Film adaptations are gradually but assuredly seizing the cinema industry, and an increasing number of literary originals are becoming the foundation for movies and series that provide delightful evening entertainment, particularly during the impending rainy autumn days. What should one watch?
Emma (2020)
A film adaptation of the eponymous novel by Jane Austen, starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the leading role. Set in 19th-century England, the story unfolds around a 21-year-old provincial young woman – beautiful, wealthy, witty, and convinced of her flawless understanding of human nature. She has no intention of marrying, but takes great pleasure in orchestrating the love lives of her friends.
The Outsider (2020)
A ten-part HBO project based on Stephen King’s bestseller. A coach is accused of murdering a boy from his team (his fingerprints are found), but he was ninety kilometers away from the crime scene at the time of the murder. Suitable for viewers with strong nerves, fans of mystical detective stories, and horror enthusiasts.
The Queen’s Gambit (2020)
A series about an orphan with a talent for playing chess and an inclination for illicit substances, with Anya Taylor-Joy in the starring role. And yes, if you were unaware, the project is based on a novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, published in 1983, as said by zoomboola.com.
The Undoing (2020)
A detective drama starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant as a married couple, whose perfect relationship alters following the sudden death of their neighbor and the husband’s mysterious disappearance. It is based on the novel “You Should Have Known” (2014) by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
Behind Her Eyes (2021)
A British psychological thriller inspired by the eponymous novel by Sarah Pinborough, comprised of just six episodes. It tells the story of a lonely mother who embarks on a romance with a stranger in a bar, who later turns out to be her new boss — and also married. Yet, this does not become a reason to end their relationship, and she soon becomes acquainted with her lover’s wife, simultaneously uncovering the dreadful secrets of their marriage. The finale will surely astound you!
Nightmare Alley (2021)
A thriller by Guillermo del Toro, also known as the adaptation of the eponymous novel by William Lindsay Gresham, devoid of any monster save for the human being itself. Set in 1939, Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), having left his old life behind, joins a traveling carnival, where he begins to master various ways to entertain and deceive the audience. His signature trick becomes “mind reading.”
Dune (2021)
A science fiction drama directed by Denis Villeneuve, featuring an impressive cast (Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and many others), and based on the iconic novel by Frank Herbert. Humanity has spread across distant planets, and powerful families continually battle for control over inhabited space. This time, at the center of the conflict is the planet Arrakis; conquering it can bestow control over the entire universe.
Shantaram (2022)
An adaptation of the legendary novel by Gregory David Roberts, inspired by the author’s own life, and starring Charlie Hunnam in the lead role (worth watching for him alone). Set in the 1980s, the series, like the literary original, follows the drug-addicted Lin as he escapes from an Australian prison, reaches India, becomes a counterfeiter and smuggler, appears in Bollywood, and finds love.
Pinocchio (2022)
Guillermo del Toro’s interpretation of Carlo Collodi’s fairy tale “The Adventures of Pinocchio,” for which he received an Oscar. It recounts the story of a wooden puppet that becomes a real boy.
Slow Horses (2022)
A spy dramedy from Apple TV+, based on the eponymous novel about a group of British MI6 agents who have committed serious mistakes in service and are consequently “exiled” to a less prestigious department. Gary Oldman stars in the lead role.
Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
A romantic fantasy by “Mad Max” director George Miller, starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, and based on the novel “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye” by Antonia Byatt. It tells the tale of a British linguist who travels from London to Istanbul to give a series of lectures on narrative. Upon her arrival at the airport, she begins to see mysterious creatures, and when she purchases a glass bottle from one of the many souvenir shops and attempts to clean it, a real djinn appears. However, rather than hastily making three wishes, she is more interested in hearing his story.
Death on the Nile (2022)
Agatha Christie’s classic comes to the big screen. This time, the necessity to investigate a mysterious murder, taking him away from his own relaxation, befalls Hercule Poirot aboard a cruise ship sailing the Nile.
The Pale Blue Eye (2022)
Set in 1830, retired constable Augustus Landor (Christian Bale) is hired to investigate the death of a military academy cadet. The young man is found hanged, and his heart has been carved out when his body was brought to the infirmary. After inspecting the body and the hanging scene, the main character concludes that the victim died a violent death. He is then joined by cadet Edgar Allan Poe – a young man of sharp intellect and exceptional observation skills. This mystical thriller is based on the novel of the same name by Louis Bayard (2003).
Oppenheimer (2023)
One of the most anticipated films of the year, perhaps only surpassed by “Barbie.” Christopher Nolan’s biographical drama about American physicist Robert Oppenheimer, who led the initial development of nuclear weapons. As usual with the director, the film boasts an all-star cast, including Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Kenneth Branagh, Matt Damon, Gary Oldman, and others.
The Last Thing He Told Me (2023)
Jennifer Garner and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star as a perfect married couple whose idyllic family life is suddenly disrupted by the husband’s disappearance and a mysterious note that says, “Protect her.” As the main character tries to figure out where her husband has gone, everyone around her insists that he was not who he claimed to be. The literary original is a novel by Laura Dave, published just two years ago.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
A dramatic Western by Martin Scorsese, featuring the duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, and based on the non-fiction book “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” by David Grann. The events unfold in the 1920s around the Osage Indian tribe living in Oklahoma, USA. Native residents are murdered one after another after one of them becomes wealthy by discovering oil. The mass killings attract the attention of the FBI, which begins an investigation.
