Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief Movie Adaptation

French-Canadian newcomer Sophie Nelisse is making her English-language debut in the adaptation of the best-selling book by Markus Zusak.

Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson are set to topline Fox 2000’s adaptation of Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel The Book Thief.

French-Canadian actress Sophie Nelisse, who appeared inMonsieur Lahzar, will make her English-language debut as the title character in the World War II drama being directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey).

Ben Schnetzer (Happy Town) and Nico Liersch also are cast in the screen translation of the novel, which spent more than 280 weeks on best-seller charts.

Thief centers on Liesel (Nelisse), a spirited young girl who witnesses the horrors of Nazi Germany while in the care of foster parents (Rush and Watson). The girl arrives with a stolen book and begins collecting other tomes, learning to read while her stepparents harbor a Jewish refugee (Schnetzer) under the stairs.

Rush’s character first takes on the young girl for money but soon comes to love her. Watson’s character is described as being very tough on Liesel, but her kindness occasionally shows through.

The film is looking at a production start this month in Berlin. Karen Rosenfelt and Ken Blancatoare producing.

Rush received a 2011 Oscar nomination for his work in The King’s Speech, and his last major studio film appearance was in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. He most recently starred in the European drama The Best Offer, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso).

He is repped by CAA and Shanahan Management. 

Watson most recently appeared in Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina and Steven Spielberg’s War Horse. She next will be seen in the Neil LaBute-written Some Girl(s) with Adam Brody, Kristen Bell and Zoe Kazan.

(SOURCE)

God. I have mixed emotions on this one. I am excited because I really wanted to see how Death would be portrayed but at the same time, like in all other book-to-movie adaptations, I fear that they won’t be able to capture the entirety of the story.

Oh well, I think the movie plans are final and that it would push through. I just hope that they won’t butcher the book. I would seriously get mad if they ruin the entire magnificence of the story. This book is my most favorite next to the Harry Potter series.

These are hard times for dreamers.

Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

NO SPOILERS, I SWEAR.

Now, I know that this book was made into a movie and I have watched the film itself. But for this book challenge, let us disregard that rotten movie and focus on the book. If you’re wondering why, it’s because the movie and the book has a very different ending, which makes me dislike the adaptation so much.

Reading the summary at the back and knowing that this book has a cancer-trodden character, I expect death or something tragic in the end. Well, I was right, kind of. The ending was tragic but it was nothing like what I had ever hoped to expect. If you have read the book, you might probably understand what I’m talking about. The book has a lot of plot twists but nothing could ever compare to the ending. The final twist in the story just caught me off guard and I never imagined it to be one of the possible ending for this book. It came to me as a combination of pain, sadness and shock. 

For those who haven’t read this book yet, you must be a little intrigued by what happened in the book. Let me describe it to you like this: Imagine that you were planning for the best trip you been wanting for your whole life and then all of a sudden, that trip was cancelled because the place you are going to suddenly cease to exist.

Yes, it sounds a little too exaggerated but that’s how I feel. I was so sure of how it’s going to turn out, I had strong feeling each of the characters, and my head was so focused on my already made judgments then all of a sudden, the ending just blew my head off. Everything I imagined and created in my head was shattered. Oh, you might think that the book sucks, but no. That big twist in the ending made it so much beautiful and heart-tugging. It was definitely what made the book a success, which wasn’t the case for the movie. The change in the ending in the movie was a bit anti-climactic and predictable. So I guess what I’m trying to say, is that you read this book even if you have watched the movie.

Day 20 – Favorite romance book

I don’t really know if this even fits the romance category but I think this book will do. I am not much of a fan of romance novels and I usually stir away from those books with almost-naked couples onn the cover. The closest think I get to romance is in the young adult books, in which it’s always teenage love and all that cheesy stuff.

So, this book is my pick for the day’s challenge. I bought this one because I liked the premise I read in the summary. It’s the story of two people getting together on the last day of college. It may be a little too late for them to realize something since they already graduated, so they agreed to stay in touch. But this is not the usual friendship thing because the catch is that they only get to talk or meet on one particular day of the year, which is every July 15th. Every chapter relates the details of their encounters on that said date from the year 1988 to 2007. Some years were good, in some they fight. What is unique is that they don’t have any romantic commitment with each other. They are free to date and whatever, but every 15th of July, they never fail to reach each other whether via personal meetings, phone calls, emails or texts.

I guess I like this book because it is a different kind of romance. In the book, we see how both characters develop. Emma’s story is the typical rags to riches as she strives to work hard for her own benefit. On the other hand, Dexter’s life is the gradual deterioration of a man due to his overwhelming indulgence with success and fame. I also like the style of this story because even though we only get a glimpse of their lives once a year, the readers would be able to feel the growing tension and the attraction between the characters. There are points in the book when I want to scream at both of them to just get it over with and be together. But then it’s nice anticipating about what will happen to them on the next years.

This book is not a happy-ending kind of story that the readers want. Those who have read this would understand what I’m saying. And I think that’s the reason why I prefer this to other romance novels that I’ve been hearing about. Its tragic and unexpected ending proved that sometimes, it’s too late. Sometimes, things depend on timing and it is important to grab every chance we are given in life. For me, these kind of endings seem more realistic than all those happy-ever-after finales.

Day 19 – Favorite book turned into a movie

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

As a firm believer of the “Books Will Always Be Better Than Their Movie Adaptations” Law, this challenge of the day was a bit difficult for me to do. I am one of those big complainers when certain books make their way into the movie screens. But then as I stared at my shelf, this book caught my eye.

I have read this book way way back when I was a senior in high school, I think. And I really enjoyed the story. It is a love story with a science fiction twist in it. I was not able to make a review of this before but basically, here’s how it goes: The story revolves around the lives of Kath, Tommy and Ruth, three best friends from Hailsham Borading School. It may seem to be an elite academy with very prim and proper, obedient students at first glance. But this place is a breeding ground for human clones created for the sole purpose of giving up their vital organs to save other people’s lives. Now it may all sound so wrong and scandalous, but what I really love about this book is that it focused on the friendship and lives of the three main characters instead of the implications and ethical issues of the said premise. 

In 2010, the movie version of this book was released and I was able to watch it. Unlike other book to movie adaptations I have watched, the changes in this one did not leave me disappointed. In the book, the series of events jumps from past to future to past again, so on and so forth. It was easy to follow in the book, of course. In the movie, it was made in chronological order and the audiences were able to witness how the characters grow and develop throughout their existence. I think this made the plot clearer to those who haven’t read the book.

Also, the setting and the feel of the movie was what I imagined while I was reading the book. I mean, with all the cloning and advances of technology, somehow, the book does’t so futuristic to me. And in the movie, it was depicted just like that as it was set in, like, around the late 80’s or early 90’s. The colors and hues of the film give a vintage and mellow ambiance which is nice. The movie was also able to capture the mysterious Hailsham Boarding School well enough. The students there were following a bunch of weird rules and they are very much in sync and orderly that the audience would easily conclude that there’s something different going on, which was actually true.

The characters Kath, Tommy and Ruth were also portrayed in a very good manner. To those who was able to watch the film, who would forget about Andrew Garfield’s heart-wrenching scream at the end? Although, Ruth seemed to be a little more colder and unfriendly in the movie. In the book, there is a deeper reason why Kath was putting up with Ruth’s bossy and manipulative behavior. Ruth and Kath are great and close friends in the book And I think that was not really touched in the movie version and Ruth seemed to be a selfish antagonist in it.

All in all, I chose this book for this day’s challenge because of all the books turned to movies, this one has fared very well in both versions with each standing with their own appeal and brilliance. The book AND the movie are both captivating.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

First of all, you should know that I made the mistake of watching the movie first before reading the book. And of course, not having known the full book story, I loved the film completely (well of course, Logan Lerman being one of the reasons why). But then I have this friend who has been forcing me to read the series since last year. He told me that the movie is a complete thrash compared to the novels.

So now, a year later, here I am, totally hating myself for even liking the movie adaptation of this book. The movie plot was very different from the book. It’s like they just took the characters and wrote a whole new storyline. The adventures, the deaths, the problems, and a lot more were completely different. Even the age of the main characters was wrong. I mean, does Logan Lerman even look like a twelve-year-old? Okay, enough of the complaints and let’s move on to the review.

Percy Jackson is a twelve-year-old sixth grader who is diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. He is irritable, and he couldn’t control his impulsive behavior. The dyslexia made it hard for him to read and understand his lessons and this resulted to failing marks. And so, Percy might be kicked out from his boarding school, again. 

And then, one field trip to the museum revealed the truth about him when he was attacked by his math teacher, well actually, a monster disguised as his teacher. He is a demigod, a half-god, son of one of the gods of Olympus. Suddenly, it all became clear that his problems were actually his talents. The dyslexia was due to the fact that his brain is hardwired to understand ancient Greek writings. The ADHD are manifestations of his advanced reflexes, useful in battles. These would all seem to be a good thing if not for the mythical monsters and demons running after him, wanting him dead.

In turns out that he was the prime suspect for a crime done to the most powerful Olympian god, Zeus. But Percy has no clue as to why he was blamed for the theft of the master lightning bolt, Zeus’ most important weapon. Nevertheless, he must go on a quest to find the lightning bolt and prove his innocence before the gods wage war to each other, endangering the mortal world. Together with his friends, he must know who the real suspect was and stop the possible war, in just ten days.

Okay, so as I’ve said the book was very different from the movie. I don’t want to spoil the whole story for those who haven’t read the book yet, so I leave you to your own disappointment when you finally read this book. All I can say is that I don’t know how the movie producers are planning to make sequel since some important events in the book were removed and replaced in the movie.

As for my opinion on the book, I can say that I seriously enjoyed it. I am a big fan of fantasy novels and this one has one special trail that I loved: its reference to Greek mythology. I’ve already talked about how much I am attracted to mythologies in my past post, and so the all the allusions this book have to all those Greek gods and goddesses immediately got me hooked. The story was brimming with intense action sequences that got me more excited. Also, the plot twists would have been surprising, had I not watched the movie first. 

Well aside from all the magical stuff, I loved the way it portrayed family problems. Of course, in the book, the demigods have both mortal and god parents. This means that they only spent their life with only one of their parents. And I can empathize with how these characters felt, growing up without my dad. They all struggle with the abandonment they felt. Because of this, they felt the need to seek acceptance and approval from the Olympian gods and goddesses, who are their parents. They even put themselves in dangerous quests just to prove that they are worthy of their parents’ titles. 

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m hoping to finish all the books in the series before school starts. But I just have one problem. No matter how hard I try, I can’t help but find Harry Potter similarities in the book. First is Percy’s appearance. He is a twelve-year-old boy with jet-black hair and sea green eyes. Sounds familiar, right? The only things missing are the glasses and the scar. Then their Trio was made up of Annabeth, daughter of Athena—very intelligent girl—and Grover, a satyr who seem to be very cowardly but otherwise, loyal and useful. They somehow remind me of Ron and Hermione. Oh well, maybe this is just my obsession with Harry Potter messing with my head. But seriously, ignoring those parallels, this book is good and very much adventure-filled. It can stand alone and the plot is different from Harry Potter. I give it an overall 4.5/5.

Unplanned purchase.

I finally got home! I went to UST to get my clearance and did something in relation with my scholarship. After that, I was supposed to go straight home. But since I’m already out, I decided to stop by the mall and thought there’s no harm in that. When I arrived, I just visited a bookstore.

I was browsing for new books to buy the next time I have enough money. At the last shelf, the one at the very back, I found Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak hidden behind a The Fault in Our Stars hard cover. I immediately picked it ip when I saw the red tag in front. The book is marked down by 40%, which means that instead of getting it at 500php, it is priced at 300php. I didn’t find any damage, whatsoever. So, without second thoughts, I immediately went straight to the counter and paid for it. 

I was hoping to buy this book for a long time. But then I was not able to because it’s always out of stock. But I guess my book luck strikes again and voila! I watched the movie adaptation of this book and became very interested when  I learned that it was originally a novel. And so now, I am so happy because I can finally read it.

I will be watching The Hunger Games on March 21st!

That’s three days before the US release! Hahaha. Yup, 2 days before the 23rd plus the 1 day time difference. My friend and I immediately bought tickets for the premiere. I am just so excited with this! Plus, we got good seats! Beyond awesome! Look at those red boxes! We are in the middle, with no seats in front of us and we’re not too far back or front. Oh yes. I JUST CANNOT WAIT!!! Yes, the odds are in our favor for now!

The fuck is with Breaking Dawn?

Seriously, what is wrong with people? Everywhere I went today, I can hear people merrily talking about this shit. It’s very crazy. I even got a lot of group message saying how good this movie was. I wanted to throw my phone away in disgust. I mean, yeah, I get it, you’re a big fan, you loved the movie, you enjoyed it. BUT PLEASE, keep it to yourself. I don’t want to hear anything about it anymore. I HATE THIS MOVIE FRANCHISE OKAY?? It is so overrated. And stupid. And a crapful of nonsense. Sorry if I am making eyebrows go up and faces scrunched up because of this post, but hey, some people actually get sick of that shitty movie. Hearing it over and over for a whole day doesn’t make my mood any better. So yeah, rant finished.