"Love Is Never Ugly. . ." Beastly by Alex Film to film

Beastly is out today! Anyone else dying to see it? I read Alex Flinn's novel when it came out and loved the book. Kate looooves the trailer, but she hasn't read the book yet. It'll be interesting to see it with two POV's--one who has read the book and one who hasn't.



Anyone read it?

Anyone not read it and going to see the film?

The reviews, um, aren't great. On Yahoo, the 7 critic reviews are a solid D+. The Boston Globe said, "Twilight knockoff is just way off: Beastly a fantasy that fizzles out." Another review, from ReelViews, said the film would have been better suited for ABC Family or The Disney Channel. Is that a knock against two channels with some killer shows? Hello, Pretty Little Liars!

There are several other critics that say things along the same lines. But I'm not one to really pay attention to critic reviews. I mean, when Britney Spears' Crossroads came out in 2002 (don't throw rotten tomatoes at me! :)), I thought it was The. Best. Movie. Ever. I watched it a zillion times on DVD. I was fifteen, but still. Owning it--I loved that movie. And I'd watch it again. La, la, la . . .

(Sorry for the weird French version!)

I like critic's reviews, don't get me wrong, and they serve a purpose. But I highly value reader/viewer reviews even more. If you love a book or movie and a critic hates it, who cares? The main thing is that YOU enjoyed it.

I hope it's the same case with me and Beastly. The book was unforgettable and I'm ignoring the reviews and am excited to see it. I'll try not to compare it to the book--I know how those things work and how changes need to be made. But it'll also make for interesting conversation about the changes that came about from the novel to the big screen with people who have and haven't read the novel.

So, I said Yahoo had rounded up the critic's reviews that gave the movie a D+. Well, the reviews from viewers are a B+. One of my fave review titles from a viewer is "Candy for the eyes, chocolate for the heart." Um, sounds good to me! I'm hoping I'll walk out saying, "Candy for the eyes, sparkles for everyone!" :)

I'm curious to see High School Music-er Vanessa Hudgens out of that role (I haven't see her in anything else though I know she's been in a couple of films) and I have not seen Alex Pettyfer before. Kate and I want to see I Am Number Four, though.

It's especially interesting for us as writers because I Am Number Four is the first film to come from James Frey's controversial packager, Full Fathom Five. If you're a writer, or an aspiring one, and you haven't read the linked article, "James Frey's Fiction Factory", by Suzanne Mozes, I highly suggest you do. I'm getting off track from Beastly, BUT the article about Full Fathom Five is a must read for any writer. This particular article came out last November and there are several new ones since. It serves as a warning, especially to new writers, about this company and if you see a poster, flyer, etc., at your college or university (there are some floating around NYC campuses, apparently), definitely approach the company about work for hire writing at your own risk.

BACK to the blog topic! (Geeze--ramble much?!) Today's a big day for Alex, so go congratulate her! If you see Beastly or have read the book, come back and chat about it. I'd love to hear your take. I'll be on the computer a lot this weekend and I'll be checking comments and responding as I'm able.

TGIF, everyone!

xo