The Oscars, seeing the movie, and reading the book

Doesn’t it seem like the best movies are usually adaptations of books? I was checking out Oscar winners this morning to see if that was true for this year’s winning films. The short answer is, they’re a mix of books first, movies first, and one simultaneous book and movie development.

“The Shape of Water” won Best Picture and has the best backstory too. Basically, author Daniel Kraus wanted to mash “Creature from the Black Lagoon” with “Romeo and Juliet” (seriously), and shared this idea with director Guillermo del Toro. Astoundingly, del Toro thought this was a fantastic idea, and the two worked semi-together and semi-independently to simultaneously write a novel and a screenplay. And apparently, people love it. The book will be released on Thursday, March 8. I really want to both see this and read the book now.

Gary Oldman won Best Actor for “Darkest Hour.” This technically wasn’t a book first, but the author who wrote the screenplay also turned it into a full-length book. I didn’t see this movie either, but was excited to hear that the kid from “Diff’rent Strokes” had become such a successful adult. Then I realized I’d confused Gary Oldman with Gary Coleman, who sadly passed away in 2010. So I’ll probably skip this one, both book and movie formats. RIP Gary Coleman.

Best Actress went to Frances McDormand for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Writer, producer, and director Martin McDonagh also published the screenplay for this in book form, but no libraries in Maine carry it. Unless you’re into reading screenplays, I’d probably recommend just watching the movie.

“Dunkirk” got awards for Film Editing, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing. It was based off the book “The Miracle of Dunkirk: The True Story of Operation Dynamo,” written in 1982 by Walter Lord. You can request that through the Library’s Minerva network. It garnered some fantastic reviews on Amazon and looks like a fantastic read. 

The one Oscar nominee I have seen, “Boss Baby,” was based on a picture book by Marla Frazee. If your kids love that film (it’s hilarious), definitely swing by the library and check out the book. (Pixar’s “Coco” ended up winning Best Animated Feature on Sunday. Not a book first, but some critics say it pretty much was a rip-off of 20th Century Fox’s “The Book of Life,” released in 2014. Drama! Check both out and decide for yourself!)

“Call Me by Your Name” was nominated in a bunch of categories, and won Best Adaptation. The novel was published in 2007 by André Aciman.

“Mudbound,” likewise, received a slew of nominations, but this film didn’t end up with any awards. Still, it was based on the novel of the same name by Hillary Jordan.

So there’s that round up. Be sure to tune in next week for a thorough treatment of the age-old question: Is it better to read the book before you see the movie?

Upcoming events

Refreshing the Whodunit: “Dance Hall of the Dead” by Tony Hillerman. Join this facilitated book discussion to explore the mystery genre with fellow readers. Saturday, March 10, 10:30 a.m. Fresh brewed coffee.

Books and Bites: Wednesday, March 21, at St. Andrews Village, 2 p.m. “Carnegie’s Maid” by Marie Benedict.

Monday Night Book Club: Monday, March 12, 7 p.m. “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” by Brad Ricca.

Minecraft Play Club: Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m.

Friday Story Hour: Hear a story, make a craft, and sing a song with Miss Pam and Miss Harolyn. 10:15 a.m., ages birth to 5.

March Artist of the Month: Nathan Campbell oils on display in the upstairs Community Room.