adaptation – Page 2 – cinemescope

100 Word Review – The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)

November 28, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, F-RatedTagged 9/11, adaptation, Drama, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber, Mira Nair, Mohsin Hamid, political, politics, Riz Ahmed, warLeave a comment

After 9/11, you could choose your side. I had my side chosen for me.

– Changez

Adapted from the extraordinary novel by Mohsin Hamid and directed by the wonderful Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair), this film should be compulsory viewing for everyone living in the 21st Century.

A journalist (Liev Schreiber) interviews a suspected terrorist (Riz Ahmed) about how his life, his family and his current situation.

Co-starring Kiefer Sutherland and Kate Hudson, this film is exciting, dramatic and hauntingly understandable.

Ahmed is spectacular in his role as Changez, brilliantly capturing all the dimensions of a truly complex and intriguing character.

100 Word Review – The Running Man (1987)

November 26, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Sci FiTagged 1980s, Action, adaptation, Arnie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, dystopian, future, Sci Fi, Stephen King, Steven E de SouzaLeave a comment

Arnie really is wonderful, isn’t he? If you were ever in doubt, watch this film.

Set in a dystopian future, Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and forced to participate in a public execution disguised as a brutal gameshow.

Based on the novel by Stephen King (The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining), it was adapted by Steven E. de Souza (Die Hard, Commando). Think an adult 1980s Hunger Games, but with more gore and less characterisation. There’s explosions, plenty of shouting, people in leotards and enough exploding heads to keep any Arnie fan happy.

100 Word Review – Stardust (2007)

November 15, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Fantasy, RomanceTagged adaptation, adventure, British, Charlie Cox, Clare Danes, Comedy, family, Fantasy, Ian McKellen, Jane Goldman, Mark Strong, Matthew Vaughn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Neil Gaiman, quirky, Robert De Niro, RomanceLeave a comment

Adapted from Neil Gaiman’s (Coraline, Mirrormask) brilliant novel, prepare for a fabulous flight of fantasy.

Determined to prove his love by returning with a fallen star, Tristan (Charlie Cox) sets out into the land beyond the wall, unaware of the witches, kings and pirates waiting for him on the other side.

Dream-team Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, Kingsman) wrote and directed this seriously star-studded film. Clare Danes, Ian McKellen, Mark Strong, Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro co-star to name just the best known. It’s fun, mostly family friendly, funny and completely fantastic in every sense of the word.

100 Word Review – Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

November 9, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged Action, adaptation, Colin Firth, Comedy, comic book, Dave Gibbons, James Bond, Jane Goldman, Mark Miller, Mark Strong, Matthew Vaughn, Michael Caine, Samuel L Jackson, spy, Taron Egerton1 Comment

Initially sold to me as “Bond with jokes”, it’s so much more than that.

When his dad dies, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is visited by Harry (Colin Firth). Harry’s a Kingsman, part of a secret service and Eggsy might be just the recruit he’s looking for.

From dream-team Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, Stardust), it’s much better than your average spy movie. The plot may be a tad predictable, but it’s full of genuine belly laughs and superb characters. Co-starring Samuel L Jackson, Mark Strong and Michael Caine, it’s a brilliant adaptation of Mark Miller and Dave Gibbons’ comic book.

100 Word Review – The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

October 28, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, Romance, Sci FiTagged Action, adaptation, Emily Blunt, George Nolfi, John Slattery, Matt Damon, Philip K Dick, Romance, Sci FiLeave a comment

This is Sci Fi on a personal scale with potentially international consequences.

A politician (Matt Damon) meets a ballerina (Emily Blunt) he should never have met. Can their love survive or will the Adjustment Bureau restore order as fate intends it?

Based on the short story by Philip K Dick (Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Blade Runner), adapted by director George Nolfi (The Bourne Ultimatum, Ocean’s Twelve), this film falls somewhere between Sci Fi paranoia and all out action.

Co-starring John Slattery (Mad Men) as Richardson, this is a film about destiny, choice and fighting for what you believe in.

100 Word Review – Coraline (2009)

October 27, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., FantasyTagged adaptation, adventure, animation, Dakota Fanning, dark, Dawn French, family, Fantasy, Henry Selick, Horror, Jennifer Saunders, Neil Gaiman, Oscars1 Comment

Disappointed and frustrated by her life, Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) discovers an alternate reality in which everything is the same but better. What dark secrets could such a place be hiding?

Based on a novel by the always remarkable Neil Gaiman (Stardust, Mirrormask) and adapted and directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach), this is a beautiful family animation with a dark and twisted underbelly only found in the best children’s stories.

Nominated for an Oscar and with some recognisable voices (listen out for French and Saunders) this film is quite simply brilliant.

100 Word Review – The Martian (2015)

October 16, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Sci FiTagged adaptation, Andy Weir, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, Drew Goddard, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Kristen Wiig, Matt Damon, Ridley Scott, Sci Fi, Sean BeanLeave a comment

Based on Andy Weir’s novel, more than a rescue-Matt-Damon-movie.

Presumed dead, Mark Watney (Damon) is left alone on Mars. Will he get a signal to NASA? And if he does will he survive as the only person on an inhospitable planet?

The cast for this film is extraordinary, but the best thing about it’s the combination of Sci Fi with actual science and a sense of humour. Adapted by Drew Goddard (The Cabin In The Woods) and directed by Ridley Scott (Alien), it pulls away from the “realistic” Sci Fis of recent years managing to be serious, tense and fun.

100 Word Review – The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

October 8, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., FantasyTagged adaptation, animation, Anime, Fantasy, Isao Takahata, Japanese2 Comments

A bamboo cutter finds a tiny princess in a bamboo shoot. He takes her home where she quickly grows into a young woman, delighted by the world around her.

Written and directed by Isao Takahata, the man behind Grave of the Fireflies, so expect a moving story. It is delicately animated like a children’s book, the style capturing the innocence at the centre of the story.

It’s full of pieces of stories that transcend geographical boundaries; Thumbalina, the Practical Princess and other such tales form the bones of a film which is ultimately about humanity and its capacity for good.

100 Word Review – Girl, Interrupted (1999)

October 1, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged 1960s, adaptation, Angelina Jolie, biopic, Brittany Murphy, Clea DuVall, Drama, Elisabeth Moss, Jared Leto, mental illness, Oscars, Susanna Kaysen, Vanessa Redgrave, Whoopi Goldberg, Winona RyderLeave a comment

Susanna (Winona Ryder) is committed by her parents after combining pills and vodka in what they see as an attempted suicide. In Cleymore mental hospital she meets the other patients, including the rabble rousing sociopath Lisa (Angelina Jolie)

Adapted from Susanna Kaysen’s autobiographical account of her 18 month stay in a mental hospital in 1960s by the writers of Gorillas In The Mist and Walk The Line.

The fantastic cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Vanessa Redgrave, Elisabeth Moss, Brittany Murphy, Clea DuVall and Jared Leto; and that\s not even mentioning Jolie’s Oscar winning performance. This film is dark, magnificent and truly unforgettable.

100 Word Review – Men In Black (1997)

September 24, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Sci FiTagged Action, adaptation, aliens, Barry Sonnefeld, Comedy, Ed Solomon, family, Lowell Cunningham, Sci Fi, Tommy Lee Jones, Will SmithLeave a comment

As a piece of my childhood I find it hard to be objective about this film. Having said that I’ve never met anyone who disliked it.

After seeing a suspect blink sideways, police officer Jay (Will Smith) is inducted into a top secret organisation that keeps the world safe from aliens who already live on Earth, the Men In Black. Tommy Lee Jones co-stars as MIB stalwart, Kay.

Adapted from Lowell Cunningham’s comic by Ed Solomon (Now You See Me, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) and directed by Barry Sonnefeld (Wild Wild West, Get Shorty), this film is brilliant fun.