Suspend Your Disbelief

Posts Tagged ‘trailers’

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The Unfilmable Novel

by Celeste Ng

I am unreasonably excited to see the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Is it because Gatsby is one of my favorite novels? Because Baz Lurhmann is brilliant? Because Leonardo DiCaprio makes me swoon? Mark me down for “All of the Above.” Actually, most of all, I can’t wait to see how this novel comes to life on the big screen. It contains some of the most cinematic scenes I can think of—one of my favorites is the first moment we meet Daisy, in a swirl of white curtains—but I’m not sure how it will translate to film. Which makes […]


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You want a place where everybody knows … your reading list

by Lee Thomas

In a bit of Whisper-Down-The-Lane, this came to me from FWR’s own Michael Rudin, who got it from Matt Bell, who mentions Aaron Burch in his original post. Whew! But this trailer for Portlandia (a new show debuting on IFC tonight, which apparently is now up on Hulu – thanks again Matt) is too hilarious not to share with the seven people who have yet to experience that pang of recognition, only to succumb to the hilarity of it all. May your weekend hold all the I’ve-read-everything-you-have conversations your heart desires. I secretly cherish the old “Lord Jim?” “Yes, I […]


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"It's A Book."

by Celeste Ng

With all the discussion of ebooks and social networking and iThis and iThat, are you worried that the children of the future won’t recognize a book when they see it? Fear not. Author and illustrator Lane Smith’s new picture book, It’s a Book, explores the merits of a good old-fashioned paper book. It provides a valuable and tongue-in-cheek lesson for kids of the future and Kids These Days. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Smith discusses the genesis of the book and why he’s actually not anti-technology: What do you think of the concept of e-books or reading […]


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The Book Trailer Goes Mainstream?

by Celeste Ng

You know a phenomenon has reached critical mass when it appears in the New York Times. And recently, the New York Times discussed the growing necessity—and, more often than not, awkwardness— of the book trailer: But in the streaming video era, with the publishing industry under relentless threat, the trailer is fast becoming an essential component of online marketing. Asked to draw on often nonexistent acting skills, authors are holding forth for anything from 30 seconds to 6 minutes, frequently to the tune of stock guitar strumming, soulful violin or klezmer music. And now, those who once worried about no […]


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Trailer as Logical Argument

by Lee Thomas

The book trailer is a relatively new phenomenon, but innovation has quickly become the rule. Take the trailer for Gary Shteyngart’s new novel, Super Sad True Love Story, which features cameos by James Franco (a former MFA student of Shteyngart at Columbia), Jay McInerney, Edmund White, Mary Gaitskill, and Jeffrey Eugenides. It’s tongue-in-cheek, as to be expected from the author of The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, and contains some very funny non sequiturs – like how to blend in at a Paris Review party – and I knew virtually nothing about the book by the end. But conveying actual information is […]


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Trailer for Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go

by Celeste Ng

Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go is being adapted to the big screen, directed by Mark Romanke and with a screenplay by novelist Alex Garland. Stars include Keira Knightly as Ruth, Carey Mulligan as Kathy, and Andrew Garfield as Tommy. It’s hard to say much about the plot without giving away the secret (and oh boy, is there ever a big secret!), but below is the recently released trailer: The movie isn’t out until October 1, so you’ve got 3 months to read the novel. (Click the image at left to find it at an indie bookstore near you.) […]



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