Tag Archives: At the Movies

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And laughter is best medicine of all….

And while we’re on the subject of mental health and keeping sane during this time of year, let’s have a quick chat about laughter, shall we?

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Like cat’s purring, laughter itself is the manifestation of a physical state of being, is the body’s release valve, allowing for the pressure within the body, both good and bad.  But we’re mostly concerned here with the good, and the joyful, and the ridiculous.

This season is one of gathering-together, of socializing (forced or otherwise…), and of making new acquaintances.  And believe me, I know how stressful these kind of things can be.  The presence of food helps.  I have found some of my best holiday-party discussions have taken place over and around the quality of cheese being served.  But the injection of laughter is a guaranteed way to make things better.

As ever, there are scientific studies to back-up this claim.  It has been proved that laughter can bring people together by synchronizing the brains of speaker and listener, creating an empathetic bond.  Not only that, but laughter releases chemicals in the brain that can provide a sense of well-being and reduce tension.  It is also contagious.  The laughter of another person makes our bodies want to laugh, too.  It turns out that laughter is also an immunity booster, which is critically important when you’re shaking hands and rubbing elbows, particularly at a time when everyone has that unpleasant cough that’s going around.

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My favorite line from the study referenced above explains that everyone should be accountable to another person, and hold other people accountable for laughter: “It is important that people can check in with others from time-to-time, on ‘whether they have had moments of laughter’ or not.”

So this is me, checking in with you, beloved patrons, and making sure you’ve had your daily dose of laughter for the day.  If not, then go on and make yourself laugh.  You may sound like a creepy Bond villain for a few moments, but after that…see what happens.  And if you need a little more incentive, then have a look at the selection below for some suggestions to get you giggling.  And be sure to share that laughter with others.

It’s also been proven that laughter can reduce blood sugar.  So have some more pie while you’re at it!

3640186Mystery Science Theater 3000: This may be my favorite TV show.  Like, ever-ever.  The premise, though outlandish, is pretty simple: an evil scientist, bent on world domination, sends a hapless everyman to a space station (known as the Satellite of Love), and forces him to watch bad movies in order to monitor his mind. Said Everyman (in this case, Joel Hodgson, the show’s creator and first writer), creates two robots from parts found on the satellite to keep him company.  Why?  Who cares?  The result is comedy genius as these three compatriots endure some of the worst films ever released.  Joel was replaced by Mike Nelson in the show’s fifth season, but this in no way detracted from the quality of the show–in fact, for many, it actually enhanced it.  I dare you to watch these films, and listen to the jokes told about them, and not giggle, just a little.  Best of all, this show was designed to air on prime time in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, which means it’s almost entirely safe for family viewing…making it the perfect way to distract family members and friends alike.  The NOBLE network has a bunch of different episodes of the show, too.  Check out the list here.

3137973The Gallery of Regrettable Food:  Ok, so this may hit too close to home for some this holiday season, but for those of us who at least have a pizza delivery place on speed-dial in case the worst should occur, James Lilek’s book will keep you in stitches.  Lilek began snarking on mid-century cookbooks when The Internet was just getting started, and hasn’t stopped yet  (any why would you, when you have such comedy gold as these photographs?  Particularly the photos of meat).  This book brings together some of his best work, in chapters with titles such as “Glop in a pot” and “Poultry for the glum”, which are guaranteed to give you a chortle or two, especially around the Dinner Party time of the year.

2716448Gavin and Stacey: Sometimes, the funniest things are also the most profound, and this is never more true than in this BBC comedy about a young couple falling in love, their best friends, and the utter hilarity of real life.  Gavin and Stacey work for different branches of the same company, and, as a result, talk on the phone every day–but when they at last meet face-to-face, what began as a simple flirtation will become a relationship that will change both their lives–and the lives of their friends and family–forever.  This show manages to be both utterly hilarious and unforgettably emotional, often at the same time; though a bit more adult in terms of content and delivery, it is still a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.  Additionally, fans of late-late night television will recognize James Corden, who now hosts on CBS, in his first role (he also co-wrote this series).  Those in need of a real binge-watch can also check out Season Two and Three, as well!

2597561I Am America (And So Can You!): Harken back to a simpler time, when we could mock blowhards and bigots for the fools that they were.  Stephen Colbert’s first book, written in the voice of his Comedy Central persona on The Colbert Report is made even funnier by his over-the-top delivery and now-familiar bombast.  Like his show, this book is a series of utterly absurd opinions, unsupported declarations, and wacky conspiracies, all woven into a fictional biography that is so outlandish it can only be heard to be enjoyed properly.  The addition of special guests and special asides make this recording even better–and makes those Extra-Opinionated Holiday Guests just a little more bearable.

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Happy Birthday, Ennio Morricone!

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A young boy leads a mule to a water pump in the middle of a sun-parched desert.  He gazes out over the utter wilderness, and sees a single man riding towards him, a dusty hat casting a long shadow over his face.  The man appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in a world where no visitor is ever greeted without suspicion.  As the boy looks, a Spanish guitar begins to play a simple tune, accompanied by the gentle sighing of some violins.  Without a word being said, the viewer knows that, while this place is a dangerous one, it is also redeemable.  As the violins ascend to a major chord, we also realize that this man is not the villain of the piece–but he is in danger.  The moaning of some pipes picks up a familiar warbling tune….

It’s incredibly how much the score of a film can tell us, without a single word being said, or a single look exchanged.  But it takes a pretty remarkable composer to make the world of a film so tangible, and so unforgettable.

Today, though, is a day to celebrate one of those rare and wonderful composers, as the magnificent Ennio Morricone, celebrates his 87th birthday.

Ennio-MorriconeMorricone’s career is, in many ways, a history of modern film-making itself.  He began, though, as a musical prodigy in trumpet, completing a four-year course of study in six months (at the age of 12).  After nearly a decade as a classical composer, he began scoring radio plays, and eventually television dramas and comedies.  Apparently, it all came easily to him–in a later interview with The New York Times, director Barry Levinson, who worked with Morricone on Bugsy and Disclosure, said “He doesn’t have a piano in his studio, I always thought that with composers, you sit at the piano, and you try to find the melody. There’s no such thing with Morricone. He hears a melody, and he writes it down. He hears the orchestration completely done.”

It was the advent of the ‘Spaghetti Western’, however, that raised Morricone to international fame.  These films were relatively cheap to make, but scored enormous box-office success, because they played on myths of the American West, and the glory of the indomitable everyman hero.  By far and away, the best known of these films is A Fistful of Dollars, staring Clint Eastwood, and directed by Serio Leone.

Because Leone and Morricone were school friends, Morricone was invited to score A Fistful of Dollars…and the rest was history.  He went on to score the rest of the Dollars trilogy, as well as numerous other films, including The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, producing arguably the most familiar musical theme in cinema:

The soundtrack itself is kind of bizarre when heard out of context…the blend of mouth organ, Fender guitars, and chanting were as jarring for audiences in 1966 as they are today.  But it works for the film, cluing the audience in to the tough, blackly comic nature of the protagonists, and offering a strident, relentless beat to set the film’s tone.

From Westerns, Morricone moved into other genres, from political dramas to horror flicks, before being asked to score John Huston’s epic film The Bible, which brought him to Hollywood.

01884895We’d be here all day if I tried to list all the films for which Morricone has provided the score, but I can guarantee you that you have heard his music (outside of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, of course) in films as diverse as Lolita and The Legend of 1900 to Mission to Mars and Bulworth.  So, in honor of Ennio Morricone’s 87th birthday, why not come into the library and check out the music that has made films great.  With nearly 500 scores from which to chose, I can guarantee you that you’ll find something to your liking.  In order to save time, though, here are a few favorites for your consideration:

2273319The Mission: Morricone’s second Oscar nomination came for his score for this utterly profound, stunning beautiful film about the Spanish colonization of South America in the 18th century.  Check out a scene (featuring the most lovely oboe solo ever) here, which also features members of the Waunana tribe, who used the film as a way to protect and promote their indigenous language.    The blending of European hymns with their tribal chants can be heard here.  Though the subject matter may seem remote, this a wonderfully human film that features what is generally recognized as one of the most impactful scores in film history–AFI even listed it as one of the greatest scores of all time.  But my Grandfather said it should be first.  So we’re listing it first.

2712672The Untouchables: Brian De Palma’s depiction of the larger-than-life Al Capone (also played by DeNiro) and his persecution by Elliot Ness and his titular Untouchables has all the hallmarks of a classic gangster film–with the addition of a sensation score (check out the main theme for the film here).  This score, which includes period-specific pieces by Duke Ellington, earned Morricone another Oscar nomination in 1987.

3368502Cinema Paradiso: If we really want to talk about unforgettable film scores, let’s talk about Cinema Paradiso, a film in which a successful film director, Salvatore, recalls the relationships that shaped his life–with a film projectionist in his home town named Alfredo, and with the films that they watched together.  The final scene of this movie, when Salvatore realizes that Alfredo spent his whole life collecting the magical, human moments of films that the local priest demanded cut out, is backed up by the simplest, and loveliest of themes, composed by Morricone and his son Andrea…just watch it.  Seriously, I’m not crying.  You’re crying.

Finally, for those looking to revel in Morricone’s orchestrations by themselves, you simply can’t do better than this recording by Yo-Yo Ma, featuring some of Morricone’s most well known and beautiful pieces.

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At the Movies: Crimson Peak

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This is a very tricky post to write without getting mired in a vast quagmire of spoilery-spoilers, but we’re going to give it our best shot.

Crimson Peak has been touted as several things, all at once: a horror movie, a gothic romance, and, perhaps, most interestingly, as a feminist revisionary tale.  While the jury still seems to be out on whether it has succeeded in any of these categories, what everyone seems to agree on is that fact that this is probably one of the most unabashedly lush, visually detailed, and simply beautiful films you will see in quite some time.  Guillermo Del Toro doesn’t just use all the crayons in the box…he melts them down and creates new ones, because there simply aren’t enough colors (or textures, or nuances) in our everyday world for him, and the results are sometimes overwhelming, sometimes a little garish, but they are always extraordinary in their own way.

crimson-peak-houseWhile an ideal Halloween film in its own right, Crimson Peak offers plenty of literary perks.  It pays reverent homage to the gothic romances–those marvelous blend of love and death, and the clash of the fantastic with the mundane.  No where is this more evident then when Tom Hiddleston (as Sir Thomas Sharpe) arrives with his new bride, Edith (Mia Wasikowska) at his family estate.  The front lawn of the manor is covered with these weirdly grotesque, spider-like cranes, which we are told are the height of technological achievement, that will dig clay from the depths of the earth.  The manor itself, however, is a ghastly, crumbling wreck without a roof.  While it makes for stunningly beautiful shots, it’s snowing inside the house.  I’m not sure even Tom Hiddleston could convince me to hang out in a hatless house.

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Oh, who am I kidding? Not even Victorian sunglasses could make me abandon Tom Hiddleston.

What’s interesting here is that it is the people in the house, and not the house itself, that makes this story what it is.  This is no “Fall of the House of Usher”, where the characters are trapped within the walls of a crumbling house.  Instead, they make the house into the inhospitable nightmare that it becomes.

In addition, Crimson Peak also affirms what The Guardian claimed over the weekend: The Ghost Story is back…with a vengeance.  Some point to the rise of genre fiction and the general acceptance of ghost stories as legitimate, but there is a lot more behind the ghost story to simply wanted to enjoy having our pants scared off.  They also offer us a safe place to deal with some of our greatest concerns–about death, about the possibility of an afterlife, about the weight of regrets, and the hope of righting irredeemable wrongs.

It’s also about scaring the pants off people, too, let’s be honest.

And so, since we have begun the countdown to All Hallows Read, and because Crimson Peak is a great deal of fun, regardless of whatever else it might be, here are some suggestions for some other gothic/ghost stories for your reading pleasure:

1436746Northanger Abbey: The first of Jane Austen’s novels to be completed for publication was not published until after her death in 1817.  The book is a send-up of the standard novel, which was wildly popular in the opening years of the nineteenth century.  Rather than having a ravishingly beautiful heroine who is too good and pure to consider her hero’s affections until the final scene, Austen gives us Susan, who is a wonderfully down-to-earth, middle class young lady who loves the hero before he has actually even given her a second thought.  Austen also explicitly shows all of Susan’s fears and premonitions of danger to be utterly unfounded (and often the result of quite commonplace occurrences).  This is definitely one of Austen’s snarkier novels, and a terrific entrance into her work for those who haven’t had much experience with her–it’s also fun to see the way social criticism worked in the era before Buzzfeed.

3142162The Woman in Black: You can’t wander too far into a study of the ghost story without bumping into Susan Hill’s classic.  The fact that it has been a success in print, on stage and on screen gives some idea of the endurance and the power of this story: when Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor is sent to a solitary estate in the north of England to settle the estate of a reclusive elderly woman, he finds not only a house full of inexplicable noises, terrifying visions, and a rising sense of menace, he also finds himself touched by a deadly curse.  Though the story is full of subtle illusions and creepy descriptions, the film is a smorgasbord of jump-scares and musical stings that are guaranteed to keep your heart pumping.

3654037Little Sister Death: This new release was discovered posthumously in the papers of beloved southern writer William Gay.  Apparently, Gay had a career-long interest in the Tennessee Bell Witch case (which was also the inspiration for The Blair Witch Project).  In this telling, a young author brings his new wife and young daughter on his exploration of the myth of Virginia Beale, known as the Faery Queen of the Haunted Dell…but what he finds is a deep and tangled family history of blood and hatred that forces him to reconsider everything he believed–including his own sanity.  This book also features a touching introduction to Gay himself that will convince new readers to explore the rest of his body of work as soon as possible.

3573177Penny Dreadful: If you’re looking to capture the same aura of Crimson Peak, and revel in that late-Victorian clash of life and death, sex and propriety, honor and secrecy, you won’t have to look any further than this gruesomely delightful series.  Penny Dreadful is a marvelous mash-up of gothic adventure and literary references, as Victor Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and Count Dracula all rub shoulders with the relentless and bewitching Penny, who is driven by a quasi-spiritual, deeply personal need for revenge.  Though certainly not as shocking or as difficult to watch as, say American Horror Story, this is still a series that pushes boundaries, but does so in a clever way that will leave you curious and eager for what dark marvels wait around the next corner….

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“Tom Cruise isn’t coming to steal your books”: A word about adaptations

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So because my birthday was last week, Stephen King made an appearance in Cambridge to moderate a discussion with Lee Child, author of the much-beloved Jack Reacher novels (at least, that’s what my dad told me–not because Lee Child just released a new book).  The event was a wonderful one for fans of Child and King alike, not in the least part because it turns out that Child and King are enormous fans of each other, and spoke together not only as colleagues and fellow wordsmiths, but as delighted readers who ad just met an author who had a profound influence on their literary life.

And, unsurprisingly, in the course of this conversation, the topic turned to issues of film adaptations and the perhaps misguided selection of actors to play certain roles (Cough–Tom Cruise!!–cough, cough!).  It seemed that, by and large, readers still had not yet come to terms with an actor who would never be mistaken for tall, or rugged, playing a character who is defined by his height and rough-hewn survival instincts.  King and Child, however, attempted to assuage the masses, in part by discussing the nature of film-making and casting, but also by offering one of the most fascinating pieces of counsel I have ever had the good fortune to receive.

“I want to assure you,” Child said, with a little British smile on his long British face, “that Tome Cruise is not coming to steal your books.  When it’s all over, the books will still be there.”

And after I overcame the urge to leap out of my chair and cheer, I began thinking…what is it, really, about film adaptations, that so upsets many devoted readers?  Because, truthfully, no one is coming to steal your books.  And when you come home from the cinema, the books, and all the words inside them, will still be waiting for you.

I think, in part, at least, it might have something to do with that sense of ownership we feel over the characters and scenes in books we have loved, which we’ve mentioned previously.  For someone else to tell us what Jack Reacher, or Kurt Barlow, or Edmund Bertram look like seems like heresy; we know what they look like, and sound like, and act like, because, in part, we brought them to life through the act of reading.

On another level, nothing is as scary/romantic/moving/surprising on screen as it is on the page, precisely because your own imagination is fueling those scenes of terror, or love, or reunion, or shock.  When you see the product of someone else’s imagination on screen, there is nothing for your brain to add.  This is precisely why no aliens are ever scary once they walk on-screen.

Actually, there are some superb adaptations out there; works that allow us to explore relationships that the author could not (for example, in the latest Brideshead Revisited film, where we could finally talk about the relationship between Sebastian and Charles with a measure of honesty), or to unpack issues that the book may have rendered obscure (like The Painted Veil did for Kitty’s feelings towards Walter), or show us flashy magic or grand explosions in a way that, perhaps, our imaginations can not (I, for one, can never imagine being as cold as Jon Krakauer was on Everest, so I look forward to the film showing me what a blizzard on the world’s tallest mountain looks like).  Adaptations also, occasionally, give authors the chance to revisit and re-consider previous works.  Douglas Adams stated that whenever he adapted The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for another medium, like film or radio, he always changed things up, not only so readers could see a different story, but also so that he could explore options that he didn’t when writing.  Though this doesn’t really excuse the poor production qualities and general lack-luster feel of the latest Hitchhiker’s film, it does, at least, make us that much more grateful for the book, I suppose.

Which brings me back to Child’s words of wisdom.  Movies aren’t coming to steal our books, or to take that experience of reading away from us–or from anyone else.  What they can do is offer us, at their best, is a new way of looking at characters or events, give us a chance to visually wallow in period details, or, at their worst, a chance to be grateful that we have those books to savor, and the pictures in our imagination to sustain us.

Here are some adaptations for your readerly consideration:

2426609The Painted Veil: As I mentioned above, I personally think this is one of the most successful adaptations I have seen.  It is pretty closely based on W. Somerset Maugham’s novel, in which Dr. Walter drags his adulterous wife, Kitty, to China, where he has been assigned to assist in a cholera hospital during one of the largest epidemics in Asian history.  While the book is a moving and engaging one, the film moves past Maugham’s inherent ambiguity about Kitty and Walter’s relationship, showing us the joys and tragedies of getting to know the person you married, wholly and completely.  It also delves into issues in Chinese history just after the First World War with a sensitivity and insight that Maugham was simply not in a position to do.  All in all, this is a visually stunning, deeply engrossing love story–between people and places–that is definitely worth checking out.

2421451Jane Eyre: Though there are aspects of Charlotte Bronte’s seminal novel that seem generally un-adaptable, this version seems to ‘get’ Jane’s quiet-but-steel-willed personality, and also captures the tension between her and Rochester in pitch-perfect fashion…and even allows us to see a few moments that Bronte couldn’t…this is no ‘bodice-ripper’ by any stretch, but by showing us Jane and Rochester touching and (gasp) kissing (!), it also allows us to realize just how powerful–and dangerous–their relationship was for the time period in which they lived.  I love the fact that the film makers weren’t afraid to allow the two main characters to look plain, ugly, and generally human, as it enhances the power of their performances and relationships immeasurably.

2414590The Prestige: This is a tricky one to discuss for those who haven’t read the book, but suffice it to say, this is one of those films that allows us to see what authors attempt to describe: in this case, magic, both the mystical and the technological kind.  Christopher Priest’s novel is a wildly complicated, deeply complex story of two warring magicians in the late 19th century, and the film embraces not only the heights of the Age of Invention, but also the depths that these two men are willing to go in order to prove their own superiority.  Plus, David Bowie plays Nikola Tesla.

3650525Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: Oh, I’m sorry, did you think you could get through a post on literary adaptations without this one getting mentioned?  Not going to happen this week, beloved patrons.  This adaptation not only captures the simply breath-taking quality of simple magic with simple tricks and angles, but the grand, awe-inspiring majesty of it, as well.  Truthfully, it was interesting to read reviews of this miniseries in Britain, which generally complained that the adaptation was too close to the book.  Which seems to be a different problem entirely, and one that we shall have to tackle on another day….

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More Books On the Screen…

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In the past, I have been skeptical of page-to-screen adaptations...as discussed previously, it’s always difficult to balance expectations with reality, or to find the book that you read in the show or film that a production company put on the screen.  But, as was proven with the super-terrific Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, good adaptations do exist, and they can captivate book-lovers and film-buff equally, together, and individually (and yes, we admit we have an addiction to this book, but if loving it is wrong, we don’t want to be right).  Not only that, but the incredible advances in technology means that a great many tv shows have the production values, casts, and special effects of many films, meaning that you can enjoy your favorite shows at home.  In your pajamas (hooray!).

Not only that, but productions are also acknowledging the enormous obligation they have to the reading public.  Perhaps the adaptation of the Harry Potter novels were a turning point; with such an enormous fan base demanding to see their favorite books on the screen, Hollywoodland realized the power that readers can wield, both imaginatively and financially.  Today, many authors are consulted on the scripts of their shows/films–and some even help with the writing (Stephen King and Neil Gaiman, particularly, seem terribly fond of adapting their own work for the screen).  The results are often quite delightful.  Susanna Clarke, the author of Jonathan Strange and mr. Norrell wrote a wonderful article about watching her characters come to life, saying that “nothing, I find, has prepared me for the sight of my own characters walking about. A playwright or screenwriter must expect it; a novelist doesn’t and naturally concludes that she has gone mad.”

But her madness translated into viewers’ delight, and offered hope for readers that the future of literary adaptations is a bright one.  So for today’s post, I thought it might be fun to take a look at some more literary adaptations that have made it to the big screen–and are bound soon for the small screen.

imagesPaper Towns: Fans of John Green (and really, everyone should be a fan of John Green, if not for his books than for his super-fun and highly educational YouTube channel) will delight in this second adaptation of his work.  Paper Towns tells the tale of Quentin “Q” Jacobsen, a high school senior who revels in the mundaneness of his life…until he meets Margo Roth Spiegleman, a fellow classmate, who is shrouded in an air of mystery.  But after Margo and Quentin sneak out for a bizarre midnight adventure, she disappears, leaving Quentin to piece together the clues and discover where she went.  Green, as ever, defies convention in this book, challenging the “cool, mysterious, manic-pixie-girl” stereotype in a really interesting manner.

MV5BMTUwODU3NjQxNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODE2NTE4NTE@._V1_SX214_AL_The End of the Tour: This sleeper indie hit seems to be hitting all the right notes with film-fans and bibliophiles alike.  Based on David Lipsky’s memoir Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, this film tells the story of the five days Lipsky spent with Wallace on his book tour, following the publication of Wallace’s Infinite Jest in 1996.  Lipsky recorded nearly all of those five days, providing an enormous treasure trove of material from which to develop his book–and from which the screenwriters developed this film.  Reviewers have called the material “a biography in five days”, and they provide a fascinating insight into one of the most original minds of his generation.  The film benefits from sensationally sympathetic performances by Jessie Eisenberg and Jason Segel as Wallace.

1997610American Gods: Just remember–you heard this here first.  Apparently, Neil Gaiman’s sensational, haunting, fiendishly clever book is being adapted for television, with Gaiman himself writing the script for the pilot.  Shadow has just been released from prison with nothing–the death of his wife and best friend in a car crash has left him with no ties left on earth. He becomes a bodyguard to the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who seems to know far more about Shadow than anyone should…and gradually realizes that Mr. Wednesday is not the man he seems.  It turns out that Wednesday is an ancient god who is determined to gather the manifestations of the old gods of Americas whose followers have passed away.  This is one of those shows that will either by sensational or god-awful (pun intended), but with Neil Gaiman contributing to it, I can only surmise that this is a series that cries out to be binge-watched.

The debate over books-to-the-screen is always a difficult one, and issues of adaptation can prove more hazardous than international treaties, especially for devoted fans like you and I, but I think it’s safe to say that things are looking up in the world of adaptations–what say you, beloved patrons?

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PS: Check it out!  The library has pre-ordered the Blu-Ray of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.  Loud cheers!! 9781408856888

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Saturdays @ the South: Read it before you see it? That is the question.

read_or_watchI spent a lovely and engaging seven weeks watching Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on BBC America, the adaptation of Susannah Clarke’s tome set in a magic-infused England that, sadly, ended last Saturday. The show was fantastic; magical, funny and suspenseful in all the right places. This mini-series was an unusual experience for me because I hadn’t read the book prior to watching the show. I remember remarking how it was nice to see something like this and be able to take it in fairly unprejudiced. I knew little about the book except for it’s existence and that the premise intrigued me so when I watched the series, I was able to take it in with fresh eyes and experience the twists and turns (and there were plenty!) with surprise. I plan to read the book (it’s been on my to-read list for a while now) but I’m wondering just how much my reading of the book will be affected by what I’ve seen.

When I read the book before seeing the movie, my view of the movie is definitely colored by what I’ve read. Recently, I was eager to see Still Alice because, despite the utterly sad and somewhat helpless feeling it left me with, Lisa Genova’s book was richly detailed, well-researched and truly moved me. I felt for Alice and through her I felt that I could somewhat better comprehend the cloud people with Alzheimer’s live in. I wondered as I read the book, how this-or-that detail would come across in the movie and whether or not certain scenes would translate onto film the way they did in my head. So I was sorely disappointed when many of the details that I thought gave the story so much of its emotional impact were left out of the movie entirely. This happens a lot with me (and I have it on good authority that it happens to some of my friends, too, so at least I’m in good company) but more often with books than with movies, I get emotionally attached to certain parts of the book (or in some cases the entire book) and feel crushed that a part that I loved so much in print was left out or interpreted differently.

There’s also the flip side, where reading a book after seeing the movie can leave me confused or find it difficult to get into the book. I had this experience with Wicked. Before you check the catalog, there’s no movie version (yet… I hear one is in the works) but I saw the musical before I was able to read Gregory Maguire’s fantastic book. I love both the way one might love two children: equally, fervently but with different reasons for each because they are so different themselves. When I picked up the book after seeing the show I completely lost! Maguire’s Wicked, for me is a read-more-than-once book anyway, but the show and book took on different themes, different events. I was confused and frustrated; why couldn’t I plug in some of Stephen Schwartz’s great songs into the text? I eventually appreciated the book for its own beauty and its own story, but it certainly did take me a while.

So there is the great conundrum of book-to-movie (or musical) adaptations. Which to do first: read or watch? And once you choose, how happy are you with your decision? There’s no right or wrong way to read a book (or see a movie for that matter) so there’s no right answer here, but with the host of adaptations coming this fall, which path will you choose? Here are some adaptations coming out this fall and links to their accompanying books. Hopefully, this might help you decide….

3209695Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Riding the success of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, Charlize Theron stars in this adaptation of one of Flynn’s earlier works. Libby Day witnessed the murder of her family as a young child and testifies against her older brother Ben, but later in life she starts to question what really happened that night.

1945843A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is the first author who introduced me to the wonderful world of travel memoirs and I have him to thank for my go-to “beach reading” genre. This is the book that started it all for me. I read it in public and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud and disturbing everyone. Several times. A middle-aged family man tries to find himself and decides to trek the Appalachian Trail with the only friend crazy enough to go with him. Naturally, hilarity ensues; though, this was very likely a case of not-so-funny-when-it-happened…. This adaptation stars Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.

3208730Black Mass by Dick Lehr & Gerard O’Neill

Johnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch star in this adaptation of the book written  by two former Boston Globe reporters who worked on Whitey Bulger stories since his rise in the 1970s. When John Connolly, who knew Bulger in childhood tries to indoctrinate the king of the Irish mob as an informant for the FBI, the two powers clash; their deal spirals out of control and into drug-dealing, racketeering and murder.


3459381The Martian by Andy Weir

Astronaut Mark Watney is one of the first people to walk on Mars, and may well be the first person to die there after his team accidentally leaves him behind on the red planet during a freak storm. He’ll need to use every skill he has in order to survive. This adaptation stars Matt Damon.

1987353In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

During the peak of the whaling boom off of Nantucket, the whaleship The Essex set sail and was sunk 15 months into its voyage by sperm whales who attacked the ship. If this story sounds a bit familiar, it should. This is the real-life encounter that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. Nathaniel Philbrick, author and historian describes what the survivors of the wreck went through in their attempts to survive. The adaptation stars Benjamin Walker and Chris Hemsworth.

Till next week, dear readers, I hope you enjoy whatever you’re reading or watching.

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At the Movies: Mr. Holmes

Article Lead - wide998209890gib5sdimage.related.articleLeadwide.729x410.gib3oi.png1437274751273.jpg-620x349We’ve discussed the creator of Sherlock Holmes in a previous post, but with the release this week of Mr. Holmes, starring Sir Ian McKellan as The Great Detective (and the explosion across social media of a teaser trailer for the Christmas special of Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman)  it seems the time has come to discuss Holmes himself in a little more detail.

Holmes first appeared in 1887 in the pages of A Study in Scarlet, which was a part of the massive (and massively popular) Beeton’s Christmas Annual.  At this point, Holmes is approximately 27 (experts have deduced his birthdate to be Jan. 6, 1854) and is essentially That Guy who hangs around in the laboratory of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, performing odd experiments which generally put everyone off their lunch.  Thanks so a lack of funds, he has been trying to find a roommate, but we learn, fairly early on, that no one is willing to live with him…which, frankly, isn’t too surprising when Holmes’ first description of himself is “I dabble with poisons a good deal”.

Fate, however, was kind, and brought Holmes together with Dr. John H. Watson, his best friend of more than thirty years.  It is through Watson’s devotion that we learn anything at all about Holmes, but what we see isn’t always pleasant…he is disorganized to the point of being a slob, he is curt and self-absorbed, fires revolvers in the house because he’s bored, has a long-standing addiction to cocaine (which, granted, wasn’t classified as an illegal substance when he was using it, but Watson and Doyle were adamant that the stuff did more harm than good), and faked his own death several times in the interest of a case without alerting his only friend to the fact that it was all an act.

Perhaps some of the appeal lies in Holmes inscrutability.  Conan Doyle himself wasn’t too particular about his details, and as a result, we have a man in a deerstalker hat, with a calabash pipe–but no parents, hardly any family, and few memories.  We can recognize his face and his catch-phrases with ease, but readers only get brief glimpses of the man himself in the course of the stories, tantalizing details that are all the more powerful for their scarcity.  In truth, his flaws may be the very things that make him so loveable.  Unlike so many other literary heroes (particularly in Holmes’ era), he isn’t perfect, and doesn’t pretend to be, either to himself or to Watson (who loves him no matter what).  Yet somehow, he prevails.  He has the power to set the world to rights again, if only a very small scale.  And, that assurance, that someone so flawed and so odd, can still succeed, is perhaps the most meaningful aspect of Holmes’ character throughout the ages.

Yet Guinness Book of World Records lists Holmes as “the most portrayed character” in history, with more than 70 actors playing the part in over 200 films since 1900.  Indeed, there is a charming scene at the opening of Mr. Holmes when the 93-year-old detective (McKellen) ducks into a movie theater, only to be forced to watch The Young Sherlock Holmes (not one of the best pastiches to hit the screen). So if you are eager to learn more about The Great Detective and the myriad actors who have portrayed him, come in and have a look through our collections!

hbaltBasil Rathbone: Rathbone is still the name that most people associate with Holmes on screen, even if only a few of the films were based on actual Holmes stories.  He certainly looks precisely like Sydney Paget’s illustrations of Holmes, which may be why he found himself cast in The Hound of the Baskervilles instead of Gone With the Wind, despite lobbying enthusiastically for the part of Rhett Butler.  The Rathbone era was also the period when Watson was portrayed as little more than a bumbling oaf, and it seems incredible that Holmes would put up with such idiocy, even if it does make his own cleverness a little more obvious.

hound2Peter Cushing: Stars Wars and Dr. Who veteran Cushing portrayed Holmes for Hammer films (the same studio that made The Mummy and The Horror of Dracula), with Christopher Lee in the role of Sir Henry Baskerville.  Though not really the most stellar of adaptations, it’s fun to see Hammer try and do a literary adaptation–and highlights the very real difficulty every Holmes franchise has had with bringing the immortal Hound of the Baskervilles to life.

Jeremy-Brett-as-Sherlock-Holmes-sherlock-holmes-14711339-501-713Jeremy Brett: Though Rathbone may be name people remember, Jeremy Brett’s portrayal of Holmes is considered widely to be the best.  Brett captured Holmes’ darker, troubled side with subtle grace, and wasn’t afraid to confront the unsavory aspects of his character head-on.  Best of all, Brett, and the rest of the production team, were deeply committed to creating the most accurate depiction of Holmes possible, and their on-set ‘Bible’ is considered a benchmark of Holmesian scholarship.  This series also gave Watson his due, emphasizing his intellect and empathy, and reveling in the humor and affection in their relationship.

downloadRobert Downey, Jr: Holmes’ experts and devotees are still a bit undecided about Guy Ritchie’s version of Holmes and Watson.  While this certainly is a series that emphasizes Holmes’ stranger tendencies to the point of making him a caricature, Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law absolutely capture the long-standing, long-suffering relationship between these two men, emphasizing their mutual co-dependency in way that few other adaptations do.

sherlockjpg_2777748bBenedict Cumberbatch: Currently the most famous iteration of Holmes, Stephan Moffat’s series launches Holmes and Watson into the twenty-first century, which gives this show the room to explore their relationship, and Holmes’ personality, in a whole new light.  A number of questions have been raised over the course of this series, including the designation of Holmes as a ‘sociopath’, or his ambivalent relationship with women, but there is no doubt that Cumberbatch and Freeman have made a new generation into Holmes’ aficionados.