In this episode, Adaptation covers the short story Wakefield by E.L. Doctorow and the film based on it. With a very dislikable character at the forefront, it gives the hosts lots to discuss.
Question(s) of the Week: What is a fitting punishment for Wakefield? How you would you react to his return?
Kendyl interviews writer and director Robin Swicord about her film Wakefield (2016), based on the E.L. Doctorow short story of the same name which follows the strange and complex journey of a man who secretly starts living above his own garage, watching his family go about their lives in his absence.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is an excellent way for the hosts to wrap up this book marathon they’ve been running. The parallels and differences in Maddie and Ollie’s families, what constitutes “living,” and whether we’d classify the story a Romance are just a few things discussed.
Question(s) of the Week: How convinced was Maddy’s mom about Maddy’s illness? Do you exist if no one can see you?
The hosts discuss American Gods by Neil Gaiman in preparation for the new television show.
Question(s) of the Week: What new gods have emerged since publication?
Jenn and Kendyl talk about Dave Eggers’ The Circle, complete with frustrating characters, unsubtle metaphors, and hope for the film.
Question(s) of the Week: What was the one bit of Circle technology that you could see being really useful without going too far?
The hosts get nostalgic over the new Power Rangers (2017) film, talk representation, and stress the vital importance of Krispy Kreme.
Question(s) of the Week: Who was your favorite original Power Ranger? Who was your favorite in this film?
Dorin, Sarah, and Kendyl, unsurprisingly, have a ton to say about Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, from frustrations with the universe to frustrations about the characters. But that only added to the their conversation and their admiration of the book’s relevance.
Question(s) of the Week: Is Offred a non-character character? What role would you never want in this universe?
The Adaptation hosts just can’t stop gabbing about the new live-action Beauty and the Beast (2017). Despite their previous doubts, they’re pretty happy with the extra backstories, songs, and details from the original fairytale.
Watch the 1991 animated film along with us in our commentary.
Question(s) of the Week: How did you feel about the balance of backstories between the Beast and Belle? Would you have liked more from one, the other, or both?
Dorin and Kendyl have a real good time dragging the Jem and the Holograms (2015) movie, talking about how it could have been better and admitting that there were parts they actually liked.
Watch the first five episodes of the TV show along with us in our commentary.
Question(s) of the Week: Would you have rather seen a more straight-forward version of Jem or something that would have been more like the cartoon? What other 80s cartoon would you like to see made into a movie?
This time, the hosts discuss the first comic book movie of the year, Logan (2017), the major character deaths, and one of them gets a little obsessed with imagining her own future for the series.
Question(s) of the Week: What would Logan name his school for gifted youngsters? Who would you cast at these kids in the future? What mutants would you like to see join the film series?
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:Â 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.
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