While I’m familiar with a number of these, I’ve only read The Hobbit, and that was when I was a child. It wasn’t until recently (no, not doing research for this video) that I learned that Mary Poppins is a series of books. What I did learn in my research for this video is Saving Mr Banks is the first movie to ever have a portrayal of Walt Disney.

Here’s the list:

Friday, December 6

Last Days on Mars is an adaptation of “The Animators,” a short story by Sydney J. Bounds. I wasn’t able to find it, though, so I didn’t link it here. If you find it, leave a link in comments.

Twice Born by Margaret Mazzantini, about a woman who moves from Rome to Sarajevo so her son can learn about where he’s from and a father he’s never known.

This book was a best seller in Italy, written first in Italian, then became an international best seller in translation. The movie stars Penelope Cruz, and was originally released in 2012.

 

Friday, December 13

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. This is the second installment of what Peter Jackson says will be The Hobbit Trilogy. I read The Hobbit as a child — my father had a very nice, hardcover edition. I found it on the bookshelf, was bored, and read it. But given the reaction to the end of the first movie, I’ll be waiting for all three to come out on DVD (much like I did with Lord of the Rings) so I can marathon them.

 

Friday, December 20

I’m actually kind of excited to see Saving Mr Banks. I’m interested in what Walt Disney went through to get the rights for a movie that is beloved by so many people, myself included. I did find it interesting that this will be the first film in which someone has played Walt Disney, and because of this, the script was black-listed for a while.  I wonder how it ended up getting made. I’m particularly curious, though, about why P. L. Travers didn’t want to sell the rights.

Wednesday, December 25

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort. It seems to me that Leonardo DiCaprio has been in the movies quite a bit lately. I noticed, and I don’t actually go see that many movies. I’ll admit, as an aside, I find I’m more interested in movies now that I started writing this series. At the very least, I’m significantly more aware of what’s in theaters.

This memoir is about Belfort’s rise to Wall Street glory, and his subsequent fall from it. I’ve never been particularly interested in the dealings of Wall Street, so I probably won’t be seeing this one.

The Invisible Woman: The Story of Charles Dickens and Nelly Terman. I said this was appropriately released on the 25th because I typically associate Dickens with Christmas because of A Christmas Carol. Yes, I know he’s written other works, but there are so many retellings of that story that it’s the first thing that pops into my head.  I find it interesting that this biography was written in 1991, and it’s just now being made into a film.

The explanation I gave for Joyce Maynard’s Labor Day was incredibly simplified. And I’m really not sure how much of the book made it into the adaptation. The summaries I read of the book said that the man was mysterious, but not

anything about how he may or may not have been a convict on the run and how the mother and the son learn more about this man as they become more and more tied up in the police’s pursuit of him.

Friday, December 27

The last book-related movie of the month is Lone Survivor, based on the book Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell. I can’t imagine going to war.  I can’t imagine being on a covert operation to neutralize a target then losing my entire team. This memoir, and movie, tell that story.

So those are the eight book-related movies I found for December 2013.  If you know of any I’ve missed, leave them in the comments. If you’d like to talk about November’s two huge releases, The Book Thief and Catching Fire, leave it in the comments.