Movies: Ruining the book since 1920

Oscar-readiness continues with Atonement! Very good film. It got seven nominations, including one for Best Picture. It’s one of those lovely, sweeping epic films that usually win Best Picture, unless they’re up against even better films from the Coen Brothers about vicious murderers in Texas. Keira Knightley sometimes annoys me for reasons I cannot put my finger on, but she did a fine job here. James McAvoy was not physically right for the role of Robbie, but he’s so freakishly talented that you can hardly hold that against him. I did like it. I could have loved it, had not the book been quite 27 times better.

The whole time I was watching it, ringing through my mind was the motto from the T-shirt James told me about:

Movies: Ruining the book since 1920.

I can’t really get into what was different without spoiling the film, but seriously, go to a Barnes and Noble or a Borders or a library. Fiction, M. McEwan, Ian. Get the copy with the house and the fountain on the front, or the one with the little girl sitting on the steps. Don’t get the copy with the movie poster on the front or your imagination will be stunted and you’ll picture James McAvoy and Keira Knightley every time you pick it up to read it. That is, if you ever put it down. Really, this is the kind of book that makes you lie to your friends and say you can’t hang out with them because you’re busy, just so you can secretly stay home and read. This book will make you cancel dinner plans and leave parties early.

Ahem. Not that I ever did that, Chris.

But now for my favorite part of this whole experience: crossing off the nominations on my Oscar readiness list. This is especially fun since there are seven slots to cross off for this one. Crossing items off of lists is one of the great joys in life. It’s like a thunderstorm when you’re going to sleep, or messing up the peanut butter. Or reading a book by Ian McEwan.