Two of my favorite pastimes are reading books and watching movies. So when those two passions collide, it's a good thing--somewhere between chocolate/caramel and Dubliner cheese/apples.
Last week I saw the movie Begin Again and today I'm already aligning my calendar and commitments so I might see it again.
Yes, it's that good and, as a writer, I could relate to the underlying current of artist vs. business that runs throughout the movie. I'll not spoil the ending, but it's a must-see for any creative spirit. During the trailers, we got a look at some upcoming movies which prompted this post: three books that I've LOVED are soon-to-be movies. If you haven't read these titles, I encourage you to read them before seeing the movie. If, like me, it's been years since you've read The Giver, reread it.
The Giver | Opens August 15
Over 15 years ago, I read Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal winner The Giver and have reread it a few times. In anticipation of the movie's release (what took them so long?), I'm reading it again with my book club at the retirement home. My sons read it for their English class, my 10-year-old read it recently and my 30-year-old niece said she reads it every few years. So, I'm really jazzed to see Meryl Streep step into this project of a dystopian society that has such a mass readership.
Gone Girl | October 3
I read Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl over a year ago and spent days contemplating the story. How does her husband sleep next to her? I thought of the author. Why did she end it like that? I wondered. After I mulled the story around, I knew it was a perfect telling of a marriage where one spouse is a sociopath. I learned recently that Flynn not only wrote the screenplay, but she changed the ending! I'm not sure if that's in response to readers' reactions or simply it better fit the parameters of telling the story on the screen, but that makes me want to see the movie even more. Which could likely be the real reason she changed the ending!
Wild | December 5
I read Cheryl Strayed's captivating memoir Wild last year, too, and at the time never thought about the prospects of making it a movie. In April last year, Susan, Joan and I went to see Cheryl at the DMA and learned more about Reese Witherspoon's production company making the story a film with Reese portraying Cheryl. Last week I watched the trailer for the first time and thought Reese the perfect person for the role (which I didn't at first, even though I thought she did great in Mud).
I'm almost giddy with anticipation. Aren't you?
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