Whuh? Why the hell’s a movie site talkin’ about them thar readin’ books? Next they’ll be askin’ us to be a-learnin’ on our own time, an that thars aginst God’s own will boy.
Generally speaking, we’d much rather watch the movie than read it’s literary counterpart, I mean, since when did books have flashing colours, Robocop and the possibility of a Jenny Agutter shower scene? And let’s not forget, movies are done in 2 hours straight, while a book can take aaaaages to plough through, particularly if it’s the latest chapter in the Twilight series and you keep hurling it out of the window halfway through.
While all the above reasons are 100% true by us, there are a few paperbacks out there that haven’t yet received the Peter Jackson overhaul (not a euphamism), so the staff at STS decided to head to the local library and steal a few weighty tomes. Here’s what we came back with – it’s our: Top 5 Books That Should Be Movies!
Watching this latest adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book, It’s often hard to remember that this is only Spike Jonze third film, such is the assured individuality on display here, his reputation for quirky filmmaking intact as he avoids the pitfalls of adapting such slight source material, and produces a delicate and considered work that may be heavy going for family audiences, but contains enough layered material to reward attentive viewing by young and old alike.
After the abominable bit-partery of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Oscar Wilde’s personification of vanity claws his way back to leading man status in Oliver Parker’s surprisingly faithful, if lacklustre adaptation.
Robert Schwentke obviously faced a tough job adapting Niffenegger’s rich, layered novel for the screen, and while it often feels both lacking in depth and overcrowded, Hapless Time-Jumper Henry’s struggle to build a relationship with Clare, remains intact, and it’s here that the film genuinely scores points.
