After multiple issues with the first try at recording an episode on Mockingjay Part 1, we’ve finally gotten out an episode for you to listen to and discuss with us. The hosts talk about what was cut, what was added, and how the film will transition to Part 2 in this long-awaited episode. Let us know what you thought in the comments!
Our other HG episodes: The Hunger Games (book) (movie), Catching Fire (book) (movie), and Mockingjay (book).
In which Jenn talks about her first time NaNoWriMo-ing!
Jess’s novel on Fanfiction.net
There are just too many things to talk about with Pemberley Digital latest endeavor Frankenstein MD. After reading a record number of comments, the hosts go over how a gender-swapped Frankenstein is pulled off, Victoria’s likability, and what things they wish had been included. Pacing, sexism in STEM, Steve’s acting ability… it all leads to a jam-packed episode!
If this series got you thinking about reading Mary Shelley’s novel, check out Kendyl’s book review!
The Adaptation staff have some recommendations for you from their November exploits!
I’ve been watching through Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, starring Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, and many more. It’s a show about a sketch comedy show (think Saturday Night Live) that is in a bit of trouble in its prime-time slot. The executive producer had a bit of a meltdown on air, and the network is trying to recover from its downfall by bringing in the wonder team: new producer Danny and writer Matt, not to mention an ambitious and liberal new network president, Jordan. They’ve got their work cut out for them though, with a eclectic and opinionated cast and the media set against them! It’s a really clever and entertaining show. Set primarily as a drama, but with plenty of comedy thrown in, the characters are endearing and three-dimensional. I still can’t believe it was cancelled after only one season! It’s like Firefly all over again!
-Jess
For NaNOWriMo, I’m writing a fantasy story that is an adaptation and combination of two lesser-known fairy tales (as you can tell, I’m a sucker for this genre) and since I haven’t been able to read much this month, I figured I would recommend something I’ve read before that is similar to what I’ve been writing. One of my favorite adaptations that also combines multiple fairy tales into one story is Wildwood Dancing, by Juliet Marillier. This book takes and expands on the tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, told from the point of view of Jena, the second eldest of five princesses. Wildwood Dancing also successfully weaves in certain elements from The Frog Prince as well, in the guise of Jena’s constant amphibious companion, Gogu. For years on the full moon, Jena and her sisters–and Gogu–have been able to travel to the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom through a secret portal in their castle–a portal that only they know about. But their idyllic existence is threatened after their father falls ill and their controlling cousin, Cezar, is put in charge of their care. It’s a story of magic and love and trust and–you guessed it–‘once upon a times’ and ‘happily ever afters’. I guarantee that you will be hooked by this story within the first couple of pages. And if you don’t want your own Gogu by the end of it…well, then we’re clearly not reading the same book.
-Jenn
I wasn’t sure about Constantine at first because I loved the film version with Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz and in the TV version Weisz’s character left after the first episode. Maybe we will see her again, but I don’t know. However, after allowing the show to progress with a new girl companion, who is clairvoyant and not as easily scared away, I have realized that it is an amazing show. Instead of Keanu’s own brand of snark, we get Matt Ryan, a Welsh actor, who gives us an even snarkier, “I work alone” type, smoking, drinking, guilt-ridden Liverpudlian (i.e. from Liverpool, England) and Master of- or as he likes to say “dabbler” in- the Dark Arts. He’s a bit of a sorry excuse for a man, but that’s why the character is so great! It has really great writing and lines that make you giggle in the middle of it all, much like Supernatural, and honestly, if you liked the film version with Keanu Reeves, you will LOVE this! And if you didn’t like the film, you will STILL LOVE this.
-Dorin
So far this fall television season, the standout favorite for me has been Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is a bit of a surprise since last season I would only begrudgingly watch if I was caught up on all my other shows. But the show has really hit it’s stride now and I’m always eager to watch the new episode. Agents follows a team put together by Phil Coulson, of Marvel Cinematic Universe fame, as they track down advanced, often alien technology (and sometimes humans infused with the tech) to keep it out of the hands of those who are up to no good and protect humanity. The end of season 1 coincided with the events in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which (without spoiling) gave the team a whole new dynamic that has really worked in season 2. Coulson is simultaneously always good for a one-liner and to make you feel all the feelings, May is possibly the best kick-ass female character I’ve ever seen, and scientists Fitz and Simmons are awkward, fast-talking and brilliantly lovable. If you’re into Marvel, or just the MCU, I don’t know why you haven’t already been watching, but trust me, the world-building of having a show coincide with the films will make you giddy. And if you’re not into Marvel, this show will still appeal to you if you’re into action, weird alien tech and great characters.
-Kendyl
That’s it for us this month, but be sure to leave your own recommendations in the comments!
Jess, Jenn and Corey come together this week to discuss the final book of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The trio talks through their own emotional wounds as well as the characters and make predictions about the upcoming film Mockingjay Part 1.
Check out our previous THG podcasts: The Hunger Games (Book) (Movie), Catching Fire (Book) (Movie), Mockingjay (First Movie)
Well then- is really all I could think to say after seeing the newest trailer for Fifty Shades of Grey. For those of you that don’t know, that is what I say when I really can’t express what I have just seen in words adequate enough for the situation. I really need to stop watching racy trailers at work. That aside, this trailer was a little more….well, MORE.
More charged. More erotic. More everything. I literally had that weird squishy-chill inducing feeling deep in my stomach. I have to applaud the people who cut this trailer together. They gave more of a story line to this installment then the last. You see Christian actively pursuing Anastasia and her, despite her better judgment, giving herself over to it.
It is intriguing and you can physically feel the anticipation building in your body as the trailer reaches its end. The choice of “Haunted” sung by Beyoncé was more than perfect as well.
What do you all think? Spine-tingling or were you left wanting? Leave your comments below!
This week, Kendyl joined Ben and Dillon on Maze Runner Chat to discuss chapters 3-5 of The Scorch Trials. You might remember Ben from the episode of Adaptation where we covered The Maze Runner film.
Be sure to go give it a listen!
Maze Runner Chat #16: “Outside The Box”
by Benjamin Holmquist (@Ben_Holmquist)
On this week’s episode, Ben and Dillonare joined byKendyl from Adaptation Podcast for a great discussion on the upcoming film adaptation of ‘The Scorch Trials,’ as well as chapter analysis and listener feedback. Contest winners are also announced.Contact us:
Twitter: @MazeRunnerChat
mazerunnerchat@gmail.comYou can check out Adaptation Podcast at AdaptationPodcast.com, or on Twitter @AdaptationCast!
If you like Maze Runner Chat, PLEASE write us a review in iTunes! It will help us get more exposure, so we can continue posting new episodes.
Happy listening!
In our first book-only Game of Thrones discussion, the hosts cover A Feast for Crows by George RR Martin in order to prep themselves for season 5. They take (too much?) pleasure in the downfall of some, hope against hope that some are still living and make predictions for the future of the series and the television show.
Check out our other GoT episodes #81: A Game of Secret Targaryens and #92 It’s Anyone’s Game of Thrones
Dorin and Kendyl discuss the children’s book by Judith Viorst along side the film and are extremely pleased with how well the themes are portrayed on screen and how the additions take them one step further. There might be a little rant about the word “Fommy” and the road-safeness of the vehicle, but overall they give it a thumbs up!
See what the Adaptation staff have been reading and watching in the month of October!
I recently started watching a 2004 BBC show called Hustle, which is about a group of con artists in London, and each episode features a new and intricate sting. It’s fascinating, and you definitely have to pay close attention to what’s happening if you don’t want to miss anything. If you like the Ocean’s movies, you’ll love this show, too. It pits the characters in that awesome gray area where they’re criminals, but you root for them anyway. This is helped along by the fact that they usually target the rich, mighty and corrupt, so it’s satisfying to see the mark fall.
-Jess
Gotham is a great twist on the classic Batman story. Following Detective James Gordan as he begins his career in the Gotham PD, he is put on the case of the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne where he first meets Bruce and they form a friendship that acts as an origin story of sorts for Batman. Along the way, Gordon also comes up against the crime rings currently plaguing the city as well as future Batman villians like Selina Kyle and Oswald Cobblepot. We are so used to the super villains that are slightly outlandish characters (though we love those characters) and now we get to see a real Gotham with real corruption issues. I am thoroughly enjoying it!
-Dorin
I’ve been reading through the Fables comics published by Vertigo. This comic series features a slew of characters from fairy tales and fables who were forced to flee their homeland after being attacked by the mysterious villain, the Adversary. They take cover in New York City and form a clandestine community called Fabletown, where they live side-by-side with us normal, mundane people. The story arcs in this series are imaginative and diverse, including anything from murder mysteries to animal rebellions to prophecies–all involving fairy-tale characters who are perhaps not as familiar as we would expect.
-Jenn
I watched From Dusk Til Dawn: The Series on Netflix, which is an extension of the film and comic franchise. It follows the Gecko brothers as they elude Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez and the FBI, commandeer an RV owned by the Fuller family and end up at a strip club full of vampires, where they have to fight for their lives- say it with me now- till dawn. That satisfied both my horror and hot guy quotas for the month (Wilmer Valderama = baby daddy, HOLLA).
-Sarah
The only piece of non-Adaptation-related media that I’ve consumed this month was Horns by Joe Hill, which I reviewed for River Ram Press. So I’m going to be a little lame this month and just link you to that review here. But be sure to stick around the Adaptation blog because next week I’ll be reviewing the film counter-part to the novel starring Daniel Radcliffe.
-Kendyl
That’s it for us this month, but be sure to leave your own recommendations in the comments!
Kendyl wrote a review on Joe Hill’s Horns for River Ram Press and next week, after the film starring Daniel Radcliffe comes out on October 31st, she will be reviewing the movie here on Adaptation!
Horns by Joe Hill
A Book Review by Kendyl Bryant
In preparation for the new film starring Daniel Radcliffe and to properly get into the Halloween mood, this month I read Horns by Joe Hill. I’m not into outright horror and thankfully Radcliffe has a habit of choosing the kind of scary films based on books that I do enjoy (e.g. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill). Horns is actually less of a horror novel, and more of a dark fantasy. A really, really dark fantasy. To the point where I had trouble getting through some parts, but also frustratingly needed to keep going so I could find out what was going on.
Horns begins with Ig Parrish waking up from a drunken night he can’t remember to find a pair of horns sprouting from his skull. After a visit to the doctor’s office and a few very off-putting…
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Another in a long line of young adult dystopian tales has hit the big screen. The Maze Runner based on the novel by James Dashner came out a few weeks ago and I finally got the chance to see the film. Though I have never read the books, I have heard good things from those that have.
I have to admit, I am rarely unprepared to compare a book and movie adaptation. I usually devour the books and then eagerly (or sometimes dreadingly) wait to see the story brought to life outside my head. It was interesting to go into this film not having any idea what to expect. In a way, I was just like the boys in the film. I was thrust into the world of the Glade just as every boy there was, with no knowledge of how it came to be, or why they were there.
The story begins to unfold as Thomas, played by Dylan O’Brien, is introduced to this new society; a few dozen ragged boys that have created this community in the middle of the maze. There is a certain and very important social and economic order to things in the Glade. Each person plays his part from Alby and Newt, the two-man leadership, to the boys who plant the food and repair the buildings. Though, the most respected of the group are the Runners. Runners enter the maze each day and map the entire thing, looking for a way out.
At night, the maze closes its walls and shifts, becoming home to the monsters that live within. The Grievers, a sort of freaky part spider, part scorpion, part alien, part robot thing that terrorizes anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the maze after the walls close. Thomas is warned away from the maze the moment he is informed about it. There are strict rules that he must obey. The only people allowed to enter the maze are Runners. No one survives a night in the maze.
Seemingly predictably, Thomas becomes the first to survive a night inside its walls; even killing a Griever.
Shortly after, the introduction of a girl, Theresa, into the Glade throws the order off balance and challenges everything the boys have built. One of the enforcers, Gally, who has been against Thomas the entire time, has more animosity than ever when the girl seems to recognize Thomas. This plot point could have caused much more trouble, however Theresa’s character gets demoted to sidekick status and you lose getting to know someone that could be a great character. She even brought a cure for the sickness that comes from being stung by a Griever. This cure also restores the takers memory. But, she was more of a mini side plot than anything major. Almost inconsequential.
The plot thickens when a piece of the Griever shows Thomas and the main runner Minho the way out of the maze. This causes a major consequence in the Glade. The people that have trapped the boys in the maze open the gates and let Grievers into their home where they decimate anything in their paths. Many boys are killed, including the leader, Alby. This leads Thomas to stab himself with Griever poison so he can take the cure and remember.
What he remembers is not exactly surprising. He worked for the people that put all the boys in the maze. So did Theresa. He leads a group of boys through the maze and, though they are attacked and almost killed, they make it out. Come to find completely blown apart lab with a message from the head of the program dead and a message waiting for them. The world is gone; they are the last hope for humanity. They are whisked away by armed militants who promise to keep them safe.
Though, they throw us a twist at the very end. The masterminds are not dead, and they have tricked the kids into thinking they are safe. Instead they are on their way to their next test to see if they can save everyone. Duh DUH DUH!
All in all, the movie was not bad. The characters were likeable enough. Though, I might be a bit on the bias side since I absolutely adore Dylan O’Brien. Any other Teen Wolf fans in the house? He plays passion, directness and curiosity perfectly. And he was absolutely brilliant in this movie. The dynamics between all the boys almost reminds me of Lord of the Flies, minus the whole killing the weak kid part.
The decision to leave this movie open ended was a bold move on the part of the director. It implies that he really does believe that all the books are going to be made into movies. I have no doubt that the next one will indeed grace the silver screen at some point in the near future. But, for the love of god, please leave the spider, scorpion, alien, robots out of it. Yikes!
Along with a special guest from Maze Runner Chat, our hosts talk about the film adaptation of James Dashner’s The Maze Runner. The scary Grievers, the emphasis on Gally and the loss and gain of certain themes are just a few of the great discussions to be had, as well as who the hell was responsible for supervising those creatures?
Also, check out our episode on the novel here! And the next novel, The Scorch Trials here!
After seeing the film adaptation of Gone Girl, our hosts discuss how Gillian Flynn brought her novel to the screen. While many things were stunningly accurate, there were still a few bits that our hosts missed, and other bits that felt even more intense than the book.
Also, be sure to check out our episode on the novel!
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