1.) Water For Elephants
Released: April 22, 2011
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Based off the novel "Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Synopsis: An old man in a nursing home escapes the confines of his elderly prison and sneaks across the street to a circus. He is found by the owner of the circus, and the old man begins to tell his story Jacob Jankowski is about to take his Veterinary Boards when he finds out both of his parents have died in a car accident. He comes to find that his parents have left him nothing, all in the name of sending him to Vet school. This devastating blow causes Jacob to re-evaluate his next step, and instead of heading back to school, he heads to the open road. Along the way he jumps a train, which turns out to be for the Circus that's passing through town. He's brought to the Ringleader, August, and comes aboard as the circus vet. After the circus buys an elephant named Rosie from a bankrupt show, it becomes Jacob's responsibility to care for her. He soon finds that the beautiful horse woman, Marlena (who happens to be August's wife) will be the one performing with Rosie. Jacob, Marlena, and Rosie form a special bond, which changes the circus, and their lives, forever.
Review: I saw this movie opening weekend, and I have NO idea why I'm not posting my review until now. I want to start of by saying that this book is in my top ten favorites of all time. So not only was I elated that they were making this into a film, I was also a bit apprehensive, as many are when cherished novels transition to the silver screen. Every new development in casting excited me, and when I saw the preview for the first time, I cried (and two more viewing after that. I'm a sucker, what can I say).
I LOVED this film. It was so true to the book, that it kind of blew my mind. Even my dad liked it (totally not his kind of movie, he gave it an eight out of ten). The costumes and make up were absolutely beautiful, the scenery and sets were perfectly selected and crafted, and i thought the casting was spot-on for each character. It's hard for me not to like Reese Witherspoon, and her take on Marlena, the enchanting "horse woman" only endeared me to her more. I haven't seen much of Christoph Watlz, but he was perfect for the role of the hot-headed and abusive August. As for Robert Pattinson's performance, I was pleasantly surprised. Is he the next greatest actor of our time? No. Was he enjoyable to watch? Absolutely.
What really added to the magic of this film was Rosie, the elephant. Her presence alone while reading the book would make me smile, laugh, and cry. Luckily she did the same thing for me in the film. Each of my favorite scenes involving her in the novel translated incredibly well to the screen (her only responding to commands in Polish, stealing the lemonade, and mostly the ending).
Let me just explain the ending (for those who don't want to know, skip this part). Jacob and Marlena decide to escape the circus and run away together, away from August. during a show, many of the animals are let loose, causing an immediate evacuation of the tent, as well as utter chaos (what else could it be with wild animals running amok). In the midst of the insanity, August sees Marlena and Jacob trying to escape. He runs over to the lovers, takes Marlena and begins to choke her. Upon the brink of Marlena's last breath, Rosie appears, takes a stake out of the ground, and slits August's throat. The ENTIRE theater erupted in cheers and clapping. Now in the book, Rosie steps on August's head and smashes it like a watermelon (which would have been oh so satisfying had Sean Penn not have dropped out of filming). For cinematic purposes, I'm glad I didn't see a head blown to smithereens. Marlena, Jacob, and Rosie all end up happily ever after.
I can't even describe how glad I am that the filmmakers were loyal to the novel. It was a bit slow at parts, but so was the book I suppose. All in all, I highly recommend this movie, to all of have read the book or not.
Up next: Horrible Bosses; X-Men: First Class; Bridesmaids; Crazy, Stupid, Love; Captain America: The First Avenger; and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (eeeek!)
