Grooming tips from Sneaks

Go straight to Bookreporter.com’s Books into Movies column to keep up to date on new releases based on books in your library. Check their Books into Movies on DVD section to see the movies that are about to arrive at BCPL.

Here are the movies most likely to work as merchandizing tie-ins at BCPL. You can keep an eye on all upcoming movies on IMdb’s Now Playing page.

April, 2008

Nim’s Island, and with Abigail Breslin and Jodie Foster on board, sounds like a winner. Keep a list of children’s fantasy-adventure novels handy to recommend to kids who enjoyed the movie.

Memory Keeper’s Daughter premieres on Lifetime on April 12.

March, 2008

• Chicago 10: Archival footage, animation, and music are used to look back at the group of anti-war protesters who were put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
• Penelope: Modern-day fairy tale about a girl (Christina Ricci) with a snout.
• 10,000 B.C.: Human prehistory and the age of mega-mammals – some good merchandizing possibilities there.
• Horton Hears a Who!: Jim Carrey will do the voice of Horton in this animated version.
• 21: MIT students learn to count cards, go to Vegas.

February, 2008

• Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour: Just hand out the CDs to every tween girl who walks in the door.
• Step Up 2 the Streets: Nominally set at “Maryland School for the Arts,” this is a competition movie about street dancing.
• The Spiderwick Chronicles: Looks to be a faithful, well-done adaptation of the popular books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. There are tons of ancillary titles – find them all and put them front and center in J.
• Be Kind Rewind: “The most anticipated art film of the year” stars Jack Black and Mos Def as video store clerks who must recreate every movie in their inventory when they accidentally erase every tape in the store.
• The Other Boleyn Girl: The successful novel is given the star treatment here, with Scarlett Johanssen and Natalie Portman playing the Boleyn sisters.

January, 2008

• National Treasure: Book of Secrets: Who knows? Drag out some Lincoln / Booth biographies and books, call them “The REAL book of secrets” and see if some kid bites!
• I am legend: Based on the book by Richard Matheson.
• Atonement: Based on Ian McEwan’s novel.

November, 2007

• No country for old men: A Cormac McCarthy novel, adapted for the screen by the Coen brothers, starring Tommy Lee Jones. If you like ‘em dark, I’d say this is a can’t-miss.
• Beowulf: Crispin Glover is Grendel, and Angelina Jolie is Grendel’s mother. (Which would you rather go up against? On second thought, don’t answer that.) Might be a train wreck of a movie, but it might also inspire some people to read the original.
• Love in the time of cholera: Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ sweeping love story brought to the screen. Already picking up descriptions like “best film of the year” and “Oscar worthy.”
• The tween girls will be all over Enchanted, a fractured fairy tale of the first order, starring young dreamy-looking guys, a beautiful girl, and Susan Sarandon.
• The Mist is adapted from a Stephen King novel, and, well, not much more to say about that. You know where we shelve ‘em.
• You may have to work hard to find The diving bell and the butterfly, based on the autobiography of stroke victim Jean-Dominique Bauby. But it’s directed by the painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, and it is likely to be in the running for many awards.

October, 2007

• The Seeker: The Dark is Rising: Based on Susan Cooper’s wonderful Juvenile series.
• My Kid Could Paint That: The work of a 4-year-old abstract expressionist painter.
• Sydney White: Contemporary re-telling of Snow White, fractured fairy-tale style.
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I (again). Roll out the historical fiction and the biographies!
• 30 Days of Night: Vampires, Alaska, Josh Hartnett. Based on the graphic novel by Steve Niles.

September, 2007

• 3:10 to Yuma: A new Western.
• In the Shadow of the Moon: The surviving crew members from NASA’s Apollo missions tell their story in their own words. Show off books on rockets, the moon, and space travel.
• In the Valley of Elah: A career officer (Tommy Lee Jones) investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of his son during his tour of duty in Iraq.
• Silk: Novelistic movie set in 19th century France and Japan.
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Another Western, but this one we can back up with some biographies.
• The Jane Austen Book Club: Dust off Miss Jane’s novels for another movie referencing her work
• Into the Wild: Based on the Jon Krakauer biography of Christopher McCandless.

August, 2007

• Underdog: Animated film based on the old cartoon.
• Bourne Ultimatum: The third action movie based on Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne.
• Bratz the Movie: Destined to be a classic.
• Becoming Jane: Austen, that is. Anne Hathaway plays the novelist.
• The Ten: Ten short films based on each of the Ten Commandments.
• Stardust: Based on a book by Neil Gaiman.
• Invasion: Another reworking of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this time starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (your bloggers secret boyfriend) and shot in Baltimore.

July, 2007

• Transformers: Yes, based on the Reagan-era TV series and toys.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Dolores Umbrage must go!
• Hairspray: The movie based on the Broadway play based on the movie by local hero John Waters. John Travolta in the role originated by Divine and passed down to Harvey Feirstein.
• Goya’s Ghosts: Can’t say as we expect a huge run on books on Spanish painters, but we’re putting it out there.
• The Simpsons Movie: Cowabunga! D’oh! Put out a big mess of Matt Groening books and watch ‘em disappear faster than donuts in the power plant breakroom.
• Arctic Tale: Global warming bad. Maybe the star power attached to this documentary will beat it back with pure charisma.

June, 2007

• Gracie: Girl plays soccer.
• Surf’s Up: Penguins surf.
• La vie en rose: Edith Piaf sings, is miserable.
• Nancy Drew: Girl sleuth cracks the case.
• 1408: John Cusack wigs out, via a short story by Stephen King. Summer is a good time to push the fast-and-scaries.
• A Mighty Heart: Marianne Pearl tries to find her husband, journalist Daniel Pearl. Angelina Jolie tries to avoid the paparazzi. Collection Development has laid in a whole batch of new copies of this 2003 biography.
• September Dawn: Mormons vs. settlers = the Mountain Meadows Massacre. A dark moment in Western Expansion.
• Ratatouille: Rats, Paris, food, Pixar. How about a display of kids’ cookbooks? Fun!
• Evening: Mom is dying, daughters are processing. From the novel by Susan Minot.

May, 2007

• Spiderman 3: Should be a biggie – pull out all the Marvel books, or maybe a display of books on arachnids!
• The Flying Scotsman: The true story of Graeme Obree, the champion cyclist who built his bicycle from pieces of washing machine.
• September Dawn: This fictionalized account of the Mountain Meadows Massacre in Utah, an act of religious terrorism, will be politically charged and may generate interest in books on fundamentalism and Western history. Pull out Under the Banner of Heaven to get things going.
• 28 Weeks Later: The sequel to 28 Days Later will be preceded by a graphic novel pulling the two movies together.
• Shrek the 3rd
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
  

April, 2007

• Jindabyne: Based on “So Much Water So Close to Home,” a short story by Raymond Carver
• The Hoax: Richard Gere as Clifford Irving when he wrote the famous fake Howard Hughes biography
• Next: Starring Nicolas Cage, based on a Philip K. Dick story
• Firehouse Dog: Movie for kids about a famous movie pooch ruff-ing it (ouch) in a firehouse
• The Nanny Diaries: Scarlett Johanssen plays the bullied nanny in this book adaptation
• Pathfinder – Vikings and Native Americans. 948, 970.0049.

March, 2007

• 300: Based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel (On Order), this is Spartans vs. Persians
• The Namesake: Kal Penn plays Gogol, the protagonist of this book club favorite by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Nomad: an epic set in 18th century Kazakhstan. Do we own anything on Central Asia?
• Miss Potter: Yup, a movie about Beatrix Potter – starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: They’re back.
• Pride: Swim team movie
• Meet the Robinsons: The next big kid movie, based on William Joyce’s Easy book A Day With Wilbur Robinson

February, 2007:

• Hannibal Rising: Expect a run on the Thomas Harris novels
• Factory Girl: Edie Sedgwick and Andy Warhol
• Ghost Rider: Nicolas Cage stars as the Marvel comic book character
• Bridge to Terabithia: Now here’s a chance for some merchandizing! An adaptation of Katherine Paterson’s 1978 Newbery Award-winning children’s book
• Daddy’s Little Girls: A plot straight out of Omar Tyree

January, 2007:

• Happily N’Ever After: Animated family movie about storybook characters
• Pathfinder – Vikings and Native Americans. 948, 970.0049.
• Arthur and the Invisibles: Luc Besson’s movie based on his children’s books. These books haven’t done that well here; maybe the movie will give them a boost.
• Stomp the Yard: Teenage step-dance movie set at a black university

December, 2006:

• Apocalypto: Mayans, pre-Cortez. 972.
• The Good German: George Clooney and Cate Blanchett in post-World War II Berlin. Why not have a 1940’s moment on a display somewhere?
• Eragon: Based on Christopher Paolini’s popular YA book.
• Charlotte’s Web: Live-action retelling of E.B. White’s classic book.
• Night at the Museum: Kids’ movie about a security guard on the night shift at a natural history museum. Have you ever done your own natural history display? Dinosaurs and ancient peoples… could be cool!
• Children of Men: Sci-fi movie based on a P.D. James novel.
• Dreamgirls: From the Broadway musical. Motown, girl groups, beehive hairdos.
• Perfume: the Story of a Murderer: Based the novel by Patrick Suskind.
• Factory Girl: Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgewick. Break out the bios.

November, 2006:

• Shut up and Sing: Documentary about the Dixie Chicks, public opinion, and freedom of speech.
• Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan: Comedic character Borat. Might be an opportunity to showcase books about Central Asia?
• Flushed Away: New kids movie from the makers of Wallace and Gromit. Rodents, sewers. Think of books like Up Above and Down Below, Subway Mouse, Cricket in Times Square.
• Fur: An imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus: Biopic of the edgy photographer
• Casino Royale: James Bond. Haul out the Bond books by Ian Fleming and Raymond Benson.
• Happy Feet: Animated tap-dancing penguins.

October, 2006:

• Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker: Based on the J series by Anthony Horowitz. If you run out of these, suggest books by Eoin Colfer or Gordon Korman
• The Queen: Biographical drama about Queen Elizabeth II, played by Helen Mirren
• Infamous: Another movie about the writing of In Cold Blood. Expect yet more circs for this classic non-fiction work
• Little Children: Tom Perrotta’s novel adapted for the screen
• Flags of our fathers: Clint Eastwood’s drama about the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima
• Marie Antoinette: Kirsten Dunst plays the queen, directed by Sofia Coppola. Watch for a new book about Marie from Antonia Fraser, too.
• Flicka: PG version of the old favorite of all horse-crazy girls
• Running with scissors: Augusten Burroughs memoir

September, 2006

• Lucky You – Poker. 795.412
• The Black Dahlia – based on the novel by James Ellroy. Directed by Brian DePalma. 364.1523
• The U.S. vs. John Lennon – Documentary. Show off the Lennon / Beatles bios.
• All the King’s Men – New dramatization of Robert Penn Warren’s novel about Louisiana Governor Huey Long
• Open Season – This fall’s animated kids’ movie. Forest animals and a ranger. 917.3
• The Last King of Scotland – Rwanda under Idi Amin. 967.571 plus biographies.

Keep on top of all upcoming movies on IMdb’s Now Playing page.