Along Came a Spider,
Kiss the Girls, and Alex
Cross
James Patterson books are admittedly hit or
miss. They get an unfair reputation for being cheap
and shallow thrillers. Some are. Haste makes waste
and these books come out in droves. However,
when he’s on, he knows how to write a thrilling page
turner.
His best work, by far, is with the Alex Cross series.
It includes crazy murders, mysteries and emotion.
The movies have yet to get those right. “Along
Came a Spider” and “Kiss the Girls” starred Morgan
Freeman, one of the greatest actors of all time. He
does a great job, but he doesn’t fit the part.
The movies are all about the crime and ignore the
family element, one of the Cross books’ strengths.
They play like an expensive “Law & Order” episode.
“Alex Cross,” a reboot of sorts, starred Tyler Perry.
This movie missed the mark all together. Matthew
Fox did dedicate himself to playing a great villain,
but the material just wasn’t there.
Some books are better left as books. I’m
convinced as a fan that a solid Alex Cross movie can
be made. There just hasn’t been one yet. BOOK.
Gone Girl
This was a book that I
couldn’t put down. Some
mysteries have a way of starting
out in a compelling fashion,
then fizzle out by the end with
some insane ending. This
book didn’t and it separates
itself from mediocre fare. The
relationship between the two
leads and their dysfunctional
marriage is terrific. Without
giving away the ending, no
one seems innocent in this
compelling story.
Now the movie. It had the
great fortune of hiring some
of the best talents in the
business. David Fincher is an
incredible director; Ben Affleck
is superb when on his A game
and Rosamund Pike steals the
show. If you didn’t read the
book before the film, you’re in
for quite the surprise. The tone
and pacing are enthralling. You
can’t go wrong with either, but
I’m going with MOVIE.
The Fault in Our Stars
This one may be for teens, but
hey, I heard good. I didn’t regret
reading it one bit. This was a
pretty great read that takes a
tired and clichéd element and
makes it fresh. I thoroughly
enjoyed it. The author does a
great job of making you feel
these high school students’
issues and illnesses. It feels
like an authentic love that is
sweet and endearing. And it will
make you cry. Or it should.
The movie is extremely
faithful to the book. Shailene
Woodley is the perfect choice.
She’s just terrific in it. The lead
male Ansel Elgort, plays the
part but for some reason comes
across as arrogant, which was
strange. Again, the acting is
fine, but the book spoke to me
more. BOOK.
Courtesy of
Grand Central
Publishing
Courtesy of Block Hanson, James
Patterson Entertainment
Courtesy of thefaultinourstarsmovie.com
Courtesy Penguin Books
Courtesy Regency Enterprises and Twentith
Century Fox Entertainment
Courtesy Broadway Books
QNS.COM
12 SUMMER 2017