Movie Adaptations: Red Dragon

Hey, guys!  Last summer, I read the first book in the Hannibal series, Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris.  I thought it was decent but definitely not good enough to rush into reading book two, Silence of the Lambs.  I actually still haven't decided whether or not to read it yet!  (If anyone's read it and has an opinion, comment!)  I saw that there was a movie based on Red Dragon and was curious, so I watched it.  It was much better than I expected!  I would definitely recommend it if you can handle a little gore.

Keep in mind that it had been a year since I read the book, but the movie hit all of the book's major plot points.  I'd thought that the book was a little too long/ drawn out and a condensed version/ movie format actually worked really well for Red Dragon.  It allowed a more exciting and fast-paced plot, which was what this story needed in order to be told properly.

Don't get me wrong, there were quite a few parts that were not the same as in the book.  The ending in particular was different.  The ending was very different.  The effect of the last moment of action was completely changed, which undermined the effect's impact significantly.  (I was trying to say that without spoilers.  If you are confused let me know, and I'll explain it!)

Overall, it was a fairly good book and a good movie.  They matched up in a way that I liked, and I imagine that most casual readers of Red Dragon would be happy with it.  However, the huge fans may not enjoy it as much!

Happy Reading!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookshelfSecret
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret 

Movie Adaptation: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Hey, guys!  A few weeks ago, I read the book, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn.  I really enjoyed it, as you can see by my review.  It was just a fun read.
After reading it, I saw that they had made a movie adaptation of this book.  I watched the trailer, of course, and was worried.  I could tell that they got a lot of things wrong and postponed watching it for a bunch of weeks.  A few days ago, I caved and loaned the movie from the library.
My earlier suspicions were confirmed, it strayed quite a bit from the book.

Overall movie: 4/5 stars

Movie compared to the book: 2.5/5 stars

The main issue that I had with this movie was its diversions from the book.  They added an entire storyline about a drunk girl, Caroline, who was an almost insignificant character in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. 
Also, the main point of the movie was for the characters to find the band Where's Fluffy?, while finding the band only took place in the first half of the book.  It was as if the film creators messed up and had to end the movie at the halfway point.
All of my favorite scenes were not included, in order to make space for Drunk Caroline roaming around New York.  Scenes that were just amazing, beautiful, and/or hilarious were missing from the movie.  It was missing the umph that made the book so good.
There were certain sections of the book with really deep undertones and amazing quotations that also weren't included.  I understand that these may not have been able to fit into a film adaptation, but at the very least, I think they should have included a brief acknowledgement to the title.  It would be easy to walk out of the movie without understanding what an "infinite playlist" had to do with anything.

Overall, the movie was decent and was slightly similar to the book.  Expect frustration, but you'll be able to watch it.

Happy Reading!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookshelfSecret
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret