On this day in movie history - Hell or High Water (2016):

Hell or High Water

directed by David Mackenzie,

written by Taylor Sheridan,

was released in the United States on August 12, 2016.
Music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Cast:

Ben Foster, Chris Pine, William Sterchi, Buck Taylor, Kristin K. Berg, Jeff Bridges, Dale Dickey, Gil Birmingham, Keith Meriweather, Jackamoe Buzzell, Katy Mixon, Amber Midthunder, Joe Berryman, Taylor Sheridan, Howard Ferguson Jr., Debrianna Mansini, Paul Howard Smith, Nathaniel Augustson, Ariel Holmes, Marie A.K. McMaster, Jim Burleson, Gregory Cruz, Melanie Papalia, Kim Gleason, Alma Sisneros, Kevin Rankin, Margaret Bowman, Ivan Brutsche, Marin Ireland, John-Paul Howard, Kevin Wiggins, Dylan Kenin, Nicole Brady, Richard Christie, Heidi Sulzman, Christopher W. Garcia, Rick Anglada, Brian Barela, Richard Beal, Brian Bolman, Mary Bowman, Marika Day, Lyle DeRose, Melissa-Lou Ellis, Michael Fletcher, Crystal Gonzales, Karen M. Hudson, Darlene Kellum, James E. Lane, Ricky Lee, Jameson Macmillan, Lora Martinez-Cunningham, Gustavo Montes, Martin Palmer, Terry Dale Parks, Francisco Peramos, Daniel Pimentel, Jack T. Silliman, J. Nathan Simmons, Michael E. Stogner, Aaron Templeton, Art Westgate, Kathie Westgate, Danny Winn, Julian Wondolowski.

On this day in movie history - Anthropoid (2016):

Anthropoid

directed by Sean Ellis,

written by Sean Ellis and Anthony Frewin,

was released in the United States on August 12, 2016.
Music by Robin Foster.

Cast:

Jamie Dornan, Cillian Murphy, Brian Caspe, Karel Hermánek Jr., Sára Arnsteinová, Hana Frejková, Sean Mahon, Jan Hájek, Marcin Dorocinski, Toby Jones, Alena Mihulová, Bill Milner, Charlotte Le Bon, Pavel Reznícek, Anna Geislerová, Vaclav Marek and his Blue Star, Justin Svoboda, Harry Lloyd, Václav Neuzil, Jirí Simek, Detlef Bothe.

Recommended reading - The Bee Book (2016):

The Bee Book

The Wonder of Bees. How to Protect Them. Beekeeping know-how.

Authors: Fergus Chadwick, Steve Alton, Emma Sarah Tennant, Bill Fitzmaurice, Judy Earl.

Published by DK.
Published 2016.

Hardcover.

First Edition.

ISBN-13: 9781465443830

Back cover description:

Bees are vital to the future of the planet, yet they are under threat and in decline.
The Bee Book offers remarkable insights into their world and shows how we can support and enjoy them in our daily lives.
What makes bees such perfect pollinators?
How can we adapt our outdoor spaces to feed and attract the widest variety of bees?
How is honey harvested?
Find answers to these questions and so much more in this beautiful celebration of bees.

On this day in music history:

Beyond Dreams: Pathways To Deep Relaxation by Hennie Bekker (2016)
Moonwheel by City of Dawn & Sherry Finzer (2022)

Beyond Dreams: Pathways To Deep Relaxation
Album by Hennie Bekker,
released July 22, 2016.
Track list: Self Connect; Floating to Forever; Letting Go; The Calm; Quiescence; Beyond Dreams.

Moonwheel
Album by City of Dawn & Sherry Finzer,
released July 22, 2022.
Track list: Drift; Amity; Solis Occasum; Moonwheel.

On this day in movie history - Star Trek: Beyond (2016):

Star Trek: Beyond

directed by Justin Lin,

written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung,

was released in the United States on July 22, 2016.
Music by Michael Giacchino.

Cast:

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella, Joe Taslim, Lydia Wilson, Sara Maria Forsberg, Deep Roy, Melissa Roxburgh, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Greg Grunberg, Danny Pudi, Kim Kold, Anita Brown, Dan Payne, Shea Whigham, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, Jeff Bezos.

Recommended reading - Mastering Black & White Photography, by John Walmsley (2016):

Mastering Black & White Photography

By John Walmsley.

Published by Ammonite Press.

Published 2016.

ISBN-10: 1781450870

ISBN-13: 9781781450871

Description:

Mastering Black & White Photography is the definitive work on how to shoot black & white images on today's sophisticated digital SLR and compact digital cameras and smart phones.

Jargon-busting text, illustrated with the author's own stunning images, explains the theory behind digital photography, along with a guide to the equipment and software needed to take outstanding images. The book explains the basics of exposure and good composition, file types, manipulating captured images using popular software, and applying special effects (such as split toning, simulating film grain, lith prints and using cyanotypes). A printing chapter discusses outputting and displaying images.

Recommended reading - In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper (2016):

In Sunlight or In Shadow:
Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper

Edited by Lawrence Block.

Published 2016.

ISBN: 9781681772455

Description:

A truly unprecedented literary achievement by author and editor Lawrence Block – a newly commissioned anthology of seventeen superbly crafted stories inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper.

"Edward Hopper is surely the greatest American narrative painter. His work bears special resonance for writers and readers, and yet his paintings never tell a story so much as they invite viewers to find for themselves the untold stories within."

So says Lawrence Block, who has invited seventeen outstanding writers to join him in an unprecedented anthology of brand-new stories: In Sunlight or In Shadow. The results are remarkable and range across all genres, wedding literary excellence to storytelling savvy.

Contributors include Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Olen Butler, Michael Connelly, Megan Abbott, Craig Ferguson, Nicholas Christopher, Jill D. Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Justin Scott, Kris Nelscott, Warren Moore, Jonathan Santlofer, Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, and Lawrence Block himself. Even Gail Levin, Hopper’s biographer and compiler of his catalogue raisonée, appears with her own first work of fiction, providing a true account of art theft on a grand scale and told in the voice of the country preacher who perpetrated the crime.

In a beautifully produced anthology as befits such a collection of acclaimed authors, each story is illustrated with a quality full-color reproduction of the painting that inspired it.

On this day in music history:

Delirium by Lacuna Coil (2016)

Delirium

Album by Lacuna Coil,

Released May 27, 2016.

Track list: The House of Shame; Broken Things; Delirium; Blood, Tears, Dust; Downfall; Take Me Home; You Love Me 'Cause I Hate You; Ghost in the Mist; My Demons; Claustrophobia; Ultima Ratio; Live to Tell; Breakdown; Bleed the Pain.

On this day in movie history - The Trust (2016):

The Trust

directed by Alex Brewer and Benjamin Brewer,

written by Adam Hirsch and Benjamin Brewer,

was released in the United States on May 13, 2016.

Music by Reza Safinia.

Cast:

Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira, Eric Heister, Alexandria Lee, Ethan Suplee, Kenna James, Steven Williams, Carl Windom Carlito, Jerry Lewis, Lisa Mack, Marc D. Donovan, Kevin Weisman, Erica Vanlee, Tommie Vegas, Christie Beran, Jeff Manning, Ronnie Thurmand Jr., Jeff Howard, Keston John, Reagan Pfifer, Ashley Campbell, Joe Palubinsky, Jay Hieron, Vanessa Campbell, Paul Vato, Xin Yi Gan, Jiaming Zhang, Marcus Weiss, James D. Smith Jr., Michael Beal, Andre Body, Tom Bonello, Alex Brewer, Benjamin Brewer, Shawn Wilson, Lisa Gardner, Alexander Garganera, Keith L. Hall, David Hershwitzky, Avo Jabourian, Slim Khezri, Kimya Mallory, R.H. McClurg, Bryan Moore, Jan Paulo Musni, Allyson Newell, Elise Quintana, Abigail Rich, Mark Roman, Jonathan Ruggiero, Mark Sawtelle.

On this day in music history - Songs from a Secret Garden, by Secret Garden (2016):

Songs from a Secret Garden

Album by Secret Garden,

released April 16, 2016.

Track list:

Nocturne; Pastorale; Song From A Secret Garden; Sigma; Papillon; Serenade To Spring; Atlantia; Heartstrings; Adagio; The Rap; Chaconne; Cantoluna; Ode To Simplicity.

On this day in music history:

For Dreaming by Roxanne Potvin (2016)

Signature Synchronicity by Fiona Joy Hawkins (2016)

For Dreaming

Album by Roxanne Potvin,

released March 18, 2016.

Track list: I Thought I’d Miss You; Prairie Sunrise; Help Each Other; Little Heartbreaks; I Wouldn’t Tell You That; The March; Figuring It Out; Ni Toi Non Plus; For Dreaming; In Your Sleep.

Signature Synchronicity

Album by Fiona Joy Hawkins,

released March 18, 2016.

Track list: Ceremony; Grace; Fair Not; Once Upon Impossible; Calling Earth; Invisible Train; Grace (Chill Version); Signature; From the Mist; Little Star.

On this day in movie history - 9 Rides (2016):

9 Rides

directed and written by Matthew A. Cherry,

was released at the South by Southwest Film Festival in the United States on March 11, 2016.
Music by Donald Hayes.

Cast:

Dorian Missick, Omar J. Dorsey, Robinne Lee, Xosha Roquemore, Amin Joseph, Thomas Q. Jones, Skye P. Marshall, Aasha Davis, Tracie Thoms, Andra Fuller, Sujata Day, Nadine Ellis, Frank Califano, Dominique Columbus, Alice Ensor, Malcolm Matthews, Jake McLean, Brittany Richards, Capri Sampson, Kayla Smith, Tiffany Snow.

On this day in movie history - 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016):

10 Cloverfield Lane

directed by Dan Trachtenberg,

written by Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken and Damien Chazelle,

based on a story by Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken,

was released in the United States on March 8, 2016.
Music by Bear McCreary.

Cast:

John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr., Douglas M. Griffin, Suzanne Cryer, Bradley Cooper, Sumalee Montano, Frank Mottek, Kayla Bechor.

On this day in music history - Sulla Riva, by Amy Lauren (2016):

Sulla Riva

Album by Amy Lauren,

released February 25, 2016.

Track list:

Mahogany Cider; Black Creek Trail; Where Rivers Meet; Emmerson's Ballad; Bridges on River Road; Rain Rhythm; White Feather's Tale; Lavender Clay; Sulla Riva; Waterline; Towards the Sea; Let Waters Rage; The Autumnal Sessions.

Adulterers (2015) - free will ... and its consequences:

Adulterers

Adulterers is a cautionary tale, a powerful drama inspired by true events, and far more compelling than the contrived Fatal Attraction (1987) and Unfaithful (2002).

How you feel at the end of Adulterers may depend on your personal experience of the subject it deals with.

It’s right there in the title.

If you’ve ever been cheated on by your significant other – then this movie might sting.

If you have cheated on your significant other – then this movie should rightly sting if you have any conscience and sense of guilt about the choice you made.

Consequences for making the wrong choice is the theme unflinchingly examined in this movie, released in the United States on January 5, 2016, written, produced and directed by H.M. Coakley.

Lead actor, Sean Farris threw himself into this role of a betrayed husband.

We see the anguish of his character, his pain, regret, broken heart, broken life, and ultimately broken mind.

Sean Farris is Samuel, a store assistant, working extra hours during a sweltering New Orleans afternoon.

It’s his first wedding anniversary; a special day in any marriage.

Samuel is a proud and happy man, deeply in love with his wife, Ashley (Danielle Savre).

He regrets having to work so many hours and laments at their lack of money, but he plans on making it up to Ashley.

He swings by his home halfway through his day, carrying his wife’s favorite flowers and chocolates.

Besides their money troubles, all seems right with Samuel’s world until he catches Ashley and her lover, Damien (Mehcad Brooks), naked, having sex in the bedroom.

Devastated, Samuel shoots them both.

This is not a spoiler; it happens within the first twelve minutes.

Downstairs, he sits on the couch, and drinks whiskey straight from the bottle.

Suffering a psychological break, he rethinks the situation.

This time, in his imagination, he doesn’t pull the trigger.

What if I’d waited instead of acting on impulse?

What would I say to them?

How far would I go to punish them?

What would they say to justify their sin, or lie their way out of the situation? 

These questions are the basis for the imagined trial and torture he puts his wife and her lover through in that stifling room.

As Samuel struggles with the pain of betrayal and infidelity, the wedding ring, crucifix and Bible often the focus of the camera, he struggles with his faith.

Finally, as Samuel himself points out:

"You ain't sorry. You're just sorry that you got caught. It's time that you dealt with the consequences of your actions."

In forcing them to face the consequences of their actions, Samuel is then left to face the consequences of his own.

There are no winners in this story; everyone is destroyed.

Adultery … it’s all fun and games ... until you get caught!