Although I haven’t made time to read lately, I consider myself a bookworm—typically for fictional literature. Sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, drama, suspense, the classics—pretty much anything goes, save romance and horror. But more than anything else, I love the books that I grew up reading. I’m excited and a little conflicted that some of my favorite books are going to have on-screen adaptations soon!
- Where the Wild Things Are - As much as I love this book and how excited I am for this film, I can’t help thinking that I REALLY want to make and wear Max’s costume for Halloween and/or winter pajamas.
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - I kind of wish this wasn’t an animated film. While it seems kind of awesome that I could eat food out of the sky, can you imagine the stench of molding food in the gutters, the terrifying horror of having a GIANT PANCAKE crash down on your roof and slather your windows with butter and syrup? Okay, that last part still sounds like of appetizing. But just imagine the potential of a movie with real actors and realistic scenes!
- Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (???)- I am SO STOKED for this movie. Card’s written a few revisions of the script, and if he is heavily involved with the film’s direction, I am sure I will love it. I love stories of child psychology in situations where they are left to fend for themselves, i.e. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale. Throw in space adventures and a thematic heroic journey a la Aristotle, and I am game.
- The Giver, Lois Lowry (2011?!) - Why hasn’t there been a movie made for this yet?! I can’t get enough of stories of dytopic universes.George Orwell’s 1984, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron come immediately to mind. Add child psychology, and again, I’m sold. This would be such an interesting film to direct—specifically using color, music (or lack thereof), and lighting to juxtapose utopian ideals against the flaws reflected in the dystopic society.
Of course, the downside of these adaptations is that I’ve developed my own interpretation of the stories, the settings, and the characters, and very rarely do the films accurately reflect what I think the story should look and feel like. The ability to develop my own interpretation and derive my own conclusions is the reason I enjoy the original stories significantly moreso than their adaptations; regardless, I rarely watch a film before I read the book and thus my own interpretation usually remains unbudged. Plus, seeing someone else’s intepretation often offers a whole new point of view.
Where the Wild Things Are is slated for release on October 16, 2009. That gives me 5 months to get my Halloween costume ready, conveniently in time for the opening night of the movie. SO… who wants to go with and be embarassed to be seen with me? :)
Update:
Dude he’s wearing chucks, too. So money you don’t even know it.
