Notable Movies #7

From the looks of this new movie, starring Hangover's Bradley Cooper, a man is given a new drug which enhances his brain power. The protagonist is, of course, a writer. Once exposed to this wonderful wonder drug he goes on a creative and lucrative rush to finish book projects with ease, play the stock market and garner a new life for himself. The plot is rather unique. If only we had a drug that could help us with those pesky novels that need to be written. What drops my jaw the most is that he says he finished his novel in 4 days. Man, if I had that drug, all my book projects would be done in, damn...I just did the math and it would still be, for 60 different novel ideas, a year and eight months. Still, good to see DeNiro finally rolling himself out of bed to do a decent roll. He really dropped down my respect-o-meter with these sequels to Meet The Parents and that Showtime movie with Eddie Murphy. I'm not gonna even go into that strange movie What Just Happened? because I saw what happened and it wasn't pretty.

You want to see a good DeNiro movie? Your best bet is Midnight Run all the way. I've watched that thing so many times I can quote all the lines by heart. Now those were the Golden years of DeNiro. Anyway, I'm getting off track here. Enjoy the trailer and, oh yeah, keep writing. The world needs more good writers like you.

Limitless opens world wide March 18th, 2011

Notable Movies #5

It isn't surprising that some of the most successful authors out there are plagued with problems and become the neighbohorhood recluse. But what I like most about Nim's Island is how Jodie Foster portrays that paranoid reclusive writer in all of us. She writes out of the comfort of her apartment, second guesses herself and argues with her main character. To it's credit, Nim's island is a little cheesy but also fun. First PG movie I've seen in a long while. One scene I loved was when Jodie, as bestselling novelist Alexandria Rover, decides to leave her apartment for the first time in years. Once inside a taxi, she opens the door and vomits (don't worry, they don't show it.)

The cab driver says, "Lady, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just get motion sickness sometimes."
"But we're not moving."
"Well, it's really the idea of motion that sickens me."

I reccomend this movie to anyone who locks themselves away from the world in order to write. You might get a kick out of it. I know I did.

Notable Movies #4

One stereotype about writers is that we tend to be neurotic. We're always trying to fix our own problems. In this movie, the master of wit Albert Brooks, takes on the guise of a science fiction writer who has trouble keeping a relationship. This has not only damaged his home life but it has also blocked his writing progress. In order to figure out his womanly troubles he moves back in with the first woman in his life; his mother. I love this movie becuase it shows that us writers see things differently and can't help but comment on the oddities of so-called normal life.

Notable Movies #3

If there's one thing I love about fiction writers, it's Hollywood's ability to poke fun at them. There's no doubt in my mind that this new movie, Gentlemen Broncos, will be the funniest writer-parody movie this side of Throw Mama From The Train. With a cast including Sam Rockwell and Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Concords how could they go wrong? Even the trailer had me on the verge of busting a gut. See for yourself, readers.

Notable Movies #2

Even though I've only read the first chapter to the Time Traveler's Wife, I'm sure it's a good story. It takes two different genres and blends them: Romance and Science fiction. While time traveling establishes couples having distance troubles, it is important to come to know their struggle. Does time heal all wounds? Or does it open them up? As soon as I get my hands on this national bestseller, I will read it twice.

Audrey Niffenegger, the author, must be proud of this representation of her work. The trailer alone had me on the edge of my seat. Audrey, as I've found out, lives right here in Chicago and works as a professor in Interdisciplinary Book Arts MFA Program at Columbia - the same school I once thirsted to go to. Her second book, Her Fearful Symmetry, just sold in March for an advance of $5 million dollars. It should be out this fall.

So, with any book adaptation there is always the question of whether to read the book first or watch the movie, saving the book for the extra tidbits they left out. After much thought, I've decided to read the book first. 560 pages sounds too good to just ignore.


But what do you do when you know the movie is adapted from a book? Do you read the book first? Or do you watch the movie?

Notable Movies #1

To the best of my knowledge, this is Robin Williams fourth outing as a writer in a movie. He's getting quite good at it.

He played the crazy Walter Finch in Christopher Nolan's Insomnia (which I thought was a Stephen King adaptation and was disappointed by the mistake very quickly.)

In the strange adaptation of The World According to Garp, which I have the inability to finish, Williams plays a woeful writer constantly having a string of bad luck. Maybe I should read John Irving's book first.

And, of course, he played the curiosity driven writer in the hitchcockian suspense tale called The Night Listener.

Call me crazy, but I wonder if Robin Willaims isn't working secretly on some hidden opus tucked away in a shelf somewhere. He eerily captures the trials and tribulations that all us writers go through. I will be sure to check this movie out.


What say all of you? Does he mimic your behavior as a writer?