Gatsby on Screen

I watched all the Gatsby movies (except the now-lost silent film from 1926) so you don't have to! Just kidding, I'm not a movie reviewer and find it difficult to sit through movies (even though I can sit and read a book in a day, go figure) so I'm often very grumpy and narrow-minded with my interpretations. Still... here they are! Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment!

2013

Over the top. The cinematic swoops, overly bright lighting, and cartoonish sharpness made me think of David LaChapelle photographs, which I know have their fans but just look garish and AI-generated to me.

I think the music was too much and the dancing was so jerky that it should have just gone all out as a musical.

I grew up watching the Robert Redford and Sam Waterston version, so I'm biased, and I also don't like Tobey Maguire or Leonardo DiCaprio, so that furthers my bias, but I just don't like this version. That said, I'm glad it was made since it showed a different take on things, and it brought the book back into the spotlight (more than it being required reading for most high schoolers does). Tobey Maguire as Nick just seems so... empty. He seems like the most clueless, sheltered man ever. I got sick of his blank, dumbfounded stares by the first Gatsby party. I have always been intrigued by Nick as a narrator but this movie makes me hate him and question his intelligence in every way. He's intolerable.

2002

I didn't know what to expect with this interpretation... mostly since it's just 97 minutes, and the previous Gatsby flicks I've seen (1974 and 2013) seem entirely too long. Honestly, I was excited to see how the story would unfold when there was a time constraint.

I think this was actually a good movie. I say actually because, in reading reviews, I see criticism for it not being Gatsby enough and not being hip-hop enough. I can agree with both of those takes, but it was pretty refreshing in my mind. There were some nice liberties taken (I mean, there's a homeowner's association involved!) and a good twist regarding the death at the end that kept me interested.

2000

Janet and I watched this and posted reactions on Bluesky on April 12th. I'd previously seen the first half hour or so... yes, that's all, despite owning the DVD. I can't focus on movies for some reason, even if they do include Paul Rudd. This one was well done and concise and I enjoyed all of the actors, so it became my first place Gatsby version after our watch party.

1974

This is the version I grew up with. I remember watching this and The Natural and developing the biggest crush on Robert Redford - what a dreamboat! I thought Sam Waterston was the best Nick until I saw the Paul Rudd version, but I think they capture the same essence. That said, I can't stand how Mia Farrow acts as Daisy, though I do think she's very Daisy-like. Overall, the movie just seems a bit too long to me, so after seeing the 2000 A&E version, that became my new favorite and this was demoted to second place. Still a solid offering, though.

If I could mix and match them to make my own all-star movie, I would choose:

Joel Edgerton - Tom Buchanan

Mira Sorvino - Daisy Buchanan

Paul Rudd - Nick Carraway

Robert Redford - Jay Gatsby

Elizabeth Debicki - Jordan Baker (a bit Zoey Deschanel though)

Isla Fisher - Myrtle Wilson

The Wild Robot book series + movie

Well, I did it! After trying to read this book series years ago, then letting it linger on my nightstand for months, I finally finished all three books before seeing the movie! 

The Wild Robot review

The Wild Robot Escapes review

The Wild Robot Protects review

Turns out, the movie really just covers the first book, and not that closely in many ways, but I'm glad to have read them all just because.

The movie was amazing! It was gorgeously animated and really funny in so many parts. The way Roz and Pinktail talked about motherhood and their children cracked me up. But it was also a really emotional movie... to me. Or maybe it was just my current mood and state of mind? Or the fact that I'm a single mom just like Roz? The mother-son stuff was very touching for sure. And the way the animals came together to help each other was just something I needed to see right now for that hope or sense of good in the world.

I would definitely watch this movie again (when it's streaming so I can sob in peace). I really hope they make movies for books two and three as well. Book two is still my favorite, and while the ending of the movie kind of touched on book two in a different way, I think it actually leads to a natural progression to Roz working on a family farm, so I hope they do it!

Matilda the Musical

Last weekend I saw Matilda the Musical at Playhouse on the Square. I originally saw it at the Orpheum in January 2016, and fell in love!

About that performance, I said:

I was only halfway through [re-reading] the book when we went to see the play, but I liked it that way - I couldn't remember the original ending, so the play was still somewhat suspenseful. 
          [The play is] hard to review because... it's amazing. I would have gone to see it again the next night if I could have! The stage looks fantastic with all the letters and colors and blocks, and it pulls you right into Matilda's world. The actors are perfect in their roles. We saw a native Memphian play Matilda on opening night, so that was a nice perk!
          The musical differs quite a bit in that Matilda's mother has a different hobby, which doesn't add much to the story, in my opinion. Matilda also tells an ongoing story she's made up, which is overly sentimental and also doesn't add much to the story, especially since Miss Honey's backstory is explained so concisely in the book. But I am a huge Tim Minchin fan, so I appreciate how these divergent storylines help develop the musical side of the story. Tim Minchin's songs are very clever and add jokes and wit to the story.

Besides being excited to go with a group and show off my photography exhibit in the cafe lobby, I was excited to see how it was interpreted for the smaller stage at Playhouse. The set was pared down, of course, and the letters were projected with lighting instead of being hung all over the stage. One thing I love about smaller theater performances is how much they do with limited sets and space. Using the doors and blocks for multiple purposes was really creative. The actors themselves were all fantastic, and there's nothing that makes me tear up faster than young locals blowing an audience away, and having that audience cheer like crazy. (I think there were lots of family and friends in the crowd that night, but still.)

Everyone I was with really loved the musical, and as someone who saw it years ago and has listened to the soundtrack countless times since, hearing the songs performed onstage was almost like seeing a band in concert. I loved hearing the music live again!

As far as I could tell, the show was sold out, and so many local businesses and families had wanted to sponsor the show that I hope it's performed here again before too long. I think it's great that it's based on a book, of course, but it seems like several plays each season are book-based at Playhouse. I think I mostly love how there were people of all ages there, and everyone seemed totally into the story and songs. I think Dahl is a timeless author, obviously (see: Author Study), and I've enjoyed some of the movies I've seen based on his work, but I do love that he's being updated and exposed to more people by having his stories transformed into plays and musicals.

Stinky and Dirty Show

I'm loving all of these children shows being developed from children's books! I reviewed the first episode of Pete the Cat a looooong time ago, and unfortunately haven't watched the rest of the show yet! It's one that I feel like I should watch with my son, but he'd rather watch the same episode of Paw Patrol for the hundredth time - anyone else have that problem? I'll probably watch several of these Amazon Prime and Netflix kids' shows on my own, and just let him sit in if he wants.

One we can both agree on, however, is The Stinky and Dirty Show. This show is loosely based on books by Kate McMullan and Jim McMullan. It's such a cute show, with the catchiest theme song ever. I love how childlike the characters are, and how full of wonder they are. Stinky and Dirty (from I Stink! and I'm Dirty!) are the main characters, but Brave and Mighty have their own books, too.

I love hearing the voices picked for the characters on the show. Billy West (Futurama), Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride), Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Jane Lynch, Andy Richter, Joan Cusack, and Whoopi Goldberg all voice characters! Mostly I just love that the two main characters are children. When I read the books aloud, I automatically use a tough voice because the stories are all about showing that different vehicles can do. I read it as a "You don't think I can do this? I'll show you," attitude. Hearing the friendly tones of the show made me wonder if I was totally misreading the books! I might have been reading the book characters a little rude - whoops!

There are already two excellent seasons of this show, and my son and I are both excited to see more! The stories are really cute, and I love the animation style! It's pretty true to the book illustrations, but just looks amazing on screen.

Have you watched The Stinky and Dirty Show? Have you read the books? What did you notice that was similar or different?

Bird Box: Books to Movies

Everyone has something to say about Bird Box, the book, the movie, or both. So I'm going to assume that if you're reading this, you've read the book and seen the movie. If not, stop here because SPOILERS. I am going to be comparing the two, so be warned: no holds barred.

Ready Player One

I read Ready Player One in October 2016 because two librarian friends/coworkers recommended it to me. Honestly, based on the description, it's something I probably never would have picked up on my own. So I owe a huge thanks to those librarians because I LOVED the book.

My review:

I loved this book! It was recommended to me by a friend who said I’d like it even though I don’t like sci-fi. To clarify, I don’t like hard sci-fi. I like things that seem like they could happen, like dystopia and robots and establishing a life on other planets. This book was amazing because it could be read as a statement on what direction the world is going in - so much is done online, not face-to-face. Life seems so great on Facebook but it’s not in reality, etc. 
Wade basically lives in the OASIS, an online world that’s better than the real world, especially considering that people live in trailers stacked on each other. He squats in an abandoned van to log in to the OASIS and become Parzival, an avatar who is still in high school, but is searching for the egg the OASIS creator left encoded in the game before he died. I don’t want to give too much away, but this book totally sucked me in, and I already want to re-read it!

I saw the movie on opening weekend, in an IMAX theater - the first IMAX movie I've seen that wasn't an educational documentary at the Pink Palace! It was pretty cool to see on the big screen; I think that kind of fit with the movie overall, being such a blowout action-y movie based so much on technology.

The movie itself was pretty good... It could stand alone. If I hadn't read the book, I could still follow the movie. That's important to me - I remember seeing The Giver and feeling like I would be so lost if I hadn't read the book. But that movie was horrible, so let's move on before I go on an angry tangent.

Ready Player One told a story in the movie - to my memory, it was pretty different than the book, but I read it long enough ago where I can only remember snippets and the general feeling I felt about it. The CGI in the movie was pretty bad in my mind; it looked kind of 80ish, which might have been the point! I haven't read any reviews or book comparisons about it yet. But I thought it was kind of a ripoff that so much of the movie was just CGI characters doing stuff. Some of the scenes were pretty hokey, too, and the references were too much - not thrown in to be clever, but so in your face you know they wanted the audience to react. And the audience DID react, to let everyone know they got the joke, and that's one petty reason I hate going to the movie theater - people clapping for the movie, talking back to it, etc.

Bottom line: the book is always better than the movie, but I always love seeing the movie just so I can compare them!

Matilda

Back in January 2016, I re-read Matilda because I had tickets to see Matilda the Musical at the beautiful Orpheum Theater. I wanted the story to be fresh in my mind because I love comparing the books to the movies, or in this case, the play.

I really enjoyed the play. It's hard to review because... it's amazing. I would have gone to see it again the next night if I could have! The stage looks fantastic with all the letters and colors and blocks, and it pulls you right into Matilda's world. The actors are perfect in their roles. We saw a native Memphian play Matilda on opening night, so that was a nice perk!

The next day, I watched the movie. I remember seeing the movie as a child, but it's just as good as an adult! The movie differs a little in that there are some added scenes involving Matilda, Miss Honey, and Trunchbull, but this storyline fits in with the overall story, and isn't a major discrepancy like some plot changes are in movies.

The musical differs quite a bit in that Matilda's mother has a different hobby, which doesn't add much to the story, in my opinion. Matilda also tells an ongoing story she's made up, which is overly sentimental and also doesn't add much to the story, especially since Miss Honey's backstory is explained so concisely in the book. But I am a huge Tim Minchin fan, so I appreciate how these divergent storylines help develop the musical side of the story. Tim Minchin's songs are very clever and add jokes and wit to the story.

I think the movie and musical are both so good because they stay pretty close to the original story. I'm usually not a big fan of books that are made into movies; I'm in the camp that the book is always better than the movie. One exception is To Kill a Mockingbird, which is an amazing film that really does the book justice. Now that my memory has been refreshed, I'm adding Matilda to that list. And though the musical strays from the original story, I highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance!

Matilda is coming to Playhouse on the Square for the 2019 season, and I'm so excited to see it in a smaller playhouse! It was fantastic at the Orpheum, but I was ready to see it again the next night, so I know it will be a blast to see it at my favorite venue.

Dahl

Roald Dahl was one of my favorite authors as a kid. I love how silly his books are, but they're presented so matter-of-fact. A lot of funny kids books I've read lately kind of acknowledge the humor and ridiculousness, so the reader is in on the joke. I like that, too, but I love how Dahl says "This is how it is" and... that's how it is. Some things don't make sense, some things don't match up with logic, but the stories are consistent (as far as I've re-read) so you aren't snapped out of the story by a new line of magic halfway through that didn't exist at the beginning of the book.

I don't have all of his books, and I haven't read them all. Years ago, just after I had a go at an MFA program, I wanted to do an informal author study of Dahl, since I wasn't going to have to do one to earn a degree. So... that never happened. But slowly I have been re-reading some of Dahl's books for my own enjoyment, and I've found that I usually enjoy them just as much as an adult as I did as a kid. I especially like now seeing the movies and plays based on some of his books and comparing them all in different formats.

Who was your favorite author when you were a kid? Who is your favorite now?

Banned Book: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a dystopian series that features an annual event pitting young children from each of the twelve districts against each other in a fight to the death. The event is televised and is treated with the enthusiasm of our Olympics.

I read the Hunger Games series once all the books were released, because I’m really bad with series. I like to binge-read them, like binge-watching an entire TV series in a few marathon sessions. I really liked the series, with the exception of the second book, which just seemed like a placeholder. I saw the first movie but waited to see the rest until - you got it - they were all released and I could have a marathon. I keep planning to re-read the series and then re-watch the movies with everything fresh in my mind, but that hasn’t happened yet.

These books were banned for being too violent and unsuitable for the target age group. I have no problem with the reasoning, because these are violent books. I do disagree with the banning, of course. There is no reason to ever ban a book, just don’t read it! Don’t allow your kids to read it until they’re mature enough! Let everyone think independently, governing his or her own self (and children until they’re ready).

Reading Harry Potter... for the first time!

It's true, I'm an adult bookworm who is just now reading the Harry Potter series.

To be fair, I tried to read the first book when it initially came out; I made it a couple of chapter in and had to put it down. I've never been into fantastical books or movies, so wizards and magic didn't interest me much. Plus, I was a teenager who had tons of homework and limited reading time, so I'd rather read what I loved. (I'll also admit that I had a pretty narrow reading scope at that point.) I saw the first two movies because a friend wanted to see them, but I didn't get into them, and can't remember too much about them now.

Then the hype hit. To be fair, the book was probably already wildly popular when I attempted it the first time, but no one can deny that Harry Potter fever took over as the books were released. I have this weird thing with hype, where I get annoyed when I hear about something too much and want to shun it as much as possible. Even with things I love! I just feel oversaturated by it and want to ignore it. So that, of course, is what happened with All Things Harry Potter.

Fast forward to now, when I am grown up and finishing my master's degree and doing an internship with the public library system. I am setting up my internship hours with the children's department manager when I am told that something Harry Potter related is coming out on July 31st, and that is also Harry Potter's birthday. It is also the last day of Memphis' summer reading program, meaning the library will have a huge party celebrating all of these things.

Well, if I'm going my internship in the children's department, and helping out with this party, I better know what's going on! I don't want a day of kids running up to me, asking Harry Potter questions or spouting off Harry Potter trivia while I smile and nod dumbly.

I am going to read Harry Potter!

I started towards the end of May, a little nervous that I was going to be "forced" to read seven books that didn't interest me at all. Booknerd friends on social media warn me that the first book isn't very good, but they all get better as the series progresses. Ok, here we go.

I remember the first chapter, and the second. Ok, this is the point where I stopped reading before, but this time... I'm into it! I LIKE HARRY POTTER! I feel pretty accomplished at this point, because I like a book that hardcore Harry Potter fans admit isn't too great. (It's not as fantastical as I thought it would be; the "real" world is pretty well-represented. My problem with fantasy is that you're usually just thrown into this world that is crazy-different from ours, and are expected to believe it exists and has always been this way... Sometimes creatures are too far-fetched, and names are so ridiculous you can't believe anyone, in a fantasy world or not, would burden their offspring in such a manner. But Harry Potter seems real enough, because the worlds are explained thoroughly, but not in such a descriptive way that you get bogged down in the details, trying to figure out if something is really possible. But I digress.)

I finish the book. I start the second. I finish the second. Yup - I like Harry Potter! This summer will be a breeze. I will finally get references people around me make. No one will look at me in shock when I say I've never read the series, because I will have read the series! 

Then I start book three. It's longer than the first two, but it's still pretty much the same - Harry is famous! Everyone loves Harry! But a lot of people also hate Harry! They want to kill him. He might be in trouble. He should be cautious and not leave the school building. But that's not Harry's style!

I get that some authors find formulas that work. I get that most books have the same setup and story arc. It's a predictable, not-horrible format for a juvenile adventure book: boy is living life; boy gets warning that something is changing and might be life-threatening; boy encounters enemy; boy vanquishes enemy; everyone is satisfied, but enemy is still out there because it's not just one, it's an army.

Like I said, I get it, and it's fine. But after reading the same basic story twice, I'm a little burnt out. So I'm hardly reading right now, because I'm just not into the story anymore. After such a high, I'm a little worried - can I finish the series before the end of July?