David M. Thompson Movies

Nelson Mandela's life story is told with this Justin Chadwick-directed adaptation of the once-imprisoned South African leader's autobiography. William Nicholson provides the script, with Idris Alba and Naomie Harris heading up the cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Casino Royale's Martin Campbell returns to familiar territory with this adaptation of his own 1985 BBC miniseries -- a mystery starring Mel Gibson as a detective looking into his political-activist daughter's death and uncovering layers of governmental conspiracies in the process. William Monahan (The Departed) provides the screenplay for the GK Films production, co-starring Ray Winstone and Danny Huston. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

A man with a troubled past becomes the prime suspect in a small-town murder case. Adapted from the novel by Patricia Highsmith, The Cry of the Owl tells the tale of Robert Forrester (Paddy Considine), a man who flees from the city and his marriage in search of solitude. Eventually, Robert winds up in a quaint community and becomes drawn to Jenny (Julia Stiles), a pretty local whose simple existence holds a unique appeal to the former big-city dweller. When Jenny notices Robert peering in through her kitchen window, she senses that he doesn't mean her harm and strikes up a conversation. Suspicious of the mysterious newcomer's motivations and jealous of the attention his girlfriend is getting, Jenny's boyfriend Greg (James Gilbert) launches an obsessive campaign to humiliate and destroy Robert. After a heated confrontation Greg goes missing, and the authorities begin looking to Robert for answers. Now the higher the stakes get, the more Robert begins to suspect that he's being set up to take a big fall. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Actor Paul Bettany and his real-life wife, Jennifer Connelly, star as controversial English scientist Charles Darwin and his wife, Emily, in this biopic adapted from Randal Keynes' book Annie's Box, which tells the story of Darwin's struggle to reconcile his religious views following the death of his beloved daughter, Annie. John Collee adapts Keynes' revelatory tome (Keynes is Darwin's great-great grandson) for director Jon Amiel. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Prime Suspect writer Allan Cubitt adapts U.K. sportswriter Simon Carr's autobiographical novel about a successful sports journalist who is suddenly saddled with the responsibility of raising two sons from different marriages, and whose unusual parenting philosophy "just say yes" brings them closer together than ever before. A quick witted rogue with a talent for covering sports, Joe Warr (Clive Owen) never took life seriously -- until the day his beloved wife died in the blink of an eye. But while Joe is absolutely overwhelmed with grief after losing his spirited soul mate, his six-year-old son, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty), is taking it even harder. Artie can't accept his mother's passing, and his troubling means of expressing his grief are only serving to make a bad situation worse. Suddenly, into the chaos of Joe's and Artie's lives wanders rebellious teenager named Harry (George MacKay). Harry is Joe's son from a previous marriage, and he's come from England to live with his father and stepbrother. Upon realizing that he's neither emotionally prepared nor equipped to take on the responsibility of being a single parent, Joe decides to throw the rules out the window and "just say yes" to every question his sons pose. The result is a household that's full of jubilance and energy, but constantly on the verge of calamity. Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, something incredible happens -- the bereaved father and his two sons find the courage to move past their grief, and rediscover the joy of living. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A sequel to HBO's award-winning film The Gathering Storm, Thaddeus O'Sullivan's Into the Storm stars Brendan Gleeson as the intrepid British leader whose fiery rhetoric inspired Allied forces to fight back against Hitler's Germany to with everything they've got. As the flames of war spread throughout Europe, Winston Churchill rose to the call and became a national hero, disregarding the detrimental effects his actions had on both his political career and his marriage to lifelong supporter Clemmie (Janet McTeer) in a single-minded effort to defeat one of history's greatest tyrants. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Jane Campion's literary biopic tells the true story of Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), a 23-year-old Londoner in 1818 whose independent streak manifests itself through an intense interest and love for fashion and dressmaking. Her neighbor, the struggling but gifted young poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw), underestimates her intelligence because he believes she's frivolous, and she, having no interest in literature, seems thoroughly disinterested in him. However, Fanny attempts to help the Keats family when John's brother becomes gravely ill, and in order to express his gratitude John agrees to teach her poetry -- leading Fanny and John to quickly fall deeply and profoundly in love with each other. Although they wish to wed, his lack of finances and his writing partner (Paul Schneider) -- who believes she is nothing more than an unwelcome distraction -- keep the two from marrying. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Adapted from author Philippa Gregory's historical novel of the same name, director Justin Chadwick's atmospheric period drama follows the fierce competition between sisters Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to win the affections of Tudor king Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Anne and Mary Boleyn are under pressure from their father and uncle to help maintain the family's rich legacy and ensure their further prosperity by winning the affections of none other than the king of England (Eric Bana). But life in the royal court is far different than it was in the countryside where these two sisters were raised, and before long their bid to earn the love of the king has transformed two once-happy sisters into bitter rivals. At first, it appears that Mary has triumphed in winning the king's favor by becoming his mistress and bearing him an illegitimate child. Despite her early success, however, Mary has underestimated just how clever and cunning her sibling can truly be. Not only does the relentless Anne manage to edge aside her sister in the eyes of King Henry, but she also succeeds in averting his gaze from his wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, as well. Mary is driven by genuine affection for King Henry, while her sister Anne has only kept up the charade in a desperate bid to become the queen of England. Now, the growing chasm between two sisters is mirrored on a larger scale as England becomes divided more than ever before. As the consequences of their actions threaten to alter the course of an entire nation, these two sisters will ultimately discover that the only place they will find true strength and loyalty is in family, and that no matter what the consequences they will forever be bound by blood. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The run-up to war makes for curious rivalries and uneasy alliances in this political satire from director and co-screenwriter Armando Iannucci. Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) is a minor minister of international development with the British government who, in the midst of a radio interview, casually tells a reporter "war is unforeseeable." However, the prime minister is being pressured to commit British troops to support American forces in the Middle East, and communications director Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) goes into a tirade when the press turns Foster's passing comment into a major news story. Foster becomes an unwitting media figure, and he and his personal communications director, Judy (Gina McKee), are joined by political damage control expert Toby (Chris Addison) as they're sent to Washington, D.C., to meet with American political and military leaders. Despite Judy's and Toby's help, Foster displays a stubborn inability to say what he's supposed to, and he finds himself caught in the middle between pro-war factions -- including diplomat Karen Clarke (Mimi Kennedy) and State Department official Linton Barwick (David Rasche) -- and those who oppose the conflict, including Pentagon attaché General Miller (James Gandolfini) and activist Liza (Anna Chlumsky). As if matters weren't already complicated enough, Liza used to date Toby when they were college students, and Gen. Miller was once involved with Clarke, adding bitter romantic history to an already rocky playing field. In the Loop received its North American premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Evelyn Waugh's classic novel of love and the British class system has been given a polished screen adaptation in this film version from director Julian Jarrold. The tale opens during WWII, when Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), an English military officer, is stationed at a country estate that has been converted into a military base. Jarrold uses this time-frame and setting as a framing device, and then flashes back in time to Charles' days as a scholar in the 1920s. It becomes clear that he was raised in a middle-class household; though he was fortunate enough to have been accepted into Oxford, he doesn't belong to the British upper crust. At Oxford, Charles strikes up a friendship with twentysomething Lord Sebastian (Ben Whishaw). Charles is captivated by the splendor of Sebastian's life at his family's Brideshead Castle, and he finds himself drawn into a web of decadent comfort. For Sebastian, though, the familial estate represents a prison from which he longs to escape, and in desperation, he hits the bottle. Charles develops an infatuation with Sebastian's sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell), but also senses that his bond with Sebastian may be something far deeper than simple friendship. Also present at Brideshead is Sebastian and Julia's mother, Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson), an ice water-veined woman still reeling from her abandonment some time prior at the hands of her husband. Though bitter, the matriarch perceives Charles as an emotional anchor for the increasingly unstable Sebastian, and therefore suggests that Charles join Sebastian and Julia on a trip to see their father (Michael Gambon) and his mistress (Greta Scacchi) in Venice. Unfortunately, the romantic bond between Charles and Julia deepens, which threatens to destroy Sebastian. This feature constitutes the second major version of Brideshead Revisited to reach viewers; an earlier, 11-hour miniseries adaptation ran on television in 1981. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Weinstein Company and BBC Films team up to offer this inspiring exploration of one family's resilience and fortitude with this nature documentary shot using innovative and groundbreaking filming techniques. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Vincent Cassel star in this David Cronenberg's thriller concerning a London midwife who unwittingly stumbles into a clandestine Russian sex trafficking ring. An unidentified Russian teen has been rushed to a London hospital after going into labor. Though midwife Anna Khitrova (Watts) does manage to deliver a healthy baby girl, the newborn's mother dies tragically during delivery. But the deceased mother's secrets did not die with her, because she has left behind a diary. Determined to ensure the newborn is placed with her rightful family, Anna attempts to read the diary and discovers a business card for a local restaurant therein. Upon visiting the restaurant Anna is greeted by kindly owner Semyon (Mueller-Stahl), who generously offers to translate it for her. But Semyon is not what he appears to be, and before long Anna begins to fear that the child could be in great danger. Semyon admits to Anna that the diary contains information about his son Kirill (Cassell) that could land the volatile offspring in jail despite the fact that Kirill is at heart a good person. As the truth begins to unfold and Anna begins to believe that Kirill and his driver Nikolai (Mortensen) - an ambitious driver seeking to ascent the ranks of the notorious Russian mafia - mean the baby harm, an underworld storm begins to brew that could consume all involved. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi