From Page to Screen Archives - Page 2 of 4

The Miracle Of Dunkirk, “Dunkirk”, by Joshua Levine

We have all heard about the battle of Dunkirk with the Allied troops against Hitler’s Nazi army. It was truly a miracle that 400,000 Allied troops were trapped against the coast of Dunkirk, and sure to perish. However, 338,000 of those troops were rescued, and within eleven days were evacuated into England. Many wondered how that was possible against such a forceful army as Nazi Germany.

Author, Walter Lord took on the task of laying out the happenings of May 24, 1940 in the same methodical, deliberate method with which he wrote his most famous, acclaimed book, Titanic: A Night to Remember. It is said that he is so precise in his detail that he documented the sound in Titanic by counting the number of plates, cups, and pieces of glass that were breaking all at once. Some have said that had Lord only written that one book, he would still be the favorite author of many.

The Miracle of Dunkirk is a fast paced novel, with no explanations of how the Allied troops got themselves into that position in the first place, but jumps right into the rescue. Lord’s “in the weeds” perspective is focused on individuals, not a chain of events leading up to the battle, which some critics find to be problematic. But many wholeheartedly agree with the author’s method because he introduces interesting characters, from the soldier waiting to be rescued, to the captains dodging German torpedo boats, even including civilian day-sailors crossing the Channel to lend assistance. This rescue of so many by non-military transports surpasses any other similar attempt. Lord was totally immersed into the experiential aspect of the situation.

The Miracle of Dunkirk will be adapted to screen by Dark Knight director, Christopher Nolan. The film will be called Dunkirk and was shot in IMAX, and is a big budget film, retelling the BEF’s remarkable escape.

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Place of Secrets, Mystery and Witchcraft…”Into the Water”, by Paula Hawkins

If reading a “sleep snatcher” mystery is your forte` then London born author Paula Hawkin’s book, Into the Water is perfect for your next read. Hawkin’s Girl on the Train was a mega hit both as a book and on film. She has a method of telling the story using many characters, each with their own issues, then weaving them all into the finished plot. She has also been given kudos for making each chapter brief, yet jam packed with pieces of the plot puzzle.

Nel Abbott had lived in Mill House by the river her entire life. “The Drowning Pool” as it was called since medieval times was just as much a part of her memory growing up as anything else. It was an intimidating place of secrets, mystery, and witchcraft. Nel had been so consumed with interest in the stories of “troublesome” women who had their lives taken in the Drowning Pool……..some walked in of their own choice, but others had “assistance”………. unsolicited assistance. It is suspected that Nel, a single mother of a teenager, had unwanted assistance in her death in the “Drowning Pool”. And with that, Into the Water takes the reader on an unsettling journey to find the truth.

Hawkin’s “delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present”. You know what “they” say……..”Beware a calm surface……you never know what lies beneath”.

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Master of Military Strategy and Lethal Warfare…”Thrawn”, by Timothy Zahn

Even though Thrawn seems to be one of the most iconic villains in the history of Star Wars, many avid readers find themselves rooting for him and The Empire in the book by Timothy Zahn. Of course, they are not the good guys, but his character development is the best of any of the main characters. Author Zahn chronicles the fateful events that gave the blue-skinned, red-eyed, master of military strategy and lethal warfare his rise into the highest levels of power……and infamy.

Reviewers generally seem to approve of Thrawn more in Zahn’s book much more than in the Legend series, and much better than he is portrayed in the Rebels film series. A definite plug has been given to the audio book format. Reviewers feel that the narrator, Marc Thompson is so good that he is by far the choice to narrate all Star Wars books. Lucasfilm does a great job in creating the perfect mood with the appropriate music and sound effects. One critic says it is more like listening to a radio drama, than an audio book.

As one reviewer adequately stated: “This is a perfect character study. It’s the Thrawn we always wanted but never got in Legends, and finally, he’s in all his glory, in the Star Wars canon”.

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Dangerous Little Lies We Tell Ourselves Just to Survive…”Big Little Lies”, by Liane Moriarty

It seems like any other school fundraiser, but P&C Trivia Night at the local public school in Pirriwee ends with disaster. Author Moriarty is known for her knack for creating main characters who are so believable that any one of us could know them as a next door neighbor, or a friend at PTO.

Big Little Lies is a complicated, yet also simple, story of ordinary people who end up in an extraordinary situation. The reader knows that one character will not be living at the book’s end, but they have no clue as to which character, until the very end of the book. Will it be gregarious, passionate Madeline, who does not use her “filter” if confronting a foe, especially her ex-husband or his new, younger wife. Will it be Celeste, the town beauty who can stop small town traffic with her looks, and the sight of her two energetic twin boys. Or, will it be the young newcomer, Jane, who is a very young single mom, who the others have decided to mentor. The reader finds out after reading through the “brilliant take on ex-husbands, second wives, mothers and daughters, school booard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive”.

Moriarty writes books that keep the reader page turning into the wee hours of the morning, just too good to put down. The film adaptation, by David E. Kelley, tells the tale of three mothers of first graders, whose seemingly perfect lives unravel to show the truth…… even to the point of murder. The film stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley.

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Acting as Computers….”Hidden Figures”, by Margot Lee Shetterly

Only when she was grown and married, did author Margot Lee Shetterly discover the amazing people with whom she shared a neighborhood as she was growing up. Margot grew up in the Hampton, Virginia area, with Langley Air Force Base just miles away. Langley was the headquarters of the Aeronautical Research and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). NACA had the mission to transform flying gadgets into war machines. They were dissolved as an agency in 1958, and was replaced by the agency we all know today, the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). At that point the race for space superiority gained speed. In this fertile environment is where author Shetterly found a most miraculous story.

On the cusp of the beginning of World War II, with no computers or technology to speak of, the government needed help with their aeronautical advancement and number crunching. The solution was to hire women to shoulder the burden ……… they acted as computers, freeing the engineers to focus on their trained profession. The women were extremely successful and sharp, carrying out the task with excellence.

The author described the chosen women as both ordinary and extraordinary, as she shines a light on the women’s lives and accomplishments. The African-American women were called the West Computers, after the area to which they were assigned. Author Shetterly decided that books have been written about the astronauts, the engineers, and now it was the women’s turn to have their story told. They were at the heart of all achievements accomplished by the Center. They crunched numbers for every function of a plane, contributing to the constantly changing designs, making the flying machines of war, faster, safer, and more aerodynamic. Katherine Johnson worked on computations for Mercury and Apollo missions, and Christine Darden’s work advanced supersonic flight. In the 1970’s new technology advances made the job of the Western Computers obsolete. It is not known exactly how many women participated in the Western Computers project, since social customs of the era dictated that women could only work until they were married and had children. After that occurred, their careers were over, and they became full time homemakers and mothers.

The book has been adapted for screen, starring Octavia Spencer and Taraji P. Henson, and is now in theaters. “Langley was not just a laboratory of science and engineering…….in many ways it was a racial relations laboratory, and a gender relations laboratory, says author Shetterly.

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Searching for the Meaning of Existence…”A Dog’s Purpose”, by W. Bruce Cameron

The delightful novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog’s Purpose, is a must read for anyone who enjoys animals, especially dogs. It is an interesting concept to think that one dog (Bailey) has a much shorter than expected life, but gets several more chances to answer the question many of us ask ourselves……..why am I here at this moment in time? The reader travels the journey with Bailey, as you see his world through his eyes, as he serves as a motivator and teacher for a wide spectrum of owners.

A Dog’s Purpose is currently due to premier as a soulful family film. Bailey, in his search for the meaning of his own existence, finds himself dying then coming back as a different breed of canine puppy. One of his owners is eight year old Ethan, where he has a loving relationship with the little boy, as they have countless adventures together. The story gives a dog’s eye view of the importance of human-animal bonding, which is a very popular subject in human mental and physical health. Bailey, in his various lives, teaches his human owners the importance of believing that love never dies, that our most important friends never leave us, and that “every creature on earth has a purpose”.

The screen adaptation of A Dog’s Purpose is directed by Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules, Dear John, etc), and produced by Gavin Polone (TV’s Gilmore Girls). Josh Gad is the voice of Bailey with actors Britt Robertson, KJ Apa, John Ortiz, Peggy Lipton, and Dennis Quaid. The film will be distributed by Universal Pictures.

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Humorous and Personal Experiences…”Talking As Fast As I Can”, by Lauren Graham

For all those fans of the Gilmore Girls series, the new book, Talking As Fast As I Can, by lead character, Lauren Graham, is a very special addition to their addiction to the show. Lauren writes about humorous and personal experiences with her career, and with the interaction she has had with co-stars.

Fans will be delighted to read about personal anecdotes such as…….the fact that Graham did not enjoy the fact that her character, Lorelai, married Christopher in season seven, or……..that her sister was in a cameo appearance once. What about souvenir stealers, Graham and Bledel taking a pink flamingo and Rory’s Yale banner? Ellen DeGeneres will be pleased to know that Graham at least tried to go vegan in a tribute to her, but failed. Graham and Bledel never had a chance to meet before working together on the set.

As of the book writing time frame, Graham described how she was encouraged to go out with Peter Krause by Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore). Graham eventually did just that, when they met on the set of Parenthood. Bishop had said she needed someone more her equal…….apparently, Krause fits that description, because they were still dating. It is the hope of all Gilmore Girls fans that they will be getting a new round of their favorite show!

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The Moral Dilemma of Right and Wrong…”The Light Between Oceans”, by M.L. Stedman

In an exquisite novel, author M. L. Stedman presented the moral dilemma of right and wrong in a very complicated situation. Tom Sherbourne, a World War I veteran has accepted a position as an Australian lighthouse keeper to move away from civilization as much as possible. However, in the small town where he must get supplies, Tom meets a beautiful girl who becomes smitten with him. One reviewer suggested that maybe he was so appealing to her because he was one of only a few who returned from the war with both legs.

Isabel joins Tom on the isolated island, where supplies are only delivered once per year, and leave is only granted every other year. In great desire to have a child, Isabel suffers two miscarriages and a heartbreaking stillbirth. While being inundated with overwhelming grief, Isabel hears a baby’s cries through the sound of the wind. As it turned out, a man washed up on shore in a small boat, but was found dead. However, much to Isabel’s wonder, a living baby was found in the boat. And so began the moral dilemma for Tom. He wanted to report the dead man and the baby, but Isabel convinced him to go along with her plan to present the baby as their own. What seemed like justice for the agony the couple had suffered, turned out to be a tragic loss for someone else.

Derek Cianfrance directed the film adaptation of Stedman’s book in the melodrama of the same name. Tom is played by Michael Fassbender, and Isabel is played by Alicia Vikander. The dialogue is sparse, and the imagery is very beautiful with the lighthouse scenes and the dramatic, crashing waves. The beauty is intensified by the music which is from a score by Alexandre Desplat.

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A Little Girl, Her Journey, and Her Amazing Story of Healing…”Miracles From Heaven”, by Christy Wilson Beam

American author, Christy Wilson Beam, writes this beautiful memoir about the journey of her sick twelve year old daughter Annabel Beam. She survived, without any injury, a thirty foot fall from a branch into a hollow Cottonwood tree. While waiting to be rescued, she visited heaven and then was found to be cured of her chronic illness. Every parent can identify with the terror these parents felt as they waited for their daughter to be rescued.

Author Beam and her husband spent many hours in hospitals with Annabel trying to get her severe health issues resolved. The little girl was not able to digest her food. Most of the time, she would hardly have the energy to play, let alone climb trees. But, one day she decided to do just that with her two sisters. It was that day that changed her life and her family’s life in a very miraculous way. Some have reported getting an overwhelming sense of calm while reading what should have been very intense passages in the book. Some attribute that calmness to a feeling of a spiritual presence.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has produced an adapted version of this remarkable story, directed by Patricia Riggen, and scripted by Randy Brown. The film stars Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, and Eugene Derbez.

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She Believes in Marriage and He…Not so Much…”The Choice”, by Nicholas Sparks

American born author, Nicholas Sparks, wrote another one of his many, outstanding novels, The Choice, that was published in 2007. If the reader is familiar with Spark’s other novels, The Choice is another story of love and sadness with beautiful characters who encounter some very challenging obstacles during the course of their relationship.

The two main characters, Travis Parker and Gabby Holland meet when she moves to Beaufort, North Carolina, where Travis lives. He has been living an ideal, all- American life, until Gabby moves next door. For Gabby, her move was to be closer to a long-time boyfriend. As she gets to know Travis, who is very popular and has had many girlfriends, she begins falling in love with him. She believes in marriage and he ……….not so much.

The Choice has been adapted for film, with the movie released on Friday, February 5, 2016. The main characters in the novel, Travis and Gabby are being played by Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer. One critic describes the book and the movie as…….”The writer (Sparks) of many romantic novels-turned-movies……..sticks to a pretty distinct formula about girl meeting guy, girl having childish banter with guy and pretending to dislike him, girl falling in love with guy”. That might sound a bit negative, but there are millions of Nicholas Spark’s fans who enjoy just that kind of novel…….enjoyment without a complicated plot. The Choice is actually two choices that characters Travis and Gabby must make.

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