MovieZen Blog

The 3 Top and Bottom Movies of the Summer

According to the Movie Guru, here are the top 3 and the bottom 3 movies of the summer:

Top 3

1. Red Belt
2. The Love Guru
3. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Honorable Mention: Wall-E

Bottom 3

1. You Don't Mess with the Zohan
2. Hancock
3. Wanted

Well, from the titles alone, the only one I'd be interested in seeing is The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, especially since I loved The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Even the runner-up, Wall-E sounds good to me. From the commercials, it looks hilarious. But, with these other titles, well, no wonder I've gotten out of the habit of "going to the movies." I just wait until my favorites are out on DVD.

I don't know, but Red Belt just doesn't appeal to me, although the "Movie Guru" raves about it:

"David Mamet's vision of a UFC type ju jitsu tournament is the best movie of the summer and can be watched on DVD when it comes out without losing as much to the TV screen as many of the other summer movies."

How about the Love Guru? The title sounds like it's going to be completely ridiculous and not in a good way. But the "movie guru" says this:

"The Love Guru is one of those movies like Speed Racer that everybody hated without even seeing it. Wrong. The funniest movie of the summer so far, too smart for its own good."

I'm afraid this may be one of those movies like Little Miss Sunshine that everybody loved but me. Maybe it's the similarities to the "self help" guru part that bothers me.

To each his own. And sometimes a movie surprises you. I'd love to hear your thoughts about these movies or what your top 3 movies and bottom 3 movies would be. What might I put on my watch list?

Kathy Holmes
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Nancy Drew

Having grown up reading such Nancy Drew books as The Secret of the Old Clock and The Hidden Staircase, I was naturally curious about Nancy Drew, the 2007 movie starring the delightful Emma Roberts as Nancy Drew. It was startling to know that she was born in 1991, the year before I met my husband, but, then, it’s been a few years since I was a regular reader of Nancy Drew mysteries.

It was interesting to see how Nancy Drew, the movie, blended in the old with the new. While there were modern technological devices, such as cell phones, River Heights still had the look of an old-fashioned Midwestern town, they took the train to Los Angeles like they would have back in the 1940s, and Nancy still drove her roadster. Even boyfriend Ned Nickerson, played by Max Thieriot, looked like a blast from the past.

Nancy’s Dad, Carson Drew, played by Tate Donovan, was somewhat how I pictured Mr. Drew, although I was sure he smoked a pipe. But the character most missing was the endearing housekeeper, Hannah Gruen. But bringing Nancy and her father out to Los Angeles may explain why housekeeper Hannah wasn’t in the film, although she could have added a dose of old-fashioned comfort to the scenes set in River Heights.

The Hollywood High scenes were a sharp contrast to River Heights and the plot was entertaining. After all, you can’t have a story set in Los Angeles without a Hollywood actress. And what’s better than a dead Hollywood actress with a secret grown daughter set to inherit her money? When Nancy gets close to solving the mystery, naturally there has to be somebody threatening her life because her success would mean their failure. But, alas, all’s well that ends well. And when Nancy and her father go back to River Heights, well, Nancy finally gets her first kiss from Ned.

Kathy Holmes
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Better than the Book

I'm no statistician, but 98.87% of the time, after watching a movie based on a book, I hear someone mutter, "The book was better." As it probably should be. I mean, shouldn't the source material be greater than the adaptation? Most of the time, some sweeping literary epic has been condensed from hundreds of pages of beautiful carefully chosen words into a two-hour visual experience stripped of metaphor and subtext. Even when the film version is wildly loved and lauded (think Lord of the Rings, all three), the books still remain the iconic standards. But most of the time, the film versions belong in either the Da Vinci Code category of "Good things turned mediocre" or the Battlefield Earth category of "I don't understand. So bad. Must erase from memory now."

There are exceptions to every rule. We must not forget the 1.13% of films that are better than their book counterparts. Yep, I said it. I'll even say it again: Sometimes the film can be better. Take a moment and recover from the shock. And now let's explore some examples that have shattered our adaptation expectations.

Better than the book:

The Notebook

Nicholas Sparks' books make great movies. Why? Because he writes great simple stories that resonate with people, and yet his writing style isn't sacred. So I'm not crying over the loss of his words. In the case of The Notebook, the ending was surprisingly and powerfully reworked. I'm not a huge fan of giving away plot spoilers, but I will mention that the book has a sequel that this moving film won't have. Superior acting made the characters more complex than they read on paper. I'd recommend the movie over the book any day.

The Devil Wears Prada

This movie is loved for two things: the fashion eye-candy and Meryl Streep. And since the book doesn't have pictures, nor does Meryl come with it, the film trumps the page. Again, the ending was cleverly reworked into something much more redeeming and empowering than the novel's conclusion. There was character development that I could embrace. And did I mention that Meryl Streep was amazing?

Schindler's List

This may surprise you. Some don't even realize this was a book. In high school, I was nervous to watch the film for fear it would shatter me. So I thought I'd pick up the book first and prepare myself. What I got was page after page of financial stats and business dealings. The story felt so well-researched and technical that I couldn't get swept up in the greater picture of what was happening. And then Spielberg worked his epic magic. If you haven't seen it, you're missing something incredibly special. And no, it didn't destroy me. It did change me, though.

Honorable mention:

Adaptation

Okay, so this isn't really a direct adaption; rather, it's about the awkward process of adapting works (in this case, a book about orchids) that aren't suited for the big screen. For the screenwriting junkies out there, it's worth checking out.

I'm turning this over to you now. Which movies would you categorize as "better than the book"? I expect The Bridges of Madison County to be your list....

Nadine Bells
on her toes

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The Time Traveler's Wife

Are you interested in stories about time travel? I am. I loved the Back to the Future movies with Michael J. Fox. Recently, there was the network television show, The Journeyman, which didn’t survive the writer’s strike. No wonder. I discovered I preferred a time travel movie over a time travel TV show. Time travel seems difficult to sustain over a lengthy amount of time.

What about a time traveling book? When I visited the “Reading Room” at Mandalay Place in Las Vegas, the friendly clerk recommended the Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneggar. That title caught my attention immediately. The plot sounded even better. It’s about a librarian in Chicago with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the problems it creates for his marriage. It’s written in first person and alternates telling both points of view--two more things about a book that I enjoy.

But I must confess I’m having a terrible time finishing the book. I don’t think time travel works for me in a book. I really hate to not finish a book, but I’m not sure how much longer I can continue reading it. So I was very excited to know that The Time Traveler’s Wife is being made into a movie, scheduled for release in December of this year. It sounds like it would make a much better movie and I’m looking forward to watching it. I love a good movie at Christmas time.

Kathy Holmes
www.kathyholmes.net

**Read more articles by Kathy Holmes**

The Movie or the Book?

You’re probably reading this post on MovieZen because you’re a movie lover. We keep hearing that people don’t read enough these days because they prefer watching movies over reading a book. But many of us enjoy both movies and books.

So how do you feel when one of your favorite books becomes a movie? Excited until you see how it turned out and then disappointed? That’s often been my experience. But I also understand that movies and books are two different mediums and the story is told differently in each one.

For example, the first time I saw Gone with the Wind, I was so disappointed in the movie. After all, I had read the book not once but twice - all 900+ pages. But over time, as the memory of the book receded, I grew to love the movie. But I never did embrace The Notebook or any of Nicholas Sparks’ books as movies.

But what about the other way around? Did you love a movie so much you had to read the book? And how did that turn out? I’m about to find out. After watching My House in Umbria last weekend, I ordered the book. In fact, for the price of one, I got two since My House in Umbria is really a novella. Now that’s a good movie when it inspires you to go out and read the book.

What about Harry Potter? Which did you like better - the book or the movie?

Kathy Holmes
www.kathyholmes.net

**Read more articles by Kathy Holmes** 

Kids Choice Awards 2008

   

Each year, Nickelodeon gives kids the opportunity to vote for their favourites in the entertainment world. This year, the Kids' Choice Awards (KCA) was hosted by Jack Black at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night.

The awards spotlights the hottest stars of TV, movies, music and sports and those in attendance included Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. The star studded event was also filled with glorious slime showers which drenched gleeful kids and celebrities throughout the show.

Not surprisingly of course, it was none other than Miley Cyrus who won the award for Favourite TV Actress and Favourite Female Singer. Who would not love a sweetie like her?

Here is the full list of other KCA Winners:

Favorite Movie
Alvin and the Chipmunks

Favorite Animated Movie
Ratatouille

Favorite Movie Actress
Jessica Alba

Favorite Movie Actor
Johnny Depp

Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
Eddie Murphy (Shrek the Third)

Favorite Music Group
The Jonas Brothers

Favorite Female Singer
Miley Cyrus

Favorite Male Singer
Chris Brown

Favorite Song
Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne)

Favorite Reality TV Show
American Idol

Favorite TV Show
Drake & Josh

Favorite TV Actress
Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana)

Favorite TV Actor
Drake Bell (Drake & Josh)

Favorite Cartoon
Avatar: The Last Airbender

WANNABE AWARD:
Cameron Diaz

Favorite Male Athlete
Tony Hawk

Favorite Female Athlete
Danica Patrick

Favorite Video Game
Madden NFL '08

Favorite Book
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Elina
My Yakkity Yak

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