Watch Latest TV Shows Online: Agustus 2015

Senin, 31 Agustus 2015

Manic Monday: A Tribute to the Maestro of Horror

Wesley Earl “Wes” Craven, the legendary director of numerous horror classics such as Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street, succumbed to brain cancer on Sunday at the age of 76. For that reason, we would like to dedicate this Manic Monday to him and his nightmarish creations. Below you will find a list of Craven's movies and a collection of some of his best scenes that will help you understand why Wes Craven is and always will be the Master of Horror.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

Deadly Friend (1986)

Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

List of Wes Craven Movies

The Last House on the Left (1972)

A pair of teenage girls are headed to a rock concert for one's birthday. While trying to score marijuana in the city, the girls are kidnapped by a gang of psychotic convicts.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

On the way to California, a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public, and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack.

Deadly Blessing (1981)

This film is set in Amish Country, at a local farm, where a woman's husband is mysteriously killed by his own tractor!

Swamp Thing (1982)

After a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster.

Invitation to Hell (1984)

A family moves to a suburban town only to be coerced into joining a suspicious club.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

In the dreams of his victims, a spectral child murderer stalks the children of the members of the parents that killed him.

The Hills Have Eyes part 2 (1985)

A group of bikers, which includes some of the survivors from the original film, embark on a journey by bus to a biker race near the desert of the infamous incidents. However, because of a mistake they are late and decide to take a shortcut through the desert.

Deadly Friend (1986)

Paul is a new kid in town with a robot named "BB". He befriends Samantha and the three of them have a lot of good times together. That is, until Samantha's abusive father throws her down some stairs and kills her.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

An anthropologist goes to Haiti after hearing rumors about a drug used by black magic practitioners to turn people into zombies.

Shocker (1989)

After being sent to the electric chair, a serial killer uses electricity to come back from the dead and carry out his vengeance on the football player who turned him in to the police.

The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Two adults and a juvenile burglar break into a house occupied by a brother and sister and their stolen children and can't escape.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?

Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

Maximillian is the only survivor from a race of vampires on a

Caribbean Island, and as a vampire, he must find a mate to keep

the line from ending. He knows that a child had been born to a

woman who had a vampire father, and he searches for her in

Brooklyn.

Scream (1996)

A killer known as Ghostface begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl and her friends find themselves contemplating the "Rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one.

Wishmaster (1997)

A demonic djinn attempts to grant its owner three wishes, which will allow him to summon his brethren to earth.

Scream 2 (1997)

Two years after the events of the first film, a new psychopath dons the "Ghost face" costume and a new string of murders begin.

Carnival of Souls (1998)

A young girl witnesses the brutal rape and murder of her mother

by a circus clown and begins to have nightmares when the carnival comes back to town when she is an adult.

Music of the Heart (1999)

Story of a schoolteacher's struggle to teach violin to inner-city Harlem kids.

Scream 3 (2000)

Ghostface pays Sidney and her friends a third visit while they visit the set of "Stab 3", the third movie based upon the Woodsboro murders.

Dracula 2000 (2000)

A group of thieves break into a chamber expecting to find paintings, but instead they release the count himself, who travels to New Orleans to find his nemesis' daughter, Mary Van Helsing.

Cursed (2005)

A werewolf loose in Los Angeles changes the lives of three young

adults, who, after being mauled by the beast, learn they must

kill their attacker if they hope to change their fate to avoid becoming

werewolves too.

Red Eye (2005)

A woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in offing a politician.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

A suburban American family is being stalked by a group of psychotic people who live in the desert, far away from civilization.

The Breed (2006)

A group of five college kids are forced to match wits with unwelcoming residents when they fly to a "deserted" island for a party weekend.

Paris, Je T’aime (2006)

While visiting Père Lachaise Cemetery, a young woman breaks up

with her fiancé, who then redeems himself with the aid of advice

from the ghost of Oscar Wilde.

Feast (2007)

Patrons locked inside of a bar are forced to fight monsters.

The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)

A group of National Guard trainees find themselves battling against a vicious group of mutants on their last day of training in the desert.

The Last House on the Left (2009)

After kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang led by a prison escapee unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging the parents of one of the victims.

My Soul to Take (2010)

A serial killer returns to his hometown to stalk seven children who share the same birthday as the date he was allegedly put to rest.

Scream 4 (2011)

Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

* All information taken from Wes Craven’s official website: http://www.wescraven.com/

Minggu, 30 Agustus 2015

A Scene to Remember: What is a Weekend?

Oh how I love it when we introduce a new category for our blog! To be fair, this one isn't actually new, but has unjustly been neglected by us since the beginning... But no more!

Here, we'll introduce you to or remind you of scenes that are memorable as they are or should be remembered from here on out. There are many reasons for a scene to be memorable, be it great acting or writing, grand emotions, epic fun, or massive popularity.

Our freshman scene has a bit of all of these qualities. And since the show it's from is nearing the end of its run, some premature remembrance is only fair:

Times were hard in the early 20th century, but not everyone underwent the same ordeals. The upstairs folks of Downton Abbey suffered from a severe, yet highly entertaining case of what today we'd call #firstworldproblems. Arrogance and naivete make a dangerous mix, but (with a little warmth and the knowledge that this is just a TV show) also make for some quality amusement time. No one is whittier and out of this world, yet strangely up to date and accurate in their utterings than the Dowager Countess herself. Dame Maggie Smith, admittedly, can do and say almost anything, but her hillarious and outer-worldly one-liners as Violet Crawley shall never be forgotten!

So on this last summer Sunday I ask you: "What is a weekend?"

Rabu, 26 Agustus 2015

Data Base: White Collar (2009 - 2014)

©Exclusive Suit 4 you | USA Network

Series Premiere	23 October 2009
Series Finale	18 December 2014
Genre	comedy, crime, drama
Country of Origin	USA
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	81
Running Time	42 min.
Channel	USA Network
Website	http://www.usanetwork.com/whitecollar
Developed by	Jeff Eastin
Starring	Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Tiffani Thiessen, Sharif Atkins, Marsha Thomason
Guest Stars Worth Mentioning	Hilarie Burton, Alexandra Daddario, Joe Manganiello, Treat Williams

Synopsis:

In White Collar Neil Caffrey, a smooth and sexy art forgerer and con-artist, is caught by FBI special agent Peter Burke after a seven year chase. Charming and skilled as he is, Caffrey is able to negotiate a deal where he helps Burke and his team in the NYC White Collar division in exchance for his freedom. Even though Neil is given an ankle bracelet to secure his whereabouts at all times, he never quite loses his former ways. Still, in Peter Burke he finds a mentor and more importantly a true friend.

Yay or Nay?

While (on paper) this looks like yet another crime show, White Collar is so much more. Of course there is the weekly case that (most of the time) Neil has to help on officially, while secretly trying to score the goods for himself. This is a show about a trickster, which in it's setup has a lot of comic potential as well. It's a breath of fresh air compared to those other dark and gloomy crime shows out there, as there seldomly are life and death situations and the show doesn't take itself all that seriously. White Collar is also a show about relationships and unlikely friendships. Loyalty and kindness are two qualities that are very important to the characters and the criminals of the main cast are more of a gentleman thief than anything else. Fans of whitty dialogues will find what they are looking for here and the dynamic between the cast members is something to enjoy as well. Fancy costumes and great shots of NYC complete the picture. Definitely give this one a go :)

Sabtu, 22 Agustus 2015

Film Review: The Princess Bride (1987)

USA; 98 min.; adventure, romance, fantasy, comedy

Director: Rob Reiner

Writing: William Goldman

Cinematography: Adrian Biddle

Cast: Peter Falk, Fred Savage, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, André the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Mel Smith

Vizzini: He didn’t fall?! Inconceivable! Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

I lately read William Goldman’s fabulous, witty, satirical, fairly-tale-like novel The Princess Bride and as you can already guess, I whole-heartedly loved it from start to finish. However, the book doesn’t really take itself seriously and proves oftentimes unreliable in its claims at historical accuracy or even the author’s writing process itself (there’s neither a Florin, nor a Morgenstern and accordingly no book written by him that Goldman could have read as a kid and so on.) That’s why I ended up doing a lot of doublechecking on Google and was thrilled to realise that the novel has been made into a movie, and according to the online critics a good one at that. So the moment I finished the novel, I turned to the film (you can watch the whole thing on YouTube, even in HD.)

The novel raised my expectations for the movie, to an almost unfair degree. I hoped for action, adventure, swordfights, witty dialogues, the most beautiful woman in the world, the strongest man in the world, the “inconceivable,” pirates, sharks, the Zoo of Death, the ROUSes (rodents of unusual size) and the kiss that is described as such: “Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.”

Oh, and not to forget:

As you can see I was really looking forward towards this one. The list above is fairly long. Easy-peasy for a book that can have as many pages as the author so desires, but a movie with only a limited amount of screen time (in this case precisely 98 minutes) will find it hard to include so many things without seeming jam-packed and rushed. So, unfortunately I must inform you that the Zoo of Death didn’t make it onto the screen and the sharks have been replaced by shrieking eels, but apart from that it’s all there.

But let’s start at the beginning. In the style of Goldman’s story of how he first came across the novel, the movie starts with an ill, bedridden boy (Fred Savage) who is read a story by his grandfather. Note that the grandfather is played by no other than Lieutenant Columbo, Peter Falk, who leads the narration and does not shy away from interrupting every now and then. Mostly when there is kissing involved. Yuck!

The story he tells his grandson is about a girl called Buttercup (Robin Wright), who lives on a farm and meanly orders around the farm boy who only ever replies “As you wish.” What he really means though is “I love you,” and one day, all of a sudden Buttercup realises that she loves him too. They kiss (a kiss interruptus though - thanks Frank and Peter) and then the farm boy, whose name is Westley (Cary Elwes), departs for America to earn the means he needs to provide his love with the kind of life he feels she deserves. Shortly after he left, Buttercup receives news that his ship has been attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never leaves anyone alive. So Westley is apparently dead and Buttercup vows never to love again and we are only just five minutes into the movie.

Five years later Prince Humperdinck of Florin (Chris Sarandon) decides to take Buttercup as his wife and she, assuring him that she does not and will never love him, agrees. Before the marriage takes place, Buttercup is kidnapped by a most curious trio. The head of the group is the clever Sicilian Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), then there is the Spanish master fencer Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and the strongest man in the world, the giant Fezzik (André the Giant.) They bring Buttercup into the bordering country Guilder and make no secret of their intention to kill her there and incite a war between Florin and Guilder. However, before they cross the border, a mysterious man in black catches up with them and tries to abduct their abductee. For that he has to challenge each of the three in their master discipline, resulting in a battle of swords, a battle of strength and a battle of wits.

I think that is enough to make you rightfully curious to watch the movie and you really should. The Princess Bride is the kind of classic movie that is suitable for everyone regardless of age. Children will love the fairy tale-like story of the beautiful princess in distress and the exciting plot as such, whereas adults will also cherish the humour and the parodic elements that ridicule the conventions of sword and sorcery movies.

Plus, seeing as the movie is fairly old (it was filmed in 1987!) it provides us with a somewhat different viewing experience from what we are used to nowadays. For example, I found the obtrusiveness with which the music underlined the action scenes utterly comical. Every clash of swords or even the battle of Fezzik’s sheer mass against a locked door is accentuated with tuba and trombone. Or just look at the often overdone acting by Miracle Max (Billy Crystal – a chocolate-coated pill to revive the dead, anyone?) or the Albino (Mel Smith), which reminds a little of a Monty Python movie. But then this silliness is deliberate and although it’s sometimes a little too much for my taste, it fits into the self-ironic tone of the movie.

On a whole, the cast is doing a brilliant job, Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin especially so. They really manage to fill out their roles and there is a kind of chemistry between them that makes their exchanges hilarious to watch. And the movie version of Buttercup is far more likeable than her book pendant, who is more of a nuisance on two legs with peas for brains.

Lastly, note that The Princess Bride goes way back to a time before CGI and when there was still a limit to what could be done with special effects, so I think the performance of the ROUSes, who were played by actual people in costumes (duh!) and dubbed by director Rob Reiner himself, deserve some extra credit, which they now get from me. Well done.

So you see The Princess Bride is a charming, forthright, witty, storybook-like classic that can be enjoyed on various levels and is accordingly suitable for all age groups. It mixes an adult kind of humour with a childlike sense of wonder and if that’s still not enough for you, try making a drinking game out of every time Inigo says his catch phrase.

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepeare to die."

Drunken stupor guaranteed. You’re welcome.

Rating:

Rabu, 19 Agustus 2015

Film Review: Lost River (2014)

USA; 95 min.; drama, mystery

Director: Ryan Gosling

Writing: Ryan Gosling

Cinematography: Benoît Debie

Cast: Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Saoirse Ronan, Matt Smith, Reda Kateb, Barbara Steele, Torrey Wigfield, Ben Mendelsohn, Eva Mendes

The wolves, if they're not already at your door, they're gonna be there very fucking soon.” – Dave

Ryan Gosling has always been a sort of spirit animal for the BSP crew since, obviously, there's much to be admired. Not only is he an actor who has proven multiple times that he can bring characters of all dispositions and genres to life. No, he's also a producer, musician and, as of late, a screenwriter and film maker. His directorial debut Lost River premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 to rather unfavourable reviews. I, however, do not see the need to advertise for a new BSP spirit animal. In fact, Lost River, despite all the negative buzz, genuinely impressed me, further proving that Gosling will continue to increase his influence on the movie industry.

But let's talk plot first: In her struggle to keep her family afloat, single mum Billy (Christina Hendricks) encounters the shady banker Dave (Ben Mendelsohn) who offers her a job at Cat's (Eva Mendes) bizarre burlesque club. In the meantime, Billy's teenage son Bones (Iain De Caestecker) and his friend Rat (Saoirse Ronan) have to deal with the violent outbursts of the town bully, aptly named Bully (Matt Smith). That's the story in a nutshell for you.

I admit, the film is difficult to access if you head into it expecting a conventional narrative, a plot-driven piece or a kind of character study. Gosling certainly values style over substance. Here, the stars are neither the characters nor the story, but the mood. Shots of abandoned, rundown buildings, overgrown areas and mysterious lakescapes evoke an all-engrossing atmosphere of loneliness and hopelessness. Trapped in a setting overtaken by natural forces and decay, the characters find themselves without any prospects – and yet they cling to their surroundings, to their memories of times and places gone by. The use of neon lights and a sometimes beautifully melodic, sometimes upbeat electronic score by Johnny Jewel give Lost River a haunting, dream-like quality. The visuals stayed with me long after the film was over.

The characters aren't as memorable, due to a lack of depth. Their relationships with each other are broken down to basic emotions of love, hate and responsibility. On the one hand, this gives them an everyman quality, making it easy for viewers to connect with their emotions and struggles. On the other hand, it doesn't make them all that interesting. Fortunately, Gosling gathered a talented cast capable of making the most of their respective roles, despite the absence of fleshed-out character profiles. Especially former Dr. Who Matt Smith, who's usually cast as the cheeky nice guy, has the opportunity to shine as a vicious brute. His Bully is menacing, lulling his victims into a false sense of security only to strike them twice as hard.

I enjoy how Gosling embraces a very postmodern approach to his material. The influence of David Lynch and Nicolas Winding Refn, two directors I hugely admire, is omnipresent. The scenes in Cat's nightclub seem like a prolonged version of the "Llorando" scene from Lynch's masterpiece Mulholland Dr. (2001). Furthermore, Gosling interlaces the moody, beautiful melancholy of his film with snippets of absurdity and relentless violence, reminiscent of Refn films such as Bronson (2008) and Drive (2011). While I appreciate Gosling's efforts to pay homage to these cinematic treasures, there are moments when I find myself looking for his very own thumbprint on the movie. In future projects, I'd love to see him add a bit more personality to his already attractive web of intertextuality.

However, the Canadian has to be applauded for the way in which he manages to raise a number of topics within an only 95-minute time span. Lost River can be regarded as a commentary on nostalgia and how we tend to burden ourselves with idealisations of the past when, really, we should be looking towards the possibilities that lie ahead of us. It explores the connection between violence in fiction and real-life brutality. It sheds light on our understanding of entertainment, and – on another postmodern note – challenges our perception of what is real and what is only make-believe. These themes, however, are never force-fed to the viewer. They vanish, re-appear throughout the film and linger in the background again. They're subtle and yet strong enough to endow the film with an intriguing complexity and food for thought.

Lost River isn't a crowd pleaser. Only viewers who are willing to put visual power, cinematic intertextuality and a broad range of underlying subject matter over complex plot structures and characters will find pleasure in Gosling's first feature film. It's Lynch-ian, absurd, dark and brutal; yet enchantingly beautiful and delightfully mysterious. Call it artsy-fartsy if you must, but I revelled in its atmosphere and engaging music. While it heavily relies on looks, I don't find it to be merely an empty, pretty shell. For me, Gosling has shown that he harbours the spirit of an up and coming director, and has thus rightfully secured his position as BSP spirit animal. So yes, the job's taken. Please refrain from sending your applications.

Rating:

Senin, 17 Agustus 2015

Manic Monday: The Richest of the Rich

If you take a look at the list of the richest people in the world, you will find it mostly dominated by business magnates, investors or chairmen of some big international companies. Just check out the Top 3 of 2015:

Source: Forbes

Not all that interesting, is it?

I didn’t think so either. The sheer numbers are impressive and Bill Gates’ position at the top of the list didn’t exactly come as a surprise. So why am I writing this then? Well, it’s just a little introduction to a much more interesting list I stumbled across lately: The Forbes Fictional 15.

Each year (save for last year, I guess) Forbes Magazine publishes a list of the 15 richest fictional people from books, movies, comics, television and video games. Take a second to contemplate whom you would see in such a ranking and then have a look at this video or the list below to find out who really were the richest of the rich in 2013.

15. Jay Gatsby ($ 1 billion)

14. Mary Crawley ($ 1.1 billion)

13. Mr. Monopoly ($ 1.2 billion)

12. Lara Croft ($ 1.3 billion)

11. Walden Schmidt ($ 1.3 billion)

10. C. Montgomery Burns ($ 1.5 billion)

9. Tywin Lannister ($ 1.8 billion)

8. Christian Grey ($ 2.5 billion)

7. Richie Rich ($ 5.8 billion)

6. Bruce Wayne ($ 9.2 billion)

5. Charles Foster Kane ($ 11.2 billion)

4. Tony Stark ($ 12.4 billion)

3. Carlisle Cullen ($ 46 billion)

2. Smaug ($ 54.1 billion)

1. Scrooge Mc Duck ($ 65.4 billion)

And here’s a nice infographic with the list from 2012:

Did you guess right? Feel free to tell us in the comment section below.

Sabtu, 15 Agustus 2015

Data Base: Prison Break (2005 - 2009)

Series Premiere	29 August 2005
Series Finale	15 May 2009
Genre	action, crime, drama
Country of Origin	USA
No. of seasons	4 and a movie
No. of episodes	81
Running Time	42 min.
Channel	FOX
Website	https://www.facebook.com/PrisonBreak?fref=ts
Developed by	Paul Scheuring
Starring	Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Wade Williams, William Fichtner
Guest Stars Worth Mentioning	Muse Watson, Marshall Allman, Leon Russom, Barbara Eve Harris, Stacy Keach, Robin Tunney

Synopsis:

Clever and straight-forward Michael Scofield suddenly breaks all his patterns and lands himself in maximum security prison to safe his brother Lincoln Burrows from an unjustly death penalty. As the name of the show suggests, there's an elaborate break out plan and a group of inmates with unique skill sets and a budding sense of cameradery. Being the "nice guy" in prison also has its benefits when Michael enarmours Sarah Tancredi, the young and beautiful prison doc. In four seasons Prison Break tells the story of two brothers trying to uncover the conspirary behind Lincolns stint on death row.

Yay or Nay?

For anyone who loves a good deal of suspence, crime, and action this prison drama is just right. The ingenious plans of Michael Scofield and his amazing foresight will keep everyone at the edge of their seats. Especially season one will remain a masterpiece of television for many years to come. A good main cast of characters makes you root for the unlikeliest of people and conveys a sense of cameradery and collective achievement. There are also a few great relationships that really pull at your heart strings. While the show wears off a bit after season one (let's face it: how many times can you break out of prison and still keep it plausible and fresh?), it is still well worth it to keep watching, since there's a bigger picture behind it all. But careful: not everyone will come out alive! Yet, with a special live-action revival in the plans at FOX at the moment, I strongly suggest you take on this wild four-season ride!

Senin, 10 Agustus 2015

Manic Monday & Trailer Check: The Walk (2015)

Today's the day that Manic Monday and Skyscraper Appreciation Day fall together. For this excellent occasion, I was looking for a topic that is suitable for both our slightly suicidal minds at the beginning of the week and our adoration for impressively high-built architecture. After some searching around, I'm sure that I have found it in Robert Zemeckis' upcoming cinematic endeavour, The Walk. Let's check out the trailer.

In the opening shot, the camera quickly runs up a highrise - storey after storey after storey. Nothing's audible except for the wind howling around the skyscraper. Finally, when the camera has reached the rooftop, a young man appears. He walks to the edge of the building, eyeing another highrise some metres away. Music anticipating thrill, excitement and danger sets in while the camera grants us a look down into a vertigo-inducing abyss.

The Walk is the story of Frenchman Philippe Petit and one of the most spectacular high-wire acts in history. When in 1974, he came up with the plan to stretch a wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York to walk from one building over to the other, his attempt was not only illegal, but also bound to put him in mortal danger. As far as movie premises go, this one will most certainly spark the interest of an adventure-loving, the-extreme-cherishing audience.

However, the trailer also has us know that the visual execution will fit the spectacular nature of the plot. We are promised an IMAX 3D experience, and the fast-paced tracking shots up tall buildings as well as the multiple glances down heady heights can only profit from a three-dimensional build-up.

The illegal aspect of Petit's story indicates that the film might also harbour a heist-movie-like quality: the act between the Twin Towers has to be planned without other people noticing, stealthy undertakings lead the high-wire artist and his crew through ventilation shafts and on the run from watchmen. As indicated by the trailer, this might add another layer of thrill to the film.

With Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead and other cast members including Charlotte LeBon, James Badge Dale and Sir Ben Kingsley, The Walk features actors who are certain to shine with talent and likeability. It'll probably be easy to be engrossed in Petit's adventure and to root for his success.

This well-done trailer promises an engaging thrill ride that will bring audiences to dizzying extremes visually and make their pulses race plotwise. I personally cannot wait for The Walk to enter cinemas. But however manic your Monday may be, BSPeeps: don't try this at home! Please appreciate your skyscrapers from afar.

Wide Release: 9 October 2015

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Minggu, 09 Agustus 2015

Features: Top 3 - Movies That Are Better than Their Books

Source: tysonadams

As the name Big Screen Philosophers already implies, our blog is focused on TV and movies. However, today is national Book Lovers Day, so we thought of a way to sneak some books into our posts. That’s how the idea for this Top 3 was born – a Top 3 of movies that are better than the books that they are based on. Hold on, you might say, shouldn’t it be the other way around with Book Lovers Day and all? Maybe, but then where would be the challenge in that, since almost every book is better than its adapted counterpart? Finding cases in which it is different was – especially for a hardcore bookworm such as myself - extremely difficult and I almost feel like betraying a good friend by making such claims. But here’s what I found.

Top 3 Movies That Are Better than Their Books

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Based on: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (2003)

Okay, I really feel like a heretic for adding a book of the Harry Potter series to this list, but regardless of how much I love J.K. Rowling, The Order of the Phoenix was very long and very angsty. Its movie counterpart gave a condensed version of the events and didn’t take us quite so deep into Harry’s cranky mind. Thank God for that.

2. The Prestige (2006)

Based on: The Prestige by Christopher Priest (1995)

The brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan took up an intricate, mysterious and often confusing novel and turned it into a fascinating and especially beautifully filmed adaptation that will keep you under its spell from start to finish.

1. The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Based on: The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien (1937)

It’s amazing just to think about how Peter Jackson made a 542 minutes long adventure-packed, epic trilogy out of a (children’s!) book with no more than 293 pages. There is more action, more character development and the back stories are far more detailed and tie in perfectly with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Need I say more?

So these are the three movie/book pairings I could come up with. How about you? Which movies would you add to the list?