I loved Jurassic Park when I was a kid.  It was an amazing movie that was full of fantastic creatures, realistic-looking monsters, drama, tension, action, and it was a massive hit in the theater.  It’s still a movie that I think eclipses more recent films and, in some ways, it’s better than its sequels. However, any fan of the movie should check out the novel.  I really enjoyed this book by Michael Crichton. It does follow the movie, or I should say the movie follows the book, but there is so much added and more details that it’s a fantastic read that any fan of the movie would enjoy. Frankly,…

With the second part of It coming out this year I thought I’d look at this book-to-film adaptation.  To begin with, the book is one of King’s classics and it’s one of his heftier works that jumps between the lives of a group of kids/adults at they span three decades of fighting a horror in their hometown.  The book is a descriptive, long story that really takes us into the world of the Losers’ Club and the terrors, both supernatural, personal, and human, they face throughout their lives. It also goes well into the trauma they face after fighting a monstrous being that’s had decades of killing under its belt.…

The old and common phrase of many readers coming out of a theatre can be heard when the film was based off a novel.  “The book was better” is something that has been touted since Hollywood realized they could capture ready-made stories from books and, potentially, bring in ready-made fans of the book.  Also, for some non-readers, it’s a chance to experience a story that has captured many people without having to read a single page. Yet, the question of whether to read a book first, or just forego a movie altogether, has often cropped up but is there a correct answer?  Mind you, a movie and book both have…

Obviously, a lot of The Hobbit was changed for the film, but a good deal of the main points of the source material, like Bilbo getting the ring, talking to Smaug, etc., did remain in tact and were great adaptations.  For me though, some of the exaggerations can be forgiven because taking a book to a screen can sometimes require embellishment, especially when it’s a move on the scale of this one. The battle at the end of the movie was enlarged and the size of Smaug was also increased but these things, for me, can be overlooked.  I loved the scenes, especially in the Lonely Mountain, and there are…

I was a big fan of The Hobbit when I first read it but when the movie came out, I was so excited to see this book I’d loved come to life.  However, some people were a little upset with the film because it took a smallish book and turned it into a trilogy.  Yet, for me, I really enjoyed the drawn out story. I’d heard it said that we should read The Hobbit novel with an idea of “this is what happened” and when we see the movie, it’s more like Bilbo retelling it.  The fish got a little larger but the truth is still there. While I won’t…

This is one of King’s darker, possibly more gothic stories, as the characters seem to face one travesty after another but they are self-inflicted.  I liked the story and it’s not a very long read, but the Netflix version of 1922 is pretty good too, in my opinion.  It’s for sure worth a watch if you are a fan of the novella by King as it stays pretty close to the source material but does a great job in bringing the story to the screen.   Mind you, this isn’t one of King’s most famous works but it’s still a great chilling story.  With King you get the horror aspect…

As we end the series that was based on the wonderful book by Susanna Clark, we see the action pick up pace.  After the altercations between Norrell and Strange over Strange’s book, we find that the Gentleman (the faerie Norrell unleashed) is causing chaos of his own.  Strange explores the limits of his power and encounters the Gentlemen in his homeworld (Lost Hope), which infuriates the faerie. Strange is cursed by the Gentleman and is returned to our world but anywhere he goes a whirlwind of shadow follows that is slowly draining Strange’s life.  Meanwhile, Lady Pole is able to communicate the she and Mrs. Strange have been held captive…

As we continue on in the series we see the action starting to pick up.  Again, there will be spoilers and vagaries ahead so if you haven’t read the book or seen the show, but want to, please be aware. Now, as Jonathan Strange begins to increase in his knowledge of magic, thanks in part to his own skill, Mr. Norrell, and Mr. Norrell’s books, he is called to serve England in their war against France.  Strange has to work hard to win the trust and admiration of the soldiers and the commanders but soon finds ways to make himself of use to the cause and is welcomed by the…

I really enjoyed the fantastic Susanna Clarke novel that allowed for this show to find a home on the BBC.  The show does a fantastic job of capturing the stories and the characters in the novel and I have to say, for me, this was one of those shows/movies where I really enjoyed it just as much as I did the book.  There are a number of interesting characters throughout, the use of magic as a profession in 19th century England is unique and the story that these people follow is intriguing and nuanced to the point where it’s one you can watch multiple times without seeing it run stale.…

The classic by Agatha Christie featuring detective Hercule Poirot is a novel that has been read by countless folks over the years and is a unique “who-done-it” novel with a bit of a surprise ending.  While the book was one I really enjoyed, I’m typically more critical of movies as I do tend to be one of those “the book was better” people. Apologies. However, I think this movie stayed pretty true to the novel in a way that made it exciting but also brought the book’s pages to the screen.  I find it difficult to decide how I feel about such situations. For one, I like when a movie…