On the Trekkie scale, I probably average about a 4 out of 10. I don’t have a costume and only recently, finally, saw all of the original movies. But I’m a fan nonetheless. I loved the J.J. Abrams movie last summer and am thrilled to see that Library Journal gave a stellar review of Star Trek: The Art of the Film from Titan Books!
“Director J.J. Abrams bold—and smart—reimagining of the dying Star Trek franchise was a pleasant surprise to both critics and especially rabid fans, whose phasers were set on kill if he mistreated their baby. He didn’t. Both Abrams and the screenwriters handled the material with the utmost seriousness and respect it deserved, creating a thrilling sci-fi action adventure revealing the iconic characters’ beginnings. This tie-in volume sports text by NY Times best selling author Vaz (an old friend to sci-fi film fans), and a ton of concept art, screen grabs, and behind-the-scenes shots covering all aspects of the film’s technical production. Chapters cover the creation of the assorted alien species, ships (the Enterprise, of course, gets more than 20 pages of coverage), props, uniforms, poster art, and more. Publisher Titan does Art of books right and this is no exception, the photos and illustrations are outstanding and what fans really want. Just loads of coolness for Trek heads, who’ll be crazy for this book. Grab it.”—Mike Rogers, LJX/LJ
After watching the movie trailer for The Informant, I am elevating Matt Damon to Tom Hanks status. You are all my witnesses, I will now officially go see any movie starring Matt Damon. His choices have been spot on for a while now and The Informant looks to deliver another fantastic performance. Love him!
Last weekend was filled with Julia Roberts, my long-time favorite actress. I saw her new movie, Duplicity, with Clive Owen. And I read Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire, a first novel being published by Pantheon in June. Julia Roberts and Columbia Pictures have already optioned the film rights for Ms. Roberts to produce and star in. Wow!
While Duplicity was set in New York City, and Hothouse Flower also starts out in NYC’s Union Square, you are soon transported to the jungles of the Yukatan Peninsula with not one, but two steamy romances. The plantology included with each chapter and throughout the book is also very informative and fascinating. Who knew the mandrake could be so deadly?! This is a well researched page-turner!
ALA Alert!Margot Berwin, author of Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire is joining us at ALA Annual in Chicago on July 12th. Don’t miss her on the FOLUSA First Author panel from 1:30pm – 3:00pm.
What we’ve all be eagerly awaiting! Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved series finally brought to life on HBO, beginning Sunday, March 29th, 8pm.
Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain), who died last year, directed the two-hour pilot. Grammy-award winner, Jill Scott, plays Precious Ramotswe. Tony award winner Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls) plays her secretary, Mma Makutsi. The series was shot is Botswana.
I was thrilled to watch Kate Winslet win the Oscar for her performace in THE READER. And when I recently read an article in which she describes her well worn copy of Bernard Schlink’s haunting novel, I instantly knew I would read those same passages and for a moment be connected to the brilliance that is Kate Winslet.
On Wednesday I trudged to my local Barnes & Noble, joining dozens of others there to hear “chick-lit” author extraordinaire, Sophie Kinsella, talk, answer questions, and read from the book that started it all : Confessions of a Shopaholic. I’m sure you’ve all seen the commercials for the upcoming movie, out Valentine’s Day weekend, and as in Jen’s previous post, I have a confession to make myself: I’ve read all of the Shopaholic books as well as the stand alone books. (Guilty pleasure!) But after seeing this bubbly, witty, energetic author in person I wanted to sit down at my computer and invent a Becky Bloomwood of my own… Or maybe I will just read her books all over again. The movie’s release this coming weekend will surely usher in a whole new set of Becky fans and Sophie Kinsella followers. Make sure you have enough copies on hand!
Sophie also announced that she has a new stand-alone novel coming soon. Keep an eye out for Twenties Girl, scheduled to be published by Dial Press this August.
Back in college, I remember sitting in the university library watching film versions of To the Lighthouse and Ulysses after having read them in class. And I remember thinking, “This is terrible. Why did they even try?” Woolf’s novel unfolds almost entirely in the characters’ brains, and Joyce’s novel is not only cerebral, but was also largely an experiment in form. You would think that would put them lower on the list for adaptation. And neither of them had much of a conventional plot, either.
The novel I’m reading right now, Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is considered by many to be one of the greatest works of fiction of the second half of the 20th century, and word has recently been released that it will become a film. As much as this news excites me, it also fills me with doubt and apprehension.
Midnight’s Children isn’t like Ulysses or To the Lighthouse in a structure or narrative sense. It does have a plot, and there are even a few scenes that read sort of like a screenplay. The book is similar to those other two, though, in scope and ambition. It will be a task. According to The Guardian, Rushdie will collaborate on the script with the very able director Deepa Mehta (of Oscar-nominated “Water“), so that’s a plus. But much of the achievement of this book, from what I’ve read of it, is in the way it’s written, with an energy that is difficult to translate coherently into the film medium. It’s also very long, so abridgements will be necessary. I could go on…
We can rest our minds for a good while though. The movie won’t start filming until 2010. I actually hope that they don’t try to follow the book too closely. For this movie, I think the more fun they can have with it, the better.
I was invited to a screening of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. This book was published in the U.S. in 2006 by our Random House Children’s Books division. It did extremely well, reaching a wide audience. John Boyne won two Irish Book Awards: Children’s Book of the Year and People’s Choice Book of the Year. It was short listed on best book awards lists throughout the world. And now the film.
It deserves to find a wide audience– especially among parents seeking to introduce their children to a sensitive subject. No warning comes with my comments. There are no scenes of direct violence. The filming is very discreet and yet everyone will clearly understand what is going on just out of the range of the camera. The point is made also that everyone in Germany in the 1940s did not know the extent of what was happening, and the very difficult role of the Mother is beautifully performed by the fine actress Vera Farmiga. David Thewlis is Father. The two young boys, Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and Shmuel (Jack Scanlon, his debut), are wonderfully portrayed.
The film will renew interest in this classic parable of good in the face of evil. Book groups for all ages should put this on their lists. Teachers should build classes around it. Libraries should put it front and center on their movie tie-in tables. The book is a classic.
A very well done film on a most difficult subject.
Last night I saw The Duchess, the new movie starring Keira Knightly based on the Random House book by Amanda Foreman, Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire or, The Duchess, as it has been retitled for the movie-tie in. If you have a pechant for period pieces, elaborate costumes and big hair, this movie will not disappoint. As a fan of all things British Royalty I enjoyed learning about a figure I’d previously known very little about. Check out the movie trailer below and, of course, the book as well.
- Marie
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