The Future of Us

Posted on January 18, 2012 by JodiL

It was time for me to find a new Young Adult novel. I had taken a break after reading the Uglies series, partly because I wanted to feel a little bit like a grown-up. Partly because after reading the Scott Westerfeld series (too) soon after finishing The Hunger Games, I was dystopia-ed out. But mainly, because of the holidays and, well — life — I wanted to be reading books I could actually put down. (Apparently, relatives do not like to believe they are less interesting than our imaginary friends.) Also, there was the whole ‘Good will towards man’ thing butting up against too many all-too-convincing totalitarian futures.

So after taking respite in the past and in food, which are pretty much interchangeable and equally pleasurable amongst my people, I decided to see what the Young Adult universe had to offer in the new year.

What I found in The Future of Us was a pleasure on many more levels than I expected. The premise alone is addictive — teens in 1996 accidentally stumble upon posts from their fifteen-years-older selves on this crazy thing called facebook. But as any fan of speculative fiction will tell you, a fabulous premise does not a satisfying execution bring …

Happily, The Future of Us delivers. Emma and Josh, two teens whose otherwise idyllic friendship has been temporarily derailed by the mixed-messaged and confounding hormonal booby traps we like to believe get cleared up in older age, discover that the AOL CD-ROM Josh’s mom is more than happy to pass along to Emma somehow gives them a glimpse into their future lives.

Emma and Josh alternate chapters written by two acclaimed YA authors, Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher. But what could have come across as an amusing writing exercise is given real weight and heft by these two. Mackler and Asher know that life can be plenty perilous without a televised fight to the death or state-sanctioned aesthetic upgrade. (Not that the novels that go there aren’t absolutely mind-boggling; still, it’s good to remember that the comparatively humdrum little things always mean a lot, as well.) Some may wonder why Emma and Josh don’t cash in on what is to us so obviously the wave of the future. Others may feel that the teens are infuriatingly short-sighted, but I think that’s part of the novel’s charm. Knowledge is only as good as our ability to process it. How many of us at 16 could have fixed the problems that our thirty-something-year old selves couldn’t for the life of us get our heads around?

Put this in the un-put-downable column and snuggle up!

Books to Screen: One of the most anticipated films of 2011, David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Michelle Langston

One of the best cinematic gifts I will probably get this Christmas will be sitting in a theatre watching David Fincher’s book to screen adaptation of the first book in Stieg Larsson’s wildly successful Millennium Trilogy, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

Yeah, yeah…I know I’ve posted about this film before, but I just couldn’t resist another post. This is just one of those films for me, one where all the right elements are in place to make one hell of a movie. David Fincher directing, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross handling the music, and the cast! Oh my goodness, the cast! Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist, Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander, Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger, Stellan Skarsgard as Martin Vanger, Robin Wright as Erika Vanger and Joely Richardson as Anita Vanger.

Larsson’s first book is a labyrinth of lies, murder, corruption, family secrets and inner demons that surround the 40 year-old mysterious disappearance of a young girl. Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is a financial reporter who is left broken and shamed after being convicted in a court of law of libel. Hired by a wealthy industrialist, Henrik Vanger (Academy Award® nominee Christopher Plummer), to get to the bottom of the long-ago disappearance of his beloved niece, Harriet, Blomkvist heads to a remote island on the frozen Swedish coast, unaware of what awaits him.

At the same time, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), an unusual but ingenious investigator with Milton Security, is hired to do a background check on Blomkvist, a job that ultimately leads to her joining him in his investigation. Lisbeth is a young woman who has gone to great lengths to shield herself from a world that has repeatedly betrayed her, but her computer hacking skills and single-minded focus become an invaluable resource to Blomkvist. Salander and Blomkvist form a fragile strand of trust as they are pulled into the center of a brutal crime world.

In all three books, Larsson pulls from his background in investigative journalism to create a fictional, yet all too real world of social and political corruption and moral ambiguity. The original title of Larsson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was “Men Who Hate Women,” but was later scrapped for a more “publishing friendly” title. The book is not only an exploration of crimes committed against women and those that commit those crimes, but also of what it means to be victimized, versus living as a victim….and the seething need to be avenged.

While you probably will not have time to finish off the first book before the film opens in theaters next week, I highly recommend you set aside some time to read all three. So, while we wait for the film to hit theatres, I’m leaving you with a gallery of “eye candy.” Just a little something to tide you over until opening day, which by the way, is now one day earlier than anticipated! Instead of having to wait until December 21, you’ll be able to see the film in theatres on December 20! Keep in mind, this film is definitely “Rated R.”

Happy Holidays to all you Bookend Babes out there! My wish for you is that your holidays are filled with lots of fun, family, friends…and hopefully, time for you to enjoy a great book, or a movie on the big screen!

Books to Screen: The Descendants

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Michelle Langston

Book End Babes, I have one word for you. Clooney.

Do I have your attention? I thought so!

George Clooney is back on the big screen in THE DESCENDANTS, which is adapted from the book by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film is a family dramedy, directed by Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning film SIDEWAYS, and is set to open in select cities on November 16, and then will expand to other cities.

Set in Hawaii, THE DESCENDANTS is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney). Matt is an indifferent husband and uninvolved father of two girls, who is forced to take a hard look at his past and make decisions about his future after his wife is involved in a serious boating accident off the coast of Waikiki. The event leads to an effort at reconciliation with his daughters while struggles to decide whether to sell the family land that has been handed down for generations from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.

The buzz right now on the film is terrific, with critics already talking about a best picture nomination, and a best actor nomination for Clooney. Check out the trailer below, and then mark your calendar to set a date to watch this film. Not sure when it will open in your city? Just keep checking for opening dates on on the film’s website HERE.

Books to Screen: “Drive” – The Return of Cool

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Michelle Langston

The Fall movie season is officially underway and one of the first films out of the gate is director Nicolas Winding Refn’s DRIVE, an intelligent, stylish, Oscar-worthy action film. I keep hearing this film compared to Jason Statham’s popular THE TRANSPORTER films, but trust me, these are very different movies. Yes, just as THE TRANSPORTER delivers on the action front, DRIVE does as well, but with the style and finesse of an art house film. The opening sequence of DRIVE hooks you with its slow-building tension, beautiful cinematography, and a car chase that no doubt will go down in film history as one of the best on film.

Think of DRIVE as a recipe of one part early Tarantino, mixed with 80′s style Michael Mann and William Friedkin, and then throw in some Steve McQueen style coolness. The final result? One of the best damn films of the year.

Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can’t help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac).

After a heist intended to pay off Standard’s protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman). But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk—that they’re coming straight for Irene and her son—Driver is forced to shift gears and go on offense.

The film is based on the book of the same name, written by avant garde and crime story literature writer James Sallis. DRIVE is Rated R and opens in theaters everywhere this Friday, September 16. I know I’ll be back at the theater again this weekend to take in a second viewing!

Leave me a comment and tell me about your favorite actions films, or your favorite Ryan Gosling film. What’s in it for you? Next Tuesday (September 20), I’ll pick one winner by random number generator and you win a DRIVE prize pack that includes the book, a pair of driving gloves, a DRIVE keychain and DRIVE car air freshners!

Now, make plans this weekend to go see DRIVE! Here’s a little bonus clip for you of the opening “Getaway” scene from the film. Happy viewing Book End Babes!

For more information about DRIVE, “Like” the film on Facebook or visit the film’s official website!

Books to Screen: Summer Comes to an End

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Michelle Langston

So how has everyone been fairing in during Heatwave 2011? Here in OKC, the temps have been brutal…I mean “I think my face is melting off” kind of brutal. Naturally, as a film publicist, I spend a lot of time in a movie theater. I mean I’ve literally gone into labor, TWICE, in a movie theater. Yet I think we’ve spent more time there this summer than ever before. Luckily, most of the summer movie fare we have seen turned out to be much better than I expected. I have watched several films more than once, which I have to tell you, very rarely ever happens for me. For most films, one viewing is all I can do.

Here are the summer flicks that I’ve enjoyed as much the second (and for a few, even a third time). Granted, not all of these films are based on books, but all are worth a viewing before they are gone in theaters.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Based on the 1963 novel, “Monkey Planet” by Pierre Boulle (who also wrote the book “The Bridge Over the River Kwai”), the Planet of the Apes franchise has had an enduring (albeit at times highly, highly cheesy) legacy in American pop culture. Not a big fan of the damn dirty ape franchise of the 60′s and 70′s? Don’t let that stop you. Are you a fan of the original series? Cool! See how many references to past “Planet of the Apes” movies you spot. Starring James Franco (“127 Hours”), Frieda Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and John Lithgow, this film was a surprise to me, and much better than I expected. I absolutely love it when there is an audible, authentic reaction from a crowd of moviegoers. I’ll tell you this, in all my years of sitting in a packed movie theater to gauge and report back to studios on audience reaction, I have never heard the audience gasp so loudly in unison as I did during one pivotal scene in this film. Serioulsy, go see it. Oh, and if you have an original copy of Boulle’s “Monkey Planet,” send it my way? Seems to be going for a steep price of about $400 online. Or, you can just grab a reissued copy HERE.

SUPER 8

This may very well be my favorite film of the summer. I’ve not seen it once, not even twice…THREE times. Egads, can you say, “Nerd!” The pairing of JJ Abrams as writer/director of the film, and Steven Spielberg producing, along with a talented young cast including Elle Fanning (Dakota’s sister), Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths and Ryan Lee, makes for a movie that is I would describe as “Stand by Me” with aliens (and not the cute “E.T.” kind of aliens). Do yourself a favor and get out there and see this one.

CAPTAIN AMERICA

Being a nerdy girl at heart, I will go to the theater for just about any superhero, comic book based film, only to often times find myself extremely disappointed in the outcome. However, Marvel has really been on a high with the success of bringing their characters from page to screen (for the most part). I have truly enjoyed both “Iron Man” films, “The Incredible Hulk” with Edward Norton, and am looking forward to the upcoming “Avengers” movie. While there was another Marvel character on the big screen this summer, “Captain America” was the one that knocked my socks off. From set design, to make-up to costuming, this film is visually stunning to look at, and then there is Hugo Weaving playing the villain, Johann Schmidt (aka “The Red Skull”). Hello!!!! Hugo Weaving and gorgeous 1940′s styling. Need I say more? And if you feel like brushing up on some backstory, the “Captain America” omnibus should do the trick!

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2

Oh good grief, I cried like a little girl once the opening credits started rolling. I don’t even need to tell you what the rest of the film was like for me. If I were to have another child, I think I’d have to find a way to work in the name Severus. I really can’t say anything else about this one because I just don’t have a box of tissue handy. Read the books for crying out loud. They are fantastic. And it goes without saying that the movies are really, quite amazing.