Film For The Future

I happened upon an article just now about which books to be sure to read before their movies come out on the Random House Tumblr and it made me grr just a little bit. Not that this is a new thing. The majority of book readers want to read the book before they see the movie and I do see the benefits of that. It's great to read a book and be able to create the world and characters in my own mind before seeing the vision of someone else. And nothing beats flying through a book that is written so well that it makes the reader feel something through just words, as opposed to film which uses sight and sound.

So, while there are many books that I've read before their adaptations have come out, it's not really my favorite thing to do. A film will almost never go as deep as a book can so I feel like I'd rather read the book after I watch the movie. That way I get to expand upon the story instead of reading the book and then potentially feeling let down by the film.

It also happens that I usually read a book years before its movie comes out, which is  the perfect scenario, in my opinion. This way I have experienced the story in its original format and have been able to use my own mind to create the book's world and then I have enough time before the movie for it all to fade a little in my memory. A good example of this was The Hunger Games. I read the first book 3 or 4 years before the film adaptation came out so I knew enough to be properly excited, but I didn't spend the entire time in the theatre thinking, "This is different than the book." and "They left that out from the book."

So why did the Random House article annoy me? Because at this point, these movies are coming out too soon to try to read the book and be able to see the movie and be pleased. It is so rare that I hear of anyone going to a movie based off of a book and not having some sort of comment about it. (I definitely am one of the rare ones who can easily separate the two.) It is my recommendation that movie watchers see these movies and then, if they like them, they can head to their closest Barnes & Noble and pick up the book.

So, which movies will I be seeing?

• I am currently so obsessed with The Spectacular Now and can NOT wait to see it. I saw the book the other day and made a mental note to pick it up after I see the movie, which I will love. (How do I know I'll love it? Well, I love most things.) I think Shailene Woodley is incredible and I can't wait for more of her films. 
• Carrie- I've seen the original film, but have never read the book. Not sure if I'll see this.
• I definitely want to see The Wolf of Wall Street because I love Leonardo DiCaprio! The trailer looks so good. 
• The Book Thief has been on my To Read list for quite awhile, but I keep putting other books higher on my priority list. I honestly haven't heard much about this film! Have you??

XO,
SVR



+ Title from Idlewild