Top Ten Movies From Books (pt.1)
Capturing the original spirit of the source material is sometimes the only thing a director can do. These are ones where directors rightly respected the authors that inspired them.
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- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.Obviously this would be number one. Stephen King can pen a classic.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyJames McAvoyBrenda BlethynThirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.Ian McEwan's literary masterpiece set against the backdrop of World War II was superbly brought to life by Joe Wright. A perfect cast helped inject the movie with the necessary personality and pathos the book had.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodViggo MortensenIan McKellenGandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.Peter Jackson's mammoth task of faithfully creating Tolkein's Middle Earth was crowned with success and glory with his final (and most faithful to the book) installment. He even kept the original ending, though many thought it too drawn out.
- DirectorSean PennStarsEmile HirschVince VaughnCatherine KeenerAfter graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.Christopher McCandless became a cultural icon in the early 90s when he disappeared to live in the Alaskan wilderness and tragically died there at only 24. Based mostly on Jon Krakauer's biography, Sean Penn lovingly brought Mcandless' amazing life to screen in his directorial debut.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsMax RecordsCatherine O'HaraForest WhitakerYearning for escape and adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king.Take a kid's book 16 pages long and adapt it into a movie (for adults?), just under two hours long. Sound impossible? Well it's obviously not because Spike Jonze did just that. Exploring the central character's influences and psychology, Jonze delved deep into the mind and heart of Max, and delivered a a movie equal parts unusual and memorable.
- DirectorTate TaylorStarsViola DavisEmma StoneOctavia SpencerAn aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.Tate Taylor was INCREDIBLY faithful to Kathryn Stockett's novel on a community dealing with racial oppression in the 60's.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsGeorge ClooneyMeryl StreepBill MurrayAn urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.Roald Dahl interpreted by Wes Anderson was every hipster's wet dream. It turned out to be a charming, hilarious union, full of warmth and heart. One of Anderson's best.
- DirectorBaz LuhrmannStarsLeonardo DiCaprioCarey MulliganJoel EdgertonA writer and wall street trader, Nick Carraway, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his mysterious millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby, amid the riotous parties of the Jazz Age.Though it was already a movie, it wasn't a Baz Luhrman movie. Entirely over the top, it still retained the very core of Fitzgerald's commentary on modern life, excess and unfulfilled desire.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsMichael CeraMary Elizabeth WinsteadKieran CulkinIn a magically realistic version of Toronto, a young man must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes one by one in order to win her heart.Maybe one strictly for the fans, Edgar Wright's interpretation of the popular graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O' Malley was a combination of clever casting and slick, funny and unusual SFX.
- DirectorGary RossStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.Gary Ross' interpretation of Suzanne Collins' dystopian future was spot on.