Book Adaptations Nominated for the 2015 Oscars
We live in a time where when film industries run out of new ideas and story-lines for films, their next and only option is to pick up a bestseller. Which, no doubt, is great for a bookworm such as myself because what’s better than seeing your favorite book get adapted into a great movie? Admittedly not all those adaptations are even remotely good, that’s when you want nothing more than for Hollywood to stop slaughtering your precious books. Nevertheless there are always those rare, precious moments when these big film industries get it right”
So let’s see what book adaptations these big film industries did a great job with. Great enough that they were nominated for the 2015 Oscars.
The Theory of Everything based on Travelling to Infinity:My Life With Stephen by Jane Hawking
Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Actor
Actor Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Score
Why you should read it: An amazing, heart-throbbing narrative by Stephen Hawking’s first wife, Jane as she gives readers a deep insight into her sometimes complicated and painful married life with the famous physicist Stephen Hawking.
Still Alice based on Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Nominated for:
Best Actress
Why you should read it: The story of well-known Harvard professor Alice Howland, who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 50. The novel tells a deep, heart-breaking tale of how she fights to keep her life the same while forgetting parts of it.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies based on The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
Nominated for:
Best Sound Editing
Why you should read it: Does it even need saying? The Hobbit is how it all started. It’s not possible to read the Lord of the Rings without ever picking up The Hobbit. Published in 1937, it follows the thrilling adventures of a young Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins as he sets out to help a company of dwarves reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug. It is an epic tale full of adventure, danger and the importance of values such as love and friendship. Can be read at any age.
Guardians of the Galaxy based on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Comic Books
Nominated for:
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Why you should read it: Marvel’s Superhero team, The Guardians of the Galaxy was first originally featured in a bunch of other comics in 1969 and eventually got their own comic book sometime in the 1990’s. If the movie is capable of making you laugh until your stomach hurts while at the same time makes you cry, the comic books are sure to do the same. It’s definitely worth checking out this superhero team in their comic books.
How To Train Your Dragon 2 based on How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Nominated for:
Best Animated Film
Why you should read it: Why should you read these series? Because of Toothless of course! Children s’ books they may be, but the fictional Viking world of Hiccup and his pet Nightfury , Toothless along with the other tribe trained dragons of their village is adventurous, fun to read and perfect for any age! Plus it has dragons and no fantasy tale is complete without a dragon or two.
Big Hero 6 based on Marvel’s Big Hero 6 Comics
Nominated for: Best Animated Film
Why you should read it: Another one of Marvel’s superhero team, Big Hero 6 is a Japanese formed superhero team originally. This team is led by thirteen old year Hiro who is a robotics genius along with his synthetic bodyguard, Baymax. These comic books are practically page-turners, filled with adventure.
Maleficent based on Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault
Nominated for:
Best Adapted Screenplay
Why you should read it: Everyone’s familiar with the classical fairy-tale, Sleeping Beauty which was written by the French author Charles Perrault and later interpreted by the Grimm Brothers. It features a fairy who is ignored and overlooked at Sleeping Beauty’s christening and takes out her revenge by cursing her. The movie is a wonderful adaptation of the fairy’s, who is obviously Maleficent, back-story.
Into The Woods based on The Uses Of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bernard Bettleheim
Nominated for:
Best Supporting Actress
Best Costume Design
Best Production Design
Why you should read it: The movie Into The Woods is based on the musical Into The Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The play was actually inspired by Bernard Bettleheim’s Freudian analysis of fairy-tales. Strange no? But apparently Bernard’s reason for analyzing fairy-tales was that he believed children derive their own meaning from these fairy-tales in order to understand their importance better.