Five Amazing Adaptations - Book into Film

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (adapted from a book by J K Rowling)

Wizard Newt Scamander arrives in New York City where he encounters Mary Lou Barebone, a 'muggle' who heads the New Salem Philanthropic Society. Members of this organisation believe that witches and wizards are real and that they pose a threat to humanity. Whilst listening to one of her talks, a Niffler escapes from Newt's bag. This creates all sorts of complications because magical creatures are prohibited in the United States.

 

The Jungle Book (adapted from a book by Rudyard Kipling)

Mowgli has been living with a pack of wolves ever since he was found by Bagheera the panther. He learns the way of the wolves and the laws of the jungle but still finds it difficult to fully integrate. To make matters worse, Shere Khan the tiger is on the prowl and wants to kill Mowgli. This forces the young boy to leave his pack and Bagheera agrees to accompany him to a nearby village.



The BFG (adapted from a book by Roald Dahl)

Sophie is a ten year old orphan who suffers from insomnia. She stays up all night reading but at the witching hour she sees a giant roaming the streets of London. The giant abducts her and takes her to Giant Country where he tells her that she has to spend the rest of her life with him because he cannot run the risk of her telling everyone about the existence of giants. Sophie realises that there are other giants besides this one and that they're not friendly at all.



And for the older readers:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (adapted from a book by Ransom Riggs)

Abe Portman told innumerable stories to his grandson Jake about "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children", a place where he used to stay during World War II. Jake is traumatised when his grandfather is murdered by a mysterious creature. Psychiatrist Dr Nancy Goldman suggests that he travel to the island of Cairnholm with his father Frank, in order to investigate the children's home and to find some closure.



A Street Cat Named Bob (adapted from a book by James Bowen)

James Bowen is a homeless and recovering addict who is going through a very bad patch. His social worker helps him find a flat and build a new life. However his busking in Covent Garden doesn't guarantee him the income he'd expected and he starts losing hope. His luck changes when he finds a stray ginger cat in his kitchen. From then on the lives of James and his cat Bob become intertwined.



Of Districts and Hobbits...

Good news for film fans!

A couple of weeks ago saw the release of the new Hunger Games film, based on the uber-successful trilogy penned by Suzanne Collins. Katniss is back, albeit more reluctantly than ever, as she realises that her victory during the previous edition of the Hunger Games did not make her life any better. Even worst, the evil President believes that her success gave rise to pockets of resistance fighters. He therefore concocts a new plan to get Katniss out of the way.

More fantasy, less dystopia, as on the Middle Earth front, Bilbo and friends continue their trek towards the usurped city of the Dwarfs. Its riches and its legacy are jealously guarded by the dragon Smaug. Peter Jackson's fifth foray into J R R Tolkien's fantasy world looks like it's going to be one rollicking adventure, as exciting as the other films.

Here are the trailers for the The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug:

Even better than all this, all three books of The Hunger Games Series and The Hobbit are available from the library!!!

The Hunger Games

The film adaptation of Suzanne Collins's bestselling book The Hunger Games is out in the cinemas. At last!

This was certainly one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year. It is based on the first instalment of an enormously successful, award-winning trilogy that sold over 26 million books. The people involved in the film are top notch. Just think: the director is Gary Ross, the man who helmed Seabiscuit, the classic film about an amazing race horse. Also, the main actor is Jennifer Lawrence, one of the most promising newcomers who, at the age of 20, received an Oscar nomination, thus becoming the second youngest ever to be nominated for Best Actress. As if this wasn't impressive enough, the rest of the cast includes such stalwarts as Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Lenny Kravitz.

The film tells the story of Katniss Everdeen (played by Ms Lawrence) who lives in the coal mining region known as District 12. She is selected by a 'lottery' to take part in the annual Hunger Games, a fight between members of the different regions in which only one person remains alive. What is meant to be a straightforward brutal contest, takes an unexpected turn when Katniss refuses to give in to this horrendous spectacle. She prizes friendship, loyalty and human respect above everything else, therefore defying the organisers' expectations.

The trilogy, made up of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, is available from the green section in the library. The film is rated 12+.

Click HERE for the book's website.
Click HERE for the film's website.

New THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA trailers!

Two of the most popular comic titles will soon hit the cinema screens. Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger are sure to be great hits with superhero action film fans.

Horrid Henry Film!

A live feature film (in 3D!) chronicling the adventures of our favourite naughty boy is in post-production. This means that Horrid Henry's first foray into film is ready and the technicians are adding the finishing touches. It should be out for Summer. :)

Here is what the people at IGN MOVIES have to say about it:

The film sees Horrid Henry, Lord High Majesty of the Purple Hand Gang, waging his ever constant battle against the tyranny of adults, only this time it seems the adults really are out to get him!

Horrid Henry was created by author Francesca Simon and is the most successful children's literary character in the UK after Harry Potter, with book sales of more than 16 million.

(Trailer below is courtesy of TrailerSpy.)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The first part of the final Harry Potter film adaptation is finally out! Check the trailer of the film below!

Visit the Official HARRY POTTER site.

First pictures from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is surely one of the most eagerly awaited films. It is going to be in two parts and although everyone has read the book, the film production is being quite secretive about it. However a couple of pictures have been leaked from the set and they look mighty interesting! :)

Photos taken from the Oclumencia site.

Percy Jackson Film Preview

Merlin Library were kind enough to supply the school with 15 free tickets for the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief film preview. The lucky winners, whose name was pulled out of a hat (or rather, a box) had a whale of a time. These are some of their comments:

I really enjoyed the film. Percy Jackson was my favourite character. I loved it when he fought against the hydra and then when he went to Las Vegas. The scene of Camp Half-Blood is very cool too. I really enjoyed this film and wouldn't mind watching it again.

Timothy

I liked the movie because there are two worlds and one of them is full of Greek gods. Many people don't know about it. Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon and he goes on a quest to bring back his mother and to bring back Zeus' lightning bolt. It was a very exciting story.

Matthew

Percy Jackson is a teenager who goes on a quest with his friends. They have special powers and they need to save Percy's mother from an evil Greek god. But the gods think that Percy is the lightning thief. It turns out he's not.

Max

I think that Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief had amazing graphics! Also I think that if I was in the movie I would have loved to try and throw Poseidon's trident. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was such a good movie that I want to read all the books and watch the next movie!

Paul

The film is adventurous and based on Greek mythology. Zeus' lightning bolt is stolen and Percy Jackson blamed for the theft. In the meantime his mother is kidnapped and Percy has to go to the underworld to save her. He needs to find three objects to get out of the underworld.

Rebecca

I really liked the film because it was adventurous. My favourite part was when Percy Jackson fought against Medusa. It was funny when Medusa's head was cut off but her eyes kept turning people to stone!

Christian

Percy Jackson is a very interesting and adventurous movie. It is one of the best films I have seen so far. Percy Jackson is a boy who is half human and half god as he is the son of Poseidon. This is what I found really interesting.

Emma

Percy Jackson books and film official site.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Author Rick Riordan's series of books featuring Percy Jackson are amongst the most popular titles with children. The thrilling adventures of this young boy as he tests his wits and courage against mythological creatures, have captured the imagination of many.

The story is as follows: Percy Jackson is always up to mischief and trouble, and in fact has been expelled from several schools. One fine day, during an outing, one of his teachers turns into a monster and tries to kill him. However he manages to stay alive thanks to a pen that magically transforms into a sword. Understandably, this disconcerts Percy quite a lot and a string of similarly odd occurrences does nothing to dispel his nervous mood. Going back home offers no solace either as his mother is at the moment living with this despicable man known as 'Smelly Gabe'. Some time later she is kidnapped by a minotaur. Percy does not know what to do but one of his friends, Grover, who turns out to be a satyr, takes him to Camp Half-Blood, which is a training ground for demigods. And the adventure continues.

As you can see, Percy Jackson's stories are breathtaking and leave one craving for what's coming next. Once you start reading a story, you simply MUST keep on at it till the very end. So imagine the reaction of many at the news of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief being turned into a movie! The trailer has been released and it looks awesome. The director, Chris Columbus, is the same one behind the first two Harry Potter installments. So this should be extremely good. :)

Percy Jackson Official Site

Rick Riordan

The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Spiderwick Chronicles will soon be released in the local cinemas. This is a fantastic adventure based on the series of books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. The film tells the story of Simon and his brother Jared who, together with their sister Mallory and their mum, go to live in the secluded mansion owned by their great great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. There is some seriously creepy stuff going on and everyone seems to be blaming Jared. However, when he and his brother and sister start to investigate the strange occurences, a sinister explanation is unraveled...

To go on the Official Movie website CLICK HERE.
To go on Holly Black's site CLICK HERE.
To go on Tony DiTerlizzi's site CLICK HERE.
To go to the Spiderwick site CLICK HERE.

And here is the Trailer:

ERAGON

Eragon, the novel written by Christopher Paolini proved to be a great success. It was the first instalment of The Inheritance Trilogy and Christopher started writing this story when he was merely 15 years old! Imagine that!

Seeing that the book was a success it was not long before they decided to adapt it into a film.


And it's coming out this December 15th!

And it looks awesome!

And you can watch the trailer over here!



For information about the books, click HERE.
For the film's website, click HERE.

FINALLY!!!

The much-awaited fourth instalment in the Harry Potter film series is finally out. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has hit our screens last Friday and hundreds of people have already stormed the cinemas to savor Harry's latest adventure.

Fans of the books and the films will surely lap it all up. The beginning shows us a slithering snake moving silently towards a mysterious house. Everywhere is dark and the atmosphere is terrifying. From this tense moment we move on to the roaring splendour of the Quidditch World Cup and the ensuing chaos when the Death Eaters make an appearance. The rest of the story is very faithful to the book even though entire chunks have been left out. But this was to be expected as the novel is over 600 pages long and to make a movie that includes everything is impossible. Unless it was a seven hour movie!!!

The special effects are dazzling. The dragon is awesome, as are the merpeople, the ship that travels underwater, the goblet of fire, the labyrinth. Watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is magic indeed.

All the familiar characters from the previous films are back. Apart from Harry and his gang there's also Fred and George Weasley, Professor Snape, Hagrid, Draco Malfoy and the rest. Then there are also new characters like MadEye Moody, Victor Krum and Rita Skeeter. We also get to meet the disturbing Lord Voldemort as he makes an appearance at the end of the movie.

Out of the four films, this is certainly the most spectacular and everyone should go and see it!!!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Fans of Harry Potter are surely counting the days till November 18th, when the fourth instalment of the film series is going to be released.

The Story:
Harry, now 14, is feeling very uneasy due to a series of dreams he's been having regarding two men plotting murders. Despite this, he however accepts Ron's invitation to go to the Quidditch World Cup. Strange things happen during this tournament that suggest that Voldemort's followers are plotting something.

Upon returning to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry gets to know that the school is hosting the TriWizard Tournament, a competition between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang Institute. Harry is chosen to participate in the tournament. Not only this, but he has to cope with a new teacher who shows far too much interest in him than what is normal.

The Film:
The film is directed by Mike Newell, who is the first British director involved in a Harry Potter movie, the previous two being American (Chris Columbus, who directed The Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets) and Mexican (Alfonso Cuaron, the man behind The Prisoner of Azkaban).

Daniel Radcliffe resumes his role as Harry Potter whereas Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are back as Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley respectively. The rest of the characters are all there including Sirius Black, Dumbledore, Cho Chang, Professor Snape and the rest.

Ten more days... nine... eight... and counting...

For Daniel Radcliffe's website click here.
For Emma Watson's website click here.
For Rupert Grint's website click here.

Narnia Chronicles

This December 9th will see the worldwide release of the film adaptation of one of C S Lewis’s classic tales of Narnia.

The film is called The Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and it is going to be based mostly on the second book. The reason for this is simple. The first book of the series, The Magician’s Nephew, was in actual fact the sixth book that was published, way back in 1955. But the book is really a late introduction to the rest of the tales, so it has since been repositioned as book number one. The producers of the film decided to follow the original suit, and hence started filming with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

The story recounts the tale of the four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy who, because of the German air raids over London during World War Two, are sent to live with the eccentric Professor Digory Kirke. The Professor happens to own a very strange wardrobe. One day Lucy peers into it and is transported to the snowy land of Narnia. Here she discovers that this beautiful land is in actual fact under the evil influence of Jadis the White Witch who proclaimed that it shall always be winter (but with no Christmas) in Narnia. And the story goes on...

This film is surely going to be awesome, and people who enjoyed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter movies are sure to lap this up. Just a small aside: the film is directed by Andrew Adamson, the same fellow who did the Shrek movies!

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The Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2005)

Directed by Andrew Adamson

Starring :

Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie
William Moseley as Peter Pevensie
Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie
Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie
Tilda Swinton as Jadis the White Witch

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Information for this blog was taken from the following sources:

The Internet Movie Database
Narniaweb.com
The Official Website of the Movie

Into The Wardrobe : a C S Lewis Web Site