Thursday Movie Picks #368: TMP Television Edition - Book Adaptations

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five titles and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is TMP Television Edition - Book Adaptations

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This is one of the themes that I have every year since there are always new book to TV adaptations each year. I am truly spoiled for choice and will be picking the ones I like that I've seen since last year's adaptation theme and ones that have never picked picked before (which would exclude The Flight Attendant and Defending Jacob since I have picked them before).

Shadow and Bone (2021 - ) 

I can't really do a plot summary for this...there's quite a lot going on. It's basically a YA Fantasy that I've been wanting to read for some time but never got around to, so I had been looking forward to the TV adaptation. The TV series is great. The world building is big and wonderful. The production value is impressive which I did not expect for a YA fantasy TV series and I think it is as good as or better than some of the YA movies that have come before. I also like the characters and their relationships, so there's much to look forward to in the second season. The only negative is, with it being a fantasy series, we'd probably have to wait quite a long time for a second season...my guess maybe only in 2023?

Behind Her Eyes (2021)

A young single mom starts to fall for her boss just as she also starts to become friends with his wife. This is the only TV series that I've read the book, back in 2017. I read quite a lot from the mystery/suspense/thriller genre each year, most of which I have forgotten their plots, because after so many, a lot of them sort of seem similar and they all blend together. Not this. This I remembered not because I love the book but because of how nutty it was. And turns out I enjoyed this adaptation. All the craziness made this a fun watch and the adaptation also managed to have this effectively spooky ominous tone.

 

C.B. Strike (2017 - )

Based of the series of books by JK Rowling where she writes under the name Robert Galbraith about an ex army Military Police turned private investigator, Cormoran Strike, solving cases with his assistant, Robin. This is a mini series and each season is very short consisting of between 2 to 4 episodes covering between 1 or 2 books they were based on. Keeping the seasons short is good in my opinion as it doesn't unnecessarily stretch out a book across soo many episodes. I really like this series. While the cases they work on are interesting enough, I think it's the two main characters that keep me watching. Each of them is a little weathered and bruised by their own past but they have such great chemistry and work together so well. Cormoran brings his years of investigative experience as an MP to solving their cases while Robin brings a second perspective and optimism. I hope this gets a fourth season as the 5th book in the book series which was released last year has yet to be adapted. 

Big Little Lies (2017 - 2019)

Follows the months and weeks of the lives of a group of women from a rich neighbourhood leading up to a murder. I like how the mystery plays out, how even the victim was never fully revealed until near the end; throughout the first season there were short bits of witness interviews spliced in between the drama of these women's lives, so the characters that were never interviewed could have been the victim and everyone could have been the killer. It was also a very star studded production and everyone was really good in it. 

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Thursday Movie Picks #367: Summer Break

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Summer Break

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This was quite tough. Some movies seem like summer movies as the characters go to some place warm...but its not actually summer and the place they go is like somewhere where the climate is warm all year round. So anyway here are three that do take place during the summer.

Jaws (1975)

I saw this for the first time last year and like it. I think I like the first half more rather than the shark hunting second half....the first half was when the islanders were trying to figure out what was happening and some want to close the beach which a lot of the businesses oppose since they rely heavily on the summer tourists that come for the beach...its the whole lives vs livelihood.

 

My Girl (1991)
It starts of super cute, these two best friends spending their summer together...then tragedy strikes.
Saw this as kid. I remember liking it even though it got sad at the end, which is why I think I only saw it once.

Now and Then (1995)
Four childhood friends reunite as adults and reminisce about the summer of 1970...just like My Girl, this is another summer childhood story set in the 1970s...The 1990s must have had strong nostalgia for the 1970s. This is one I do want to rewatch again...I love a good ensemble movie and this has two sets.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #366: Non-English Language Movies

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Non-English Language Movies

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I've been mostly watching Non-English TV series rather than movies the past year, so I had to search for movies that I've watched in the past and have never picked on this blog before. Which makes them quite hard to write anything about since I haven't seen some of these movies between 10 to nearly 20 years so there's not that much that I do remember to say a whole lot. 

The Princess of Montpensier (2010)

Quite surprise I've never picked this before since I enjoy period dramas and I remember liking this. I also remember it had some very gorgeous costumes and I now learn it had won the César Awards for Best Costume Design.

 

I Am Love (2009)
Tilda Swinton plays a Russian woman who is married to a rich Italian family and she speaks Italian and Russian throughout the film. I have no idea how successful she is in speaking the two languages but I thought that it was impressive considering I think she speaks neither of them in real life. I also remember it had great costuming and cinematography. Whenever I watch Succession, especially its poster and opening credits, I am reminded of I Am Love.

The Spanish Apartment (2002)
This may be called The Spanish Apartment, because that is the setting, but it was mostly filmed in French and I think this had been one of the first few Non-English European films I had seen. I had also thought it must be so cool to be an international student hanging with other other international students in a cosmopolitan city. Anyway this is part of a trilogy. I have seen this and its sequel Russian Dolls, which I remember less. I'd like to watch all of the movies back to back one day.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #365: Female Athletes

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Female Athletes

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Quick post today. I haven't seen some of these movies in nearly 20 years so there's not that much that I do remember to say a whole lot other than there were all really fun and I enjoyed watching them.

Bring It On (2000)

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Whip It (2009)

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #364: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects

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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

As with most of the movies that I picked today, it was hard finding the still that was from my favourite scenes, so I usually tried to find one that was the closest to it.

 

1917 (2019)

The scene that I actually wanted I think came after Schofield encountered the enemy soldier in this still. One where he proceeded to run, weaving in and out of the partly standing buildings trying to hide in the shadows as above the sky is alight from what seems to be a dogfight so the shadows from the buildings seem to move lengthening and receding and lengthening.

 

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

I had liked the sepia tone scenes in this movie, like the one in this scene and the ones in the apartment where K meets Deckard.

 

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

I like scenes that are shot in the dark because of the play of light and shadow, and this I thought was beautiful.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

This movie had some gorgeous vistas of the ocean and the Galapagos Islands. But I also like the shots of the crew at sea during a mist and there were some great action scenes like in this still, plenty of mist and smoke.

 

Road to Perdition (2002) 

The movie had a lot of dark moody scenes. I think this scene had a shot of both Hanks and Newman in the same frame but I couldn't find a still of it.

 

 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

 

I had been quite confused over the difference between Visual Effects and Special Effects so I had to look it up. Visual Effects are those that are added in post production, like motion capture and CGI. While Special Effects are those effects that are actually filmed like pyrotechnics, animatronics and prosthetic makeup.

 

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

I've said this before, while I'm not a fan of the story, the movie is visually stunning due to the great cinematography and visual effects.

 

The Jungle Book (2016)

The Jungle Book world looked so magical and the animal characters were so lively. The "live-action" Lion King just cannot compete.

Ex Machina (2014)

I like the look of the androids the way you can seen the internal mechanics. The point was to show that they can look human but for Caleb to also clearly see that they are machines, to test him.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

LOTR won each year it was nominated in this category, but I decided to go with the first one as it started it all.

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