Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Title: Sense and Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Pages: 282

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Page to Screen; 2011 - Back in the Day

How I Got It: Own It!

Sense and Sensibility is the first published novel by Jane Austen. Originally published under the pseudonym “A Lady,” Sense and Sensibility tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, who, upon the death of their father, are left in reduced circumstances to live on the country estate of a distant relative. At Barton Park, the Dashwood sisters engage in romances with the reserved Edward Ferrars, the dashing yet fickle Mr. Willoughby, and the gentlemanly Colonel Brandon, and eventually find the fulfillment of their romantic yearnings.

I participated in a readalong of the novel.  You can check out my post here.  For this review, I want to focus on the the transition from page to screen.  I have two versions of S&S on dvd, so I will be comparing and contrasting both.

Overall I think S&S ranks towards the bottom of my Jane Austen ranking.  I find Elinor a little too stiff and Marianne a little too silly for most of the book.  And I absolutely loathe Edward!  Who would want a sniveling husband?  Definitely not me.  The biggest redeeming factor has to be Colonel Brandon.  I absolutely love him.

Ang Lee version:

Although I simply adore Emma Thompson, this version radically changes the book.  Characters are dropped; where'd you go Miss Steele and Lady Middleton?  A few scenes are added or changed.  But my biggest complaint about the movie is the tone.  It makes Elinor and Edward's relationship into a Harlequin romance novel.  Now I love Harlequin romance at the right time.  But this is Jane Austen.  We don't need the smoldering looks, the breathy sighs, the accidental (not really) touches.  It seems all too out in the open.  The book paints Edward and Elinor as two acquaintances who could fall in love, but cautiously and slowly.  They are not the fall head over heels romantics; that's supposed to be Marianne.  And speaking of Marianne, I hated the last screen shot of Willoughby at the hill watching the weddings.  It makes him a much more sympathetic character.  While I can't stand Willoughby's actions, I really think he did love Marianne.  But we don't need more screen time for him.  That shot should have been reserved for Elinor, Edward, Marianne, and Colonel Brandon.  Overall, a decent version with some great actors (Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and Hugh Laurie (my fave side character)), but a few issues concerning the tone.

BBC version:

This version is my preferred version.  I love the actresses who play Elinor and Marianne.  Elinor is appropriately serious, but we do get to see her emotions.  Marianne is silly, but not to the point that I can't stand her on screen.  Colonel Brandon is (like he should be) strong, dependable, and overall amazing!  Even Edward is more likable in this one.  That is the one change that I completely approve of.  I don't mind Edward marrying Elinor in this one.  The Miss Steeles perfectly portray two young women looking out for the "best match."  And Willoughby is perfectly deplorable in this version.  My one big complaint: the opening scene.  We see Willoughby and Colonel Brandon's ward (we don't know them at the time) engaging in an illicit tryst.  I think the story that the Colonel tells Elinor later in the movie is just fine.  We didn't need the visuals to go with it.  Other than that, I absolutely love this version.  And watch it again, and again, and again.

A to Z Movie Challenge Sept. 2011

Last night, J and I decided to watch a movie at the house.  Easy right... grab a movie off the shelf and watch.  Unfortunately when you have something like 1000 dvds that's not so simple.  We spent over 20 minutes debating, discussing, and finally settling on Pirate Radio (mainly because I wanted quirky comedy and hadn't seen it yet).  I've come to the conclusion that we have too many dvds to not watch.  Usually if we turn on the tv, we end up watching a tv show episode that we missed.  Or I try to catch up on series that I've started or were recommended to J.  We've all but stopped watching movies.  Hence, my September 2011 challenge --

That's right, 27 movies (numbers are their own category) in 30 days... in order of the alphabet.  I've going to watch movies from our collection starting with a number working my way to Z.  Each movie watched must be in my collection.  Each movie watched will be reviewed on my blog.  Each movie watched cannot be eligible for my participation in the Page to Screen challenge.

I'm excited about this.  A way to organize my movie viewing, much like I've tried to organize my reading with the reading challenges.  Look for the first movie on September 1st (or possible review appearing on September 2nd).  I'll be keeping track of my progress on the side and at the page at the top.

Wish me luck!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author: J.K. Rowling

Publisher: Scholastic 1997

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 309

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Page to Screen; HP readalong

How I Got It: Own it!

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry, an orphan, lives with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley.

One day just before his eleventh birthday, an owl tries to deliver a mysterious letter the first of a sequence of events that end in Harry meeting a giant man named Hagrid. Hagrid explains Harry's history to him: When he was a baby, the Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, attacked and killed his parents in an attempt to kill Harry; but the only mark on Harry was a mysterious lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.

Now he has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the headmaster is the great wizard Albus Dumbledore. Harry visits Diagon Alley to get his school supplies, especially his very own wand. To get to school, he takes the Hogwarts Express from platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station. On the train, he meets two fellow students who will become his closest friends: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Harry is assigned to Gryffindor House at Hogwarts, and soon becomes the youngest-ever Seeker on the House Quidditch team. He also studies Potions with Professor Severus Snape, who displays a deep and abiding dislike for Harry, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with nervous Professor Quirrell; he and his friends defeat a mountain troll, help Hagrid raise a dragon, and explore the wonderful, fascinating world of Hogwarts.

But all events lead irrevocably toward a second encounter with Lord Voldemort, who seeks an object of legend known as the Sorcerer's Stone.

This one is a reread for me.  I found a great Harry Potter series readalong from Pretty Deadly Reviews and thought "Why not?"  It's been awhile since I read the series.  I remember reading the first couple of books out loud to the boys when they were infants.  SO that's what eight years ago?  I read the last few books as they came out, but overall it's been awhile.  It was great to step back into that world, especially with the release of the last movie.  J and I definitely went to see the day it came out.  (but more on that movie when I get to the reread of the book...)

Instead of doing a traditional review, I thought I would just give you some of my reread thoughts.  Things I noticed, things I loved, quotes I like, etc.  And then I will have a mini review of movie vs. book for my Page to Screen Challenge.

Book fun:

• Favorite scene: Diagon Alley, you can just see the wondrous shops and Harry enchantment.  I love that moment!
• Favorite character: Hagrid.  He's just such a character in this book.  And I loved seeing him on the movie screen.
• Favorite expressions: "Gulpin' gargoyles" (Hagrid), "Load of old tosh" (Uncle Vernon), "Codswallop" (Hagrid), "All right, keep your hair on" (Fred), "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak" (Dumbledore)
• Didn't notice (or didn't pay attention) to the fact that Hagrid borrowed the motorcycle at the beginning from Sirius Black! I probably thought it was just another name when I read the first time.
• I feet sorry for Petunia Dursley.  As nasty as she is, I can't help that think that everything she's done has been because she's jealous of Lily.  Maybe if she had more love, or acceptance, or a talent than she wouldn't have turned out so urgh!
• How much foreshadowing is there when we meet Professor Quirrell?  Good graciousness!  And that story that he met a vampire... yeah he met a vampire, named Voldemort!
• The password for the Gryffindor tower was "pig snout." Awesome!!!
• I almost feel sorry for Professor Quirrell at the end.  Almost, but not quite...

Favorite quotes:

• "Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."  -- Hagrid's entrance (pg. 47)
• "I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter.... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things--terrible, yes, but great." -- Mr. Ollivander (pg. 85)
• "Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling" -- back of chocolate frog card (pg. 103)
• "Troll--in the dungeons--thought you out to know." -- Professor Quirrell (pg. 172)
• "You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed.  "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name.  But we're not stupid--we know we're called Gred and Forge." (pg. 202)
• "The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution." (pg. 298)

Movie fun:

Overall, I just adore this movie.  It's the closest movie to book transition.  It brings the world to life.  Much lighter than the later movies, but the first book is much lighter anyway.  The set pieces are just amazing.  I couldn't have pictured Hogwarts better in my mind.  And the icing on the cake: the final lines of the movie about Harry not going home, not really.  So much better than the ending of the book.  Kudos to the film makers.

My favorite scenes:

• Diagon Alley -- All the shops!  All the things!  The introduction of all the wizards in the background.  Such detail!
• Sorting ceremony -- All those kids!  All those nervous, excited kids!  And the way that the sorting hat talks to Harry is priceless!
• Christmas at Hogwarts -- It's just too pretty.

Things I wished to see, but didn't:

• More scenes with the ghosts.  They severely underused the genius that is John Cleese in the movie!  The ghosts are great; the little intrigues and mysteries are so much fun.  And Peeves should have at least made an extended appearance.
• Charlie and the escape of Norbert the dragon.
• Snape's logic puzzle after the chess match -- really showed Hermione's intellect

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Title: North and South

Author: Elizabeth Gaskell

Publisher: Penguin Books 1854

Genre: Classics

Pages: 449

Rating:   Book 4/5 stars    Movie 5/5

Reading Challenges: 2011 - Way Back When; Page to Screen

Hmmm... I have some mixed feelings about this one.  It's no Jane Austen.  I think I've been reading too much Jane Austen style 19th century literature that it's hard to get back into other fiction forms.  Reading the introduction, I learned some interesting things about Gaskell and the book.  Did you know that Gaskell made a pretty decent living writing?  North and South was originally published as a serial in a magazine, but she felt that the story was limited in that form and so expanded it for the novelization.  And her editor was Charles Dickens.  Yes that Charles Dickens!  Taking all this into consideration, the novel was enjoyable.

The novel spent much more time on Margaret's thoughts on her father's change of situation.  And we leaned much more about his change of heart.  I think part of the problem was that the novel was very slow.  We spent the first 50 pages still in Helstone.  Milton didn't enter into the picture until extensive musing about the church, life in Helstone, and the upcoming move.  Once we got into Milton, I liked the story better.  We met the other players.  Margaret was introduced to factory life.  The story progressed, but definitely slowly compared to modern novels.

Movie

The miniseries I absolutely adored.  It cut the longer introduction.  It cut some of the discussions.  But it kept the main storyline about Margaret and the change in life to the North.  The casting was beautiful.  Richard Armitage is just perfect as Mr. Thornton.  (Although I kept seeing him as Guy from Robin Hood.  Definitely not the same character.)  Daniela Denby-Ashe was beautifully understated as Margaret Hale.  She brought the quiet strength to the character.  The book has that quality, but seeing her reactions on-screen made a much more interesting character.  But by far, my favorite was Sinead Cusack as Mrs. Thornton.  She's hard to like, but somehow I understand her motivations.  That is the mark of a talented artist.  The visual difference between Milton and Helstone is gorgeous.  We instantly see the different atmospheres with color, architecture, and costumes.  And that final scene... brings out the hopeless romantic lurking inside of me.

The Prestige by Christopher Priest

Title: The Prestige

Author: Christopher Priest

Publisher: A Tor Book 1995

Genre: Thriller?

Pages: 360

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; Page to Screen

Two 19th century stage illusionists, the aristocratic Rupert Angier and the working-class Alfred Borden, engage in a bitter and deadly feud; the effects are still being felt by their respective families a hundred years later. Working in the gaslight-and-velvet world of Victorian music halls, they prowl edgily in the background of each other's shadowy life, driven to the extremes by a deadly combination of obsessive secrecy and insatiable curiosity. At the heart of the row is an amazing illusion they both perform during their stage acts. The secret of the magic is simple, and the reader is in on it almost from the start, but to the antagonists the real mystery lies deeper. Both have something more to hide than the mere workings of a trick.

This book took much longer to read than I thought it would, but it was definitely worth it.  One of my favorites for this year!!! (You know how I hate movie tie-in covers for books,  but it was the only version the library had.  If I bought it, I would definitely have searched for a different version.)

Book

The book was set in two separate time periods.  We meet Andrew who by the intervention of a mysterious stranger begins to learn about the history of his birth family.  The book then switches to Alfred Borden's (Andrew's great grandfather) diary.  We glimpse his life and struggles with the world of magic.  In his diary we meet Rupert Angier (The Great Danton) with whom Borden had a long standing feud.  Then the story switches back into the present and we learn more about Angier's great granddaughter, Kate.  Kate and Andrew discuss the feud, what happened when Andrew (or Nicholas?) was just a toddler, and then we are again transported into the past.  We are privy to Rupert Angier's diary of his life.  We learn of his view of the feud and about his strive to create The New Transported Man.  I won't give away any of the mystery, but I will say that there are a couple.  And the promise of mystery and explanation drives the book.  I read the last 150 pages in one sitting because I just had to know.  Very intriguining mystery!  And the ending did not disappoint.

Movie

I confess that I saw the movie before reading the book, but that is of little importance in this case.  They are very different entities.  The movie director, Christopher Nolan, made sure to keep the main story between the two magicians, but left out the present day appearance of Andrew and Kate.  He also changed the catalyst to the magicians' rivalry.  However, the spirit was there.

And the actors!!!  I absolutely love Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.  They show such complex emotions that they make the film.  Michael Caine was amazing as Angier's ingeniur.  And David Bowie as Nikola Tesla was perfect casting.  My only casting issue, Scarlett Johansson as Olivia.  I understand that her part in the book is limited, but she just seemed so flat on film that I didn't see her appeal to either of the men.

This was definitely a great film.  Reminded me how much I love Christopher Nolan.  And it was a great adaptation of the novel, even with the changes.

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Title: Watchmen

Author: Alan Moore

Publisher: DC Comics 1995

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 416

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; April Read-a-Thon; Page to Screen

Another graphic novel... or is this a trade paperback?  Okay all you geeky people, feel free to correct me.   I saw the movie before I read the book, but I really did want to read the book.

The novel: Different characters narrate different chapters.  This gives a greater insight to those who tend to be one dimensional on screen.  For example, Dr. Manhattan seems like a tool until I read chapter IV: Watchmaker.  Moore lets us see the conflicts inside Jon even when others don't understand.  We actually get a sense of seeing all of time as one.  Brilliant!  My favorite quote:

Perhaps the world is not made.  Perhaps nothing is made.  Perhaps it simply is, has been will always be there... A clock without a craftsman.

Beyond the characters, I loved the inclusion of excerpts from Hollis' book.  The movie mentions it, and we see much of the past through flashbacks, but I loved hearing him telling it.  We see the rise and fall of the superheroes along with the rise and fall of the country.  It makes so much more sense with the bit of history.

The movie: I watched the movie right after it came out, but decided to watch it again after reading the novel.  The rewatch affirmed that I really did like the movie.  I just understand it a bit more after reading the novel.  The visuals are stunning.  I loved the colors, the music (it's in the book, but in quotes), the costumes.  Seeing everything come to life in a slightly nonrealistic way was a highlight.  Overall I think Zak Snyder did a good job bringing Watchmen to life.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

Title: V for Vendetta

Author: Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Publisher: Vertigo 1995

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 286

Rating: Graphic Novel  5 / 5 stars - Movie  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; April Read-a-Thon; Page to Screen

I really liked the movie when it came out, but never got around to reading the graphic novel.  To be fair, I've only really been interested in reading graphic novels and comics for a few months (again, I blame J).  So I picked the novel up from the library to acquaint myself with V, Evey, and the new world.  The graphic novel is better than the movie in plot and character development.  The movie doesn't focus as much on the characters, especially the side characters.  The novel really gave them life, a story, a journey.  Also, the twists and turns in the plot make more sense in the graphic novel.  The movie attempts to show things more in chronological order instead of in an order that makes more sense to the overall story but not necessarily in chronological order.  I don't mind authors messes with order as long as it makes sense for the story.

All that being said, I really do enjoy the movie.  It adds the music (both literally and in a more poetic sense) and the atmosphere to the story.  I really like seeing the action takes places, the fluid movements of V, the changing facial expressions of Evey (Natalie Portman is amazing!).  My favorite part of the movie has to be the finale.  To see the train take off, the eventual explosion, and the masses revolting in one scene was breathtaking.  Definitely one of the better graphic novel to movie transitions that I've seen.  Thoroughly enjoyed both!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Like to See Made into Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

For this week's post, I took a look at the books sitting around my room.  There has to be some books in here that I absolutely love, but haven't been adapted yet.  Right?  Not as easy as I first thought, but I did find some.

1. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series: I absolutely love the story of Jamie and Claire.  This could be the next big series, like Twilight, but so much better.

2. The Walking Dead: I know it's already been made into a tv series on AMC and I love it.  I just wish that they will continue the series for a couple more seasons.

3.  Steamed by Katie MacAlister: This was a fun steampunk novel, albeit with a few issues.  I could see the turned into a movie in the Indiana Jones style.  I think it would be a fun action/adventure/fantasy.

4. Frank Beddor's Looking Glass Wars Trilogy: A re-imaging of Alice in Wonderland but with fun twists.  I loved this trilogy and would love to see it come to life on the screen.

5. At the Scent of Water by Linda Nichols: And now for something completely different... A serious drama, but one that could be done beautifully on screen.

6. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore: The movie version sucked.  We need a better adaptation of Moore's great graphic novel.  And this time, it has to be rated R.  None of this family friendly crap!  Did any of the screenwriters even read Moore's work?  It definitely wasn't family friendly.

7. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy: Just finished the trilogy and am in zombie (oops sorry) dreadful heaven. We have some beautiful adaptations of the original Austen work.  Now we need to through some unmentionables in there and spice things up a bit.

8. Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter: I can see this working the Nicholas Sparks movie style.  A feel good romantic drama.

9. Austenland by Shannon Hale: A fun Austenesque romantic comedy.  The characters from this book are so memorable.  With good casting, this could be an awesome film.

10. Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl Series: Harry Potter is ending.  We need another good young adult adventure series brought to the screen.  I vote Artemis Fowl!  I know my boys would absolutely love it.

Top Ten Tuesday - Book to Movie Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday: Book to Movie Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

Very excited about this post, but how to narrow it down?  After thinking long and hard, I think I've gotten my favorites in here.  Caution: Long post ahead!

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy -- Easy choice.  Peter Jackson did the books justice; something I don't think a lot of people thought could happen.  I know he cut out some and changed a bit, but the movies stay true to the main stories of the books.  Also, the cinematography is just amazing!  Those landscapes, those sets, those wide shots!  How could it get any better.  As an added bonus, I loved the portrayal of Eowyn and Faramir in the movies.  They even made last week's Top Ten Tuesday: Love Stories.  Great movies.  BTW they must be watched from the extended editions.  None of this theatrical version crap!  (I love The Fellowship of the Ring, so had to add that poster)

2. Persuasion -- Has anyone picked up that I love Jane Austen?  And specifically Persuasion?  My favorite Austen of all.  Of course, for this post I had to pick an Austen adaptation and I do so love this one.  The 2007 ITV version aired on PBS as part of the Jane Austen marathon on Masterpiece Theater.  I was so excited to sit in front of my antenna-only TV and watch Jane Austen adaptations for two months of Sundays.  This was far and away my favorite adaptation.  (Northanger Abbey was my second favorite)  Sally Hakwins plays Anne Elliot as quiet and demur, but with strong emotions and opinions just beneath the surface.  Exactly how I pictured her!  And Rupert Penry-Jones as Captain Wentworth!  Divine casting!  I know this version took some liberties with the book, but I felt that they were all done keeping the heart of the book intact.  My favorite change is the scene after Sally gets Wentworth's letter and goes racing through Bath to find him.  Awesome camera work and music!  Love it, love it, love it!

3. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events -- I sped through the book series in about two months.  (I was late to the band wagon and didn't start reading them until they were all published).  And then I found out they were making a film version.  The film does condense the first three books of the series, but again the changes kept true to the heart of the books.  Hmm... Jim Carrey as Count Olaf.  I'm not the biggest fan of him, but this was perfect casting.  And the Baudelaire children were perfect.  I loved the supporting cast!  Billy Connolly, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Catherine O'Hara, Craig Ferguson, Cedric the Entertainer, Jane Lynch, Luis Guzman, Jennifer Coolidge and Jude Law's narration.  How did they get all those people into this movie!  It really makes the movie a lot of fun.  And those sets!!!!  Like a fairy tale! And the costumes!!  Amazing!  I want Violet's dress.  So adorable.

4. Where the Heart Is -- I liked the book by Billie Letts, but it wasn't one of my favorites.  And then I saw the 2000 movie, and absolutely fell in love with it.  Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd are adorable.  I think my favorite character from the book and from the film is Sister Husband played by Stockard Channing.  I love her to death.  I want her to take me in when I give birth to a baby in the Walmart!  And her death was just so tragic.  I cry every time I watch the movie.

5. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams is a genius for writing the series.  And the 2005 film was a great adaptation.  Of course with cast of Martin Freeman (so adorable on The Office), Zooey Deschanel (love her!), Sam Rockwell (crazy as usual), Mos Def (great Ford Prefect), Bill Nighy (he plays such a range of characters), and Alan Rickman (who doesn't love Alan Rickman) how could it not be good!  My favorite part of the book series is the Guide interludes.  I'm excited that the film included a few with exciting animation.  My favorite: definitely the Volgons!  And speaking of Volgons, how awesome was that puppetry.  They looked just fake enough to be real but comical.  I loved all of them.  And the opening Dolphin song... genius! (BTW opening narration by Stephen Fry is the best casting I've heard in a long while)

6. Coraline -- Okay so I saw the movie before I read the book.  I loved the creepy sense of wonder in the movie version.  The Other Mother is very scary (understandably so) in the final battle.  And the black cat... I've always thought that cats were creepy, this just confirmed it for me.  After seeing the movie, I went and read the book.  Great story, but the visuals really didn't it for me.  I got the graphic novel from the library the other day.  After this post, it's moved up on my TBR list.

7. Interview with a Vampire -- I was too young to see the movie when it was released in theaters, but I did start reading Anne Rice about that time.  I loved (still love) her writing and especially the first four of the Vampire Chronicles.  I had definite images of all the characters in my head before seeing the movie.  The movie versions don't really match, but that's okay.  I see the movie and the book as two different entities.  They are definitely not the same, but that's okay.  I think the movie did a great job reimagining Rice's novel.  And Rice wrote the screenplay and was a consultant during the filming.  My fave from the movie: Stephen Rea as Santiago... very sinister.

8. The Secret Garden --  There is only one movie version of The Secret Garden and it's the 1987 Hallmark Hall of Fame version.  I remember watching this movie as a young child. The opening scenes in India scared the begeezus out of me.  And they were supposed to.  The transition to the moors of England sets the mood for the entire book.  I love it!  The sets are wonderful and full of atmosphere.  The music is extra moody at all the right times.  The actress who played Mary gave her just enough spunk and defiance.  I recently let C borrow the movie because she wanted to show it her daughters.  She agrees, this is the only version of the book.

9. Harry Potter Series -- I love the books.  And I love the movies.  They are different, but related.  I understand that the movie makers had to cut things out of the books to fit onto the screen.  There's just too much going on in the books to put everything on screen.  I've read the books, so some of the movie scenes (especially from the 5th and 6th movies) make more sense.  But I still love the movies.  My favorite, hands down, is The Goblet of Fire.  I love the book and the movie did great job showcasing my favorite scenes.  The final task: the labyrinth is awesomely shot with special effects and zooming camera angles.  I loved it so much.  I am so excited and so sad to see the last movie this July.  It's already on my calendar!

10. Little Women -- Another favorite childhood book.  I loved the March sisters and would read and reread the book growing up.  The movie version is one of my favorite movies from my younger days.  The adaptation is true to the book while allowing for the transition to film.  The actors are wonderful.  I loved Winona Ryder as Jo March.  She plays her just how I pictured.  Susan Sarandon gives a great performance as the matriarch of the clan.  I would love to have her as a mother.  And I have to mention Christian Bale as Laurie... so dreamy!  I really love him as an actor.  My only problem (and it's a problem with the book, not just the movie) Laurie should have ended up with Jo not Amy!  Alas, I must live with the story as is.  It's still one of my all-time favorites.

The best part of this list --- I own all the movies listed.  So I can watch them again and again!

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore

Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Black Dossier) 

Author: Alan Moore

Genre: Graphic Novel

Rating: Vol. 1 4/ 5 stars, Vol. 2 4/5 stars Black Dossier 2/5 stars

Movie Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Page to Screen; Support Your Local Library; Steampunk

I picked these three volumes up from the library.  A group of literary heroes/villains brought together until shadowy circumstances to "aid" England against threats, what better idea?  I was intrigued.  J convinced me to read them.  He said I would like them.  And I did.  Each character not quite a hero even with their actions.  The art was amazing. If you ever read it, make sure to really look at each panel, especially the backgrounds.  There's a lot of details drawn into the background.  While the dialogue was good and plot interesting, I really liked finding the surprises in the backgrounds.  And of course, I really enjoyed the allusions to other literary characters and historical events.

Volume one consisted mostly of setting up the universe and characters.  The storyline was intriguing though somewhat predictable.  Volume two was an interesting take on War of the Worlds.  I liked the Martian invasion and inclusion of Dr. Moreau and other shadowy secrets.  Unfortunately, the Black Dossier was a real let down.  Set in 1958, it attempted to pick up the continuation of the League but was much too confusing for me.  I only half-heartedly finished the volume.  It just really didn't grab my attention like the other two volumes.

A few years back I had seen the movie version of The Leagues of Extraordinary Gentlemen and was very disappointed.  I revisited the movie to see if it had grown on me.  Alas, it was as bad as I remembered.  Unfortunately, most of the characters fell flat. the plot boring and predictable, and the dialogue cheesy.  There were moments when the movie shined, but they were few and far between.  Of all the characters in the movie, I thought Mina Harker and Dorian Grey were the only interesting ones.  And even their story could have been expanded and more interesting.  The allusions to their history could have set up a much more complicated relationship.  Unfortunately the entire movie tried to play it safe and ended up being boring instead.  Not the worst movie I've ever seen, but definitely not one I am going to seek out to rewatch.

Worst Movie Choice

Yesterday I had a free Redbox rental and the boys and I were going to be in for the night (single digits!), so I stopped.  I got Nanny McPhee Returns for the boys.  Great movie! Family fun and a good message.  Plus Emma Thompson is just way awesome.  Lovely cozy night with the boys.  And then they went to bed. I had got myself my own movie.  I had wanted to see Going the Distance when it was in theaters, but never got around it.  It just came out on video, so I thought, why not?

Turns out it was the worst movie choice ever.  Not because of the movie itself.  It was a fairly good movie.  The characters were good, the plot well constrcted, and good visuals.  It was the worst movie choice because it reminded me of my life.  The long distance relationship... worst situation in life.  I've been in a long distance relationship for awhile now (it's really depressing to say a number).  The plan was for me to move in the fall... last fall.  However, that plan fell through (details are very frustrating) and it was pushed to Christmas.  That plan fell through also.  And now I'm still stuck in limbo and in a long distance relationship.  And all this movie did was remind me of the all sadness.  This just sucks.  I won't give away the ending, but the ending really doesn't matter.  The bulk of the movie just made me sad.

So I have to say... worst movie choice!  And I need to go make a phone call.  I miss somebody way too much.

Tron: Legacy

Poetry in motion!

I love the original movie.  Tron was definitely ahead of its time.  When I heard they were going to make a sequel, I was concerned.  Would the filmmakers try to update everything but in the process deviate from the iconic style of the original?  Thankfully they haven't.  I have no clue if the storyline or acting will be good.  I do know that the visuals are going to be awesome!  This trailer just doesn't do the visuals justice.  I cannot wait!

Side note: I recently showed the original movie to my 7-year-old twins.  I was unsure of their reaction as they have grown up in the technology era.  Surprising (a good surprise) they loved it!  They liked the practically nonexistent storyline, but more importantly, they loved the visuals.  Their eyes were open wide the whole time.  I love these moments...