For The Love of Fish! - Oscars 2018 + Book Adaptation tag

 Happy Tuesday, Friends!

Yesterday I was walking around like a zombie thanks to lack of sleep but hey, Oscars night is Oscars night... It's once a year and it's an event that cannot be missed by film lovers like me.

Before I write anything else congratulations are due to all the winners. We had amazing productions competing with each other this year too, bless all the people who work on such wonderful movies each year.

My award highlights (I have two):

• Gary Oldman got his well-deserved Oscar at last! No one can doubt that the man has talent. Well done, Sir!

• The Shape of Water won best picture. I didn't see that coming to tell you guys the truth but I was glad when they announced the winner. It is a unique tale told in a very elegant  and charming manner.

About the gala:

 

If I want to be honest it wasn't worth it to stay up all night for the show. I felt they didn't go the extra mile to make the 90th Academy Awards special, it was quite boring actually. They should have had extra performances planned or at least something out of the ordinary that would have made the 90th year stand out.

  Something that put a smile on my face despite everything:
It was sooo good to see Christopher Plummer at the gala (it's good to see him every year). He is precious to my heart.

Since it was Oscars week I thought to honour the occasion I'd include a tag in this post, one that has to do with movies (and, naturally, with books). I found the original on The Book Nut.

The Book Adaptation Tag: 

1. What is the last book adaptation movie you saw?

Murder on the Orient Express (2017). I guess it is an unpopular opinion but I liked it. Although I'm a bit biased considering Sir Ken Branagh was involved in this production and I'm convinced that everything he does is golden...

2. What movie are you most excited for?

Ophelia (2018). I'm a sucker for Shakespeare adaptations and I loved the book.

3. Which upcoming movie will you definitely NOT see?

Does the third Fifty Shades of Grey count as upcoming? It's still in the cinemas so I'll pretend it does. That one is a definite miss for me.

4. Which book movie would you NEVER watch again?

Matilda. I know it sounds stupid but the cake-eating scene shocked me as a child and I've been avoiding the film ever since. I know many bookworms love it, I'm an exception...

5. Is there a movie you saw that made you want to read the book if you hadn't/haven't yet?

 

There were several. Jane Eyre (2011) with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender is a good example. I'd wanted to read Jane Eyre before watching the film but the movie made me actually pick it up.

6. Conversely, is there a movie that made you never want to read the book?

I can't think of one right now.

7. Name an adaptation that has almost nothing to do with the book it is supposedly based on.

Less Than Zero (1987). It has something to do with the book (it portrays the life of young people in LA in the 80s, the excessive drug and alcohol consuming etc.), however they made up a plot for the movie that didn't exist in the book.

8. Have you ever left the theatre during a movie adaptation because it was so bad?

9. Do you prefer to watch the movie or read the book first?

The book always comes first (or at least I wish I always had time to read the book first...)

10. How do you feel about movie adaptations that age characters up? (ex. characters that are in middle-school, but in the movies they are 18)

I'm okay with that as long as it doesn't result in fundamental changes in the original story.

11. Do you get angry when the actors don't look like you thought the characters looked?

It's a bit annoying when the characters' appearance is very unlike how they were described in the book, yes. What makes me angry is if they change the character's skin colour in the film.

 

12. Is there a movie you liked better than its book?

The English Patient (1996). I enjoyed the book too, but the film made a bigger impression on me.

 

13. Name a book that you'd like to see as a movie.

Fluency (Confluence #1) by Jennifer Foehner Wells! A group of people go on an expedition to explore an abandoned alien ship in space. It would make an excellent movie.

Tag you are it! I tag each and every one of you this time. Let me know if you do the tag so I can go and comment on your post!

What were your favourite moments from this year's Academy Award Ceremony? Let me know in a comment below!

Let's talk La La Land

I'm kinda happy I didn't stay up to see the organizers' major screw up with the Best Picture award at the Oscars. I was up until 4:30 a.m. but then I got bored, because the show wasn't that great (I realized I'm not a fan of Jimmy Kimmel) and I had to get some sleep before my afternoon class. As it turned out I was right to do that. I think I couldn't have slept a wink if I saw the Best Picture part live...

I wanted La La Land to win. I enjoyed that movie immensely and I want poeple at Hollywood to make more good musical films. We haven't got enough of them. And Emma Stone is amazing, you go girl!

I haven't seen Moonlight yet but I'm sure it deserved the award and of course now it's on my watchlist.

But back to La La Land. There is still cause to celebrate, since the picture won 6 Oscars, including the one for Original Song. Now, to keep the matters bookish while I pay tribute to the creators and the film this is what I'll do:

I'll tell you which three songs I'm the most fond of from La La Land and then I'll let you know which book's imaginary tracklist could include them in my opinion.

You can access La La Land's full soundtrack on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmKlaGpmYig&t=1528s&spfreload=10

Let's start with this year's Best Original Song:

City of Stars

 The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan

Everyone needs someone because we cannot truly be happy alone – that's the message of City of Stars.

In Terence Rattigan's drama, The Deep Blue Sea, Hester Collyer has a home and a husband, yet she feels lonely. One day a Royal Air Force Pilot sweeps her off her feet and they start a turbulent affair. However, both Freddie and Hester come close to breaking point as the consequences of their relationship catch up with them.

I chose this book to go with this song for two reasons. One, I think Hester's dilemma coincides with the message of the song, and two, because the love story and the ending are very similar to what we see in La La Land.

A Lovely Night  

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Since I'm not someone who appreciates instalove, the slowly developing romance between Mia and Sebastian just seemed right to me. The relationship starts off on a wrong foot? Even better. 

Do you remember the story of the boy who promised his love a shooting star and then found himself falling in love with said star? Yvaine and Tristran's relationship didn't start out very well either, but of course they ended up together later.

The playful teasing in A Lovely Night reminds me a lot of Tristran and Yvaine's conversations and of course the mention of night and stars in the song makes it an even better fit.

Audition (The Fools Who Dream)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Gatsby's character influences how Nick Carraway thinks about life, just like Mia's aunt had an impact on Mia's way of thinking. Not to mention the American Dream connection...

These were the songs that captured me from La La Land.
Which songs did you like in the movie? Are you satisfied with Moonlight's victory?