Cast: Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, Giuseppe Andrews, Jay Gillespie, Marla Malcolm, Matthew Carey, Dylan Edrington, Mushond Lee, Bianca Smith, Brian Gross, Gina Marie Heekin, Adam Robitel, Brendan McCarthy, Christa Campbell, Wendy Kremer, Kane Hodder.

My Thoughts:Predictable

Review: “2001 Maniacs” is supposed to be a remake of Herschell Gordon Lewis’ “Two Thousand Maniacs”. While I have never seen that movie, the problem with “2001 Maniacs” is that it’s too predictable. .

The story follows 2 separate groups of young people who are headed to Daytona Beach Fl. for spring break. Unfortunately they come across a detour sign in the road and as any good horror fan knows, “Detour” signs always mean “danger” in a horror movie. Before they know it, both groups of teens have stumbled upon a hick town called “Pleasant Valley”, where the people albeit strange as hell, seem friendly enough. Soon another handful of young people arrive into town, a black guy named Malcolm and his asian girlfriend Kat.

The citizens of Pleasant Valley make all of the northern young folks their guests of honor and waste no time in showing a little bit of southern hospitality. But soon some of the young northern travelers begin to disappear, and it becomes evident that all may not be what it seems with the so called good folks of Pleasant Valley who behind the unsuspecting northerners backs, are planning a huge “Feast”…literally. “2001 Maniacs” offers up a good subplot which explains the towns sudden appearance out of nowhere. It seems back during the civil war a group of renegade northern soldiers wiped out the entire town of Pleasant Valley, all 2001 of it’s citizens in fact.

Now they have come back for revenge against the north, on the same day their town was desecrated all of those years ago no less, and it’s made obvious early on that these northern travelers are in for some bad times. However…it takes the travelers awhile to realize it and the question becomes, will they be able to put 2 and 2 together before it’s too late? While “2001 Maniacs” certainly delivers in the blood, gore, and overall splatterfest department…the film lacks an ora of mystery and telegraphs itself way too early. Everything happens the way you would expect it to up until the end, where a little bit of creativity is shown when the last two survivors are thrown into a fight for their lives. The kills are rather creative but you can pretty much figure out who’s going to die and in what order which further enhances this films predictable nature. The people of Pleasant Valley themselves are an annoying bunch, even the very attractive girls in the town are painful to watch when they start talking.

The southern stereotypes from bestiality jokes, incest jokes, and just overall southerners being disturbingly odd jokes are all over the place in this movie. And that’s what kills most of the fun. It would’ve been a nice change of pace to have the folks of Pleasant Valley differ in persona rather than having each one act the same as the other. The teens of the movie are portrayed a little bit better. While we get the usual group of guys out to get laid, we also get a guy with two female friends who has a huge twist applied to his character later in the movie. You’ll have to see it for yourself but take my word for it it’s pretty funny, and we get the interracial couple in which the black guy is a biker and digs Led Zepplin…which pretty much is the ultimate in creating an outside the box character.

Robert Englund gives a good performance as Mayor Buckman of Pleasant Valley which is rivaled only by Lin Shaye as Granny Boone. But even the two of them can’t fully make up for the rest of the actors who portrayed Pleasant Valley citizens in a very subpar manner. “2001 Maniacs” does have it’s good points also, and director Tim Sullivan who also co-wrote the film with penner Chris Kobin – really knew how to make this a “horror movie”. No annoying cut aways or shortening of scenes to avoid showing too much blood on screen. No we get the full deal here which includes body crushing, mutilations, eyeballs popping out of their sockets, death by acid, and two others kills which are even more twisted than those I just mentioned. I just wish they had surrounded all of this great blood, gore, and mayhem with some better villains.

While I thought Englund was a great villain as Mayor Buckman, the other baddies were either portrayed by bad actors or were just too annoying to be cool villains. Now you could say because I’m a northern guy I don’t connect with the whole southern persona thing, which is why I didn’t care for most of the villain characters. But on the flipside of that I thought the Firefly clan in “House of 1000 Corpses” which was yet another psycho redneck flick, were awesome villains. But they were much more hardcore than the Pleasant Valley folk, who came off to me as just a little bit too cornball and not serious enough to make them good villains.

Pros: Creative kills, blood and gore abound, the northern travelers were likeable for the most part. The films final act which includes a showdown between the two survivors and Mayor Buckman and the citizens of Pleasant Valley was awesome. Lin Shaye gives a good performance as Granny Boone despite limited screen time.

Cons: With the exception of Robert Englund as Mayor Buckman The villains weren’t badass enough, and like I stated in the review everything is spelled out to the viewer too quickly as to what will happen to these kids and how. I also did not like the ending and the chain of events which lead up to the films final ending left me shaking my head.

Overall: Average horror movie that has a few items which save it from being a total waste of time. Worth a rental when it hits dvd March 28th.

The reasons to buy movie theater tickets online are many. Moreover, the convenience of such has brought recognition to this easy process. Modern consumers are finding more and more benefits for this type of transaction, and the technology as only getting better. The film industry itself has also adapted to this service.

I will discuss the many benefits and variables associates with online purchases. With attention to movies ticket in particular, I will examine the necessities of using such a service as well. It is my hope that this article will assist you in your decision on whether or not online purchasing is for you.

One benefit of an online purchase is that you can complete the transaction from the comfort of your own home. With just the click of a button you can reserve your seat. This is particularly attractive to individuals who do not live close to a movie theater, as calling or buying a movie theater tickets in advance at the location can be a hassle. You can also check the movie titles and times that a theater is offering.

Another reason to buy online is that it can save you a trip. Securing a seat will prevent you from showing up to the theater and finding out that the film has sold out. This is recommended for any of the more popular titles.

There is most likely not a person alive that enjoys standing in line. With an online purchase you can avoid the monotony of such a task. Purchasing from a website and picking the ticket up from a kiosk will help you to avoid this very tedious practice.

Plenty of customers have a difficult time enjoying a film if they are forced to sit in a seat that is not to their liking. Most newer theaters will now allow you to choose your seat when buying from a website. By purchasing long ahead of time you can choose the best spot in the house.

An additional benefit of any type of online purchase, is that you are able to have a ticket or confirmation number sent to a friend as a gift. By paying online ahead of time, you can give the perfect present without any resistance, as the transaction is already complete.

The discounts that are available online are also an attractive feature for this type of transaction. By using coupons, special offers, or membership perks, you will be able to keep a little bit of money in your wallet. There are even some movie pass sites that offer seasonal deals.

As I have said before, this whole process is rather sample. What you generally need to buy a ticket from a website is a credit card, computer access, and an email address. With these tools, you are only a click away.

Hopefully it is clear now that there are many advantages to buying movie tickets online. The process is rather simple for the customer, and there are many advantages to choosing this method. Being prepared with the necessary requirements are a must. If you are interested in this option, the only thing left to do is to choose a film and get started.

Simple Irresistible (1999)

‘Simple Irresistible’ is a movie about Amanda, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. She gets some magical help from a crab. (Yes, a crab.) Amanda is a chef, whose tiny restaurant is slowly failing. She has inherited it from her mother, but doesn’t have her mother’s confidence. She uses her mother’s recipes and customs, and thus doesn’t manage to keep up with modern day expectations.

The crab plays matchmaker and set her up with a man, Tom (Sean Patrick Flanery), a manager of a department store, who is planning to open a new restaurant. They fall in love.

When Tom finds out there is magic working in the relationship, he believes Amanda to be a witch, and doesn’t want to have anything to do with her. One thing leads to another, and Amanda ends up cooking in Tom’s restaurant on the opening night.

How will these two overcome their personal doubts and fears, and will they end up together?

Chocolat (2000)

In ‘Chocolat’ the witchcraft is merely implied. The viewer understands that Vianne (Juliette Binoche), the new chocolatier of a small French village, is a witch, because her chocolate has magical properties.

She starts improving the villagers’ lives from the moment she moves in with her daughter. The village is very conservative, and most of the villagers are horrified by both the imprudence of the newcomers as well as the magic and decadence they introduce to the villagers’ lives.

‘Chocolat’ doesn’t only touch on the love life of Vianne, but speaks about the love of parents and children, friends and long time married couples. In addition, it speaks about how prejudice and xenophobia can result in life-threatening situations in small close-knit communities.

That being said, “Chocolat’ is a romantic, warm and overall a lovely movie.

Woman on Top (2000)

‘Woman on Top’ is another movie of the magic of food. In this, Isabella (Penelope Cruz) is a great cook, and she opens a restaurant in Salvador with Toninho (Murilo Benício), her husband. He cheats on her, and she runs away to USA, to live with a friend, Monica (Harold Perrineau). Isabella’s cooking inspires a TV producer create a cooking show, ‘Passion Food’, for her.

Back in Salvador, Toninho’s restaurant crashes without Isabella’s cooking. In his despair Toninho curses Yemanja, the Goddess of Love and the Seas. Yemanja responds by keeping the fish away from the sea around the village, so the local fishermen catch no fish.

Toninho goes after Isabella to win her back, but Isabella in turn has asked Yemanja to harden her heart against love, a request Yemanja answered. As Isabella is now unable to feel anything, all Toninho’s efforts to win her back are fruitless. On top of that, Isabella’s show turns out to be very successful.

How will Toninho get his Isabella back? Will Isabella ever feel anything again? Will Yemanja forgive?

The movie is resolved in a very sensual and romantic scene where Toninho and Isabella cook together.

Like Water for Chocolate (1992)

‘Like Water for Chocolate’ probably influenced ‘Simple Irresistible’, ‘Chocolat’ and ‘Woman on Top’.

‘Like Water for Chocolate’ tells a story about a Mexican family. The family has a tradition that the youngest daughter stays unmarried and takes care of her parents. In the story the youngest is Tita, who loves Pedro. They cannot marry, so Pedro marries her sister in stead, so he can stay close to Tita.

When Tita cooks, all her feelings are infused into the food, and the story takes a few surprising turns. Some of the twirls are very funny, some sad and some horrible.

‘Like Water For Chocolate’ is a movie of traditional Latin American magical realism, which to my mind makes it a fascinating fairytale loaded with unexpected twists, one of which is the ending.

If you choose to watch a movie of the magic of food for Halloween, be sure to prepare some really good snacks, or a good dinner that your guests and you can enjoy during or after the movie. because these movies will give you an appetite.

For every Divergent fan, there are many reasons why we choose to get completely lost in the fiction world. Some hard moments in the movie make us sad and some sweet moments make us happy. There are so many lessons to learn and many uncertainties to experience whenever someone starts to watch this movie. The movie is one of my favorite movies. Here are the five reasons why I like the movie most.

1. Theo James

Yes guys, you heard me right! The first reason to love Divergent is the star of this movie, actor Theo James. I have a confession to make. I have a huge crush on Theo James. I am his biggest fan. He is my obsession. He did an amazing job in the movie. The way he presented himself as Tobias Eaton’s character is absolutely stunning. We can say that, he is the perfect Four (Tobias Eaton). I think it is a handsome reason to love the movie. I am not going to lie that it is favorite reason among all!

2. The Five Factions

The second reason is actually the concept of the five factions. The five factions are Dauntless, Abnegation, Candor, Erudite and Amity. The characteristics of these five factions are the brave, the selfless, the honest, the intelligent and the peaceful respectively. The factions remind me the actual characteristics of human being. How versatile the people of this world are, is clearly pictured in this five factions. You have to admit that the concept is completely different from the other fiction movies. So this is a good reason of loving the movie.

3. Divergent

Divergent faction is itself my favorite reason of loving this movie. Divergent is a rare quality of equal features of multiple factions. This ability reminds me that any person can have multiple qualities which make him or her to a successful person. No one needs to be a superhero. People can solve their own problems without superman or batman or wonder woman’s help. Divergent teaches us that you have to believe yourself and do your job carefully. That’s why it is one of my top reasons of loving the movie.

4. Fear Landscape

Faces the worst fear in psychological simulation through fear landscape is the second stage of dauntless training. And yes it is another reason and to me it is a good reason. I mean yeah, who doesn’t like to watch others fear! Actually, by the fear landscape, we can define a person easily and truly. This is a very good and a little creepy way of analyzing people. Especially Tobias’s fears are too much delicious (!) to watch. Another confession, it’s worth watching.

5. Tris and Four’s Love

The last reason of loving the movie is the love of Tris and Four. The way they love each other is really heart touching. Tris is kind of dependent on Four through the initiation. It reminds that girls actually want love and care. And the way Four protects Tris is totally out of the world. Seriously girls, we all want a partner like Four! The love, care and bondage between this two love birds are really a satisfactory reason to love this movie.

The problem with all screenplay books is that they are mostly written by people who have either not written a single screenplay themselves or could not sell any of the ones they’ve written.

I do not know of too many successful screenwriters who also write books describing how to do it. They probably do not have the time to do both.

Having said that, I still think we are blessed for all the great variety of screenwriting books that float around. I probably own at least thirty of them in my own private library. They are inspirational and some of them hit certain things right on the head as well.

“How To Write a Movie in 21 Days,” by Viki King is an old classic. It is highly practical, detailed and inspirational. And also just scratches the surface of the great art of screenwriting.

As the book’s title suggests, King claims she can teach you how to write a screenplay in just 3 weeks if you’ve got the gist of it in your heart and mind.

The structure she proposes and her detailed instructions on how to write pages 1, 3, 10, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 of your script can lead the newbie writers in the right direction.

Here are some of the issues that King also addresses in her well-known book:

How to clarify the idea you don;t quite have yet?

How to tell if your idea is really a movie?

How to move from what you want to say to saying it?

How to stop getting ready and start?

How to pay the rent while paying your dues?

How to keep going when you think you can’t?

If you like movies and screen writing, I’d certainly encourage you to get a copy the “21 Days” and read it cover to cover. You’ll forget most of it by the time you sit before your keyboard and stare at that empty screen. But the stuff that you remember might still benefit you and your great in more ways than one.

Movie Title: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Rating: PG

Director: Carlos Saldanha

Staring: Voices of; Ray Romano; Queen Latifah; Denis Leary; John Leguizamo and Simon Pegg.

Category: Kids/Family

Moms of Faith Rating: 8 out of 10

Intro: The third edition of this hilarious movie series. My favorite, so far.

Review: Our family has always liked Ice Age…from Scrat to Diego and everything in between. The third chapter, in my opinion, was the best. I was literally laughing throughout the entire movie. Very rare for me. LOL.

Without giving too many details…

Scrat finds love… dinosaurs abound… babies are born… Manny and Sid become fathers… Action and adventure abound and surprising compassion envelopes the film.

There has always been great friendship and loyalty within the unusual herd that stars in the Ice Age movies. However, in the third chapter, we really see this friendship tested and find out what it’s made of.

There is only one thing that could be a problem for younger viewers and that is the dinosaur factor. There are a few violent scenes that are scary. Little ones may not be ready for that. So, I suggest you watch the film first, cause you know what your precious ones can handle or not.

Other than a few scary scenes and Ice Age’s normal potty humor, it was a fairly decent movie. I do not endorse the potty humor and think it is quite unnecessary, however, it was there and I made the choice to see it. All in all, I was fine letting the kids watch it. Surprisingly, from what I remember, they did not even mention evolution! YEAH! It sure made this Christian Momma happy!

Conclusion: Again, I really liked Ice Age…DAWN of the Dinosaur. I did not get to see it in 3-D, but I bet it was FAB! We saw it at the dollar theater and had a blast. I think you and your family will love it as well! Warning…get ready for some major belly laughs!

Superhero movies are all the rage right now & have been box office gold for about the last ten years. The same could not be said about previous attempts, and there are certainly some superhero movies that are favorites for being torched by upset fans expecting so much more than they received.

It’s a matter of semantics in that the only way a superhero movie can be seen as successful is that it has to live up to the idea of what a superhero is — super. Extraordinary. This, it seems, is the pitfall of so many movie attempts.

For the casual fan seeking a little more out of the superhero genre, it is important for him or her to know what to look for in a film of this type. Here are five absolute ‘must-haves’ for a great superhero movie:

1. Be mindful of the source material — This is, and always will be, rule number one for a ‘caped crusader’ type film. These stories, for the most part, began as comic books, and comic book fandom is fandom at it most intense level. These folks know the story inside and out, know the origin stories of everyone in the storyline, and are quick to jump on any error or creative touch a movie studio may try to add.

2. There has to be some tragedy – We live in a world where it seems that everything must have a happy ending. The fact is that most superhero plots involve death, deception, lost love, and occasional uprisings between the heroes and the “normies” that consider them to be unfit. It is from these difficult times that a hero emerges triumphant.

3. There has to be some humor… some – This is tricky, but in the end, if an audience is simply watching a masked crime-fighter hold court ‘at the improv’ while bashing bad guys, the shtick gets a little old fast. Yes, there is an element of humor that provides moments of catharsis, but a script-writing team needs to know when to interject a laugh.

4. Casting has to be done well – Going back again to the idea that there is a hardcore group of fans that knows the story well of the hero in question, they, too, also have an idea of what they feel the characters all look like as well. Sure, a comic book may only give a small cell’s worth of room to do this, but the person cast for a role needs to feel right.

5. There has to be a human element to the characters – Even if we’re talking about superhuman figures with superpowers, a movie audience needs to connect with the plight of the hero, as well as all of the other characters. Be it bad guy or love interest, the audience wants to feel invested in a story that has weight. Otherwise, it’s just a lot of on-screen action for no reason at all.

Being “friend-zoned” is one of the major fears of the “millenials” nowadays. This is prominently showed on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Although the movie Les Miserables was released way back in 2012, most of us were able to relate to Eponine’s character which became a martyr when it comes to her love for Marius. The story took place in France, mostly in the city of Paris, during the period of Restoration around 1800’s. The movie is derived from a French historical novel that is entitled with the same name as the movie. The title can be translated to “The Wretched” and by this; it shows that the movie is not a blissful book for it shows the darkest past of the French Revolution.

The movie will lead us into the lives of the people that were not quite recognizable by the history. As said earlier, this is a movie which shows a dark history- the downside of the French Revolution. Since there was a war that occurred back then, the innocent people were very affected by it. It will lead us to the lives of criminals, prostitutes, humbugs, name it. They clearly all do these so they would get out of poverty, so they could feed themselves and survive their everyday lives. This movie is not just focused on the story of French Revolution. Rather, there are a lot of side stories. One of which is a love triangle that is occurring between three young people. Marius, a young man who has flaming desires for a young woman named Cosette, who turns out to have the same interest to the young man. Eponine on the other hand, sees Marius as the apple of her eyes but the feelings were not reciprocated and it remained as one-sided love. However, although she knows that Marius cannot love her back as his lover, she still settled for friendship and I adore her for that.

I believe that one of the factors why Marius did not give a chance to love Eponine is because they are not on the same level in the social hierarchy since he is from a wealthy family while Eponine is not. The book to which was the movie was drawn from was written for about 155 years ago which shows the presence of this perception and yet, social discrimination is still prevailing in this age and time. There was this instance where Marius pays Eponine for a favor but she declines the money that is given to her. Though she declined the offer, she was blinded by her love for Marius and she still did him a favor.

The whole experience of watching the movie is a great one. It was very informative but not like the cliché types which are often times boring. The idea of doing a movie about history with some side stories is a brilliant idea to drive young adults like me to know about history. The casting is perfect, the edits were super fine and the songs were perfect and they gave identity to the movie. The actors were very effective because they were able to convey the emotions and affect the viewers. Overall, I think this historic movie is one of the classics when it comes to musicals.

As I sit at my desk and look at the window it’s already dark outside and it’s not even 5pm yet! While I love the Fall season the only damper is the lack of sunshine in the late afternoon. Of course it does have it’s perks as well. I find that I can get Hudson to bed earlier because it’s so dark out and he thinks it’s really late. Additional perk is getting to host an outdoor movie night and being able to start the movie at 5pm and have my little guests stay awake for all of the movie.

Yes, there is a chill in the air, but that’s what blankets are for. We also strike up our fire pit for additional warmth.

Interested in treating yourself to an outdoor movie night?

Here is some inspiration:

When we built our deck one of the best parts of our new outdoor space was our amazing outdoor furniture. I love having an actual sectional outside that all of my family can sit on.

For the movie night I simply moved over the sectional to the grass. Outdoor furniture is so light that was a breeze.

I made sure to fill the sofa with cozy pillows and have extra throws for people to cuddle with or place on the grass and view the movie from there. By blankets I actually mean I went to Joanns and picked up anit pill fleece and cut 2 yard long blankets. Voila! No sewing, no fraying! Plus I was able to use a 40% coupon and it was steal!

Adorable movie appropriate pillows: Vintage Popcorn and ticket pillow.

I filled up a wooden crate with dollar treats from the Dollar Tree and mini soda cans with straws. Warmed up ready made pretzels and added those to my snack table as well.

outdoor movie night

Of course what is a movie night without popcorn! I made bags upon bags of popcorn and filled them in a basket. I then provided guests with popcorn bags, spray butter and all sorts of goodies so that they could make their own custom popcorn treats.

popcorn station

All you needed to do was:

-Grab a bag

-Scoop popcorn

-Spray with butter

-Season with treats

-Shake

-Enjoy!

popcorn station

I made sure to include savory and sweet options:

My personal favorite:

I also made some of my favorite Nuetlla Pizza. YUM! So good!

I topped off my concession stand with a hot chocolate bar as well!

Mugs, hot cocoa and marshmallows are a great start to any hot chocolate bar, but I also added some andes mints, white chocolate chips and toffee chips.

What else could be better than some laughs, yummy food and getting to hang out with those nearest and dearest to you!

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Let me just say this right off the bat (in case you were unaware), Jane Austen is the greatest author of all time. I suppose some might dare to call that an opinion, but we Janeites of the world know far better. At this point, one or two of you might be thinking, “who the heck is Jane Austen?” or “Jane Austen – total chick writer.” If these sad thoughts are, in fact, running through your brain, please do go back to watching Orange County Choppers.

Anyway, naturally a movie about the world’s greatest author was bound to attract the attention of her most ardent fan (that would be me, by the way). Becoming Jane is a basically fictionalized account of Jane Austen’s early adulthood and her relationship with a young lawyer named Tom Lefroy.

The movie is controversial on two points, and I shall address each. Initially, there is some disagreement as to whether an American actress (Anne Hathaway) should portray England’s beloved Jane. Hathaway’s portrayal of Austen is entirely heartfelt, bringing the author’s warm, witty personality to life. Her accent was well done, a few misses to be sure, but overall quite believable. As an American, I contend I may be less particular on this issue.

The next issue hinges on the believability of the movie’s plot. No one knows for sure the depth of the actual relationship between Austen and Lefroy. The movie makes several leaps of faith, creating a deep love between the two main characters. There is, of course, little substantial proof that Austen and Lefroy were as close as the movie suggests. By her own account, she was fond of him, and the general consensus among Austen scholars is that Lefroy was the basis for Mr. Darcy (for those of you who continued reading up to this point instead of turning on The Deadliest Catch, Mr. Darcy is a hero of Austen’s classic Pride & Prejudice).

I, for one, refuse to dwell on these controversies. Anne Hathaway is lovely, gifted actress, and I am not so much of a purist that I can’t abide taking a few liberties with my beloved Jane’s life story. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire movie. You truly get a sense of Jane as a person, and it was obvious how much of her life inspired her work. Her relationship with her sister, Cassandra, was portrayed beautifully, the two clearly were the best of friends. After watching the movie, one feels a deeper understanding of her novels, and perhaps more importantly of the era in which she lived and the constraints placed upon women, especially, but also the men of the time. I encourage all Austen fans to partake of Becoming Jane.

And for the record, I love watching The Deadliest Catch. Those guys are awesome. I have a whole new appreciation for crabmeat.

For those unfamiliar with Austen’s work and wishing to procure an appreciation of this most wonderful writer, here are my suggestions in which order to read the books.

Pride and Prejudice – Read it first, because not only is it wonderful, it is her most famous book. In fact, truly one of the most famous novels of all time. The characters are so full of life, they very nearly leap from the page. This is especially true of the heroine, Elizabeth Bennett. For the best movie version, try the 1995 BBC epic with Jennifer Ehle (another American, no less) as Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth as the quintessential Mr. Darcy.

Persuasion – In my somewhat humble opinion, this is her best book. I first listened to this one on CD (Juliet Stevenson is the goddess of Austen narrators, if you get the book on tape or CD, find one of her versions). There is a part of this book toward the end, where Anne Elliott, the protagonist, receives a love letter. It is not just a love letter, it is THE love letter. I pulled the car over, reversed the CD and listened again. So, I caused a seven-car pile-up, it was worth it. The 1995 movie with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds is excellent.

Sense and Sensibility – I think this is her darkest book, but you’ll get a lot out of it. I see many parallels between this book and Becoming Jane. Elinor Dashwood is an exceptional heroine, her strength and resolve is inspiring. For a movie choice, I cast my ballot with Emma Thompson’s version. She takes some liberties with the stories, but good ones. She edited parts out with utmost care and added a bit here and there to enhance the audience’s understanding of this complex novel.

Mansfield Park – The heroine of this novel is the subject of much debate among Austen fans. Some find Fanny Price tepid and dull, but I believe that to be a low estimation of her worth. If you really give this an honest and thorough read, you’ll find Fanny to be a wonderful character. True she isn’t as flashy and fun as Elizabeth Bennett or Emma Woodhouse, but we can’t all be lively and vivacious. This is a great book about morality and honor and discretion. I have no movie recommendations for this one. The 1999 version with Frances O’Connor was cast with some fine actors and the art direction and cinematography were first rate, but this heavily rewritten version is almost an insult to what Austen was trying to accomplish with her wonderful novel.

Emma – I place this one near the bottom, not because it is so unworthy (I named my lovely daughter Emma, in fact), but because it seems so different from the above mentioned titles. Emma is a flawed character, more than most of Austen’s heroines. But still I love Emma, she learns so much about herself, and longs to become a better person. Don’t we all, I ask? As for the movies, I personally love Gwyneth Paltrow’s Emma, although they cut out a few parts. Kate Beckinsale did a nice Emma, but they added some stuff I could have done without. Even the silly, but sweet update, “Clueless,” is worth a look. Alicia Silverstone is so very Emma.

Northanger Abbey – This is just a fun read, I laughed more reading this one than most of the other books. It is one of her earlier works, so it lacks some of the depth of the other five novels, but is definitely worth a read. There are no movie versions I care to recommend.

As a side note, ITV recently produced several of Austen’s novels into TV movies. I have not seen any yet, as they are not readily available in the United States.

In addition, whilst sacrilegious it may be to mention, several people have tried to imitate Austen’s style, writing sequels and prequels of her works. Obviously, this is just for fun and one can’t expect these books to be as exquisite as the real thing (or even close for that matter), but I have enjoyed a few.

One I recommend is Presumption: An Entertainment by Julia Barrett. It is a cute sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of what happens to Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana.

Sanditon by Jane Austen and “Another Lady,” is another interesting example. The first 11 chapters of the novel actually were written by Austen shortly before her death. The remainder was added on by the other lady. The first section is, without a doubt, the best part, but the rest is a fun read. The “other lady” does an admirable job of finishing up what promised to be another great Austen novel.

There are countless other imitation books, countless books about Jane, more Austen movies to discuss, and I could go on nearly forever about all of it, but I am far too busy listening to my CD of Piano Classics from the World of Jane Austen and preparing a special white soup from my Jane Austen Cookbook to take the time to type more.

I tease, but on a serious note, all that you really need to know, you can find in Jane Austen’s works. They aren’t just silly little romances (not that there is anything at all wrong with a silly, little romance), but commentaries on the human condition, packaged with humor and vivid characters.

And yes, to sum it up, the movie was really good.