iZombie was originally a comic book series that ran for 3 years in 2010 by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred (I reviewed it here.) The comic followed Gwen, a women who had been turned into a zombie but found as long as she regularly ate brains she could function as normal. The only downside was that she would get the memories of the brain she ate. Oh and also she was friends with a ghost (from the 60s) and a nerd who turned into a were-terrier on full moons!
iZombie got loosely adapted into a TV show (which is just about to debut it's third season) based on a Gwen like character called Liv who uses her new "power" of seeing dead people's memories to help solve murders in the morgue where she works. Like in the comics there is a lot of humour and buffy-isms. The show is so much fun and I highly recommend binge watching the first two series on Netflix now! Also if you've read the comics there are a lot of fun Easter eggs throughout- and Mike Allred has drawn the opening credits and cut screens.
There's no way I could do a post like this without mentioning Ghost World- both my favourite graphic novel and film. The 90s comic by the legendary Daniel Clowes follows two friends Enid and Rebecca as they leave school and try and navigate into adult life as they find themselves slowly drifting apart. The book is a beautiful look at being a teenager, growing up and feeling lost and being an outsider.
Ghost World got adapted into a film in 2001 and starred Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson perfectly in the lead roles. Clowes co wrote the screenplay and it has a real feel of the original comic. The film differs to the book in that it tells a more cohesive story and a minor character Seymour gets brought to life and explored brilliantly by Steve Buscemi. Literally everything about this film is perfect right down to the fashion, dialogue and music.
The Girl With All the Gifts
Originally a novel by M.R. Carey The Girl With All the Gifts is an intriguing take on the zombie/ post apocalyptic genre by looking at the story from another point of view. I read this a couple of years ago and loved it (review here).
The book was adapted to film last year and I was originally put off by the casting of a young white woman in the role of a main character who in the book was older and black. That aside I was begrudged to admit the film was really enjoyable and although it kind of rushed over some of the interesting questions the book threw up this was a decent film and Glenn Close in paricular was great as Caldwell.
Apple Tree Yard
Another novel I read a few years ago (review here) the book is a brilliant twisty, well written psychological thriller about an older women who starts a passionate affair with a mysterious stranger. It was adapted to TV for the BBC last year and shown in three episodes. The show perfectly captured the tense story and is a must watch if you like dark, well made dramas.
This book doesn't really need much introduction- it's become one of the biggest thrillers from recent years, and deservedly so. It was inevitable that it would get adapted to film and David Fincher did a brilliant job of bringing the dark and twisted story to life. Although I still prefer the book, and recommend reading it first (there were some interesting monologues that the film kind of glossed over) this had to be in the list. Mention also to the unnerving score by Trent Reznor.
Unlike all the other titles mentioned in this list I actually watched the film before reading the book it was based on. Notes On a Scandal is told from the point of view of a lonely teacher played by Judi Dench who becomes friends with a new colleague played by Cate Blanchette. Things soon turn sour when she finds her new friend is having an affair with a student and her own dark personality comes out. The film is brilliant- a really dark and twisted drama about a woman who has become bitter from years of loneliness and Dench is amazing. Unfortunately when I read the book it didn't live up to the dark atmosphere of the film.
If you read my review of Room by Emma Donoghue you'll know I didn't actually enjoy the book (here) but I decided to give the film adaption a watch after it won so many awards- I was curious. The film ended up surprising me by being far more enjoyable that the book and Brie Larson's performance was brilliant as a woman who had been abducted as a teen and locked in a room for years. Definitely worth checking out.
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