Archive for the 'Based on a novel' Category

Atonement

Published
by
Lij
on January 24, 2008
in Based on a novel, Drama, Romance, WWII and War
. 0 Comments

Atonement is a beautiful film, full of stunning imagery and moments of musical intensity. I see why it recently won Best Picture-Drama at the Golden Globes — it is intense, what a movie critic would probably call “sweeping,” dramatic, heartbreaking, remorseful, and unusual.

The “sweeping” intensity comes from the fact that the film doesn’t spend a lot of time telling you how the characters got from one place to another. The first act takes place entirely over one afternoon and evening, and while it gives you a bit of backstory here and there, you’re pretty much right in the moment. The viewer almost feels the ungodly heat of summer in that act, as the characters try to stay cool. The plot goes back and forth in time a lot, giving you different perspectives on certain events. It’s jolting the first time it happens, but it is done masterfully and becomes a natural part of the flow.

The film is dramatic because it covers such monumental events in these characters’ lives. It shows how little decisions and misunderstandings can lead to life-changing situations. Young Briony, who could perhaps be called the main character, misunderstands and misreads so many moments that she literally destroys the lives of the people she loves, including her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley, who is amazingly not mouth-gapingly irritating in this movie!) and childhood crush Robbie Turner, played by James MacAvoy, whose roles are getting more and more interesting.

Eventually, Young Briony grows up and is played both by Ramola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave, all three of them dwelling on the same part of Briony’s character: her guilt and how she comes to terms with it. (Yes, how she atones for it.)

The movie is certainly heartbreaking, but the rationale behind that claim is for the viewer to understand. I’m going to guess that many viewers will disagree on where the real tragedy is found in Atonement: in Cecilia, in Robbie, in their relationship, in the war, in Briony’s guilt, or in the moment early on when Robbie accidentally passes his dirty note to Cecila through a nosy Briony, causing the whole thing to change from innocent confusion to less innocent anger.

I would definitely recommend Atonement, and based on the recommendations of my good friends, I’m going to get the book and read it just as soon as I can.

Pollock

Published
by
Chalupa
on January 13, 2008
in Art, Audio Review, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Biography, Drama and Independent
. 0 Comments

Pollock is a wonderful biopic directed and starred in by Ed Harris all about the tragic life of Jackson Pollock, the American artist. Liz and I did another audio review for this one.

Pollock audio review

I Am Legend

Published
by
Chalupa
on January 6, 2008
in Based on a novel, Drama, Horror, Neo Noir, Sci-fi and Thriller
. 1 Comment

This was part two of our double-header from the weekend. I had heard mixed reviews about this going into it. Most people were saying it was good, but others were saying they didn’t like the last third of it. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, but I might put the ending into the cookie-cutter category for the zombie genre.

I Am Legend is about a soldier and scientist, Robert Neville, played by Will Smith who is trying to find a cure for the virus that cured cancer. Just like in Charlie Wilson’s War, the parable about the boy who gets a horse is lived out - good can lead to bad, which then leads to good. In an interview given by April Grace, you might recognize her from Magnolia, we find out a virus was “re-programmed”, as Emma Thompson states, to fight and eradicate cancer cells. They had 10,009 successful cases. I really wonder how long they had been doing these trials. Eventually this virus spread amongst the general population killing 90%. One percent was left immune while the other 9% turned into “dark seekers” and fed on the immune. Robert Neville, one of the immune, is trying to find a cure.

Most of this movie is just Will Smith doing his thing in an abandoned New York City. His only companion is his dog, Sam. He seems to have it together. He has a well protected home, several vehicles for both practical and recreational purposes, a good stock of food and plenty of weapons. It’s only when he goes to “rent” his daily movie that we really see what kind of fragile state he is in psychologically. I can’t really imagine what it would be like living that way. At least he had his dog to interact with.

Now we get to that ending people were complaining about. Eventually Neville catches a glimpse of hope. He might not be the only one left…for just second, then everything goes to hell in a hand basket with a lone-survivor making it in the end. This is very reminiscent of zombie movies, vampire movies, the Resident Evil series and even 28 Days Later. I think this is why people had complaints. Personally, I enjoyed it - every minute of it. I don’t think it would make my top 10 list for 2007, but this is definitely worth a watch. On a side note, you might be interested to know that Smith’s actual daughter, Willow Smith, plays his daughter in this movie. Seems like all of his kids are getting acting roles lately.

Afterwards, Liz was telling me that the book this was based from is supposed to give scientific evidence to vampires. This made so much sense to me after seeing the movie. In most vampire stories there are supernatural reasons as to why vampires exist. In this case the author of the novel, Richard Matheson, wanted to use science and did a pretty good job from what I can tell. If you like this movie, you might be interested to know it was directed by Francis Lawrence who also did Constantine and is also working on a new, modern adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves called Snow and the Seven.

The Martian Child

Published
by
Chalupa
on November 13, 2007
in Adoption, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Based on a true story, Drama, Family and Sci-fi
. 0 Comments

I’m always a sucker for a good John Cusack film. I think the first film I saw him in was The Journey of Natty Gann and I’ve been a fan ever since. Another interesting tidbit is how often his actual sister, Joan Cusack, plays his sister or another character in his films. She happens to be his sister again here. They just have such a great brother-sister dynamic.

If you didn’t know, this is based off a book. Liz read it to review for an online magazine she’s the books editor for, Infuze, and really enjoyed it. She did say that there were some noticeable differences between the two, but they were both good.

John plays David, a sci-fi writer, who adopts Dennis, played by Bobby Coleman. Dennis has trouble relating to people and believes he’s from the planet Mars. David was seen as maybe a good fit for Dennis because of his childhood similarities and some of the books he has written. Amanda Peet also plays Harlee, a friend of David’s and his deceased wife.

In a way, this movie was a little manipulative like I am Sam. It’s definitely not easy trying to care for Dennis or help him merge into a social life, but David goes out and achieves anyways. It was also cool to see Peet in a role where she wasn’t the sleazy, crazy or slutty type. I’m not saying she’s type-cast, it was just nice to see her in a different kind of role.

It has also been cool to see Cusack play the roles of a concerned father/parent figure in the past few films he’s done. In 1408 he’s the father of a dead child. In Grace is Gone he’s a recent widower and father, and in Identity they’re all trying to protect the young boy. Even though John Cusack has a long list of very unique films and characters, I always think of him as doing the romantic comedies and it’s cool to see him play different roles.

This might be a good movie to see after reading the book or vice versa. It’s worth your time and could maybe even be considered one of those “feel good” movies like Amelie.

Into the Wild

Published
by
Chalupa
on November 4, 2007
in Adventure, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Based on a true story, Biography, Coming of age, Drama, Homeless, Loneliness and Road Trip
. 3 Comments

If you haven’t already read the book this movie is based on, then you should probably go pick it up at your local library. I myself haven’t read it yet, but my wife does own it and has been on me to read it for a couple years. I consider myself lucky to have seen the movie.

Emile Hirsch portrays Christopher McCandless, a recent college graduate who is dissatisfied with society and the business people fall into. He wants to experience nature and live off the land. He doesn’t want to be tied down by a job, money or useless laws and regulations. He wants to live a simple life and enjoy the beauty that can’t be found in bustling metropolises or busy cities. He wants to head North to Alaska where there are mountains, rivers and endless sky. This is a true story that includes many people that encountered Christopher, or Alexander Supertramp as he liked to call himself.

McCandless came from a less than perfect home. A home that can all too easily be summed up partially be Wes Anderson’s commentary on the American family, The Royal Tenenbaums. Christopher wanted to get out and see the world. In a way, maybe he left his family to get back at them. He greatly affected a great number of people he met on his way and befriended everyone in an uncanny Dude-like manner that the Coen’s created in their film, The Big Lebowski. On the other hand, there were also people he hurt like his sister that was abandoned along with his parents.

Throughout the movie though, we see “Alex” hitching rides from town to town, getting jobs to pay for what he needed, and even kayaking from Colorado to Mexico. He did all of this before the age of 25. That seems pretty amazing to me because I’m 26 and I can’t say I’ve accomplished many of those things.

To expound on his Dude-like qualities, I was really amazed how no one was too old, young or culturally different from McCandless to be his friend. Chris was always able to relate to people and be their friend. I think deep down inside everybody feels this way. Everybody wants to be liked. Everybody wants to have friends and be somebody’s friend. However, for some reason, declaring, “I want to befriend everyone I meet” just doesn’t sound very manly or macho. What’s wrong with that? I think it has something to do with being tough, showing emotion and making yourself vulnerable.

I highly recommend this movie and the book, even though I have yet to read it myself. One thing my wife mentioned after the movie was she wished they had shown some of the effects on people Chris had met after they learned of his death. She said everybody took it pretty hard. So I guess if you loved the movie, there’s some motivation to pick up the book and give it a read.

Stardust

Published
by
Chalupa
on September 18, 2007
in Adventure, Based on a novel, Fantasy, Narrated and Romance
. 0 Comments

I wasn’t really sure what to think of this one from the previews, but it looked interesting. I’m also a big fan of Claire Danes, Peter O’Toole and Robert De Niro. So Liz and I gave it a shot in L.A. It was definitely entertaining. It was a bit long in parts and is definitely geared towards the kids. This is probably something you could take the family to and everybody would be ok with it.

I’m always surprised by DeNiro in relation to Pacino. Both actors have done many similar projects but in the past 10 years DeNiro has definitely stepped out of the mold and has been broadening his horizons. It all started back in 1999 when Analyze This came out. This was followed up by the Rocky and Bullwinkle movie, Analyze That, Meet The Parents and Meet the Fockers. He even did a voice on Shark Tale. At first my reaction was that he must need money. Bad. I don’t really feel that way anymore. You might say DeNiro was kinda type-cast as an Italian gangster/tough guy. I think he’s been trying to break that mold and is doing a good job at it. Pacino has done a variety of roles but I don’t think they’re as recently diverse as DeNiro.

There are a lot of recognizable faces if you choose to go see this. Lots of cameos where you’ll recognize people from all sorts of things. I wouldn’t rush out to see this. Stardust isn’t a must-see film on the big screen. Still worth watching some time though.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Published
by
Lij
on July 21, 2007
in Adventure, Based on a book, Based on a novel, England, Family, Fantasy and Sequel
. 1 Comment

There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said about Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, which came out more than a week ago. I only saw it last night, shortly after re-reading the book. The last time I read it was when I bought it at Heathrow Airport in the summer of 2003, after my sister’s wedding in Nepal. I had planned on buying the paperback when it came out, but as soon as I saw the book in the airport bookstore, I had to have it.

The same thing happened in 2005, when I saw Book Six (Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince) in a bookstore in Lourdes, France.

Then, the same thing happened today — the release date of the final book — when I was at the mall running an errand. There it was, staring me down, and I was forced (forced!) to buy Book 7, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows.

I like Harry Potter a lot. I think that JK Rowling is a creative genius. I would love to have even an ounce of her creativity and ingenuity for myself.

I guess I’m telling you all of this because unless the movie just sucked, I was going to love it. This is a biased, unfair review, because I LOVE Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix. I love the storylines, the character conflicts, the absolute perfect portrayal of what it’s like to be 15. I love the book so much, and that meant that I could only love the movie. Oh, and I love Sirius Black.

The best moment of the whole movie, I think, was when Harry confessed to his godfather Sirius, “I’m angry all the time.” The darkness of the story lets us know that a major part of this anger comes from the connection between the Dark Lord Voldemort and Harry himself, but the honesty of the story tells us something else: it’s also because he’s 15, and when you’re 15, you have little control over your emotions.

Sure, the director of Movie #5, David Yates, tried to cram a whole lot more than he should have into the movie. But how could he not? Also, he does a great job of knowing what to leave out: Hagrid’s story of living with the giants, the emotional saga of Harry’s banishment from Quidditch, the lengthiness of Dumbledore’s eventual conversation with his favorite student about the history of the prophecy in question.

Yates also knew what was essential: the relationship between Harry and Sirius, first of all, and then Harry’s emotional state. We’ve seen Harry abused and defeated through four books/movies, despite his victories. In the fifth chapter, it’s finally taking its toll. He’s tired, and he’s unsure of himself.

And that’s what Yates does so well to capture. He understands that exhaustion and that weakness, and he shows it to us plainly and honestly. The movie definitely has flaws, but despite them, it’s a really, really good story.

Animal Factory

Published
by
Chalupa
on June 28, 2007
in Based on a novel, Crime, Drama, Independent and Racism
. 1 Comment

This is a movie I’ve seen at Best Buy, Blockbuster, etc for a long time and I’ve always wondered what it’s like. The cover just makes it look so good. I wouldn’t say this was amazing, but I really liked it.

Directed by Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe and Edward Furlong are both inmates in a prison. Dafoe is the head of a faction in the prison and Furlong has just been incarcerated. Like most prison shows, movies and stories, Furlong needs to find some friends fast or he’ll turn into what they call “fresh fish”. This is where Dafoe and his gang of thugs step in.

Dafoe has never seemed like a big and scary person, but he pulled off being tough and formidable here. I wouldn’t want to mess with him. It’s no wonder so many stand up for him in this prison. For some weird reason, he latches onto Furlong and looks out for him; being genuinely friendly in the process. Dafoe sees something in this young man that he doesn’t have with his fellow inmates: intelligence, wit and somewhat of a striving to better oneself. The dynamic duo makes plans to escape. In the end only one of them makes it out, but that’s ok. We’re left feeling like this is how things were meant to be.

This left me wanting to finish watching all of Oz, a TV show about a hard-core prison. I was also left wondering why Dafoe took the time and effort to even look out for Furlong. Maybe this was a peek into the humanity of his character. I’d say this was also some good directing by Buscemi. Interestingly enough, he directed a couple episodes of Oz after making his prison movie. So I guess the real question is does Animal Factory remind me of Oz, or does Oz remind me of Animal Factory?

Knocked Up

Published
by
Chalupa
on June 11, 2007
in Based on a book, Based on a novel, Comedy, Coming of age, Drama, Drugs and Romance
. 0 Comments

Yet another amazing creation from Judd Apatow. If you’re a fan of Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared or 40 Year Old Virgin, you’re sure to love this one as well. It’s full of faces you’ll remember along with more side-splitting comedy.

In this film Ben, played by Seth Rogen, meets Alison, played by Katherine Heigl, at a bar and she gets “knocked up”. The story then unfolds as Ben tries to do the right thing and be a responsible father while Alison is trying to deal with an unplanned pregnancy and living with her sister who’s having some marital problems of her own. Mixed in are Ben’s stoner buddies and all kinds of hilarious one-liners that will probably have you laughing out loud. Most of this humor is pretty crude though so it’s something to keep in mind before going to see it. There’s a good chance you could be offended.

One thing I love about Apatow’s projects is they just seem so real and down-to-earth to me. I see these characters and I can relate to them, or they embody someone I know. I see realistic conversations and situations being played out that I could see happening or have heard similar stories about. I think this is why I like it much more than your run-of-the-mill comedy/romantic-comedy that creates impossible situations with unbelievable outcomes.

This has to be right up there with Hot Fuzz being some of the funniest movies of the year. I highly recommend seeing this one.

Notes On A Scandal

Published
by
Neville
on February 23, 2007
in Based on a novel, Drama, England and High School
. 0 Comments

What can’t Judi Dench do? She can play the Queen of England with a fierce, jewel-lined-smile in Shakespeare in Love. She can play the rambuctious, sexually free owner of a dying English theater in Mrs. Henderson Presents. And now she’s playing a sexually frustrated and lonely old school teacher (borderline crazy teacher at that) in Notes on a Scandal, another Oscar-nominated performance. So what can’t she do? Really?

Even though Notes on a Scandal feels like raw material for an ABC Sunday Night Special, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett (also nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category) set this film high abovce that status. Told with conviction, a North-Country-meets-The-Talented-Mr.-Ripley-meets-Psycho-meets-What-Ever-Happened-To-Baby-Jane little schoolhouse drama/thriller that eventually creeps you out and makes you chuckle at Dench’s voice over at the same time. Clearly a great DVD rental, if not somewhat unsettling, this movie’s just one of the many in the long line of 2006 that could be called “good films.” And speaking of 2006. Top ten lists you three????