Based on the book: For Better Or For Worse (the movie)

They're baaaack! Lisa Whelchel and Kim Fields, who co-starred on the sitcom The Facts of Life as Blair and Tootie, are teaming up in a new Hallmark Channel original movie called For Better Or For Worse.

The movie is based on a book of the same name written by author Diann Hunt.

For Better or for Worst, a romantic comedy, airs tonight, July 19 (9/8c)!

Will you be watching?


Amazon Book Description

She's a wedding coordinator. He's a divorce attorney. She begins marriages. He ends them. How could these two possibly find common ground?

Wendy Hartline is finally starting to settle into the single life. After a difficult season of grief following her husband's death, she's taken over the family business of coordinating memorable weddings. Life has become . . . comfortable.

Then the charming and incredibly frustrating Marco Amorini opens a legal practice--specializing in divorces--right next to her wedding chapel and stirs up everything.

Wendy learns that perhaps there is such a thing as second chances in this hilarious story of the pleasures and pains of new love in midlife.

Post by Rachel Hayes Hauck.

Peter Jackson Talks Directing The Hobbit (+ Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit 4-Book Boxed Set)

Earlier this week, I reviewed the Tower of Obsidian by L.T. Getty, an epic fantasy available now from Burst Books. In the post, I asked readers to share their favorite epic fantasy story. One of my favorites - like many people - is the Lord of the Rings.

Sadly, I haven't read or watched the movie adaptation for The Hobbit yet. The novel is on my summer reading list this year.

What's on your reading list for the summer?

J. R. R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set

J. R. R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit 4-Book Boxed Set - $14.99

More details at Groupon

Check Out HitFix: Peter Jackson Talks Directing The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey on Hulu.
"Peter Jackson talks directing the prequel on The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. He explains what's new and and old in the first Hobbit movie."

Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio – THE MOVIE!

   

Guideposts Books is excited to announce the premiere of a new film based on the book Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio (Summerside Press) by Serena Miller. 

The movie, produced by Mission Pictures International and filmed last fall in the actual town of Sugarcreek, will premiere on Sunday, June 1, 2014, at 7:00 PM EDT on Up TV (formerly the Gospel Music Channel). Visit the movie website for more information.





Serena and Guideposts will be celebrating with a Facebook viewing party! 

Join Serena and readers on Facebook while you tune in to watch Love Finds You in Sugarcreek to share your thoughts about the movie, chat with other viewers, and win fun prizes. Just use hashtag #LFYSugarcreek to join the discussion on June 1st.

Check your local listing for UpTV (http://up.viewerlink.tv) to find out when it airs in your timezone.

Excited? Help me spread the word! Just share this link and information on your social media along with the hashtag #LFYSugarcreek! Plus, we'll be tracking the hashtag and giving away Amazon & Starbucks cards to people at random who help to promote all throughout the month of May. Winners announced at the Love Finds You in Sugarcreek viewing party on June 1st.


 

"This is so exciting for Serena Miller and Guideposts! We are thrilled that Up TV has chosen Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio to make into a movie,” said Lenore Lelah Person, vice president and editorial director of Guideposts Books and Inspirational Media. “With Serena’s wonderful story and a beautiful backdrop in Ohio Amish country, fans of the story and the series will enjoy seeing it on screen. For more information read the media release.

For those who are not familiar with the Love Finds You™ series, this will be a great opportunity to introduce them to these uplifting and engaging romances." Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio is one of more than 50 releases in the popular Love Finds You™ series uniquely titled after actual American towns with unusual but intriguing names and combines travel, romance and faith in one package. The series includes both historical and contemporary releases, and each fictional story draws on compelling history or the unique character of a real place. Stories center on romances kindled in small towns, old loves lost and found again on the high plains, and new loves discovered at exciting vacation getaways. Mission Pictures has purchased the movie rights to the entire series and plans to produce additional films based on the series in the future.

$3.99 for Slumdog Millionaire on DVD – Groupon Online Deals

Slumdog Millionaire is a film adaptation of the novel Q & A by author and diplomat Vikas Swarup.
 

Slumdog Millionaire on DVD

$3.99 for Slumdog Millionaire on DVD ($14.98 List Price). Free Returns.

More details at Groupon

• Academy Award-winning film directed by Danny Boyle
• Story profiling life in the slums of India, as viewed by a teenager
• Breakthrough performance by actor Dev Patel
• Commentary by Boyle, Patel, producer Christian Colson, and writer Simon Beaufoy
• Bonus content, including trailers and 12 deleted scenes
• "Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire"
• English, French, and Spanish subtitles

Groupon's discounts are bigger than a dinosaur on a stepladder. You and Groupon both like doing the coolest things, you both like saving 50-90%, and you both look great in green. And if you click my link and buy a deal, I might even receive a referral credit! Check out Groupon and sign up for their daily deals today!

Have you read the book? 
I have seen the movie, but I haven't read the book yet.

Watch Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972) via Hulu

This all-star musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale will delight children and adults alike. This magical and intoxicating version explores Alice’s dizzying adventures both faithfully and metaphorically as a coming of age story.

• Movie
• Aired on 04/22/1972
• Rating: Not Rated
• Run Time: 1 hr. 36 min.

Check Out "First Love, Last Rites" (film) via Hulu.

Which book(s) are you looking forward to adding to your #readathon pile this year?
— Dewey's Read-a-thon (@readathon) April 2, 2013

The book that I am most looking forward to reading during Dewey's Read-a-Thon on April 27, 2013 is First Love, Last Rites. Ian McEwan (bestselling author of Atonement: A Novel) won the Somerset Maugham award for this collection of short stories so I have big expectations. After the read-a-thon, I am going to take a long nap and then watch the movie adaptation below.

Joey (Giovanni Ribisi) and Sissel (Natasha Gregson Wagner) are two misfits falling in love for the first time in this story based on a short story by acclaimed author Ian McEwan.


First Love, Last Rites

• Aired on 08/07/1998
• Rating: R
• Run Time: 1 hr. 34 min.

Try Hulu Plus - Get 1-week FREE

 

Check Out Anna Karenina (1948) on Hulu Plus

Julien Duvivier's adaptation of Anna Karenina, the novel by Leo Tolstoy, stars Vivien Leigh (Gone With The Wind), Ralph Richardson, and Kieron Moore. It is featured under Hulu Films Based on Books category.



 

"This film by French director Julien Duvivier yielded a uniquely striking, vibrant portrayal of Tolstoy's tale of a woman at the edge of a moral, social, and marital precipice. | Movie | Aired on 01/22/1948 | Not Rated | 1 hr. 52 min. | 1948 | London Film Productions" - Hulu


#AnnaKarenina

Anna Karenina is Coming to Select Theatres November 16!

• Based on the novel, Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy

• Starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Ruth Wilson, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Olivia Williams, Emily Watson

• Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, Hanna)

• Written by Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare In Love)

Goodreads Gets You Ready for Alex Cross

The folks at Goodreads are gettin' all fancy! They are doing a book-movie cross-promotion (no pun intended) for the upcoming ALEX CROSS movie. Ooh la la!

You'll be movie ready in 1, 2, 3, 4.

(Then head out the door to the movie theater on October 19, 2012).


1. Take the Poll

Poll
 

What is the best setting for a thriller?

Sponsored by ALEX CROSS In Theaters October 19
http://www.alexcrossmovie.com/

Haunted House
Major Metropolitan Area
Abandoned Factory
Small Town

1 comment
·
show results
·
invite friends

2. Enter the Goodreads Book Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win a SIGNED copy of ALEX CROSS by James Patterson.


3. Watch the Exclusive James Patterson Interview

• Watch the ALEX CROSS Movie Trailer.

4. RSVP to See ALEX CROSS - Opening Night

RSVP on Goodreads to see ALEX CROSS opening night, October 19. 

 

‘The Chaperone,’ by Laura Moriarty to be Optioned



The Chaperone is "a captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both." - Penguin.com

 

 

I listened to the audio version of The Chaperone, narrated by Elizabeth McGovern (Ragtime, Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey) during my weekly walks. McGovern does a great job. I highly recommend it!

During an interview on CBS This Morning | Saturday [video above], Laura Moriarty revealed that Elizabeth McGovern has decided to option the film rights to The Chaperone. How exciting!

We may see a movie version in a few years. Who would you cast in the main roles for the movie?

DON'T FORGET TO: 

• Enter THE CHAPERONE Giveaway.
• Check out my pin collage inspired by the book.

Check Out "Hostage" (film) on Hulu.



Hostage, based on the book Hostage by Robert Crais, is available for free viewing via Hulu for a limited time. Adapted for film by Doug Richardson and directed by Florent-Emilio Siri, Hostage starred Bruce Willis as Jeff Talley, a former SWAT negotiator. Check it out for free while you can!

(click the triangle-in-circle button to play the movie from this page)

HOSTAGE (film)

Actors: Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Serena Scott Thomas, Jimmy Bennett
Rated: R
Run Time: 113 minutes
Studio: Lionsgate Miramax
Release Date: March 2005 (USA)
Adapted From: Hostage: A Novel, Robert Crais


FROM ROBERTCRAIS.COM: HOSTAGE

"Jeff Talley was a good husband, a fine father, and a front line negotiator with LAPD's SWAT unit. But the high-stress, unforgiving job took an irreparable toll on his psyche. Unable to talk down a despondent father before he murders his wife and son and takes his own life, Talley plummets into a downward spiral. His marriage ends, he resigns from SWAT, and he struggles to escape from his former life by taking the chief-of-police job in a sleepy, affluent bedroom community far from the chaos and crime of Los Angeles."


Do you Hulu? Check me out and send me a friend invite.

HOSTAGE (2005) - Movie Trailer

Earlier this week, I noticed that Hulu has a new movie category called films based on books.  The image of a salty Mr. Willis called to me from the list. So I have decided to start with Hostage.

Hostage is a 2005 movie thriller starring Bruce Willis and directed by Florent-Emilio Siri. The film is based on Hostage: A Novel by Robert Crais (adapted for film by Doug Richardson).

Although I am almost positive that I must have seen the movie when it came out, I cannot remember it. [Is that a bad sign?] So I am considering it "new to me."

I picked up the book today. Have you read it?

Do you Hulu? Check out films based on a book.

I have been poking around on Hulu - checking out the new layout. I like some of the new features, others not so much. Hulu has a new movie category called films based on books. 

It's small right now, but hopefully Hulu will continue to add to the listings. In the meantime, I am all over the free ones.

Do you Hulu? Check me out and send me a friend invite.

ALEX CROSS - Movie Trailer [starring Tyler Perry]

Check out the trailer for the upcoming movie Alex Cross (due for release on October 19, 2012).

Based on Cross by James Patterson (Alex Cross novel #12), the crime thriller stars Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, and Rachel Nichols. 

Today, Cross was re-released with the movie tie-in cover of Alex Cross (its name was changed to Alex Cross).

I must confesss: I HAVE NEVER READ A JAMES PATTERSON NOVEL.

So, I am not super excited about it. I blame the movies Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. I couldn't get through them. The Silence Of The Lambs? Couldn't finish it. Not that they were bad ... at least the parts that I saw through my fingers.  Seven? Saw it. Liked it. Freaked me out.

I'm convinced that serial killer movies aren't for me. Curiously, television shows with serial killers don't bother me. Go figure.

I feel like I should read some Patterson books anyway. Does he have a good series that doesn't involve serial killers?

UPDATE (10/3/12): Goodreads has suckered me in with its book-movie cross-promotion. I signed up for the book giveaway and RSVP'd to the movie (showin' Tyler Perry some support). Who is  gonna hold my hand? SMH.

Keira Knightley Discusses Pride and Prejudice

posted on YouTube by ebennet

WTH? A Game Of Sardines?

According to the director Joe Wright's commentary (available under Special Features on this DVD edition - Pride & Prejudice), he had the actresses who make up the Bennett family visit the Bennett house location, in Kent, before the crew arrived. They played a game of Sardines to get them acquainted with the house and each other before the actual movie filming began. The first time it was mentioned I thought that he said that he had them eat sardines to bond. WTH? You can see footage of them playing Sardines in one of the other Special Features. It seems to have worked as Keira mentions the closeness of the cast in the interview below.

I had never heard of the game. It looked kinda like Hide and Seek to me so I decided to look it up.  Check out  eHow's "How to Play the Sardine Variation of Hide & Seek" by Michael Elkins, eHow Contributor for instructions on how to play. Clearly I missed out as a child.


Did you play Sardines as a child?

 posted on YouTube by KelsiKnightley

Keira Knightley's Smug Elizabeth Bennet

I liked Keira's observation that each actress who portrays Elizabeth Bennet will bring something different to the role because the actress pulls her own emotions into the character. I think that Keira's portrayal added a certain smugness (and rejection of authority) that I had not seen in other movies.

Keira had an odd sort of action going on with her face (especially her chin and mouth) that added to the smugness ... almost like a snarl at times. It made me laugh - although I am sure that it was not meant to be comical.

I know many people found this version of Elizabeth annoying and unfaithful to the book. However, I thought that the smugness added height to Elizabeth's fall as she realized that she had drawn the wrong conclusions due to both pride and prejudice.

What do you think about Keira's version of Elizabeth Bennet?

 posted on YouTube by KelsiKnightley

GBU: Pride and Prejudice - 2005 Movie

"My goodness, did you see her hem? Six inches deep in mud. She looked positively medieval." - Caroline Bingley

The Good:

• The chemistry between Elizabeth and Darby. My favorite scene of the movie was when Darby made his first proposal (see my post "You call that a marriage proposal?"). Electric (probably too electric when compared to the book).
• Mr. Collins. "It's been many years since I had such an exemplary vegetable." I really liked the way that Tom Hollander played Collins (check out fan site Thomagination). His portrayal was different from other performances that I have seen (especially the crazy eyes).
• The cinematography. Lovely. Just lovely.

The Bad:
Many people were upset about all of the changes to settings, behavior, dialogue, etc. in this adaptation. To get the movie down to 2 hours+ (much shorter than others), Joe Wright (director) had to take some liberties. I considered this version to be a very loose youthful adaptation so I was not greatly bothered by the changes except for the pigs walking through the house, Lady Catherine de Bourgh showing up after hours, and Mr. Bingley being portrayed as a bumbling idiot. This is definitely not the version to watch instead of reading the book ... not that you or I would do that.

The Ugly:
I thought that Judi Dench looked absolutely FABULOUS. Her hair made me want to reach for a bottle of Aquanet. She is by far my favorite Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I wished that her part was bigger. What was up with the lighting on her face during the confrontation scene with Lizzie (about her alleged engagement to Darby)? I mean, it added to the harshness of the scene. But did they have to do her like that?

What are your good, bad, and ugly for the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice?

How do you rate the movie?

DYK about 84, Charing Cross Road?

Anne Bancroft stars in the movie adaptation of  the book, 84, Charing Cross Road. Her husband, Mel Brooks (also the movie's producer), purchased the rights to the book for her as an anniversary present. How cool is that?