Happy almost Friday everyone! I’m a bit late to the TMP party but I love this week’s topic that I still want to participate. The Thursday Movie Picks blogathon was spearheaded by Wandering Through the Shelves Blog.

The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you’re up to it one of each. This Thursday’s theme is… TELEVISION EDITION: BOOK TO TV ADAPTATIONS.

It’s been a month or so since I participated in TMP, but when I saw this week’s topic I decided to do a post since I’ve actually been reading books about the MEDICI family, as I’ve just finished season 2 and 3 of Medici The Magnificent on Netflix.

I’m not including it here as I don’t think the show is based on a certain books/novels, most of it is based/inspired by historical events. I LOVE the last two season and will be sure to blog about them at some point.

In any case, here are three of my fave books-to-tv adaptations in the past few years:

WESTWORLD

Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, explore a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.

This HBO science-fiction series is based on a novel by Michael Crichton. Per IMDb Trivia, apparently Warner Brothers had been trying to remake the 1973 Westworld movie since the 90s, Crichton even wen to J.J. Abrams who later in 2013 pitched the idea of a TV series to creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Well, I think the show runners did a terrific job and making it a series certainly is a wise move given how complex the story is and the number of opportunities to explore the world-within-world and various characters, from the robots (er, hosts) to humans.

A Discovery Of Witches

Diana Bishop, historian and witch, accesses Ashmole 782 and knows she must solve its mysteries. She is offered help by the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, but he’s a vampire and witches should never trust vampires.

This series is based on All Souls Trilogy, a three-book series written by Deborah Harkness. I was immediately hooked because of the lead cast Matthew Goode and Theresa Palmer. I know the forbidden romance storyline’s been done to death (no pun intended), but the setting in England and Venice are pure escapism stuff. The series’ pacing can be much improved and some parts can be quite cheesy. The two leads were still able to keep me engaged however, and having Lindsay Duncan as mother vampire (Goode’s mother) is inspired casting! I do enjoy vampire movies/shows so long as they’re not too gory. I’m glad there’s season 2 that’s reportedly going to be set in Elizabethan times!

KILLING EVE

Eve is a bored, whip-smart security services operative whose desk-bound job doesn’t fulfill her fantasies of being a spy. Villanelle is a talented killer, who clings to the luxuries her violent job affords her. These two fierce women, equally obsessed with each other, will go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse, toppling the typical spy-action thriller.

The BBC America/AMC show was adapted from Luke Jennings’ Codename Villanelle novellas. I got to this series a bit late, but hey better late than never! I love the London setting, perfect for any spy thrillers, and the two lead actresses are amazing! Sandra Oh is such inspired casting and she immediately hooked me. The chemistry between Eve and Jodie Comer as Villanelle is truly what makes the show works so well. I also love Fiona Shaw as Eve’s mysterious boss. It’s definitely the best cat-and-mouse thriller out there, with a healthy dose of humor thanks to show-creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s witty writing!

What do you think of my picks? Have you seen any of them?

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