Category Archives: Based on a Book

2013, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Based on a Book, Good digital effects, Mediocre, Nothing special, Violent

Oblivion (2013)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

High above a war-torn future Earth, Cmdr. Jack Harper is maintaining the planet’s defensive drones when a crippled starship enters his territory. Its sole occupant, a mysterious woman, leads Harper to shocking truths about humankind’s legacy.

Good digital graphics, plausible plot and the usual really bad guy (a machine named TET) versus some nice survivors make this nothing-special sci-fi film bearable. Fortunately Tom Cruise does not try to act, pulling instead that old trick of keeping a perfectly straight face and letting you supply appropriate emotions on his behalf.

If the ending confuses you, you might try believing the plot description in Wikepedia.

If you have nothing better to do, then the adventure may not be a total loss.

1955, Action Hero, Based on a Book, Crime thriller, Detective, Murder Investigation, Old-Fashioned, Suspense, Terrible acting, Thriller, Unusual, Violent

Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Shortly after sleazy detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) picks up a scantily clad hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman), his car is forced over a cliff. He awakens from unconsciousness to find his passenger dead — but it wasn’t the fall that killed her. As Hammer sets out to uncover the woman’s deadly secret and find her unknown assassins, he ignores explicit signs that he should mind his own business. This film noir was adapted from Mickey Spillane’s novel.

PBS showed this 106 minute black-and-white film from 1955. You can also get it from Netflix. To think that I was only 15 when this film came out – how films have changed. Nonetheless, despite the old style stiff way of acting (at times seemingly mere line reading), the film is fascinating, if only from a historical perspective.

The Wikipedia article has this to say:

Kiss Me Deadly is a 1955 film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich starring Ralph Meeker. The screenplay was written by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer mystery novel Kiss Me, Deadly. Kiss Me Deadly is often considered a classic of the noir genre. The film grossed $726,000 in the United States and a total of $226,000 overseas. It also withstood scrutiny from the Kefauver Commission which said it was a film designed to ruin young viewers — leading director Aldrich to write against the Commission’s conclusions.

Kiss Me Deadly marked the film debuts of both actresses Cloris Leachman and Maxine Cooper.[2]

As you approach the surprising end of the film you will understand the comment from the same Wikipedia article:

Critical commentary generally views it as a metaphor for the paranoia and nuclear fears of the Cold War era in which it was filmed.

Ralph Meeker, the lead actor, has a huge resume even though I never heard of him before seeing this (to me) unusual film.

Even the orchestral music seems old-fashioned.

2013, Amputee, Based on a Book, Born Again Christians, Could Be Sad, Crude Talk, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Gay theme, Human spirit, Religious Theme, Small gem of a film, Thought provoking, Wonderful acting

C.O.G. (2013)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Based on a short story by David Sedaris, this comedy follows the brash young author as he travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm. The journey exposes him to all sorts of culture clashes, but what awaits him at the farm is far worse.

In this small gem of a film, Jonathan Groff is perfect for the part of a naïve and searching young man taking a break from his parents and Yale. His character David is so vulnerable to all the questionable influences that you could sit and worry about what might befall him. And many unpleasant but possibly forming tribulations do come his way. Here is a sensitive film so close to reality that you might cringe when something possibly not violent but at least hurtful happens to David. You can watch Wolverine slice someone into pieces and not bat an eye. But when a supposed friend turns viciously against David you feel the ugliness in a very personal way. Jonathan Groff has a short resume, but be on the lookout for more of his performances.

Hats off to some wonderful villains.

Denis O’Hare (the born-again jade artist) is one of our most established support actors, which is to say you recognize him even though you might not know his name (no matter how many episodes of “Law and Order” you have watched). His performance offers one of the most devastating and hateful betrayals I have ever seen.

Exactly the same can be said for Corey Stoll (apple packing plant manager) in every aspect. You might remember him as Rep. Peter Russo from “House of Cards”. His character is no less sinister than that of Denis O’Hare.

Escape from the trash. Here is a wonderful gem that YOU SHOULD NOT MISS!

2011, Based on a Book, Basically Sad, Dancing, Drama, FilmReview, Love Story, Plot Twist, Quiet, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Slow, Unusual

Trishna (2011)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Raised in rapidly changing rural India, well-educated Trishna is torn between cultural tradition and her own desires when she falls in love with a British businessman who has returned to India to work in his family’s hotel business.

According to Wikipedia, this film is an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles.” Hopefully that will not spoil the plot for you (although the adaptation is only very approximate).

Not for everyone, this film features:

  • Many different views of life in India, rural and urban.
  • Dancing.
  • Some Bollywood film-making.
  • Details in Indian life that you may or may not find interesting.
  • Slow development of the story.
  • Quite a few (discreet) sex scenes.

Nonetheless, I could not stop watching. Perhaps I see too many violent films, but I kept expecting something awful to happen. Instead, for awhile the plot seems too easy, almost as if the writers were sparing us any stress. But eventually there is an unexpected change in direction and (for me, at least) a surprise ending. In fact, I cheated and did not list all the possible categories because I did not want to introduce any spoilers.

If nothing else, you can spend two hours appreciating the very beautiful female star.

2013, Based on a Book, Catholic culture, Drama, Latino Culture, Spanish, Violent

Bless Me, Ultima (2013)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

In a village in New Mexico, the life of young farm boy Antonio is dramatically changed when an old medicine woman joins his household. This affecting coming-of-age tale recounts Antonio’s experiences to reveal the spiritual conflict in his community.

“Bendíceme, Última” is a book written originally in English by Rudolfo Anaya. Wikipedia offers an extensive discussion of this film.

Because I had read the book years ago I suspected that watching the film might be boring. If you let yourself immerse in the period, the culture, and the language, you might find this film a charming experience.

There was much superstition, belief in witches, and misinformation mixed in with the Mexican Catholic culture in that place and era. Superstition always surprises and disappoints me. However, if you read much history you come to see how prevalent superstition has been throughout the ages. Let us not forget the Salem witch trials.

From Netflix I got a copy of this film which offered choices in sound track and subtitles. Whether a purchased copy offers the same choices I do not know. In any case I chose Spanish sound track and subtitles and was really happy with the result. For anyone interested in Spanish, this version offers a very approachable and easily understood spoken Spanish. As is almost always the case the spoken and written scripts are very close but not exactly the same.

One other similar film that comes to mind is “Like Water For Chocolate”.

Consider this style of film “sui generis”. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.

2010, Based on a Book, Basically Sad, Dark, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, German, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Psychological Drama, Rape, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Suicide, Suspense, Wonderful acting, Wonderful photography

The Silence (2010)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

When 13-year-old Sinikka goes missing from the same spot where another girl was murdered 23 years earlier, a retired investigator teams up with a younger colleague to unravel the parallel mysteries.

According to Wikipedia, this film is based on the German crime fiction novel The Silence (German: Das Schweigen) by Jan Costin Wagner. In fact the film is in German with subtitles.

Everything about this film is incredibly well done. Not only the story, but the photography, the pace, and above all else the acting.

Lifelong sadness over the loss of a loved-one is the pervasive theme of the film. From the very beginning we witness the initial rape and murder. (Later on we witness the second murder.) Rather than being a mystery story, the film centers on how the crimes effect each of the many characters: a retired detective whose marriage failed under the stress of his desperate efforts to solve the initial crime; a young brilliant detective trying to get over the recent death of his wife; the mother of the first victim; the parents of the second victim; the smug, officious, inept present-day chief detective; and each of the two guilty parties.

Only a bit of a mystery exists: can you recognize how one of the original killers has morphed into a present-day respectable citizen?

WARNING: be prepared for sadness and irony. However, DO NOT MISS THIS SUPERB FILM!

Based on a Book, Basically Sad, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Not Feel Good, Wonderful acting

What Maisie Knew (2013)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

In this updated rendering of the timeless Henry James novel, a perceptive 6-year-old girl becomes a bargaining tool when she gets caught in the midst of a toxic custody fight between her self-seeking, childish parents.

How on earth did the directors (Scott McGehee, David Siegel) get Maisie (played by incredibly young Onata Aprile) to act so perfectly? Granted much of her mannerisms are what you would expect from such a little girl. But at certain points, especially in one final painful scene with her egocentric failure of a mother (Julianne Moore) just one subtle facial expression says it all.

Congrats to Steve Coogan for playing such a similarly egocentric repellent failure of a father.

But eventually you just smile seeing Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna Vanderham together as two misused victims of the ugly couple. Here are the only two people in the world that really love Maisie.

Just beware that the 21st century is the century of unresolved conflicts. If you can stand the heartache, DO NOT MISS!

2012, Based on a Book, Car Chase, Clever Plot, Conspiracy, Crime thriller, Mixed Martial Arts, Murder Investigation, Violent

Jack Reacher (2012)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

When ex-military cop Jack Reacher investigates an elite sniper charged with killing five people, he teams up with a beautiful defense lawyer — and they soon find themselves drawn into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game in this exciting thriller.

Of course you can expect car chases, beautiful women, sinister villains, and an omnipotent Jack Reacher who never loses a physical fight.

Tom Cruise was 50 years old when he made this film. Not bad! For such a film he need not be a great actor, more the strong and silent type. For those of you who read the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child, just be prepared: Jack Reacher in the novels is a BIG man, Tom Criuse is not!

At the very least the story is clever with a bit of mystery: who is behind all the shenanigans! Want to bet you suspect the wrong person?

Just a bit of the usual violent fun.

Based on a Book, British Mystery Series, Murder Investigation, P.D. James

P.D. James

1 Comment

Instead of a review of just one film, below you will find a list of TV presentations of stories adapted from novels by P. D. James. All are available from Netflix. All of them are well worth watching. Just remember that P.D. James has a raw edge.

The following can be streamed and are on disc. Streaming offers captions whereas there are no captions on disc.

Original Sin
Shroud for a Nightingale
Cover Her Face
A Taste for Death
The Black Tower
Death of an Expert Witness
Unnatural Causes
Devices and Desires

The following are on disc only and have no captions:

Unsuitable Job For A Woman
A Mind to Murder
Death In Holy Orders

2012, Based on a Book, Fantasy, Gay theme, Human spirit, Nuclear energy, Optimistic, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

In this star-studded drama, six seemingly disparate stories take viewers from a South Pacific Island in the 19th century to 1970s America to a dystopian future, exploring the complicated links that humans share through the generations.

In Mitchell’s novel each of the various episodes, all of which are related one to another, continue uninterrupted up to a cliff-hanging point of the episode near its end. At the end of the novel each of the episodes concludes.

In the film, on the other hand, those episodes are shuffled like a deck of cards. You constantly and abruptly flit from episode to episode.

Story alone will get you through the 172 minutes, even if not all the actors (some quite well known, but mum’s the word) excel at their craft.

For me the most unsettling thread was the account of Corpocracy. Could that really happen? In the book names of objects are replaced by their brand names. For example, the word “Lipton” is used instead of the archaic “tea”. Also I found the costumes for that portion eerily appropriate.

Believe it or not, I preferred the film. Enjoy!