Book To Movie News: Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, The Scorch Trials & Insurgent!

Okay so if any of you guys are Facebook and Twitter addicts (like the person typing this post) you will have seen A LOT of AWESOME book to movie news so let's discuss!

1) Looking for Alaska MOVIE

So John Green first novel Looking for Alaska is finally going to be a movie! I'm looking forward even though the book is probably my least favorite John Green book, I'm still intrigued to see how it looks like on the screen! The same team for TFIOS and PAPER TOWNS are returning to make the movie adaptation.

I'm planning to put up my Dream Fancast in the next couple of weeks so look out for that!

2) Paper Towns Movie Poster

Speaking of John Green, THE PAPER TOWNS MOVIE POSTER IS OUT AND...um.... ah...

I have mix feelings to the movie poster... like A LOT OF MIX FEELINGS!

I like the 'Get Lost' 'Get Found' tag line. It sums up the movie! 

While I like the mysteriousness of Cara and Nat on the poster... I kinds hate it because it's not relevant to the movie. Also WHY IS CARA'S HAIR SWEEP UP TO NAT'S FACE? I DON'T GET IT!

I feel like they were trying top hard to imitate the iconic TFIOS poster and while THAT WORKED because 1) it was sort of imitating the book cover of the two clouds if you flip the cover side ways 2) you see the close up of Hazel Graze nasal cannulous which of cause its significant for the character 3) its sweet and fluffy just like the movie.

I wish they had something like a map background or even them sitting on a mini van, JUST SOMETHING more relevant to the story (apart from Q's fascination with with Margo!) and not that blue background!

Its meh and very stereotype which  kind of a let down but who knows, I might like it the more I stare at it or not... ask me in 3 months! Anyways its just a poster, its the trailer and movie I should be anxious about!

 
UPDATE: Credit the person who made this awesome poster that I found on John Green's Tumblr.

I was stalking tumblr and saw this fanmade poster! This is what I pictured in my head for the poster! WHY CAN'T THIS BE THE REAL POSTER? IT RESEMBLES THE TFIOS POSTER BUT STILL RELEVANT TO THE STORY! 

Anyways its just a the poster and we should not judge a movie by ts poster like how not to judge a book by its cover.

What are your thoughts on the poster for Paper Towns? Love it? Hate it? Mehhhhh? Don't Care?

3) The Scorch Trials Movie Stills

Excuse me while I fangirl my excitement!

Pictures taken from this SITE

I AM FULL OF ADRENALINE JUST LOOKING  AT THE STILLS SO IMAGINE ME WHEN I AM WATCHING THE MOVIE! I'm talking BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS EXCITED!

From the looks of the pictures, like the first movie its gonna diverge a bit from the plot and once again expand Theresa's role (which I don't mind as I love Kaya who plays her!).

This I'm okay with as it worked very well for the first movie and if they do it right it should work for this movie!

I'm super excited for this movie as The Scorch Trials is my MOST FAVORITE James Dashner's book to date and from the looks of the pictures IT LOOKS EPIC AND BADASS!

Also is it bad that I'm mostly looking forward to this scene of them upside down hooked on the leg? Its not in the book BTW so I'm intrigue to see what that scene is about!

THEY BETTER NOT HURT MY MINHO!

What are your thoughts on the stills??? 

(Click Here) for my review on 'The Scorch Trials'.

(Click Here) for my review on "The Maze Runner Movie"

4) I'm ready for Insurgent movie!

Insurgent movie is being released NEXT WEEK!!!

I marathon the rest of the Divergent series so I finally read Insurgent and love it! Looking forward to the movie which is coming out next week and nope I still have yet to watch the trailers!

So that's my book to movie news round up and am super excited to see all of them!

Let me know any book to movie news and up and coming book to movie adaptations you guys are excited about in the comments!

Also check out my Anticipated Book To Movie Adaptation of 2015 for the adaptations I'm excited for!

Till next time!

Anticipated Book To Movie Adaptation 2015!!!

I am not a big movie buff but and I'm very picky with what I invest my time with the movies I watch. Same goes for book to movie adaptations as I only watch those I know I will enjoy. In 2014 I saw 3 book to movie adaptation and they were all so.freaking.good!!!

So this year there are a handful of movies I'm anticipating and am probably gonna watch including some movies based on books that I love!

Grab some popcorn as I list my top anticipated book to movie adaptations of 2015!

1) The Duff (Based on The Duff by Kody Kiplinger)

Released Date: February 20, 2015 (USA)

I love the book and am super excited to see this on the big screen!

I actually did a trailer review and discussion (click here) and from the looks of it its not gonna be a faithful book to movie adaptation.

They borrowed the ideal of 'The Duff'' but changed the story and tone down the content to make it "PG-13 Disney Channel-ish friendlyish", which I don't blame them if they want to widen their audience as the original story is a bit... mature?!?!

Still I can't wait to watch the movie as Meg Whiteman looks exactly like how I picture Bianca in the book and I freaking love Robbie Amell from True Jackson VP and Picture This!

Check out the book as its one of the most refreshing and unique I've read and keep in mind its VERY different from the movie.

Click Here for my review on "The Duff".

2) Insurgent ( Based on Insurgent by Veronica Roth)

Released Date: 20 March 2015

I feel kinda guilty adding this to the list as I have (at time of uploading this post) yet read Insurgent.

Still I enjoyed both the first book and movie so I'll pick up the Insurgent (I have a month ++ so I'll be fine) before I watch the movie.

Till then plzzzz don't spoil the story for me!

I have only seen the poster and some stills. Not letting myself see the trailer till I READ the book!

3) Paper Towns ( Based on Paper Towns by John Green)

Released Date : 5 June 2015

After the success of The Fault in Our Stars, the same team is back with this adaptation of Paper Towns and I'm excited to see this on the big screen!

To the TFIOS fans who have yet to read Paper Towns, keep in mind that this is VERY different from TFIOS.

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes mystery story. Questin aka Q has always fascinated with his childhood best friend and neighbour Margo and her wild adventures. One night dress as a ninja, Margo takes Q for a midnight joyride of revenge around Chicago only to disappear the next day leaving a series of clues of her whereabouts.

I'm looking forward to seeing Nat Wolf taking the role as Q and am interested to see Cara Delavigne acting skills as Margo.

At the moment there is no trailer or poster but it should be out soon so looking forward to seeing the anticipation leading up to the movie premiere.

4) The Scorch Trial (Based on The Scorch Trials by James Dashner)

Released Date: 18 September 2015

MY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION OF 2015!!!

I LOVE The Maze Runner Movie and it was my favourite book to movie adaption of 2014!!!

It was sort of a faithful adaptation as they keep to the plot of the book but how they translate to the screen visually was so much better! Heck in my opinion they made the storyline better!

If the acting, cinematography, and action sequences is just as good or better than the first movie this will franchise will be a hit!

I love the scorch trials book! There was always something happening in the book which made it nerve biting, WTH IS HAPPENING GOOD!!!

If you like fast pace, unpredictable stories with wicked action sequences you will love this series!!! 

I could not put down that dang book and I marathon the series after watching the first movie!

I'm looking forward to seeing more of the amazing cast especially this guys (mostly Minho and his SASS which they better not tone down) and their friendship and bromance on the big screen!

(Click Here) for my review on 'The Scorch Trials'.

(Click Here) for my review on "The Maze Runner Movie"

What are your anticipated movies of 2015??? Let me know in the comments!

Till next time

Movie Review: The Maze Runner

Movie description:

Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), a teenager, arrives in a glade at the center of a giant labyrinth. Like the other youths dumped there before him, he has no memory of his previous life. Thomas quickly becomes part of the group and soon after demonstrates a unique perspective that scores him a promotion to Runner status -- those who patrol the always-changing maze to find an escape route. Together with Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), the only female, Thomas tries to convince his cohorts that he knows a way out.

Firstly DON'T read the book before you watch the movie!! I know a lot of people says to read the book before you watch the movie of any book to movie adaptation but this is different! Reason being is that the story is full of suspense and mystery so you'll probably enjoy the story better if you read the book after watching the movie. Even if you have read the book before the movie, separate your thoughts the book and the movie. That way you'll enjoy it better.

 

Okay so where should I start??? 

For some miracle I managed to watch this movie on opening day here in Australia! Most times I wait for a couple of weeks after so that I won't be in an over crowded cinema (although mine is in the suburb so I never had that problem) or that the movie came out just as I have exams/assignments and won't let myself watch it till it's done.

1. Book vs Movie???

I love the movie more than the book!

They take elements from the book and change it up to suit the the movie due to (i assumed) visual and timing reasons.
 
Click here for the 10 Big differences between the book and movie adaptation and be careful for spoilers.

2.Actions, Maze, Glade and Grivers

The action in the movie played out really well! Some scenes seriously gave me the chills and a heart attack and keep me on my toes. There was one scene in particular that made me almost jump out of my seat. In the trailers (to me) it looks like they are practically running around like headless chickens but in the movie, some of those running scenes are wicked cool ( no pun intended ;P).

I can feel the adrenaline rush actions of them running around the maze that I am holding my breath during some scenes. Also the movie added some action sequences not in the book but gave it a cool touch and development for the side characters Newt, Minho and Theresa.

The way the maze works is a lot different from what I had in mind but I like it!

I especially like the 'Blade' parts of the maze where Minho and Thomas runs for their lives to avoid being a Glader pancake.

The Glade is a lot different from what I expected it to be. I had a darker picture in my head of how the glade look like. In the movie it looks like a save heaven for the boys to live on.

The Grivers... I had a tough time imagining the vicious monsters in the book but the movie did a really good job of scaring the living daylights out of me after seeing those Grivers. Remember me mentioning me jumping out of my seats??? It was because of those damn Grivers! 

Basically they are ginormous cyborg spiders.

3. Characters and Actors

One thing that made me love the movie is the cast of actors! I enjoyed every bit of the actors who played the beloved characters in the movie.

What's really cool is that there is a great diversity of actors in the cast which is something we don't always see.

I enjoyed Dylan O'Brien acting as Thomas! I'm not familiar with the actor (don't kill me Teen wolf fan girls) but he came out exactly like how I pictured him in the book but also added a bit more personality to him with the klutziness and awkwardness. Like in the book he is curious about the maze, intelligent and compassionate. Also like book Thomas he tend to do some stupid stuff (like WTH ARE YOU DOING?!?! NO... just...*face palm*) but manages to counter it with his quick actions and thinking and alot of them are the a good reason.

Kaya Scodelario who plays Theresa is a lot better in the movie with a bigger role!
I love her character more in the movie since we get to know her better. One thing about Theresa in the movie is she has more strong and kickass action scenes.

Blake Cooper who plays Chuck... what can I say the guy's tough as a nail at times and a sweet heart ball of sunshine! My only complain is that there is not enough interaction between Chuck and Thomas but I do enjoy every bit of their brotherly bromance. Think of Chuck as that little brother who annoys you that you can't help but love!



Gally played by Will Polter (I fangirled when I learn he was in the movie as I love him in Chronicles of Narnia!) has one of the biggest character changes in the movie. In the book he was a mean psycho character that didn't make any sense apart from the fact he is the 'bully' guy in the Glade. In the movie he came out like how Alby was in the book. Long story short he basically was less of an asshole and there were a couple of scenes where he was actually nice. I didn't hate him nor did I like him but I like the character change. He's the conflict character with a different opinion from Thomas and the gang.

The characters, Minho, Newt and Alby are friendlier in the movie than the book. In fact I had a friend who read the book after watching the movie and the first thing she messaged to me was that Alby is mean (which i can agree)! I like that they were nicer in the movie as it developed their characters and make them more likeable.

In the book I was not a fan of Alby. In fact it took a while for me to warm up to the character. It was clear he didn't like Thomas since things start to go down hill in the glade after his arrival. In the movie.. this is a different story ...

Aml Ameen who plays Alby in the movie I instantly like the character! He came out as not only as the Leader of the Glade but also as the mentor and 'big brother' character for the Gladers. Also I can't help but noticed that his character in the movie reminds me of Newt from the book.

 My favorite character in the movie are definitely Newt and Minho!

I love every bit of Minho played by Ki Hong Lee (especially his hair xD for someone in the Glade he sure have nice hair!) and he came out exactly like how I pictured him... apart from the fact that I wish that he was a bit more sarcastic dialogs like how he had in the book.

As for the character Newt played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster (it took me a while to realize that he was the kid from Nanny McPhee) while I did like his character in the book I love his character more in the movie. The way the actor acted in the movie brought a new level of likeness to the character. Newt have some of the best lines trough out the movie (though sadly he does not say the word bloody). Also it kinda helps that the actor is swoon worthy *WINK* and like Newt in the book he has an accent... a English accent (swoon!!! hehe I am a sucker for accents especially English!).

4. Things I didn't like about the movie

Okay first off I was not a fan of the ending. The movie had a lot of alteration that actually made the story better but the ending... was not a nice cliff hanger. Like it was confusing and if it was not that fact that I know that they were gonna make the sequel I would have thought it was weak.

Also there was this one scene about the Griver serum where Theresa happen so had not one but two of it in her pocket... it didn't make sense... why nicely two syringes? why is it just so happen she have them in her pockets?

I'm just... why?!?! It was the only scene that to me seem out of place and didn't make sense!

They can change that scene from the book in a better way that they establish that they have the serum is just that there source are scared since in the book it is establish that the med-jack happen so have a supply of the serum.

Another thing for the movie... though that Ben' banishment scene was shot really well it was just too intense to my liking... I could not watch it and I had to cover my eyes with my hands as it was just too intense.  

One more alteration between the book and the movie is that in the book Thomas and Theresa have this telepathic mind reading powers where they both can communicate with each other by reading each others mind. This was not establish in the movie and while I did wish to see them communicating trough each others minds, the director Wes Bell mentioned in an interview that it was left out since so many things was going on in the film that it will just overwhelm which after watching the movie I have to agree. I am not so sure if they will play out the mind reading part in the sequel (not exactly sure of its significant since I have yet to read the Scorch Trials).

5. Stand out scenes 

Speaking of the Thomas and Theresa connection, I like how they established that they have a connection with the flash back dream sequence. I also love how that Paige lady was purring into Thomas ears 'W.C.K.D' is good.

There was this one scene where Chuck says 'Girls are awesome' sealed the deal that I needed to get the DVD and watch it on repeat.

Of cause this movie is called the Maze Runner so of cause it have to have some maze running scenes. They actually added more scenes into the movie of them running and figuring out the maze. All of the running scenes were really good. Like it was fast pace adrenaline pumping good. I especially like the part where Thomas and Minho were running trough the closing blades or the moving walls as those scenes really leave me on the edge of my seats.

Also very random but a good action movie for me is when I picture those actions in a video game... like when Thomas was running trough the maze from those Grivers, climbing up the walls and those vines I was thinking of the video game Uncharted... just a random thought...

One scene that was not in the book was of the Glader gathering the camp fire. I like that addition as in the book I keep thinking 'doesn't this boys know how to chill and have fun?"

Overall

Its an A-MAZE-ING movie!!!

Its a great story about adventure, mystery and friendship around the Glade.

Like i say I like the movie more than the book. While there were alot of alterations and changes made into the story for time and visual reasons the story was still faithful to the plot of the book.

I am not so sure if I should be rating movies but if I could I'll rate this a 4.5 stars cause while I did enjoy it apart from the couple of moments that I needed to rant about I enjoyed

 movie. It was entertaining, there were good balance of serious and comedic moments along with action pack and emotional moments. The cast of actors fitted really well and the dialogs were quiet good.

I definitely will be getting this on DVD when it comes out (Christmas and Birthday wish list xD) and will definitely be watching the sequel 'The Scorch Trials' which comes out next September

Check out my video review where I chit chat about the movie.

Click here to check out my review on the book on my Blog and on Youtube

Have you watch the Maze Runner Movie?

What were your thoughts?

What was your most/least favorite part of the movie? Lets discuss in the comments!