Book to Screen Club

This week we are looking at should-have-been-at-a-cinema-but-is-on-streaming release, Cherry. Based on the book by Nico Walker (Knopf, 2018), and was released on Apple TV+ on March 12th, 2021. It was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers, Captain America, Arrested Development, Happy Endings, Deadly Class) and adapted by Angela Russo-Otstot (V, Trust Me, The Shield and Jessica Goldberg (Away, The Path, Parenthood). It stars Tom Holland (Unnamed Protagonist), Ciara Bravo (Emily), Michael Rispoli (Tommy), Michael Gandolfini (Cousin Joe), Forrest Goodluck (James Lightfoot), Jimenez (Jeff Wahlberg), and Jack Raynor (Pills & Coke). It was produced by The Hideaway Entertainment, AGBO and Kasbah Films. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @book2screen

We are back with our special edition of the Pod! Book to Studio Ghibli, where we cover all the adaptations (or at least the ones we can get in English) from our favourite animation studio. This week we are looking at Arrietty, based on a classic children's book, The Borrowers by Mary Norton. Arrietty was released in 2020 was the debut film for director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (When Marnie Was There, Mary and the Witch's Flower) and was adapted by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa.  I'm joined for this epic journey into Studio Ghibli by the talented Lauren O'Farrell so please check out her work out on Instagram and Twitter @deadlyknitshade. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @book2screen

This week we are looking at should-have-been-at-a-cinema-but-is-on-streaming release, News of the World. Based off the book by Pualette Jiles (2016), and was released on Netflix on February 10th, 2021. It was directed by Paul Greengrass (Jason Bourne/Bourne Ultimatum/Borne Supremacy, and Captain Phillips), and adapted by him and Luke Davies (Catch-22, Beautiful Boy, Lion, and Life). It stars Tom Hanks (Captain Kidd), Helena Zengel (Johanna), Elizabeth Marvel (Mrs Gannet), Winsome Brown (Anna Leonberger) Neil Sandilands (Wilhelm Leonberger), Micheal Colvino (Almay), Ray Mckinnon (Simon Boudlin), Mare Winningham (Doris Boudlin), Fred Hechinger (John Calley). It was produced by Perfect World Pictures, Playtone, Pretty Pictures and Universal Pictures. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @book2screen

This week we discuss the new Netflix released The Dig! Based on the novel by John Preston (2007) which is based on the real events of the Sutton Hoo House dig. The film was directed by Simon Stone (The Daughter, The Turning), and adapted by Moira Buffini (Harlots, Tamara Drewe, Jane Eyre). It stars  Ralph Fiennes (Basil Brown), Carey Mulligan (Edith Pretty), Lily James (Peggy Piggott), Monica Dolan (Mary Brown), Stuart Piggot (Ben Chaplin), and Johnny Flynn (Rory Lomax). It was produced by Netflix, Magnolia Mae Films and Clerkenwell Films. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @book2screen

We are back with our special edition of the Pod! Book to Studio Ghibli, where we cover all the adaptations (or at least the ones we can get in English) from our favourite animation studio. This week we are looking at Porco Rosso, based on a comic that director Hayao Miyazaki created before adapting it to screen two years later. Porco Rosso was released in 1992, originally meant to a 30 min film for Japan Airlines but ended up as a full-length feature film. And we are thankful for that!  I'm joined for this epic journey into Studio Ghibli by the talented Lauren O'Farrell and please check out her work out on Instagram and Twitter @deadlyknitshade. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @book2screen

Released this month on Netflix is The White Tiger, the Man Booker-winning novel from Aravind Adiga. Published in 2008, it is the story of Balram Halwei and his struggle to rise through the class system of India. The film was directed and adapted by Ramin Bahrani (Fahrenheit 451, Push Cart Man, 99 Homes), and produced by ARRAY Filmworks, Lava Media, Netflix and Noruz Films. It stars Adarsh Gourav (Balram), Rajkummar Rao (Ashok), Priyanka Chopra (Pinky), Mahesh Manjrekar (The Stork), Nalneesh Neel (Vitiligo), Vijay Maurya (Mongoose). You can skip to 10.45 to get the actually review if you don't want to hear out chitchat! As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @book2screen

We were meant to be doing Death on the Nile this month, but because cinemas are shut and there are no new films - we decided to go back and watch Kenneth Branagh's (Artemis Fowl, Death on the Nile, Cinderella, Thor, Sleuth, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing) first film in his Christie-verse - The Murder on the Orient Express. You know he tackled Shakespeare, so the obvious next choice is Agatha Christie.  Based on her 1934 Hercule Poirot novel, the film was release in 2017 - it was adapted by Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049, Green Lantern, The Call of the Wild, Alien, Death on the Nile) and it stars Kenneth Branagh (Hercule Poirot), Leslie Odom Jr. (Dr. Arbuthnot), Tom Bateman (Bouc), Daisy Ridley (Mary Debenham), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (Biniamino Marquez), Penelope Cruz (Pilar Estravados), Josh Gad ( Hector MacQueen), Johnny Depp (Edward Ratchett), Derek Jacobi (Edward Henry Masterman), Sergei Polunin (Count Rudolph Andrenyi), Lucy Boynton ( Countess Elena Andrenyi), Marwan Kenzari (Pierre Michel), Michelle Pfeiffer (Caroline Hubbard), Judi Dench (Princess Dragomiroff), Olivia Colman (Hildegard Schmidt), and William Dafoe (Gerhard Hardman). It was Produced by Twentieth Century Fox, Genre Films, Kinberg Genre, The Mark Gordon Company, Scott Free Productions , Latina Pictures,  and The Estate of Agatha Christie. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @book2screen

We are back with our special edition of the Pod! Book to Studio Ghibli, where we cover all the adaptations from our favorite animation studio. This week we are looking at the debut film by director Gorô Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki. Tales from Earthsea was released in 2006, an adaptation of the beloved fantasy series by Ursula K. Le Guin The film adapts four of the book in her series - A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), A Tomb of Atuan (1971), The Farthest Shore (1972), and Tehanu (1990). Our special guest is the brilliant author Jenny Robins. She is the author of the fantastic new graphic novel, Biscuits (2020, Myriad Editions), please check her out on Twitter @jennyrobins and on Instagram @mywordsfly. I'm joined for this epic journey into Studio Ghibli by the talented Lauren O'Farrell and please check out her work out on Instagram and Twitter @deadlyknitshade. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @book2screen

We are back again with a classic! The famed children's novel The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett ( i mean who still isn't obsessed with keys!). The latest adaptation was of The Secret Garden was released October 23rd on Sky. The film was directed by Marc Munden (The Third Day, National Treasure, Utopia, Vanity Fair) and adapted by Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, Enola Holmes, Dirt Music, Radioactive, The Aeronauts). It stars Stars Dixie Egerickx (Mary), Julie Walters (Mrs Medlock), Colin Firth (Archibald Craven), Isis Davis (Martha), Amir Wilson (Dickon), and Edan Hayhurst (Colin). It was produced by STX Films, StudioCanal, Heyday Films, Fundamental Films, Canal+, and Ciné+.  Our special guest is the brilliant author Nicole Burstein. She wrote Othergirl (Andersen, 2015) and Wonderboy (Anderson, 2016). She also has to release Adult Virgins Anonymous (Coronet, 2020) under her pseudonym Amber Crewe.  Please check her out on Twitter @NicoleBurstein.  As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @books2screen. 

This week take a deep dive into the children's classic, The Witches by Roald Dahl (1983, Jonathan Cape), definitely a beloved classic for all of us. We look at the two film adaptations! The classic version from 1990 directed by Nicolas Roeg and adapted by Allan Scott, starring an on-screen queen Anjelica Huston. And the new 2020 version that came out this year from Warner Brothers directed by Robert Zemeckis and adapted by himself with Kenya Barris and Guillermo del Toro. It stars Anne Hathaway and Octavia Spencer. Does the new version give us anything NEW or is it just overshadow by the original?  As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @books2screen.

Rebecca. Rebecca. Rebecca. Or in Ben Wheatleys' case - Rebecca. Alfred Hitchock. Daphne Du Maurier. This week we look at the LATEST Netflix release of Rebecca. Based on the famous psychological thriller by Daphne Du Maurier (1938, Victor Gollancz). This latest version is directed by Ben Wheatley (A Field in England, Free Fire, and High Rise), and adapted by Jane Goldman (Kingsman, Kick-Ass, X-Men, Stardust), and Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse (Seberg, Frankie & Alice, Race, The Aftermath). Starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas.  As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @books2screen.

This week we cover  The Case of the Missing Marquess (Enola Holmes #1) by Nancy Springer (Puffin, 2007) and the new adaptation on Netflix. A charming and delightful read! It was directed by Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve, Dickensian, and Sugar Rush) and adapted by Jack Thorne (The Secret Garden, The Eddy, His Dark Materials, Radioactive, The Aeronauts, and Dirt Music). Starring an all-star cast that includes Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. Make sure to check out my co-host, Lara Callaghan's  work in the new WIP Comics anthology at https://wipcomics.co.uk/ If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on Twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @books2screen.

This week we cover The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollack (Doubleday, 2011) and the new adaptation by directed by Antonio Campos (The Sinner, The Punisher, Christine, Simon Killer, and Afterschool), as well adapted by Antonio and Paulo Campos. Starring all the superhero and British were some memorable southern accents. An unrelentingly brutal read and watch, but it has its own rewards if you can make it to the end. As per usual spoilers aplenty! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text. If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @books2screen. 

This week we covered the new Netflix release I'm Thinking of Ending Things - by Canadian author Iain Reid (2016, Scout Press) and adapted & directed by Charlie Kauffman (Eternal Anomalisa, How and Why, and Synecdoche, New York). Warning lots of spoilers! We break down the book and the film and try and figure out whether or not the original is the best or did they improve on the text.  If you have any questions/comments/requests for the show, follow us on twitter @bks2scrn, or visit our Instagram @books2screen

We are starting a new mini-series for The Book to Screen Club! Being huge fans of Studio Ghibli we are excited to be covering all the book to screen adaptations from the studio. On the cusp of the new English translation of Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono (1975) from Penguin Random House (and being one of my favorite Studio Ghibli films! ), we are excited to take a DEEP dive into the book and the amazing film adapted and directed by Hayao Miyazaki (1989). I'm joined for this epic journey into Studio Ghibli by the talented Lauren O'Farrell and please check out her work out on Instagram and Twitter @deadlyknitshade. 

This week we look at the summer release of Days of the Bagnold Summer, an adaptation of Joff Winterhart's graphic novel (2012, Jonathan Cape). The screenplay is written by Lisa Owens, author of Not Working and directed by Simon Bird of The Inbetweeners' fame. It was released on June 8th on various streaming platforms. Also, we get down and discuss some of the book/film releases we'll be trying to cover in the next few months! As always SPOILERS WARNING! You can follow us for more updates @books2screen on Instagram and @bks2scrn on Twitter. 

This week we are covering  The Invisible Man (2020) film release, written and directed by Leigh Whannel. Starring the great Elisabeth Moss, who is definitely showing off some skills in this film. Inspired by the classic science fiction novella by H.G. Wells. We read & watched both, break them down and look at the parallels between the two. Does the film capture the essence of the book? A book that has inspired countless adaptations and a character that is seminal in the monster movie - is this modernization too far or a much needed fresh take? *Spoilers* 

We take a look at Lauren Redniss 'Radioactive' (2010), an illustrated/graphic novel biography of Marie & Pierre Curie. It was recently adapted into a film starring Rosamund Pike (Marie Curie) and Sam Riley (Pierre Curie), directed by Marjane Satrapi and screenplay by Jack Thorne. It was released in cinemas earlier this summer and is available on Amazon Prime. 

Netflix's summer blockbuster, replacing our normal cinema summer action flick - The Old Guard! Based on the comic series by Greg Rucka & Leandro Fernandez. The screenplay was adapted by the writer Greg Rucka, and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. We break down the comic and film, and our own very biased opinions. Lots of spoilers if you haven't consumed either! You can skip to 9.48 to when we start discussing the adaptation because before that is a lot of pop culture chitchat! 

This month we cover the recent release of How to Build a Girl on Amazon, starring the fantastic Beanie Feldstein. The book is written by Caitlin Moran, as well as having adapted it for the film. Spoiler Warning!