Be Inconvenient

One Decade ago, Vice President Al Gore brought climate change to the forefront of world issues. Today, ten years later, his message has only increased in importance. An Inconvenient Sequel has Gore exposing Humanity’s role in the degrading climate of our planet, presenting around the world, his stories of change, progress, and the real action that can be taken to reverse the damage. An Inconvenient Sequel is out July 25, 2017, with the feature film in theatres July 28, 2017. 

75 years of Wonder Woman

June 3^rd 2017 is Wonder Woman Day! Celebrate 75 years of the queen of the Amazons at your local participating comic shop, bookstore, or library. Get ready for fun events, great deals, and everything Amazonian. Also available now is Wonder Woman- the Ultimate Guide to the Amazon Warrior, lauded as the perfect celebration of the superhero’s history. Check out all the ways to plan out your Wonder Woman Day here.  

Movie Title Typos

This is a behind the scenes look at the making of Movie Title Typos, a hilarious book that is a sure bet for your movie buffs.

It's Coming!!! Ender's Game...the movie

What an amazing cast! We were all very excited to get this trailer. For more inf on the movie and the book you can go to the Tor website.  
OK now back to work...

Nobody Does it Better

The British singer, Adele, performs the theme song for the latest James Bond movie, which opened on Friday. Since the first Bond film hit theatres 50 years ago a lot of big stars have recorded songs for the movies – singers like Madonna, Tina Turner, Louis Armstrong, Gladys Knight, and Tom Jones. In the 1960s, songs like Goldfinger - sung by Shirley Bassey - battled it out with the Beatles for the spot at the top of the music charts. Big hits like Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney & Wings and Nobody Does it Better, by Carly Simon, took on lives of their own apart from the movies.

The Music of James Bond gives the back story on the songs from 22 different movies, offers interesting anecdotes from behind the scenes, and is a lot of fun to look at because it features over 100 b&w movie stills.

“Both casual fans and 007 aficionados will find this book to be enlightening, informative, and great fun to read” – Leonard Maltin

Hollywood Left and Right

This fascinating book describes how movie stars have influenced American politics. Each chapter is focuses on a different movie star beginning with one of the first stars, Charlie Chaplin. He used his fame to promote socialist views and this got him into trouble with the US government.
Jane Fonda was nicknamed “Hanoi Jane” after a disastrous trip to Vietnam to protest the war. She was also involved in many other causes and was a mentor for several younger celebrity activists like Sarah Jessica Parker. The chapter about Harry Belafonte describes his deep involvement with the Civil Rights movement and his close friendship with Martin Luther King Jr.
Hollywood Left and Right also includes chapters on Arnold Schwarznegger, Warren Beatty, Charlton Heston, Ronald Regan and George Murphy, Edward G. Robinson and Louis B. Mayer.

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Comes to the Big Screen

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Trailer. . .

Here's the trailer for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, based on Lisa See's bestselling novel.  It looks gorgeous and it's directed by Wayne Wang, who filmed The Joy Luck Club, so expect to get the kleenex out. The movie is set to open in July.  And for Lisa See fans, you can also look forward to her new novel, Dreams of Joy, which is a sequel to Shanghai Girls. It will be out at the end of May.

The Importance of Being Married to Ernest . . .

If you've been enjoying Paula McLain's novel The Paris Wife - her fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway's relationship with his first wife Hadley Richardson, told from her perspective - you might be interested in following up on some of his subsequent wives (he had four in all).  The most fascinating of them is definitely Martha Gellhorn who was a talented journalist and writer in her own right and led just as full and adventurous life. Their relationship was combative both personally and professionally and she was the one who left him.  Caroline Moorehead's wonderful biography Martha Gellhorn: A Life was a Dewey pick of mine, back when it came out several years ago. It would make great reading in preparation for HBO's upcoming film about Hemingway and Gellhorn, which is shooting now with some interesting casting.  Clive Owen is playing Hemingway, and Nicole Kidman has nabbed the role of Gellhorn.  Hmmm, not really sure about Kidman - I could totally see Cate Blanchett playing Martha instead.  Molly Parker plays Pauline Pfeiffer, wife number two, and Parker Posey plays his fourth wife, Mary Welsh Hemingway.  There's no mention of poor Hadley; the story - and Ernest - have clearly moved on.  More on the film here.

One Day Poster. . .

Okay, I'm LOVING this movie poster for the upcoming film of David Nicholls' One Day. It has such a retro feel to it, doesn't it?  I had my doubts about Anne Hathaway playing Emma (though I think Jim Sturgess is perfect for Dexter), but she looks good in this poster.  No trailer yet, but you can see a few more stills from the film here.  It will be out on July 8th.   Can't wait.

The Eagle of the Ninth

The Eagle of the Ninth has been made into a big Hollywood movie starring heartthrob Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, and Donald Sutherland. The movie is directed by Kevin MacDonald, best known for The Last King of Scotland.

The movie is simply titled The Eagle, but it is based on the classic tale by Rosemary Sutcliff which was published more than fifty years ago. The epic story is set in Roman Britain and it centers on a young soldier named Marcus. After he is badly injured in an attack, he is sent to recover at his uncle’s home where he learns more about the mysterious disappearance of his father twenty years before. Marcus’ father was the commander of the Ninth Legion, a company of 5,000 men that marched into northern England and was never seen again. Marcus decides to set out on a dangerous quest to find out what happened to his father, the Ninth Legion, and the golden eagle which was their standard. The movie opens on Feb. 11, 2011 and it’s in English and Gaelic, with subtitles.

Click here to view the trailer.

Water For Elephants Movie Trailer

Book club favourite Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen is coming to the big screen April 15th, 2011, starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattison, and Christoph Waltz.

The much-anticipated trailer for the film debuted last night on Entertainment Tonight. Check it out below!

On the Road Movie

MTV.com announced casting informatation about the upcoming adaptation of the Jack Kerouak book On the Road. Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart & Kirsten Dunst- what a cast!

Check out this link to GalleyCat which talks about the movie and includes a link to a YouTube video of a 1959 interview with Jack Kerouak on The Steve Allen Show.

Non-Superhero Graphic Novel Gets Film Adaptation . . .

Posy Simmonds' wiity and sexy graphic novel Tamara Drewe has been made into a British movie directed by Stephen Frears.  Here's a link to the trailer.   The story is in turn an updated version of Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, but set in a writer's retreat in the English countryside. Egos and libidos go into overdrive.

Reese Witherspoon & Robert Pattison Star in Water For Elephants Film

Book club favourite Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is scheduled to hit the big screens in 2011 in a film adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon & Robert Pattison (of Twilight movie fame).

Filming has started and the internet is starting to buzz with leaked photos from the set. Click here for an interview with Reese Witherspoon about the movie (from Entertainment Tonight) and here for an article on Robert Pattison and the movie in French-language Canadian magazine 7jours which features a picture of Pattison with his new shorter haircut along with five secrets from the set.

Some Fall Movies to Look Forward To. . .

I'm already getting excited about the fall movie versions of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and Mordecai Richler's Barney's Version. Both the trailers look great and each film has a fantastic cast. The trailer for Never Let Me Go, starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightly, Sally Hawkins and Charlotte Rampling looks incredibly chilling. Check it out here. Barney's Version stars Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike and Minnie Driver and promises to be quite hilarious. You can watch the trailer here. Hopefully both films will be coming to the Toronto Film Festival.

One Day. One Perfect Summer Read. . .

Today one of my favourite reads for summer goes on sale - David Nicholls' One Day. I wish I could accurately convey the complete charm of this story which dissects the lives of Emma and Dexter and how their relationship changes over twenty years. The story progresses more or less chronologically, with each chapter providing an illuminating snapshot of every succeeding July 15th. The two first meet in the form of a rather drunken encounter after graduation, and over the years they stay in touch as friends, even though Emma has more romantic - and lustful - hopes. As the years pass, we watch their careers and love lives fluctuate, and are privy to all the frustrations, jealousies and hurts that accompany any long term relationship. And only towards the end will we discover why July 15th is such an important date in their dual histories. One Day is one of those reads you just let yourself tumble into; it's romantic, funny, emotional (you'll need the occasional tissue), and sprinkled throughout are wonderful film and music references that will resonate with anyone who spent their formative years in the 1980s and 1990s. Nick Hornby or Jonathan Coe fans - this is definitely a book for you! Teenagers would love it.

I've been a fan of David Nicholls ever since becoming hooked on a wonderful television series called Cold Feet that he wrote for. It was a British "Thirtysomething" but much wittier, and there was such a warmth and humanity about the characters, especially when they screwed up, that you couldn't help falling in love with them while laughing at their follies. This same warmth is spread throughout this novel. If you enjoy the British humour of Richard Curtis movies like Four Weddings and A Funeral, or if you're a fan of last year's couple flick 500 Days of Summer, you'll really enjoy this novel.

A film is already in the works scheduled to release next year. Anne Hathaway is starring and while I can't really see her as Emma, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief if they keep the setting of the film in England and don't Americanize it, as so much of the self-deprecating humour really relies on a British sensibility. Jim Sturgess however is perfect as Dexter. The director is Lone Scherfig which bodes well - she directed An Education, one of my favorite movies from last year. To get a flavour of the book, you can watch various chapter trailers on the book's website here.

The Ghostwriter. . .

If you are in the mood for a really good old-fashioned thriller - the kind that instead of knocking you over the head the obvious, instead relies on an intelligent script, great acting, and atmospheric music - then check out Roman Polanski's The Ghostwriter, based on Robert Harris' novel The Ghost. It stars Ewan Mcgregor (who has never looked more appealing) as the title character, (we never find out his actual name) who is hired to help out former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (played by the charming Pierce Brosnan) to pen his memoirs. Only someone doesn't want the book published; the last ghostwriter who took on the job ended up murdered. At the same time, demand for the book is high as Lang is all over the media, accused of international war crimes for ordering the torture of four prisoners. The movie has a great ensemble cast including Tom Wilkinson as a university professor with old ties to Lang, and Olivia Williams who plays Lang's long-suffering wife. And the movie contains the most suspenseful scene probably ever filmed at a book launch; a few publishing jokes are also thrown in.

Ironically and rather eerily, the movie opened (in Toronto at least), just days after the announcement that Tony Blair's memoirs would be published in September. Note to any CIA operatives who may be reading this: I DO NOT have a copy of the manuscript!

Stephanie Plum Movie News!

One of my favourite series is coming to the big screen!

One for the Money, the first book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich is finally going to be made into a movie!!! According to an article in Variety, Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy, The Ugly Truth) has signed on to play the lead role of former lingerie buyer turned inept bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

I'm sure the debate will rage online about the casting, and if you want to get in on the voting for the casting for the supporting characters you can visit Janet Evanovich's Facebook page.

Personally, I would have voted for Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) for the role of Stephanie, as she can do kooky and better fits the physical description of Stephanie from the books. Now, I wonder who they'll get to play Ranger and Morelli??

All About the Movies. . .

So the Oscar nominations were announced today (yawn) and while I'd love a world in which An Education would take best movie, Meryl Streep would win for Best Actress and Colin Firth for Best Actor - well, we all know that's not going to happen.

Still it's that time of year when I like to read all manner of film-related books. I've just finished William Bell's funny new YA novel, Only In The Movies. It's the story of Jake, a teenager who loves films, especially Casablanca. His dream is to become a screenwriter, much to the chagrin of his father who wants his son to join him in the family carpentry business. He nevertheless helps Jake get into the York School of the Arts where his skills are put to good use building theatre sets. Jake makes friends with a quirky, large-nosed, poetry-writing student named Vanni but falls in love with Alba, a beautiful, budding actress. He enlists Vanni's help in composing love letters to Alba (yes, if the nose didn't give it away, this story contains shades of Cyrano, albeit with an added comic twist) but Alba is in love with the dim-witted but dishy Chad. Lots of teenage angst in this one, but it's an entertaining and quite charming read. Jake works out his problems through writing screenplays, portions of which are scattered throughout the novel, and there's a particularly funny one in which he enlists the help of Humphrey Bogart himself.

For something a little more adult, I'm looking forward to reading Arthur Japin's new novel Director's Cut, out next week. Penelope Cruz nabbed a Best Supporting Actress nod today for her role in Nine, the Rob Marshall musical based on Fellini's iconic film 8 1/2 (and it's worth seeing if you like musicals - it's not as good as Chicago, but I always enjoy watching Daniel Day-Lewis, in pretty much any role he's in and Judi Dench steals the show; her musical number involves the longest feather boa I've ever seen - enough to wrap up all the Dewey Divas and then some!) Japin's novel is based on the last love affair of a director very like Fellini and promises a nice romp through the world of Italian cinema.

Also on deck is a galley of Chuck Palahniuk's new novel Tell-All which is coming out in May. Now, I've never read anything by him before - he frankly scares the heck out of me - but his new book is supposedly a retelling of All About Eve, which is one of my favourite movies (and deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1950). I have no idea what to expect but I'm fastening my seat belt; it may be a bumpy ride!