Coraline: Book vs Movie

The book wins, of course.

Okay, I guess it's not as simple for most people other than myself, so I will attempt to explain why. 

One reason I found the book so compelling was because it was a tale of a young girl, Coraline, taking on the world (or should I say the "Other" world) almost singlehandedly albeit a cat. In order to save her parents from the grasp of her Other Mother, Coraline has to win a finding-things game and outwit her Other Mother, who, we are told, is sometimes a cheat. Coraline is presented as witty, funny, and ruthless... she throws a cat at her Other Mother, for heaven's sake!

However, in the movie, the director must have thought that a plot involving a strong-willed, independent girl wouldn't sell. Meet: Wybie Lovat, the pester-some neighbor boy who might add a small amount of comic relief, but nonetheless saves Coraline when suddenly this movie-version can't seem to save herself.  Director Selick, do you not think it possible for a young girl to get by on her own, without help of a young man? 

Despite the addition of Wylie to the film, I found it otherwise a decent film. The pacing did seem off, and if the screenplay had stuck more closely to the book, I think it would have felt more even. I found the addition of some details pertaining to minor characters amusing, and aesthetically, I enjoyed the movie in 3-D. 

But overall, I'd have to say that the book was just a more pleasing experience for me. Imagining Gaiman's world was better than seeing it on screen, even in an "eye-popping 3-D." I found myself more attached to the characters in the book than in the movie, and appreciated Coraline's imagination and her mind in the book--for example, the brilliant tea party she has in the end of the book that wasn't included in the movie. 

So, read the book. And if you can't spare an hour out of your day (really, it's short and shouldn't take much longer than that) then I suppose you can just cut straight to the movie--just remember, out there on bookshelves and in the hands of young adults, Coraline herself is saving the day, and not just relying on some boy to do it for her.

Home Again

"Snow is cold, rain is wet,

chills my soul right to the marrow.

I won't be happy 'til I see you alone again,

'til I'm home again and feeling right."

Song: Home Again

Artist: Carole King

Album: Tapestry

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It's like you're scattered in a million different places, living like this. Family three hours away, a boy two and a half, friends all over the country--and yet, you want to be here, in this city, in your apartment with your books, your clothes, your quilts. It's hard being apart, feeling like you're apart from yourself because there's always something missing. But when you walk through the frosty streets, see the lights from the tallest buildings, and simply look around with amazement every second you're in this city, it almost makes your forget you need anything else.

I'm back from my holiday break, and I've resolved to really get this blog here going. I returned without finding any rejection letters in the mail, so that's one blessing. I'm determined to write five days a week, because this story just keeps rustling around between my ears, sometimes whispering and sometimes shouting, and until I get it out there won't be any peace and quiet. Oh, and there's also a bet, and I really don't want to lose. I'm determined to get through this season without my usual wintertime-blues, to try and smile a little more each day, as corny as that sounds. I guess you could say I'm figuring out my 2009 resolutions right here, right now, although I'm pretty sure I usually think NY resolutions are pretty lame and disappointing. 

Anyway. Loved Ben Button. Definitely go and see it if you have 3 hours to spare. A pretty perfect love story, in my opinion. 

Reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Thoughts to come. 

-L. Stacks

Twilight review: Bam!