May 2022 – Logan Sekulow

Top 8 Movies that Are Exactly Similar to their Mother Novels

It is extremely rare for a movie to go exactly as the book reads. Book to film adaptations take on many alterations aimed at making movies easier and cheaper to produce. Most of famous films that have graced the screens are film adaptations of creative writers. The goal of film adaptations is to bring in the visual and audio elements which evidently lacks in books and novels. Film makes storytelling much more captivating pulling the viewer’s attention in and keeping it until the story ends.
Most novels are restricted by the lack of visual and audio aid to present their ideas to the audience. With that in mind, here are the top eight movies known to be borrowed from novels.

1. Fight Club

In this movie, the movie’s narrator works with the eponymous club to solve problems in the underground society. He works with a man we are made aware of as a figment of his rather creative imagination. The production team does a decent job of following the book to the letter.

2. Trainspotting

The film Trainspotting is written in Scottish, which may make it necessary for some viewers to require subtitles. The book tells the story of a band of young oddities with unique elements. The young men go through a life highlighted by one misfortune after another. They struggle with sobriety in UK’s drug underworld, struggling to emerge in a single piece.

3. The Exorcist

This film is based on the novel The Exorcist, written by Blatty and published in 1971. The movie captures every detail of the novel because Blatty worked as a producer during the film’s production. The film was so on point that it won Blatty an Academy Award. Thanks to his creative genius, The Exorcist remains a horror classic to date.

4. The Grifters

Donald Westlake writes the screenplay for this movie. He aims to bring a modern feel to the noir crime genre for young viewers to enjoy and relate to. He went to great lengths to stylize the film and stayed true to the novel. Jim Thompson wrote the novel.

5. American Psycho

Easton Ellis’ 1991 creative novel American Psycho takes a deep, disturbing dive into the mind of a serial killer. The movie does a great job adopting Bateman’s character and music taste living out no detail. The only discrepancy in the movie is that the killer uses a weapon during a monologue in the film.

6. The Coen Brothers

Borrowed from the Cormac McCarthy novel, No Country For Old Men. The Coen Brothers follow the novel’s plot to the letter changing only a few signature styles to the film. The film quickly draws the viewer to the dark Western tale, which does little to define the true protagonist keeping the viewer in suspense.

7. Jesus’ Son

In a quest to discover who he is and how to truly love himself, a young man is caught up in drug-fueled adventures in a misguided effort to feel true belonging. The film only changes the order of events to make them flow.

8. High Fidelity

The only difference between the story and the film is that they are set in different cities. Every other detail is followed to a T. Nick Hornby’s novel sets the story in London while the film is acted in Chicago. Because of the difference in continents, the viewer will notice some cultural differences, which add some zest to the story.

How Netflix Could Save Itself

After losing subscribers for the very first time in more than ten years, Netflix is still hurting from its stock decline last month.

To swing the narrative back in its favor, experts have proposed introducing advertisements and restricting password sharing. However, Netflix may assist itself by forming alliances with movie theaters, a sector with whom it was formerly at war.

While Netflix has released several films in cinemas and even purchased a few theaters, the majority of its theatrical releases have been limited on purpose. Now that the streamer is nursing its wounds and theaters are slowly recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, it may be time for both sides to unite.

The Need To Start Releasing Films in Theatres

By releasing more films in cinemas, Netflix (NFLX) may generate additional revenue from box-office sales, broaden its brand to more prospective subscribers, and make its movies more distinctive – something the company has previously battled with.

In spite of being the streaming leader with 221 million worldwide subscribers, winning numerous Oscars, and collaborating with some of the top names in Hollywood, Netflix has still not seen many of its movies become as popular as its series, such as “Stranger Things,” whose latest season airs later this month.

Consider “Red Notice,” for instance. The movie featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Gal Gadot was the company’s most-watched film ever, as per Netflix, but it failed to generate any form of blip in mainstream culture.

Talking to CNN business, Andrew Hare, a senior vice president of research at Magid, said that it is very hard to create a big film series without theater releases. As the corporation increases its product line, a lot of titles may require theatrical distribution. Not only for award season, but also for the buzz necessary to be a key player at a hybrid moment in a period that has one foot in physical media and the other in digital media.

What Is The Obstacle?

Both Netflix and cinemas have disagreed on how long a picture should play in theaters, which has been one of the most significant obstacles.

Netflix’s business model is dependent on sign-ups, thus it does not want customers to wait for films, but theater owners who rely on foot traffic desire exclusivity for as long as possible.

In 2019, the two parties could not agree on how long Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “The Irishman” should play in cinemas before being released on streaming services. As per the New York Times, theaters desired an exclusive window of 70 days, however Netflix would not go beyond 45 days.

But the coronavirus pandemic altered everything by reducing the industry-wide theatrical window. Even established companies such as Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures are releasing theatre films on streaming services within a few weeks or occasionally simultaneously.

Beyond the theatrical window, there are other concerns, given that Netflix is unfamiliar with the theater industry’s additional expenses.

According to Andrew Hare, it is not as straightforward as a homepage takeover. It is transitioning from the digital to the physical realm. Funds are required for marketing and promotion… A lot of enormous tactical and strategic decisions must be taken.

And increasing the number of films in cinemas might harm Netflix’s business model. If you can watch the one Netflix film you’re dying to see in a cinema, does it reduce your motivation to subscribe?

Working more closely with theaters has both positive and negative aspects for Netflix. However, the corporation has to right its ship, and cinemas are gradually returning to normal, so it may be time for the streaming service to promote more of its films.

Going To See A Movie Is Back In Style

Think again if you thought a trip to the movies was becoming a dying game. Finally, after two highly challenging years for movie lovers and studio owners alike, the $185 million hit movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” hit theatres pouring some much-needed life back into the almost stagnant movie industry. Mooky Greidinger, the CEO of Cine world Group PLC, aka the second-largest movie theater chain, predicts this movie will be one of the biggest box office successes of the year!.

Covid-19 Brought the Movie Industry to its Knees

Thanks to Covid-19 and all the upheaval that it bought with it, movie ticket sales have been looking rather grim for a long time. Unless, of course, it was for die-hard fans to catch the latest marvel or Spiderman movie; people only seemed to want to venture out to the flicks for a kid’s movie or a decent horror. Then, of course, the press tried to fire up some excitement about films such as The Lost City and Uncharted, but honestly, they didn’t live up to the hype, let alone the cinema and studio owners’ hopes and dreams.

So, things were not looking great for the movie industry. But apparently, that’s all set to change now with the busiest movie season of the year about to unfold. Greidinger believes there is a strong lineup of movie blockbusters on the way, not only for 2022 but also for 2023.

Time for a Shake-Up

He also believes for cinemas to attract more patrons, they need to show a movie at the theatre for a shorter time than just 45 days. He believes that this idea sits well with not just moviemakers but also the studios. The time for a movie to show at theaters was an issue for almost ten years.

No one knew if it should be shorter or longer, but the two years during the Pandemic gave studios some time to experiment. And thanks to Covid-19, they now have their answer. They tried both shorter and longer windows and concluded a movie needs to show for a decent amount of time.

Keep the Movies Coming

If you look at Spider-Man’s tremendous success, the window was 88 days, and it was the most significant electronic sell-through title released ever.

He also feels studios need to get a better grip on how they are running their cinemas if they want to keep ahead of the game. For example, you cant run a great movie such as ‘Black Widow’ or ‘Shang Chi,’ and then there is no other significant release for three weeks.

You can’t run a business like that; you need to keep the movies flowing to keep the seats in the cinemas full. People who love to go to the film expect two or three new ones every week.

Some Great Movies Ahead

So, after the extensive overhaul in the movie industry, get ready to be excited about a range of movies to suit every family member. Doctor Strange is just the beginning on board the express train of upcoming hits such as Top Gun, Jurassic World, Toy Story, Minions, and Thor.

So there you have it.

If you’re partial to going on a movie date and getting comfy with your popcorn, your kids, or your significant other, then going to the movies is still a “thing” and will for the foreseeable future.

The Unusual Bookshop in Toronto

Ever heard of an unusual bookshop? The Monkey’s Paw bookshop in Toronto is one rare bookshop selling some of the rarest and most absurd books globally. Some of the books and pieces of work present here are not the type anyone would stumble upon even once or twice in their life.

Moreover, by just stepping into this picturesque store, one will get the 18th-Century Victorian Bookshop vibe and get a chance to escape the reality of simply entering the Bloor street west shop located in downtown Toronto.

Interior of the Monkey’s Paw Bookstore

The interior design of this magnificent bookshop consists of;

• Checkered floors covered with red Turkish carpets,

• Shelves are seemingly decorated and lined with the most colorful aging books, beautiful, macabre, arcane, and absurd.

The only books one can find in this lovely bookshop are those published Before the 1980s. Moreover, most of the books explore topics on psychology, sexuality, and fashion during the olden days.

The Monkey’s Paw allows one to experience a mixture of weird and unique at the same time. Just perusing through the books gives one a different feel of the world’s evolution in writing, thoughts, and experiences.

Some Books from the Store

• Where Did We Come From, Mother Dear

• A Study of Bird Song

• Roller Disco Dancing

• Airline Safety is a Myth

• How to Photograph Women

• Ghosts in Photograph

Thus, even from the title of these books, one can already get what absurd, unusual, and rare means.

In addition, The Monkey Paw’s bookshop offers an ancient feel to eras when thoughts about specific subjects were different from the recent time. Also, the titles suggest that some of the topics were being explored for the first time as they came at the height of new inventions.

Furthermore, most of the books found in this store are not available on any online website or other ordinary bookstores. Thus, if you miss a specific book, the chances are that you might never come across it again.

It even gets better at the very back of the bookstore, where there is a turquoise-colored huge contraption. Fowler, the store owner, calls it the world’s first random book vending machine or otherwise known as The Biblio-Mat. This book vending machine spurts out any randomly selected old book with just a token of $4. Besides, when CTV News Toronto visited The Monkey Paw’s bookshop and used the Biblio-Mat, it popped out a copy of the book titled “A Party of Baccarat” by Donn Byrne, published in the year 1930.

Hearing the machine fumble and clumsily spurt while ejecting a book into your hands brings happiness to its users. Fowler calls this machine a Labour of love as it was made for him by a friend.

Fowler does not sell the $4 books out of a vending machine to get rich, but he uses the machine to keep his customers and book lovers excited. He strives extra hard to ensure all books in the vending machine are those no one has ever heard of or seen before. Fowler adds that the books in his machine can be anything apart from those you recognize.

Nonetheless, Toronto is home to several rare and hidden treasures. Thanks to business owners like Fowler, the world can see and experience such unique treasures. During his 30 years in the book business, Fowler says he finds terrific and, at the same time, weird stuff every single day, yet each time he sees books he has never set his eyes on before. How cool is that!