Book vs. Movie: The Thin Man

 The Movie: Starring Myrna Loy and William Powell (1934)

I'm starting with the movie because, like so many of these pairings, that's what I fell in love with first.  How much do I love this movie (and all of its sequels)?  I own the box set.  I've watched it more times than I can count.  I love it so much that when rumors started circulating that there was going to be a remake with Johnny Depp I was filled with a righteous indignation that anyone would dare tamper with my beloved Nick and Nora.

Book vs. Movie Review: Howl's Moving Castle

The Book: 1986

This children's book by Diana Wynne Jones was published in the 1980s when I would have been part of its target audience, but I didn't discover it until the 2000s.  Nonetheless it quickly became one of my all time favorites.  I don't think there is an age limit for appreciating Howl's Moving Castle - it's one of those books that I turn to when I want something comforting, satisfying, and entertaining, and I always enjoy it no matter how many times I've read it before. 
Sophie, our heroine, is a timid and rather bored young woman who bemoans her fate as an eldest sister, because in a land where fairy-tales are everyday realities, everyone knows that only younger sisters lead lives of adventure and romance.  But Sophie's life takes an unexpected turn when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste and finds herself magically transformed into an old woman.  Not wanting to face the shock and sympathy of her family, she runs (or rather hobbles) away, determined to seek her fortune and break the curse.  In doing so, she finds herself teeming up with the infamous Wizard Howl whose magical moving castle has been terrifying the inhabitants of her village.

Book vs. Movie Review: The Hunger Games

The Book: 2008

I jumped on the Hunger Games Bandwagon shortly after the final book was published.  At first I was resistant to the hype because I've been burned before (I'm looking at you, Twilight) but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I love science fiction, and this book is science fiction that manages to be highly accessible -  no spaceships or aliens, simply a fascinating dark vision of a future American society, adventure, action, and characters that immediately draw you in.

This story reminded me of other literature that I have loved and that's definitely not a bad thing.  There's a little bit of Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery, and definitely some Lord of the Flies.  There are many parallels with Battle Royale of course, and all with a modern twist that seems the logical development of our culture's obsession with reality TV. 

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale also comes to mind.  It tells the story of a woman forced into a subservient and degrading life in a future America which, like the Hunger Games' Panem, is the result of a mysterious but violent social upheaval.  In this case, the social order is built on religious oppression, whereas in the Hunger Games, society has become a rigidly stratified class system with a dramatically unequal distribution of wealth.  Atwood's heroine can remember a life before the current regime, and there are hints as to the existence of an outside world.  In the Hunger Games, Panem has been in existence for generations, and our heroine, Katniss, has never known any other way of life.  However, this does not stop her from fighting the system, and her struggle makes for great reading.

I give the book 5 out of 5 Mockingjays!

The Movie: 2012

I could talk about how elements of the story are always lost in translation and the difficulty in communicating a character's inner turmoil etc, but I'll just skip it and admit that this is not how I pictured any of the main characters.  I remember agonizing over casting announcements during pre-production, analyzing photo releases, trying to picture how the different actors would would embody their roles based on their performances in past movies.  In short, I went a little overboard with worry.  But the final product far exceeded my expectations, both as a book adaptation and as a sci-fi adventure film.  I absolutely loved it.

The Pros:
1) The movie takes its time telling the story.  It does not rush through to the violent payoff of the games or give that part of the story more screen time than the less action-packed but no less entertaining character development and political maneuvering that leads up to it.

2) The actors!  They all give excellent performances.  Whenever I reread the book (which I undoubtedly will), I will be picturing these people and hearing their voices.

3) The movie is beautiful.  The cinematography, special effects, makeup and costumes are fantastic.  The contrast between the muted, washed out colors of poverty stricken district 12, the intense greens of the forest just outside the electrified fence surrounding the district, and the elaborate garishness of the Capitol and its residents all serve to convey the rigidly enforced class distinctions in Panem, as well as the harsh limitations faced by those who are not lucky enough to be among the upper class.

These two are probably not next-door neighbors

In the Capitol, beard wears YOU

The Cons:

1) The movie really does take its time.  At 2 hrs 22 min, it is not exactly breaking any records for length, but if your personal limit for sitting in a theater seat is around 90 min, this movie will test your fortitude.

2) The actors!  They are so attractive and well groomed.  Certainly none of the main 3 look as if they are barely scraping by (hush now, fangirls - I know Peeta's family is supposed to be comparatively well off) and even Haymitch, the bitter, drunken, slovenly former champion is just a a quick hair-brushing away from being totally presentable. 

From the District 12 Fall Catalog

"And that's when I swore off conditioner forever"

3) The franchising.  It really doesn't have anything to do the movie itself, but I'm just not sure how I feel about this... Ok, maybe jealous that I didn't think of it first?

This is an actual thing

I give the movie 6 out of 5 Mockingjays!! (Hey, it's my review, I can do what I want!)

 

Book vs Movie Review: The Big Sleep

The Book: 1939

I think it took me this long to get around to reading this book because I have never been a mystery fan.  However, after finishing I immediately embarked on a quest to read every single one of Chandler's books, and when I finished that I started on Dashiell Hammett because I suddenly could not get enough of those hard-boiled detectives.

The Big Sleep introduces Philip Marlowe, Chandler's iconic detective. The Thrilling Detective sums him up pretty well:  "Philip Marlowe, for better or worse, is the archetypical private eye....He runs a single man operation out of the Cahuenga Building in Los Angeles... he likes liquor, women, reading, chess and working alone... He used to work for the district attorney, but was fired for insubordination, thus starting a cliche that still hasn't run out of steam." 

This book has everything you could want from a detective story: double-crossing, family secrets, cover-ups, gangsters, blackmail, femmes fatales, vice, a wise-cracking hero, and a twisting and turning plot. It is, however, definitely not politically correct. The intolerance of the time manifests itself in a certain dismissive attitude towards social minorities. If you can get past that, Marlowe is, in his own gruff way, actually quite the gentleman, especially when compared to Dashiell Hammett's cold and sometimes morally ambiguous "Continental Op" (you should read those books too!).

I give the book 4 out of 5 Dangerous Dames! 

 

 The Movie: 1946

I fell in love with the movie long before I ever opened the book, but reading the novel added to my appreciation of the movie.  For one, the movie is a good deal more tame than the book.  Movie censorship at the time meant that the dialogue had to skirt around some of the grittier aspects of the story.  And of course, the romance between Bogart's and Bacall's characters took center stage as the studio attempted to cash in on the popularity of their first film together, "To Have and Have Not".  However much this deviates from the book, I'm not complaining.  Their chemistry is really something to watch.  When they met in 1944 she was 19, he was 44 and married.  Bogart divorced his wife in 1945 and he and Bacall were married the same month.  Just look at them!

Since the plot is complicated, having read the novel actually helped me get a better grip on what was going on.  Even if the intricacies of the story don't quite sink in on the first viewing, the movie bears endless re-watching (at least I think so).  Then again, who needs plot when you have so many gorgeous people?  Just look at all these smoldering gazes...

I give the movie 4 out of 5 Dangerous Dames!

I just can't decide which one I like better!
Which one would you choose?

Check them both out at the library 

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

March 2nd is Dr. Seuss' 108th birthday!

It's no coincidence that this day was chosen for the premiere of the movie adaptation of his beloved book, The Lorax.  And it's no wonder that The Lorax is the showcase book for this year's Read Across America Day.

Check out these heartwarming and inspiring quotes from the man himself at Thinkexist.

Flavorwire has an entertaining article highlighting iconic Seuss characters and ranking them from best to worst. 

And did you know there is a Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Springfield, Massachusetts?  Well now you do and you can plan your next family vacation accordingly!

Pre-Oscars Round-up

Beloved author Judy Blume gives her Oscar picks!

Flavorwire highlights some great films by women that are not getting the Oscar attention they deserve.

NPR's Tessa Harris discusses 3 books that haven't been adapted into films but totally should be.
 
And speaking of things that aren't happening, why isn't Downton Abbey up for an Oscar?   I know they've got Baftas, Emmies and a Golden Globe, I still think someone needs to hand them an Oscar.  What's that?  Soap Operas can't get Oscars?  Nope, I'm not listening!

Movies I Didn’t Know Were Based on Books

Big budget book adaptations like the Harry Potter and Twilight movies have been dominating the box-office this year and Martin Scorsese’s 3D adventure “Hugo” (based on Brian Selznick's novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”) has just hit theaters.

I’ve enjoyed seeing many great books translated to film (and I’ve been disappointed just as often), and I like to think of myself as pretty well-read, but it turns out there are a lot of movies out there that I had no idea were based on books.

Here are some examples of ones that really surprised me. See if you are better versed in literary cinema than I was…

Meet the Robinsons
Movie produced by Disney (2007), based on the book “A Day with Wilbur Robinson” by William Joyce
I haven’t seen this one, is it cute? It looks cute. The book is adorable.

Howl’s Moving Castle
Movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki (2006), based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones
I’m a Miyazaki fan so of course I liked the movie, but the book is now one of my all time favorites (Yes, I read teen books. No, I’m not a teen anymore).

L.A. Confidential
Movie starring Russell Crowe (1997), based on the book by James Ellroy
I really should have guessed this, right? Well, it’s going on my to-read list.

Fletch
Movie starring Chevy Chase (1985), based on the book by Gregory McDonald
Actually there is a whole series of books. The question is can you read the books now without hearing Chevy Chase’s voice in your head?

First Blood
Movie starring Sylvester Stallone (1982), based on the book by David Morrell
Seriously? Seriously!

Are there movies that have surprised you when you found out they came from a book? Are there book to movie adaptations that you love or hate?

More…

Cinema & Literature blog

Word and Film

Based on the Book

Books that are Upcoming Movies in 2012