Despite the internet uproar, our hosts liked Age of Ultron overall. They wished some things had been set up better, but they discuss the character layers in depth and get excited about the future in this episode.
The hosts could not be happier that Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy made it onto our schedule. They enjoy getting back to their roots with some classic lit, and found FftMC a funny, progressive and thoroughly absorbing read.
It is official, Kiera Cass’ series The Selection are becoming movies. After the CW lobbied to make a television series out of the soon to be quartet, Warner Bros has won the rights, according to Deadline Hollywood.
The Selection follows 35 under privileged girls who are chosen to compete for the hand of the crown Prince of Ilya. It is sort of like the Bachelor, but with a set in stone ending. The winner will become the Queen of Ilya and they must marry the prince. The story is centered on America Singer, a young girl who only entered the selection for the benefit of her family and at the request of the boy she is sweet on. The books follow her role in the selection and how she goes from young girl unsure of what she wants and what she stands for, to a young woman in the buddings of real love and a passion to make the world a better place.
I was actually pretty excited when I heard the news that they were going to be adapting it into a film instead of a TV series. I personally feel that the TV medium would not have been appropriate for this series. There is not enough meat to the books for it to stay true to the story line and characters.
What are your opinions? Do you think it would be a better TV series than movie? Any casting predictions or hopes? Leave us a comment below and be sure to look for reviews of the books and movies in later posts and podcasts.
The hosts sit down and watch Jurassic Park, talking through the film about all the inferior security planning, the character development, and how it all differs from Crichton’s novel.
Kendyl and Jenn discuss the film Home (2015), what is lost and found in the changes from Adam Rex’s novel and what aliens would really think about the weird stuff humans have invented.
Make sure you check out our episode on the novel!
April got the Adaptation staff back to its book-loving roots! What have you been reading?
Breaking Sky is a Young-Adult, fast paced thriller about a pilot whose impulsive and sometimes erratic behavior is the only thing daring enough to save all the few things left in her war-wrecked world worth saving. The heroine would surely be categorized as a part-time villain, if we asked the other characters but it’s her gritty logic and flaws that make her such a real character that you can’t help but empathize with and eventual, even love. Breaking Sky is the second novel by Cori McCarthy, a West Michigan based writer (woot! woot!).
-Nicole
This is a “sure to be cancelled” show, according to online reviewers, but I love it and everyone should catch it while they can and boost the ratings so that it might last! It stars Rainn Wilson as Everet Backstrom, a slob, bitter, borderline crazy detective. He has a pretty bad diet and poor general health choices and is a total dick, but he can get inside the mind of any type of person as he, along with his mismatched team, and sometimes his gay fence (thief/art dealer) of a roommate, Valentine, played by Thomas Dekker. It is a quirky show, where our “hero” is a bit of an anti-hero who makes mistakes and bends the rules and is truly HUMAN. It is not your more common, cut-and-dry procedural. The show is based on the character Evert Bäckström from a series of books written by Swedish author Leif G.W. Persson.
-Dorin
I just finished reading a YA trilogy called His Fair Assassin, by Robin LaFever, which takes place in the French region of Brittany during the region’s fight to remain independent from France. It’s a historical fantasy, really, and incorporates an interpretation of the old Breton deities as they were absorbed into the Christian church as “Saints.” So the series mainly focuses around a convent of the old religion that is composed of the daughters of Mortain, who was the god of Death. And all the girls who are brought up in this convent are trained as assassins and sent out to serve his “will” during the political upheaval. It’s really entertaining and fascinating how the author intertwines the (interpreted) historical events with the plotline and the lives and faiths of each of the three girls who are the respective heroines of the books.
-Jess
I’m currently rereading Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Nuehashi. Moribito tells the story of Balsa, a female bodyguard on a quest to redeem eight lives lost for her sake. She is a master at the spear and sword…and she needs all of her skills to protect her newest client: the Second Prince, Chagum. Chagum has been chosen as the vessel for the egg of the Water Spirit. Balsa must help him deliver the egg to the sea, or the entire country will face devastating droughts. Along the way, they are pursued not only by assassins sent by the emperor himself, but also by the terrifying egg-eating monster, Rarunga. At this point, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this book, but it makes no difference—I love it all the same. It’s exciting and gripping and (at times) delightfully creepy. Just to warn you, though: the Rarunga just might give you a nightmare or two…in a good way.
-Jenn
That’s it for us this month, but be sure to leave your own recommendations in the comments!
After our episode chalk-full of different versions of Cinderella, the hosts are slightly disappointed that the new live-action Disney version is twist-less. On the other-hand, they can’t deny that is was a gorgeous film, that it answered some questions they’d been asking and that Helena Bonham Carter can do no wrong.
The hosts are back to discuss about the film adaptation of Insurgent, the second film in the Divergent series. Listen to them talk about their likes, dislikes and concerns for the third installment.
Also check out our episodes on Divergent (book and film) and Insurgent (book).
Just in time for the start of season 5, Kendyl and Ryan hash out the events in A Dance with Dragons and what theories they have as well as what they expect from this season of Game of Thrones. They aren’t always in agreement, so make sure you break the ties by commenting below (or on our social media pages)!
Television is in the air this March and the Adaptation staff have been watching these killer shows. What have you been up to?
For March, I have been rewatching (for about the 100th time) the animated TV series W.I.T.C.H. Yes, I said animated–don’t judge me. It is based on an Italian comic book series of the same name, and it is one of my all-time favorite cartoons. W.I.T.C.H. is about five teenage girls–Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin–who are chosen to be the new guardians of the Veil, which is a magical barrier separating Earth from the evil land of Meridian. As guardians, they gain powers over the five elements so that they can protect the universe from evil forces. It’s a really good series that can appeal to audiences of all ages; it’s funny–really funny, sometimes–and it has a great diverse cast of characters. Plus, the voice actors for these characters are probably among the best I’ve ever heard–they really make the characters come alive!
-Jenn
Grantchester is a detective drama set in a 1950s Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester near Cambridge, where local Anglican vicar Sidney Chambers (James Norton) develops a sideline in sleuthing—with the initially reluctant help of grumpy Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green). The series is based on The Grantchester Mysteries books written by James Runcie. Series 1 is based on stories from the first book in the series Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death. It is griping, full of great characters and plots and everything you would hope for in a Masterpiece Mystery (BBC show), in a world where the wounds WWII are still fresh and it is hard to find their way back in a ‘normal’ world.
-Dorin
I have finished Season 1 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and am caught up with season two, waiting patiently for each weekly episode. Guys, this one is one of the funniest new sitcoms I have watched for a while. It tells of a police precinct in Brooklyn with some hilarious and interesting characters. The steadfast and straight-laced police chief who never smiles but delivers the funniest lines with a perfectly straight face, the constantly wisecracking detective, the big, buff but tenderhearted Assistant Chief…seriously, it’s hilarious. In fact, Andy Samburg, who plays Detective Peralta (the lead guy) just won an award for best actor in a sitcom because of this role.
-Jess
That’s it for us this month, but be sure to leave your own recommendations in the comments!
Dorin and Kendyl sit down to talk about Adam Rex’s novel The True Meaning of Smekday. Funny, sweet and surprising, this is another one that we love discussing, especially since we forgot that we didn’t actually live through these events ourselves.
This time, we’re sitting down to watch the 1989 version of Batman, talking through the fun, the dark and the slightly unbelievable.
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