3 books-to-movies + a great bookish movie!

Books becoming movies are always a iffy proposition. I tend to like to read the book before the movie. I hate it when a bad movie ruins a perfectly good book. But isn't it a lovely revelation when you watch a great movie and decide to read the book ... and the book is a gazillion times better than the movie? I know, I know, I'm waffling here.

At any rate, here are some book-to-movies that are upcoming - which ones are you watching?



The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
I've read and love the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy so of course I have read this - this is the prequel to LOTR, the story of a young swashbuckling Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with a group of dwarves to Lonely Mountain and battles it out with the dragon Smaug! If you haven't read this yet, you must!

I've also watched the movies and adore how they translate on the big screen. Don't you think the trailer looks great! So, definitely a must-watch for me! Must dig up a copy for a re-read!

Three more Youtube videos after the jump!

 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
This is probably among the thickest books I own -- and it being a paperback and old, it's not only off kilter, it's also got that old book smell. It's one of those books that you have just got to own, and for me this is definitely a comfort read. 

Anne Hathaway's singing? Eep. I may just pass on this particular movie. Maybe I'm better off watching Youtube videos of the Broadway version. And rereading the book.






The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I haven't read this yet. I did read Fitzgerald's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button because I watched the movie -- and I found the movie miles and miles away from the simplicity of the original novelette. I have trouble getting into classics for some reason. Maybe movie first, then the book for this one.

Quick synopsis: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when "The New York Times" noted "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s."The Great Gatsby" is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.



If you're looking for an absolutely great bookish film, you have to watch Midnight in Paris by Woody Allan. Please. Do yourself the favour. Watch it. Take my word for it, you won't regret it.

While it's not about books per se, it looks into the lives of some wonderful authors like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda Fitzgerald (yes, she's a writer too apparently).

Synopsis: This is a romantic comedy set in Paris about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences there that change their lives. It's about a young man's great love for a city, Paris, and the illusion people have that a life different from theirs would be much better.

[Here's another book-to-movie post you may be interested in: 2011 Oscar Winners - based on books!

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© guiltless readingMaira Gall