The Lucky One : Movie Review

It's officially official now - Movies based on Books are really BAD!

I just saw the movie adaptation of the book I mentioned - The Lucky One. I don’t know if I mentioned it or not, the book was good but it was definitely not to the mark with the other Nicholas Sparks books. Its not that I didn’t enjoy the book but I cant deny that it wasn’t a match to the rest of the Nicholas Sparks books…

And then when I started watching the movie, it wasn’t adhering to the book right from the first scene. As in the main crux of the movie is same as that of the book - Logan is traumatized after coming from Iraq. He has a photo of a girl that has kept him alive. He sets out to find the girl and thank her. He works in the Kennel, both of them fall in love with each other. Keith, Ben's father is a constant source of trouble… and then Ben falls into the creek and Keith dies while Logan survives.

But as in apart from these 5 lines, I doubt there is anything common in the two.

Right from the first scene of the movie, where Logan finds the photo NOT in a desert in Kuwait, but after his

troops has swapped a building. While Logan goes to pick up a shiny thing which as soon as he sees is the photograph, a bomb blows off right where he had been and all the people, but him, die.

The poor traumatized baby returns to his sister finding the war to have made him unfit to stay with people. He finally recalls Victor's words that he must go and thank the girl of the photograph. By the way, Victor is killed in a tank after having said these words by some sort of attack and not in a lake. Poor chap, didn’t even get to marry in the movie!

Well, Logan does that. He reaches Hampton without any encounter with Keith on the way. Logan enquires about Beth and is led to the kennel directly. He walks up and its Beth who assumes that he needs a job.

The worst part of the movie was - Beth. No offense, but the actress hasn’t done any justice to the role. Beth was a person who was made serious because of her mistakes and responsibilities, otherwise, eventhough she was a person of little words, but had a very open heart. She wanted to enjoy every bit of life.

However in the movie, Beth was this little miserable person who didn’t even let others speak. She was not at all in flow and made others loose their flow as well.

Zack didn’t do a very nice with Logan either. However he got better as the story progressed. Beth got worse.

Especially what was with the director? Beth going and confronting Keith… if Beth's character was so chivalric, why would Ben ever freak out in the climax? And Ben… I just cant say enough. Ben was supposed to be that silent kid who is burdened with the expectations of his father and tired of doing what others want him to do. Rather, the movie-Ben is very happy helping his dad and enjoys with Keith more than he enjoys with Logan. The worst of all - where Zeus? I mean yes there is a dog trailing Logan everywhere but apart from that, there is no more to Zeus. Whereas, in the book, you would just fall in love with Zeus!

Having written what all I disliked, there are two things that I really loved about the movie which were not there in the movie.

Firstly, I liked to see Judge Clayton. I mean in the book there was Judge Clayton, in bits; but he was such a part that was most liked to get edited while making the movie. Rather there was more Judge Clayton than in the book. Especially in the last scene, when Keith dies, I really was overwhelmed to see Judge Clayton there. It kind of added more roots to the movie.

The other thing that I totally loved was the boat. There wasn’t so much told about Beth's parents. As in again it was the kind of thing that would get edit. But showing the boat and how Logan worked the boat - it was all wonderful.

Back to the things I hated - the intense scenes between Logan and Beth - HELLO!! I appreciate how they didn’t show the two falling in love the very instance and how it made sense for Keith to intervene constantly than trying to scare the guy off but there was a very important thing that the two didn’t want to show Ben that they were dating and so making out broadly in the house was LAME!

Lastly, not the least, I imagined Nana to be somewhat as she was portrayed, just a little more healthy. Nana was exactly the Godmother to Beth and at the same time she was wise to judge about Logan and also childish enough. I simply loved Nana both in the book as well in the movie.

Reading the review, I find that I have just written everything in small points. I guess throughout the movie, I was just taking notes mentally as to what I felt or what each scene reflected to me. Maybe this happens when you see a movie after you have read the book it is based on.

However, I wont imagine how bad it would be to not read the book. I would have ended up hating the story if I just seen the movie. Books definitely provide the director within us to  let our imagination fly high and decide the small, finer details ourselves. Most of the times these details are already presented to us in the movie by the director and in accordance to the director's point of view. Thereby it is very much possible that if we don’t like the director's perspective, we are bound to not enjoy the movie.

A book, however, is different. Like a read recently, reading a book is like being in discussion with the author. You learn his/her perspective and there is a simple attempt to show the reader the author's world. But it is to the reader how exactly do we take it.

I guess, I am headed off onto a total different direction in the article now. So let me just conclude with - if you havent seen the movie, and havent read the novel (important prerequisite), do see it. Its not a classic Romeo-Juliet, but it is a nice and decent love story.

Safe Haven : Movie Review

Okay, firstly let me make this really clear - I never, NEVER prophesize to see a movie prior to reading the book. Ofcourse, if you have read the book, the movie just gets lamentable; it picks out the enigma and you are just there to point to the differences and the missing scenes; worst of all, you are stuck for a good 2 hours or so, just to see how the director's interpretation is so different from your own inference.

Still, the story that you read is way better than seeing it. In a movie, you are already presented with actor and actresses potraying different characters that seem to suit their persona. In a book, its just the character description on which you, the reader, decide how the character should be like. Often you are not able to map it to a real person and you don’t even see the eyes and nose falling in place, but you know how beautiful the eyes are. So I recommend that only if you cant sit and read and entire story, AT ALL, only then you should go for a movie. Otherwise, it always will be Daniel Radcliffe when you read the Harry Potter books!!

Moving on, I did violate my own rule and saw 'Safe Haven' again by Nicholas Spark, before reading the books. I just had to see COBIE SMULDERS in the movie! I totally love her in HIMYM and so I just had to!

Update : I got the book as soon as I could and I have started reading it too. And with just 20 pages read so far, I still can say that the book is much better!

SPOILER ALERTS!!

S'well, the movie is about a girl Katie, who is shown running away from someone. She eventually gets off at a port where she likes whatever she sees and decides to stay there. It’s a very simple place, the kind where everyone knows the next person. She feels safe! Nonetheless, the nightmares of her previous life haunts her and it is revealed that she had murdered someone.

In the new town, she befriends Jo, who lives near her own cottage in the woods. Also, Katie is drawn towards Lexie, the daughter of Alex who owns a grocery store in town. Alex's wife died of cancer and his

two children - Josh (the elder one) and Katie, are trying to make the ends meet. Alex not only has to deal with the pain of loosing his wife, but after his mother's demise, Josh developed an anger for everything that would make them happy. He is inexorable to idea of letting in happiness into his life, and when his sister and father seem to be attracted to the new blonde girl in town, there is no soothing to his anger. You also see him trying things that are dangerous and could cause him potential harm if not death.

On the other hand, Lexie, who is still very young is not able to understand her loss and just wishes to happy again. She likes Katie and is willing to include Katie in her life. And Lexie is the major reason why Katie spends more and more time with Alex and his kids.

Eventually, she falls in love with him and his family. Meanwhile, Katie makes only one friend in the new city - Jo, who lives nearby. Jo doesn’t really do much but she shares the laughter as they come in Katie's life. She is the only person Katie talks to and enjoys spending time with.

Katie is later revealed to be Erin who is running away from her violent husband. She injured him one day and escaped. When Alex comes to know that, for a while he gets angry and leaves her… but then he realizes that he loves her and so welcomes her in his life. Just when Katie gets the hang of her own life, her husband reappears and being the nutcase he was, he burns the entire house when Alex is not home.

Katie saves the kids and Alex saves Katie. Her husband dies in the fire finally setting her free. Alex gives Katie a letter from his wife which she had written before dying. That letter reveals that Jo was Alex's wife. Katie realizes that there was no Jo and it was just a fragment of imagination or maybe it was Jo all along.

I have read a couple of Nicholas Sparks books and sees some movie adaptations as well but this is the book after 'The Wedding' that is very different from all other stories. Honestly speaking, no two Nicholas Sparks love story is the same but 'The Wedding' and 'Safe Haven' have been exceptionally different. They are not the usual love stories rather they aim at teaching what really 'love' is.

Even while browsing through the book, there is a line in Jo's letter - She knew love after she had her children. Its not that she didn’t love her husband but the love she felt for her kids was what really love is!

Yes, love so deep that Jo couldn’t leave even after her death. She had to make sure that her kids got their mom and Alex could feel what it is like to love again.

Today that I see around, love has only become some fancy vacations and a lot of photographs or gifts. But if you really love someone, all these things will matter no more. Like again in her letter, Jo tells that earlier she used to worry about a lot of things but now when her time is limited, all she does is look back to all the wonderful moments that she has spent with her husband, the moment she held her children for the first time and these moments were what made her life worth living.

 

Very honest, I may be one heck of a selfless person but the character of Jo, really won me over. Jo is the definition of love. I mean, even if I die, I wouldn’t let my family replace me. Reading Jo's letter or watching it unfold in the movie is the only thing worth the effort!

Coming to being a little mean - atleast in the movie I didn’t like Alex's character. It was there for no particular reason. I just hope that the book has a better Alex!!

And yes, I would really love if you read the book… but even the movie is good enough. Still - I am so pro-books ;)

Happy Reading :D

The Lucky One - Book Review

'The Lucky One' by Nicholas Spark

Honestly, when I read it, I felt that this would be one of the books written by Nicholas Spark, when he was just starting with novels, but NO! It is indeed his last book before the Last Song. And Last Song is one book I totally love!!

Anyways, what really makes me write this review is the idea behind the book! Ofcourse like all other

The cover I have and read ;)

Nicholas Spark books, this one is again a love story.

SPOILER ALERT ahead ;)

So, we have a guy named Logan and he was serving in the Marines. One day he finds the photo of a girl and it becomes his lucky charm. During his 5 years of war, he see his friends all die one after the other but he survives. There is one friend of his - Victor, who too survives, but dies soon later. Well, Victor believed that this picture was Logan's lucky charm and so Logan should atleast go visit the girl and say thanks.

Logan had already been curious enough to who this girl was or how she might have been today. Anyways, he goes to search her and eventually finds that the backdrop of the picture is from Hampton. Taking his chances, he decided to walk there on foot.

This girl, Elizabeth or now Beth, is a single mother, living with her grandmother (Nana) and son Ben. Her ex is the local sheriff and like from the most influential family around. This is the source of problem in Beth's life… until Logan one day walks up her drive.

He doesnt have the guts to tell her why he really is there, instead he takes up the job at Nana's dog training school. He does all the cleaning and then feeding the

dogs, taking them to walk, and everything without a single complaint and at the minimum of the wages. He is just content to have found Beth and likes to be around her.

Initially Beth suspects him for lying or not being genuine when she knows that he walked the whole distance and he doesn’t tell her the reason. Eventually, Ben and Logan bond over really nicely.

Zac Efron as Logan in the movie

Ben's father was totally disappointed in his son. He wanted his life perfect, with a lot of fun and having to boss around whenever he likes. He wanted his son to be the spotlight too, but Ben liked it quite.

In this situation, Logan was the only friend to Ben, who being an adult, didn’t treat Ben as not being competent enough. Also, Ben quickly became friends with Logan's dog Zeus.

The story moves on for Beth falls in love with Logan and all is going great but Logan had met Ben's father earlier and was in some little fight with him. Keith, Ben's father, being the snobby person, as he was, hated Logan as it is and would never tolerate him near his ex wife, whom he still fancies.

Logan finds the 'lucky charm'

Logan discovers that Keith was behind all failed relationships of Beth over the ages and he himself confronts Keith and asks him to stay away. The any Keith finds a way to revenge Logan and tells Beth about the photograph.

Beth had originally given the picture to her brother Drake and it had meant to keep him safe. He had lost the picture and asked her to send another one. She had just delayed in sending one, and before she could, the news came that he was dead. Logan having the photo came of a shock to Beth. As it is, she didn’t like the idea of people surviving when her brother had died and now she feels that Logan was responsible.

What difference Logan makes to Beth's life

After being put to senses by Nana, Beth and Logan make up. Keith cant really tolerate it and he threatens Beth. Ben hears this all and he runs away from the house not wanting to be around Keith. There was a storm and Ben gets stuck in the Creek. Both Logan and Keith jump to save Ben but at last Zeus is the one to do so.

Keith dies in the process.

Ben with Logan

Later, Logan and Beth are shown together. Beth calls Keith a hero for despite everything, he died saving his son and that's how she wanted Ben to remember him.

--

It was a good book, really. I am not faking about this. I mean after like 60 - 70 pages, I really couldn’t wait to just complete it. But what I felt wrong was the narration.

Nicholas Spark, I feel, has a charm to charm people with words. This book, however, lacked it.

Its words were lacking the magic, even though the story was really good.

Buy it on ebay - The Lucky One

The character of Logan - trust me, he's a damn sweetheart. Probably the Marines did it to him or whatever else be the reason, he is a wonderful listener and appreciates silence more than a majority of people.

Beth, who is stuck up in her life, tired of tying loose ends, she appreciates how Logan is happy just to sit beside her or walk in silence. He doesn’t have demands for outings or control over her life.

On the other hand, Beth is shown to be a silenced soul. With whatever of her is described, I can imagine

her to be an activist out when she was young but over the years and especially when she lost her parents, she became quiet, never trusting anyone but Nana and Drake, enough to confide in them.

Ben, well if there is one line that I can use for him - I really don’t buy Ben's character. Fine I get it he chooses Violin over Soccer, still!

Keith, hahaha!! In the first chapter of the book, when he is revealed for the first time, I honestly thought him to be a fat, slightly balding sheriff with like bushy mustache. Even though he doesn’t turn out quite the way I thought in the physical description, he is the same in terms of his behavior.

Later then I discovered that it has already been made to a movie and now I am eagerly waiting for the movie.

You are going to see the movie review soon!! ;)

In the meanwhile, if you are a Nicholas Spark fan, I think you might be disappointed. But if you are looking for a good love-story, not one you would relate to, but a good one - go definitely read it!