A Brief Praise for GONE GIRL and What is Next In October

Whether you enjoy them or hate them film adaptations of books this year have seen relative success. It is mostly a struggle for a fan of a novel however to see their favorite book whittled down to fit two hours. There is the worry that favorite scenes and/or characters will be omitted. Then there’s the worry that one’s carefully constructed perceptions of setting and characters will be changed or distorted by another’s vision of the novel. However there is always that curiosity that one has in seeing how the novel unfolds visually. It almost gives us a moment to feel as if the world of the story, the characters, the connections are tangible.
So last week was the release of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn which has currently made number one in the box office ratings. A combination of elements has made the transition from book to film a success for Gone Girl. One major element is the fact that the film’s screenplay was written by the author herself so a lot of the major plot strands and her vision were held in place by her collaboration in this endeavor. Also we have a director who has made very successful film adaptations of books like Fight Club and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo create the suspense, the mystery of the novel by visually executing it with the help of actors like Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. This does not mean that this is the correct formula for every film adaptation, but this is only a success story.
In upcoming film adaptations for the month of October:
1. Addicted Director: Bille Woodruff Book & Author: Addicted by Zane 2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Director: Miguel Arteta Book & Author: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst 3. Kill the Messenger Director: Michael Cuesta Book & Author: Dark Alliance by Gary Webb 4. The Best of Me Director: Michael Hoffman Book & Author: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks 5. Dracula Untold Director: Gary Shore Book & Author: Dracula by Bram Stoker 6. Before I Go to Sleep Director: Rowan Joffé Book & Author: Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson 7. Horns Director: Alexandre Aja Book & Author: Horns by Joe Hill
-Leslie Verdugo