October: A Month of Movie Adaptations

As it turns out, there are quite a few movie adaptations of great books coming out this month.  So, if reading a book is too much of a commitment for you, maybe you can catch its movie adaptation instead.

Gone Girl (October 3)

When Gillian Flynn’s novel first came out, we couldn’t keep it on our shelves. Actually, we still can’t.  When I heard that David Fincher (Zodiac, The Social Network) was directing an adaptation, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.  Am I ever glad I did.  The titular girl disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary and her husband is the primary suspect. What follows is a story so full of twists and turns that I’d advise you hold onto something while you’re reading it.  The novel is four hundred and nineteen pages, but that didn’t stop me from gobbling it up in three days.  I could have done it in two if I hadn’t had to go to work.

Early rumors suggested that Fincher and Flynn changed the ending, but recent reviews say the ending remains faithful to the book.  I guess I’ll find out for myself this weekend.

 

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (October 10)

Just the other day I was thinking about how totally awesome it is when children’s books are adapted into eighty-minute movies and how they’re almost never ever awful in every single way (That’s sarcasm, Ron Howard and Robert Zemeckis for your versions of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Polar Express, respectively).

Sadly, no amount of The Black Keys, Of Monsters and Men and CGI kangaroos presented in the trailer makes me want to see this movie.  I’m fully aware that I’m not the target audience, but Pixar has proven for years that family films can be intelligent and still appeal to children and adults alike. Despite being published in 1972, Judith Viorst’s book about a child having a bad day is timeless.  Adding in a subplot about the father getting a job at a “game design firm” run by smug millennials and injecting current Internet slang (“hashtag blessed”) are unnecessary and come across as pandering in the worst way.  And, yes, I already hate myself for typing that quote.  Can you ever forgive me, Noah Webster?

“Forsooth, nay.  I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request.”

Men, Women & Children (October 17)

I talked about this book and its big screen adaptation last month.  Since then, a second trailer has been released that gives us a better look at some of the characters.  Similar to the trailers for Gone Girl, it looks like certain scenes were literally ripped right from the book.  Adam Sandler’s performance looks subdued, subtle even.  That’s never a bad thing.

The Best of Me (October 17)

I haven’t read this book, but I have actually had a small desire to read at least one of Nicholas Sparks’ novels.  Judging from the trailer, this looks like it’s in the same romantic style of all the other Sparks adaptations and it looks like James Marsden might finally get the girl in this one (see his previous failures in the X-Men film series, Enchanted, Superman Returns and The Notebook—another Sparks adaptation.  Why do you hate James Marsden, Hollywood?)

This movie knows what it’s about and knows its target audience.  If you like that kind of thing, you’ll probably enjoy this.  I say step outside your comfort zone and go see Men, Women & Children.  Or Gone Girl again.

White Bird in a Blizzard (October 24)

A mother walks out on her family one day.  Her sixteen-year-old daughter, seemingly unaffected by her mother’s departure, continues on with her life.  In her dreams, however, the girl dreams of her mother, crying for help.  Soon, she can’t ignore her dreams any longer.

This is another book I haven’t read, but I have it on my list.  What first piqued my interest in this film is the director, Greg Araki.  I have a complicated relationship with Araki’s films.  On the one hand, we have films like  The Doom Generation, a meandering mess of a movie and Smiley Face, a film just a little too dumb to be funny.  On the other hand, we have  Mysterious Skin.  An adaptation of Scott Heim’s novel of the same name, it remains one of the most disturbing and depressing films I’ve ever seen. I absolutely loved it.  It’s probably one of my top twenty favorite films.  That said, I have absolutely no desire to watch it again.  After I saw it, I literally felt sick.  I can’t remember ever having such a visceral reaction to a film before it.

I feel like Araki deserves the benefit of doubt from me on this one.  While I may not love all of his films, he does capture teen angst and despair quite well.  Plus, there is some beautiful imagery in the trailer and Araki has assembled a pretty knockout cast including up-and-coming It-girl Shailene Woodley, Eva Green and Thomas Jane

Horns (October 31)

I finished reading Joe Hill’s novel about a month ago and really enjoyed it. It was the most twisty-turny book I’ve read since Gone Girl.

The trailer for the movie looks promising, depending on the version you watch.  I’ll admit that summarizing the tone of the book is difficult, which explains why there are different trailers. The book is funny, spooky, unsettling and heartbreaking, sometimes all in one page.  I’m worried that the movie might ignore some of the more nuanced aspects of the story.  If it turns out to be a straight-up horror movie, it will be a huge missed opportunity.  A balance between Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow and American Psycho would be a near-perfect combination. I’m still interested in seeing it though, mostly because I’m probably one of the only people in the universe who doesn’t see Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter; I only watched those movies for the first time last year.  His American accent is on point. Not since Hugh Laurie’s turn as Dr. Gregory House have I heard such a convincing American accent from a Britt.

I’ll probably see it as a prelude to my Halloween activities.  Maybe I’ll see some of you there.

–Ross