It’s time for another Monday’s Musings post and our chosen topic this week is favorite movies and TV shows.  I’m going to narrow the field down a little bit because I feel like topic is one that could take on a mind of its own.

First off, I’m going to stick to movies.  The main reason for that is, I’m completely addicted to a certain TV show at the moment (see last week’s office tour post) and I if I tried to write anything on that topic it would be way more than anyone wants to read and basically just an excuse to include pictures of a certain person. J So instead, I’m going to write only about movies, specifically my top five favorite movies that are based on books.  These are in no particular order because I couldn’t possible rate them.

Check out the links below to see what movies and TV shows my fellow bloggers are into:

One of my all-time favorite books is also one of my all-time favorite movies.  Atticus Finch is an amazing father figure and no one could have played him as well as Gregory Peck. 

Robert Duvall plays the infamous Boo Radley in one of his first film roles.  It’s almost strange to see him play such a shy, quiet character since one of the things I’ve always associated with the actor is his powerful voice. 

The story is one that portrayed a very serious and touchy subject through the eyes of a child, and I think the movie was able to do the same thing in an equally impressive way.  While Scout may not have understood 100% of the situation, she experienced the emotions of those around her and knew this wasn’t just any trial for her father.

There have been many versions of this move over the years and I’ve seen them all, but my favorite is the version with Wynona Ryder and Susan Sarandon.  No one could play Marmee like Susan Sarandon and who doesn’t love a young Christian Bale as Laurie? 

I especially love the re-creation of Orchard House, which is such an integral part to the story.  It was so true to life, it made you feel like a part of the March family and I always wanted to be Jo. 

While the other versions of the movie are great in their own ways, this one stands out because the actors come across so natural, it pulls you in and you forget you’re even watching a movie.

Like Little Women, there are many versions of this movie; my favorite is the BBC version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.  Colin Firth *is* Mr. Darcy as far as I’m concerned.

This version, while close to five hours long, is totally worth the viewing time.  It runs as closely to the book as just about any movie I’ve ever seen and the locations used are straight from Jane Austen’s imagination. 

This movie is one I always watch when I’m sick, getting lost in the scenery and characters makes me feel better every time.    

The love story in this move is timeless, but it’s the characters other than Buttercup and Westley that really clinch it.  Inigo Montoya has one of the best lines in all of movie history.  Say it with me now, “Hello.  My name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die.”

Andre the Giant is wonderful as Fezzik (he is the brute squad) and Billy Crystal is beyond funny has Miracle Max.  Westley is the hero we all want who would fight for his love to the end of the earth, even when he’s mostly dead. 

When I was younger I would get annoyed at the breaks in the story that pulled you back to the present and showed the grandfather and grandson.  As I got older though, I realized the importance of those scenes and it just made me appreciate the story more. 

This one is a new addition to this particular list, I only recently found out it was based on a book.  Like the story of Buttercup and Westley, I have watched this movie more times than I can count.  So many times, in fact,  that when I pulled it out a few weeks ago and watched it for what was probably the first time in five years I still knew every word.

The basic synopsis is this:

There is a unicorn in a forest who overhears two hunters talking and learns she is the last unicorn left in the world.  She meets a butterfly who tells her the story of the Red Bull that took away all the unicorns years ago.  She decides to go on a quest to find out if this is true and where the other unicorns are.  Along the way she meets a magician named Schmendrick who is not the best magician in the world, although he does possess true magic.  He decides to accompany the unicorn on her quest. They also pick up one other traveler on the way, a woman named Molly Grue. 

Eventually they end up at the castle of King Haggard and his son Prince Lir.  At this point, the unicorn is in human form (courtesy of Schmendrick) to prevent the Red Bull from discovering who she truly is.  Eventually they learn what happened to the unicorns and there is a final showdown.

I’m not going to go through the rest of the story because I don’t want to give away the surprises and the ending.  This is an absolutely beautiful animated movie; it was really my first exposure to Japanese style animation.  The characters are voiced wonderfully (Jeff Bridges, Alan Arkin, Christopher Lee, Mia Farrow) and the band America performs the music. 

As you can see, I had a hard time toning down the hyperbole in this post; I just love these movies to pieces.  If you haven’t seen any of them, I recommend putting them on your watch list as soon as possible.  You won’t be disappointed.

What about you, what are some of your favorite movies and TV shows?

Happy Monday Morning!  I’m trying a new take on the start of the week this time…something a little more chipper.  I’m not really much of a morning person but we’ll see if faking it puts me in the right mood for the week.  J

Ok, yeah, totally addicted.  David Tennant has absolutely nothing to do with my office, but a random picture of the Doctor never hurt anyone.  J

For my fellow bloggers’ postings, check out the links below…

I’m a bit of a dreamer; I spend more time in my daydreams than is probably healthy.  But one of the results of all that time spent in my head, is that I’ve answered this question more times than I can count.  If I could live anywhere in the world, where would I live?  What kind of life would I lead?

Of all the places I’ve imagined, I keep coming back to one.

Scotland.

I’ve dreamed of living in a little cottage in the country, somewhere I could have a garden and be at peace.  Peace is something I lack in my everyday life.  I think a place like the one pictured below would be nothing butpeace; a cozy little stone house with a large fireplace for the winter and big window to gaze out of when I need inspiration.

And to be able to walk among the hills and old stone ruins anytime would be simply amazing.  Is there anything more beautiful?

Of course there’s also the history.  While America has its own history that is fascinating and strong, it doesn’t have the age of so many other places in the world.  I’ve been doing a lot of research into various aspects of Scottish history for my book, and the more I read the more I love it.  Scotland had its savage times, as have many other places, but I’m intrigued by the idea of the old clans and how far back some of them go.  To be surrounded by that kind of history would be inspiring on a level I can’t even imagine.

And if I’m going to imagine living anywhere I want, then along with that would be any career I want.  And if I could do anything I want, it would be to write for a living.  Imagine!  Living in a peaceful, lovely little cottage in the country and writing full time. 

When I was thinking about my answer for my post, I realized it’s completely contradictory to one of the answers in my self-interview a couple of weeks ago.  The question was basically country or city, and I said city.  I think a city would be fun to live in for a few years, to try it out.  But not for the long haul.  For the long haul I think I want quiet.  I tend to be a hermit, it would be so much easier in the country.

What about you?  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

It’s time for another Monday’s Musings post, this week the topic is genre fiction vs. literary fiction. 

For my fellow bloggers’ postings, check out the links below…

There is a lot of discussion (and disagreement) about the definitions of genre and literary fiction, let alone which is “better.”  So, I guess the first place to start in a discussion of the two is to try to define them. 

Genre – Tends to be thought of as “escapist” fiction, with a lesser quality of writing compared to the literary category

Literary – Considered “higher level” and thought to examine human nature, higher quality of writing

Notice the quotes used in my definitions, they probably give away my thoughts on the subject so I guess they aren’t totally unbiased definitions.

In this day and age, I think the line between genre and literary fiction is blurring, if not disappearing completely.  When I think of the two categories, I tend to think of books that have been around for a while.  Say, the difference between To Kill a Mockingbird (literary) and The Deep Blue Good-by (genre), which is the first Travis McGee novel by John D. MacDonald. 

To Kill a Mockingbird is considered one of the great pieces of American Literature, a story that has touched millions across generations and still speaks to people today.   Whereas the Travis McGee novels are mysteries focused on a sort of bum who helps people recover things.  Not what a lot of people would consider great literature.  But, if you give them a chance (and I recommend you do), you realize there is more.  They are about a guy who seems to be totally self-serving and only helps people when he needs the money, but there’s more to Travis than meets the eye.  He has a sense of honor and helps those who need it.  What more can you want from a hero?  How is that not examining human nature?

I think the classifications of these two books are outdated.  Today, I think “literary” is a genre of fiction, just like mystery, science fiction and fantasy. 

What does the literary genre of today look like?  It’s hard to pinpoint exactly, in my opinion.  I tend to think of it as the category that things fall into if they don’t fall into any other category.  Is that a popular opinion?  Probably not.  People seem to get very bent out of shape when you tell them “literary” isn’t the end all, be all.  Or that books in other genres are just as good as “literary” titles.  I keep putting that in quotes, I can’t help it.  I tend to think it sounds kind of pretentious. 

When I think of literature, I think older.  I think of what I read in my AP English class in high school; Pride and Prejudice, The Sound and The Fury and Crime and Punishment.  It’s not that I don’t think people write books that are important anymore, it’s just that what’s written today hasn’t had time to become classic yet.  Maybe someday a book that came out last week will be considered a classic, literary novel.  The great American novel of the 21^st century that will be studied in English classes a hundred years from now.   But, I still think it will be considered part of the “literary” genre of fiction.  Not a group of fiction above all others.

This just my opinion obviously.  But, what do you think?