The Maze consists of moving panels and mysterious creatures – those who enter the maze usually don’t come back. Everything begins to change when a girl comes to the Glade who appears to know Thomas. Thomas must work out a way to survive and escape the Glade in this science fiction trilogy. The Maze Runner stars Dylan O’Brien, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and is set to release in the UK 10 October 2014.
In the Heart of the Sea
In the Heart of the Sea may be the best sea tale since Titanic capturing the story of the wreck of whaleship Essex. This is the very ship that inspired the climactic ending to Moby-Dick. In 1820, the Essex set sail from Nantucket on a 15-month voyage. In the South Pacific, the ship was rammed repeatedly and sun by an eighty-ton whale. The story follows the survivors in a vast ocean make for islands and escape potential cannibals. Chris Hemsworth ditches his hammer and cape to play the role of lead Owen Chase in the adaptation Heart of the Sea expected to be released 13 March 2015.