Addicted to Writing

Manage Your Freelance Writing Career While Writing What You Love

The book or the movie? That’s the question.

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

Note: I use affiliate links in this post. If you buy through them, it’s no extra cost to you, but I make a little money, which goes toward running this blog.  

I have a confession to make. I don’t always prefer the book. Sometimes, the movie adaptation works fine. You know, when I haven’t read the book first.

I don’t plan it that way. I am just as much into watching movies as I am into reading books. I add a movie to my watchlist or just start watching and then find out it’s based on a book. If I’m already excited about the film, I’m not going to wait until I read the book.

So I watch the movie. And if I really like it, I hunt down the book. This makes disappointment less likely since at this point I’ll have read an article or two about how different these two works of art are. And I won’t be disappointed with the casting – I will just imagine the actors as the leads.

You never know. Sometimes, the movie will have changed things for the better and you won’t enjoy the book. Sometimes, the changes will have worked fine for the medium, and both will give you a lot of joy (Looking at you Red, White, and Royal Blue. (aff.link))

On the other hand, I can’t say the same about Cold Mountain (aff. link). It’s a visual feast. I can’t find fault with it. But I couldn’t get through the novel for some reason.

When did I hate a movie adaptation? Runaway Jury.

Hear me out. Had I not read the novel first (aff.link) – which happens to be one of my favorite novels ever – I would have loved that film. The cast and genre alone would have lured me in. But they changed the core of the novel. A fascinating case against the big tobacco became a gun violence thing.

And… look, I get how more visually impressive (and emotionally more touching and more mainstream ) this decision is. The problem?  I loved the plot and the twists and the characters specifically because it was a big tobacco case. And I feel like we have enough great and moving movies about guns. Why couldn’t I have this one? (If you have seen and read Runaway Jury let me know what you think.)

Then there are movie adaptations that are enjoyable enough, if not as memorable as the novels. Two Sophie Kinsella adaptations come to mind: Confessions of a Shopaholic (starring Isla Fisher) and Can You Keep A Secret? (starring Alessandra Daddario). If I had to pick one, I’d pick the novel. But the movies are pleasant experiences and I am glad they exist.

Everyone’s experiences will be different based on taste and expectations. If you hated the adaptation, you’re right. If you loved it, you are right. 🙂

What about you? Which adaptations did you love? Which ones do you hate? Let me know! 🙂

 

4 Benefits of Watching Movies You Don’t Like

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Since the Oscar nominees were announced and there is always a lot of disagreement on who deserved what, let’s talk about movies we don’t like.

I just saw a critically acclaimed movie and was seriously disappointed. It has so many nominations, and no doubt, will win a bunch. (Some of the nominations, I believe it deserves, though.)

The trailer promised a magical time, but I was left bored and unfulfilled. And this is good news.

No, I don’t like torturing myself. And I do naturally prefer movies that show me a good time. But there are benefits to watching stuff that you don’t enjoy.

Let’s go:

1)   You get to practice editing in your mind. I’ve got nothing against the movie’s plot or the genre. My biggest issue with the film was its runtime. A little over two hours, the movie got too relaxed at getting its point across. Had this film been about 90 minutes, I’d have probably enjoyed it as much as its trailer. While you think about what scenes that could have been left out, this is a visual addition to your editing instincts. A scene might make sense, look great or make you feel. But does it really push the story forward?

2)   Critical sweethearts tend to have solid points going for them. In addition to a stellar cast, this movie boasts of gorgeous cinematography and set pieces. The movie can teach a thing or two about delivering on a limited budget.

3)  You learn a thing or two about how you love your antagonists. Watching this movie made me realize I tend to like grey antagonists more. They don’t necessarily have to be relatable or misunderstood. They don’t have to be brilliant or have a wicked sense of humor. But a full-on psychopath with no admirable qualities? That is boring. And annoying. Picture this guy: He is a psychopath. He is a pervert. He is racist.  He is not particularly eloquent. He is narcissistic. I didn’t have the best time with this villain even though he is portrayed by an actor I love.

4)   We all have different tastes. A lot of people loved this movie. But a lot of people also didn’t. So it is likely that there is a market for your well-written story.

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Even the movies or books you don’t like teach you things. Watching a movie is hardly ever an empty experience for a fiction writer.

What do you think? Have you seen or read something lately that let you down a bit? What did you take from it?

 

 

 

 

5 Tips on How To Watch Movies According To Your Writing Needs

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movies

A writer has to read a lot. For fun, inspiration, motivation, and to get better at their craft. It also helps with market research.

And a screenwriter doesn’t just have to read a lot; they have to watch a lot too.

But with only 24 hours a day, so many other tasks, possibly a day job and of course your writing, you can’t watch everything.

So how do you choose?

Easy. You prioritize.

What prompted this post was that I’ve over 500 movies on my watchlist on IMDB. If you eliminate the guilty pleasures, there are still over 400 movies to analyze.

And I’m someone who has watched a lot of movies. I’m still so behind, it is crazy.

So let me help you choose what to watch (again).

  • Genre. I try to watch in similar genres to what I’m writing. It helps to see what was made and how it was made. But it also helps flex your creative muscles when you watch stuff outside of your comfort and taste zone. So mix it up whenever you can.

 

  • Box office and budget. Box office result matters, as well as how much the movie cost. Which budget range gets more movies? Low, medium or high? Which budget range tends to make the best profits?

Commercial success is a huge plus. After all, rarely anyone writes hoping not to be watched by a lot of people. But the budget is very important when you are deciding based on box office. I give priority to a 50mil dollar movie that made over 200, rather than a 200-million that made a billion.

Because:

A) I don’t write movies that will cost that much to make. You could put Tom Cruise in it (I know, I wish), and it still wouldn’t cost that much to make. Well, apart from what you’d have to pay him. 🙂

B) Quality movies that were shot with relatively small budgets give me hope, and it teaches me a lot.

You can use boxofficemojo.com to check budget and box office information.

  • Cast. There are a lot of actors whose works I enjoy, and all of these actors are people I’d love to work with. So I want to know what kind of scripts they are attracted to.

Try IMDB for the cast info.

  • Critical acclaim and/or audience reactions. Some movies become cult hits years after they are released. Festival wins/awards and other critical acclaim intrigue me. Why did this one particular movie become so popular, successful, and/or loved?

I wasn’t going to watch Dunkirk since it is not a genre I’m particularly interested in. But the audience reactions are so mixed, now I’m tempted. And one can always learn from director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, Memento), so there’s that.

  • Relaxation and entertainment. And many of our best work comes when we are not stressed out. So forget everything above, and choose according to whatever you feel like. You can always change the disc or walk out of the movie theatre if you are unhappy. And even that shows on what/how not to write.

If you need suggestions, feel free to comment with what you are looking for, and I’ll get you started in the right direction.

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Obviously, not all movies will have all of the qualities you’re looking for. But your time is limited, so you should try to kill as many birds as possible with one stone.

Now, this reminds me…what should I watch tonight? (Comment your suggestions please!)

Mixing Sci-Fi with Drama: On Writing Mixed Genres, Unlikely Couples and the Film Another Earth

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Another Earth starring Brit Marling and William Mapother
Another Earth starring Brit Marling and William Mapother. Image via lecahierducritik.blogspot.com.

I love a complicated love story. I also like watching stories where the problems aren’t what we have heard about a thousand times before. (If you tell it well, and with actors I love, I have a special place in my heart for stories we have heard before. Just avoid my pet peeves, and I’ll love your efforts for it.)

Yes, it’s difficult writing something new, or newish. Notice I didn’t mention the word original. While I think we definitely have more than 12 or so variations of stories in total, I also believe it’s like mission impossible to create something original. You can probably train to be an  Agent Ethan Hunt in the real world and survive before creating something unique.

Back to problematic couples. I read somewhere that if you are writing a love story where the guy is firefighter, the girl better be an arsonist. That’s a bit extreme, and it’d probably be better suited for an R-rated 90s thriller, but we don’t have to take it literally.

Some of my favorite TV and movie couples do have backgrounds or presents that make them star-crossed (or arsonist vs. firefighter):

I also love couples who are actually perfect for one another but can’t notice this for some reason, but that’s another post.

And sometimes, one plotline that would seem cheesy, overdramatic or plain unbelivable becomes one of the most touching and interesting romantic stories told because the drama and romance are balanced with sci-fi elements, and it’s more about surviving guilt and tragedy than romantic bliss.

One such story is the 2011’s Another Earth, written by Brit Marling and Mike Cahill. Directed by Mike Cahill, Another Earth gives us a pretty unlikely scenario both in its romantic and sci-fi plots:

Just as another Earth appears, 17-year-old Rhoda (Brit Marling) celebrates her acceptance at MIT. On her way back home, drunk and fascinated by this second earth, she loses control of her vehicle and crashes into the car of John Burroughs (William Mapother), killing his pregnant wife and 5-year-old son, and putting him in a coma.

She’s out after four years in prison. She’s still fascinated by this second earth, but this time for different reasons. Contact is made, and it’s discovered that the inhabitants are us – our parallel selves. Space travel is planned, and Rhonda tries her luck by submitting an essay.

As expected, she finds it hard to readjust to the world and deal with the guilt. She takes a cleaning job to be away from people. She also researches the accident, and finds out John, who used to be a respected composer and professor, is awake.

She goes to his house to apologize but ends up telling him that the company she works for offers free cleaning trials.

Rhoda keeps coming, and they slowly connect. They become pretty much the only person the other feels good around again.

As the second earth becomes closer and competition results approach, we are left one of the most interesting humane conflicts.

So do you tell the guy you’ve just started a relationship with that you’re the one who killed his family? Do you just leave him in this world to discover your other self in another earth?

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There’re many questions the movie brings to mind, and we will get to that in a bit.

But let’s talk about how sci-fi takes the romance to another level, and the romance saves you from delving too much into the sci-fi ,which as a fan of the movie, I loved.

When I wrote about the movie on Facebook, one of my friends suggested it sounded like a lifetime movie – if not for the sci-fi. And on the surface, it might sound like that. But it is not. And to give more details, I will give spoilers. You’ve been warned. (It’s not to late to save the post, watch the movie and come back.)

They don’t move on with each other, not entirely. He still has a big whole left in his heart. Granted, he could move on a little with her, had she not told him the truth. However, she can’t let him ask her to stay without telling him what she has done.

And the end couldn’t have felt more right or bittersweet: she gives him her ticket after discovering that the two earths have a four-year time difference. He can go instead of her, and with luck, his family will still be alive.

The last scene is even better. She’s visited by her Earth 2 self. She seems more put together. Better dressed. Like how she would have looked if she didn’t have an accident and went to college instead of prison.

Of course how she ended up on Earth 1 is up to each viewer’s interpretation.

I’d like to think she got some closure by knowing she didn’t crash, or at least didn’t kill people.

I’d like to think John got his closure by seeing his family is fine and all right.

The cynics believe John might challenge and try to replace the second John.

I’d like to think they will somehow have the technology and he’ll come back. Otherwise it’ll be a weird two of the different-but-the-same dad situation.

What Another Earth Makes Us Ask

Is it enough or not that she got only 4 years?

It was an accident, but she was drunk. She was distracted. Frankly, as a judge, I would have been more furious that she was smart enough to be accepted by MIT and stupid enough not to have called a cab/parent. (Yes, there wouldn’t be a movie otherwise, but the amount of sentencing is fair debating ground.)

And I don’t think she thought it was enough either. She was understandably a mess, deliberately injured herself, and she wanted an alienated presence.

She kind of lived like she was still in prison most of the time.

Should she have gone to apologize?

Would you want an apology in a situation like that? Would that help anyone? Reliving the unthinkable? Would it help her move on or make her feel even worse after making him relive things?

Hell, he could have killed her right then, and she’d probably not fought.

Should she have told him who she was?

Which is more selfless- letting him live a happier lie or make him not only face the tragedy again with vengeance?

How would you feel if you’d started a relationship with the person who accidentally killed your family?

As opinionated as I’m about most things, part of me wanted him not to know. He was just starting to live a little again.

Of course the right thing would be to either tell him the truth right away or not contact him at all. Because let’s face it, if he wanted a confrontation, he’d have made it happen. (We learn in the movie how he prevented it, and how he didn’t know her identity.)

But probably more prominently:

Would you like to meet the other you? What would you say?

I’m still thinking. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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So there you go. A very humane and engaging story that mixes romance and sci-fi. I recommend it, though a bit of suspension of disbelief is required as with most movies.

And if you have other favorite unlikely onscreen couples, please share in the comments.

 

 

 

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