With the Academy Awards soon to be handed out in a couple of weeks, I thought it was time to highlight some of the nominees as Oscar Night is my SuperBowl!
A good number of the films this year up for honors are based on books and/or graphic novels and while many know about the major league contenders who hold that distinction, for this post, I wanted to focus on a few that might not be as prominently featured.
Granted, American Fiction has been strongly showcased with five nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Jeffrey Wright as Monk Ellison, a well respected writer and college professor who has become increasingly annoyed by the stereotypical novels that have grown undeservedly popular with his intended audience.
Out of frustration, he writes his own mocking version of these books and is unpleasantly surprised when publishers find this work to not only be a potential bestseller, they’re eager to pay him major money and get him a movie deal.
The more he tries to tank the project (including pretending to be an ex-con on the run as his author persona), the more it gets green lit by those self same “enlightened “ people. The time does come when Monk has to decide just how far he can go with this before things get more out of hand.
One of the film’s nominations is for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer/director Cord Jefferson based this movie on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, which shows how good writing is always timely.
With recent focus on how race is portrayed by the publishing industry with novels such as The Other Black Girl and Yellow Face, the spot on accuracy of this story from over twenty years ago is eerily adept indeed:
In the Best Live Action Short category, we have both a film with a well known star and based on a lesser known short story by an author best known for children’s books, quite the odd brew there.
Then again, director/writer Wes Anderson is sort of an intellectual Tim Burton type there but even so, his version of Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is not your usual nominee for this cinematic section.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title role as an already wealthy man who learns how to see beyond his senses in order to earn more gambling money. However, that talent does more than make him richer financially, causing Henry to take his new found ability to new heights.
Apparently, this mini movie is meant to be the first in a quartet of adaptations of Dahl’s short stories that were written for much older readers. Whether or not it wins on Oscar Night, bringing these smaller works to wider audiences is definitely a win in more ways than one:
Meanwhile in the Best Animated Feature category, we have Nimona, based on the beloved graphic novel by ND Stevenson.
Chloe Grace Moretz voices the title character, a mischievous shapeshifter who declares herself the sidekick to disgraced knight Ballister Boldheart(Riz Amed).
Together, they seek to clear Ballister’s name but even as that evidence comes to light, complications arise that pushes their friendship to a breaking point that may not be repairable. Yet, a greater wrong is out there to be righted and perhaps only the two of them are the perfect partners for that job.
It’s hard to predict a clear winner in this category as the latest Spiderverse movie was excellent but voters might not want to give this series back-to-back awards(they should in my opinion!). Also, many were surprised at The Elementals from Pixar getting a spot here as its reception from audiences and critics was mixed at best.
That does allow for a smaller film to potentially get the Oscar gold and while it may a long shot, Nimona does have a decent chance at least. The fans who loved the original source material would certainly be cheering loudly if that came to pass:
At least Oscar Night should be entertaining this year, even if the already predictable sweep for Oppenheimer happens. That film is fine, I’m sure ,but it checks too many typical boxes on the Oscar checklist for my taste.
I was happy to see America Ferrera get a Best Supporting Actress spot for Barbie(many of the other award shows seemed to be overlooking her performance) and hope that Ryan Gosling performs “I’m Just Ken”, although the Billie Elilish Barbie song is probably going to take the Best Original Song award home.
No matter who wins what, it is good to know that many of these wonderful silver screen moments started as words on a page in a book. Hopefully next year, we’ll find more great stories in print brought to cinematic glory being honored by the Academy with reader and viewer agreement alike:
Reading challenges for me are a good way of not only diving into subjects that you’ve neglected for awhile but also a solid method for reducing a TBR pile or two.
Another bonus is an excuse to do some rereading with my Jane Journey as a good example.
Since late last year, I’ve been tackling a trio of Jane Austen themed nonfiction and pairing each book up with an appropriate Jane Austen novel. I’m on the final book in that trio, Jane Austen and the Navy by Brian Southam , and not only finished a reread of Mansfield Park but started sailing with Persuasion yet again.
While Jane Austen and the Navy(pretty interesting read, particularly if you’re into the naval history of the Regency period) is the last stop on this tour, my travels with Jane are too good to end here. So,for my final leg of this journey, I will be visiting the family Dashwood via Sense & Sensibility , fittingly as it’s her first published work.
Part of this reason for this additional reread is the upcoming Hallmark Channel new adaptation of the book, which promises to be a very Elinor focused version and that alone pleases me greatly.
Don’t get me wrong; Marianne’s romantic issues are understandably designed to take center stage and lend much development to her character.
I, however , am much like Elinor in many respects and find her quietly yet just as heartrending emotional experience with love as equally compelling. Hopefully, Elinor will get her small screen spotlight to properly portray her inner resolve:
Yet, I do have plans for my next nonfiction/fiction pairing which I am calling a Meeting of Two Marys.
Those ladies are mother and daughter, neither of whom got to know each other at all. Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley are biographically compared in Charlotte Gordon’s Romantic Outlaws, which looks at their legacies and the influence one had over the other, even from beyond the grave.
I must admit that Mary Shelley is much more familiar to me than her mother, although they both touched upon controversial topics in their writings respectively. While The Vindication of the Rights of Women is a feminist classic, Shelley’s Frankenstein is far better known and resonates strongly with each generation with it’s themes regarding the nature of science, parenting and ethical experimentation.
Nonetheless, I would like to know more about each of them and this compare/contrast should be a good place to start(although Mary Shelley is quite the attraction here):
Now I’m sure you’re thinking “Oh, she’s going to reread Frankenstein “-no, not just yet, folks.
My fictional reread is going to be The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White. The title character is the foster sister of Victor Frankenstein, who is prone to moodiness and solitude and her role is to be of comfort and make him more sociable to the outside world.
When Victor goes off to college, Elizabeth grows concerned about her position in the family and enlists her girlfriend Justine to help her find him and see if Elizabeth can still be of use to him.
Upon discovering his whereabouts, she finds that Victor’s obsession with creating life and conquering death has gotten way out of hand. What lengths will she go to in order to save him from himself and is that even the best thing for her at all?
This is a very engaging take on the Frankenstein mythos and it’s great to see the ever expanding pop culture impact of Shelley’s story come to new life. Should be a nice offset to the duel biography (I will probably reread the original Frankenstein along the way) and to maybe read more of Kiersten White as well:
This mix and matching of nonfiction and fiction has certainly made this TBR clearance all the more fun, that’s for sure.
Speaking of fun, I have been enjoying those Hallmark “Loveuary” Jane Austen inspired movies(Paging Mr. Darcy was the best one so far) but I am a bit worried about the latest one, An American in Austen, airing this weekend.
Our leading lady finds herself in the bookish realm of Pride and Prejudice, with Mr. Darcy being more interested in her fine eyes than Lizzy Bennet’s, which will not do for many reasons.
The premise is great but also very similar to the British miniseries Lost in Austen that a good number of Austen fans know of and love quite a bit. Hopefully, this take on the same notion will not suffer too much in comparison and simply be an agreeable time shared by all. We shall see and perhaps these two projects will be a beloved double feature for future Austen binge watching:
While the chilly nature of this season can be a downer, one thing that always parks me up is the chance to add a new book to my reading stack. Corny, perhaps, but true nonetheless.
For example, I started February off with a Book of the Month Club box and my main selection was a debut historical fiction by Avery Cunningham, The Mayor of Maxwell Street.
Set in Chicago of 1921, young ambitious reporter Nelly Sawyer is eager to prove her journalistic merits by seeking out the facts about our title character, who is said to be the one running the criminal underworld in the city.
To further her quest, she enlists the aid of speakeasy owner Jay Shorey, whose charms are not lost on her at all. However, what challenges Nelly more are the elements of corruption within the system that Jay seems a little too well connected to.
Coming from a wealthy family, Nelly’s foray into the newspaper business was intended to just merely be a temporary stopover on the road towards a suitable marriage yet as time goes on, her dreams about the future are pointing more in the direction of an independent life with Jay by her side. Can she find the right path for her goals as well as her heart before it gets too late?
This does sound intriguing and discovering a new author is such a treat, especially when they’re expanding upon what we know about the past. A book like this is like diving into an epic miniseries that’s always on tap when it comes to the realms of fact and fiction playing well together:
Meanwhile, I received some book mail that also introduces me to someone I haven’t read previously.
Although in this case, this writer is not a first timer.
Sara Shepard is best known for her series (and popular TV show adaptation) of teen thrillers , Pretty Little Liars, but her upcoming novel Nowhere Like Home takes place amongst adults.
Our leading lady is Lenna, struggling to manage being a new mother with little emotional support from her husband. Running into her old friend Rhiannon from high school, she is relieved to find someone who seems to understand what she’s going through.
Rhiannon is not only happy to lean an ear to her troubles, she even suggests that Lenna join her at a “mommune” where she can get some relaxation and guidance from other women in the same situation. It’s an offer that Lenna doesn’t refuse but all too soon, she may wish that she did.
As I said, Sara Shepard is a new to me author and with that in mind, this ought to be an entertaining read at the very least. The story line here gives me that domestic thriller movie vibes from the late 1990s/early 2000s that packed quite a few punches there, plot and character wise so let’s see how this story cradle is rocked:
Finally, I decided to do a little “shopping my shelves “and discovered a hidden bookish gem of social climbing scandal storytelling.
Upon tuning into the new season of F/X’s Feud, I recalled a novel that dealt with the same subject and quickly searched my various TBR piles to see if that book I paused in was still on hand and thankfully, The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin was readily available.
The swans of the title are the upper class women that Truman Capote befriended, mainly Barbara “Babe” Paley during his literary rise of the mid 1950s and into the sixties/early seventies.
His witty comments and wickedly gleeful gossip made him very well sorted after for parties and other social events among that crowd yet the trust placed in him by many of the ladies regarding their personal secrets turned out to be a serious mistake.
Eventually, Truman used those hidden insights as material for a book, excepts of which were published in magazines. While names were changed, it was crystal clear just whose dirty laundry was being aired. That unexpected exposure lead to those ties of friendship being broken between Capote and his beloved “swans” but what was the ultimate price to be paid by all involved?
While Feud: Capote vs. the Swans is based on a nonfiction title (Capote’s Women by Lawrence Leamer), Melanie Benjamin’s novel delves into the inner emotional stakes for Babe and Truman, showcasing just how much they felt like soulmates, which made their social severance all the more painful.
I’m going to keep watching Feud while getting myself reacquainted with this book and hope that others do so as well. No doubt that the nonfiction the show is based on is good but this novel adds a certain nuance that the TV version might not display in the same way:
With the news getting as gloomy as the weather these days, it helps to have a few good books to find comfort in for a while there. Most of my reading is going well, especially my readathon pace and those Jane Austen Hallmark movies are a nice diversion too.
This weekend’s viewing has Love and Jane on the schedule as Alison Sweeney plays a woman getting romantic advice from Our Dear Jane directly. Certainly promises to be popcorn worthy amusement that allows for a proper book suitable for diving into during the commercials(a pastime that I eagerly encourage):
