The NeverEnding Story (1984) – Wolfgang Petersen

The first recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Fellowship of the Ring is Wolfgang Petersen’s 1984 adaptation of only a small part of Micheal Ende’s fantasy novel, The NeverEnding Story. It has been more than thirty years since I watched this one, so I was…

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) – Tay Garnett

The first title on the What Else to Watch list following my screening of Ossessione for The Movie Book, from DK Canada, is the first U.S. adaptation of James M. Cain’s novel, which also served as the basis for Ossessione. The film stars Lana Turner and John Garfield as Cora Smith and Frank Chambers. Frank…

It (2017) – Andy Muschietti

The crowd-pleasing big screen remake of Stephen King’s 1986 novel, It, brings the scares home today thanks to Warner Brothers. Debuting on blu-ray and DVD the entertaining, updated adaptation will make you float too as you visit the town of Derry, Maine. A town of secrets, and terrors in this wonderful coming of age tale….

South Park: The Complete Fourth Season

Boy bands, a haphazard adaptation of Great Expectations that takes a really strange left turn, fat camps, racism, more religion, moving onto the fourth grade – which necessitates new opening credits, and of course some new characters that become just as central to the small mountain town as Stan, Kyle Cartman and Kenny. In a…

Little Women (1933) – George Cukor

The next big title in DK Canada’s The Movie Book is the Civil War epic Gone With the Wind, which I had previously reviewed, so, once again, I moved onto the always educational What Else to Watch list to delve into other titles. That brought me to Cukor’s adaptation of Little Women from 1933. Despite,…

Once Upon a Time in America (1983) – Sergio Leone

Clocking in at almost four hours long, Leone’s cinematic adaptation of  Harry Grey’s original novel is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Godfather. Robert De Niro stars as David ‘Noodles’ Aaronson, a gangster, who after fleeing New York returns over thirty years later…

Cinderella (1950) – Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske

The Movie Book from DK Canada invites me to sit down and take in another Disney classic, this time it is the Mouse’s 1950 adaptation of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. Despite having recognisable songs that have endured over the decades, the film itself, honestly, feels rather boring, and has not weathered time so very…

The Godfather (1972) – Francis Ford Coppola

A cinematic classic. A masterpiece. A gold standard in film. All of these descriptions suit Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s epic novel, The Godfather, perfectly, and it is my next stop in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book as I return to the Thriller genre. Having said all of the above it…

Evita (1996) – Alan Parker

Let’s face it, they can’t all be winners. I’m enjoying the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, and have always enjoyed a good musical. Unfortunately, this one, Evita, a recommendation following my screening of West Side Story just couldn’t hold my attention. A theatrical adaptation of the long running stage musical featuring music…

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) – Vonda N. McIntyre

This week’s Book Shelf brings me to the movie adaptation of Star Trek IV, as I continue to enjoy, discover new stories and revisit old ones with the Pocket Book novels. Working from the film’s original script, McIntyre expands on the film’s story, as well as tying it more strongly into her own stories and…