 Friday, December 21, 2007
The following blog entry was written by Meredith Matthews, the editor of Current Health magazine.
Spend Your Holidays in Persepolis
 Not Persepolis the place--an ancient city from the Persian Empire. I'm talking about Persepolis the movie, based on the graphic novels of the same name (it opens on December 25). The book's author, Marjane Satrapi, co-directed the film adaptation.
I was lucky enough to see an advance screening, along with a WORD alumnus, Sandhya. I hope I can put into words how terrific an experience it was!
You should know that I am a huge Persepolis fan. I've given the books to friends for birthdays and giddily got Satrapi’s autograph when she spoke at a local university last year. (Her French accent is so lovely!) I even own a copy of her picture book, Monsters Are Afraid of the Moon. (It's not as visceral or funny as the Persepolis books, but Satrapi's illustrations are just as pleasing.)
So I was worried about the big-screen version being a disappointment. I should have known better, though. As the co-director, Satrapi kept careful control; after all, Persepolis is her memoir, so naturally she'd want to make sure the film reflected her true self. In press notes handed out at the screening, she says that she received all kinds of pitches from Hollywood about adapting the book--including "a Beverly Hills, 90210–type TV show and a movie featuring Jennifer Lopez as my mother and Brad Pitt as my father." Yikes!
 There was nothing I didn't like in the film that actually got made--well, OK, Sandhya and I agreed it ran a little long, but that's to be expected. After all, Persepolis follows Satrapi from age 9 to age 24, during which she lived through a political revolution, an eight-year-long war, and journeyed from Iran to Austria and back before finally emigrating to France. Also, like the book, the first portion spends a good deal of time explaining Iran's recent political history and how it affected Satrapi's family. (I thought the movie did a good job of making this information understandable; when I first picked up the book, it took me a few re-reads to get everything clear.)
From the opening title sequence, with its gently cascading flowers and stars, the film was a truly wonderful visual experience. It is animated but not cartoony because the animation was done the old-fashioned way, not using computer-generated images like, say, the upcoming Alvin and the Chipmunks. Everything is in black-and-white, just like the books, except the present-day scenes. The graphics, which in the book are powerful for their simplicity, become even more dynamic when motion is added to them! (The war sequences and "Eye of the Tiger" scene in particular bring the story to life.)
One thing I didn't expect when I stepped into the screening room was just how much the addition of sound would bring to the narrative. When bombs crashed or punk bands blared, I felt the story in a way that I wasn't able to when I just held a two-dimensional image in my hands. And it was interesting to actually hear the characters speak. Granted, they spoke French, which I don't (thank goodness for subtitles). But since French is the language Satrapi's been fluent in ever since she studied at the Lycée Français in Tehran as a girl, it felt authentic to her experience. (An English-language version is apparently in the works, but I actually enjoyed seeing it in French.)
I was pleased that the movie didn't stray very far from the books. A few threads were condensed just for timing, I assume; for example, when a young Satrapi sees the aftermath of a bombing, she is horrified (and the audience along with her). But the film leaves out some backstory, so viewers don't realize that one of Satrapi's friends is among the victims. The cuts--like details about her ever-changing living arrangements in Vienna, or about her art-school project--didn't affect the story much at all, and I didn't really miss them.
Sandhya and I stayed through the closing credits and left the theater elated and inspired. I actually am hoping to see the movie again, it was so much fun, and well worth the price of a ticket. If you've never read the Persepolis books, you’ll want to after seeing this eye-opening and entertaining film. And if, like me, you're a Satrapi devotee, I think you will be very happy with the way her story comes across on the silver screen.
If you go to see Persepolis, check back in with WORD and let us know what you think. And have you read any of the other books that are being turned into movies? (The Golden Compass? I Am Legend? The Mist? The Water Horse?) How well do you think these stories survived the translation to film?
Editor's Note: Look for an excerpt of Persepolis in READ magazine this March!
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
 I went to see Beowulf in IMAX a couple weeks ago. It was ... well, it was big, that's for sure. This Hollywood blockbuster is very true to the original story all the way up to the part where it completely veers. It's like, pretend you're driving down a highway behind a tractor trailer and you're thinking to yourself, "That tractor trailer is doing exactly everything it should. The driver of that big rig is very good at what he does." And then all of a sudden, the tractor trailer plunges headfirst into a volcano. "That's odd," you think, "I don't remember there being a volcano here."
Yeah well, that's Hollywood for ya.
Beowulf is the classic tale of a hero, the likes of which the world has never seen. This guy is sheer muscle and brawn. When the gods look down on him, they think, "Why can't I be more like Beowulf?" That's not in the story, I'm just saying. Beowulf is pretty much the toughest dude you'll ever meet.
One day, this monster named Grendel goes and kills and eats a whole bunch of Danish King Hrothgar's men in the great hall of Heorot. These scenes are violent and bloody and, let's face it, pretty cool. Grendel is a terror that, it seems, no man or army of men can defeat. Heh. Not so fast...
Enter Beowulf, a hero from Geatland. He brings a small army with him over the seas to come and fight the beast. Beowulf is pretty much pride incarnate. If anyone was every a glory hound, Beowulf is it. He wants all the glory of all the world. And, it's no lie to say, he's also very full of himself. That's ok though, he has the resume to prove it. All his life, Beowulf has been killing monsters. Grendel, he assumes, will just be one more notch on his belt.
When he fights Grendel, Beowulf chooses to do so without weapons or armor. In fact, um, he, ehhh, kind of fights the monster wearing nothing but his birthday suit. Yikes.
Anywho, Grendel is just the beginning. After Bewoulf and Grendel have their massive fight, Beowulf has to go and meet, um, Angelina Jolie.
Yeah. Angelina Jolie plays Grendel's mother. And this is where the movie takes a turn for the bizarre. If you're looking for literary accuracy, walk out of the theater now because the film is about to drive itself right into a volcano.
It's cool though. It's entertaining. It's animation. It's Beowulf... kinda.
All told, I enjoyed the movie a lot. It was packed with plenty of action and gore and heaven knows I love me a good literary adaptation. Even if it is a little off the mark at times.
I highly recommend you see this movie in IMAX. Don't wait for the DVD to come out. The IMAX experience is killer. And you'll be missing out on some beautiful scenes if you do wait. IMAX has a way of taking you over. There's one scene in particular, where a hawk snatches up a rodent and flies off away from Heorot. The flight goes on for a few minutes and you start to feel as if you are the rodent trapped in it's claws. Neat-o.
If you have yet to read the original Beowulf, we have a three part Reader's Theater adaption of it here. Knock yourself out. It's really quite good. One of our freelance writers, Wim Coleman, did a fantastic job adapting it.
Oh, and just for a taste of what to expect at the movie, here is a preview. Enjoy.
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
I just got my 2008 calendar, which made me realize that 2007 is almost over. There are only ... (wait, give me a minute, math isn't my strong suit) 12 days left! And I haven't even started thinking of my resolutions yet!
Well, I know it's a little early, but the early bird catches the worm (or something slightly less cliche). So, just now I thought of my top ten literary resolutions for the next year.
1. Read more books. Good books--not just trashy magazines. Why find out more about Britney, Paris, and Lindsay when I could be catching up on Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Speaking of which ...
2. Read a Harry Potter book. Any Harry Potter book. Bad WORD blogger! I know, I know, how could I not have read Harry Potter yet? Well, stop yelling at me. I've been ... busy with ... stuff. OK, there's really no exuse.
3. Buy and actually read the new Gone With the Wind spin off. I know I shouldn't judge it until I read it, even though I know it's not going to be as good as the original.
4. Write a television pilot. Well, as of now the writers are still on strike. I want my TV!
5. Lose 5 pounds. It's not exactly a literary resolution. OK, it's not a literary resolution at all. But still ...
6. Start keeping a dream journal. Dreams can sometimes be great story starters, but who can remember them after awhile? Plus I'd like written proof of every time Justin Timberlake asks me to marry him.
7. Reread some of my favorite books that I haven't read in years. Maybe I'll get some new insights. And maybe this time when I read The Shining by Stephen King, I'll be able to go to the bathroom without checking to make sure there isn't a dead woman in the bathtub ... if you don't know what I mean, you should read the book yourself. And if you have read the book and aren't afraid of the bathtub corpse lady ... well, you are far braver than I.
8. Read the book first before I see the movie. Because the book is always better anyway.
9. Write more by hand. It's so much more satisfying than typing on a computer. Plus, as a lefty, I don't get that nice smudge across what I've just written when I'm typing.
10. Write the Great American Novel. A girl can dream, can't she?
OK, so those are my early resolutions. Hopefully, as it gets closer to New Year's eve, I can think of a couple more, because you can never have too many goals when it comes to reading and writing.
So (OK, you know what's coming ...) what are some of your literary goals for the new year?
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Fantasy aficionados, rejoice! Because those of you who have felt a void in your hearts after all the Lord of the Rings movies and Harry Potter books were done with, your prayers have been answered. Peter Jackson, the director of all three Lord of the Rings, has just signed on to produce The Hobbit.
In case you don't know (and maybe you shouldn't call yourself a fantasy fan if you don't), The Hobbit is a  book by J. R. R. Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of the Rings.
So, are you excited about a return to Middle Earth? Do you think this movie is going to be awesome? And if you read The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings books, can you fill me in on what happens? Sadly, I've never read any of them. I did sit through the first Lord of the Rings movie, but I must admit, it was under much duress. I'm not a huge fanasy fan (although I did enjoy the Orlando Bloom aspect of the movie). OK, well then, let's get some comments that we all [read: I] can understand. Who would you cast in this movie?
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