30 Favorite Book Covers

Reposting my #30DaysofFavorites project here on my blog. Sharing my 30 FavoriteBook Covers.

 

 

 

30 Favorite Books

Reposting my #30DaysofFavorites project here on my blog. Sharing my 30 Favorite Books.

 

 

 

 

 

Steven Spielberg Spotlight: From Page to Screen

Reposting an older piece from my other blog.

 

This post is part of the SPIELBERG BLOGATHON hosted by Outspoken & Freckled, It Rains… You Get Wet, and Citizen Screenings taking place August 23-24 2014. Please visit these host blogs for a full list of participating blogs.
Spielberg is a wonderful storyteller. I’ve known this since I was four-years-old and my parents showed my sister and me Jaws for the first time. Don’t worry, they were diligent and covered our eyes and ears at the scary parts. Unfortunately, later that week when our grandmother was babysitting us, and we had picked it as the film we wanted to watch, she did not know this. I’m pretty sure I have permanent psychological damage, seeing as I have a deep fear of the ocean to this day.
While there are a great many things Spielberg excels at, telling stories is what he does best. Nowhere is this more clear than in the films he has made that have been adapted from others’ stories. I know that there are several films in his catalog that are adaptations but for the purpose of this post, I am focusing on Jaws, Jurassic Park, and The Lost World.

 

Though I may be scarred from having seen Jaws at such a young age, it has also been my favorite movie for the last twenty-two years. I have never read the book, nor do I have any plans to in the future. Various people have told me that because of my love of the film, I would not enjoy the novel. However, I know enough of the plot of the book to know that Spielberg took a great concept but slightly convoluted story and turned it into a masterpiece. Many things tend to get lost in the move from page to screen but the mark of a good filmmaker is in keeping the most important story elements. Of course, we can’t have a discussion about the adaptation of Jaws without giving credit to both Peter Benchley, the author of the novel, and screenwriter Carl Gottlieb. Benchley came up with an incredible concept, and Gottlieb did an outstanding job with the screenplay. However, it was Spielberg’s direction that tied the two together, and managed to create a masterpiece, despite troubles with the script before and during shooting, issues with the mechanical shark, and a seasick cast and crew.

 

I actually just read Jurassic Park, and can now fully appreciate just how well the story was adapted. The movie and the book are pretty close as far as the plot. There are a few additional characters in the book, and the ending is slightly different (in Spielberg’s version there are a couple of extra characters that make it off the island). The things that are left out, while interesting to read, would add too much complexity to the film. Spielberg keeps the concept, and focuses on a couple of solid characters and a smart idea to tell a story. Again, we must give credit where it is due. Michael Crichton did a good job with the novel, and David Koepp helped make the screenplay successful. It is Spielberg though that carries the story through. He directs his actors to great performances, demands groundbreaking special effects, and delivers a film that defined an entire generation of future filmmakers’ childhoods.

 

I also recently read The Lost World for the first time, and it is the example from the three I have chosen where Spielberg’s influence did the most to change the story. There are very few similarities between the book and the film. There are dinosaurs, a Site B, and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is one of the main characters. That is about where the similarities end. While Crichton deserves acclaim for creating the world that this story takes place in, the novel consists of a series of episodic-like events that don’t hold much logic in the context of the story. For example, in the book the group on the island keeps returning to the trailers, and then sets out again to investigate some new issue. In the movie, the group has to move through the island to get to the center where the radio is, and as they travel, they keep bumping into dinosaurs, rather than seeking them out. Again, David Koepp helped with the screenplay but it was Spielberg’s direction that created an exciting thrill-ride that kept audiences on the edges of their seats. While the novel and screenplay provide the base and blueprints for the film, Spielberg is the contractor that saw brought the vision to life. He knew exactly how to build the tension, and turn the film into a chase. It is a much more satisfying experience. The novel has some interesting elements but it gets lost in some of the scientific language, and is too quick to go from action scene to action scene, without worrying how you get there. The movie is tighter and feels very much like a rollercoaster, going from high excitement to building anticipation, to high excitement again effortlessly, an indication that its director knew what the audience wanted, and how to deliver it to them.
Steven Spielberg is my favorite director. I have seen all of his feature films, and he is the only director I have done this with. I am more likely to see a Steven Spielberg directed film simply because his name is attached to it, than I am to see any film because a certain actor is attached to it (although Keira Knightley comes close). I have been fascinated by film since my first viewing of Jaws and that is due in large part to Spielberg’s excellence as a visual storyteller. Spielberg recognizes a good story when he sees one, and he understands that film is a very different medium than books are, and each needs to be approached with a specific vision in mind. I enjoy reading almost as much as I enjoy watching a good film, and I know it is impossible to please everyone with an adaptation but Spielberg comes pretty darn close.

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#30DaysofFavorites: Favorite Movie Quotes by Year

 

A couple of years ago my dad had an idea to list out his favorite movie quotes for every year he’d been alive. I’m stealing this idea for today’s 30 Days of Favorites project entry.

 

 

1988 – Die Hard

 

1989 – Christmas Vacation

 

1990 – Goodfellas

 

1991 – Beauty and the Beast

 

1992 – Army of Darkness

 

1993 – Jurassic Park

 

1994 – True Lies

 

1995 – Braveheart

 

1996 – Scream

 

1997 – The Lost World: Jurassic Park

 

1998 – The Truman Show

 

1999 – Galaxy Quest

 

2000 – Gladiator

 

2001 – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

 

2002 – Spider-Man

 

2003 – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

 

2004 – Kill Bill: Vol. 2

 

2005 – Batman Begins

 

2006 – Cars

 

2007 – Sunshine

 

2008 – Iron Man

 

2009 – Zombieland

 

2010 – How to Train Your Dragon

 

2011 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

 

2012 – The Avengers

 

2013 – Star Trek: Into Darkness

 

2014 – Nightcrawler

 

2015 – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

2016 – Hell or High Water

 

2017 – Wind River

 

2018 – Avengers: Infinity War

#30DaysofFavorites: Favorite Book Quotes

I’m getting close to closing out my 30 Days of Favorites project in which I’ve been listing off a bunch of my favorite things as a way to celebrate my 30th birthday. Today I’m counting down my Favorite Book Quotes.

 

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