Oscar Contenders – They were books first!

argo  lesmis  pi  lincoln  silverlinings

Many of the best picture nominees this year are based on books –  from serious non-fiction (Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio) to the classics (Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables) to literary fiction (Life of Pi by Yann Martel) to history (Spielberg’s Lincoln had roots in Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals) and to a well-reviewed quiet novel (Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick).

How many have you read? How do the movies compare to the books?

Are you ready for another Pride and Prejudice movie?

The tale of Elizabeth Bennet’s push-and-pull affections toward Mr. Darcy have been endlessly imitated, adapted, modernized, and satirized. There have been three film adaptations, seven miniseries adaptations, a play, and even a Broadway musical. Now, author Jo Baker’s yet-to-be-released novel, Longbourne, which explores Austen’s story from the point of view of the servants in the Bennet household, has been optioned to be turned into a film by Focus Features and Random House Studio Films.

What do you think about this take on P & P, which some are calling “Pride and Prejudice meets Downton Abbey”?