METTEL RAY

Thursday Movie Picks: An Adaptation You Want to See

Another good week for me because of course I’m going to mention 3 books I want to see as movies in this list, and I hope someday I will get my wish. At first I thought of so many books that are already going to be adaptations for this list but I figured that’s not fun and decided to share three books that I think would translate well on screen. And then hopefully someday, they will be.

1. LEGION by Brandon Sanderson

This is a short story, which I listened to as an audio book and I liked it a lot. It reminded me a little of The Frighteners which is one of my favourites from Michel J. Fox, and that nostalgia is the reason why I think it will work well as a movie. It’s a science fiction type fantasy story where the main character has multiple personalities who he conjures up as hallucinations, which are all fantastic characters. All these characters have a various set of skills, which he therefore is able to tap into and which help him solve mysteries. I mean, the movie plot is writing itself at this point!

2. THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND by Kasie West

There hasn’t been good teen comedies in a while. The market sort of dried up of those as well as romantic comedies. I miss these movies, I hope that I won’t be 50 when they make a comeback, because I’d like to see them now. Luckily, in 2019 one of my favourite YA books is getting an adaptation, but I’d like to see The Fill-In Boyfriend as well! It has a fake-relationship story line which is my guilty pleasure, and how fun would it be to use that as a plot in a movie? I think it would be entertaining and cute at the same time.

3. THE HATING GAME by Sally Thorne

In theme with the last pick, like I said, I would like to see the trend of romantic comedies come back and not in a manner of Fifty Shades, please! When that happens, I hope they adapt The Hating Game, which is exactly what it sounds like – a woman hates a man, loathes him, but well, does she really hate him? This slow burn adult novel was a great read and it is clearly inspired by You Got Mail! How can you go wrong with an adaptation from something like that?! You can, but hopefully someday, they won’t.

 THIS SERIES IS CREATED BY WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES

mettelray

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13 responses to “Thursday Movie Picks: An Adaptation You Want to See”

  1. Sofia da Costa Avatar
    Sofia da Costa

    You are so right, WHY AREN’T ROM-COMS A THING NOW. I just watched Accidental Husband the other night (it was on TV of course), with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Uma Thurman, Colin Firth – know that one? And yeah, it’s not amazing, not even a good one, but it’s so cute (JDM grins like an lovable idiot the whole time) and joyful and filled with love, I mean, must we only get broken relationships and regret? I demand stuff like Bridget Jones! But another sequel, please.

    Okay rant over. Haven’t read any of your picks, but you’ve talked about The Hating Game so I have it already, just haven’t gotten around to it. Sounds really fun 😊

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      Of course I know that one! I like it a lot actually, I also LOVE Prime with Uma Thurman, she does quite good rom-coms actually. I know both are silly and stupid but I’d watch any of them over FiftyShades.

      The Hating Game was fun!

      Reply
  2. Brittani Avatar
    Brittani

    I haven’t read any of these. I’m kind of kicking myself for not picking Station Eleven personally, that’s been one of my favorites books I’ve read recently. I think you read it too?

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      Yes, I read it but I never thought about it for this pick.. I liked the book but it was also a bit over hyped for me, as was The Night Circus. I just, I didn’t get either of those books as much as I wanted to.

      Reply
  3. Jay Nixon Avatar
    Jay Nixon

    I haven’t read any of these those I’ll join in the call for a return of the romantic comedy! These two sound like with careful adaptation they’d fit the bill. Since you mentioned You’ve Got Mail have you seen the two earlier versions? The original Lubitsch film The Shop Around the Corner is a beautiful delicate comedy/drama with Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan then in the 40’s it was adapted into a musical for Judy Garland called In the Good Old Summertime (bonus at the very end Judy’s daughter is played by a three year old Liza Minnelli). If you’re suffering rom-com withdrawal I say go back to the Golden Age of them. The thirties and forties they were thick on the ground and there are dozens and dozens of decent ones-I’d say start with any of them that star Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Rosalind Russell, Myrna Loy or Cary Grant. They were the queens (and one king) of the genre.

    Okay off my soapbox now back to this week. This was a nice change of pace and I’d like to see these three from different genres make it to the silver screen.

    How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater (2005)-Comic novel by Marc Acito tells the tale of young sexually confused Jersey teen Edward Zanni and the lengths he goes to his senior year when his divorced father marries gold-digging shrew Dagmar and she blocks his way to attending Julliard. Helping Edward are his group of very resourceful and game friends, free spirit Paula D’Angelo, enterprising Natie Nudelman (affectionately called Cheesehead), Edward’s sometime girlfriend, perky blonde Kelly, exotic Persian transfer student Ziba and football jock Doug Grabowski who’s more at home with the theatre geeks than his sport cronies. Together, with the sometime reluctant help of Paula’s dotty Aunt Glo, they scheme to defeat the rapacious Dagmar and make Edward’s musical dream come true.

    The Queen’s Man (2000)-In the year 1193 young Justin de Quincy witnesses the murder of a tradesman on the road from Winchester to London. As he lies dying the man hands Justin a letter and begs him to find a way to get it to the queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Letter in hand he’s brought into Eleanor’s presence and her confidence leading to a world of intrigue and danger as Eleanor plots to save her favorite son, Richard the Lionhearted whilst her grasping younger son John schemes to seize the throne. Great historical detail and an engaging lead character makes a good adventure.

    A Cast of Killers (1986)-In 1982 author Sidney Kirkpatrick is commissioned to write a biography of King Vidor, director of classics The Big Parade and Stella Dallas among many others. Delving into Vidor’s papers he discovered a trove of research that the director and his good friend former silent star Colleen Moore had compiled on the unsolved 1922 murder of film director William Desmond Taylor. Putting the Vidor bio aside for the moment Kirkpatrick built on the existing research and plunged into the jazz mad world of the twenties where men with vague pasts such as Taylor’s could rise to the level of respected film director. Along the way he acquaints the reader with the many people, shaded by Vidor’s intimate knowledge of the film community of the time, involved in the case including the two stars, comic legend Mabel Normand and supposedly innocent Mary Miles Minter, whose careers were destroyed in the scandal and the massive cover-up and graft that protected the killer, whom Vidor deduced, for decades. A fascinating story begging to be filmed.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      I have to give it a go, I have a thing planned for next year so maybe… maybe I will get to these Golden Age rom-coms!

      Reply
  4. Sonia (A Film A Day) Avatar
    Sonia (A Film A Day)

    I haven’t read any of these but the last one could be interesting.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      It was a pretty good read! 😉

      Reply
  5. Wandering through the Shelves Avatar
    Wandering through the Shelves

    Actually, what I meant by when I set the theme was for titles that haven’t yet been adapted, so your eventual picks were definitely more in line with what I meant than what you formerly were going to go for.

    Anyway…just curious what is the 2019 movie of a YA book that you’re anticipating.

    As for teen comedies, what about The Duff or Edge of Seventeen? I haven’t seen them but people said they were good.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      Yeah. I figured the upcoming adaptations wouldn’t work, so I guess I went with the right theme after all!

      It’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before !

      I didn’t like The Duff because the book was so good, and the movie just ruined everything that book stood for! And Edge of Seventeen was pretty good, could have been better but still, I liked it.

      Reply
  6. Wandering through the Shelves Avatar
    Wandering through the Shelves

    I’ve read To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before too and it’s sequels. Really enjoyed the series so looking forward to the movie too which now looks like it’s getting a 2018 release.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      Oh my god that would be perfect! I initially thought it was going to be released in 2019.. but that’s exciting that they will do it earlier. I really hope they don’t ruin it like they did with DUFF.

      Reply
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