The Backyard Beauty and Book Boutique: BOOKS-INTO-FILMS

Reviews below are taken from my new favorite
writer/editor/past attorney/contributor

                                             Linda Holmes
                             Your 2011 Books-Into-Films Lineup
                                       (some of 'em anyway)

Jane Eyre (March 11)
The Book: You read it in seventh grade, if you'll recall. But to jog your memory: Charlotte Bronte wrote her most famous work in 1847, inventing the original plain Jane. "Poor and little" Jane works in a drafty old house for the semi-handsome (if not abjectly creepy) Mr. Rochester, who definitely keeps his crazy wife in the attic. It's a Gothic thriller with strong female characters, and if you haven't read it yet, do get on that.
The Film: It actually looks good! Director Cary Fukunaga's debut, Sin Nombre, was a gorgeous film, and his remake of Eyre has the blessing of BBC Films behind it. Mia Wasikowska is earning a name for herself in the literary movie genre (she played Alice in last year's Burton adaptation of the Lewis Carroll story), and looks as if she can hold her own against Michael Fassbender's imposing Rochester.
See It With: Your period-drama (and possibly collectible doll?) loving aunt.

Water For Elephants (April 22)
The Book: A runaway bestseller, Sara Gruen's historical novel centers on circus worker Jacob Jankowski and the eclectic cast of characters working for The Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Gruen wrote the novel in a month, apparently, basing the core of the book on the story of Jacob from the Book of Genesis. The paperback edition hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 2007.
The Film: Combine one-part Reese Witherspoon and one-part Robert Pattinson, and a couple of pachyderms, and you may have Pattinson's most successful book-to-screen outing that isn't Twilight. Bonus: Fewer screaming girls to contend with.
See It With: Circus folk. You know some, right?

                               The Lincoln Lawyer (March 18)

The Book: Crime novelist Michael Connelly can't and won't stop churning out hit books, and this is his 16th — the story of Micky Haller (half-brother of Connelly's main protagonist Heironymous Bosch), who operates a two-bit law practice out of the back of a Lincoln Town Car. Haller lands a wealthy client who wants off the hook for attempted murder charges against a lovely young woman, and the lies and demons spool out from there.
The Film: It is exciting to see Matthew McConaughey back in a meaty, dramatic role after he has spent so much time in board shorts (there are serious Time To Kill flashbacks here). With an ensemble cast that includes Marisa Tomei and Ryan Phillippe and the kind of grimy cinematography that popcorn was made for, The Lincoln Lawyer should be one of spring's big box office draws.
See It With: A second date. The action sequences and the soapy legalese will give you plenty to talk about over spaghetti.

The Help (Fall 2011)

The Book: As Monkey See covered earlier today, author Kathryn Stockett is in a bit of hot water over a lawsuit — but that won't stop her fable about three women of will kicking up dust in a sleepy southern town from continually topping the bestseller lists.

The Film: The cast is chock full of strong women: Viola Davis, Sissy Spacek, Emma Stone, Allison Janney, Cicely Tyson and Octavia Spencer. The massiveness of the book's sales should propel the movie to big box office, despite the fact that its Mississippi-born writer/director, actor Tate Taylor, has only made one other (small, indie) film.

See It With: Your mother. She's dying to go

One Day (July 8)
The Book: David Nicholls' sweet novel, a breakout bestseller last year, charts a romantic relationship over the course of nearly 20 years, checking in on the same couple on July 15 of every year between 1988 and 2007. Emma and Dexter are star-crossed, often missing each other in an effort to intertwine their lives — and though the book is based on a literary gimmick, the will-they-or-won't they plotline provides enough tension to make it a quick, fun read.
The Film: Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess play the hapless pair, and directing the adaptation is Lone Scherfig, whose last film, An Education, was 2009's indie to beat. Solid prospects here. No trailer yet, but the movie poster has emerged, and it is steamy.
See It With: The man/woman you really only see once a year. This is as good a reason to reunite as you'll get.

Something Borrowed (May 6)
The Book: Emily Giffin is to bookstores as nip is to cats. (Correction: Airport bookstores.) But the fact that she writes frothy vacation reads doesn't mean you can't flaunt your secret love for Something Borrowed at the cineplex. The story is straight out of the chick-lit handbook — perky-but-underdoggish New York lawyer Rachel is in love with her best friend Darcy's fiance, whom she drunkenly beds on her 30th birthday. She then has to choose between her friend, her lover and her self-respect. It's a morality play, really — albeit one set on beach volleyball courts in the Hamptons.
The Film: Big Love's Ginnifer Goodwin, The Office's John Krasinski and Kate Hudson headline an ensemble cast full of all the character actors you've seen in rom-coms before. From the trailer, it looks like Goodwin outshines her material — and that Hudson is continuing valiantly on in her quest to play the same role in ten movies in a row.
See It With: Your one friend who isn't sick of Kate Hudson yet.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT FRIENDS/CLIENTS/FELLOW BLOGGERS/FAMILY(ok, whoever's reading this)...there's a list of books TO READ and movies TO GO WATCH this year that I think will be fantastic!
Now, if ONLY I had MORE TIME to read and see movies more often, I would do a review on each and everyone mentioned above. I "could" do a review on the book "The Help" since I"ve read it(and enjoyed it)...but, since my precious time is limited, I think I'll ask one of my fellow BYOBB bookclub members to do so for me here...SO, stay tuned for that and hurry back...You never know what I'll blog about next or share from my past.

Thanks for reading and May you be blessed!
Carolyn