08.Nov.2009 Bookish Movie Mini-Reviews: Dracula and Mao’s Last Dancer + Holiday Swap
Dracula (1992)
I told you earlier when I reviewed Dracula that I was going to watch its movie soon. So I did.
It’s directed by Francis Ford Coppola and has a line of stars: Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder, and Keanu Reeves. The movie is definitely more sexual (sometimes unnecessarily I thought). The main, huge, difference with the original novel is that Mina is Dracula’s wife in previous life and she remembers it! What an odd decision to make.
The movie is all a bit cheesy for me. Perhaps I’m just not a fan of vampire movies. I’m not a fan of the book too after all. I kinda liked Gary Oldman as the old Dracula, with the red robe and funny hair (see the trailer). He really looks creepy there to the point of being unrecognizable.
Talking about vampire movies, I definitely liked Interview With the Vampire more. (Please don’t tell me to watch Buffy or Twilight)
Rating: 7/10
Mao’s Last Dancer (2009)
I’m so much more excited about the second movie. It’s just recently out in Australia and I haven’t heard anyone at the other part of the sea mention it, though it’s pretty big over here (movie and book).
Mao’s Last Dancer follows the extraordinary journey of Li Cunxin, plucked from poor Chinese village by Mao’s cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. During a cultural exchange to America, he fell in love with the country and an American woman, and decided to not go back. The decision caused an outrage that forbid him to go back to his home country and meet his family for a long time. Li is now an Australian.
I’d say I haven’t seen book-to-movie adaptation that is so mind blowing for the longest time! The dance was simply mesmerizing and the journey fascinating! I’m not sure if I want to read the book, because I can’t imagine how it could portray the dancing as well as the film.
The only flaw I found was some stilted acting, but it’s so minor I’m willing to let it go. Highly recommended. Please watch the trailer so you can have some sense of what I’m talking about!
Rating: 10/10
The Book
The last bookish thing I’d like to give a shout is the Book Blogger Holiday Swap! It’s my first time joining. I can’t remember how I missed it last year. I must’ve been very busy. Two years ago I joined something similar with the folks over at Bookcrossing and I had so much fun! So I’m happy we have something similar for book bloggers. The dateline to sign up is 12 November 2009. I hope you can join us!
mee 
