It seems like every time we turn around, there is a brand new movie coming out that has been adapted for screen from books. Three very famous ones are the Twilight series, the Harry Potter series, and the Chronicles of Narnia. Having read two of these three series, or most of the series at least, and having seen the movies, I always catch myself wondering why are the movies so drastically different from the books?
My first example is "Twilight." Yes, I was the one watching it critiquing everything that was different about the movie. First off, Waylon Forge, who is Bella's father's best friend, is not even in the books. In the movie, he is a man who is killed by the vampires that come through Forks, yet he wasn't even a character in the books. The thing that made me the most mad, is when Bella visits Edward's home for the first time, and he throws her on his back, flies out the window and climbs a tree. That is so not even in the books, and yet it is a huge part of the movie. He could run extremely fast in the books, which was quite poorly done in the movie in my opinion, but he never could climb a tree!! Why on Earth is that in the movie???
Another example is the "Harry Potter" series. The books have so much detail, so many little things that help you fully understand the story, that there is just none of in the movies. I read the first three novels, but never could get into the fourth due to other reasons, and never got back to reading them. But even while watching the fourth-sixth movies, I had to have an explanation for a lot of things in the movies that I did not get since I had not read the books. They did not bother to include all this back-story information in movies. I just do not understand how they could leave so much out of these movies that were such important things in the books.
Another series currently being adapted to movies is the "Chronicles of Narnia" series. While I have not read the book, or seen the second movie through all the way, I still understand that I am probably not getting all of the story and information I need to fully grasp the whole saga of what is going on.
Just from watching other books to movies, such as the ones listed above, I find that I probably should read the books before I go see the movie. It would let me know more what is going on, and it would give allow me to see those things that were not of the author of the book, such as Edward climbing trees, but were from the screenwriters minds. I have always been of the persuasion that if I read the book and go see the movie, I want to see exactly the same stuff. I be able to watching the whole book in movie format. I understand that others are not like this, but at least the screenwriters should try to get the movie at least a little bit as good as the book was.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Film Crazy Fans
I know that everyone out there gets excited about seeing new movies. I love seeing a new movie as soon as it comes to theaters, and I love getting to talk about it with my friends afterwards. Yet, I've never been one to just go absolutely crazy over a brand new movie. I really don't understand how people loves movies so much that they will just go all out to see the midnight showing of their favorite new sequel.
Now, I must admit before I go any farther, yes, I totally did buy midnight premiere tickets to see "New Moon" from the Twilight sage. It was the Thursday before my birthday, and I and my wonderful boyfriend got there at 9pm to see the midnight premiere. (Even though my boyfriend did this sweet thing once, he swore he'd never ever do it again). However, I didn't get dressed up in "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" shirts. I didn't dress up like Bella. My boyfriend certainly did not go as Edward or Jacob. Yet as we sat their, more and more people filed in with these outfits on. Sororities came in together with handmade matching shirts. I really never left my seat once everyone started to pile in, but I am sure there was someone dressed as Edward or Jacob, trying to impress some girl. There were probably people with fake vampire teeth, even going so far as to have fake blood on them. I just don't get quite that crazy.
Another example is when I and some friends went to see the then final "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. I have now heard there is a fourth one in production. There was some guy their dressed just like Jack Sparrow, which is Johnny Depp's character. My friends just had to get their pictures made with him. People had fake swords, or just the pirate hat, or Jack Sparrow's wig. Everyone was so excited to see the movie. I was excited to see it too, even though I think it was kind of a let down for me. But I wasn't the guy out front taking pictures with people. I wasn't that crazy about it.
And now another confession. I and my boyfriend are going to the midnight premiere of the newest "Harry Potter" movie, which comes out the 19th of November, or for me, the midnight between the 18th and 19th. I never really read the books, only made it through the third, and that was a year ago. I have seen the movies, and really enjoy watching them with my boyfriend. I know that going to this premiere, everyone I see will be decked out in Gryffindor's colors, burgundy and gold. There will be people there with wizard robes on. I would even go so far as to say that their will be multiple people there dressed up as Harry and his friends. Who knows, as much as some people seem to think Harry Potter is evil, there might be a couple protesters. That could be fun.
I just don't understand how someone gets that wrapped up in these series, in movies at all. Yes, they are all fairly decent series. But I'm not that excited to the point of dressing up or making shirts with my friends just to come to a movie. Maybe that's just me lacking the want to have fun, but I feel I have just as much fun as the other ones.
Now, I must admit before I go any farther, yes, I totally did buy midnight premiere tickets to see "New Moon" from the Twilight sage. It was the Thursday before my birthday, and I and my wonderful boyfriend got there at 9pm to see the midnight premiere. (Even though my boyfriend did this sweet thing once, he swore he'd never ever do it again). However, I didn't get dressed up in "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" shirts. I didn't dress up like Bella. My boyfriend certainly did not go as Edward or Jacob. Yet as we sat their, more and more people filed in with these outfits on. Sororities came in together with handmade matching shirts. I really never left my seat once everyone started to pile in, but I am sure there was someone dressed as Edward or Jacob, trying to impress some girl. There were probably people with fake vampire teeth, even going so far as to have fake blood on them. I just don't get quite that crazy.
Another example is when I and some friends went to see the then final "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. I have now heard there is a fourth one in production. There was some guy their dressed just like Jack Sparrow, which is Johnny Depp's character. My friends just had to get their pictures made with him. People had fake swords, or just the pirate hat, or Jack Sparrow's wig. Everyone was so excited to see the movie. I was excited to see it too, even though I think it was kind of a let down for me. But I wasn't the guy out front taking pictures with people. I wasn't that crazy about it.
And now another confession. I and my boyfriend are going to the midnight premiere of the newest "Harry Potter" movie, which comes out the 19th of November, or for me, the midnight between the 18th and 19th. I never really read the books, only made it through the third, and that was a year ago. I have seen the movies, and really enjoy watching them with my boyfriend. I know that going to this premiere, everyone I see will be decked out in Gryffindor's colors, burgundy and gold. There will be people there with wizard robes on. I would even go so far as to say that their will be multiple people there dressed up as Harry and his friends. Who knows, as much as some people seem to think Harry Potter is evil, there might be a couple protesters. That could be fun.
I just don't understand how someone gets that wrapped up in these series, in movies at all. Yes, they are all fairly decent series. But I'm not that excited to the point of dressing up or making shirts with my friends just to come to a movie. Maybe that's just me lacking the want to have fun, but I feel I have just as much fun as the other ones.
Wicked Stepmothers
In these blog posts, I have recently become fascinated with movies that have stereotypical family relationships. Two I have talked about have been the evil uncles who wish to lead their nephews astray to get their power and fortune, and long lost twins, who always find themselves and lead their respective parents into love. This blog discusses the most famous of these stereotypical family relationships, the wicked stepmother, who is always trying to cause their stepdaughter misery.
The first and most obvious example of this is the beloved "Cinderella." Every little girl dreams of being Cinderella, or at least feels like it sometimes. I know when I had to do chores, I always felt like her, hoping one day my prince would come. Mine did, and so did Cinderella's, just after some hardship with her wicked stepmother and step sisters. I never really understood how her father died, maybe they didn't explain, or maybe I was just to young to understand, but from the very beginning, she is living with her stepmother, who has inherited all of her father's belongings. Cinderella is made to act as a servant girl, cleaning floors and cooking breakfasts. She is not allowed to go to the prince's ball, where he is to find a fiance. Yet luckily, her fairy godmother makes her into a beautiful girl ready for the ball, and sends her on her way. After dancing with the prince, and having to run away, since her time was up, she lost her glass slipper. That was how the prince found her. However, when the prince came to make all the females try on the shoe, the wicked mother locked her in her room, but she escaped, the shoe fit, and they lived happily ever after. There are so many remakes of this movie, it is crazy, yet each of them have a wicked step mother that is trying to ruin her stepdaughter's life.
Another movie that includes a wicked stepmother is "The Univited." In this story, a girl is put into a pysch ward after the death of her mother. When she is out and returns home, her and her sister begin to see the ghost of their mother, trying to tell them things. They also find their father is now married to their mother's nurse, who is extremely mean to the girls. The mother's ghost leads them to discover that the way their mother died was not by accident, but by the stepmother.
Another example is a movie I mentioned in the long lost twins blog. It is "It Takes Two" which stars Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. They play identical looking girls who take turns turning one of their future-wicked step mother away. The woman is absolutely horrible to them, and is overheard saying how much she will change everything once she is married to the father. The girls use all sorts of tactics to make sure the woman does not become one of their stepmother's. My favorite tactic was putting gum in her hair, causing her to have to cut it off, making her look horrible! They save the day and run her off, down the wedding aisle screaming. Again, it is another example of the stepmother wanting to control the stepdaughter and change everything about the father, if their is one still alive.
It is crazy to see how many of these family stereotypes their are in movies. It is also interesting to see how many of these remakes have been made. it is definitely worth learning more about.
The first and most obvious example of this is the beloved "Cinderella." Every little girl dreams of being Cinderella, or at least feels like it sometimes. I know when I had to do chores, I always felt like her, hoping one day my prince would come. Mine did, and so did Cinderella's, just after some hardship with her wicked stepmother and step sisters. I never really understood how her father died, maybe they didn't explain, or maybe I was just to young to understand, but from the very beginning, she is living with her stepmother, who has inherited all of her father's belongings. Cinderella is made to act as a servant girl, cleaning floors and cooking breakfasts. She is not allowed to go to the prince's ball, where he is to find a fiance. Yet luckily, her fairy godmother makes her into a beautiful girl ready for the ball, and sends her on her way. After dancing with the prince, and having to run away, since her time was up, she lost her glass slipper. That was how the prince found her. However, when the prince came to make all the females try on the shoe, the wicked mother locked her in her room, but she escaped, the shoe fit, and they lived happily ever after. There are so many remakes of this movie, it is crazy, yet each of them have a wicked step mother that is trying to ruin her stepdaughter's life.
Another movie that includes a wicked stepmother is "The Univited." In this story, a girl is put into a pysch ward after the death of her mother. When she is out and returns home, her and her sister begin to see the ghost of their mother, trying to tell them things. They also find their father is now married to their mother's nurse, who is extremely mean to the girls. The mother's ghost leads them to discover that the way their mother died was not by accident, but by the stepmother.
Another example is a movie I mentioned in the long lost twins blog. It is "It Takes Two" which stars Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. They play identical looking girls who take turns turning one of their future-wicked step mother away. The woman is absolutely horrible to them, and is overheard saying how much she will change everything once she is married to the father. The girls use all sorts of tactics to make sure the woman does not become one of their stepmother's. My favorite tactic was putting gum in her hair, causing her to have to cut it off, making her look horrible! They save the day and run her off, down the wedding aisle screaming. Again, it is another example of the stepmother wanting to control the stepdaughter and change everything about the father, if their is one still alive.
It is crazy to see how many of these family stereotypes their are in movies. It is also interesting to see how many of these remakes have been made. it is definitely worth learning more about.
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