Tag Archives: tv show

ABEA Day 4: Book to Movie Adaptations

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Today’s ABEA topic is book-to-movie adaptations. Book-to-movie adaptations are one of those things where they either get it right or it’s completely wrong. Some movies follow through with the book almost to a T, only having to change up a few plot points for movie purposes and really bringing the book to life for the reader. Others… well, they just suck.

So here I want to just talk about a few of my favorite adaptations, as well as some of my least favorite.

Favorites

  • The Harry Potter series. Though I’ve only read up to part of book four, the adaptations of the books are really well done. I find that the inner witch in me loves it. Though there’s major differences between book and movie three, I found that the first two really stuck to the story well.
  • The Fault in Our Stars. I found this to be very faithful to the book with a few minor plot points changed or missing. The lines were directly from the book and everything that happened was just wonderful to see. I loved it.
  • Divergent. Despite there being several major things that were changed from book to movie, I really enjoyed the adaptation. I thought it incorporated a lot of elements from the book into the movie and we really got to see what being in Dauntless was like and how living in that society was.

Least Favorites

  • Blood and Chocolate. It wasn’t even the same story as the book! I could understand making the characters older for movie purposes, but major plot points were changed, there was bad acting, and it was just… ugh. I hated it.
  • Insurgent. Okay, so I did a whole review rant about this movie and how horrible it was. So… go read that if you really want to know my thoughts.

So, some of these adaptations either hit it and really showed the true nature of the characters, had awesome CGI and storyline, and was as faithful as could be to the book. Others… yeah, no.

Now, as for books I’d want to be made into a movie or TV show, I believe I did posts on each, here and here.

As for upcoming shows/movies that I’m excited for:

  • Shadowhunters. This is a TV show based off of Cassandra Clare‘s The Mortal Instruments series. Everything is looking so awesome so far, from the beautiful cast to the set pictures we get every day, everything looks so awesome so far. I’m really excited to see how this adaptation plays out considering the movie was a flop.
  • Mockingjay Part 2. I haven’t read the books yet, but it’s one of my goals this year to read all three before the final movie comes out. I’ve loved The Hunger Games franchise since the release of the first movie and so I am excited to see how it concludes in the last movie.

I think what makes a faithful adaptation is not only the actor’s portrayal of the character they are playing, but also on the director, producer, screen-writer, etc. They are the ones that make the book come to life, and they have one chance to really impress fans of the book. It’s either a hit or miss, and sometimes it’s on the actors’ part or sometimes it’s the graphics, other times it’s the story and script.

What are some of your favorite book-to-movie adaptations? What about least favorites? What would you like to see be turned into a TV show or movie? Let me know!

Top 5 Wednesday: Books You’d Want to See as a TV Show

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Hey peeps! Today’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is books you’d want to see as a TV show, not a movie. So this one, for me, seems a bit easier because sometimes it’s hard to judge what will be good as a movie and jam pack all that content into a film. TV shows are easier, in my opinion.

fallingkingdoms5. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Another fantasy series to hit the TV screens? I mean, why not? I think this series has a lot of potential and it could definitely make for a good show. Action, drama, romance, blood, magic. It’s all cool and I think it would get a lot of hits for TV.

snowlikeashes4. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Fantasy stories like this could use a cool TV show to really show the world and the characters in their struggles and everything. I really enjoyed the world in this book and would love to see it come to life and how they’d portray the Season kingdoms and the Rhythm kingdoms and everything.

thekissofdeception3. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

I think this would make an awesome show. There’s action, romance, suspense! I mean, I’d be in it more for the romance and plot twists and betrayal and drama, but hey, I like that in what I watch. Sometimes.

cityofbones2. The Mortal Instruments & Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

I know I’m totally cheating with this because it’s already happening, but I’m just wicked excited for Shadowhunters to premiere, and even though I don’t have cable, I will figure out a way to watch it! *shake fist*

throneofglass1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

I mean, really, did you expect anything else? The reason I would rather see this as a TV show and not movies is because everything could be developed so much more and we’d get a real feel for the characters and Celaena’s struggle and Dorian and Chaol and everyone else and… Oh, I just think it would be better. A series like this could do well in a show format rather than a movie format.

What are some books that you’d want to see turned into a TV show? Let me know!

Shadowhunters Casting: Thoughts So Far

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If you haven’t heard, The Mortal Instruments is getting a remake after the movie flopped horribly in 2013. Now, it’s being turned into a TV show to be played on ABC Family starting in 2016.

Okay, so I didn’t see the movie because I heard from people I trust that it sucked and was full of cheese. So… I can’t really base anything off of that, BUT I can talk about the casting decisions being made so far!

I love The Mortal Instruments, and the fact that the show is being called Shadowhunters makes me wonder if they’ll include The Infernal Devices somewhere in there, too, as backstory? That would be awesome.

Alright, so let me talk about the casting so far:

Jace Wayland

  • He is being played by Dominic Sherwood, who also starred as Christian in the book-to-movie adaptation of The Vampire Academy (which also flopped). But he also starred in Taylor Swift’s music video for Style and oh my lanta, he is an attractive man (those eyes!). Now, I don’t know his acting skills apart from his music video acting skills, but I’m going to assume that he’ll be good. He looks like he can play Jace with the sexy indifference and the snarky attitude, so I’m hoping that he’ll be a good Jace.

Isabelle Lightwood

  • Izzy is being played by Emeraude Toubia. Wow, is she gorgeous. And she looks a lot like how I envisioned Isabelle to be. Now I don’t know anything about what else she’s played in, but it looks like some Spanish movies, so I’m not sure how she’ll portray Izzy. I think she looks the part, for sure, and she was obviously good enough to have been cast in this role, so I hope that she does Izzy justice as a badass female Shadowhunter.

Simon Lewis

  • Simon is being played by Alberto Rosende. He has the most adorable smile! And with glasses, he looks like the perfect Simon. He played a part in the show Blue Bloods, a show about NY cops, and he was in a movie short, but again he’s a person who doesn’t seem to have much acting experience behind him. So far all of the people who have been cast seem to be that way, but they’re all gorgeous people. I do think he’ll do a good job, though, and I can’t wait to see him play our nerdy Simon.

thmicasting

So far only these three have been cast. It’s actually really exciting to see who is going to be cast for what part (diversity for the win!). I’m excited for this show and I sincerely hope that the pilot will do an excellent job at portraying the books much more than the movie.

I am worried, though, since the actors don’t have a lot under their belt, BUT it’s also a great opportunity for them to show the world how they act (literally) and how they’ll portray these characters that we love.

Honestly, they look the part, but can they play it? I guess we’ll find out next year, huh?

Other major characters who we’re waiting to hear cast are:

  • CLARY, the main freaking heroine.
  • Valentine, the main villain.
  • Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn (and best character ever).
  • Jocelyn Fray, Clary’s mom.
  • Alec Lightwood, Izzy’s brother and best friend to Jace.
  • Luke Garroway, Clary’s “uncle” and resident werewolf.
  • Church, the cat. (just kidding, but they better get a gray persian cat to play him)

I think that’s it… Anyway, I can’t wait to hear the rest of the casting, and I’m especially anxious to hear who Clary will be.

What are your thoughts on the casting so far? Are you excited to see who’s playing Jace, Simon, and Isabelle so far? Who are you most excited to see cast next? Let me know!

Rayna Recommends: Romance

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Hey everyone! So, I planned on doing this last month, but never got to it, so I’m going to start doing it this month! What is “this” that I’m talking about? It’s called Rayna Recommends.

On the first Saturday of every month I plan on doing a recommendation post where I will list five to ten books, movies, and/or TV shows that feature a certain genre or theme that I think other people might enjoy and should check out. Sounds cool, right?

Okay, so this month’s topic is…. romance! I love love. Like seriously, if it’s not in a novel or movie or show somewhere, I feel a pang of sadness within me. (I mean, I’m totally fine about it if there’s no obvious tension between characters that can lead to it at some point…)

So, without further ado, here are some of my top picks where romance is a big element:

Books

  • “Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli. Guys. I mean, I’ve already read and reviewed this book, and it’s become one of my favorites really fast. Not only is there romance in it in multiple ways, but it’s a diverse read (gay teens), it made me laugh out loud (literally) so many times, and it’s just a fun read that I think everyone can enjoy.
  • “The Kiss of Deception” by Mary E. Pearson. I loved this book (which I listened to via Audible & I reviewed it). It had romance in it – a good love triangle, if you ask me. There were times when I rooted for the main character, Lia, to be with one guy, but then later I really wanted her to be with the other. Frankly, I don’t know where I stand anymore, haha! But it also included betrayal, plot twists, great narrative, and a good plot.
  • “The Selection” by Kiera Cass. I mean, a dystopian book around the themes of The Bachelor? Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it became a favorite series of mine. I did a review of the whole trilogy, and I really enjoyed it. The romance aspect was obviously the most prominent part to the story, but it also included themes of friendship, never losing yourself to pressure, a kingdom and war, and more.
  • “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” by Laini Taylor. This book was awesome, as I did a review of it, and though it features a lot about chimera and it had a lot of fantasy elements to it, it also featured a romance that stretched beyond time. I loved this book. I thought the romance was going to feel rushed and out there, but it was actually kind of beautiful the way it was written and I just loved it so much. I can’t express into words how much, actually.

Movies

  • The Notebook. Based off of the book by Nicholas Sparks, this movie will always be one of my favorites. It’s romance heavy, yes, but it’s a story that is beautiful and well loved (my mom has watched it over 100 times, I swear). It’s a story about a summer romance and young love, and how that love comes back to flourish years later and how it can transcend even a disease such as Alzheimer’s. If you haven’t seen this, see it. Now. Go. Cry like a baby (because I do, too).
  • The Lake House. I never manage to see this from the beginning, but close to it. It’s about a man and a woman who live in the same lake house built by the guy’s father a long time ago, BUT the man and woman live in different time periods. They go back and forth to communicate with one another in letters and eventually they fall for one another because of that. Even though they’re apart by years, it’s a sweet tale and I really, really loved it.

TV Shows

  • Ore Monogatari. It’s an anime & manga, but it’s about this guy who’s ginormous in stature and he falls for these girls who are kind of really mean to him. But one day, while he’s on the train, his friend spots a sketchy guy and the girl the guy is next to. So, Gouda (the big dude), goes up and yells at the guy and the girl instantly falls for Gouda and Gouda for her. AHH. So much squee and laughs and adorableness and GO WATCH IT. I can’t even right now.
  • Reign. Talk about drama! Set during the time with Mary Queen of Scots and the French court, it follows Mary and how she is to marry the heir to the French throne, Francis. But Francis doesn’t want to marry Mary and there’s a bunch of drama and twists and turns and sex. Oh my. It is a teen drama, but I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would (and since I only have Netflix, I need the second season, like, now).

Okay, I think that’s a decent list. GO CHECK THEM OUT! (I mean, if you want. You don’t have to.)

But yes! These are the recommendations I have for romance! So I’ll do my best to do this every month and give new recommendations every month. I may go back to certain themes and topics as the time goes by, but I’ll be sure to include new content and everything.

Do any of these recommendations sound interesting to you? Would you read/watch any of these? What do you recommend to me for romance books/movies/shows? Let me know!