The Exorcist: Season 1 – A Review

Hey guys!
I recently went through the list of shows on Amazon Prime and stumbled upon The Exorcist. As I’m a huge horror movie fan, I had to check it out asap. So let’s see how scary it is…

 

The Plot:
This show is basically a direct sequel to the original Exorcist film. Ignoring the other sequels/prequels, it is set about 40 years after the initial events. Angela Rance is certain that something weird is going on in her house. In fact she suspects her daughter to be possessed. Se enlists the help of a priest, but will he be able to help her? And why did this demon come to Angela’s family in particular?

 

The Rating:
The Exorcist could have easily been a terrible take on re-heating a once successful story. However, the showmakers proved how skilled they are by creating something that is original yet connected to the famous film.
Let me just explain that there are two story lines, which I don’t have equal feelings about. The first one involves the Rance family and the direct events connected to the possession. This part is very interesting and unforeseeable. We got quite a few plot twist I certainly hadn’t seen coming. All of the actors are impressive, but especially Geena Davis and Ben Daniels stood out with their performances.

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Book vs. Movie: Eat, Pray, Love

Hey guys!
Some of you may have read my book review on Elizabeth Gilbert’s famous novel Eat, Pray, Love. Of course I also had to check out the movie adaptation starring none other than the wonderful Julia Roberts. So let’s talk about it!

 

The Plot:
Liz is in a very bad place. Going through a terrible divorce which is followed by a tough break up she’s battling depression. That’s when Liz decides to make a change. She packs her bags and embarks on a journey. Over the course of a year she spends time in Italy, India and Bali, learning about the countries, the people but most importantly about herself.

 

Book vs. Movie:
I’ll begin with few thoughts on the novel which I really enjoyed. If you want to read the full review, click here.
Although I had initially expected this book to be a shallow story that was hyped too much. Well, after reading the first few chapters, my opinion changed completely. Liz Gilbert shared some very interesting and personal thoughts. I highlighted numerous passages throughout the book that offered lots of food for thought and invited further research. Eat, Pray, Love is a rather inspiring novel that will touch you.
So, once I had finished the book, I went to check out the film.

Thursday Movie Picks: Meet the Parents

Hey Guys!
It’s time for another entry for the Thursday Movie Picks series by Wandering Through the Shelves. This week’s topic is Meet the Parents. So let’s take a look at my choices!

 

Shrek 2:
The first funny “meet the parents” scene I thought of is when Shrek meets Fiona’s parents for the frist time. I guess a huge green ogre wasn’t exactly what they had expected for a son-in-law.

 

Meet the Parents:
Of course the obvious choice here is the film Meet the Parents. Ben Stiller. Robert DeNiro. Lots of weird and embarrassing moments. Not my favorite film, but definitely perfect for the topic!

Book Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Hey guys!
It’s book review time. I saw today’s novel in the Goodreads list of a friend and it sounded so fascinating, I just had to check it out! So let’s talk about The Road by Cormac McCarthy…

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Cover from Goodreads)

 

The Plot:
In a post-apocalyptic America a man and son keep walking. There’s nothing but ash and desolation surrounding them. No animals, no food, no shelter. They are heading for the coast, not even knowing what they will find there…

 

The Rating:
The only word that adequately describes this novel is haunting. There’s not much of an explanation what caused the terrible circumstances the father and son are now facing which makes the story even darker. While reading I had an uneasy feeling that I could never quite shake. The plot is somewhat repetitive with actually works perfectly with the overall theme of depression and no hope. It took me a bit to get used to McCarthy’s writing style and to get into the story in general. But then I was hooked. I am still not the biggest fan of this writer’s style, but the story is captivating. It’s a rather short book, so nothing is lost in case you really don’t enjoy the story. 

Thursday Movie Picks: Television Edition – Adapted from a Non-English Series

Hello guys!
This is another entry for the Thursday Movie Picks series by Wandering through the Shelves. This week’s topic is TV related and I am to pick shows that were adapted from a non-english series!

 

I have to make a confession. So far I haven’t seen any of the (original) shows I’m about to present. However, they have been on my list for a while now, so let’s get talking!

 

The Returned (French):
This show focuses on the events in a small town after people who had been dead for quite some time suddenly begin to reappear. As I am currently working on my French, this show is the number one candidate of this list in terms of being watched soon. The idea sounds fascinating, but both the U.S. and the French version were short-lived. I’m quite excited to finally check it out!

Book vs. Movie: Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Hey guys!
It’s time for a book vs. movie post. Today I have a true horror classic for you: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. Tim Burton turned the story into a film in 1999 with Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci in the leading roles. So let’s see how that turned out!

 

The Plot:
Sleepy Hollow is a remote Dutch settlement in New York. However, it comes with a dark legend. Once upon a time a Hessian mercenary died there and has been haunting the villiage ever since. He is known as the Headless Horseman…

 

Book vs. Movie:
So let’s begin with the short story by Washington Irving.
To be perfectly honest, I am disappointed. The tales of the Headless Horseman are so iconic, I expected the original to be somewhat impressive. However, the story is not only very short, it’s also rather uneventful. Let me sum it up real quick for you: Ichabod Crane is the teacher in Sleepy Hollow and he’s courting Katrina Van Tassel (just like a bunch of other guys). One of them scares Ichabod by making him believe the Headless Horseman is after him. Well, he is so embarassed that he skips town.
So the original story is super uneventful. There were attempts at humor but those fell rather flat too.
However, Tim Burton’s movie is a whole other thing. I know there are lots of mixed reviews about this one, but I love it.