It’s September 23 and you know what that means: summer is officially over and it’s autumn’s time to shine. Out of the many reasons to love the fall (cool weather, scarves, plaid, pumpkin spice EVERYTHING), one of my favourites is the kick-off of the new movie season. It’s time for our beloved superheroes and engineered dinosaurs to take a seat and open up the floor to more serious fare. It’s time for the “award season” to begin. Of course, each year this season dependably serves us several book adaptations, and this year is no different. So what are some adaptations to look out for? In the interest of keeping the list relatively short, I’ve left out the obvious blockbusters (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 and The Martian). Remember, you can always check out a copy of the books at your local VPL branch before they hit the big screen!

Room (October 16)

      

An adaptation of Canadian author Emma Donoghue’s 2013 novel, Room is a good place to kick off this list, as the film was just awarded the Grolsch People’s Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Movies that win this award often go on to score massively at the Oscars (see last year’s winner, The Imitation Game), making it a guaranteed must-watch.

Told through the voice of lively, imaginative 5 year old Jack, Room is about Jack and his Ma, who have been held captive in a room for seven years. To Jack, the room is the whole world; it’s the only place he’s ever known. Although Ma has tried her hardest to make a life for Jack in this room, she knows it’s not enough and devises a plan for escape. But is she—and her son—prepared for what lies beyond?

 

Brooklyn (November 6)

     

It’s just after World War II and Ireland is destitute. Young Irish woman Eilis Lacey must make a life for herself and decides to take her chances in Brooklyn, New York, leaving behind her mother and sister. Her new American life is hardly a dream—struggling with an unfamiliar country, a bitter landlady, and loneliness—but that slowly starts to change when she meets Tony. But a crisis back home in Ireland is ready to rip her new happiness away. Eilis must suddenly choose between her old, restrictive life back home and her new, free life away from her family.

An excellent book club pick, Brooklyn has been heralded as “Colm Tóibín’s most beautifully executed novel to date…. Reading Tóibín is like watching an artist paint one small stroke after another until suddenly the finished picture emerges to shattering effect.” (The New York Times) The film adaptation has been penned by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, Fever Pitch) and stars Irish actors Saoirse Ronan and Domnhall Gleeson.

 

Victor Frankenstein (November 25)

     

Yes, it’s another film adaptation of the famous monster story. Yes, it’s another adaptation that has little-to-nothing to do with the source material. This time around, the story centres on Victor Frankenstein’s infamous assistant, Igor. The film focuses on the friendship between the crony and the doctor, as Igor watches Victor emerge as a mad scientist and a legend. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter himself) and James McAvoy, as well as a host of other familiar British faces.

This might be a good time to pick up a copy of the original novel, written by 19 year old Mary Shelley in 1818. To most people’s surprise, the novel is not the macabre spectacle of lightning bolts and “It’s aliiiiiive!” that we’re used to seeing—in fact, Igor is not even a character in the novel at all. A slow-burn read, Frankenstein is a cautionary tale of taking science too far and philosophizing on the nature of mankind (its original subtitle was The Modern Prometheus). And yet, Mary Shelley’s work is one of the more obvious influences of modern science fiction and is a pop cultural behemoth to this day. Not bad for a story cooked up one stormy night by a teenager in the 1800s!

 

The Danish Girl (November 27)

     

The novel is loosely based on the true story of Lili Elbe, one of the first known people to receive sex reassignment surgery. Along with an important historical depiction of a transgender woman, the novel presents a unique and intimate love story between Lili and the woman she’s married to. Author David Ebershoff weaves fact and fiction together to create a portrait of a marriage, tested by circumstances both common and extraordinary. The Boston Globe calls it “Heartbreaking and unforgettable . . . a complete triumph.”

Having made its North American debut at TIFF this year, The Danish Girl stars last year’s Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as the titular character. It has received some criticism for not casting a trans woman as Lili. However, we might still expect to see this film (and its actors) make some waves at the Oscars next year.

 

In the Heart of the Sea (December 11)

     

The book by Nathaniel Philbrick chronicles the real-life events that hold the honour of inspiring the legendary Moby Dick. In 1820, the Essex sets sail to the South Pacific, where it is taken down by an 80-ton sperm whale. The story details the journey of the men on board, as they take off for the coast of South America (3000 miles away) in three tiny boats. Philbrick follows their journey through hunger, disease, and fear as the shipmates suffer through “an event as mythic in its own century as the Titanic disaster in ours”.

The film has been adapted by Ron Howard and stars Chris Hemsworth (a.k.a. Thor) and Cillian Murphy, and is likely to be another movie that’ll make you avoid boats for the rest of your life.

 

The Revenant (December 25)

     

The novel’s full title is The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge. Another foray into the 1820s, Michael Punke’s novel depicts the rough life of fur trappers in the Rocky Mountains. A particularly brutal grizzly bear attack spurs the course of the novel, as Hugh Glass is mauled and essentially left for dead. Outraged by the betrayal and driven by bloodthirsty revenge, Hugh makes his way across the American frontier, willing to take on dangers both human and not in his obsessive quest.

The film, set to be released Christmas Day (so you know it’s a big deal), stars the one and only Leonardo DiCaprio and is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (director of last year’s Oscar winner Birdman). Will this be the year Leo gets his Oscar? Only time will tell.