Books to Movies Winter & Spring 2013 (January-April)

Gangster Squad

Starring: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Opened: Jan 11 in USA (opens in 40+ other countries between early Jan and late Feb)

Based on Journalist Paul Lieberman's 2008 seven-part series for the Los Angeles Times', "Tales from the Gangster Squad" which chronicles the true story of the secretive police unit that waged an anything-goes war to drive Mickey Cohen and other hoodlums from Los Angeles after WWII. The series was adapted into book form in 2012 in anticipation of the film's release.

Rated: R
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5/10

Parker

Starring: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis
Director: Taylor Hackford
Opens: Jan 25 in USA (and in about 25 other countries between late Jan and late March)

Summary: A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist.

Based on the Parker novels of Donald E. Westlake, writing under the pseudonym Richard Stark; and apparently on Flashfire in particular, the 19th volume in the series, published in 2000.

Rated: R
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 4.8/10

John Dies at the End

Starring: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti
Director: Don Coscarelli
Opens: Jan 25 in USA (UK in March)

Summary: A new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return as no longer human. Can two college dropouts save humankind from this silent, otherworldly invasion?

Based on the 2007 novel of the same name by David Wong which, according to Booklist, "spoofs the horror genre while simultaneously offering up a genuinely horrifying story."

Rated: R
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.6/10

Warm Bodies

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich
Director: Jonathan Levine
Opens: Feb 1 in USA (and in about 20 other countries between late Jan - early April)

Summary: The comedic story of a star-crossed, post-apocalyptic romance starring a young zombie and his human love interest.

Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Isaac Marion, about a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie in a post-apolcalyptic USA largely populated by zombies, who craves something more than blood and brains. Audrey Niffenger (author of The Time Traveler's Wife) describes the book as "elegantly written, touching, and fun."

Rated: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.7/10

Safe Haven

Starring: Cobie Smulders, Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel
Director: Lasse Hallström
Opens: Feb 14 in USA (and in about 14 other countries between mid-Feb - mid-March)

Summary: A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.

Based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks but, based on early feedback from those who've read the book and seen the movie, it would seem there are significant differences between the plot of the movie and the book.

Rated: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 4/10

Beautiful Creatures

Starring: Alice Englert, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Opens: Feb 14 in USA (and in 30+ other countries, mostly by end of Feb)

Summary: Ethan longs to escape his small Southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.

Based on Kami Garcia's 4-book Beautiful Creatures series for teens that opens with Beautiful Creatures (2009)

Rated: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.4/10

Oz The Great and Powerful

Starring: James Franco, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz
Director: Sam Rami
Opens: March 8 in USA (and about 40 other countries during March)

Summary: A Kansas con-artist is swept into a magical land where he must fight an evil sorceress.

Based on the characters created by L. Frank Baum, but perhaps a stretch for the topic of this particular blog, as the movie is not based on a book as such, but is a prequel to the books in that it tells how the Wizard of Oz first came to Oz.

Rated: PG
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6/10

The Host

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger and William Hurt
Director: Andrew Niccol
Opens: March 22 in USA (and in 30+ other countries between then and late April)

Summary: A parasitic alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder. Instead of carrying out her race's mission of taking over the Earth, "Wanda" (as she comes to be called) forms a bond with her host and sets out to aid other free humans.

Based on the first volume of Stephanie Meyer's Host trilogy, that opens with The Host (2008).

Rated: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 3.6/10

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Starring: Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland
Director: Mira Nair
Opened: April 24 in USA (limited release)

Summary: A Pakistani working in the United States, whose life is altered by the events of 9/11, reconciles his background with his aspirations for the American dream.

Based on the 2007 book of the same name by Mohsin Hamid.

Rated: R
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.1/10

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