One Soul, Many Worlds: Cloud Atlas

"Cloud Atlas is all over the place, intentionally. It follows six completely different stories, in genres from science fiction to crime thriller to romance. As with the novel, there are six movies within the movie, set in the past and the future.

(David) Mitchell thought his novel would never make it to the screen: the size of the cast it would take. It doesn't cost a writer a dime to add a character, but it can cost a filmmaker a lot to add an actor to a cast. The Wachowskis (Lana and Andrew Wachowski) got around the problem by having actors play as many as six completely different roles. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant, among others, are transformed to the point of being unrecognizable through Hollywood makeup and costume magic.

By casting it this way, Mitchell believes, the filmmakers also made it easier for viewers to understand his concept, of one soul moving through the many different worlds.." [npr]

~ When 'Unfilmable' Books Make Memorable Movies

by Elizabeth Blair

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Movie: Cloud Atlas
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Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror

Missing Morgan Freeman: Alex Cross

"Morgan Freeman played Alex Cross in the first two adaptations of this series, Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, but he declined a third. Instead, the role goes to Tyler Perry, a younger actor who is enormously successful within the US and largely unknown beyond its borders... Tyler Perry disappoints in the title role...
This adaptation betrays both Patterson's original novel and the spirit of the two earlier films. The original plot has been put through a Hollywood meat grinder." [BrisbaneTimes]

~ It's just not the same without Freeman

by Paul Byrnes

Cross by James Patterson
Movie: Alex Cross

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Lincoln

Lincoln added to See the Movie Read the Book Directory under Dramas and Documentaries.

Based on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, the motion picture directed by Steven Spileberg opens in November.

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, and David Strathairn, the movie focuses on the 16th president's final tumultuous final months.

Movie: Lincoln

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
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My Dog Skip

My Dog Skip added to See the Movie Read the Book Directory under Kids and Family.

A classic boy-and-his-dog movie, this film is based on author Willie Morris' own childhood memories, poignantly illustrating the struggles of growing up.

Movie: My Dog Skip
My Dog Skip by Willie Morris
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Shuffling Meager Storylines: Cloud Atlas

"As a plausible solution to realizing the nested narratives of David Mitchell’s 2004 nightstand-warmer, this two-and-half-hour feature adaptation is not the worst imaginable. 

"Cloud Atlas The Major Motion Picture shuffles among the meager storylines/settings — a colonial slavery saga, a futuristic corporate dystopia, a '70s paranoid gumshoe story, a drawing-room romance of musical rivalry, some caper involving a railroaded editor, and, coming full circle, a post-apocalyptic return to prehistoric tribalism — with an impressive hit rate for visual matches, editorial cross-referencing, and occasional humor. If it’s not the book, it’s a little like keeping six mediocre books going at once — or finger-bookmarking multiple pages in a Choose Your Own Adventure."

Cloud Atlas: It Could Have Been Worse! 

by Nicolas Rapold

[TheLMagazine]

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Movie: Cloud Atlas

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The Reader

The Reader added to See the Movie Read the Book Directory under Dramas and Documentaries.

Based on the novel of the same title by Bernhard Schlink, The Reader tells the story of teenager Michael Berg in post-WWII Germany as he engages in a passionate but secretive affair with an older woman named Hanna. Eight years after Hanna's unexplained disappearance, Michael is stunned to discover her again as she stands on trial for Nazi war crimes.

This is a haunting story about truth and reconciliation and how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another. Kate Winslet won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance as Hanna. Actor David Cross played the role of Michael Berg.

Movie: The Reader
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower added to See the Movie Read the Book Directory under Dramas and Documentaries.

This is a rare instance where the director of a movie based on a novel is also the original author. Stephen Chbosky's book was published in 1999. The film is now in limited release and not yet available on DVD.

The film follows a shy high school freshman named Charlie (Logan Lerman) as he meets a pair of outgoing seniors named Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), with whom he becomes good friends.

Movie: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
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