Blogging From A-Z

I could do a movie/book comparison, but I’m too tired today.  I read the book a few years ago (here) and watched the movie last night.  Amazingly, they both felt the same to me.  I’m sure there are differences, but my feelings about the story and each of the characters was the same for both.

Q and his buddies are not popular in high school, but they’re seniors so that part of their life is almost at an end.  Margo is popular, really popular, and Q has been in love with her since she moved in across the street over a decade before.  They had been friends before high school sorted them into different spheres.  One night not long before graduation, Margo sneaks into Q’s room and convinces him to join her on what turns out to be the best night of his life.  Thinking it was the beginning of something special, he is confused when Margo disappears the next day.

This was a good movie starring Nat Wolff who was Isaac in another John Green movie The Fault in Our Stars and Augustus from that same movie, Ansel Elgort, has a funny cameo.  My favorite part of the book and movie was the friendship between the three boys and the road trip they took together, even if it ended in heartbreak for one.

Solid movie based on a solid book.

Blogging From A-Z

I love Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.  He is the man.  If I ever get into any kind of trouble I hope that Reacher is going through town so that he can take care of it.  I was late to the series and am not rushing through so I’ve read the first 11 of the series.  I compared the first Jack Reacher movie with the book it was based on here.  Tom Cruise was not a popular choice to play the anti-hero, but I think he managed to pull it off.  I was surprised that they made a second film after the limited success of the first.

Never Go Back is based on the 18th book of the series, so I have a little while before I read it, but I did watch the movie with Jason over the weekend.  Jason loves the series too and thinks that Cruise is a good Reacher.

The movie is good.  He kicks some butt, but amazingly doesn’t sleep with any women in this one.  He might have a daughter, he escapes from a military jail, and he travels to both DC and New  Orleans.

So, if you are a fan of the series, who do you think is the perfect Jack Reacher?  I’ve always thought if Liam Neeson were a decade or two younger he might be able to pull it off.

Blogging From A-Z

I joined the Classics Club a few years ago and the goal is to read 50 classics in 5 years.  Well, I have less than 3 years to read 39 classics!  Yikes.  When the letter F came up I was going to watch Father of the Bride, one of my top 100 movies, but then I saw this on the shelves at the library and decided to give it a try.  I’ve never read Thomas Hardy and if I liked the movie then I could add the book to my classics challenge.

Far From the Madding Crowd is a 2015 film featuring  Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Michael Sheen.  Bathsheba Everdene is on her aunt’s farm in 1870 England when she meets Mr. Oak.  He proposes.  She says no husband, no way.  She inherits her uncle’s large, very successful farm.  The neighbor, Mr. Boldwood, asks her to marry him.  No husband, no way.  A soldier shows up one day and kisses her, boom, they’re married.

I liked the movie quite a bit and think I will add this to my classics challenge.  Sure, I’m a sucker for a good romance, but more than that I really want to get to know Bathsheba a bit better.  She is a fascinating woman.

Has anyone read it? What did you think?

Blogging from A-Z

I’m more likely to watch a favorite movie again and again before I’d re-read a favorite book.  Maybe it’s because a favorite movie takes less time or I can share that time with a friend.

Desk Set, 1957

Cast-Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Joan Blondell, Gig Young

This was the 8th pairing of Tracy and Hepburn and their first color film.

Bunny (Hepburn) is the head reference librarian in the research department at the fictitious Federal Broadcasting Company.  She has a beau in the company and after seven years she still holds out hope for more.  Sumner is an efficiency expert and a man with a machine, EMERAC.  As he spends more time in the research department the women there start to fear for their jobs.

Why I love it – I’m a Hepburn fan (Katherine and Audrey). I love the strength, smarts and independence that Katherine pulls off in every film.  She was able to shine as the woman who knows everything (or at least how to find it). I like Tracy well enough, the easy chemistry between them seems so comfortable after all of their years and roles together.

Like the recent Hidden Figures, it is about an office of women depended on for their intelligence who were slowly being replaced by computers.  Remember when we had to use the card catalog to find references and information?  Well, these women were Google before Google.  Librarians don’t get enough big screen attention.

It’s light and fun and the dialogue is sharp. A smart romp that will leave you smiling.

I realized this last time I watched it that the screenplay was written by Henry and Phoebe Ephron, parents to Nora who would go on to write so many iconic romantic comedies.

Here’s a clip…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO7YjISL2XA

Blogging From A-Z

I decided to give this month’s challenge a movie theme so today I’m writing about one of my top 100.

Catch and Release, 2006

Cast-Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis, Sam Jaeger

The movie opens at the funeral of Gray’s (Garner) fiancé, the wedding cake in the refrigerator ready for the big day that would never happen.  As Gray tries to find her bearings after six years with Grady, she leans on his friends who are just  as in the dark about the real Grady.  When Maureen shows up, kid in tow, everyone has to reassess who Grady was and what that means for the future.

Why I love it– Okay, to be completely honest, I didn’t like this the first time I saw it.  I thought the story was convoluted and felt like it was missing something.  This may be still be true, but since then I’ve seen it several more times over the years.  It’s a comfort movie and it’s got some great kissing scenes 🙂

I love the actors.  Kevin Smith carried the movie with his humor and heart, while Olyphant and Garner turned up the heat.  The Boulder setting was beautiful and makes me want to visit!

What would you do if you found out devastating news about the man you were supposed to spend the rest of your life with after he died?  Maybe you wouldn’t do what Gray did, but I think some of us would wish we had the grace and courage.

I love this soundtrack. All of it.  It may be what keeps me coming back (well, that and the kissing). What If You is one of my favorites and I discovered while writing this that musician Joshua Radin is from Cleveland.  All the cool kids come through Cleveland 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo6Lg6ffNmA

Blogging From A-Z

When I went to hear author Eloisa James speak last month she mentioned the original story of Beauty and the Beast and I realized that it had never occurred to me to wonder if Disney had taken liberties with the source material.  So, I did a little looking around and found that the tale originated with Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740 and, yes, Disney and others since then have molded and shaped the stories into something different.

Instead of Gaston there were brave brothers.  Instead of jealous village beauties there were jealous sisters.  Instead of enchanted servants there were fairies that seduced and helped.  But, in the end, a rose is still a rose and the tears of a beauty still transformed a beast.

Some researchers think that the Beast could have inspired by this real man, Petrus Gonsalvus, who had hypertrichosis.

I admit that I prefer Dan Stevens, interesting likeness just the same.  I like the Disney version, although having read more about the original I’d like to see that onscreen too!

I did like the new version with Emma Watson and nothing can beat the songs.  Have you seen it? What did you think?