From Page to Screen

Each year we see less original screen plays an more movie adaptations. Books offer the film industry intriguing plots, with well loved and engaging characters. 

I am and will always be a firm believer that the book is always better, so no matter what I always try to read the book before the film comes out.

2013 is going to be dominated by supernatural young adult books, as well as science fiction, graphic novels and classics. 

Here you'll find just a taster of what we can expect to see in our movie theatres this year. 

Warm Bodies

1st Febuary (US) 8th Febuary (UK)

Based on Isaac Marion's novel warm bodies, its been called a 'zombie-romantic comedy' with strong links with Romeo and Juliet (the leading characters being called 'R' and 'Julie'). "The film focuses on the development of the relationship between Julie and R and how their romance sets in motion events that will change the world." 

Beautiful Creatures

13th February (UK) 14th February (US)

Based on the best selling, young adult book of the same name by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Beautiful creatures follows the story of Ethan who can't wait to leave his small town that is until the new girl Lena arrives and he discovers a dark and mysterious secret that his town has been hiding for years.

Oz - The Great and Powerful

8th March (UK & US)

The film is inspired by L. Frank Baums novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The events of the film take place before the novel and describes how the Wizard came to be in charge of Oz. "Circus magician Oscar Diggs thinks he's hit the jackpot as he's transported to the Land of Oz, but his encounters with three witches and problems facing Oz's inhabitants encourage him to become the great wizard they've been expecting."

The Host

22nd March (UK) 29th March (US)

Based on Stephanie Meyers book The Host (which I loved and I'm hoping she is going to bringing out a sequel soon like she promised). An alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder but instead of letting it take over she fights back and together they learn to work together to try and find Melanie's family.

Iron Man 3

26th April (UK) 3rd May (US)

"Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds (Mandarin)."

The latest movie in the Marvels comic book franchise (a particular favourite of my boyfriends) and the first since the Avengers movie, see's the wonderfully funny Tony Stark back and see him searching for the answer to the elusive question, "Does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?"

Great Gatsby


 10th May (US) 17th May (UK)

Adapted from the 1925 novel The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, it story follows Nick Carraway, a young man that moves to Long Island and finds himself fascinated by his neighbour Jay Gatsby during the roaring twenties.He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.

Man of Steel

14th June (UK and US)

Based on the DC comic character Superman, man of steel portrays the characters origin story with Henry Cavil taking on the famous role.

World War Z

21st June (UK and US)

Based on the novel of the same name by Max Brooks, the film follows UN worker Gerry Lane as he searches for information on how to stop the outbreak of the  zombie epidermic that is destroying the world.

The Wolverine


26th July (UK and US)

Hugh Jackman once again stars as Wolverine from the X-men comics by marvel.The Wolverine is based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's 1982 limited series, which sees Logan travel to Japan, where he engages a mysterious figure from his past.

No trailer as of yet.




Percy Jackson - Sea of Monsters


14th August (UK) 16th August (US)

Sequel to the 2010 film Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief and the second book in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. It follows Percy and his friends as they search for golden fleece in order to protect the camp half bloods borders from magical enemies.

No trailer or movie poster as of yet.

Mortal Instruments - City of Bones

23rd August (UK and US)

This is one of the movies I can not wait to see, the first book in the mortal instrument series by Cassandra Clare, follows Clary a seemingly normal girl, that is until her mum is kidnapped and she is attacked by a demon and she discovers the truth about her past and her bloodline.

I, Frankenstein


13th September (US) 18th September (UK)

A new twist to the classic telling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, based of the comic book by Kevin Gervioux. Frankenstein's Monster Adam finds himself involved in an war between two immortal clans in an ancient city.




No trailer or movie poster as of yet.


Seventh Son


18th October (UK and US)

Based on the Spooks Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, it follows Tom Ward the seventh son of the seventh son and his adventures as a spools apprentice. 

No trailer or movie poster as of yet.

Romeo and Juliet


25th October (UK)

Another retelling of Shakespeare's tale of star crossed lovers. When two enemy families meet, forbidden love ensues.





No trailer released as of yet.

Carrie

18th October (US) 29th November (UK)

A remake of the 1976 horror classic based on Stephen Kings novel of the same name, in which a high school girl unleashes her telekinetic powers on her abusive peers at the prom.

Ender's Game

25th October (UK) 1st November (US)

A science fiction film based on the novel by Orson Scott Card, 70 years after an Alien war , Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, an unusually gifted child is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future alien invasion.

No trailer or movie poster released as of yet.




Thor - The Dark World

30th October (UK) 8th November (US)

Another marvel film, this time with the return of my favourite avenger Thor. Set a year after the Avengers film, Thor battles an ancient race of Dark Elves led by the vengeful Malekith who threatens to plunge the universe back into darkness. 
No trailer released as of yet.

Hunger Games - Catching Fire

22nd November (UK and US)

The second instalment in the hunger games trilogy from Suzanne Collins finds Katness and Peta forced back into the hunger games, can they survive a second time?

(If you've read the books then you'll already know the answer to that one)

Frozen

 27th November (US) 6th December (UK)

Loosely based from Hans Christen Anderson's the Snow Queen, it will be Disney's 53rd animated feature in their classics series. It follows the story of Anna who has been cursed by her sister the Snow Queen. Anna must battle through an icy and unforgiving landscape with the help of Kristoff (a thrill seeking outdoors man) to try and reverse the curse.

No trailer released as of yet.

The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug
 

13th December (UK and US)

The second instalment of the three films that make up The Hobbit, Bilbo has found the 'one ring' and now he and the dwarfs must continue on to get their gold back from smaug.

Not trailer or movie poster as of yet.

Waiting on Wednesday #2

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by breaking the spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. 

The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Release Date: 9th April 2013

From Goodreads:

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the St. Clouds and a rival Cabal, they’re quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it’s not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they’re so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she’ll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can’t keep running forever.

Blood Moon by Alyxandra Harvey

“Oh Crap," Connor muttered. "She's going Darth Vader on us.” 

Blood Moon is the fifth book in the Drake Chronicles and starts where Bleeding Hearts left off with Solange having drank from Kieran and sets in motion a lot of dark and disturbing events. Its told from the perspective of Solange, Nicholas and Lucy.

 Gone are the days where the Drake family lived in exile in Violet Hill, they are now the ruling family and have a lot more to worry about including Solange and her blood lust. Ever since her change, Solange's craving for blood had been getting stronger and stronger and since she has met the mysterious and creepy Constantine in Bleeding Hearts, its only been getting worse. I've never been a big fan of Solange's character, she was always a little too broody for me (I like my female leads, fun and snarky like Lucy) but in this book she has become down right detestable.

I loved that we got to see things from Lucy's views again, she is definitely my favourite character in this series, she doesn't mind throwing some punches and adds a lot of humour to scenes that are otherwise rather dark and this book has plenty of darkness to it and even though we didn't get to see a lot of her and Nick together, you can tell that their relationship has grown and developed from the first book.

This book has plenty of atmosphere and a great plot line, that is fast paced and keeps you hooked.  Harvey doesn't let up with the drama and even though it can get a little confusing with the points of view and scenes changing each chapter, it definitely makes you want to read more to find out what's coming next.

Overall this was a great instalment to the series and with only one more book to go, it set up the story nicely, I'm excited to find out what is going to happen to the Drake family.

Oh and one more thing, the cliffhanger at the end is a killer, it had me itching to buy the next one.

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

“Remembering. Forgetting. I'm not sure which is worse.”

The Calling is the second instalment in the Darkness Rising trilogy, its picks up where The Gathering left off. Full of mystery, suspense and intrigue, any fan of Kelley Armstrong will definitely love this series.

Maya has discovered that she and her friends are part of an experiment that has genetically altered their DNA to enhance previously dormant traits. They now have powers that have not been seen in hundreds of years and were thought to have died out. Maya is a shape shifter like Rafe and can change into a cougar, her friend Daniel and Sam are 'benandandi', an extinct witch/demon hunter.

Maya and her friends are stuck in the Alaskan wilderness, desperate to get home but after the events of the first book, who can they trust? Are their rescuers really rescuers at all, or just people from the mysterious research facility, waiting to take them back.

I really liked this instalment, yes the plot isn't face paced but their is plenty of exhilaration and chase scenes to keep you occupied. Armstrong constantly keeps us on the edge of our seats with who our characters can trust, friends become enemies and enemies become friends.

Once again the main aspect of this book is the character development, Armstrong builds on the characters we've previously met. This I find is where Armstrong's talents lie, she is able to create believable and well rounded characters that when put in harrowing situations react in a way most of us would (if you'd just been in a helicopter crash and witnessed the death of three people, wouldn't you freak out just a little bit), Maya is strong willed, level headed and smart, we get to see her in a leadership role in this book and struggling to come to terms with her blossoming powers. I also thought that Armstrong's secondary characters came into full effect in this book, we got to see more of Sam and understand her actions and hostility a little bit more and of course my favourite Daniel the lovable best friend.

The plot doesn't really move on much, they start off in the woods and are pretty much still there when the book ends which is a little annoying, even though I was never bored when reading the book, I did feel that it just ended and wished we had had a little more progression, saying that though Armstrong has set us up for what should be an explosive finale, where Maya and her friends will face off against the scientist who have experimented on them (and a little spoiler Chloe and the gang will be back from the Darkest Powers series).

Waiting on Wednesdays

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by breaking the spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. 

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Release date: March 19th 2013

From Goodreads:

If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?

The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.

Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.

Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters in the final instalment of the bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy.

What books are you looking forward to?

The Bell Jar, 50th Anniversary

Esther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under--maybe for the last time. In her acclaimed and enduring masterwork, Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes palpably real, even rational--as accessible an experience as going to the movies. A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic.


In January we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Slyvia Plaths, The Bell Jar. The Bell Jar will always hold a special place in my heart, I remember reading it for the first time whilst studying for my A-levels, we  were studying Plath's poetry and comparing it to The Bell Jar, at this time in my life, I was feeling isolated from my friends and family and this book spoke to me, it opened up a world of understanding, before reading this I didn't know anything about depression, I didn't know what it was or what the symptoms were and this helped me discover that and in-turn discover more about myself. Whilst it still took me a few years to speak to other people about the way I was feeling, the bell jar will always be the book that made me understand and for a while it was the only way I knew that other people had and were going through the same thing as me. It made me realise I wasn't alone.

So even though I am a little late in writing this post I thought to celebrate I would share with you some of my favourite quotes from the book:

“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.”


“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.” 


“I couldn’t see the point of getting up. I had nothing to look forward to.” 


“I thought the most beautiful thing in the world must be shadow, the million moving shapes and cul-de-sacs of shadow. There was shadow in bureau drawers and closets and suitcases, and shadow under houses and trees and stones, and shadow at the back of people's eyes and smiles, and shadow, miles and miles and miles of it, on the night side of the earth.” 


“I felt myself melting into the shadows like the negative of a person I'd never seen before in my life.”

So Thank you Sylvia for letting me know I wasn't alone and that what I was feeling wasn't abnormal, I'll never be able to tell you how much you helped me to survive.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

“I want you to have big dreams, big goals. I want you to strive to achieve them. But I don't want to see you beating yourself up every time you make a mistake.” 

Maya lives in a very secluded research town in Canada, her father is a park ranger and so Maya has always grown up around animals, she feels a connection with them and the outdoors. After her best friend mysteriously drowned, things started changing for Maya, she knew it was no accident but hasn't been able to discover the truth and now she is starting to realise that this small town holds more secrets than she could have imagined.

This book is set in the same world as Armstrong's Darkest Power series and so you should probably read those first before moving onto this one as you wont get the hints dropped unless you have.

I loved this book, Maya is a great female lead, I loved her connection to the Mountain Lions and nature in general, I'd love to be able to experience the freedom Maya feels when exploring the forest. She is funny and loyal but she has her flaws, she can be quick to judge and doesn't forgive people easily. I think what I liked about her the most is that she was able to stand up for herself, she didn't run to her friends for help at the first hint of a crisis but she also knew when she should. She didn't want to accept who is was at first, or what she would turn in to but I liked her rational approach, she didn't freak out, she sorted through the facts and knew what Rafe was telling her was the truth.

Rafe, even though at the beginning I was unsure about him, I thought he would be your typical bad boy turned good, he actually surprised me at the end. Everything he does, he does for his sister and even though he does really like Maya, he is honest about why he came to find her but I think my heart belongs to Daniel, he was sweet and kind, always looking out for Maya but you can see he has a temper and I think  I know where this story is going to take these characters. The rest of the support cast seem really well rounded, this is what Armstrong does best, create real characters, whose emotions and reactions seem plausible given the situation they are in.

Even though this book ended on a cliff hanger, its set so much up for the next book, I can't wait to dive in. Its full of mystery and intrigue, what's really going on at that research lab and what really happened to Maya's friend?  Whilst its not face paced, Armstrong builds the world and the characters superbly well and leaves you wanting more.