Decide what you want to hold on to in Needle in a Timestack, the latest from writer/director John Ridley.
Things get a bit more slippery in the future thanks to the presence of time travel, which some people use to “correct” their lives. One of those people is an ex of the now happily married Janine, but instead of simply muscling her current husband, Nick, out of the way, he proposes a tantalizing choice. Nick has his own what-ifs, and with one dangled in front of him, will he give up everything he’s built with Janine for a second chance at another path?
It’s a heady premise from Ridley, who adapts from a book by Robert Silverberg. Adaptations are something Ridley’s pretty accomplished at (he won an Oscar for the script of 12 Years a Slave), but his record in the director’s chair is a bit more spotty. His two previous narrative features, Cold Around the Heart and Jimi: All By My Side, didn’t prove memorable, but he was impressed when he switched to documentaries with Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992. Hopefully, he’ll carry that success back to this narrative feature.
His reputation and this premise were enough to attract an impressive cast, with the central couple being played by Leslie Odom Jr. and Cynthia Erivo. Poking at them from across time will be Orlando Bloom and Freida Pinto.
The complicated plot leaves lots of room to trip up, but if Ridley and his team pull this off, it could be a stimulating piece of science fiction.
Needle in a Timestack is directed by John Ridley and stars Leslie Odom Jr., Cynthia Erivo, Orlando Bloom, and Freida Pinto. It will be released in the US in theaters and on-demand October 15th, 2021. Further release dates are not currently known.
Will you check this one out? Let us know in the comments!
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