DVD Review: Books or Films?

Film & Book Adaptations

Our Easter display is packed full of films and novels for you to devour during the holidays. Here are a random selection from the display and why they are worthy of your time.

Don’t Look Now

The film is directed by Nicholas Roeg and is based on the short story of the same name by Daphne Du Maurier, who also wrote The Birds. It is a thriller focussed around a couple whose daughter is killed in an unfortunate accident. They move to Venice where they meet two strange sisters, one of whom is convinced their daughter is trying to contact them from ‘the other side’. What ensues is a dark thriller which addresses the challenges that grief can bestow upon someone.          

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

This magical tale comes from the great mind of C.S. Lewis and is the first in the magnificent Narnia chronicles. Having been adapted to film before back in the 70’s and as a TV series in the 80’s, it was great to see someone take the franchise on when CGI and other technologies were on the rise. Director Andrew Adamson throws audiences into the magical world of Narnia where they see their childhood imaginings of the mystical world come to life, more realistically than ever before. The story is about the evacuees Edmund, Lucy, Peter and Susan Pevensie arriving at the country house of Professor Digory Kirke who is to be their guardian until the war is over. During a game of hide and seek they stumble across a wardrobe which transports them to Narnia, a realm run by the overpowering White Witch who needs to be over thrown in order for the dreaded winter to end. It’s a great story full of talking animals and mythical creatures, both book and film will be sure to enchant you.

 The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant is a 1999 animated science fiction film based on the short story The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. The film is about a little boy called Hogarth who finds a giant, iron man who has fallen from space. He befriends the Iron Giant and tries to protect him from the US Military who want to destroy him. The story is set in 1957 when America was going through the cold war and the threat of a nuclear attack from the USSR seemed likely following the launch of Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit Earth. The Iron Giant is certainly representative of this National panic in America, however the anti-war message the film sends out, and the way in which the boy befriends the giant shows that there is a glimmer of humanity left following the war.

Lolita

The novel by Vladimir Nabokov was adapted to the screen by the legendary director Stanley Kubrick in 1967 and adapted again in 1997. However, the notable adaptation is the Kubrick one which starred James Mason as Professor Humbert Humbert and Sue Lyon as Lolita. The story is about a divorced Professor of French who moves to a small town America. He starts a relationship with his landlady and ends up marrying her with the intention of pursuing a relationship with her 14 year old daughter, Lolita whom he has fallen completely in love with. It sounds a bit sinister, but its actually a tasteful romantic drama that explores the male psyche and infatuation with youth. Comparisons can be drawn between Lolita and American Beauty, they have a similar theme and each deal with it romantically rather than sinisterly.

American Psycho

Brett Easton-Ellis is famous for writing novels about successful, young men living the high life in a big American city. American Psycho is no exception to this as the film follows the sadistic Patrick Bateman, a rich investment banker who has a psychopathic side to his personality. He fantasises about gratuitous murders and psychopathic tendencies start taking over as he spirals in to a world fuelled by sex, drugs and murder. The book is far more detailed than the film, which was largely underwhelming especially considering how phenomenal the source text was. However, heed my warning, both film have very explicit content, so perhaps read up on the both a bit more before diving right in.

Everything is Illuminated

Finally is a real gem of a book that was turned into a real treat of a film. Jonathon Safron-Foer’s Everything is Illuminated is about a young man who sets out on a mission accompanied by the local eccentric to find the woman who saved his Grandfather from a Ukrainian town that came under attack by the Nazi’s. The film and the book are both delightful stories to engage with and the combination of a chain smoking young Jewish American and an eccentric Ukrainian native on a road trip is sure to make you laugh at some point!

Have a look at the display by the issue desk for more great films and books, including Harry Potter, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Casino Royale and The Jungle Book!

World Book Night Events!

World Book Night is happening in the UK, US and Germany on the 23rd April, so why not check out their interactive map of events!

http://www.worldbooknight.org/events/events-map

This is the selection of books that people will be giving away all over the country, see any you like? Any look...familiar? Check out other people's events and see what they are giving away too!

More film reviews by Ellie!

If you love reading Ellie's regular film reviews on this blog, you'll be delighted to know that Ellie is now also reviewing films at Push Start Play.

Have a read of her review of "Robot and Frank", which is currently showing at Cinema City.

And here is a sneak peak of the film, starting with a great library scene!

The future of the book...

Book art display in the Information Store this week: 

where do you see the future of paperbacks versus ebooks?

 

 

Red Nose Day in the Information Store

You might have noticed something funny going on in the Information Store today....?

1. Information Store staff all wearing various shades of red.

2. Information Store staff brushing away the crumbs from their Red Nose Day cookies!

2. Students running round trying to work out the James Bond film with the longest title....

3. Last but by no means least - our resident face painter, Avril Wilkisnon, decorating students and staff with a variety of red noses, flowers, animal faces and glitter.

See our Facebook fpage or student photos.... http://www.facebook.com/#!/ccninformationstore

Did you do something funny for money?

Countdown to World Book Night - Pt. 3!

The final installment of our rundown of books being given away for World Book Night is upon us. But dont worry, there will be plenty of reminders around between now and April the 23rd!

The third book being given away in the Information Store is E.H. Gombrich's A Little History of the World as chosen by Learning Resources Assistant Ellie Wilkin.

A Little History of the World is a non fiction book which does exactly as the title says, however, the one thing that makes this book different is that the author wrote it in 1935, so it doesn't cover history from 1935 onwards. What it does do, is cleverly, concisely and clearly document the history of our world from the Neanderthals all the way through to the end of WWI. It is wonderfully written and its timelessness as historical non-fiction makes it an even more charming little book. The facts within will never change, the stories he tells are legendary and the history of our world reads almost like fiction.

Here is why Ellie chose this book:

"A Little History of the World is an informative and insightful book about the history of our little planet up until the first world war. Its easy to read and documents great moments in history like the Knights at the round table, the ancient Olympic games and the various revolutions that have torn countries apart. Each chapter is like a little story in itself, but my favourite chapter is the one about the Egyptians, there's nothing like a good true tale about Mummification to keep your pages turning!"

World Book Night is only a few weeks away so spread the word and make sure you keep up to date with us on TWITTER, FACEBOOK and PINTEREST!

Don't forget, make sure you are in the Information Store on the 23rd April to take part in this massive global event!

Countdown to World Book Night - Pt. 2!

Following on from last weeks post about World Book Night and the first book that we will be giving away copies of being revealed...its time to announce the second one!

Library Services Manager Sam Floyd has chosen the classic tale Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. If you are unfamiliar with the story its a fantastic, swashbuckling tale which was first published back in 1883. It follows the story of young Jim Hawkins, who lives with his parents in the local inn. One night a man named Billy Bones dies in the inn after being accosted with the dreaded Black Spot - an infamous Pirate curse. Feeling the need for action, Jim and his Mother break into Billy's chest and steal a logbook and map therein. They soon learn that what they have stolen is of value as they discover they stole Billy's treasure map where X marks the spot of the loot of renowned pirate Captain Flint. Jim and his friend Squire Trelawney immediately start out on an expedition to sail the seas and retreive the treasure. However, another pirate is on the trail of the map, the smooth talking and devious Long John Silver - and he manages to trick his way onto Jim's ship...

The historical tale that ensues is full of mutiny, murder, treasure and adventure and makes for very entertaining reading which will keep you on your toes and eagerly turning the next page!

Here is why Sam chose this book:

"Treasure Island was a book I greatly enjoyed as a child – it was excellent escapism with pirate adventure, treasure maps where “X” marks the spot, great characters and suspense.  I wanted to give other young people the opportunity to enjoy the original Pirates of the Caribbean!" 

Sam will be giving away her 20 copies of this heroic tale in the Information Store on April the 23rd. If it sounds like a book you might be interested in giving a go, then make sure you pop along to get yourself a copy! Absolutly free!

World Book Night has inspired all kinds of people to start reading and enjoying books, people all over the country will be giving away copies of their favourite books in their community. They have a blog on their website with some testimonies and information about their cause. You can visit it here:

 

http://www.worldbooknight.org/blog

DVD Review - The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games is a science fiction action film based on the books of Suzanne Collins of the same name. Starring the recent Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Lawrence as the tenacious Katniss Everdeen, the film follows her incredible journey as she fights for her life in horrifying circumstances.

The Hunger Games is set in the futuristic dystopian nation of Panem which consists of a Capitol city and twelve districts who due to a rebellion on the Capitol in previous years must now sacrifice their own as punishment. Each year, a representative from the Capitol comes to each of the districts for ‘The Reaping’ where two children aged between twelve and eighteen are selected to represent their district in the annual Hunger Games. Primrose Everdeen, the younger sister of our protagonist Katniss, is selected as the female representative but Katniss nominates herself in her place knowing that her sister wouldn’t survive. Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) is the male nominee and the two travel to the Capitol where they receive training and recognition for the event that is about to possibly end their lives. To the people of the Capitol, the Hunger Games is like the Olympics. It’s a huge event and everyone gets very excited about seeing the ‘tributes’ as they are paraded and interviewed like celebrities. The trick to surviving the Hunger Games is making sure the people like you, if you are favoured then people watching on TV at home can send food, medicine and various survival kits if you need them. Katniss and Peeta meet and train with the rest of the tributes and suss out their competition, some are fierce and some are weak. After significant guidance from Haymitch Abernathy, a previous winner of the Hunger Games (Woody Harrelson) and Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), Katniss and the rest of the tributes are sent up into an extravagant artificial forest where they must fight until to the death and the one remaining survivor will be the victor.

A few of the eager tributes die in the first few minutes at the ‘Cornicopia’ a structure which consists of food, medicine and weapons which everyone runs at all at once. It very quickly descends into a huge blood bath as people get hold of weapons. Katniss grabs a rucksack and a bow and arrow from the pile and disappears into the forest, dodging her competition. She watches up a tree as the deaths of tributes are announced by a canon. The creators of the Hunger Games liven things up a bit for her when they start a huge forest fire to divert her into the path of the hunters and set wild bear like dogs on her trail. Luckily for Katniss, she has won the hearts of the viewers and they send medicines for her when she is injured. With thousands of people willing her to survive and a select few willing her to die, Katniss’ survival depends solely on her survival abilities and skills as an archer. Will she reign victorious? Or will she succumb to the Hunger Games tomb?

The plot may sound familiar and comes also in the form of the Japanese action-horror film Battle Royale where school children are put on an island to fight until the death, however, don’t be fooled. This film is incredibly violent, very disturbing in places and despite one main plot point being similar, they are very different films to be enjoyed on very separate levels.  I would recommend The Hunger Games to most but to those of you with a strong stomach and the correct date of birth you could give Battle Royale a shot. I have warned you though. The Hunger Games has also come under scrutiny from various people remarking on how it promotes an unhealthy body image, certain unfair perceptions of race and a likening to the true life tory of the controversial figure Kony who created his own army of children who would kill each other.

Despite its criticisms and it being banned in Vietnam (suprisingly) The Hunger Games is an entertaining watch whether you know the outcome or not and some of the tributes fall foul of some pretty gruesome deaths. The futuristic hairstyles and clothes much resemble those of older science fiction films like The Fifth Element and the contrasting wealth of the Capitol and the Districts surreptitiously underlines how bleak life is for these children. It feels like the role of Katniss was made for Jennifer Lawrence who perfectly adapts to the strong and feisty character readers of the books will recognise. With familiar faces cropping up along the way – Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz and Donald Sutherland – The Hunger Games triumphs as a different take on the bleak, dystopian future that directors all across the board seem to believe is in store for us. Hopefully we won’t be nominating our young to go to a big fake forest and kill each other though…

Why not borrow The Hunger Games from the Information Store? You will find it in the DVD Zone shelved at 791.43 H! It’s a great film to watch with friends or on your own!

Further Reading in the Information Store:

We’ve got the whole series of The Hunger Games books in the book zone, so why not get ahead before the next film is released! You will find The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay shelved at 823.92COL.