Dystopian Movie News!

Yes, let's!!!

Odds are, you’ve heard that this little movie called “The Hunger Games” is coming out tomorrow. Advanced tickets have completely sold out and critics are estimating that it could make up to $150 million this weekend. I’ll be busy chaperoning for my mom’s third-grade class at the Fresno Food Fair tomorrow, but since I got my dad to read the book, we’ll be seeing it first thing Saturday morning.

Right now, I’m optimistically excited. I’m not a fan of the end of the trilogy, but I’ve been watching clips and reading interviews of the cast, and hopefully it will be worth all the hype. I’m not too thrilled with its PG-13 rating since I wanted as much authenticity to the book’s brutality, but I understand that the story’s main demographic are teenagers and an R rating would cost the producers too much money.

I’m also skeptical of massive bandwagons. I greatly enjoyed The Hunger Games, but as I’ve discussed before, my overall opinion of the series is pretty blah. Since it’s been over six months since I’ve read the series, I’m already on the hunt for the next big thing, and I’m sure I’ll be sick of all the fuss after a while, just like I am with the Twilight saga. But I’m determined to watch the film with qualified appreciation, so be sure to read my review when it comes out!

I'll be watching you watching me, Big Brother...

Another tidbit of news that was released yesterday is that Imagine Entertainment will be remaking 1984 by George Orwell! The company has teamed up with street artist Shepard Fairey, who has become famous for the Obama hope posters, so there might be some great Big Brother propaganda in the works! Of course, the internet is abuzz with talk about casting, and top favorites for Winston Smith include Gary Oldman and Michael Fassbender.

Personally, Oldman might be too old now to play Winston, but could pass for the sinister O’Brien. Fassbender has done some great work recently, and I think he could do a fantastic job in this film. I’ll have to watch the first film adaptation, actually released in 1984, which starred John Hurt and Richard Burton. But I’m super excited for a modern remake since technology today could definitely enhance the story. I read 1984 only just a few months ago, but it is already one of my favorite books of all time (Read my stellar review HERE!) Maybe this movie will get a new generation of readers to love the book as much as I do!

So will you be waiting in line at midnight tonight to root for Katniss and Peeta? Who would you cast in the new “1984″ film? Or, are you sick of all these dystopian tales? Let me know in the comments!

Upcoming Adaptation News!

Image via Wikipedia

There’s many adaptations for the stage and silver screen in the works, so I thought I’d summarize a few of them that interest me:

The first is a stage adaptation of one of my favorite movies of all time, “Shakespeare in Love.”  The New York Times reported that, “Two leading producers, Disney Theatrical Productions and the British impresario Sonia Friedman, have been holding meetings with the playwright Tom Stoppard – who shared an original screenplay Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love” with Marc Norman – and the director Jack O’Brien about the project, according to theater executives familiar with the creative discussions.” Nothing’s set in stone yet, but I’m glad that it’ll be a play, not a musical. I loved the film’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s personal life, so I’d definitely check out a stage version if I could!

Second bit of news is another movie adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Apparently Peter Cornwell (The Haunting in Connecticut) is going to direct the movie, which is set for release in 2013. ComingSoon.net shared this summary:

APOCALYPSE 2388. Earth is on the brink of extinction. Legendary explorer KURTZ has been sent on a desperate last bid mission to scout an unknown planet on the far side of the universe. A planet that may sustain human life. But communication with Kurtz mysteriously ceases and rookie flight officer MARLOW is assigned the perilous task of completing the objective. Tracking Kurtz into the unknown he reaches it. A new earth. And a race of beings at the dawn of time. But Kurtz has his own plans for the new world and man’s last hope for survival. And to achieve it he will take man to the only place that will protect paradise. Into darkness.

I’m highly disappointed that this adaptation, as well as its more famous predecessor “Apocalypse Now,” takes Conrad’s work and creates a sci-fi version. When are people going to realize that nothing beats the original story-line!

Lastly, my most anticipated movie adaptation is Studio Ghibli’s Japanese animated version of Mary Norton’s children’s book series The Borrowers, translated into English as “The Secret World of Arrietty.” This dubbed anime comes out in the U.S. February 17, and stars Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, and Carol Burnett as the English voice actors. I’ll definitely watch this in theaters, but when the DVD is released, I prefer to watch it in its original Japanese with English subtitles. I love Studio Ghibli so much!

So that’s what’s new in book-to-movie news this week. I’ll keep you updated! And feel free to send me your own adaptation updates too!

Best and Worst Literary Dads

Today’s my dad’s birthday, and in honor of him I thought I’d make a list of my most loved and hated fathers in literature. He can be compassionate or cruel, nice or nasty, but there are just some dads you can’t forget:

Give him a hug – Best book dads

Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Defender of the discriminated, Atticus was the perfect role model to kids Jem and Scout. Possibly literature’s favorite lawyer, he defended an African-American man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. He risked complete alienation from his Southern community, even suffered Bob Ewell spitting in his face, but he did so in order to stand up for what he believed was right. Definitely check out Academy Award-winning Gregory Peck in the 1962 film, one of the best adaptations of all time.

Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley (Bill and Charlie Weasley not pictured)

Arthur Weasley from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: Another dad who fights against racism, this time of the magical kind. Mr. Weasley loved all things Muggle, and was obsessed with learning how the non-wizards live. His empathy passed on to all of his seven children, even if a little late (looking at you, Percy!). When the going got tough, Arthur stepped up as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, battling Death Eaters while Harry could destroy Voldemort. But I remember the most was how warm and kind the Weasleys were, and how awesome it must have been to spend the holidays with them!

Kick him to the curb – Worst book dads

Ian McKellen as King Lear

King Lear from King Lear by William Shakespeare: Don’t let the title fool you, this king was royally messed up. The elderly Lear decides to give his kingdom to one of his three daughters–the one who flatters him the most. Goneril and Regan brown-nose excessively, but Cornelia refuses to do so and is disinherited. But when Lear lives with his other two daughters, they are still not grateful enough. After a series of betrayals, Lear goes crazy with paranoia. I won’t go into all the play’s details, but eventually tragedy befalls all three daughters, and Lear realizes his mistakes…too late, though, because he dies quickly afterward. Moral of the story: you have to earn love to receive it.

John Noble as Denethor

Denethor from The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien: Lucius Malfoy and Lord Asriel were close runners-up, but Denethor truly makes my blood boil. First off, he’s not even worthy of his throne, which actually belongs to Aragorn. Then, he treats his son Faramir like dirt, because his beloved son Boromir died on the quest to destroy the One Ring. I mean, take a look at this despicable conversation between father and son in the movie (courtesy of IMDb):

Denethor: Is there a captain here who still has the courage to do his lord’s will?
Faramir: You wish now that our places had been exchanged… that I had died and Boromir had lived.
Denethor: Yes.
[whispering]
Denethor: I wish that.
Faramir: Since you are robbed of Boromir… I will do what I can in his stead.
[Bows and turns to leave]
Faramir: If I should return, think better of me, Father.
Denethor: That will depend on the manner of your return.

But Faramir still fights for his father, trying to win his love. He gets gravelly injured, and Denethor–believing him to be dead–tries to burn himself and his son on a pyre. Luckily, Gandalf and Pippin save Faramir, while Denethor goes completely nuts, throwing himself aflame off a cliff. Well, good riddance!

Any other dads that should be on these best and worst lists? 

The Book is ALWAYS Better!

Sirius? How can I forgive you?

I’ll just let you know right now, I read The Huffington Post everyday. As an aspiring journalist, this embarrasses me, since HuffPost isn’t exactly the most credible, professional, or even copy-edited place on the web to get your news, but it updates constantly and satisfies my basic need to get the day’s headlines. That, and it has a “Books” section, which I link to frequently. So, if you’re annoyed by the reposting, too bad!

Yesterday, HuffPost released a list of “7 Worst Film Adaptations,” with videos for each entry. Here they are!

1. The Scarlet Letter (1995) with Demi Moore and Gary Oldman
2. Fever Pitch (2005) with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon
3. The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana
4. I Am Legend (2007) with Will Smith
5. Dune (1984) with Kyle MacLachlan
6. The Cat in the Hat (2003) with Mike Myers and Dakota Fanning
7. A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) with Jim Carrey

          I’ve seen #1, 3, and 7, and I completely agree! I haven’t read The Time Traveler’s Wife, but the movie was depressing, confusing, and lacking chemistry. I don’t know how accurate it was, but the ending left me with that “Well, there’s a couple hours I’ll never get back” feeling.

          The Scarlet Letter, however, was so horrible you can’t help but crack up, which is why it’s mocked all the time (most recently in last year’s modern adaptation, Easy A, with the adorable Emma Stone). Hawthorne’s novel is one of my favorites: his writing is complex but beautiful, and the story was so moving. Let’s just hope Demi Moore in a bathtub was enough to stop him from rolling over in his grave!

          Last on the list, I read all of Lemony Snicket’s books, and loved their sinister, mysterious stories. I thought the movie’s casting was fine, but their attempt to combine the first three novels was the most unfortunate event of all, and I’m just glad they were smart enough not to make more sequels.

          I always take the side of the book, but I also look forward to their movie counterparts, with the hope that the magic of the words will be just as stellar on screen. And there are some great adaptations out there: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter (except #3), Fight Club, The Godfather, The Princess Bride, among others.

          But there’s one that didn’t make the list which definitely should have: The Golden Compass (2007) with Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman. I wrote a scathing review on BridgeToTheStars.Net, which no longer exists on the site, but here were my main complaints:

1. Hollywood’s cowardice in not addressing the religious themes. In case you didn’t know, the author Philip Pullman is an atheist–GET OVER IT! In his modern re-telling of Milton’s Paradise Lost, Pullman mocked the Catholic Church and its teachings on original sin and puberty. But since the producers were scared of losing profits and Kidman is Catholic, what fans got was a watered-down version of Pullman’s exquisite fantasy tale, which I think is so much worse than no movie at all.
2. The director. Chris Weitz? Really??? The same guy who made American Pie??? For shame…
3. Everything else that was left out. All the real violence of Iorek’s fight, the inaccuracies with the characters, and–of course–the ending. I won’t spoil it, but fans know exactly what I’m talking about!

          Maybe one day, someone will correct these massive wrongs and live up to Pullman’s best work. But until then, I’m going to return to pretending this abomination never happened.

          What other movie adaptations make you cringe? Any that surpass the books? Send me your rants!!!