Jan 30, 2015

Books to Movies

I've been watching quite a few movies lately, and noticed that most of the ones I liked are adaptations from books, which is probably no surprise to readers of this blog. :) Here's a peek into my recent viewing habits:


Mockingjay Part 1
 

Seeing this one at the cinema was a no brainer. And now I'm counting down the days until Part 2 is released!


Howl's Moving Castle


I haven't read this book, but I've wanted to. Now I've seen the movie, I want to read it even more. The imagination in the story is amazing, the characters are gorgeously complex, and the visuals are stunning. 


Divergent



This was an unexpected surprise. Mr Bailey had thought I'd mentioned that I wanted to see it, so he brought it home to watch. Actually, I'd thought it would be too scary for me (I'm a fraidy cat!) and would never have picked it up on my own. Lucky he did, because I loved it.


Two other movies I'm planning on seeing in the near future that are also book adaptations are:

The Hobbit


I've seen the first two Hobbit movies, so I'm hoping that if I'm quick, I'll catch this third one before it leaves the cinemas.


The Fault in Our Stars



I loved Shailene Woodley in Divergent, and I've heard good things about this movie, so I'm keen to see it.


So, have you seen any great movies lately that were adapted from a book (even if they weren't made recently)? Also, what book would you LOVE to see adapted into a movie? I can think of heaps of favourites that I'd love to see on the big screen!
 

15 comments:

  1. Sandra Antonelli tried to leave a comment but it was eaten. She said: Hitchcock's 1940 adaptation of Daphne DuMaurier's 'Rebecca' is SUBLIME. It stars Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier at his moody, broody best. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032976/

    Rachel again: I used to have that on video but haven't bought it again on DVD. Maybe I should start tracking it down...

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  2. Ooo, Rachel, now I have things to add to the TBS list! Especially Divergent. Looks great and terrific cast! Have you seen The Golden Boy? It's got Theo James in it. Shame the TV station has put it on so late... erm, but that's a soap box that I'm not going to get on!

    I'm a Harry Potter fan - books and movies! Love them! And so well done on the screen.

    So... showing my age here, but I remember seeing the movie, The Guns of Navarone, after I'd read the book. I remember being outraged about the difference between the movie and the book!

    So I guess that means that sometimes I'm a fan of movies made from books I've enjoyed - and sometimes, I'm not! :)

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    1. Oh, the Harry Potter series - yes! An example of how good movie adaptations can be!

      I haven't seen The Golden Boy, but I am right this second googling... Oooh, it looks interesting. Might see if the library has the full series. Mr Bailey likes crime shows, and I have quite the crush on Theo James, so everybody wins. :)

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  3. I'm always hesitant about seeing movies of books I've loved. I was SO disappointed with My Sister's Keeper, and One Day, for example. I happened across Divergent on a long flight and was totally hooked, same for The Hunger Games...so much so that I went and bought the trilogy and read it back to back after seeing the first film.

    I'd love to see some of Liane Moriarty's books as films - The Husband's Secret would be great on screen. Then of course there's 50 Shades coming out in Feb.....(I haven't read any of the books, but am interested to see how it's made into a film)



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    1. Louisa, I think I probably watched The Hunger Games on that same long flight that you did! When I got home, I grabbed a copy of the DVD so I could watch it again on a bigger screen.

      You know, I haven't read any of Liane Moriarty's books, but I've heard so many good things that I really must try one. I'll start with The Husband's Secret.

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  4. I loved The Lord of the Rings trilogy -- LOVED it. And the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (though, it's not movie length). The Hobbit was good fun -- try and get to see it on the big screen.

    I really want to read and see Howl's Moving Castle -- it looks fascinating. And, like Louisa, I may even go to see Fifty Shades when it comes out (I suspect, though, that it's going to have me laughing my head off and that might annoy others in the audience. Hmm...maybe I'll wait till it comes on dvd). ;-)

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    1. Michelle, they are two of my favourite adaptations - P&P and LOTR.

      Howl's Moving Castle was visually gorgeous and kept me guessing about where it was going.

      I haven't read 50 Shades either, and am also wondering about how they'll adapt it. Haven't decided whether to go yet - not sure if I want to pay the $$ at the cinema when I'm not overly keen.

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  5. Rachel

    I am not a big movie watcher but I have to say The Harry Potter books and movies are some of my favourites :)

    There are lots of books that I have read that I would love to see be made into a movie but they don't always get them right sadly I have just finished a great book Shooting Butterflies by T M Clark and I think that would be a great movie

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Helen, the Harry Potter movies were so faithful to the books - in content and in the spirit of the stories - that I love them just as much as the books, which is rare for me with adaptations!

      Oh, imagine the scenery of the movie version of Shooting Butterflies! Great pick.

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  6. Loved the Harry Potter and all the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movies. I've also enjoyed the Twilight transformations onto film (yes, really) and all the Dickens/Jane Austen/Bronte classics. All good fun. The nicest surprise was probably Snow Falling On Cedars - almost an exact replica of what I had 'seen' in my head! And the film of The Jane Austen Book Club was absolutely charming, a real winner. I could go on...

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    1. Malvina - we have lots of the same favourites! Re: Snow Falling on Cedars - I haven't read the book or seen the movie. But I'm off to google it right this minute. Thanks for the rec!

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  7. As Divergent is my daughter's favourite movie, I've seen it a lot of times and really enjoyed it. I also love the Lord of the Rings movie versions, fantastic!! Although it not a movie but a TV series, am really enjoying Game of Thrones (although have to look away lot!)

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    1. Jennifer, you're braver than I am - I had to give up on Game of Thrones. Mr Bailey is still a fan, and has bought the DVDs, but I can't watch.

      A fellow Divergent fan! I can't wait for Insurgent. I think it's going to be fabulous. Plus, Theo James.

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  8. I thought all of the Hunger Games movies were great adaptations of the books, they did a great job bringing it to life. I haven't watched or read The Fault in Our Stars yet...haven't worked up the courage because I know I'll cry like a baby!!

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    1. Stefanie, I think Fault in our Stars might be a good one to watch at home on DVD for exactly that reason...

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