It's time for the Academy Awards again. This year there are a lot of nominated movies that were based on books.
Which ones? Here's the list:
"Hugo" -- "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" - "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson
"The Help" -- "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
"The Descendants" -- "The Descendants" by Kaui Hart Hemmings
"Moneyball" -- "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" by Michael Lewis
"My Week with Marilyn" -- "My Week With Marilyn" by Colin Clark
"The Iron Lady" -- "The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, from Grocer's Daughter to Prime Minister" by John Campbell
"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" -- "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
"Albert Nobbs" -- "Albert Nobbs: A Novella" by George Moore
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" -- "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" by John le Carré
"War Horse" -- "War Horse" by Michael Morpurgo
Which ones have you read? Which ones did you see? I skimmed through The Invention of Hugo Cabret when my daughter was reading it, but I never did find time to sit down and read it. We didn't see the movie. Both The Help and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I read and then watched. There are a few of those movie titles on my "To Read" list. Maybe I'll get to them, maybe I won't. Or maybe I'll just watch them. Chances are that if I didn't catch it in the theater, I'm not going to see it. It's rare that I plop down on the couch to watch a movie. Somehow, there are always other things to do. I can spend the same amount of time watching TV, and I don't feel guilty. Maybe that's because I can get things done during commercial breaks. The only thing that may get done is making popcorn, but I could get some laundry folded, dishes washed, or pages read if I wanted/needed to. That's tangential though.
I see the Oscars in the same way my husband sees the Super Bowl. Snacks are needed, and your whole evening is devoted to the television. It's much more fun to watch award shows with friends. Especially while you and your friends are on a tropical vacation. But, I digress. It's fun because everyone can throw out their own opinions on who should win, and who should not. Between my husband and I, we've seen the same movies so there isn't a whole lot of discussion about which awards should go to whom. That, and I don't think he really cares. He feels about the Oscars much the same way I do about the football game that is played between commercials during the Super Bowl.
It's rare that I've had more than one film to root for to win. This year there are a couple. But, I'm especially excited about the ones based on books. Hunh. Imagine that. If Hugo wins best picture, it would be the first time a Newberry award winner has also gotten the prize. Really, how many times have Newberry books been nominated? None. But several of them have been made into movies. Holes and A Wrinkle in Time were both made into movies in 2003.
Do some checking around online. You can find a whole list of books made into movies that have earned Academy Awards or other prestigious prizes. To make your life easier, you can click here to find a selection of Best Picture Oscar Winners. Although that list was compiled in 2006--so there may be some missing, especially after this year. Six of the nine movies up for Best Picture this year were based on books.
It's a good year to have read the movie.
Never judge a book by its movie. ~J.W. Eagan
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