This week on The Random Chat Show, we are looking Hardcore Henry. Before that, we start as usual with some trivia, this week’s theme is looking at how well you know video game adapted into movies. Join us for some fun!
Hope you enjoyed!
Did you see Hardcore Henry?
This week, we’re changing up the beat of things a little. With the recent launch of video games on The Moment In, we’re looking at video games. There has been lots of video games adapted into movies over the years. Which ones stand out to us? We look at our choices of which video games would be perfect for movies that has never been made or has not expected future release date. Plus, Melissa has a DIY for you to try.
Hope you enjoy!
What games do you think should be made into movies right now? Do you agree with our choices?
A shoutout to Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) who I got this list idea from and who graciously let me borrow it for this post 🙂 Except I’m only doing 5 and I’m bad with choosing dream directors so I went the go big route 😉
As most of you know, I read quite a bit and well, I watch even more movies in comparison. Over the years, after I’ve graduated from university, its something of a hidden goal to catch up on as much reading as I possibly can. I’m very happy to see that a lot of books I enjoyed have been made into movies especially as of late, even if I haven’t had the chance to see them. However, there are tons of books that deserve to be movies and I think maybe they are a little bit too independent for it to get enough exposure. Still, the selections are endless so lets see if I can put together this list.
This is in not specific order but rather just how I remembered the titles.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
A mysterious circus. A duel between young magicians placed by their mentors. A young love that grows from what cannot be. And finding a way out of a deadly situation. The Night Circus is fantasy, imagination, adventure, thrilling all at the same time. I loved every minute of reading the book and when I closed it, I kept hoping for it to be turned into a movie. I do believe that in the hands of a right director and someone who could organize the script to flow well without being convoluted, this could be better than The Prestige or all those magic movies you see out there.
Dream director: Guillermo del Toro
The Water Rat of Wanchai (Ava Lee Series) by Ian Hamilton
This is just the first book in a series and this series is kicking some series ass. I’m a few books behind from being fully caught up but after 5 books in, this series is really strong. Ava Lee is our main girl here and she is a sexy, smart and literally kick ass girl in her late 20s or early 30s (I can’t remember exactly). I think I wrote it before on one of the reviews. I can see some young Asian actress doing great in this role like Maggie Q. I’m not a huge fan of hers but I can totally see her as Ava Lee. The only barrier here would be that Ava Lee is not into boys. Although that doesn’t bother me, I do think it might be an issue for something for the big screen. Although her love life is rather in the background a lot until the later books. As a mystery thriller, this would be great. Its like Mission Impossible mixed with Sherlock Holmes or something.
Dream director: Martin Scorsese
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl was a hit and Dark Places a flop. I was never a fan of Dark Places because its not ripe for the big screen and with a director that doesn’t have the experience and touch like David Fincher. Dark Places had no other expected result even with the fully charged cast. Gillian Flynn wrote another book between these two and its Sharp Objects. This book is powerful and messed up just like the other two. The main girl has issues (as with all of Gillian Flynn’s lady characters). Sharp Objects could carry a great cast and this dark story. You already know who I think should be the director.
Dream director: David Fincher
I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Let us forget that I am Number Four happened with Michael Bay. That was uber garbage. The idea of I am Number Four was not about the explosions, okay? I am Number Four is a YA novel but its also a strong series with a great premise about aliens on Earth. They aren’t here to takeover, but to stay alive and to find the right opportunity to go back to Lorien and just keep their bloodline going while being chased by the enemy alien race that sought to destroy them. These are the Gardes and their Cepans (like mentors and guardians) as they grew up. I’m not saying I am Number Four doesn’t have explosions because it does at the finale scene and maybe that’s the part that Michael Bay gets right in that movie but there’s so much more to it. The movie could’ve taken a completely different angle. This stuff is ripe for something on CW but as a movie series, it could definitely work and I wished there was another director that would tackle it and make it into something worthwhile.
Dream director: Stephen Spielberg
The Dinner by Herman Koch
The Dinner would be a really hard movie to put on screen. It would be mostly focused on one setting between two couples as they reflect. If this were to be something, it would be someone who would focus on small reactions, details in movements and flashbacks and whatnot. Its a pretty dark story and the characters are extremely ugly and twisted. It would make for a fantastic psychological thriller because in the end, they are two couples dancing around a secret that slowly unveils itself and touches some questionable themes and topics.
Dream director: Christopher Nolan
What books should be a movie? Who would you like to direct it?
Earlier this week, I posted up the review on Emma for The Classics Adventure. You can check that out HERE if you missed it.
As normal, I went searching for the adaptations. Unfortunately all the actual adaptations wasn’t available on Netflix. The only one was Clueless. I’ve seen Clueless a ton of times but I like it a lot. It has been a few years since I revisited it though so I’m pretty excited to watch this again.
Plus, its a nice little break from the random Netflix picks. At least I’m sure a good bunch of you have already seen this or at least heard of it 🙂
Clueless (1995)
Director: Amy Heckerling
Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Elisa Donovan, Jeremy Sisto, Brecklin Meyer, Dan Hedaya
A rich high school student tries to boost a new pupil’s popularity, but reckons without affairs of the heart getting in the way.- IMDB
Clueless was among one of the first chick flicks that I ever watched in my life. It was a good start because its also a very fun movie to watch. The reimagining of Emma into Clueless helped me a lot in reading the actual novel this time around. I could relate to the characters and even though there were little changes and differences to the source material, it still held a good part of the entertainment especially in the character of Emma who is now Cher in this modernized version played by Alicia Silverstone and let me add, in an flawless way to who I would imagine Emma to be in real life. The setting is now put into high school which we all know is kind of just like reality and our social life with different groups and classes, judgement passed on other classmates before knowing them and the likes of that stuff. You know, its high school. I’ve graduated from that part of life over 10 years and I can still remember it.
While Cher is spoiled and self-centred and thinks she is always right when she’s altogether ditzy and kind of ignorant, she does have a kind heart. She cares for her father and her friends and she genuinely does think that she is doing good to the people around her (even when she isn’t). And that is exactly the Emma I see in the novel. Alicia Silverstone does a fine job as I mentioned before but what really is great as well is Tai who is the opposite of Cher who lacks some class and poise. Brittany Murphy captures that role very well also as a girl who really doesn’t know this new world that she’s moved into and believes that Cher can lead her to be accepted by others even when matchmaking her to someone she convinces herself to like and neglecting where her feelings truly lie. What comes out of this is the theme of friendship and just being able to embrace who you (and your friends) are. Especially not trying to make someone like you because being different, even in all their silly and quirky ways, is what makes them who they are.
Jane Austen novels almost always like to address the whole social class theme and with the contrast of Emma and Harriet which is our Cher and Tai here, we can see it transferred perfectly in Clueless. While the match ups for the guys are the same and successfully capture each of the male leads as well. We have our Mr. Elton who is Elton here, with his particular emphasis on class and basically is a pretty snobby and fake person. On the flip side, we have the obvious choice for Tai who just jives well with her but Cher dislikes who is our Mr. Martin who is out of the pack of Cher’s group played by Travis. Then, we come to our final guy, our Mr. Knightley, who is Cher’s ex-stepbrother, Josh who remains close to her family, helping her father out and always around to give her some pointers on her choices (even when she doesn’t listen). I have to say, I totally forgot that Paul Rudd was in this until I watched it the last time and then I realized that he’s super adorable in this one and its hard to not like him. A side note would be that I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a lot of his other roles (in the limited ones that I’ve seen so far). To wrap this up, while not a love interest, I think its fair to say that I do like Cher’s dad here more than the one in the novel, just as a personality sort of difference and that he is more enjoyable to watch even in all his lawyer-ish ways.
Its a lot of compare and contrast for this review but that’s because I’m quite impressed at how Clueless does a decent job at adapting a classic set in 1800s to the 1990s. The characters are portrayed well and Emma is fun and funny because it does in a very sarcastic way, poke fun at the style and silly teens and all that sort of thing. It was just pure entertainment. I can’t say revisiting it now that I don’t see flaws but I still like it a lot.
Overall, Clueless is a fun little film that is very good adaptation of Emma while adding in a modern twist to it. The cast does a fantastic job at portraying their character with the exceptionally awesome performances of Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy. Paul Rudd is absolutely adorable as Josh. Its just a fun trip down the 90s style and language. Although its pretty dated for the outfits and whatnot, its still stays pretty entertaining after all these years.
Have you seen Clueless? Do you think that it is a good adaptation of Emma?
Tranquil Dreams 