Transcript

Jen 0:01 This is Planet Book with Taña and Jen. On this show, we talk about the stories that mean the most to us. If you love books, you've come to the right place. Planet Book is made possible by the Springfield-Greene County Library District. Welcome to the Planet! I'm your host, Jennifer.

0:15 Taña And I'm Taña .

Jen 0:16 Today, I'm very excited to talk about today's topic, which is YA book to movie adaptations. Before we get started, I thought we could talk about what makes a good book to movie adaptation first, like by giving an example of what we think is a really good adaptation. And then I do want to remind everyone that with these movies that we mention, a lot of them are available through the library. So be sure to check the library's website and if you haven't seen one of these movies, you can get it from the library. I've mentioned this in past episodes, but when I judge movies and books, I judge the book as a book and the movie as a movie. So I think, Is this book good as a book? And is this movie good as a movie? So I'm gonna throw it on over to Taña , and ask what is it that you think makes a good movie adaptation?

Taña 1:19 I think a lot of people, me included, would love to see certain books made into a movie. So I think the beloved aspect; the characters and the world you want to see. That's one initial step in making an adaptation.

Jen 1:35 So, quality source material?

Taña 1:36 Yes

Jen 1:37 That helps, right?

Taña 1:39 A lot. Well, and you said quality source material; staying true to that material and not changing it completely.

Jen 1:45 Right. And this is going to - actually this whole topic is going to lead us to our next episode, which is talking about book to series adaptations. Because I think the successful movie adaptations that we're going to talk about are the ones that have successfully covered the material. And when you take a huge book, it's probably better as a series. Right? Right, Taña ?

Taña 2:13 I would say some are definitely better as a series, especially if there's a lot of little details that can be turned into an episode as opposed to one big movie. Some things are better revealed in episodes.Yeah.

Jen 2:24 You had told me; now what's your favorite?

Taña 2:27 Well, definitely Harry Potter.

Jen 2:29 Okay. And they made that into multiple movies, right?

Taña 2:33 That's exactly right. And then even breaking the seventh one into two movies, because it was so big. That was smart, because it gave you the build up to that final fight in movie number eight and book number seven of Harry Potter

Jen 2:48 I think Harry Potter - Do you know, was there a lot of input from the author?

Taña 2:53 JK Rowling was not only involved in the casting and the production and the script; it felt like I was reading the book, and it came right out of my imagination. I talked to a lot of people; they all felt the same. That with JK Rowling's input into the first couple movies, that everything was exactly how they had pictured in their mind.

Jen 3:13 Yeah, so the casting, even though at the time they were probably mostly unknowns, was quality. And they actually cast children versus - I think, where some of these go wrong, some of the adaptations go wrong, they want to put teenagers into a child's story. And this was clearly a child's story. And then they grow up as the series progresses.

Taña 3:39 The acting, while it was okay in the first ones, they looked exactly the part. And so then the acting, they grew. They grew better through the movies, through the whole life of Harry Potter. High school life. Hogwarts life.

Jen 3:56 Yeah, I've admitted this in the past. I've actually seen all the movies but haven't read all the books. So I was a fan of the movies.

Taña 4:05 Yes,they did a great job. They held their own. You didn't need to read the book in order to see the movies. They were both done well on their own. The books were great. The movies were great. What made it so beloved, is that people wanted to see that world and with JK Rowling being so involved it was perfect for most people.

Jen 4:25 And the children, though they were somewhat unknown at the time. The adult actors were all high caliber actors, so they spent enough money. You know what I'm saying? Like they didn't cut corners on the production and that really helps too. Being able to do something at a time when the actual technology's there to do it. And some of the adaptations, I think where they've failed, has been just really bad effects.

Taña 4:55 Well, and I was gonna jump to that actually too. Even with your casting because they are spending money on it. Because Twilight, it was like a cult classic. The first one, the first movie, they didn't do a whole lot with it, but people loved it. So they decided to go with the rest of the books and finish the rest of the movies.

Jen 5:14 Here's the thing. I watched the first movie of Twilight. Hated it. I actually liked the books. I'll admit. I thought they were enjoyable for what they were. I read the entire series, but whoo! And you can't blame it on the acting because I think Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are just amazing actors. As you can see from what they've gone on to do. It was just to me the effects were just awful, right?

Taña 5:44 For me the effects especially when the wolves started talking to each other mind to mind it felt so cringy. That's my son's word: cringy. And it was hard to get through. I did watch all the movies. I read all the books. I am also loath to admit, but I did. And I liked them. But the movies I didn't like as much. But they also broke the fourth book in half.

Jen 6:07 Yeah.

Taña 6:08 That actually was a smart move as well, because that was two different stories anyway.

Jen 6:12 Well, and I think if it were being done today, it would be one of those books that would lend itself that the series would lend itself better to Netflix, or Hulu or Prime series versus movies. It was, yeah, I think they could redo that and be okay. Well, that brings me to one of my favorite book adaptations is Coraline. And it's actually animated. Like stop motion combo of animation. And I love that. It came out in…. What year did that come out?

Taña 6:50 That was years ago.

Jen 6:52 Yeah, it's not exactly a new one. But anyway, when it did come out, it was based on a novella by Neil Gaiman that had been an award winning novella. And since the story was condensed, I feel like it was easy to cover as a film. And the animation was just great. I think Neil Gaiman had a little bit of input involved. So that helps, too.

Taña 7:20 The type of animation was fantabulous, too. Yes, just amazing. I think it was 2009 that Coraline came out.

Jen 7:28 Yeah. 2009 It was directed by Henry Selick and then it was based on the novella. So I think, novellas lend themselves to movie adaptations,

Taña 7:39 You like the novellas.

Jen 7:40 Yeah. Or short stories. A lot of the stuff that Stephen King's written as a short story, and it's been adapted as a movie, have been his best movies like Stand by Me.

Taña 7:51 I would agree. There are some good ones that are normal novels turned into movies. The Hate You Give. I actually saw the movie first. But because I saw that it was a book, I wanted to read the book, like immediately, and I thought both held up. You know, the book held up as a book, the movie held up as a movie.

Jen 8:10 Right? And that's a true to life kind of story, too, right? It's set in present day almost.

Taña 8:16 Yes, and going through what we were going through at the time, social injustices. So it lended itself really well.

Jen 8:21 And that cast, were they pretty much teenagers?

Taña 8:24 They were teenagers. They may have been older teenagers, but they did a very good job. I don't know if Angie Thomas had any input on it, but it followed pretty true to the book as well.

Jen 8:36 Okay. You know, that's one I've read the book. I have not seen the movie, just because, I haven't watched it. But I love the book.

Taña 8:47 Yes. And the movie is great if you ever get a chance to watch it.

Jen 8:50 So my last favorite pick of stuff that's already been done is the 1999 novel. But you know what, it was close to a novella. Novellas are about 200 pages. This was 256 pages. And it is: Perks of Being a Wallflower. And that was written by Steven Chbosky. And when I was looking up information for the podcast, because that's my favorite book to movie adaptation, I found out the writer actually directed the movie.

Taña 9:24 Oh, wow.

Jennifer 9:25 So wow, what a way to ensure - I'm sure there aren't many writers that could probably do both. But I think that's probably why it was so good. The cast was spot on. They covered just about everything. They did leave some stuff out, but what they left out didn't hurt the plot at all.

Taña 9:43 You find that a lot; where they have to lose some of the source material, but it's not - That one, you're saying, it was not a deal breaker for you.

Jen 9:50 Right. Have you seen that movie?

Taña 9:52 I have seen the movie. I haven't finished the book. I want to. It's on my to-read list.

Jen 9:58 Yeah, so it's basically just a teenage coming-of-age story. The kid's dealing with being an outsider somewhat, and he kind of finds his friend group. And then there's a lot of issues that are dealt with. But I felt the cast was really, the casting was strong on that one.

Taña 10:19 It was relatable. Everyone can find themselves in those awkward situations when you're a teenager. So the movie was relatable.

Taña 10:57 Yes, definitely. Whereas Coraline is more geared towards younger.

Jen 11:02 So you liked Harry Potter. Is there another favorite you want to talk about? Before we get into what's coming up?\

Taña 11:08 Well, my husband actually reminded me of one and I wanted to bring it up. I didn't do a lot of research on it, but Bridge to Terabithia is one of my favorite.

Jen 11:11 Oh, that was so good.

Taña 11:12 Yeah. It's such a sad story and movie. And one of the first ones that made my husband cry. I rain down when it's a sad movie, but I actually noticed him crying. It's a great, great book adaptation.

Jen 11:31 I loved it, too. I mean it almost made my list to talk about so I'm glad you mentioned it.

Taña 11:36 Yes. And I forgot about it.

Jen 11:39 It is for a younger audience too. I wanted to choose one that could be fully teen and one that could be solidly Middle School. And I would lump that into a middle school audience.

Taña 11:50 I would do that as middle grade, as well. Yes. But it's definitely one that they can watch without worrying. I mean, it has slightly heavier topics, but it's still right there for middle grade,

Jen 12:00 Right. And here's the thing: You need to allow your children to experience some heavy topics. You'd rather them experience them with you sitting by their side, being able to talk about it, than have to deal with it on their own out in the world. Right?

Taña 12:15 In fact, that's why we were watching it. We were watching it with my son at that age. So you have your favorites. And we looked up a list of some coming out, right? That are possibly coming out soon.

Jen 12:28 Right. Well, I did want to mention. I said what made good movies.

Taña 12:31 That's correct.

Jen 12:32 What makes a bad adaptation? Did you have a bad adaptation you wanted to go over? Because I was going to talk about - it's a fairly recent adaptation. It's: There's Someone Inside Your House. That came out as a Netflix movie and it was based on the 2017 Stephanie Perkins novel. So let me just tell you, the Stephanie Perkins novel, I was like, meh. I gave it three stars. It is what it is. It's, as you pointed out, it's a thriller written by a woman that used to write romance books. So I feel like it's somewhat formulaic. But I did appreciate that there was a diverse cast in the book and in the movie, like the diversity is there. But when I was watching the movie that came out in 2021, and I had read the book, like a month prior to actually watching the movie, I was like, "well, okay. So this is the character Makani. Yeah, and she was from Hawaii, and then these are the friends." But at a certain point, I'm like, "I don't remember this being in the book." And this like, I just read this book. Is this what happened? Am I crazy? This isn't happening. Is it? This wasn't the book.

Taña 13:51 It doesn't even feel like the same one.

Jen 13:54 It felt to me like they took that story and then another story. I don't want to tell you which one because it would potentially spoil the ending but it felt like they were trying to adapt two different books into one. And they changed everything. They changed just everything. Even the ending. it was like, "wow, why even call it an adaptation at this point?" Right?

Taña 14:17 Right. I think that's my biggest concern; is when they stray so far off topic that it's not the same movie to book.

Jen 14:26 And honestly, I mean, as a teen slasher goes, I think the movie is - It's a teen slasher. It's probably gorier and it's definitely - I think it was actually - They made it R. It's TV mature, is what it was called. TV mature.. It's a teen book, but are teens actually gonna want to watch it, is the question, I wonder. I mean, I wanted to watch it. I like slashers, but… It delivered in terms of being a successful slasher movie but it was…

Taña 15:00 Was it boring?

Jen 15:01 It was eh. You know, just like the book. Eh. But I didn't know why they use that.. It's like, if you're gonna change everything, why even say it's an adaptation. So there's my rant. It's over. Now we can go on to what we're looking forward to. What is coming out soon in the next year or so that we're looking forward to in terms of adaptations?

Taña 15:27 We got this list from online and it may not be completely accurate, but that's what we're going on. And it's YA books that are turning into movies hopefully 2022

Jen 15:38 Yes. And some of them may end up being in 2023. I think everything we're covering has an IMDB page. Yeah. So it should actually hit theaters is what we're hoping.

Taña 15:51 Hopefully. Well, the first one and that's why I brought it up. The first one that I'm looking forward to that was on there was On the Come Up. We already talked about The Hate You Give which was by the same author, Angie Thomas. And On the Come Up does have Sanaa Lathan as directing. And if you haven't heard of her, she's been in The Best Man and Love and Basketball. She's a great actress. I've never seen anything she's directed that I know of. But I'm looking forward to it. She does a real good job.

Jen 16:18 And the book, what did you like about the book?

Taña 16:21 I love it's still about social injustice. Angie Thomas does a great job with social injustice. They're very similar, but the characters are very different. So I really liked Bri. Bri is the main character. She's a rapper, and she wants to be a rapper. Her dad was a rapper, and she wants to make it big. She's very sassy. She's outspoken. And that's how she gets what she wants to say across is by rapping. So the difference between this and The Hate You Give just as a quick reference is that in The Hate You Give, things happen to Star who is the lead character there. Her friend is murdered. In On the Come Up everything that happens is what she - is what Bri does. She writes a rap about a social injustice that happens. She decides even against her mom's wishes against her brother's wishes to release that, because she wants what she's saying to be out there. So I'm looking forward to hearing this song because the words were amazing. I just want to hear it, you know, hear it come to life.

Jen 17:27 So it sounds like that, for this to be successful, they'll probably have to have good music involved…

Taña 17:36 Yes. I want to hear this song that she releases out there. So I can't wait to see it come to life. I can't see what they do with it. It looks like it's going to be great. They are still in production. So I'm looking more at the 2023 release date. But they have everything and they are in production now. So it's just when they get finished.

Jen 17:57 Do you know is that going to be a movie? Or is it going to be a Netflix movie?

Taña 17:59 It is a movie.

Jen 18:00 Okay, it's a movie.

Taña 18:02 Yes. I think they're releasing to the big screen.

Jen 18:04 Okay, that's cool. I, and I think I've talked about this book on a previous podcast, but I am so excited they are making Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe. It's a 2012 book by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. And I just, I love the book. It's like a coming-of-age story in the 1980s with two Mexican American boys. And again, it's a social outsider kind of situation where neither of them are super popular. And they meet each other over the summer. Some stuff happens. And it's really about how they, as teenagers and friends, help each other grow and become brave as humans.

Taña 18:54 Oh, that sounds awesome.

Jen 18:56 And you know, that's all I'll say about it. But it looked like the casting was high caliber. So I think there's potential for it to actually be a good movie. It's set in El Paso too.

Taña 19:14 Oh, cool. Do you know if the author is having anything to do with the production?

Jen 19:18 I couldn't tell.

Taña 19:20 Okay.

Jen 19:21 So, I mean, hopefully. I know that Lin Manuel Miranda did the audiobook and I think he is involved in financing this.

Taña 19:35 So he read it, he thought it would make a great movie.

Jen 19:36 Maybe? Maybe. Yeah.

Taña 19:38 It sounds good. That sounds exciting. Well, my next one, I only just recently read this actually. And now I'm looking forward to it. It's my first Sarah Dessen movie, or book. It's: Along for the Ride. She has done other movies from what I've heard, but I haven't seen or read any of her other books. But I enjoyed this one. It was coming-of-age. It was high school to college. It's looking at summer right before college.And she also has to deal with divorce, her parents divorce. And not just deciding what she wants to do with her life, but she got a new sister, and a new relationship. She suffers from insomnia, which is me. So just a nice little simple adaptation, nothing crazy. Coming of age. It looked really good. And it's slated to come out, I think it said May 6th. So coming up

Jen 20:33 Sarah Dessen, she writes a lot of novels, right?

Taña 20:37 A lot about girls going through something, coming-of-age is what it seems like

Jen 20:42 Yeah, I know that at a certain point a couple of years ago, she was really popular with the teens that were checking out materials at my library. So I haven't read any but hopefully they do the book justice.

Taña 20:58 I'm hoping. I'm really excited about the cast. Andy McDowell, Kate Bosworth, and Dermot Mulroney are her parents.The stepmom, the mom and the dad. And so I don't know the main person. She's a newcomer, her name's Emma Pasarow, but they did say that Sarah Dessen is in on the production. She's in there helping with it.

Jen 21:20 Oh, good. Good.

Taña 21:21 Yeah. I'm expecting good things with that one.

Jen 21:24 Yeah. And surprisingly, I only mentioned one upcoming movie. It's because everything else that's upcoming that I want to watch is going to be a series. So do you have any other upcoming movies?

Taña 21:38 I do have just one more movie that I'm looking forward to off that list. And I didn't look up everything on this. I know it has a really good cast as well. I don't know who the director is. But um, Are You there God? It's Me, Margaret. By Judy Blume. I read that growing up. When I was young.

Jen 21:52 Oh,yeah, I think a lot of people did.

Taña 21:55 And believe it or not, the material is still relevant today. She deals with religion. She deals with coming of age, hitting adolescence, you know? She deals with where does she fit in? And how to be popular, starting middle school, all of that.

Jen 22:12 Well, and it was a frequently banned book. So do you remember what it was about the book that caused it to be banned?

Taña 22:21 Mostly it was talking about their periods?

Jen 22:23 That's right.

Taña 22:24 That's all I really remember…

Jen 22:26 Like, wow, people wanted to ban it, because something that naturally happens to women and girls was discussed in an authentic, honest way. Wow.

Taña 22:38 Yes. And it was very authentic, because her and her friends were excited to get them but scared to get them at the same time. Like, that's how we all felt.

Jen 22:47 Yeah, it's kind of a big deal when you're in middle school.

Taña 22:49 It is a huge deal.

Jen 22:51 And that's gonna hit, you're not gonna hit your—whatever. But like, it's definitely on the mind of middle schoolers. So…

Taña 22:59 And there was a lot of talk about religion too. I don't know that that's the reason it was banned. But it's a lot of religion and saying she didn't know which religion she wanted to belong to.

Jen 23:08 Yeah, and I think that in middle school is when you start to kind of get into your social justice self. So I think finding out what you align with is part of that. You'll have friends that will expose you to different things, and you are at the stage in your life where you're starting to try to figure out what describes you best.

Taña 23:32 Well, and you brought up friends, friends in middle school is who decides your whole life, even when your parents want to, that's when you start breaking away? And your friends are defining you more than your parents are anymore. Yeah. It's still relevant, it holds up, and I can't wait to see how they do in that movie.

Jen 23:49 Yeah. And I think that's risky taking such a beloved classic and putting it on the screen. So sometimes that can really lead to a bomb, but like, hopefully this isn't

Taña 24:03 Because you have expectations with it and how it made you feel. And if it doesn't make you feel that way you think it didn't do as good of a job. But, I hope it could find some new comers that don't necessarily read as much. And maybe seeing the movie, they'll be like, oh, I want to read the book.

Jen 24:21 Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely lead them straight to the library.

Taña 24:23 Exactly.

Jen 24:25 Well, I don't know about you, but I could talk about movies forever. That's why we're breaking this into two parts. Because if we tried to tackle series now we would be talking for another 40 minutes.

Taña 24:37 We don't want to hold you up that long.

Jen 24:39 All I can say is thanks for joining us for another episode. Send your book and show suggestions or comments to imagine at the library. We would love to hear from you. Follow us on Facebook for the latest news and events. This has been a production of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. Thanks for listening. Bye bye.