Water for Elephants - the movie

I saw Water for Elephants last night. I read the book when it first came out in paperback probably four or five years ago so it wasn't exactly fresh! I felt like the movie stayed pretty close to the book; the kind of seamy quality to circus life was definitely there. I am a Reese Witherspoon fan - if I see Legally Blonde on TV I will watch it every time! But in this movie, vampire boy stole the show. His emotions seemed so much more real, he was believeable as Jacob where Reese looked like she was acting as Marlena.

Just in case you didn't read the book, here's a synopsis from Goodreads - (book is highly recommended): Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Bastard Out of Carolina - the movie

I read this book by Dorothy Allison in 2006. My diary entry says, "Gritty, sick to your stomach scenes of violence and family turmoil. Hard to read but captivating." That about sums up the movie too,  watching Bone get abused just feels like you are being kicked in the gut. The casting was great. Jennifer Jason Leigh is Bone's mother, Leigh's look can change from sweet to haggard in an instant - a quality that served her well in this movie.

But the star was Jena Malone as Bone. She was heartbreaking. She gave life to moments of pure childish joy like singing gospel songs with her sister into a spinning fan (remember how that makes you voice vibrate?) and then MISERY. She keeps getting taken to the brink of hope and then pushed down again. The scene where Bone is carried to the car by her mother is a prime example; it appears they are running away to safety....but then mama's hand reaches out that car window back into the muck - ugh, just kill me here and now. Overall, an emotional film that as much as I can remember with five years past, stayed true to the feeling of the book.

Marley and Me by Josh Grogan

From Goodreads: The heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life.

I saw this movie awhile ago when it first came out and thought it was cute. I like Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson and dogs so not much was needed beyond that to please me, the bar was low. I didn't know if I would extend that low bar to the audiobook but it turns out there was no need. The book has more depth to it than the movie did. Grogan's voice as a columnist comes through and the humor and sadness make a great combination. Listening to Josh Grogan's speaking voice, however, was a big question mark for me at first but, while I never grew to enjoy it, I did get used to it. I have a hard time saying he didn't sound right since it is his story he is telling but let's just say that the occasional author narrated audiobook really makes you appreciate the professional narrators. I'm ready to rent the movie now so I can watch it again and see how closely it follows book.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - the movie

****This post contains spoilers.****

Lisbeth deserves front and center, don't you think? She is such a great character and Noomi Raapce brought her to life perfectly. If an established actress had the role it would have been such a distraction, instead Noomi personifies Lisbeth for me now and I wonder when the American version comes out if I can possibly accept another actor in the role. I love Lisbeth's power and strength and smarts. When she triumphs over her evil guardian, I feel ecstatic.

I watched the Swedish movie with subtitles in English and felt a wonderful sense of satisfaction at seeing the story play out on the screen! The book was a little slow going for me at first but the movie somehow managed to condense all of that framework and get right into the meat. I wondered though, if you had not read the book, would you be feeling lost or would it still make sense?

I was equally pleased with the casting of Erika Berger. I was so glad to see an actress who showed a few miles on her face. She is supposed to be a mature woman so I was happy she wasn't cast with a too young looking actress. Did I miss it or did the movie gloss over the whole "I'm married but my husband is okay with me sleeping with you" part of the book? That was one of my few say "ugh" and roll your eyes parts of the book.

So, in summary...loved, loved, loved it and will be renting the next two soon!

Revolutionary Road - the movie

***This post containers spoilers.****

I read this book quite awhile ago (here) and my reaction was somewhat mixed. When I read the book, I didn't particularly care for either of the lead characters. The movie reeled me in a little bit more - at least Kate Winslett did. I had much more sympathy for her character in the movie than I did in the book. Maybe that was because I felt bad for her that she was trapped in a marriage with Leonardo deCaprio who is not mature enough (in my almost 50 year old opinion) to be the leading man. He looks like a child. I didn't like the two of them together in Titanic and I didn't like the two of them together in this one either. You know when I'm thinking, "Go girl!" as she trots off to have sex outside of marriage that the match is not working for me! Of course the ending is just as devastating on film as it is in print, it just has to be mental illness that drives her to her destruction.

Despite the darkness of the story and the fact that, again, I didn't fall in love with either of the characters, I still enjoyed the movie, maybe even a little more than I enjoyed the book.

Another Anne movie and a wrap up note for the LMM challenge

I spent last night watching the second movie in the Anne of Green gables series that stars Megan Fallows. It was not as wonderful for me as the first one I watched because I wasn't far enough along in reading the series. I have only read the first two books - Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. The movie, however, was a compilation of books 2-4 so it included things that I hadn't read yet. What I liked about the first movie was the way the book came to life, it seemed to follow the book fairly well. So this movie that had bits and pieces of the story I read but then lots more that didn't seem to fit just wasn't as fun. Next year, I'l' try to read the next two books and then rent this one again and will see if my opinion changes!

So this is what I accomplished for the Lucy Maud Montgomery Challenge 2011..
Read Anne of Green Gables.
Watched the movie Anne of Green Gables.
Read Anne of Avonlea.
Watched the movie, Anne of Green Gables, the sequel.

The challenge was a pleasure and a big thank you goes to Carrie at Reading to Know for hosting!

War by Sebastian Junger

From the Amazon product description: Junger turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat--the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in an extreme situation whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. Through the experiences of these young men at war, he shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a daily basis.

This was a hard book to listen to, I had to kind of psyche myself up to go back to the battle each time I returned to the audio. I kept at it because it's about guys like my guys, the families I visit each day are Marines and Sailors, and many of the Marines are serving in Afghanistan. The returning Marines are expected to pick back up with their families and careers as if nothing has happened. But something has happened and this book takes the rest of us there to experience a taste of it. Junger does that really well. Embedded in an Army platoon, he relays both the day to day action and the day to day boredom in a straight forward narrative that is fairly easy to follow. It's the military - there are acronyms and weapon names and Army ranks that I wasn't familiar with, and it's Afghanistan - with it's confusing terrain of names, so I occasionally felt a little lost. But this book isn't about being able to explain the mechanics of the war by the time you reach the end, it's about being able to experience and feel the war as if you are immersed in it. I came to care about the soldiers in the story even if I couldn't keep track of them well enough to complete a matching exercise of who's who! Junger includes some related material about war in general, research about men in war,and the personal stories of some of the soldiers beyond the war - all of these things complement the main narrative and don't feel too intrusive just a little bit intrusive...I wanted him to get back to the "real" story! I passed this one on to a co-worker and told her she had to listen to it, it should be required listening for all of us who work with these guys. My true feelings go beyond that, it should be required listening for every voting person in our country - if we're going to send these young men off to battle, we should have an inkling of what we have done.

Sebastian Junger has an interesting website and there I found the trailer for the movie, Restrepo. Restrepo was filmed at the same time as War was written, in the audiobook bonus material Junger describes how he and his partner filmed during active times and then he wrote during quieter times. Restrepo comes out this year and I can't wait to go see it. I may even be able to persuade Ex-Marine to go with me for a date night! And then...this would count towards the Page to Screen challenge - if I had signed up for it.

This was a win from Kristi at Books and Needlepoint.

Counts towards tons o' challenges....

Anne of Green Gables - the movie!

Finally...after searching high and low, I got my hands on a copy of Anne of Green Gables with Megan Fallows playing Anne. It was wonderful. I felt just like I did the first time I saw Pride and Prejudice come to life with Colin Firth -  as soon as it was done, I could have just started it all over again and been happy. I thought the movie stayed very true to the book. People who have read Anne of Green Gables repeatedly ( you know who you are) may notice some differences but for me it seemed to be perfect! Although I managed to find this one at a nearby library, if I had spent $20 buying it off of Amazon, it would have been worth it!



I watched this movie for the Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge hosted by Carrie at Reading to Know.









This would work for the Page to Screen challenge, if I were signed up, which I am not, yet.