News of the World

 

 

The Book:

            Alright, I knew nothing of this book when I first picked it up. Turns out it’s a story about an older gentleman who earns his living in the old West in Texas by reading news, both local and international (when he can get papers) to towns for a small sum. Most people can’t read, and this is their only exposure to what’s going on in the world.

            As he travels, he meets two acquaintances who are transporting a young girl that had been taken by Indians back to her kinfolk in San Antonio. She was taken as a small girl and had spent a couple of years with the tribes and is somewhat feral and doesn’t speak English anymore. They convince the older gentleman to take charge of her and deliver her to her relatives as he travels south through Texas.

            The book follows his attempts at learning how to communicate with this young girl and the various encounters they have on the open road between towns.

            I really enjoyed this one because it was a good story about someone who had basically lived a solitary life being saddled with a young girl who didn’t want to return to civilization. They learn to trust one another and develop a kind of shorthand with one another.

            I hope the movie shows how they come to depend on one another and how difficult their relationship begins and then evolves.

 

The Movie:

            I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Tom Hanks was going to be cast as Captain Kidd because I pictured him as a crusty (but in a good way?) kind of old man. One who is set in his ways, but has a strong moral compass and duty to do and be good. Tom Hanks plays such lovable characters, and even though Captain Kidd is a good man, he’s not what I would consider lovable. He’s had a hard life and it’s made him hard.

            Turns out, it totally works. I apologize to Tom Hanks.

            I really liked this movie. It has such expansive scenery that it feels isolating and beautiful at the same time. It feels lawless and hard. Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel, making her American cinema debut, work so well together. She doesn’t talk much and still manages to emote with expressions and sullen looks. He plays Captain Kidd with resolve and a determination to be responsible for this girl who is suddenly placed in his path. They do change the manner in which he takes charge of her from the book, but it doesn’t affect the story.

            Definitely go see this movie. Very well done.

 

The Verdict:

            This is hard. I really liked the book and there are elements that of course the movie left out. They did drastically change the family of Captain Kidd and the ending isn’t the same, but the movie did such a great job telling the story. I loved the story-telling embellishments that were done in the movie that helped to generate a sense of importance to what Captain Kidd does for each town his visits and the news he shares. It is an odd job to have, but the way the movie portrays it gives it meaning and purpose that seems more understandable than the book.

            Can I say it’s a tie? No, probably not. But it’s close. The movie wins.

 

My Current Reading List for 2021

 

            Alright guys, so here’s the thing. I’m never not reading… seriously. I go to bed every night reading books. I just stink at keeping you updated. So, I’m letting you know what books I’ve got on my list for possible reading for this year…which I’m sure I’ll change around and update as release dates change due to Covid.

            I also have a list of reviews that I’ve completed and will be putting up…

 

So here it is:

 

    Shadow and Bone – a book by Leigh Bardugo. I technically have the trilogy for this series which is due to become a Netflix show sometime this year.

   The Knife of Never Letting Go – by Patrick Ness. This is a movie with Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland. I am hoping to get to a theater to see it when it comes out.

    Two kisses for Maddy – by Matt Logelin. This is a movie with Kevin Hart and will probably make me cry.

    The Reincarnationist Papers – by D. Eric Maikranz. This will come out in May and is looking like it’ll be an interesting trippy read. Looking forward to this one.

   The Nightingale – by Kristin Hannah. This is about WWII but the story is told from a woman’s perspective. I love reading books set in this time period so I’m hopeful this will be a good one.

    Nine Perfect Strangers – by Liane Moriarty. This is coming to Hulu at some point this year, and seems like a good mystery book.

 

            All of these books have movies or series hopefully coming out this year to the theaters or to a streaming service.

 

As for the list of book and movie reviews that will be put up in the near future…told you I was still reading things...

           

Here it is:

    News of the World: such an interesting story set in the old West of Texas.

    The Queen’s Gambit: who hasn’t seen this on Netflix? Turns out there’s a book behind it…

    The Circle: an interesting story about how much we want to include technology in our lives.

 

            And I’m debating whether or not to put up Murder on the Orient Express. It’s a classic Agatha Christie mystery, but the twist is something I would guess most people know about already…

 

            Anyhoo…. Got any good books or movies that I should check out? What are you guys reading?

 

Ready Player One

 

The Book:

            This awesome book by Ernest Cline was one of my favorites to read. It takes place in the not-too-distant future where it follows Wade Watts as he tries to find Halliday’s Easter Egg. Halliday created a virtual reality called the Oasis, which becomes wildly popular and people basically spend all day online – going to work, school, hanging out, trying a thousand different worlds and opportunities to be found there. After Halliday’s death, he announces to the world that he’s hidden three keys which lead to three gates and if you can find all the keys and gates first, you get his Easter Egg, which is control over the Oasis. This obviously starts a huge hunt but in the five years after his death, not even the first key had been found.

            What is wonderful about this book is the references to 80’s pop culture – books, movies, songs, games, people, you name it. Halliday loved the 80’s and so a deep study of his life and interests are key to finding the keys and gates. Ernest Cline does a great job littering fun references to all kinds of things throughout the book.

            This book was engaging, entertaining and full of great imagery. The plot line was solid and while character development isn’t a big focus, you still enjoy the relationships that are displayed in the book. All in all, a fun read.

 

 

 

The Movie:

            Alright, the 2018 movie of Ready Player One was one that I was massively anticipating because I enjoyed the book so much. It was….how shall I put it….very loosely based on the book. Very loosely.

            It still follows Wade Watts, albeit in a different setting, as he struggles to figure out the clues to find the first key. The commonalities between the movie and the book are: Same character names, still three keys, still a contest, Halliday and his hunt exist, same bad guys… and that’s about it. The key riddles are different, there are no gates, the circumstances of the contest are different and even what happens to key characters is different. This movie was so loosely based, it could almost be its own movie altogether.

            The one plus side of this movie was the visuals. It has so many “blink and you miss it” moments where it shows 80’s characters, subtle music cues and sound effects. It was fun to watch because you get to see how many things you can recognize, but it’s hardly based off the book that you kind of need to view it as a separate thing.

 

The Verdict:

            Book wins! While I enjoyed the movie, its plot is not as strong or engaging as the book, and the visual treats are not enough to connect the movie to the book. It has a decent Rotten Tomatoes score of 72% so its definitely not a bad movie, just not based off the book. Watch it for its entertainment value, but read the book for the great story.

Where'd You Go Bernadette?

 

The Book:

            Man, this book is funny. I can see the situations playing out in my head as the author, Maria Semple, writes them out. I really enjoyed reading about Bernadette and how she got to the point that she did. This book is written as a series of notes, emails, letters, and discussions that have been compiled to give you a picture of the events that led up to Bernadette going missing. As a mom myself, I identify with the part of you that gets lost when raising children. Here is Bernadette, an amazing architect, whose life is suddenly filled and taken over for caring for her daughter. Now I’m not saying that it’s bad to be focused on raising children, goodness no, but rather that I understand how those personal projects and interests get set aside while you are raising children. I think this is something that happens a lot and can be a struggle to bring those back to the surface and still work at being a mother.

            I also liked in this story how Bernadette relates to the other moms at her daughter’s prestigious school. Sometimes it seems like you are the odd parent out and the “gnats”, as Bernadette calls them, are merrily going along to a tune you don’t know. I have run into a few “gnats” myself who’s concerns and problems and ideas sometimes come out of nowhere and don’t make sense to me. Like who decided I needed to shape my children’s lunch into characters? I look at some of these “Pinterest moms”, as I call them, and shake my head. I mean, good for you for doing that, but I definitely don’t feel compelled to do it. I’ve been known to not only not create characters for my kid’s lunch, I’ve even phoned it in by tossing a lunchable in their backpacks!

            I think this book is really good. It’s a fast read and has a lot of humorous parts in it.

The Movie:

            Alright, I was so excited when I heard this was going to be made into a movie because I wanted to see the designs that are described in the book come to life. They do a great job of showcasing all the little side projects Bernadette does in her home. It’s definitely run-down and crazy as is described in the book, but then she’ll walk into a room and the doorway has a bunch of artfully designed pencils going around the top. It’s full of these little artistic moments where you can see she started a project and then let it slide.

            I also liked Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of Bernadette. She comes off as slightly screwy but in a real understandable way. Emma Nelson, who plays her daughter Bee, is perfect. She’s fierce in her mother’s defense and so sweet at the same time. Kristen Wiig plays the crazy next-door neighbor who sadly has less of a role in the movie than the book, but still does a great job.

 

The Verdict:

            The movie wins! While I really liked this book, it does have a real annoying subplot where SPOILERS! the husband has an affair. This is completely removed from the movie, as he is just a work-acholic like in the book. This omission also has the effect of not destroying the family and creating a more stable ending for all the characters.

            Another main difference between book and movie is the book has Audrey, the next-door neighbor, offer help to Bernadette and as a way to repair their dysfunctional relationship. I did like this aspect, as the neighbor unnecessarily causes drama where there isn’t any, but in the movie, it’s a much better character arc to have Bernadette seek out help from her neighbor. This shows more personal growth and an acknowledgment of her actions towards her neighbor.

            Overall, read the book, but definitely enjoy watching the movie!

Dune The Review

 

Dune The Book

 

            Dune is a 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. It tells the story of Paul Atreides who arrives at the planet Arrakis, aka Dune. His family is overthrown and his mother and he must learn how to survive by living amongst the secretive natives called Fremen.

            I liked this book overall. The story was engaging, and there were several plots and arcs to follow. It wasn’t overly descriptive however, and I had trouble imagining some of the machines, and places talked about in this book. There is a crazy extensive vocabulary needed to understand what’s going on and the author just jumps right in. While there was a term list in the back of the book to define several of the made-up words that Frank Herbert uses, I didn’t end up referencing it much because it was too much work to keep switching back and forth.

            The book also gets super existential at times because Paul uses the all-important export of Arrakis, known as spice, to heighten his mental and visionary capabilities. While he is thus wandering through time and future possibilities, the author gets really flowery with his words and it can be hard to follow what’s actually going on.

            Excluding all the mind-trippy stuff, the story is really pretty good. Paul is forced to grow up fast and is tested at a young age. The novel follows his growth as he comes into his own, both mentally gifted, and as a leader among the Fremen.

Dune The Movie

 

            Dune the movie first came out in 1984. It follows the book fairly well as it tells the story of the Atreides family and their move and the coup that happens on Dune. One major thing this movie does is provide crazy visuals that aren’t really described by the book. Sometimes this is awesome, as you really get a sense of the sand worms that live on Dune, and sometimes it’s awful as they make the Harkonnens really gross looking and industrial/militaristic, especially the villain Baron Harkonnen. Man is this character gross. In the book he is described as being so fat that he has to be supported by a machine that levitates him because he can’t move under his own power due to his weight. But in the movie, this man is diseased, and has plugs and oil over him. He comes off as completely unhinged and greasy.

            One thing the movie completely ignores is …. SPOILER ALERT…. the fact that Paul and his Fremen concubine, Chani, have a son together. While not crucial to the plot, it does help to round out the reasons why Paul acts like he does. Another thing the movie does that isn’t in the book at all is make words kill. I know that sounds odd, but the movie would have you believe that certain words when spoken can kill a man, set fire to him, and obliterate him. Um, no. This is not in the book. The Fremen do learn how to fight differently, but they aren’t running around yelling things at people and exploding them. 

THE VERDICT

        Overall, I liked the book better. While it may be difficult to understand at times, and hard to visualize in places, it’s a good story of a boy who grows up and must learn how to accept his destiny – both the good parts and the bad, in order to become the man he ultimately is. The movie is fun for its sort of campy style, and an interesting part played by Sting, but in the end, the book wins. 

Welcome!

 

WELCOME!

    Welcome to Book First Movie Second! Here I'll be reading and watching movies and then giving reviews! So many of the books I end up reading become movies. And sometimes those movies don't include great parts of the book, and sometimes the movies improve upon the story laid out in the book. 

    I also like going into movies with background info. I like knowing the story ahead of time; it makes it easier to follow along during the movie, explain the motivations of characters and it's fun to see things only created in my mind show up on the screen. 

    This place will serve as a way for me to review and share my thoughts about books and the movies that are created off of them. I'll let you know what gets included in the movie, what the movie changes about the book, and who did it best. 

    Was the book really better than the movie? Come find out!