#OnTheBigScreen: Dante's Inferno and fallen angels

A United Kingdom

The greatest love story never told. In 1947, Seretse Khama, the 26-year-old King of Botswana, fell in love with Ruth Williams, a 24-year-old London office worker. Their marriage was opposed not only by their respective families, but also by the British and South African governments. But Seretse and Ruth defied family, apartheid and the British Empire – their love triumphed over every obstacle flung in their way and in so doing they transformed their Nation and inspired the world. Directed by Amma Asante, screenplay by Guy Hibbert. With Rosamund Pike, Tom Felton, Laura Carmichael, David Oyelowo, Jack Davenport, Terry Pheto, Vusi Kunene, Charlotte Hope, Jessica Oyelowo, Jack Lowden, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Arnold Oceng and Merveille Lukeba.

Fallen

Based on the worldwide bestselling book series, Fallen is seen through the eyes of Lucinda “Luce” Price (Addison Timlin), a strong willed seventeen-year-old living a seemingly ordinary life until she is accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Sent off to the imposing Sword & Cross reform school, Luce finds herself being courted by two young men to whom she feels oddly connected. Isolated and haunted by strange visions, Luce begins to unravel the secrets of her past and discovers the two men are fallen angels, competing for her love for centuries. Luce must choose where her feelings lie, pitting Heaven against Hell in an epic battle over true love. This romantic fantasy film was directed by Scott Hicks.

Inferno

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces: Dante’s Inferno. When he wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks, a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Directed by Ron Howard and written by David Koepp, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Dan Brown. The film is the sequel to The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, and is the third installment in the Robert Langdon film series.

Equity

A movie about women on Wall Street. Naomi Bishop is an investment banker determined to overcome a previous stain to her professional reputation, which is a challenge in the male dominated financial sector she works in. As Naomi in that spirit makes her move managing a burgeoning new tech IPO, she has to endure not only the condescension of her colleagues, but also her imperious client, even as troubling new developments cloud the venture’s future. Against that, the probing of a college friend turned Federal investment law prosecutor and the conniving of her double-dealing boyfriend seem to be manageable complications, until a betrayal by a trusted colleague threatens to ruin everything. Directed by Meera Menon, written by Amy Fox and starring Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas and Alysia Reiner.

Robinson Crusoe

Times are good for Mak the parrot, Scrubby the goat, Carmello the chameleon and the rest of the wildlife that inhabit a tropical island. Their day-to-day routine gets shaken up when a mysterious creature washes up on shore. He’s a sailor named Robinson Crusoe, and he’s the only human survivor of a terrible storm that destroyed his ship. As the animals get to know their peculiar new guest, they find him to be a useful ally when two conniving cats try to seize control of their exotic paradise. This Belgian-French 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film is directed by Vincent Kesteloot and Ben Stassen and written by Lee Christopher, Domonic Paris and Graham Weldon. The animated film is loosely based on Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, but from the point of view of the island’s animals.

The Edge of Seventeen

Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) and Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) are inseparable best friends attempting to navigate high school together… until Nadine’s older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) and Krista begin dating. With her view of the world rocked, Nadine is forced to see the people in her life – including her well-meaning but distracted mother (Kyra Sedgwick), and unlikely mentor and History teacher Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson) – with fresh eyes and new appreciation that people – and life – are more complicated than she thought. From five-time Oscar nominated and three-time Oscar winning producer James L. Brooks and writer/first-time director Kelly Fremon Craig, this is a coming-of-age comedy with a refreshingly authentic voice.

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