I love movies. I've been obsessed with them since I was a
little girl. I was never really interested in acting or directing, but the idea
of writing a script doesn't exactly suck. My greatest love, however, is
watching them.
When I was a child, I was very sick. I’m fine now, but my
love affair with movies started way back then. I wasn't really allowed to do
much because I couldn't breathe, so my mom started a VHS collection for me.
There was this little video store across the street from her office that used
to sell 3 videos for $10. Once a week, we added 3 new movies to the collection.
If you've been reading The
Random Review, you’re probably somewhat familiar with that story. If it
doesn't ring any bells it still probably doesn't shock you. What I've failed to
reveal is that we didn't only collect movies.
In our tiny one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, the walls
were lined with shelves full of books. We had more books than we had
silverware. By the time I was old enough to move out, we had so many books I
didn't have room for all my boxes. My mother would fall asleep with her face in
a book every night and, when I was a kid, long after bedtime I would be under
my blankets with a flashlight and Shel Silverstein or R.L. Stine or James
Clemens or Mercedes Lackey or Cherie Bennett, the list goes on and on.
I’m still a big reader. I don’t have nearly as much time as
I used to, but every now and then, I’ll take a day and spend the entire time
binge-reading. The seventh book of Harry
Potter? I got home after the midnight release and read the entire thing.
My love affair with movies and books has a side effect. When
I read a book I really enjoy, I start wondering what it would look like on
screen. What parts would they cut to make the movie meet the time limits? Who
would play my favorite characters?
Well, here I've outlined 4 of my favorite books that I
believe should definitely see the big screen.
4. Guilty Pleasures by
Laurell K. Hamilton
Brief Synopsis: The
Anita Blake series is sexy and intriguing. In a world where the preternatural
creatures of lore are exposed, vampires and werewolves are fighting for equal
rights and necromancy is a lucrative business.
Anita is a short, tough-as-nails, necromancer and hunter.
She executes out-of-control preternatural creatures when she’s not raising the
dead for her not-so-day job. Along the way she crosses paths with Jean Claude,
a sexy vampire (who doesn't sparkle, thank god), and Richard, a dominant
werewolf, among others.
Why It Would Make A
Brilliant Movie: If you've read the Anita Blake series than you know it
gets NC-17 rated in later books. However, the first three would make a decent
trilogy of movies with only a moderate amount of sex. There are fantastically
written necromantic rituals and a thrilling crime drama aspect that weaves
through each of the stories.
I believe that the gory aspects would draw a horror crowd,
while the vampire/werewolf thing would draw the older teens and the mystery
would draw in the fans of thrillers. It’s a well-balanced story line that
already has a hardcore fan base. If you search for “Anita Blake Movie” in
google, there’s a stupid amount of results, despite the fact that there’s no
current talks of a movie for this high-rated series.
In 2009, IFC did show interest in creating the film, but –
for unknown reasons – dropped the option.
Actors Who Would Fit
The Role: The popular choices for the role of Anita are Salma Hayek and
Michelle Rodriguez. I don’t particularly think Hayek would be a good fit, but I
adore Rodriguez. To be honest, if I had to cast Anita myself, it would be Mila
Kunis. There’d have to be some fine-tuning in make-up, but otherwise she fits
the bill and she’s an amazing actress to boot.
For Jean-Claude I’d love to see a genuine French actor in
the part. Someone like Louis Garrel.
Richard doesn't show up in the first book, if my memory
serves correct.
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
3. Careful by Randy Anderson
Brief Synopsis:
Tyler’s mother is dying, but before she does, she’s hoping to get her son to
tell her all about the mysterious year he spent in Ecuador when he was 16. He’s
been keeping the story secret for twenty years, but he’s unable to say no while
his mother is suffering. So he delves into his memories and flashes back to
what he’s been trying to block out all this time.
Why It Would Make A
Brilliant Movie: The book does a lot of back and forth flashbacks that
remind me of The Princess Bride. If
the movie stuck exactly to the book, that’s the kind of template it would
follow. However, we all know movies cut some of the story due to time
restrictions. If some story needed cutting, the template could be closer to the
one from The Notebook; less
interruptions providing a more manageable movie time.
The movie version of Careful
would have a fantastic setting with Ecuador and would be deep with cultural
references and the idea of dealing with culture shock. The story line is quick
to manipulate emotions and would attract the Grammy viewers without a doubt.
Actors Who Would Fit
The Role: Honestly, I couldn't even begin to imagine who would play Tyler,
likely it would have to a little known, or unknown, name. However, I know who
would play Peter, without even thinking about it. Alex Pettyfer is almost
exactly how I pegged the character as I was reading, though he’d have to grow
out and lighten his hair a little. He might be a little old for the part, but
he could baby his face up a little with a close shave.
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13 or
R
2. Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Brief Synopsis:
Richard has just had to deal with the brutal murder of his father when a
beautiful woman, Kahlan, is seen running through the forest. He aids her in
escaping her pursuers. As they begin to get to know each other, he is presented
with a sword that tags him as the Seeker.
Why It Would Make A
Brilliant Movie: This book is from the Sword of Truth series, and there has
already been a TV show about it. The show was absolutely atrocious. As a fan, I
watched every single episode of the short-lived series, but it was rough. The
show failed to pick up on the darker aspects of the story and missed a lot of
opportunities to bring in more viewers because of it.
I believe a series of movies would do better than the show
did, if carefully made. The show changed a great deal of the story line and,
eventually, even fans began to consider it more on the obnoxious side. If the
movies were to stick closer to the books and dip the direction toward the
darker areas of the story, it would become a huge series. Not unlike Lord of the Rings.
Actors Who Would Fit
The Role: The TV show sucked, but the actors were awesome for their parts.
I’d keep the same actors, except Zedd… definitely need a new Zedd.
Genre: Sci-Fi
& Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
1. Wit’ch Fire by James
Clemens
Brief Synopsis: The
residents of the lands of Alasea have lived in fear of the mythological wit’ch
for centuries. Tales depict her as a manipulative and evil being that will
destroy the world. There’s another, less talked about, side to the lore. That
other side says that the wit’ch could either destroy or save the world, it is
her choice. When Elena finds out that she is the wit’ch, she is joined by Er’ril,
an immortal bound to protect her, on a quest that will take her to her destiny.
Why It Would Make A
Brilliant Movie: I first read Wit’ch
Fire when I was around 14 and immediately fell in love with the series (The Banned and the Banished). Even back
then I thought to myself, “this would make an awesome movie.” In fact, I
thought it so strongly and so often, that half-way into the second book, I sent
a letter to James Clemens.
In that letter, I asked Clemens to make it a movie. You
know, he actually wrote back to me. In his response, he told me that if I wrote
a script, he would think about it. I was too young then to really understand
the kind of work that went into that kind of script, but if he were to tell me
the same thing now, I would jump on it so quickly. I’m sure he never really
expected the script to get written, and my pathetic little fan-letter has
likely long-since been forgotten.
Despite that, The
Banned and the Banished remains my all-time favorite series. It has the
charm of Harry Potter with the raw,
emotional feel of Game of Thrones. Well-made
movies for this series would go down in history as some of the best fantasy
creations ever.
Actors Who Would Fit
The Role: I've glorified the characters in these books so much that I can’t
think of any current actors that would fit the bill. I believe new talent would
have to be scouted.
Genre: Sci-Fi
& Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
