Childhood on film
My favorite book as a kid was "Hating Alison Ashley" by Robin Klein, and for any non-Australian reader of mine out there, it has has just been made into a movie which I saw today.
Now seeing something that has been part of your life since you where a kid turned into a movie can be a tricky thing, because sometimes in transfering it to film can seriously fuck up the story and ruin it for all those people seeing it because they love the book so much.
Funnily enough this movie didn't do that. In fact I liked it. Alot. Yeah there where a number of changes, like the kids where now Year 9 instead of Year 6 (which was the biggest change). But in the context of the movie it actually worked quiet well. The other changes where minor and nothing terrible (though writing some romantic tension between Barry Hollis and Erica Yurken was kinda weird).
But the casting was right, heck even Delta Goodrem pulled off the ice princess act quiet well (then again she was pretty much playing herself). Let me just say Alex Cappelli (Barry Hollis) is going to be the next breakout star. He was bloody awesome (and it helps he is a dreamboat).
Over all the movie wasn't perfect, if anything maybe it was a little to true to the book, I read the book enough times as a kid to remember each and ever line and recognised practically every line that was lifted from the book into the movie. A few where definately a little clunky, but then again in these days when Hayden Christensen is treated as a legitimate actor, I can easily forgive a few clunkers, heck it wasn't suppose to be "Citzen Kane".
The characters where there and treated with respect and not just the big ones Like Erica, Alison, Ms Belmont, the Yurken clan and Barry, but also the minor ones like Diane, Nicole, Margaret, Oscar and the rest of the classmates and they where themselves. Diane & Nichole where superficial ninkompoops, Oscar with fat and Margaret was as dumb as a door-post. It was the little things like that made it good.
Though if I was to have one complaint it would be Ms Belmont. She wasn't the frightening, yet totally exhilarating that could scare even the toughest bully type teacher like in the book. Nor did she smoke in the book (since it was mentioned she had non-smokers teeth in the book). Heh, but I am nit-picking.
But overall I really really did enjoy the movie and it is really nice when something from your childhood comes back to you as an adult in such a nice, pleasant way.
Of course... $14 for a fucking movie ticket, during Matinee times no less! What has Australia come to?
Now seeing something that has been part of your life since you where a kid turned into a movie can be a tricky thing, because sometimes in transfering it to film can seriously fuck up the story and ruin it for all those people seeing it because they love the book so much.
Funnily enough this movie didn't do that. In fact I liked it. Alot. Yeah there where a number of changes, like the kids where now Year 9 instead of Year 6 (which was the biggest change). But in the context of the movie it actually worked quiet well. The other changes where minor and nothing terrible (though writing some romantic tension between Barry Hollis and Erica Yurken was kinda weird).
But the casting was right, heck even Delta Goodrem pulled off the ice princess act quiet well (then again she was pretty much playing herself). Let me just say Alex Cappelli (Barry Hollis) is going to be the next breakout star. He was bloody awesome (and it helps he is a dreamboat).
Over all the movie wasn't perfect, if anything maybe it was a little to true to the book, I read the book enough times as a kid to remember each and ever line and recognised practically every line that was lifted from the book into the movie. A few where definately a little clunky, but then again in these days when Hayden Christensen is treated as a legitimate actor, I can easily forgive a few clunkers, heck it wasn't suppose to be "Citzen Kane".
The characters where there and treated with respect and not just the big ones Like Erica, Alison, Ms Belmont, the Yurken clan and Barry, but also the minor ones like Diane, Nicole, Margaret, Oscar and the rest of the classmates and they where themselves. Diane & Nichole where superficial ninkompoops, Oscar with fat and Margaret was as dumb as a door-post. It was the little things like that made it good.
Though if I was to have one complaint it would be Ms Belmont. She wasn't the frightening, yet totally exhilarating that could scare even the toughest bully type teacher like in the book. Nor did she smoke in the book (since it was mentioned she had non-smokers teeth in the book). Heh, but I am nit-picking.
But overall I really really did enjoy the movie and it is really nice when something from your childhood comes back to you as an adult in such a nice, pleasant way.
Of course... $14 for a fucking movie ticket, during Matinee times no less! What has Australia come to?
