Top Ten Best & Worst Movie Adaptations

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!

BEST BOOK-TO-FILM ADAPTATIONS

1.   HARRY POTTER – Even with the small differences here and there, the movies still managed to keep that same charm and magic that the books had. Adore these movies!

2.   THE HUNGER GAMES – Mostly true to the book. Even with the small changes, they still brought the story and characters to life.  

3.   THE LORD OF THE RINGS – My memory is admittedly fuzzy when it comes to the books, but I'm still putting this down as one of the best adaptations. I love these movies so much!

4.   HOLES – I felt like they kept the same charm of the novel, even with the small changes. Guess it pays off to have the author write the screenplay! 

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

5.   THE LAST SONG – I love the book, so I was a bit disappointed with the film. A handful of fantastic actors did such a great job as their characters, but even they couldn't keep all of the lesser actors from messing up certain moments. 

6.   WATER FOR ELEPHANTS – I feel like the film was very close to the novel, but I had some issues with the acting of the two lead characters. Sometimes they were good, sometimes they weren't. 

WORST BOOK-TO-FILM ADAPTATIONS

7.   THE LIGHTNING THIEF – I watched this movie before reading the books, and thought it was okay. After I read the books, however, my perspective changed quite a lot. I'm very nervous about the sequel, but I'm hoping that they'll stick to the story this time. 

8.   ELLA ENCHANTED – Oh my gosh. Thanks for ruining one of my favorite novels from my childhood. The novel is fun, charming, and whimsical. The film is not even worth your time, especially if you're a fan of the book. 

9.   THE SCARLET LETTER – I'm talking about the Demi Moore film, which was a mess. Even Gary Oldman couldn't save this film. It felt like torture when we were watching this film in school last semester! 

10.  ERAGON – I was surprised by how bad the film was. The books aren't anything special, but they're fun and perfect for film. Yet...it was bad. Saphira looked awesome, though. 

Mortal Instruments: Face of the Fan

I received an exciting email to share with you Mortal Instruments fans - especially if any of you are a young male (or know one) who has some acting ambitions, because the search for Jace Wayland is on!

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SONY PICTURES’ FACE OF THE FAN® BEGINS CASTING CALL FOR LEAD ROLE

IN SCREEN GEMS’ MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

CULVER CITY, Calif., February 4, 2011 – Think you’ve got what it takes to play the male lead in Screen Gems’ film adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s best-selling series, Mortal Instruments? If you can play age 18-25 and think you’re right for Jace Wayland, you just might land the part through Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Face of the Fan®, an initiative for finding new talent, which has launched a casting call for the film.

By visiting www.FaceOfTheFan.com, users nationwide can now participate in this casting call, which launched on Friday, January 28^th.  The audition consists of the user’s contact info, a headshot photo, and a video (two minutes or less) of the person auditioning in which he answers a question: “Why are you the right person to play Jace Wayland in the upcoming movie?”  The audition submission process will end on February 25^th.

When asked to describe the Jace Wayland’s character, the book’s author, Cassandra Clare wrote: fighting, hunting, and killing demons are the things Jace is good at. Though the jagged scars and black runic marks on his body are a badge of honor as far as he's concerned, he keeps a lot to himself – like the fact that his parents were murdered by Valentine's servants in front of him when he was ten years old. There are a lot of things Jace doesn't talk about — until he meets Clary, a mundane girl who might see him better than he can see himself. The connection that binds them will force Jace to confront the black secrets of a past he never wanted to remember.  The film version of Cassandra Clare’s popular book series is currently in active development with Screen Gems and the theatrical release is anticipated in the coming year. 

Face of the Fan® launched in November 2010 with a casting call for Screen Gems’ and Lakeshore Entertainment’s successful action franchise Underworld.  Users from across the country logged onto the website, downloaded select pages from a script to rehearse, and then uploaded their audition video and other credentials for submission.  The submitted videos were then reviewed by a panel of studio and production executives and selected participants were considered by casting agents for future roles.  The site also helped users spread the word and expand the conversation by providing them with the tools to share the programs with their family and friends through social networking.

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Exciting? Yes! I know plenty of us Mortal Instruments fans are very curious about who will play Jace, so if you happen to know anyone who would be perfect for the role, tell them to check out Face of the Fan and to audition! Auditions end on February 25th. 

Many thanks to Elizabeth Jeong from Sony Pictures Worldwide Digital Marketing for the information