Book vs. Movie: Rosemary’s Baby (1968+2004)

Hey guys!
It’s time for a very special book vs. movie post. I’m sure most of you will know Roman Polanski’s iconic film Rosemary’s Baby. In 2014, a remake was shot, consisting of two parts with Zoe Saldana as Rosemary instead of Mia Farrow. I had never realized that the story is actually based on Ira Levin’s book, so I quickly went to the library to catch up…

 

The Plot:
Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are a happy young couple. Recently one of their biggest wishes came true. They got an apartment in a famous old building. It all seems to be perfect, even the somewhat irritating elderly neighbors are nice.
Soon Rosemary gets pregnant and Guys starts to change. Ro starts to wonder whether everybody is a bit too nice. Is she just paranoid or onto something?

 

The Rating:

First of all the novel. Ira Levin certainly created a classic in terms of horror literature. I can see how groundbreaking and shocking it must haven been when it was published in 1967. Today almost everybody knows the story, so there’s not that much a plot twist left to discover, but back in the day it surely was unexpected. I enjoyed the way he builds up the characters, making their every move feel relatable. Despite the many years that have passed and a few things simply not being familiar, I could still lose myself in the story. Moreover, Levin is very subtle about all the horror, that’s what makes it even creepier. Instead of being very in your face all the time, the little hints, the not knowing is what makes your skin crawl.

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Book Talk: The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan (Trials of Apollo #3)

Hey guys!
Rick Riordan’s latest installment of The Trials of Apollo was published a couple of weeks ago. I was very excited to get my hands on The Burning Maze! Let’s see what it’s about…

The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan (Cover from Goodreads)

 

The Plot:
Apollo aka Lester continues his quest to free all the oracles. He’s tramping the maze with our favorite satyr Grover and the ever so irritating demigod Meg to find the third emperor who’s making camp out in the west. Who might that be? And will our heroes be able to defeat him?

 

The Rating:
Where do I begin. I have to many feelings about this book. We all know by now that Rick Riordan is a master of his trade. With The Burning Maze he delivered another smart, funny, moving novel that you won’t be able to put down. 

Movie Mania: Pinocchio (1940)

Hey guys!
Can you believe that I’ve never seen Disney’s famous movie Pinocchio until a few weeks ago?
Well, I’m finally catching up with the classic, so let’s see what I think about it!

 

The Plot:
I’m sure, you are familiar with the story. Gepetto, an elderly woodworker, finishes as wooden marionette. He wishes on a star for the doll to become real a boy. When he wakes up the next morning the puppet has come to life.
Pinocchio wants to be  a real boy, but he still has a lot to learn…

 

The Rating:
Pinocchio is quite magical.
The animation style reminds me of my childhood. It gives me a fuzzy warm feeling somewhere deep down. But nostalgia aside, Pinocchio is one of Disney’s best movies. They managed to find the balance between light fun and earnest topics. Pinocchio’s struggle, the tale of vice and virtue is told wonderfully. Without too much finger pointing and a sprinkle of fairy dust, we learn what is right and what is wrong.

TV Show Spotlight: Bored to Death

Hey guys!
I haven’t done a TV Show Spotlight post in a while. So today I want to go over a show for which I have rather mixed feelings.

 

The Plot:
Jonathan Ames was dumped by his girlfriend and he struggle with writing his novel. Desperate for a change and something to do, he decided to become a private investigator.

 

Why should you check it out?
As I’ve mentioned before, my mind is not completely made about this one yet. To be honest, I’ve only seen four episodes yet. First of all, it’s funny. Especially the main character reminds me of somebody and is very relatable in general. Jason Schwartzman is kind of cute as Ames and Zach Galifinakis is hilarious as his best friend. However, at times the main character can get somewhat annoying. You just want to yell at him to get his shit together.

Book Talk: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Hey Guys!
Today’s book review is in honor of Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest minds of our time. When he passed away in March, we lost an amazing scientist. So let’s talk about his book A Brief History of Time.

A Brief History of Time – Cover from Goodreads

 

The Plot:
With A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking explains physics in words that everybody is able to understand. From the big bang to relativity and quantum mechanics. He covers it all!

 

The Rating:
I’ve always been interested in physics but unfortunately at my school there were basically no classes. So I felt less than informed on the topic and didn’t know where to start to learn about it.
A Brief History of Time was certainly a good choice. First of all, Stephen Hawking tries to cover a lot of stuff and explains from the very beginning. Thus, the reader can follow the evolution of physic!
Furthermore, he uses some nice metaphors, to make it easier to grasp. It definitely helped to have a familiar picture that I could connect with the sometimes complicated topics.

Book vs. Movie: Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Hello my lovely readers!
You may be aware that a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s famous novel Murder on the Orient Express hit cinemas in 2017. However, before I check out the new movie, I got started with the book and the popular 1974 film!

 

The Plot:
Hercule Poirot just wanted to relax on the train while making his way back to London. He’s out of luck. One wintery night a murder occurs and as the train is snowed in, it’s upon Poirot to solve the crime and catch the killer…

 

Book vs. Movie:
I usually start with the novel, but in this case I had seen the film a few times already. So let’s talk about the movie.
One of the first things you might notice about it is the impress list of cast members. Lauren Bacall, Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Anthony Perkins and many more make an appearance. So this simply has to be a brilliant film, right?
The scenery and costumes are wonderful. The story is presented in an intricate and capturing way that will certainly keep you guessing.
Let’s share some insights on the novel, before a little comparison.