LaGravenese, R. (Director). (2013). Beautiful Creatures. [Motion Picture]. United States: Warner Brothers.
Genre: Romance,
Witches, Magic
Reading level/
interest age: 13+ (according to movie rating). Interest level 15+
Plot summary:
Ethan has lived in Gatlin, Georgia his whole life. He finds
the small town stifling and constantly adds to his plans to leave upon
graduating high school. However, Ethan cannot seem to get over a recurring
dream of a girl in a field. When Lena Duchannes shows up as a new student in
class, Ethan becomes interested in her. Lena is not like other girls in town
and constantly gets picked on. Her family has a bad reputation and has stuck to
themselves for years to avoid scrutiny. Despite this knowledge, Ethan pursues
Lena and finds out more than he bargained for.
Lena is a witch or, as she likes to be called, a caster.
When a caster turns sixteen, they are claimed for either light or dark. The
women in Lena’s family have a bad history of turning dark and with Lena’s
birthday coming, she and Ethan must work desperately for a cure. Will Lena turn
dark like her mother and sister or can she find a way to claim herself?
Reader’s annotation:
Lena and Ethan are two different species. With Lena’s
claiming on the horizon, can Ethan find a way to keep her from going dark?
Claim yourself.
Information about the
author:
“A Big Apple native born October 30, 1959, LaGravenese came
of age in Brooklyn and studied acting at New York University's experimental
theater wing at the Tisch School for the Arts. As a student, he honed his
skills with dialogue and formed a New York- and Toronto-based comedy troupe,
for which he also wrote sketches. After a disastrous turn on the icky 1989
generation gap ‘comedy’ Rude Awakening, starring Cheech Marin and Louise
Lasser, LaGravenese supplemented his (unrelated) day job by working on the
script for what became The Fisher King (1991) -- a project reflecting his
lifelong fascination with mythology. Directed by Terry Gilliam (who shares La
Gravenese's passion for antiquated Arthurial legends and myth), King debuted
during the Christmas season of 1991 and became an instant runaway hit and
Academy contender. This most unusual picture stars Jeff Bridges as long-haired
Jack Lucas, a suicidal New York DJ who regains his grasp on life after meeting
Parry, an ostensibly insane homeless man (Robin Williams) obsessed with
questing for The Holy Grail in midtown Manhattan. At the 64th Annual Academy
Awards, the 32-year-old LaGravenese netted an Oscar nomination for his original
screenplay (Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen), though he lost to
Callie Khouri for Thelma & Louise….
“Living Out Loud (1998), a romantic comedy drama starring
Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito, and Queen Latifah, marked LaGravenese's directorial
debut. Another tale of mid-life loneliness and self-acceptance, or, in the words
of the scripter himself, ‘people who are trying to find their place in the
world,’ this script pulled inspiration from two plays by Anton Chekhov. The
film marked an enormous critical success -- and hailed by one critic as ‘a
romantic comedy for grown-ups.’ That effort's 1998 release marked only one
endeavor amid a very productive year for La Gravenese, as two other films he
had adapted for the screen, Toni Morrison's Beloved, directed by Jonathan
Demme, and Nicholas Evans' The Horse Whisperer, directed by Robert Redford,
were released around the same time. In 2000, LaGravenese added another plume to
his increasingly crowded cap, this time as the uncredited script reviser for
Steven Soderbergh's wildly popular Erin Brockovich, written by Susannah Grant”
(Marx, 2010).
Curriculum ties: N/A
Booktalking ideas:
1.
What would you do if you thought you only had a
handful of days before going dark?
2.
How would you deal with the bullying at school
Lena puts up with?
Critical evaluation:
The movie deviates greatly from the book’s original storyline.
There is no room for a sequel at the end of the movie whereas the book does
indeed have several following it. Despite the differences, the movie was
greatly enjoyable. All of the actors have southern accents and the
cinematography is beautiful despite the shameless attempts to show off
Georgia’s beauty. The actors also portrayed the characters from the book well
and the casting for their roles was true to the characters too. Although the
special effects were minimal, they remained tasteful and believable.
Lena’s plight is captured better than in the book as the
number of days left until her claiming is a tattoo upon her hand rather than
aimless scrawling. However, the scenes with Lena’s mother took away from the
story and broke up the pacing of the movie. The amount of time spent in the
library was also disappointing as many viewers would have liked to see more
romance between Ethan and Lena rather than both of them moping around. In all,
an enjoyable movie but be prepared to wait through some of the slower scenes.
Challenge issues:
·
Witchcraft
Defensive Maneuvers:
·
Have the library’s collection development policy
memorized and on hand in case a situation arises.
·
Keep positive reviews on hand to refer to or
hand out when needed.
·
If the book has won any awards, mention them to
the patron and briefly explain the award.
·
Listen to the patron and practice good customer
service skills when communicating. Let the customer know where or if he/she can
escalate his/her complaint.
·
When necessary, cite sections of the ALA’s Library
Bill of Rights or refer to the ALA's
Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.
Why included:
The movie Beautiful
Creatures does deviate heavily from the book version but fans of the book
still may enjoy seeing their characters come to life. I included this in the
collection because the book series has a good following and the movie may
appeal to others because of its fantasy elements.
Reference:
Marx, R. F. (2010). Richard
LaGravenese: Full biography. Retrieved August 22, 2014 from
http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/98397/Richard-LaGravenese/biography
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