September Book Club: A love letter to author of “The Help”

Posted by Erin on 09.30.2011 at 12:00 pm

1 Comment » | Tagged Better World Book Club, Book & Author News, book club, Books on the Big Screen

Books on the Big Screen: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Posted by Dana on 05.03.2010 at 2:15 pm

Most of the time when I write about a book being made into a movie I am comparing Hollywood’s interpretation to the author’s.  This time it’s a little different.  THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO has been made into a movie, but not in Hollywood.  The movie, which is in theaters now, is Swedish (as of course was the book) and it’s a whole different ballgame than the Hollywood razzle dazzle.

The movie is long and a bit graphic, but that’s not the part that’s so un-Hollywood. It’s the casting that was really different from how Hollywood does it. The characters actually look the way they are described in the book. Like real people. They’re not Hollywood buff. No one appeared to have any Botox in their foreheads and there were attractive women that were actually over 40 and looked it. Yay for Sweden. Hollywood should take a lesson.

In addition to that, it’s a really good movie. Very true to the book, wonderfully acted and directed. Of course, Hollywood also has the rights so it should be interesting to see how the American version differs not just from the book, but from this Swedish film adaptation. Stay tuned… Read more…

6 Comments » | Tagged Books on the Big Screen, Dear John, eat pray love, The Blind Side, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Last Song

The Oscars: Dresses, Weird Humor & Books, Yes Books

Posted by Dana on 03.08.2010 at 6:13 pm

Did you watch the Oscars last night?  I swore I wasn’t interested.  Didn’t care.  Wasn’t going to waste my time.  And then I put it on.  Just for a minute.  And I was sucked in.  Argh.

I will admit that I’m not sure how long I would’ve stuck with it if it weren’t for the joys of Tivo, but as it stood I managed about 1.5 hours before I gave up and went to bed.

I saw the fabulous opening number where Neal Patrick Harris danced about in a sparkly black jacket and sang about Botox, Twilight and Julia Child.

Then on to the comic stylings of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin who essentially roasted all the nominees and some random audience members while the camera panned to a dark spot where James Cameron was and to an angry, sulky looking George Clooney.  I think maybe that was some kind of joke – but if so my response was not to ROFL or even to LOL – it was more of a hmmm?? – not even really a haha.

Thanks to a blue Ben Stiller, some strange line flubs and the inability of many of the women to manage their dresses while walking, the awkward humor continued.

And then there was the fashion.  I won’t do a full red carpet run down, but I will say this…what was up with Sarah Jessica Parker’s hair?  And was that England, France or Zoe Saldana’s underpants on display when she tottered up to the mic?

But on with the show…as is often the case…many of the year’s notable and Oscar worthy movies are adapted from our favorite books.  This year was no exception.

Congrats to:

• Sandra Bullock – Best Actress – The Blind Side – Adapted from the Michael Lewis book of the same name.
• Mo’Nique – Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Precious – Adapted from Push by Sapphire
  (This one got the award for Best Adapted Screenplay too)
• Jeff Bridges – Best Actor  – Crazy Heart – Adapted from the debut novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb.  (This one got Best Original Song, too).

And oooh almost – but nice try to:

• Matt Damon – nominated for Invictus, based on the book by John Carlin
• Stanley Tucci – nominated for The Lovely Bones, based on the book by Alice Sebold
• Meryl Streep – for Julie and Julia, based on the book by Julie Powell

They’re all winners in my book – and as you can see there’s lots of books in the winners!

1 Comment » | Tagged Books on the Big Screen, Crazy Heart, Invictus, Jeff Bridges, Julie and Julia, Oscars, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Jessica Parker, The Blind Side, Twilight, Underpants, Zoe Saldana

Books on the Big Screen: Julie & Julia

Posted by admin on 07.30.2009 at 4:32 pm

Today’s Recipe: Movie About a Book About a Blog About Two People Who Cook and Have Never Met

Ingredients:
	2 Incredibly Talented Actresses (specifically Meryl Streep and Amy Adams) 1 Stanley Tucci playing the role of Julia’s husband Paul. 3 cups of direction by Nora Ephron 1 large dollop of another book (My Life in France by Julia Child)
Stir all ingredients together until smooth and bake at 350 degrees for an hour or two.  Serve warm on August 7th with popcorn and the soft drink of your choice.  Recipe makes a great outing for foodies and moviegoers alike.
If you can’t wait for the movie you can check out the books now:
Julie & Julia:  My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell Nearing 30 and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell resolved to reclaim her life by cooking, in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a new found respect for calves’ livers and aspic, but a new life–lived with gusto. My Life in France by Julia Child Julia Child singlehandedly created a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, but as she reveals in this bestselling memoir, she was not always a master chef.
Happy Eating – or Watching – or Reading!
–Dana
PS – If they decide to make a movie about a blog about a book – I’ll let you know!

2 Comments » | Tagged Books on the Big Screen, Amy Adams, Julia Child, Julie & Julia, Julie Powell, Meryl Streep, My Life in France, Stanley Tucci

Books on the Big Screen: Angels & Demons

Posted by Dana on 05.28.2009 at 6:47 am

So the summer movie blockbuster season is here.  This past weekend after some  Memorial Day shopping, my daughter and I  hit the movie theater to see Angels & Demons.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I think the movie was better than the book.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book, but I think there is a reason Dan Brown didn’t really hit it big until The Da Vinci Code.  For me it was a weird and unbelievable action scene in Angels & Demons at the height of the suspense.  The movie fixed this problem and for me it worked much better. Read more…

4 Comments » | Tagged Books on the Big Screen, Angels & Demons, Angels & Demons Movie vs. Book, Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol Pre-Order, Tom Hanks Hair

Books on the Big Screen: My Sister’s Keeper

Posted by Dana on 04.27.2009 at 8:28 am

If you’re a huge Jodi Picoult fan – you surely already know that MY SISTER’S KEEPER is about to be a feature film starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin and Alec Baldwin.

The story is about a young girl who sues her parents for emancipation because she no longer wants to be used as an organ and tissue farm for her older, sickly sister.

If you haven’t already read the book — I recommend reading it before you see the movie.  For no other reason than I rarely want to read the book after I’ve seen the movie!

As with all Jodi Picoult books the ending of this one was a shocker and if I’m being honest, one that I didn’t like.   But here’s a little insider info for you: Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Books on the Big Screen, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Cameron Diaz, Handle with Care, Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper Movie, Spoiler

Books on the Big Screen: He’s Just Not That Into You

Posted by Dana on 02.03.2009 at 11:07 am

What will they think of next? Of course they make movies from comic books, and from great classics like Pride and Prejudice or Romeo and Juliet – but now apparently the movie biz is tapping into self help books too. Of course I’m talking about the new Warner Brothers release of He’s Just Not That Into You coming out this weekend with a pretty impressive cast including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long. Read more…

1 Comment » | Tagged Books on the Big Screen, dana barrett, Greg Behrendt, He's Just Not That Into You, hollywood, Liz Tuccillo, movies, Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, Sex and the City