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Book vs. Film ~ Jurassic Park
What began as a revolution in computer generated special effects finished as a national sensation over gargantuan dead reptiles (which have more in common with present-day birds) nationwide. As a child growing up in the late 90s, I was quickly infected with the same curiosity about dinosaurs which had engulfed millions of my peers, and ...
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Book Vs. Film ~ Love in the Time of Cholera
Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a great writer not because he gives each of his readers a window into a world, but because he gives them a vista. His masterful, take-my-hand-and-I’ll-take-you-there style invites each one of us into the verdant sprawl of South American jungles, festering humid air, lands ripe with fruits and fauna, as well ...
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Book vs. Film – Of Human Bondage
It was difficult reconciling with my favorite author after discovering he may have been Hollywood’s first in a long tradition of sell-outs. W. Somerset Maugham was the novelist who Orwell described as, “The modern writer who has influenced me the most”, praising his ability to tell a straightforward story without frills; in other words, a ...
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Book vs. Film – The Unbearable Lightness of Being
For my eighteenth birthday, I was given fifty or so books as a present by various family and friends. I’d been a heavy reader most of my life, but these books represented a change from the easy fiction I’d been accustomed to reading into, marking a more serious step towards literature. All of the gifted ...
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Book vs. Film – A Single Man
The night I finished reading Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man (1964), two thoughts went through my head: first, where’s the Kleenex? Because I was a sniffly, teary mess. And second, I prayed that Tom Ford had not found some way to fuck up this beautiful, subtle novel. One of those wishes came true, just not the important ...
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Book vs. Film – Crazy Heart
Every once in a while, I come across a book that makes me think, “Wow, this could be a great movie.” More often, I come across a movie that I enjoyed very much and find out after the fact that it was a book first. When that happens, I tend to wind up disappointed by ...
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Book vs. Film – Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have at least heard of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. I don’t know if it’s one of those books that was really big when it came out and then sort of faded away, or if it was always had something of a ...
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Book vs. Film – The Princess Bride
When I participated in the 30 Day Book Meme on my blog, I was worried about not being able to fulfill Day 20, which was supposed to be about my favorite romance book. I didn’t have a favorite romance book, so what’s a girl to do? I had The Princess Bride in mind as soon as I ...
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Book vs. Film – Where the Wild Things Are and The Wild Things
There may or may not be a law requiring every child in America to read Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. I may be in violation of that law because I have no memory of the book, just a vague awareness of its existence and meaning. Regardless, I was excited when the film was announced. ...
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Book vs. Film – Let the Right One In
I came to own this book through something of a happy accident. I had ordered a copy online for a birthday gift, but it hadn’t arrived in time. In order to get my friend’s gift to her, I bought a copy at the bookstore and kept the one that was in the mail. I was ...
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Book vs. Film – Revolutionary Road
Richard Yates’ 1961 novel has been held in high regard since its debut. Revolutionary Road was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1962, and was named one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to present by TIME magazine in 2005. Just a few short years after being named to the list, the novel got the ...