I’m at an all-time low when it comes to reading. It’s already September and I’ve only finished a total of four books so far. That’s a bit sad, right? It feels really sad. Let me give you a rundown though.
books to movies
About a Movie: Mockingjay Part 2
Carpet Head and I managed to go to the movies for two consecutive nights this week, thanks to the special holidays brought on by the APEC Summit. We watched Mockingjay Part 2 the first night and Spectre on the next. Woot. I was going to write about both movies, but I realized they deserve separate posts. So this one’s just about Mockingjay. Duh.
Books to Movies: Stardust
Basic info. The novel Stardust was written by renowned author Neil Gaiman and was first published in 1999. The movie came out in 2007 with an all-star cast that includes Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert de Niro, Mark Strong, and more.
What’s the story? To prove his love, Tristan, a young man from a small English village, makes a promise to Victoria, the village beauty, to retrieve a falling star. He goes beyond the wall separating the village from the forest and finds himself in an entirely different world. Not only that, the fallen star turns out to be a young woman named Yvaine and she’s also being hunted by two other parties – three witches who want her heart to make them young again and the dead king’s sons who are after the throne.
Catching up on a little ‘books to movies’ action
Or rather, this is the “Oh, hey, I’ve failed to post for the last few days, so here are my books-to-movies posts of the past” post.
Yep, I had a list and a schedule for the 31 Days, but I did not account for how much work each post will actually take and the times when I will be out of the house and away from my computer. That was the long weekend, by the way. I managed to get a post in last Saturday and started on what was supposed to be for Sunday but I ended up publishing that on Tuesday. Oye, what a crazy thing this is.
Anyway, we’re going away again this weekend – flying out tomorrow in fact and won’t be back til Monday night – so I’m going to be behind again. I had planned to base my post on books that I have already talked about in the past, but it looks like that’s not gonna happen right now, so I just want to leave you with the links to a couple of them.
- Battle Royale (Batoru Rowaiaru) by Koushun Takami – This is one of my favorite books to movies ever! I enjoyed both the book and the movie. The movie is a riot, by the way. So hardcore. ;)
- The Children of Men by PD James – Another interesting one. The movie won this round for me.
Books to Movies: Must Love Dogs
Basic info. Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook was published in 2000. A movie of the same title came out in 2005 with Diane Lane, John Cusack, Dermot Mulroney, and a bunch of other great actors.
What’s the story? It’s about a new thirty-something divorcee named Sarah and her dating adventures. Sarah’s family is very supportive and keeps encouraging her to start dating. Her two sisters sign her up on an online dating site and she meets several men, including John Cusack’s character, also a recently divorced man.
Which one did I experience first? I saw the movie first some time after it came out. I didn’t even realize it was based on a book. I read the book in December of 2012. The Kindle version was free on Amazon for a time and I decided to get it. If it wasn’t free, I don’t think I would’ve downloaded it. Hah.
Books to Movies: Angels and Demons
Basic info. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown was released in 2000. The movie came out in 2009, a couple of years after The Da Vinci Code came out. The movie brought back Tom Hanks and also starred Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, and Stellan Skarsgard.
What’s the story? Renowned cryptologist Robert Langdon is called to decipher a mysterious symbol that was branded on the chest of a physicist murdered inside a research facility. He discovers that the symbol points to an ancient underground brotherhood called the Illuminati. It seems the secret organization has surfaced to do some damage to their supposed adversary, which is the Catholic Church. To make things even worse, someone planted a bomb somewhere in the Vatican, where cardinals of the world are gathered to choose a new pope.
Which one did I experience first? I saw the movie first and later on I decided to read the book so, you know, I’ll know the real basis for the movie. By that time, The Da Vinci Code was already out for two years and everyone already knew the Robert Langdon character, and I think everyone was just curious about the ‘new’ Dan Brown book-based movie. So you know, me included. I wanted in on the bandwagon. Hah.
Books to Movies: The Da Vinci Code
The basic info. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was published in 2003 and became a bestseller all over the globe. Of course they decided to make a movie out of it. The movie came out in 2006 and starred Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Paul Bettany, Jean Reno, Ian McKellan, and Alfred Molina.
What’s the story? Robert Langdon, a symbologist, gets called to the scene of the murder of the curator of the Louvre. The curator left a clue that led to more clues found in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. With the help of French cryptologist Sophie Neveu, Robert discovers that the curator was part of a secret society dedicated to protecting a religious relic. Robert and Sophie follow the clues while trying to evade an unknown danger that seems hell bent on getting their hands on whatever it is the secret society is protecting.
Which one did I experience first? I read the book first and it was during the time when it was already very popular and everyone was mostly raving about it.
Books to Movies: Pride and Prejudice
The basic info. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was first published in 1813 and is one of the most well-loved classics. There have been several films and TV series made based on the book. In this post, I’ll be talking about the only adaptation I’ve seen (so far) and that’s the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.
What’s the story? The description on Goodreads calls this a “comedy of manners” and it really is since it’s a witty and satirical novel about life in a society of different classes back in the day. The story revolves around a young independent woman, Elizabeth, her four sisters Jane, Mary, Kitty and Lydia, and the men who enter their lives, most notably Mr. Darcy and his best buddy Mr. Bingley.
Which one did I experience first? I saw the movie first on DVD and since then it’s been on my list of go-to movies. During the time when I was just starting out as a freelancer, I would watch this movie over and over. I just liked having it on while I worked on my laptop. It was also around that time when I decided that I should read the book (and I did, of course).
Books to Movies Giveaway Hop
To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about this giveaway hop when I decided to do Books to Movies for 31 Days because I signed up for this weeks ago, but when I realized that I also have this giveaway hop on the same month, it pleased me immensely. What’s the word for it? Synchronicity? :)
Anyway, I’m not strictly a “the book is better than the movie” girl. There were times when I liked the book more than the film adaptation, and there were also times when I enjoyed the movie more than the book. More often than not, it has to do with which one I had the pleasure of enjoying first. Sometimes I read the book first and the movie just didn’t meet expectations. Other times I saw the movie first, enjoyed it, but didn’t get the same enjoyment from the book. There are also instances when I feel the same way about both. Take Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter for example – I liked both the book versions and the movies. I mean, c’mon, they were all awesome.
Anyway, I’m always excited about books that get turned into movies, especially when it’s fantasy or science fiction. That’s why I joined this Books to Movies Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mary from BookHounds and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. This giveaway hop runs from October 2nd to the 10th.