Hey look he’s also Canadian!

As a Canadian I figured why not mention some books written by Canadian authors that I’ve enjoyed reading.  Let me first lay it out that we, Canadians, have a complex.  This complex can be identified as ‘hey-look-he’s-also-Canadian’.  Being in a country that is second in land mass (after Russia) but with a population slightly over 30 million, we can’t help be proud of our fellow comrades…um…er…citizens.

I’m not going to mention books by Canadian greats, such as Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Mordecai Richler, or even Michael Ondaatje. Even though their books are exceptional they need no praising by me.

I’m going to mention the relative unknowns or those whose books have surprised and entertained me.

Brad Smith - One Eyed Jacks - I can’t remember how I stumbled upon this book; maybe it was the names of the characters. With names like Tommy, T-Bone, Fat Ollie, how can you go wrong? Plus, it was set in Toronto in the 1950’s.  It had the noir style of the tough guy novels I’d enjoyed reading when I was a kid, but with a slight Canadian flavour.  

Brad Smith’s other two novels are also enjoyable reads: All Hat and Busted Flush.  If I had to describe his novels it would be ‘heavies with heart’ or ‘likeable tough guys.’

I met Brad Smith at one of his readings and he does look like the author who writes these types of books.  He wore a tight T-shirt, which revealed his big muscles, his head was completely shaved and he had a French beard (hey, he could be a character in RACE!).  He looked more like a bouncer than a writer.  He was pleasant and he did sign my copy of One Eyed Jacks. 

Yann Martel - Life of Pi - The only reason I read this book was because it had won the Man Booker Prize and guess what, Hey-look-he’s-also-Canadian!  I started reading this with much hesitation, hoping I wouldn’t like it and would go on to something else.  But, there was something about it. It was the voice of the main character Pi Patel. There was so much innocence in it, like an eager-eyed kid who wants to learn and know everything about the world.  

Pi goes through a tough ordeal. He is stranded in the ocean on a boat with an orangutan, zebra, hyena, and a tiger.  If that doesn’t get you excited about reading it then nothing will.

Rob Payne – Working Class Zero – Hilarious and downright funny is how I’d describe this book.  I read it prior to being exposed to the TV series The Office, so it was new and refreshing. The protagonist lands a job as a team leader at a call centre full of temps.  There are all sort of weird and wacky characters.  Those who have worked in a call centre or in an office environment will totally relate to it.

I also read How to be a Hero on Earth 5 and I wish I had written it.  It reminded me of my trip to England (the real England and not the Earth 5 England in the book). It was so interesting to hear the British accent and see the places I had visited. The novel is more geared toward the YA reader but I think even adults will find it just as fun and entertaining.

And if you are interested in reading more books by Canadians then might I recommend some books by…me!

Book-to-Film

Along with being a writer I’m also a huge movie fan. Most of my blogs in one way or another have some connection to movies. So I figured why not write about book-to-film adaptations.

Now, there are hundreds, heck, thousands of books that have been turned into films. In most cases the books were better than the movies. I have always wondered why that is. Books have the capacity to evoke emotion, make us feel like we are right in the action, and even scare the daylights out of us. So they would easily translate into movies, right? Wrong.

There are many factors at play. When an author writes a book it is solely his/her vision. They are, in essence, the actors, the directors, the scriptwriters; they are everything they need to be to tell a story. What they are not are producers, this title will be placed on the publishers. On the other hand, in a movie there are actual actors, a director, one or several scriptwriters, and producers. What happens is that when a book is adapted an author’s story is then passed through several people: the scriptwriters, the actors, the director, and even the producers. That one person’s vision gets filtered through that many people and becomes something else entirely.

There are also other reasons why a great novel turns into a terrible movie: the scriptwriters may not understand the novel, the actors may not be suited for the parts, the director may be inept, and the producers may only be concerned with the budget. This process can be very frustrating for the authors. For this reason authors rarely are hired to write the screenplay of their works.

Writing a book is like giving birth, it’s a long and painful process, but in the end the results are often beautiful. So to go back and change your ‘baby’ is something that most cannot do. It is better to write your book and then let someone else make their movie.

There is a great quote from Ernest Hemingway about Hollywood: "Let me tell you about writing for films. You finish your book. Now, you know where the California state line is? Well, you drive right up to that line, take your manuscript and pitch it across. No, on second thought, don't pitch it across. First. Let them toss the money over. Then you throw it over, pick up the money, and get the hell out of there."

There are many books I’ve enjoyed reading but loathed the movie versions. My favourite author, Michael Crichton, his books never turned into good or great movies. While the movies based on his books were successful (see Jurassic Park) they never came close to what the books were. Whenever I read a Crichton book I always felt like I was watching a movie in my head, but unfortunately, what was written on the page never converted well onto the screen (see Congo, Timeline, Rising Sun).

Below are five titles (in no particular order) that I have enjoyed both the novels and their respective movies.

DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?/BLADE RUNNER

Deckard, a blade runner, has to track down andterminate 4 replicants who hijacked a ship in space andhave returned to earth seeking their maker. (courtesy of IMDB)

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. (courtesy of IMDB)

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

In 1984, the USSR's best submarine captain in their newest sub violates orders and heads for the USA. Is he trying to defect, or to start a war? (courtesy of IMDB)

THE GODFATHER

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son. (courtesy of IMDB)

FIGHT CLUB

An office employee and a soap salesman build a global organization to help vent male aggression. (courtesy of IMDB)

LOTR & the Troll

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a fan of fantasy books. I just don’t understand them. I do have great respect and admiration for those who write them, though. It takes great skills and imagination to create entire planets and characters that are not from our world.

But like millions I do know about the Lord of the Rings books by J. R. R. Tolkien.

But let me go back a bit. The year was 2001 and it was the year the LOTR – Fellowship of the Ring movie was going to be released in theatres.

For the release of FOTR there was going to be an exhibit of the costumes and props from the movie at Casa Loma (a castle-like-house built in the early 19^th century) in Toronto.

It was also the year I turned 23 (not a big milestone, I’ll admit) and it was on my birthday that my brother decided to take me to the exhibit.

My brother, his friend, and I took the subway on a Sunday morning to Casa Loma. We were all excited. My brother and his friend were more so than I was. They were both huge LOTR fans while I, being a history enthusiast, was happy just to see the castle.

We slowly made our way through the castle. The props, sets, costumes, etc from the movie were scattered throughout the building. We saw Bilbo Baggin’s home, the ring, the hobbit costumes, Gandalf’s hat, Legolas’s bow, and many more items that to name them would take too much space.

As we moved along I wanted to stop and admire the structure and history of Casa Loma but my brother advised me that we would do that after we had seen the LOTR exhibits. This way we would have the rest of the day to do so.

The final exhibit was at the far end of the building, dubbed the stables, where, well, the horses used to be kept.

We moved through a narrow tunnel and made it to the end. From there two short stairs zigzagged up. We went up and began admiring the various props. My brother’s friend began taking photos, which we had been doing throughout. The camera belonged to my brother’s co-worker and it was an expensive model at that time.

Halfway through we were approached by a short, heavyset, miserable looking security guard who advised us not to take photos. My brother and his friend protested that everyone else was taking photos too. Why wasn’t he stopping them? But he wouldn’t listen and told us not to.

Seeing the injustice, my brother and his friend decided to continue on. My brother and I were the lookout while my brother’s friend took the photos. We made all effort to keep an eye on the security guard but it wouldn’t be. He caught us again. My brother and his friend protested like before. But he warned us, sternly. If he caught us taking photos again he would confiscate our camera.

I said to my brother that we had seen the exhibit, and had taken enough photos so we should listen to the security guard. But my brother and his friend wanted to do no such thing. They felt the security guard was picking on them because they looked like students. They felt ‘the troll’ was out to get them. They forged ahead.

I wanted no part of it. Remember, it was my birthday and I didn’t want any trouble. My brother told me to wait downstairs, which I did.

Half an hour went by and no sign of either my brother or his friend. I went back up the two sets of stairs and found them. They had taken all the photos and still had the camera! Now we could go and see Casa Loma, I thought. But no. My brother and his friend had other plans.

I begged them not to but they wouldn’t budge.

Again I went downstairs and waited for them. I found a chair and sat facing the stairs.

Not five minutes had gone by when, from the second floor, my brother’s friend leaped over the railings and bounced to the first set of stairs. He quickly disappeared down the narrow tunnel.

I jumped up, startled. My brother came rushing down the stairs and said, “Run!”

We bolted through the tunnel, pushing and shoving passed visitors.

We exited the entrance of Casa Loma, not before hearing another security guard’s radio crackle.

When we were a good distance away I finally asked what had happened.

After taking all the photos, my brother and his friend decided to take a photo of ‘the troll’. They watched and followed him until he went and sat down on a chair in the corner. That’s when my brother’s friend jumped in front him, aimed the camera and snapped his photo.

Naturally, the security guard went after them.

Outside, my brother and his friend celebrated. They climbed the walls of Casa Loma and posed while I took their photo. They had defeated the evil troll and were victorious.

I, on the other hand, did not celebrate. I never got the chance to see the castle like I had wanted to.

I still have the photos from that day when I turned 23; of the shields, swords, axes, etc from the movie. I also have the photo taken by my brother’s friend, before he leaped from the second floor balcony.

The photo only shows the feet of the security guard.

Apparently, when my brother’s friend jumped in front of the security guard and pressed the button the camera did not work. By the time the camera flashed the security guard was up already.

Yes, I may not have seen Casa Loma entirely but I have seen the boots of ‘the troll’ of Casa Loma.