But–SPOILERRR–the last twenty minutes encompassed no fewer than three endings as the pilot 1) admits he’s an alcoholic, 2) says he’s an alcoholic in an AA meeting, 2.5) in PRISON, before 3) rapprochementing with his estranged teenaged son in the Yard. Honestly, it all felt like the teen-alkie novels of the 1970s: lurid scenes of an addict out of control followed by a car accident and subsequent sobering up and declaration of addiction in a room full of strangers. In library school I did a study of about a dozen of these suckers and they all followed the same pattern, right down to the epiphanic car crash. (As I’ve said before, people like to complain about the over-preponderance of vehicular homicide as a trope of early gay YA but in fact that was a feature of any teen novel that required a dramatic wakeup call for its protagonist.) To give the movie credit, the relationship between the pilot’s problem and the plane crash is interestingly complicated, but surely it didn’t need to take the easy way out more than once.

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In other series news, I’m just about done with A Discovery of Witches, encouraged by Elissa’s post. It was great beach and back porch reading, at its best reminding me of Katherine Neville’s deliriously over-the-top The Eight but with a better sense of humor. Or a more efficient Possession. (I loved how quickly Deborah Harkness dispatched the menstruation question that Stephenie Meyer never quite answered in Twilight.) But I may have to wait a while to try the sequel as the Labor Day weekend stack is already piling up with the new Denise Mina and a non-Brunetti by Donna Leon.

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Photo by Richard Asch

Had a wonderful day with great friend (and former boss) Betsy Hearne at the Eric Carle on Saturday. Together we led a little lunchtime discussion–I started it by asking Betsy what she found to be most different about children’s books from when she became a librarian in the late sixties and now. She had a one-word answer: money. We went on to discuss the picture book boom that was going when we began working together in the late 1980s, and how it compared to the YA boom of recent years. (My thoughts about that can be found here.) After a break in which Richard discovered the joys of the Carle shop aka the Grandpa Trap, we went to the lecture hall, where Betsy linked her long-standing interest in “Beauty and the Beast” with a more global perspective on how the stories people learn–and make from their own lives–continue the creation of folklore even over the electronic pathways.

The sadness of saying goodbye to Betsy was mitigated by the fact that we will see each other this Friday at the Zena Sutherland Lecture (Neil Gaiman this year; I would have plugged it here but it sold out quickly) in Chicago, PLUS we stopped at the fabulous Atkins Farms before hitting the turnpike. (Fresh blueberry pie at home, and there’s a pound of fudge in the Horn Book kitchen.)

Saturday night we took the other pound of fudge and our friend Kirk to see the newly 3-D Titanic, the Twilight of its day. I still don’t get why Rose didn’t just move the hell over and let Jack on the raft.

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In order to get Richard to go I think I’m going to have in turn see Footnote, an Israeli father-and-son drama that doesn’t exactly sound up my alley (anybody else who was bored by A Separation, raise your unwashed hands). But i did watch, in Katniss’s honor, Tomorrow, When the World WAR (thank you Jennifer, I always get that wrong!) Began and Battle Royale. The first was fun, with gorgeous shots of the Australian bush and some welcome humor providing balance to the explosions, but the inconclusive ending made me annoyed rather than hungry for more. Battle Royale was gleefully horrifying and too kinky for me. I haven’t read the book, but the movie doesn’t provide any particular evidence that Collins had swiped stuff from it. With the publication of apocalyptic and dystopian fiction (the distinctions between which being helpfully discussed in an article by April Spisak forthcoming in our May issue) continuing unleashed, I’m seeing the same tropes over and over again. it’s a zeitgeist thing, baby.

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The film opens with the text of the Treaty of Treason, explaining the history of the Hunger Games. As fans of the trilogy know, the post-apocalyptic Panem was reformed from decimated North America as a powerful and wealthy Capitol ringed by thirteen districts. Approximately seventy-five years ago, the Capitol squashed a rebellion and destroyed District 13. In retribution for the rebellion, the Capitol now requires each district to send a boy and girl to fight to the death in its annual televised Hunger Games spectacular.

Sixteen-year-old protagonist Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to compete in the Games when her younger sister Prim is selected. To her dismay, the male tribute is Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a baker’s son to whom Katniss feels indebted. The pair is whisked away to the Capitol to be primped, interviewed, and trained. The thoughtfully designed Depression-era costuming and scenery of the impoverished districts contrasts starkly with the Capitol, almost alien with its garish colors, Lady Gaga-esque fashions, and ultra-high technology.

The Gamemakers’ highest priority is to put on a good show—usually meaning the bloodier, the better—and winning means manipulating the viewers as well as outlasting other tributes. Prickly, self-reliant Katniss is well prepared to survive in the arena, but she struggles to create a persona that will inspire sponsors to help her. In his pre-Games interview, however, Peeta is a showstopper: claiming he has a long-term crush on Katniss, he introduces the tantalizing idea of romance between tributes.

Once inside the outdoor arena, Katniss and Peeta get separated in an initial bloodbath at the supply-filled cornucopia. Shaky camera work during the first disorienting moments of the Games emphasizes Katniss’s panic (and tactfully obscures many of the early deaths). As Katniss gets away from the melee and deeper into the arena, sweeping shots of the forested landscape illustrate both the arena’s incredible size and how capable Katniss is there. Scenes of the Gamemakers and their technicians using a fascinating interactive digital/holographic gameboard to design and control the arena are interspersed with events (like a firestorm) they set in motion. The pride the Gamemakers clearly take in their work underscores their disconnection from (and cruelty toward) those they oppress in the Districts.

As the Games wear on, Katniss copes with injuries and burns, the highly trained “Career” tributes, Peeta’s apparent alliance with the Careers, hallucinogenic poison from “tracker jacker” wasp stings, and a brief, heartbreaking alliance with younger tribute Rue (Amandla Stenberg). With only a handful of tributes still alive, the Gamemakers announce that two tributes may win if they are from the same district. Katniss finds Peeta suffering from a badly infected wound and risks an obvious trap to obtain medicine, mindful that their relationship means survival for them both. Incredibly, Peeta and Katniss are the last two tributes standing—and then the Gamemakers revoke their new rule, insisting that only one tribute can be victor.

Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, The Burning Plain) embodies heroine Katniss with grace and strength. While much hype has been made of the love triangle among Katniss, fellow tribute Peeta, and her best friend/hunting partner Gale, Lawrence’s most wrenching scenes are the ones in which Katniss interacts with (or even just speaks about) her sister Prim, her mother, or Rue. Lawrence admirably captures Katniss’s heady combination of determination to protect her family and rage at their circumstances, without dragging down the few lighter moments she’s allowed.

Josh Hutcherson is no stranger to children’s lit movie adaptations (Bridge to Terabithia, Zathura, Howl’s Moving Castle). As earnest, compassionate Peeta, Hutcherson is a bit too earnest, occasionally verging on cheesy—several of his more serious moments elicited giggles from our audience. Liam Hemsworth as stoic Gale is compelling (and more convincing), but as a District 12 character has few scenes and even fewer lines.

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, a hard-drinking previous District 12 winner who’s now forced to act as Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, strikes a perfect balance between infuriating and charming. Glimpses of Haymitch’s tireless behind-the-scenes work to keep the pair alive, soliciting donations of food, medicine, and weapons to send to Katniss and Peeta, hint at his affection for them as well as his own disturbing experiences in the Games.

The film is faithful to novel (not surprising, as author Suzanne Collins herself wrote the screenplay with Ross). The few changes to the plot mostly enhance the story by deepening relationships between characters. Rather than receiving her signature mockingjay pin from an acquaintance, Katniss gives it to Prim, claiming nothing can harm her as long as she wears it. After Katniss volunteers as tribute, Prim returns the pin to her as a token of protection during the Games. Rue has a more significant role than in the novel, highlighting her strengths as an ally: her intelligence, resourcefulness, and climbing prowess. Katniss finds the hope and comfort Rue offers even more valuable than Rue’s skills.

Several elements of the later books—such as President Snow’s anger at Katniss’s insubordination at the end of the Games, Gamemaker Seneca Crane’s fate, uprisings in the districts (specifically District 11)—are integrated into this first movie. While these details do not appear in the novel, their inclusion here subtly builds toward events to come in later films.

One disappointing difference from the novel: the love story between Peeta and Katniss is much more straightforward, losing much of its tension and complexity. Peeta’s motives are never really in question (for the audience, and even Katniss); Katniss’s own doubts about her relationship with Gale and the love-crazed role she has feigned in order to survive are downplayed.  Katniss never admits to Peeta that she’s unsure how much she truly feels for him. Simplifying their relationship flattens the range of both characters and their dynamic.

A few other notable dark aspects from the novel are missing as well, perhaps in order to meet requirements for a PG-13 rating or to streamline the plot. As in the novel, Avoxes (slaves whose tongues were cut out as punishment for treason) serve Katniss in the Capitol, but there is no explanation for their presence or their silence. The dog-like “muttations” which are the arena’s final challenge are definitely frightening, but there’s no indication that they are reanimated/genetically modified dead tributes as they are in the novel. Though he is bitten by one of these muttations at the film’s climax, Peeta does not lose his leg as a result. In fact, Peeta and Katniss both leave the arena relatively unscathed—physically, at least.

With The Hunger Games enjoying a record-breaking opening weekend and the second movie, Catching Fire, already in the works, this promises to be an overwhelmingly successful franchise for director Gary Ross and Lionsgate. This well-executed first film assures that the odds for excellent sequels are definitely in fans’ favor.

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Has anyone seen Tomorrow, When the War Began? I don’t know if it got a theatrical release here but it’s on PPV. Should I watch?

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Holes movie poster

An old friend of mine from Chicago and the director of films including The Fugitive and A Perfect Murder, Andy Davis made a movie hit from Louis Sachar’s popular and dauntingly honored Holes. Here we talk about how that came about.

ROGER SUTTON: What was it like to make a movie that was based on a children’s book? Because that was something new for you, wasn’t it, with Holes? How did you get hooked up with this project?

ANDREW DAVIS: Teresa Tucker-Davies was working in my company as a producer and head of development. She knew that I was interested in doing things other than action thrillers. And I had a big heart for the themes that were in that book. For example, I was involved in the civil rights movement and interested in how that was being taught to kids. I come from an Eastern European family, so the idea of having this family living together with a “curse” on them, I could relate to that! Having a kid who was basically living with a bunch of neurotic people, trying to make it in the world—that was a great story. And the book also dealt with how children are treated in the criminal justice system. So it had a lot of interesting themes, and it was beautifully written, and very visual and emotional. Anyway, after Teresa had brought it to my attention and I read it, we called Louis Sachar and introduced ourselves as the people who made The Fugitive and other movies, and told him we were interested in getting involved with Holes. At the time there were a couple other directors interested in Holes—the Coen brothers, I think, and Rob Reiner. I think the reason Louis chose us was that he thought I was going to keep it real. That I was going to give it a kind of honesty and integrity that the book had rather than trying to go out on a limb with it. So we made a deal with Mike Medavoy, who’s been instrumental in my career. He worked at United Artists, and Orion, and Tri Star as a studio head, and he had his own company, called Phoenix, at the time. I asked Mike to put up some money for the option. He agreed, and we started developing the script, with Louis. At some point I said, “You know, Louis, this is your story, and you should get credit for the script. And we will help you write the script. We’ll teach you how to become a screenwriter.” And we wound up doing that. There was an interim draft by some other writer who really screwed it up. I mean, he started doing his own movie, messing with the book too much. I said, “You’re out of your mind. Get out of here.”

RS: I don’t know if you ever read The Chocolate War, which was this famous teen novel by Robert Cormier, and it was about candy sales and a fundraiser in a parochial boys’ high school. And just how malevolent the whole thing got. Very Lord of the Flies.

AD: Right.

RS: And then someone wanted to do a movie of it, and a script came back to the author, and there were girls in a wet T-shirt contest.

AD: Would have made a lot of money. What was really great about our process was we worked on the script for a while and then I went off and made another movie and came back and we continued, and that’s when I said, “Okay, we’re going to sit down with Louis and we’re going to knock this thing out.” So Teresa and Louis and I literally sat together and put a card up on the wall for every idea and every scene and restructured things and put it together in a form that could work as a movie. Then Louis went and did a draft, and then we would do some editing and work with him on it. It was really Teresa who was responsible for turning me on to the book and then working closely with Louis and me in developing the script. The only thing I changed—the big thing I changed that wasn’t in the book—was I added the role of the grandpa.

When I was a kid, my great-grandmother lived with us for a short time before she died. So my sister, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, and I were in this tiny room, where you could literally jump from bed to bed and on the dressers without ever touching the floor, it was that small. And so I thought that would be a really interesting way—because the book is so much about the curse, and the continuation of generation after generation, and then the breaking of the curse—to have the grandpa actually there. You know, “It was all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grand-father!” And so my father, Nathan Davis, got a role in the movie. Henry Winkler and Shia LaBeouf and Siobhan Fallon, who played the mother, all loved him. He really worked out well. Louis liked the addition of the grandpa a lot, too. But basically whenever there was an issue, if anybody had questions about whether we should do something, or there was a money question, I just said, “Hey, we’re making this book. This is a beloved book.” And that was a big challenge, because people were very pessimistic that it could be adapted properly.

The cast and crew of Holes. Photo courtesy of Andrew Davis.

RS: When you told me you were going to make a movie of Holes, I thought, “Wow, it’s a great book, and I think Andy’s a great director, but so much of the book’s success has to do with the structure of the storytelling, which is very much on the page.” Like the fact that we don’t know that the warden is a woman for a long, long time when we’re reading the book.

AD: That’s true. But I did a little bit of it, because in the film the characters talk a lot about the warden before she appears, and her big reveal was showing her boots, and panning the camera up her legs, and you go, “Oh my god, it’s a woman.”

What I was concerned about was capturing some of the book’s intangibles. For instance there’s a lot of the interior voice of Stanley. Or Louis talking about how Stanley is feeling. That’s a very large emotional part of the book. I had to convey it somehow. The movie starts with a bit of a narrative, a bit of a voiceover, and ends with a bit of a voiceover. I tend to like voiceover because it allows you to hear one thing and see and feel another. But we didn’t do it the whole time. I think keeping really involved in the ingredients and the textures of the book and trying to continually put them on the screen was what allowed it to work.

RS: Well, you couldn’t have a voiceover running for the whole movie, because people will just think, “Why didn’t I stay home and read the book?”

AD: Yeah. So that was the big thing, trying to figure out how to keep the book as intact as possible, and retain its texture, and at the same time find a way for the emotional feelings and the dynamics between the kids to come alive on screen.

RS: You got in some trouble because your Stanley wasn’t fat, I remember.

AD: We did look at some kids who fit that description, and I just felt that Shia was the right kid because of his acting ability. And he wasn’t a pretty boy, per se, and he did seem to fit with that family of Henry Winkler and my father and Siobhan Fallon.

RS: Did you have any sense as you were making this, working on a family movie or a children’s movie, that the rules might be different from those of an action movie or a thriller?

AD: Well, I knew that I wanted grandparents to be able to bring their grandchildren to see it. The book itself did not have any content that was going to cause a rating to be changed, like an R or anything like that. But there were tonal things, you know. It is scary. The warden talks about killing these kids. She says, “Maybe we should just shoot ’em.” So it’s not a light movie. And the lynching of Onion Sam was very delicate to do, how we were going to handle that, and the whole issue of race. But kids are used to tough stuff. What I mean by that is even the old fairy tales will scare the hell out of you, you know. The moralistic German fairy tales.

Roger Sutton and Andy Davis. Photo: Richard Asch

RS: Sure.

AD: But I just wanted to find that balance between keeping it exciting and real, and at the same time making it a magical journey. Because there is a lot of magic in the story; magic is really critical to the undoing of the curse. It was all in the book, and I simply had to find a way to keep it both edgy and interesting. And what’s lovely is adults like this movie as much as kids do.

RS: All of you in the movie business certainly seem to like trying our part of the planet, children’s books. Why do you think it’s so big now, raiding children’s books to make movies?

AD: I think, first of all, when you make a family movie, or especially a children’s movie, you’ve got something that’s a known entity. Branding is really hard. I’ve got another project that’s based on Don Quixote, which I’m calling Tom Quixote, but families are going to feel comfortable that it’s based on a classic. They’re not going to be worried; it’s got some legitimacy. If you want a movie to travel around the world and have some life beyond its own first release, then you need to be able to do something that people can relate to for a long time.

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Children’s author William Joyce first conceived of Morris Lessmore as a book, but interestingly, the picture book version will not be released by Atheneum until June 12. (We’ve just received galley copies.) Instead, the story was first developed as a short film and an app. The February 2011 release of the just-over-fourteen-minutes short film version (co-directed by Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg) coincided with the launch of Moonbot Studios which produced the film. Both film and interactive iPad app have been very well received; we’ll see how the children’s literature world accepts the picture book version later this year.

The plot centers around book lover Morris, who discovers a special library where the books are animate; he then spends his life interacting with and caring for them. Joyce uses color (and the lack thereof) to great effect: when Morris and other characters are connected to books they appear in color, while those without books live in a monochromatic world. In this way Morris Lessmore takes a cue from films like The Wizard of Oz and Pleasantville that rely on a similar before-and-after color effect. Joyce also cites inspiration from Hurricane Katrina, actor Buster Keaton, American publisher William C. Morris, and New Orleans storyteller Coleen Salley.

While the picture book’s text makes plot points clearer than the wordless animation, the tale’s fluidity, magic, and humor come across more effectively in the film. A few things the film is able to accomplish that the book cannot: the books actually fly across the screen; the characters change to color instantaneously (making the transformation all the more magical); the film’s narrative has a smoother flow and is uninhibited by page count limitations; and the music provides an additional layer of emotion.

I feel the film out-performs the picture book, but I’m curious to hear what other people think after comparing the different versions of this story. The film’s animation win last night was certainly well-deserved. But in any form, The Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a tribute to librarians, teachers, and book lovers everywhere.

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