Oscar nominations -- best book adaptations
The Oscar nominees released Tuesday are brimming with literary makeovers, showing that Hollywood still depends on authors to generate great stories. For example, Meryl Streep is up for Best Actress for her portrayal of Julia Child in "Julie & Julia," adapted from Julie Powell's book. Here's a sampling of the bookish nominations in the Best Picture category:
"The Blind Side," adapted from Michael Lewis' book of the same name, tells the story of Michael Oher, who overcame challenges of poverty and a dysfunctional family to become a football star.
"Precious," starring Baltimore-born Mo'Nique, is a tale of street survival based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire.
"Up in the Air," is adapted from Walter Kirn's novel about a corporate hatchet man.
"An Education," is Lynn Barber's memoir about growing up, and defying parental expectations.
"A Serious Man," which some critics have compared to the Book of Job. (OK, so it's not a pure adaptation, and I have a hard time naming the author).
The envelope please ...
Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers
While she always preferred The Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew, 
Comments
"Julie & Julia" is that rare case of a movie that I thought was better than the book. I gave my sister the sequel, "Cleaving" for Christmas, but I am sorry I did. I dipped into it before wrapping it, and it was a very dark book--a real downer, IMHO.
Posted by: Dahlink | February 3, 2010 3:45 PM