FEATURED POSTS


John Lewis - The Bear and Hare - 2013 Seasonal CGI Amazing coloured pencil drawings Tokyo City Symphony Luis Nieves - Baywood Red Light

10 August 2012

Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Adaptations

With several big budget movie adaptations of classic works of literature due to arrive in theatres in the not too distant future, I thought it would be a good idea to blog our top 5 most anticipated here at SoVibrant HQ. With some of these titles being in my top ten books list I hope the following films don't disappoint!

1. On The Road

Jack Kerouac's defining work perfectly captures the spirit and ethos of the beat generation of the late 1950's. Largely autobiographical the book focuses on the cross-country hitch hiking of Kerouac and his acquaintances. This book is a work of genius and the film has got a lot to live up to even come close to matching its quality.


On The Road Movie Poster



2. The Great Gatsby

I'm not sure how any film can capture the subtleties and subtext of F. Scott Fitzgerald's seminal 1920's novel. Baz Luhman, director of Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet is not someone that you would normally associate with a delicate touch (and the trailer appears to be anything but subtle) so it will be interesting to see how this take on the classic book is relieved by its fans.

The Great Gatsby Movie Poster



3. The Hobbit

If this as half as good as the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy then it is definitely not one to miss. Recent news that the story is to be stretched out into a trilogy has concerned some fans though, with many fearing that Peter Jackson or the studio are looking to cash in on the franchise. Only time will tell but my instincts tell me that this will be one of the most successful adaptations in the list.

The Hobbit Movie Poster



4. Life Of Pi

I touched on this in a recent blog so wont risk the danger of repeating myself here. I'll only say I'm really looking forward to catching both the book and the film soon.

Life Of Pi Movie Poster



5. Cloud Atlas

Having not yet read this book its high on my reading list before the movie comes out. I'm very impressed with the trailer though and spanning hundreds of years the film looks like it's going to be epic.

Cloud Atlas Movie Poster




Because I'm feeling especially generous today and to show these potential pretenders how successful a good movie adaptation can be if its handled correctly, I have listed my top 5 movie adaptations to date below:

1. 2001 A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece is probably one of the only films that I've enjoyed more than the original source material. The opening sequence itself is a work of genius. Kubrick was really a master of his craft at this stage in his career. If you have not seen this film yet watch it now. No seriously stop reading this and watch it.....now.

2001 A Space Odyssey Movie Poster


2. Goodfellas

Based on 'Wiseguy' the autobiography of Nicholas Pileggi this is THE definitive gangster movie. Scorsese focuses on the street level hoods as opposed the Mafia leadership of the Godfather Trilogy, and the film tracks the rise and fall of the Lucchese crime family spanning across several decades. In my opinion career best performances from Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. The book is also definitely worth a read.

GoodFellas Movie Poster



3. Blade Runner

Having loved this film for a number of years I have recently read the Philip K Dick source novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' and was sadly disappointed as it had none of the subtlety or complexity of the film. Hopefully Ridley Scott wont taint this work with his rumoured sequel in the same way he has with Prometheus, but I can forgive him for the fact that he made this amazing film in the first place. Way ahead of its time.

Blade Runner



4. The Shawshank Redemption

Based on a Stephen King short story, The Shawshank Redemption often tops the greatest movie of all time lists and it’s easy to see why. A brilliant story brilliantly executed.

Shawshank Redemption Movie Poster


5. The Lord Of The Rings

What can you say about this amazing trilogy other than Peter Jackson has not only managed to film the unfilmable but also created a cinematic masterpiece. Shame the last film has so many endings but this is a small complaint. Let's hope that The Hobbit can maintain the level of quality Jackson achieved with this franchise. The books can be heavy going but I would highly recommend them.

Lord Of The Rings Movie Poster



Feel free to add your own favourites and recommendations below!

Images and trailers via the web

www.sovibrant.co.uk

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for submitting a comment. Don't forget to visit www.sovibrant.co.uk to learn more about our work.