Blog #5 The Story of your life

The Story of Your Life

   One thing my grandpa noticed as he walked out of the theater once seeing The Arrival, was that you could ask 14 people, and every single one would have a different interpretation of the movie. And this couldn't be more true. The decisions made by the producer to prolong the knowledge that came with Hetapod B allowed the audience to consider what was happening throughout the entire film. And without having read the short story, I would have no such clue as to what was happening as well.  

   When it comes down to which one did I prefer, I would have to say the movie by a long shot. Even though there were some scenes that I thought would never end, it depicts the hardships that I couldn't have seen in the short story. Such as the impending threat of the other high power countries and the rouge soldiers. Or even the knowledge of having a daughter. I just couldn't see those while reading the short story. 

   One of the main differences I saw between the movie and short story was the difference of 12 years and 26 years, (I don't want to spoil what this means but you will know once going through both). It made the decision at the very end so much harder as one is a good age to live to while 12 is much too young to die at, Another difference would be the communication they had with the hetapods. One was through a device and the other was through almost direct contact with a division of glass between them. One similarity that they held between both forms was the advantage of knowing hetapod B. If they were to at all change this, the story would have changed drastically so it was really a must do. 

   Overall the movie and book were both exhilarating to read, and the film adaption couldn't have been handled better. 

Blog #4 Film Adaptations

   I, John Curran, read books as an escape from this world and to imagine places unseen of and undiscovered. Places where anything is possible; flying, super natural activity, virtual realities, etc. While for others, this is not why they read: they read to only then watch the film adaptation of that book. Now, there is nothing wrong with this, but it does come with flaws as these realities you've created in your head don't always match those on the big-screen. On this topic however, I will mention some of my favorite and least desired film adaptations.
   Let's start with some of the bad adaptions, and I believe anyone who has seen the Last Air bender movie would agree that this is one of the worst movie adaptations possible. Not only did it rush every meeting with the four different clans, Earth, Wind, Air, and Fire, but it also made the journey seem as pointless as CD's. Another one of these terrible movie adaptations is the Percy Jackson series. It enraged probably 90% of the readers and destroyed any preconception they made of the characters and events that happened in the book. These 2 different movies show why not every person is born to be a movie producer.
   Now onto the good adaptations, such as Enemy At The Gates or Das Boot. These films were able to express not only the feelings of everyone in these wars, but also display their struggles to overcome every challenge. We all know the Germans are the villains of WWII but in the movie and book Das Boot, you can't help but cheer them on through every hiccup in their journey. These adaptations are what make reading books to see the movies an actual probability.
   While not all movies are good, its reading the book before and experiencing the journey that makes it all worth the while.  
 
 

Blog #3 My Review on The Bad Place

The Bad Place

   Wonderful author Dean Koontz, who writes very similarly to Stephen King, brings us the novel called The Bad Place. A fiction thriller that has a build up of  three fourths of the book that comes crashing down with all of the action in the last couple of chapters. This haunting novel slowly reveals more and more to you about Candy, Thomas, and Frank as their stories and how they connect are slowly revealed and others are dragged into their own problems. 

   We start out with a man waking up knowing no where of his whereabouts and having no idea who he is, but he knows, this blue pulsing light following him is something he needs to avoid. However, he also has a huge leather case accompanying him and he has next to no idea what it could contain. Once he has eluded this blue light, he finds a sum of money over one hundred thousand dollars hidden inside. While he thinks the worst he still is concerned about his safety over the money and gets as far away before settling down at a hotel

   The next morning he wakes up, hes wearing an entire set of new clothes, stained in something else's blood, and still unaware of who his is. Follow this man in his footsteps as higher private detectives Julia and Bobby follow him to The Bad Place. 

   To me, this book was a constant thriller always revealing subtle hints and allowing the reader to piece together who Candy is, who Frank is, who Thomas is, and all of their connections. While the first three fourths is the build up, the last 6 chapters was the most intense read of my life, while being accompanied by a startling realization about what exactly this terrible family is. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Stephen King books, thrillers, mystery's, and freaks of nature. One of the best books I've ever read, The Bad Place, definitely earns its spot as a New York Times Best seller.