Movies that will make you read

“A film is—or should be—more like music than fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all of that comes later.”
--Stanley Kubrick

So I have been doing a lot more reading lately and it has slowed how many movies I have watched some. I think it is high time that I stop melting my brain and exercise it a little bit more. I do a fair bit of mind melting (not to be confused with mind melding) at work and on the weekends. However, when I have been watching movies, I find myself watching movies based off of books. Most recently I watched The Baader Meinhoff Complex and while the movie is great, after the movie was ended I wanted desperately to read the book.

People, including myself, always say that the book is better than the movie. But, sometimes I feel like some movies are not given the credit they are due. Yes, the book is probably better, but not every movie is as bad as Where the Wild Things Are or About a Boy. That being said here is a list of movies that made me want to read the book on which the movie is based. Do not expect to see Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings on here, because those movies were awful representations of the books.

The Baader Meinhoff Complex
Director: Uli Edel
Author: Stefan Aust

Did you not think this would make this movie/book would make the list? It was the inspiration for this entire blog post. Duh… Anyway, I absolutely loved this movie. The subject matter is interesting and the characters are very well crafted and portrayed. No sooner had the credits finished rolling, I was on the interwebs trying to find as much information about the Red Army Faction as possible. The movie left me with a couple of questions and I figured that it would have been impossible to include all of the information and stories about a militant organization that was in existence for nearly 30 years. But, I also wanted to learn more about each of the original members of the group, and not just because they and the time period in which they existed is so interesting, but also because the people who played them, did so with such style and ability that I just couldn’t get them out of my head until I knew as much as possible about them. Plus, I guess I am a sucker for tragedy.

High Fidelity
Director: Stephen Frears
Author: Nick Hornby

This was the movie that made me fall in love with Nick Hornby. It blended many of my favorite things: Dysfunctional characters, music, snobbery, an original love story and angst that goes far beyond the teenage years. When I actually read the book I realized how perfectly cast this movie was. John Cusack pretty much played himself, or every other role he has ever done. But Cusack and Jack Black were not even the most intriguing bits of this movie, it was the character Dick (Todd Louiso) who I found stole every scene he was in and acted every bit of Hornby’s original character. High Fidelity is not only my go-to feel-good movie, but it has been something that has been a part of my life since the first time I saw the film. I am constantly making top five lists, I have similar sorts of elitist music debates with friends and I find myself asking the same questions from the film/book on a monthly basis. Any movie that I find myself watching at least two or three times a year is noteworthy in my opinion, but a novel that I tend to read almost every year and recommend to pretty much anyone who is looking for something to read makes it a deadly combination that needs shouting from every rooftop. Not to mention this has been the only Hornby novel to date that has done true justice to the book. About a Boy was an absolute failure that fucked up the ending and now sits on my personal “movie shelf of disgust.”

Trainspotting
Director: Danny Boyle
Author: Irvine Welsh

I hear a lot of people debating if Trainspotting or Pulp Fiction is the greatest idie film ever created. Even though Pulp Fiction is a great film my allegiances lie firmly with Danny Boyle and Trainspotting. I will admit that Boyle is one of my top five favorite directors (see, I told you High Fidelity had a major impact on my life). This was Boyle’s second film and it put him and Ewan McGregor on the map. I defy you to walk along any floor of any college dorm in the country and not find a poster dedicated to this movie. It’s just a gritty, funny, dark, film and it has an amazing soundtrack. The cast is amazing, the directing is amazing and the writing is amazing. So naturally, I wanted to read the book as soon as the movie was over. As it turns out my life has not afforded me the opportunity to read this book just yet. But I will by the end of this year I guarantee it. This, like all the other movies on this list, makes me want to read the book because the characters are just so damn interesting. It is their stories and the way they are carried out on screen that just makes me drool. I want to know more about Tommy and his life before and after he is introduced to heroine. I want to know why Sick Boy is so callus. I want to know everything about Mother Superior’s muddled past. I want to know pretty much everything about Renton. And I really want to know why the novel is called, “Trainspotting” and not just how Boyle believed it was meant to be called, but why Irvine Welsh gave it said title.

There Will Be Blood
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Author: Upton Sinclair (Novel title: Oil)

There is one reason and one reason alone that I want to read this book. Daniel Day-Lewis. I have not read “Oil” yet and that is mostly because I read “The Jungle,” by Upton Sinclair and absolutely hated it. I was bored to tears. But the acting by Day-Lewis was just so phenomenal that it convinced me to give Sinclair another chance, especially when knowing how important Sinclair was to the progressive movement in US history did not. Milkshakes aside, Day-Lewis, owned, pwnd and everything in between while developing one of the most memorable characters of the past decade. Not much else to say about that.

Jurassic Park
Director: Steven Spielberg
Author: Michael Crichton

In this not-so-humble blogger’s opinion, Jurassic Park is the most quotable movie in the history of movies. Ever. I will not be moved from this opinion. Those quotes had to come from somewhere right? So, why not go to the source. Plus the Crichton-Spielberg duo is an absolute powerhouse. Crichton is was the science-fiction giant of his era, one that Orson Scott Card could only dream of being (and I love me some Card). Spielberg is the king of the sci-fi, action, thriller film genre. Yeah, I said it James Cameron, just because you can make pretty movies or sequels to other awesome sci-films does not make you as BAMFy as you think you are. Point Break was awesome though. But, I digress; the movie made the book a necessary read for me, because I love Dinosaurs and because it was so much fun picturing the character in the book as they were depicted by Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Wayne Knight, Bob “shoooooooot ‘errrrrrrr” Peck*, Richard Attenborough etc…Yes, Sam Neill and Laura Dern were very important characters, but the previously mentioned characters had me holding onto my butt from laughter and awesomeness. Additionally, on a totally nerdy level I wanted the chaos theory explained to me in a way that only Crichton could. It was pretty obvious that Spielberg chose to ignore this very important aspect of the novel, because he knew the better part of his audience was stupid, when it came to theoretical physics. Plus, did I mention that dinosaurs are fucking awesome?

*It was not until doing the research for this article that I realized that Bob Peck had died in 1999 after a long battle with cancer. He was only 53; sad not only because he was so young, but also because he was a brilliant actor. May Peck and Crichton both rest in peace while fighting dinosaurs wherever they may be.

Fight Club
Director: David Fincher
Author: Chuck Palahniuk

Much like High Fidelity did for Nick Hornby, Fight Club, introduced me (and I am sure many others) to Chuck Palahniuk. Fight Club was just so different from anything I had really seen before, because it put both sides of a schizophrenic mind on screen and let them—quite literally—duke it out. It was a perfectly cast movie, and again to this date is the only Palahniuk movie to be totally faithful to the humor, grit and overall plot of the original story. This could change if Hollywood listen’s to my pleas and actually casts Jessica Biel as the lead in “Invisible Monsters.” Either way, this movie makes the list on its sheer mass appeal alone. But that does not mean it still wasn’t an amazing movie, until TNT decided to play it three times a month.

A Scanner Darkly
Director: Richard Linklater
Author: Phillip K. Dick

There were a number of P.K. Dick novels turned movies I could have picked, but this one was the most original. It also helped me shrug off my dislike for “Radiohead” by contextualizing their music in a way that separated it as far away from “Creep” and the mid-90s Mtv affinity that caused them to be overhyped and overplayed as much as humanly possible. I really wanted to read this book after seeing the movie mostly because of the content matter. The rotoscoped dystopia was great, and Richard Linklater, Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downy Jr., Winona Ryder, and Rory Cochrane (he used to be on CSI: Miami) did a great job of bringing it to life, but I was most intrigued with the idea of getting behind the eyes and into the mind of a drug addict and I knew instantly that the novel would provide so much more than the movie ever possibly could. The movie was still awesome and very under-appreciated especially since everyone stains their jeans over Waking Life.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Director: Garth Jennings
Author: Douglas Adams (movie is based off of the series)

This really wasn’t that great of a movie. But it allowed just enough of Douglas Adam’s unique brand of British humor to shine through that I immediately went out and got the entire series on book, listened to as many of the BBC radio broadcasts and watched the very poorly made television series within a few months of seeing the film. The acting was good enough, though not the best that the cast could have offered. However, I pretty much blame Garth Jennings the mastermind [?] who brought us Son of Rambo for poor direction. Nevertheless, I laughed, and then once I read the books I laughed so hard I fell and forgot I was going to hit the floor. Yep, Adams made me laugh so hard I was able to fly for a little while. Even though the movie was not great, it opened a very important literary door in my life.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Director: Edgar Wright
Author: Bryan Lee O’Malley (graphic novel series)

This was a graphic novel series that I had always wanted to read, but never really cared enough to read until I saw the trailer and then the movie and fell in love with the story. The movie and all of the influences it drew upon, both from the novel and from O’Malley’s own inspirations made for a sorts of intrigue that had me on the edge of my seat. Sadly, nobody wanted to see the movie with me because they thought it would suck. BUT THEY WERE SO FUCKING WRONG!!! If you read this blog you know how much I loved this movie. Though I must sheepishly say, I still haven’t read the graphic novels yet. I will get around to it eventually.

The Quiet American (2002 not 1958)
Director: Phillip Noyce
Author: Graham Greene

This is a novel I have not read yet either. But I feel like both the book and the movie do not get the credit they are due. Both overlooked because of the success of Apocalypse Now/”Heart of Darkness.” But the movie showed the range of both Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser (who knew right?). The pacing was slow the drama intense and it was centered in a very real but often unspoken period of time in Indo-Chinese history. When people think Vietnam they think American quagmire, but rarely do people think French colony and that was probably the biggest draw for me. It was not your stereotypical war movie. Plus, I had read “The Destructors,” which is one of those semi-controversial short stories that all English classes read at some point. But, as you all know that debate was covered in Donnie Darko. I really enjoyed “The Destructors” and I really enjoyed the film adaptation of “The Quiet American,” so it made me want to read more of Greene’s work. End of story.

Honorable Mentions

Never Let Me Go
Director: Mark Romanek
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but the trailer looked good. I also really liked Ishiguro’s “Remains of the Day.”

American Psycho
Director:
Author: Bret Easton Ellis
I enjoyed the movie, but when I need to choose between Ellis and Palahniuk, Palahniuk wins every time. I hope they never remake “Less Than Zero.” That book is sacred cow in my eyes.

Blade Runner
Director: Ridley Scott
Author: Philip K. Dick (novel title: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep)
Great story, very overrated movie. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young are all still BAMFs though. And Ridley Scott is still a better sci-fi director than you James Cameron.

Minority Report
Director: Steven Spielberg
Author: Philip K. Dick
A great short story and a very underrated but excellent film. I just liked A Scanner Darkly more. Suck it James Cameron.

Sleepy Hollow
Director: Tim Burton
Author: Washington Irving (novel title: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)
This movie sucked big time. But it made me really want to know how much creative (if you can call it that) license Burton took when making this crap factory of a film.


**A Note** You are not all bad James Cameron.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World vs. the critics

"The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportional of the embarrassment he can tolerate."
--Douglas Englebart

I am going to come right out and say it. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is not for everyone. But it is for most of those Generation X and Generation Y people, like me, who grew up with comics, video games, indie rock music, an increased focus and value on fashion and an unequivocally short attention span. We should really be called the ADD generation...in fact consider it coined. We now officially the ADD/ADHD generation. And ADD generation I give you my review of Scott Pilgri.....hey look a butterfly.

This movie starts out with a bang, turning the Universal Pictures production screen and theme music into an 8-bit piece of joy that was not only very creative but set the pace for the movie from the get-go. The guy behind me who complained throughout the movie really should have realized what he was getting into at this point and walked out.

The story, without giving anything away, is based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley. It follows Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera: Superbad, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) an out of work, disenfranchised, Canadian 22 year old, struggling through life and women to make sense of the world while his band tries to make it big. He meets a girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Live Free or Die Hard, Death Proof, Factory Girl) and in order to date her and essentially live happily ever after has to defeat her seven evil exes played by Satya Babha, Chris Evans, Mae Whitman (who played Ann on Arrested Development), Brandon Routh, Keita Saitou, Shota Saito and Jason Schwartzman.

I know what you are thinking the plot sounds unoriginal and boring. But it is so far from the truth. The writing is witty in a way that only Cera can deliver, which is helped when he is surrounded by people like Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down, The Secret Lives of Altar Boys, The Cider House Rules) and Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air, Twilight Series). I would like to add that Culkin has surpassed his brother Macaulay Culkin by leaps and bounds. Along with the writing though the plot is made original by the seamless incorporation of dream sequences, video game references and graphic novel imagery. Th film is quick, sharp and has fully embraced and pokes fun at its nerdiness and it hipster attitude. At one point during the movie in the background you can clearly hear someone say, "yeah but their first album was so much better than their first album," or the in the first fight scene the passing comment that, "pirates are in this year," completely poking fun at the elitist hipster stereotype that comes with the indie rock and fashion scenes nowadays.

The cinematography is creative, metaphorical and makes countless references and homages to pop-culture and the influences of the original graphic novels. But the sensory joyride does not stop there. The soundtrack, which is arguably the glue that holds the film together as Scott Pilgrim's band: Sex Bob-omb and their struggles parallel the struggles that Scott Pilgrim has in his basic relationships. The music is clearly influenced by Plumtree who was the original inspiration for O'Malley's graphic novels, as well as the general indie/garage/grunge sound that came out of Canada in the 1990s.

Overall, Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) did an excellent job shooting, casting and writing this film. He could have easily made this your standard-fair, nerdy romantic comedy based on a cult comic film (yes I know the difference between a graphic novel and a comic so don't start complaining yet fanboys, fangirls and fantrans*). Instead, Wright tried to be as inventive as possible, placing O'Malley's own imagery directly into the film as well as being influenced and resembling work by a wealth of different directors includin: Aronofsky, Kubrick, Tetsuya Nomura and Tarsem.

This movie is much more worthwhile than Dinner for Schmucks (2 hour snoozer, go see the original French version) or the Other Guys (actors doing the same role...again).

Making the Grade

Acting: This is easily Michael Cera's best movie, really using his awkward nature to its fullest potential. Mary Elizabeth has definitely set herself apart from a lot of female actors as a lead with a range of talent. Kieran Culkin steals many of the scenes that he is in, and has been likened to a young Robert Downy Jr. (minus all the blow). Jason Schwartzman and Chris Evans lead a supporting cast that is funny, and just as engaging as of the leads. A-

Special effects/Visuals: Stunning, most films geared towards young adults of the ADHD generation are not typically visually pleasing unless they have a ton of explosions, but this film takes on a very artistic albeit nerdy tone, making for film that makes you never want to take your eyes off the screen. A

Music: The music really sets the tone for the entire film and is incorporated in a way that shows its importance but doesn't take away from the general flow of the film. The music can be a little too similar, and if you are not into the Canadian indie scene and prefer something a little more auto-tuned and Kanye West-like, you are not going to enjoy the soundtrack one bit. Though the music also suplements the comedy in its own way. B+

Re-watchability: I doubt I will ever get tired of this film there is so much to see throughout the entire movie that you could find yourself watching background and not follow the plot and still be entertained. If you haven't yet see this film as soon as possi...ooh a puppy. A

Overall Grade: A-

*I have met a very aggressive treky who also happened to be a tranny as well, so I am not just be PC here. I am writing this on a Mac how can I be?