YAtopia

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Book To Movie--The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry is probably one of my mostest favoritest booksies EVAR. Simple and short, but profound and moving, Lowry's dystopian world left an impression on me that I've not forgotten, even years after reading it.

When I saw the movie trailer, I almost SQUEED out loud in the theater. To say I'm excited would be an understatement.

Yet I'm also hesitant. The main character seems older than I remember (bringing back some trepidation I felt for the Ender's Game film), and while the cast is impressive, I'm not sure they fit the images I had in my mind. Some of the scenery doesn't really match what I remember either. (Guess I have a crappy memory, LOL!)

The whole thing has got me kind of nervous about seeing the movie version. I try not to compare the book to the movie (I find it leads to disappointment more than anything), so I hope I can keep an open mind when I roll up into the theater in a couple weeks.

So what say you? Do you like film adaptations of books, particularly your favorites? Do you tend to avoid those flicks, keeping the memory of the book pristine and untarnished, or do you seek out the movie as a bit of entertainment, a perusal of someone else's imagination bringing it to life?

For more info, check out the IMDb page for The Giver, and Lois Lowry's interview with The New York Times on her book becoming a film.

Happy reading and happy watching!

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Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, and horror. She’s a lucid dreamer, meaning she can direct her dreams while they’re happening. When she’s awake, she pens stories from her dreams and shares them with her readers. Laura has many published titles including the Pride Series (New Pride, Shifting Pride, and Tsavo Pride), the Endure Series (Endure and Evoke), The Zodiac Collector, a novella Sunset Moon in the Lore anthology, and several shorts stories. When she’s not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamer, and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion.

If you’re interested in reading more about me, or interacting with me on the web check out the following links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DiamondLB

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraDiamond

Author Laura Diamond: www.authorlauradiamond.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5815639.Laura_Diamond

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Diamond/e/B009Y7L432/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1377733776&sr=8-1

Blog: http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Book Versus Movie

I'm firmly in the camp of: the book version is always better than the movie version. But I still get totally excited when a fav book is turned into a movie. (Can you say Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings?)

Since summer, I've been jonesing to see the film adaptations of some of my favorite books: Ender's Game, Catching Fire, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Along with the excitement comes a tingle of anxiety. Will the movie live up to my expectations? How will they change the characters? Will they look how I picture them? What scenes will be cut? Will they futz with the ending?

For example, regarding Ender's Game, the actor who plays Ender Wiggin looks nothing like I pictured. He's supposed to be six years old!

Did I feel a twinge of disappointment when I first saw the kid cast as Ender?

Yep.

And about two seconds later, I got sucked into the super awesome CGI effects.

(Yeah, I'm kinda superficial when it comes to movies--the more explosions and the more action, the better.)

Then I remembered: While I know that, for me, the book always trumps the movie, I also like to keep an open mind when I watch a film adaptation. It's impossible to include every nuance of the book, to cast actors who look exactly like the characters in the book, and to create the world that I envisioned with my imagination.

So what do I do?

I enjoy the movie for the movie. I try not to compare the film to the book. I judge it on itself.

And for the most part, I enjoy movies based on books.

How about you? Do you like to watch the film version of books? Do you read the book first or watch the movie first? Why?

And what's better: the book or the movie?

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Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, and horror. Her Young Adult Paranormal Romance novelette NEW PRIDE and novel SHIFTING PRIDE debuted late 2012 from Etopia Press. A spin off short story based on the lions of Tsavo, TSAVO PRIDE, is now available on Kindle. In 2013, her Young Adult Dystopian series, ENDURE and EVOKE, are being published by Etopia Press. Her Young Adult Paranormal Adventure, THE ZODIAC COLLECTOR, is coming 2014 by Spencer Hill Press. When she's not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamer, and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion.