#OnTheBigScreen: Billionaire boys and The Predator returns

Billionaire Boys Club

Based on the unbelievable, but, true story, this is a crime story of ambitious outsiders who became the rock stars of the LA social scene – a world dripping with money, sex, and celebrity – and whose lavish lifestyle and impressive returns obscure a snowballing fraud and grew into a Ponzi scheme that turned homicidal in the summer of 1984.

Like a cross between Less Than Zero and The Wolf of Wall Street, Billionaire Boys Club traces the wild ride of financial whiz kid Joe Hunt (Ansel Elgort) and tennis professional Dean Karny (Taron Egerton) whose investment pool propels them into the upper echelons of LA in the early ’80s. Joe has a gift for numbers and Dean’s got the connections to LA’s powerful and privileged trust fund babies. With their charisma and unbridled ambition, the two convince a clique of ex-classmates from the Harvard School for Boys to invest in the Billionaire Boys Club (BBC). Their lavish lifestyle and impressive returns obscure a snowballing fraud, as it attracts investors like Ron Levin (Kevin Spacey), a Beverly Hills high-roller.

But when Ron’s seven-figure stake in the BBC turns out to be a total scam, Joe’s efforts to close a billion-dollar energy deal are shattered. Success at all cost drives Joe to extortion and things turn horrifically violent. As Dean’s loyalty wavers and the body count rises, Joe must make a moral choice between freedom and his own redemption. When the law finally catches up with Joe and Dean, their hollow empire collapses under the weight of their own greed.

The film was directed by James Cox and co-written by Cox and Captain Mauzner.

The Predator

Thirty years after the first Predator movie was released in 1987, the hunt comes home in Shane Black’s explosive reinvention of the Predator series.

In The Predator, the universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter, and deadlier than ever before. And only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biology professor can prevent the end of the human race.

Shane Black directs an extraordinary cast from the script he penned with Fred Dekker. It is the fourth instalment in the Predator film series following Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990) and Predators (2010).

Sgt Stubby: An All American Hero

Based on the incredible real-life story of America’s most decorated dog – a stray rescued from the streets of New Haven, Conn., by a young doughboy on the eve of America’s entry into World War I – a stubby-tailed pup soon finds himself in the trenches of France, embarking on a historic adventure by his beloved soldier’s side. A genuine, four-legged American hero and the first canine promoted to the rank of sergeant in US Army history, Sgt Stubby shows the world the true meaning of dedication, loyalty, and bravery in this thrilling “tail” of adventure for the entire family.

It marks the animation-feature directing debut of historical filmmaker Richard Lanni, from a screenplay by Mike Stokey.

Submergence

A multi-layered story that embraces some of life‘s most profound concerns, Submergence is a cerebral love story that takes us into the extremely different worlds of two protagonists.

Danielle Flinders (Alicia Vikander) and James More (James McAvoy) meet by chance in a remote hotel in Normandy where they both prepare for a dangerous mission.

They fall in love almost against their will, but soon recognise in each other the love of their lives. When they have to separate, we find out that James works for the British Secret Service. He’s involved in a mission in Somalia to track down a source for suicide bombers infiltrating Europe. Danielle ‘Danny’ Flinders is a bio-mathematician working on a deep sea diving project to support her theory about the origin of life on our planet. Soon, they are worlds apart. James is taken hostage by Jihadist fighters and has no way of contacting Danny, and she has to go down to the bottom of the ocean in her submersible, not even knowing if James is still alive.

Wim Wenders directs from a screenplay by Erin Dignam based on the novel by JM Ledgard.

Read more about the latest film releases: www.writingstudio.co.za.