Adaptation

BUTTERFIELD 8 (1960)

September 20, 2020

(VOD) A sensationalistic drama about transactional sex, based on James O’Hara’s 1935 novel, but the adaptation takes place ~1960, which makes a major difference regarding attitudes towards sex. Also, the NYC bars, which are by far the most interesting facets of O’Hara’s novel, are mostly unmemorable in the film.

Context aside, the opening sequence is by far the reason to watch this film. It’s pitch-perfect character exposition and exquisitely sets everything up for what’s about to unfurl, plus it’s very on-brand for Elizabeth Taylor (who only did the film out of contractual obligation, but then won her first Oscar for it).

NO SALE!

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (1975)

September 14, 2020

(Criterion/HBO MAX/VOD) Peter Weir’s fascinating, gauzy adaptation of the classic Australian novel makes the source material even more enigmatic. A masterclass in evoking dreamy and hallucinatory imagery, and a quintessential ‘lost girls’ tale.

Amazon also released a six-episode adaptation of the novel recently, a surprisingly different — and welcome — take on the material.

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS (2001)

September 10, 2020

(STARZ/VOD) If you know me, you know I’ve been a booster for JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS practically since it was released. My wife has even walked into my office and exclaimed: ‘You’re watching JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS again?!’

It’s a cutting satire of late ‘90s/early naughts consumer culture, perfectly cast, with candy-coated visuals and a soundtrack to die for. Even if it didn’t have goddamn amazing songs fron Adam Schlesinger (R.I.P., also responsible for many great songs from CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND. Also, Fountains of Wayne) and Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo), it’d still be amazing. It’s far smarter than it looks.

Also, it’s the only film to have prominently featured SEGA’s SPACE CHANNEL 5, an under-appreciated videogame classic.

MURDER, MY SWEET (1944)

September 7, 2020

(VOD) Me, upon starting the film: Ah, finally filling in one of my noir gaps.

Five minutes later: Wait, have I seen this before?

After an IMDB check: Duh, I forgot that it’s an adaptation of FAREWELL, MY LOVELY, and was renamed MURDER, MY SWEET because test audiences thought FAREWELL, MY LOVELY sounded like a Dick Powell musical.

Regardless, this is the definitive adaptation of FAREWELL, MY LOVELY, and the model for all Chandler-inspired films. Wish I would’ve watched it years ago, but better late than never.

WAR & PEACE (1966)

September 6, 2020

(HBO MAX/Criterion) This WAR & PEACE is a beast of an epic — featuring over ten-thousand extras and allegedly costing anywhere from (adjusted for inflation) $200-$700 million dollars — and best when it’s spectacle, as the actual story gets a tad muddled within the adaptation. (After all, at the end of the day it’s still a state-made piece.) Watching it at home, be it on your phone, a laptop or even a decently sized flatscreen TV, does a major disservice to the film. Find a projector, screen it on your cleanest wall for best results, and make a day of it.

Vulture has a quality piece regarding the production of the piece, which took years to film. https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/the-wild-story-behind-sergei-bondarchuks-epic-war-and-peace.html

(HBO MAX has a surprising back-catalog of films for some reason and, if I were a film history teacher, I’d pitch an entire class around its offerings. It’s definitely worth scanning through their entire catalog for buried gems.)

NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE (2019)

August 17, 2020

(VOD) Katt Shea (POISON IVY) directed and Nina Fiore (BLOOD DRIVE, one of my favorite one-season wonders) wrote this extremely winsome teen mystery that feels like a cult early naughts film. The mystery itself is pretty easy to suss out, but the inventive set pieces and Sophia Lillis’ charming performance elevate the material into something far better than it needed to be.

LADY OF BURLESQUE (1943)

August 7, 2020

(epix/Paramount+/tubi/VOD) LADY OF BURLESQUE is a delightfully self-aware adaptation of Gypsy Rose Lee’s sensationlist detective novel regarding the murder of a stripper in a burlesque stage show (the original novel was called THE G-STRING MURDERS). Barbara Stanwick leads, clearly loving the role. Honestly not sure if the Hayes code restrictions help or hurt the film.