 |
| a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves |
Being both a bookworm and a movieholic, I love when they decide to make an adaptation of a novel I enjoyed. At the same time, I'm scared because oftentimes these cinematic adaptations suck. For this week's Thursday Movie Picks we are asked to talk about the latter, which was incredibly easy for me as it would be far more challenging to find good adaptations. Anyway, without further ado, let's get started.
The Book Thief (2013) - Review
Markus Zusak's novel, other than being terrific, was a very special one as it was reading it that I had my first reading-cry. I knew the film wouldn't be as good but I was still expecting it to be decent. But nope. Many important parts of the story were either omitted or changed; death, which was a huge character in the novel, was barely in the film; and it doesn't even capture the horrors of the Nazis as good as the novel does. And you the funny part? I ended up reading the novel first almost by chance and if I hadn't I would have probably enjoyed the film.
The Girl on the Train (2016) - Review
I loved Paula Hawkin's novel and I still consider it one of the best suspense books I've read. And I love Emily Blunt. That said, I wasn't excited about this film at all because I had already read plenty of negative reviews. And they were all right because this film is a joke. The story is incomprehensible and lacks tension; they did some changes with the characters that didn't make sense at all.
The Woman in the Window (2021)
While it's not perfect, I enjoyed A.J. Finn's novel a lot and was really looking forward to watching this adaptation starring Amy Adams. Then Covid happened and we had to wait one more year to see it and, honestly, they should have just forgotten about it and moved on because this film is atrocious. Everything they could possibly do wrong, they did wrong. The atmosphere was all fucked up; the actors delivered everything with so much sarcasm; one of the characters isn't as sweet and nice as they were is the novel and therefore when the twist comes, it isn't effective at all because you can tell that character is evil by the way they talk and move. It really was a huge disappointment.
I enjoyed Girl on the Train but that might have been because I adored the cast so much. I decided not to watch Woman in the Window because everyone I know whose read the book has disliked it. Shame!
ReplyDeleteYou're probably the first person I know who likes that movie. Good call skipping The Woman in the Window though, that film is dreadful and unless you really, really like Adams, it's best to avoid it.
DeleteGreat list! I was a bit disappointed with the Woman in the Window too. The pacing was a bit slow at points and then that twist in the third act just came out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteIn the film's defence, the twist was pretty much the same in the book but there was a whole different explanation if I remember correctly, and also the twist was more effective in the book.
DeleteI'm 0 for 3 on these but I have to say that at least in two cases that's by choice.
ReplyDeleteI had been intrigued by The Girl on the Train when I saw it advertised but the blowback on it was so consistently terrible it discouraged me from tracking it down.
I actively avoid just about anything with the name Amy Adams attached so that keeps Woman in the Window on my no list. Good to hear that its crap, now I don't have to worry that I'm missing anything!
I never read The Book Thief though I know it is beloved. I'm not sure I even knew there was a film version but if it's underwhelming I think I'll keep my distance.
I'm in the same place with fretting that an adaptation of a book I love will be a disappointment, to often that's the case. I still cringe when I think of the utter trash heap they made of one of my favorite books, Pillars of the Earth. So it was regrettably easy to come up with three picks this week.
The Scarlet Letter (1995)-In a 17th century Massachusetts Puritan settlement Hester Prynne has a secret adulterous affair with the local minister Arthur Dimmesdale while her husband is in Europe resulting in the birth of a child-Pearl. Condemned by the townspeople she is forced to wear a scarlet A in perpetuity to atone for her sin. Such is the meat of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s moralistic novel, but you will find extraordinarily little of any message, or anything else, in this sexed up hash that stars Demi Moore and Gary Oldman. When it’s not vulgar it’s stupid.
All the King’s Men (2006)-Southerner Willie Stark is a simple man who once he is elected to office slides wholly into corruption stepping on anyone in his way and crushing enemies and friends alike in his insatiable quest for power until a reckoning befalls him. Author Robert Penn Warren’s roman a clef novel of the rise and fall of politician Huey Long won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into an Oscar winning film (Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress) in the 50’s. All that is thrown away in this cinematic dog where the director managed to attract an amazing cast (including Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Mark Ruffalo) and guided them all to giving some of their worst performances in a film that is both overblown and boring.
Romeo & Juliet (1936)-The tragic story of impulsive teenagers who because of their families enmity feel compelled to take drastic measures rather than be parted. More a stage text than a book but either way this stiff and clunky adaptation shots itself in the foot coming out of the starting gate by having 34-year-old Norma Shearer playing the 13-year-old Juliet and even worse Leslie Howard aged 43! cast as her 16-year-old swain!
I haven't seen any of your picks but Emma Stone in Easy A making fun of the Demi Moore version of The Scarlet Letter is enough to make me stay away from it.
DeleteIt sucks to hear so much talent was wasted in All the King's Men.
I've only seen The Girl in the Train as it was just... eh...
ReplyDeleteI have no interest in seeing those other adaptations as I'm sure they sucked ass.
Yeah, you're not missing that much.
DeleteNice picks! I enjoyed The Girl on the Train book as well, but the movie is incomprehensible. The cast was good but the tension is all over the place. I wish I had read The Woman in the Window before I watched the film too. I have a feeling I would've liked it more than the adaptation.
ReplyDeleteThere's still time to read the novel. Maybe just wait a bit until you kind of forget about the movie.
DeleteI mostly just remember my reaction to the movie, so I might be in the clear to read it near autumn. lol
DeleteWe match on Woman in the Window and I 100% agree with you on A Girl on the Train. It's crazy how changing the setting can affect a movie too. Not having it in England was a huge mistake.
ReplyDeleteIt really was! That change (and many others) made no sense.
DeleteI still managed to enjoy The Girl on the Train but definitely liked the book more. There were so many changes made that felt unnecessary though!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it worked better for you.
DeleteThe Girl on the Train was a really weird movie that definitely failed to convince me.
ReplyDeleteI have seen The Book Thief but I have not read the book so I really enjoyed the film. I liked the young actress who reminded me a bit of my mom although my mom was a bit older when the war ended. I am not sure about the last 2 to even see but I would like to read the book The Girl On The Train.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend The Girl on the Train book. It doesn't handle the shifting between characters very gracefully but other than that it's a great thriller.
DeleteI haven't read The Girl on the Train or The Woman in the Window. Still, I agree that the movies were terrible adaptations.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't surprise me. I have a hard time believing people when they say they liked these films.
Delete