In this episode, Adaptation reviews Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and the 2016 film that’s based on it. The hosts marvel at the fact that they were unaware of these amazing women and how hard math is while comparing the two.
Question(s) of the Week: Do you know of any other hidden figures that should have movies made about them?
Kendyl and Dorin follow up their discussion of Tim Crothers’ book by talking about Disney’s Queen of Katwe (2016), why they never quite got the hang of chess, and what would make it a little more interesting to them.
Listen to our episode on the book by Tim Crothers.
Question(s) of the Week: What two teams would you tape to your chess pieces to battle? What character would each piece be?
In this episode, Dorin and Kendyl have watched A Dog’s Purpose (2017) and discuss how the different lives fit together, the ending, and how it differs from the book.
Listen to our episode on the book by W. Bruce Cameron.
Question(s) of the Week: Did you think the different lives felt disjointed? If so, how could it have been done better?
The hosts prep for the live-action remake by watching Disney’s 1991 classic, Beauty and the Beast and recounting the well know fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.
Adaptation covers both A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley and Lion (2016) in one episode, lamenting the added drama of the film but loving the acting and the story as a whole.
Question(s) of the Week: How did the film land for you if you hadn’t read the book? And what does your name mean?
Jenn and Kendyl discuss A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron, the different personalities of our IRL pets and wonder if the overall purpose of this dog pays off.
Question(s) of the Week: How do you feel about the way the dog’s “purpose” comes full circle in this book? Do you have any recommendations for books about a girl and her dog?
After gushing over the book on the last episode, Adaptation returns to talk about the film A Monster Calls (2016) and gushes a little bit more.
Question(s) of the Week: To what degree is the monster real? Does he just show up for children who are grieving? What other situations might call him?
Jess and Jenn rave over the book A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, discussing the monsterousness of “the monster” and other characters, the morals of the monster’s stories and what they expect from the film.
Question(s) of the Week: How tangible do you think the monster is? Does he really exist?
Kendyl and Dorin return to the merry ol’ land with Ozland (2015). Inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the hosts bat around several theories about the world of the film and come back to the same theme as the original: you already have what you’re looking for.
Question(s) of the Week: Real or not real? Did Leif go to Oz or is he dead?
Adaptation dives into the Wizarding World for the first time! They discuss American wizarding society, the revelation of the obscurious, and all the beasts included in Fantastic Beasts (2016).
Question(s) of the Week: Where is the series going from here? What characters will we follow and where will it take place?
Dorin and Kendyl discuss “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang and Arrival (2016), get into the paradox of the Book of Life, and wonder at how the adaptation amped up the dramatics.
Question(s) of the Week: Were the added dramatics of the movie worth it? And for the bonus round, did you understand/interpret the story and movie differently than we discussed?
Adaptation covers the film Doctor Strange (2016) in this episode, talking pace, character development and representation while looking ahead to what Marvel has in store next.
Question of the Week: Do you think the magic in this universe is really magic? Or is it just a very advanced, unexplained form of science?
The hosts cover both the book and movie versions of The Girl on the Train and wonder who was really surprised by the ending. But on the bright side, discussing these complex female characters turns out being just the type of deep conversation that they love having.
Question of the Week: At what point did you have your “light bulb moment,” when you realized whodunit in the book? In the movie?
The hosts discuss the film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), whether there’s room for a sequel and if they think Miss Peregrine is actually a villain as well as the couple controversial choices the filmmakers made.
Check out our episode on the novel here!
Question(s) of the Week: What gods or mythological creatures could the children’s peculiarities be descended from? If the Hollowghast had never been created, would Jacob and his grandfather’s peculiarity have been useless or would they have a different one?
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