1. The Book Thief. I read the book several years ago and really loved it. I'm definitely due a reread before I see the movie! The Book Thief is a really incredible, haunting WWII story and the style of the book is very unique (the narrator is Death). The movie trailer seems surprisingly lighter than I expected, so I'm curious to see how closely they stick to the book.
2. Catching Fire. I didn't love this book like I did the Hunger Games, but it's much better than the last book, in my opinion. I like that there will be more political stuff happening amongst the districts in this film, and that all of the tension that was building up in the first film will really break loose here. :) The Hunger Games film was one of the best book-to-film adaptations I've ever seen, so I'm hoping they keep up those standards here.
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. While I think three Hobbit films was totally unnecessary, I'm not complaining about getting to go see it at the theaters two more times than I anticipated! :) I missed the LOTR films in theaters (I went through that phase a few years later), so I love that I'm getting another chance of sorts. I really enjoyed the first part.
4. Saving Mr. Banks. The only non book-adaptation on my list! :) But it is sort of bookish in a sense. First of all, isn't that photo great? Second of all, you can't just stick a moustache on Tom Hanks and pretend he looks like Walt Disney, but that doesn't lessen my excitement for this film one bit. :) Anyway, this movie sounds so awesome. I love all things Disney and learning about Disney history. I love the Mary Poppins books and how book-Mary Poppins is so cross and conceited and completely unlike Disney-Mary Poppins (I do love the musical, too, by the way). Mix all of that with Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, and some gorgeous 60s clothing, and this is pretty much a movie that was made for me. I can't wait to see it.
And just a few other little random movie sort of things....
There is hopefully going to be another Narnia movie! The Narnia books are my favorite books ever, so I am beyond thrilled with this news, especially since it seemed like it would never happen. I feel like the three Narnia movies kind of went steadily downhill in a way. The first one was perfect, the second one was really good, but by the third one they were straying too far from the books and trying a little too hard to make something besides a Narnia film. (I still enjoy them all, though.) I'm really hoping that The Silver Chair will actually be made and that it'll be lovely and successful enough for them to finish out the series in films. By the way, The Silver Chair is probably my favorite book in the series, so I can't wait to see it adapted!
Also, the creators of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries have a new adaptation that just started earlier this month: Emma Approved. I'm loving it so far. I love the story of Emma, anyway, and though some people find her annoying, I've always rather liked her. And can we all just recognize that Mr. Knightley and Harriet Smith are also spot on? (And that Mr. Knightley is really good-looking? Come on, you know you were thinking it, too.)
And if you're into these new web adaptations of classic literature, or if you're just a Jane Eyre fan, you should definitely check out this web series. It is a lot lesser known than the Austen adaptations, but it so awesome. I think Jane Eyre would be a really difficult story to adapt to modern settings, but they are doing an incredible job so far. I highly recommend it. And please give it a try beyond the first few episodes...I didn't like them very much but things get better quickly!
What films are you looking forward to? Are you watching Emma Approved or the Autobiography of Jane Eyre?
Yay for 'Catching Fire' and aw, Mr. Banks looks cute. :)
ReplyDeleteBetween you, Ruth and various Twitter friends, clearly I *need* to see Emma Approved. In fact, I still have to finish LBD. Just put a bunch on a disc today so hopefully soon I'll get to those. Then... I can blog about it! ;)
I'm looking forward to seeing The Book Thief as a film, too. Haven't seen the trailer yet...must do that soon.
ReplyDelete"The Hunger Games film was one of the best book-to-film adaptations I've ever seen" <-- this. Completely, absolutely, agree with you!!! They did a superb job, and I can't wait to see what they did with Catching Fire! Also, I agree with you that the first book is the best. It is.
More Hobbit!! Yes! Yeah, I still think three movies is overkill, but I'm not complaining to loudly;)
I want another Narnia movie so, so much. The Narnia books are my favorite books, too. So special to me, and I really disliked what they did with VotDT. The first one was absolute perfection. And despite the romance they cooked up between Caspian and Susan, I truly enjoyed Prince Caspian. Good movie. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that they'll remain more faithful to the book when they adapt The Silver Chair. I love that one so much.
I approve of Emma Approved. ;) And I'm completely loving The Autobiography of Jane Eyre!! They're doing an amazing job!
Okay, I loved this post. It's full of my favorite things. :)
I'm looking forward to all of those too (although I had forgotten that they were doing a film adaptation of The Book Thief... such a great book!). The only other movie that I have on my personal list is Thor: The Dark World. I love me some superhero movies. ;D
ReplyDeleteI've also been enjoying The Autobiography of Jane Eyre and Emma Approved (and you are completely right about Mr. Knightley – he is so dreamily handsome). :D I'm really excited to see what they continue to do with them!