J.K. Rowling’s ‘The Casual Vacancy’ Adapted Into HBO/BBC Miniseries

The success of The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling has meant that HBO and the BBC have now teamed up to adapt the novel into a three-hour miniseries.

When the book was first published, the fact that it flew up the charts came as no surprise. It was the first thing Rowling had written since the Harry Potter books had come to an end. It was nothing like Harry Potter either – written for an adult market about adult themes. The Casual Vacancy follows the lives of the adults and teenagers of a small village in the English countryside as many people vie for the seat on the local council left vacant by the man who has recently died. As Rowling delves deeper into the lives of the village’s inhabitants, divides are revealed between rich and poor, wives and husbands and parents and children.

The adaptation has been written by Sarah Phelps (Eastenders), Jonny Campbell (In the Flesh) is set to direct and Ruth Kenley-Letts (The Hour) is producing. There is no word on cast as yet but production is set to begin this summer in south west England. Rowling herself will be involved as executive producer.

Source: Variety

JK Rowling to revisit the magical world she created

 ‘I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it.’

Harry Potter fans rejoice! JK Rowling is returning to the world of witchcraft and wizardry but not as we know it. The author is giving scriptwriting a go now with a film based on her book ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ and its supposed author, Newt Scamander.

Rowling says:

‘Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world.  The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.’

Wands at the ready if you’re excited!

Film vs. Book Debates: Formulaic stories - Idiotic or Reliable?

This week, I've found myself justifying why I enjoy Nicholas Sparks's books, after my interview with the man himself went live. I understand why people may not have heard of him. After all, he writes romance novels, so if you don't enjoy reading a good romance, why would you know him? And if that isn't what you enjoy then I can totally see why you wouldn't be a fan. His books appeal to a specific target audience and I understand why anyone outside of that audience would not necessarily see his appeal.

Sparks's books are not particularly literary and are short and simplistic enough to lend themselves to being made into films. Does this make them bad? Well no. I often stress that books and films are - in their simplest form - escapism. Sometimes people want to be intellectually challenged and read something complex and wordy like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or The Cloud Atlas. Other times, they want an easy-to-read romance and will turn to Sophie Kinsella or Nicholas Sparks to satisfy that need. They want a story that will take you along for a ride and leave you content at the end without the need to have a lie-down or take a paracetamol because your head hurts.

It isn't just romances that do this. Formulas have been used in both books and films for years and will continue to for many more, of that I have no doubt. There is a sense of security in using a formula. Just think about how many films you've watched or books you've read about the young protégé who is forced to take over the mentor's role - Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Matrix, The Godfather. When it comes to romance, how many truly original romantic stories can you name? Guy and girl meet. Something gets in their way. They find a way to stay together anyway. If there was no conflict, where would the drama be? If they just met, fell in love and lived 'happily ever after', how very dull the story would be.

Blockbuster romance Titanic was the largest grossing film of all time before Director James Cameron's next film Avatar knocked it off the top spot. Millions of people across the world went to see the film. So did the IQ of the planet suddenly plummet? No. People were as intelligent when they came out as they were when they went in. The difference was simply that they had spent a couple of hours (well in the case of Titanic - more than 3!) living somebody else's life. They were - for the time they passed in the cinema - living the lives of Jack and Rose. They wondered if they would be able to stay together, if they would make it off the boat, if anyone would turn round and punch Rose's god-awful mother (just me?!).

In that premise lies the appeal of many of the formulaic stories. With Nicholas Sparks, you know what you're letting yourself in for. There will be romance - uninhibited, passionate romance. There will be drama, probably a tragedy. There will be a happy tied-up ending, but not before - in most cases - a few tears have been shed. In the predictability of a Sparks novel or film lies reassurance and stability. If you've seen his other films or read his other books, then you will know if they are your cup of tea or not. Simple.

People, I imagine, feel the same way about Michael Bay. I was a teenager when I first saw Pearl Harbor and was mortified when I read a critic say that no intelligent person could possibly enjoy that film. Was I an idiot for having 'enjoyed' it so much I bawled for the last half an hour of the film? No. I was a teenage girl madly in love with both Josh Hartnett and Ben Affleck, just as Kate Beckinsale's character was at the time. Watching it back now, I actually find it quite amusing. The drama, the action, the you'd-have-lost-the-war-if-it-wasn't-for-us American ethos of it all is laughable. But entertaining it still is. People say similar things about Transformers - but who that knows Michael Bay's work would go to see a Transformers sequel expecting plot? Stuff gets blown up, there's a hot girl screaming SAAAAAM! on repeat and cars turn into alien robots. That's what you expect, and that's what you get. Bay delivers.

Why then does enjoying these formulaic stories make you an idiot? If reading a book or watching a film is simply a way for a person to escape, why does wanting to escape into the security of a well-known formula make you an imbecile?

JK Rowling Makes Her Move Into Adult Fiction

Daily Mail

Being the creator of Harry Potter, arguably the most famous boy in the world, has its ups and downs it seems. Author J K Rowling wanted a change after all her time spent with Christopher Little as her agent and Bloomsbury Books as her publishers.

The Bookseller has today announced that Rowling has now found a new home for her first works post-Potter in Little, Brown. The people who publish Nicholas Sparks, Dorothy Koomson, Alexander McCall Smith and Rosamund Lupton will now be bringing us J K Rowling's first novel for adults.

Bookseller said:

"David Shelley, publisher, Little, Brown, will be Rowling’s editor and will be responsible for publication in the UK with Michael Pietsch, executive vice-president of Little, Brown and Company, responsible for publication in the US. The book will be published by Hachette in Australia and in New Zealand and by Hachette’s companies and normal appointed agents for the English language in other markets."

More information on the novel will be revealed later this year but according to the Bookseller, Rowling has said that it will be "very different" to the Harry Potter series. Rowling also said:

"The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher."

Rumour has it that the book will be a crime novel set in Edinburgh but as yet this is unconfirmed.

So what would you love to see Rowling do for her first adult fiction book? Or should she have stuck to writing for children - something which she clearly has a great talent for? Let me know in the comments below.

Source: The Bookseller

2011: A Look Back

This time last year, I decided to set up a little blog. A place for me to jot down what I thought of books and films I'd been enjoying. One year on, and the site is far more successful than I could have imagined and has turned into a place not just for my ramblings, but for everyone to share their opinions and debate to their heart's content! So as 2011 draws to a close, here are my favourite things from this past year.

What have your book and film highlights been in 2011? As always, comment away! Enjoy xxx

FILMS
2011 has been an impressive year at the cinema with massive hits from comic books to classics and brilliantly original screenplays. But it all started out with The King's Speech and Black Swan back in January - two completely different films that were both staggeringly good to watch. Later in the year, there were some more arty, occasionally darker films to marvel at rather than enjoy. The violence in Tyrannosaur - Paddy Considine's directorial debut - was intense but entirely overshadowed by the phenomenal performance given by Olivia Colman. Tilda Swinton also gave a quietly torturing performance in the bloodstained We Need to Talk About Kevin.

ADAPTATIONS
We Need to Talk About Kevin was one of the biggest adaptations of the year - but not the only one. There was also One Day, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Help and the final Harry Potter instalment - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two. While The Help and We Need to Talk About Kevin did brilliant jobs with their original source text, it was the final Harry Potter that stood out and for all the wrong reasons. The team behind the final film opted for 3D spectacle over plot and lost all the fitting ends to the beloved characters. It was a sorry end to an incredible series.

BOOKS
While 2011 was the year I managed to read The Help and We Need to Talk About Kevin - two incredible books - the book of the year has to be Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton. It held its own, even given the high standards set by Lupton's staggeringly brilliant debut Sister back in 2010. It was a lot to live up to but Lupton managed to prove just how talented she is with her second book. I look forward to book number three...
Though released a few years ago, 2011 was also the year I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a brilliant piece of young adult fiction set in a dystopian future. The book has been made into a film for release in 2012 and I am hugely excited to see it on the big screen.
A piece of quality non-fiction came out in 2011 in Dani's Story by Bernie and Diane Lierow. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once and looks at the struggle the Lierows had in adopting Dani, a young girl who had been removed from her family home due to severe negligence.

INTERVIEWS
In the last year, I have had the great pleasure of chatting to some brilliant people in the world of film and book, but the highlights have to be getting to pose my questions to two brilliant authors - Rosamund Lupton and John Grisham. Getting to hear Real Steel director Shawn Levy and star of Fright Night David Tennant talk about their films at Empire Big Screen Weekend was also brilliant fun.

FUN
Sometimes, films and books get overlooked because they are silly and not to be taken seriously - though this does not make them bad. For pure unadulterated enjoyment, highlights have to include the Hugh Jackman robot film Real Steel and hilarious romp My Sweet Saga by Brett Sills. Marvel film Thor was also suprisingly entertaining and saw newcomer Chris Hemsworth pull off arrogant, funny and charming with apparent ease. Kristen Wiig also proved her worth by starring in and writing the massive hit Bridesmaids which mixed gross-out comedy, humour, touching sentimentality and heartbreaking sadness with class. But the clear winner by a mile was the JJ Abrams/Steven Spielberg summer hit Super 8, which had me hooked from start to finish. It was an adrenaline fuelled ride with incredible young stars, amazing effects and a dark and twisted storyline to match.

The Woman in Black gets a new trailer

Possibly one of the biggest book to film conversions of recent years, as it's also been converted into a hit west end play, The Woman in Black is based on a book written by Susan Hill. It is the tale of Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe), a young lawyer sent to a house in a remote village to settle a dead woman’s estate, only to discover that the villagers are scared to go near the house and believe a curse remains. What is the secret to the woman in black and will Kipps discover it before the curse reaches him too…?

Directed by James Watkins, The Woman in Black sees Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role post Harry Potter and, if the new trailer is anything to go by, looks to be just as scary as it's earlier manifestations.

Have you read the book or seen the play? Do you think the film will be any good? And does anyone else feel really Harry Potter nostalgic with the snippet of him on a train...?

Check out the trailer below and let me know in the comments section what you think.

The film is due to hit UK screens in February 2012.

Source: MSN Movies

My dream fictitious dinner party

Ever had the discussion about who would be at your dream dinner party - alive or dead? People's lists normally include all sorts of people from Lady Gaga to JFK ... but what if you could have a dinner party with your favourite fictitious characters from book or film? Who would you invite? Here is my selection for a dream dinner party...

My dream list of guests is as follows:

Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Ron Burgundy (Anchorman)

Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)

Jacob Black (Twilight Saga)



 

The Doctor (in the form of David Tennant please!)

Aragorn (Lord of the Rings)

Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice)

Vianne Rocher (Chocolat)

Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Some Like it Hot)

Princess Leia (Star Wars)

Yvaine (Stardust)

Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)
 










Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)






At the start of the night (in the drinking, pre-eating stage of the evening) Scout would be allowed to stay up with her dad to meet the guests and would have her friend Lisa Simpson to talk to once when had been sent upstairs to bed (wouldn’t they just have the best chats ever!)

Friendships that might begin over the first course: Atticus Finch and Elizabeth Bennett. I imagine, as they are both moral but quietly daring for their times, they would get on really well. I can also see Ron Weasley and Jacob Black getting on… that is, unless Jacob sees Ron as one of the pale faces. Yvaine and Princess Leia could talk out of world experiences with the Doctor and compare notes on which planet is the most interesting – or amusing to watch. Ron Burgundy would probably want to “be on” Sugar, and she might just go for it (fuzzy end of the lollipop in that moustache) – unless Aragorn steps in to be her knight in shining armour.  And the lovely Vianne, who would no doubt get along with everybody, would bring us the most delectable assortment of treats for dessert.

And as for me? I would be chatting to Elizabeth Bennett and Yvaine as much as I could, having heated debates over moral issues with Atticus and Aragorn and drooling over David Tennant’s Doctor, wishing he would transport me to somewhere really cool. Sugar and Ron Burgundy would be making me laugh all evening and I could spend hours listening to Vianne talk about chocolate. I would be a little overly friendly with Jacob Black and get him to hug me (shirt optional). I would ask Ron W about how his family are doing and get him to teach me a few spells.

And though I would love to see them in the flesh I opted out of inviting the rugged and oh so sexy Mr Rochester and Mr Darcy because let’s face it – they’d make horrible dinner party guests. Rochester would be snapping at people and making them feel awkward and Darcy would just be brooding off in a corner, staring at Elizabeth.

So who would be at your dream dinner party and why....?

LE xxx

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Book vs Film

SPOILER ALERT please only read this if you have read the book and know the plot (or don't mind being told it!).

OK firstly I am stunned that JK Rowling actually put her name to this one with a producer credit. It's quite possibly the worst book to film conversion of the entire series. I was delighted when they decided to make it into two films as there simply is just too much in book 7 to cram into one film. There's no way they could have done it justice. And Part 1 really did well in setting the scene for Part 2. It had a much slower pace but so does the book and it's all necessary in the build up to the big dramatic finale. It's such a shame then that the finale had very little drama.

All the best bits from the book are dropped, changed or trivialised. The deaths of important characters are brushed over so quickly you barely have time to be upset for them before moving on to the next scene. Personal favourites for me - and no doubt many other fans of the books - were Mamma Weasley getting her girl on girl fight on with Bellatrix (something that in the film had no build-up to and was over in a heartbeat) and THE kiss. I hasten to add it wasn't the romance that I loved of that particular kiss but the brilliantly funny dialogue that accompanied it. Harry is there with them, Ron is worried about the elves and the two boys fight over whether now is the most opportune moment to be having a quick snog. BRILLIANT! In the film, it's a quick kiss on their own and on ya go with the fight please, thanks. Even the epilogue failed to mention Neville or even include little Lupin so brilliantly mirrored in the book by the youthful Harry. Most of the very short section was totally dropped and turned into schmaltzy nostalgia.

Altfg

Of course there are great bits too. Hermione as Bellatrix was actually very funny, especially when she says good morning to somebody in her normal voice. Also, the spectacle of it all is amazing. One part in particular sees the three running through the chaos and being met at every turn by some kind of enemy. The battle sequences are all about brilliant effects, wands at the ready. But in that lies the biggest problem of the film - they have gone with spectacle over plot. Those who haven't read the book would be totally lost I'm sure as none of it really gets explained. And for those who have read the book it is a mystery why, when such massive chunks of plot are left out, they have added so much that never existed to begin with. There is a whole new fight sequence between Voldermort and Harry that lasts ages and the whole section where Ron and Hermione disappear off to destroy the horcrux in the chamber of secrets is expanded.

What the makers of this film seem to have not realised is that the spectacle is only as good as the characters taking part. If you aren't allowed time to care then the fights just don't matter and you may as well be watching Transformers. People have grown up with these characters and seen them grow and they needed a proper and fitting send off.

The famous "I open at the close" scene is incredibly moving but rather lacking of company (weren't there loads of people in the book?) Radcliffe manages to pull that whole section off really well, I thought, given the severity of it all.

Also, for younger fans there is one particular death that was so nasty it had me cringing and looking away and I don't normally scare that easy. Man I hate that snake.

Showbiz Junkies

The one thing I can't decide is whether I would have enjoyed it more if i hadn't read the book. I really couldn't tell you. You can't unknow something and look at it that impartially. So would I see it again? Well yes actually I already have tickets to see it on Friday - perhaps it will be better in 3D? And fans of the book will of course want to see it regardless just to see more of their beloved characters on the big screen. Would I rush - hell no. Wait till it's Orange wednesday and you might feel a little less cheated.

2.5/5 FOBLES

If you're as much of a fan of the books as I am check out my blog on why they are perfect literature here. LE xx

Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince (Book vs. Film)

The sixth book in the series sees Harry really become Dumbledore's protegé. Dumbledore has clearly decided that Harry is no longer a boy and is now a man (or close enough) and starts to tell him more than he has previously. He tells him about Tom Riddle as a boy and passes on all the information he can to help him in the inevitable quest (AKA the giant elephant in the room) and starts to take him out of school on trips. Harry is also shown more of Dumbledore's memories of Tom as a child who in turn becomes more human. As the book continues, different elements of his youth are uncovered and really help Harry to better understand his nemesis. He also explains that parts of Voldemort's soul are hidden in objects and they start their search to destroy them.

Harry must also spend a lot of his free time (which is just eaten up by all his extra-curricular activities!) hanging out with his favourite teacher - Snape. Snape has been assigned the fun task of teaching Harry how to keep Voldemort out of his head, something that is now becoming far more than just the odd vision and dangerous.

Meanwhile, in the classroom Harry manages to get his hands on a ridiculously old and shabby looking text book in his potions class which he soon learns is a blessing in disguise as it has very helpful notes in the margins. Of course, Hermione morally objects and Ron just wants to copy. But the mystery remains - who does the book belong to? Who is the Half-Blood Prince?

With the book, Harry manages to go straight to the top of the class, greatly impressing new teacher Professor Slughorn - a teacher who is quite proud of his list of promising and well connected students he has taught over the years. Dumbledore gets Harry to befriend him in order to uncover a memory Slughorn is so ashamed of that he has even warped it in his own mind... but what could he be hiding? What did he tell his star pupil Tom Riddle all those years ago...?

Book 6 is made great by one of the most dramatic cliffhanger endings in the entire series. The biggest shock awaits the reader as one of the major characters is killed off and the book is left hanging, not knowing what is going to happen next...

The film was largely a good conversion and focused so much on the genius of Alan Rickman as Snape that you forgot that hardly anybody else gets much screen time. HBP also sees the introduction of the brilliantly weird and oddly cuddly Jim Broadbent as Prof Slughorn who pulls off the role perfectly. He manages to be the perfectly flawed character that JK Rowling created, who has been led astray by the glory of fame and success as so many good and decent people have been.

One of Dumbledore and Harry's trips is also fantastically dark and done so well that the end result is chilling and gripping throughout as dark, scary creatures come out of the water and after the pair. It also sees the transition as student becomes the equal to his teacher.

Then you get to the ending which was changed unnecessarily and greatly angered me. I have said before that I don't mind changes when they make sense but this one doesn't. The death scene in the book sees Harry thrown against a wall against his will, silenced with magic and covered with his invisibility cloak. He cannot move a muscle and cannot speak but he must witness the scene as it unfolds. The horror of that was gripping and you really felt him trying to leap out of his invisible prison to save the day. In the film, they had him hide out of sight. The Harry Potter we all know and love would not have stood by and done nothing, no matter what the danger to himself, unless he absolutely had no choice. It just didn't make sense and made the entire scene much less shocking. The frustrating part though is that it saved nothing in time and would possibly have worked even better on the big screen than in the book. The said death just didn't get the drama it needed.

That said, the final scene immediately after it did tug at the heart strings and was a very moving and fitting tribute.

Check out Harry Potter 7: The Deathly Hallows - Part 1 and Part 2

Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix - Film vs. Book

When The Goblet of Fire ended, readers were horrified to witness the return of Lord Voldermort. But in The Order of the Phoenix, we learn that not everyone is convinced Harry Potter does not tell lies. The Minister of Magic is convinced that it is all a fabricated plot by Dumbledore to take over the Ministry and Harry Potter is his pawn. But there is a prophecy about the boy who lived and Harry wants answers. But Voldermort is after the same thing and it's a race to see who will get there first.


Harry's cousin Dudley this time falls foul of a couple of rogue dementors as the two of them are near the house and Harry is forced to break the underage wizarding law and use magic to get rid of them to save not just himself but also his cousin (who in this book has turned into a bit of a rude boy and started picking on ten year olds bless). Harry's patronus does not go unnoticed of course and he is called up for his illegal act by the ministry who are convinced that this was not a self defence act but an act in support of Dumbledore.


In an attempt to keep a watchful eye over Hogwarts, the Ministry have sent over Dolores Umbridge to teach the Defence Against the Dark Arts class. But when it comes to lesson plans, Umbridge believes in the theory, not the practice of dark magic and has the class writing passage after passage. Though this of course does not sit well with those students who believe Voldemort has returned, it seems to always be Harry who has something to say and is punished for his disobedience using a nasty spell by the eerily polite yet totally evil teacher. Clearly she doesn't mind using dark magic, it's just teaching it she has issues with.


The most fun happens when Hermione takes charge (as Hermione always does) and organises an elite group of classmates who want to learn the practical side of defence under the tutelage of Harry himself. And then suddenly Neville shines, Cho and Harry get closer to their infamous first kiss and the group really start to form their own little private army ready to face Voldermort and the deatheaters. There's real fun and humour thanks to the new lesson and seeing Hermione realise that sometimes it's worth going against the rules is just delightfully naughty.


The Order of the Phoenix has one of my favourite endings (surpassed only by the ultimate Deathly Hallows ending) as the mini army of Harry and his friends face the deatheaters. The Order itself, comprised of the Weasleys, Lupin, Sirius, Snape and more new faces join in and a massive fight ensues.


This was the first book I have ever read where I was so shocked, so totally stunned by an event, that I actually turned the page back for fear I had misread it. Sadly, I had read it correctly.

In the film version, Imelda Staunton was beautifully cast as Dolores Umbridge. She has such a cute and cuddly persona and encapsulates the cat loving, pink cardigan wearing Umbridge beautifully while managing to show real menace behind her perfect smile. The film also saw the deatheaters start having things to say. So far we have only really seen Lucius Malfoy as a character but suddenly we are learning more about some of the others. Helena Bonham Carter was born to play Bellatrix Lestrange. Nobody else could possibly be that manic and silly and still scare you to your very core! Voldermort finally gets some real screen time himself and shines as Ralph Fiennes takes on the role of he-who-shall-not-be-named so creepily.


The real downside to the film is that massive amounts of the book got lost in the conversion. The big build up to the finale and the fight itself was trimmed down to its bare essentials, losing the suspense needed to make the end so jaw-dropping. It all just came off a bit rushed and panicked.

Favourite Quote:

Ron: Hermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person I have ever met. If I'm ever rude to you...

Hermione: I'll know you've gone back to normal.

The effects are cool, though, and there's more spells and wizadry to enjoy throughout. The three main actors have really come into their own now and have both the comic timing and serious drama down. More importantly though, they are able to lead the ever-growing ensemble cast. It's really become a team effort in Order of the Phoenix and everyone is holding their own.


All in all, nobody was ever going to get all the subtleties and character development of such a chunky and intricate book into a 2 hour film but they gave it a pretty good bash.

Harry Potter 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire: Book vs Film

The Goblet of Fire opens with the Quidditch World Cup - a magically protected event where no muggles are permitted. Harry attends with the Weasley family, meeting fellow schoolmate Cedric Diggory on his travels, and discovers yet more wonders of the magical world from microphone spells to giant TARDIS-like tents. But the fun everyone is having at this event is short lived as the dark mark appears above them and deatheaters start running riot amongst the spectators.

With this dark cloud hanging over the wizarding world, the book sees a change in tradition at Hogwarts. There will be no Quidditch, no clubs - just the Tri-Wizard Tournament and some extra students staying all year. The beautiful French girls from the Beauxbatons Academy arrive along with the boys from Durmstrang. Ron is massively impressed to discover his Quidditch idol Victor Krum is still in school and now attending his and all the boys are impressed with the new girls from France.

The rules are explained that there are challenges which will take place throughout the year and the goblet of fire will select one student from each school to take part. As there is an age restriction, Harry and his friends are relieved to learn that they will not be able to take part and Harry actually believes he might get a year off from the spotlight of being 'the boy who lived'. Wrong! After the three are chosen from each school, a fourth name appears... Harry Potter. He claims not to have done it but nobody believes him, not even Ron who has grown tired of living in his shadow and the two start to bicker. But the goblet has spoken and believe him or not, Harry must take part in the tournament.

The new year at Hogwarts also sees the introduction of yet another new teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class - Mad Eye Moody. One roving eye can see through invisibility cloaks and through spells and works independently of the other but the man knows his stuff. Within days of his arrival at Hogwarts he has turned Draco into a rodent and taught the class the three unforgivable curses.

As the children are now 14 years old, there are a lot of hormones thrown into the mix here. There is a formal dance and the boys have to find a date. Hermione finds her girly side and everyone must learn to dance.

Ron: Oi, Hermione... you're a girl.
Hermione: Very well spotted.
Ron: Come with one of us! It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone, but for a girl it's just sad.
Hermione: I won't be going alone, because believe it or not, someone's asked me! And I said yes!
Ron: Bloody hell. She's lying, right?
Harry: If you say so.

The challenges continue throughout the book as the teen angst, bickering and relationships continue to develop and they get ever more cryptic and dangerous, culminating in one of the most shocking Harry Potter finales. On first release, this book was in massively high demand as JK Rowling had revealed that one of the characters was going to die.... but who?

The film version saw the rise of another young star. Before he was Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson was cast as the hot young stud Cedric Diggory. Cedric is chosen to be the Hogwarts student in the Tri-wizard cup (alongside Harry in this case!) and the boy who gets the girl of Harry's dreams - Cho Chang. He is the stud of the school and Pattinson does the role well. Brendan Gleeson is suitably wacky as Mad Eye Moody and even former Dr Who David Tennant joined the cast as Barty Crouch, a deatheater and son of the respectable Barty Crouch Snr, played by Roger Lloyd-Pack of Only Fools and Horses fame.

The effects continue to amaze from the Quidditch tournament at the start and throughout the Tri-Wizard Cup tournament (which includes dragon battles, flying and underwater sequences and the final maze and dramatic finale).

This is the first Harry Potter film that made me really emotional but I realised the second time around that I had seen it dubbed in Spanish the first time and wasn't as moved when I watched it in English. Make of that what you will...

All in all, the conversion from book to film was actually very good. There are little changes throughout but nothing so major that it angered me. An excellent job!

Enjoy x

Book 5: The Order of the Phoenix book to film review

Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban - Book vs. Film

The third book in the series saw the world of Harry Potter get even darker than its predecessor The Chamber of Secrets and also saw the introduction of a whole bunch of new characters including the fantastically demented Sirius Black, new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin, the totally bonkers Professor Trelawney, the chillingly creepy dementors and the magical hipogrif Buckbeak.

Sirius Black is one of the most feared prisoners held at the magical prison of Azkaban, guarded by the terrifying dementors who don't kill you - they suck out your soul with a dementor's kiss. But Sirius has done the impossible and broken out of Azkaban and is after Harry. Of course, having been sheltered from the wizarding world until his eleventh birthday, Harry doesn't know who Sirius is or why on earth he would be after him and will soon unearth a horrific secret about how Voldermort found his parents and killed them - they were betrayed by their best friend.

Hermione and Ron begin an argument that seems neverending as Hermione's new cat takes an instant dislike to Ron's rat Scabbers and Harry is caught in the middle while dealing with his own issues (and the poor kid has bigger issues than most!). The third year students are allowed to have weekend trips to the nearby town of Hogsmeade but Harry is excluded as he has no permission slip allowing him to go, leaving him behind while all his friends go and have fun elsewhere. Hermione also becomes a little frazzled after taking on a rather demanding work load and, as is often the case in the world Harry and his friends - things are not always as they seem. The twists and turns are non-stop and will leave you guessing right to the end and every character seems to be hiding a dark secret.

This is the first book where as a reader you start to appreciate JK Rowling not just for her brilliant imagination but for her unbelievable creativity and complexity in her writing.

The film version is one of the best and most popular of the series, despite it's bad ending which is not only simplified but altered entirely from the brilliant twists of the book. Seeing the hipogrif on the big screen really is magical and the dementors are the stuff of nightmares, fantastically realised by new Director Alfonso Cuarón.

Due to the sad death of Richard Harris, the role of Albus Dumbledore was taken over by Michael Gambon who, though a brilliant actor in his own right, never managed to capture the role for me as well as Harris did. Dumbledore is a very particular character who must be powerful (as he is the only wizard feared by Voldermort) and grandfatherly. I never quite believe Gambon as the grandfather type - perhaps because Harris did it so well.

It's great to see more of Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid gets more involvement in the plot and the introduction of Emma Thompson as Professor Trelawney armed with crazy large glasses and a quirky and totally mad performance Thompson pulls off as only she can.

George Weasley: Yeah, c'mon, Ron. We'll walk you off the

Astronomy Tower and see how you come out looking.
Harry: Probably a right sight better than he normally does.

There's also some great effects and a brilliant finale as magical creatures take over their human counterparts with impressive fights and flight sequences. Oh and Hermione finally gets her own back (albeit briefly) on the nasty Draco for always calling her 'mudblood'. You go girl!

Book 4: The Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets - Book Vs Film

Book Two in the series is my least favourite of all the books. That is not to say it isn't enjoyable - it just wasn't as compelling as the others for me. Forces are plotting to keep Harry away from Hogwarts but he is determined to get there, whatever it takes - and understandably because he hates life at home. It follows exactly the same pattern as The Philosopher's Stone - there's a mystery, the three of them try to solve it, it gets scary, all is resolved in a nail-biting dramatic finale.

It does, however, introduce an array of fantastic new characters into the mix. There is the youngest Weasley, Ron's little sister Ginny. Eleven year old Ginny is new to Hogwarts, has a crush on Harry and doesn't have many friends. This book also sees the introduction of the fabulous house-elf Dobby, the elf owned by the Malfoy family who takes it upon himself to protect Harry Potter... only he doesn't do it in such a subtle way. Gilderoy Lockhart is the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who clearly has more celebrity than brains and there is also the brilliantly funny and oh-so-crazy Moaning Myrtle, the ghost who haunts the ladies toilets.

The Chamber of Secrets focuses on a legend at Hogwarts about a Chamber that will unearth all sorts of evils if someone managed to open it. Harry discovers a diary written by a boy named Tom Riddle which has the power to transport him back in time to view his parents at his age along with a young and slightly creepy Professor Snape and Dumbledore. But Harry doesn't understand the diary or what consequences might come from reading it. He starts to hear voices nobody else can hear and thinks perhaps he is going crazy.

The film is much like the first one except everybody seems to have found their feet a little more. The young cast have really started honing their skills and Bonnie Wright is great as the shy young Ginny. Kenneth Branagh arrives as the "dreamy" but totally useless Gilderoy Lockhart which adds some great comedy value as he frequently takes it upon himself to save the day but always gets it wrong. Overall, though, this story starts to dig deeper than the first with more explanation as to the history of the magical world and more specifically the school and its four founders Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.

Professor Minerva McGonagall: Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should be kept within all magic families. In other words, pure bloods. Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. Now according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Though shortly before departing, he sealed it until that time when his own true heir returned to the school. The heir alone would be able to open the chamber and unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic.

As with The Philosopher's Stone, this book reads more like a childrens' book. However, it is evidently getting darker by exploring the horrific idea of ethnic cleansing via the Chamber of Secrets. As McGonagall explains to the children, the mudbloods (those not of magical lineage) were deemed unfit to study and practise magic and as such were persecuted and killed. As Hermione is not of magical lineage (but is clearly a better witch than all her peers!) it becomes a very personal affair for our three young heroines.

It's the personal elements of the story that make it so readable. The drama is always happening to one of the three or somebody close to them. Drama and danger just seem to seek them out. And I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Overall, an excellent conversion from book to film. The snake is terrifying and the drama brilliantly captured on the big screen.

Book 3: Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter: The Philosopher's Stone - Book vs. Film

When a series as well known and well loved as the Harry Potter books get made into films, it is fairly predictable that they are never going to manage to be wholly accurate conversions. Plot twists have been lost, things didn't always look the way you imagined them to when reading and certain plot developments were totally altered. But there remains something totally magical about seeing the world of Hogwarts and muggles on the big screen and the films have, collectively, done amazing things for the British film industry. It also helps that the cast lists read like a who's who of British actors.

Book 1: The Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter is 11 years old and living with his mean auntie, uncle and cousin in a small house in Surrey, more specifically in the cupboard under the stairs. As his 11th birthday approaches he learns that he is in fact a wizard and his parents were not killed in a car crash as he has been told all his life - but murdered by an evil wizard. As Harry enters the magical world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry he learns that he is famous in the wizarding world as the boy who lived. He immediately makes friends with Ron Weasley and the two later become friends with the loveable know-it-all Hermione Granger. The three learn about Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone, a gem that gives its owner eternal life. But they are not the only people aware of its presence and it's a race to the finish to make sure the stone does not fall into the wrong hands.
As the first book in the series, the introduction of Harry into the wizarding world is as seamless as it is for the reader, with spells and customs explained to both at the same time. The teachers are a mix of fun and quirky, stern and moody. And of course there is Headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore - the grandfather figure who manages to be cute and fluffy and powerful all at once. Dumbledore is, after all, the only wizard feared by Voldermort - the evil wizard who killed Harry's parents and many others and a wizard so feared that people daren't speak his name.

Best Line

Hermione: Now, I am going to bed before EITHER of you think of

another brilliant idea to get us killed, or worse, expelled.

Ron: She needs to sort out her priorities.

As a film, this was arguably the most anticipated film of the last ten+ years. Children and adults across the world had grown to love the books and were eager to see their favourite characters on the big screen. And it didn't disappoint. The new young actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson weren't perfect but they weren't bad at all. Rupert Grint especially shone with the adorable charm of a Weasley.

It was a little cheesy in parts but the action more than made up for it. The three headed guard dog, the first ever look at the game of Quidditch (performed brutally on broomsticks) and a brilliantly creative and gripping finale made for a brilliant and very promising opener to the series.

Cast included Richard Harris as Dumbledore, the always brilliant Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, Alan Rickman as nasty teacher Severus Snape and Robbie Coltrane as the gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid. Even Harry's bullying and nasty classmate Draco Malfoy was played by Tom Felton who had already acted in The Borrowers and Anna and the King alongside Jodie Foster.

Book 2: Chamber of Secrets

Discuss: what makes a perfect book?

Thanks to my fellow reviewer over at Novelicious, CescaReviews, I have been thinking recently about what makes the perfect book. She recently gave Room by Emma Donoghue a 9.5 out of 10 and I asked her why not a 10? She couldn't say. She speculated that it's the teacher in her which must give an A- never an A.

There is normally that tendency to vear away from giving top marks, whether it's to encourage constant improvement or just because there is a niggling voice that says that a little tweak here or there would have made it perfect. But actually being able to quantify what changes these are is a difficult matter.

So it got me thinking - what are the perfect books? That rare breed of literature that I have read and found impossible to find a single flaw. Well there are the Harry Potter books of course (I make no secret of my love for them!) and then more recently the mindblowing debut of Sister by Rosamund Lupton which had me gripped from start to finish and MORE than passed my tube test. I gave serious consideration to being late for work and staying on the tube just to keep reading.

But for me personally I would have to say that a 10/10 book does something other books don't dare to do. It challenges the beginning-middle-end with a neat and tidy ending and thinks outside the box. Books like My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult) dare to discuss taboo topics with care and conviction and other books like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (Mark Haddon) choose a perspective not normally explored and explore it with sensitivity and affection.

Then there are those books which are considered great because they have stood the test of time - basically anything by Jane Austen or Charles Dickens. Even Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham had a timeless quality and apolocalyptic books will never stop being relevant!

So what is your perfect book? What warrants a 10/10?

Over to you... LE xx

Why the Harry Potter books are perfect literature

After the Harry Potter films received special recognition at the BAFTAs I baffled my housemate by clapping along with a smile on my face. She is not a Harry Potter person. I am.


I heard once that The Simpsons appeals to adults and children because there are jokes in there that appeal to one or the other. Some, the kids will laugh at and others the adult will laugh at (and the kids will not understand why they're funny). Then, when Toy Story 3 came out, one reviewer described its appeal perfectly. It appealed not just to young children but to the young child still in every adult. It is that genius that has brought the magical land of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hogwarts to so many homes and enjoyed by children and adults alike.


But this is by no means a kiddy story, all lighthearted silliness and magic tricks. Oh no. It goes much MUCH deeper than that. The seven books show all the fun and awkwardness of adolescence but manage to look beyond the normal teen angst and put it into the most imaginative world made since the likes of Lord of the Rings. Though no language was created here by JK Rowling (not sure Parsel tongue counts as its just whistling!) new words were introduced into everyday language - muggles, hipogrifs, even the perfectly horrid insult "mudblood" used to describe those of non magic lineage.

Magical creatures came along with that such as centaurs, unicorns, giants and werewolves and the very evil and creepy dementors who suck out your soul. There are first kisses, first spells, friends, enemies, nice teachers, quirky teachers, evil teachers - all set against a magical backdrop which expands over the seven books.

But there is such a darkness to these books that it appeals to those of us who, like me, can't stand all that fluffy niceness of most children's books. Harry is an orphan and has never known his parents, people die in every book (OK not every book but close enough when you look at the overall death toll). There are bad wizards and good wizards just like there are bad and good people. Wands don't kill people, spells made by evil Azkaban jail escapees do!

I will admit to having been a total cynic on these books before having read them and only started to try them after a Spanish friend told me she had improved her English tremendously by reading them in English. The language, she told me, was basic enough that it was easier to understand than an adult book but it was interesting enough that you wanted to keep reading. So I bought one and two in Spanish and gave it a whirl. After a couple of months (and frequent glances at my Spanish-English dictionary) I was well onto my way to the fourth book - luckily not long before the fifth book came out. By the time book seven came out, I had read all six in two languages and desperately wanted to know how it would all come together at the end. The poor postman delivered my book the morning of its release and I was not heard from for the rest of the day. Surfacing early that evening, I was in love with the most phenomenal book series I have ever had the pleasure of being immersed in. I had laughed and cried with them all and it had all been worth it.


To other sceptics out there I will say this - book one and two are written for children. OK they all are really but one and two read like they are written for children. 2 is much like 1 so just watch the films and start reading at three. You will love it so much that by the time you get to the end of book 7 you will go back and read 1 and 2 just so you don't have to stop.

And to any budding linguists - it helped my Spanish so much and was fun while doing so. Who'd have thought I would gain such a bizarre vocab list - owl, wand, even the tense of shall "he-who-shall-not-be-named".

So please, read these works of literary genius and experience the world of Harry Potter for yourself. And get a wriggle on - you're going to want to watch the final film when it comes out this year!

(Click here for Part 1 film review)

LE xxx