Update:
Saya - 4/50 books | 11/50 movies
Books:
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck - ★★★★★
Amazing book that deals with themes as loneliness, dreams and aspirations, and love and friendship. Very well written, somewhat sad and emotional, but also rewarding and a quick read. I read it in one sitting and I loved it. It's accessible and also quite funny at times.
Movies:
The Beach - Danny Boyle - ★½
I just recently finished reading the book, so I decided to check out the film adaptation. All in all, I think this was not very good. It's not faithful to the adaptation, and the changes it makes are for the worst. The theme and message from the book also didn't really carry over well and the characters are very different. As far as the film goes, it has a ton of problems too. Acting, script, and the story are weak elements. Best part of the film are the visuals, which are quite beautiful, especially if you love tropical islands and South-East Asia.
Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror - F.W. Murnau - ★★★½
As one of the first horror and vampire films ever made, the influence of F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent film cannot be overstated. It's quite a remarkable film, unofficially based on the story of Dracula. Dracula, however, is replaced by a vampire named Count Orlok, but overall the story hits about the same notes as the classic novel. Made in the era of German Expressionism it has a dark, brooding tone to it with some inspiring set building and lighting. Max Shreck is genuinely creepy as Orlok. One of the best qualities of the film is the eerie atmosphere it builds up throughout the film. Good pacing too. All in all, I'm glad I've finally seen this. At the beginning of the film, I couldn't read the text very well and though the main character's name was Butter instead of Hutter which made the film a bit more unintentionally hilarious.