3 Movies Based on Books to Watch in May #book2movies

I wouldn’t mind having Dinner with Richard Gere. Unfortunately I’ll be in London when the movie makes it debut on May 5. Ok, the truth is, I’m so excited about going to Europe, I’m glad to put The Dinner on hold until we get back.

The Dinner is the first of three films based on books opening this month.

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May 5: The Dinner

The Wall Street Journal called The Dinner by Herman Koch "a European Gone Girl". Two couples meet over dinner, behind the polite surface chatter is the fact that the couples both have 15 year old sons who have committed a horrendous crime. Over the course of the evening the dinner devolves illuminating just how far parents will go to protect their own children. The film stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall, Chloë Sevigny, and Charlie Plummer. 

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May 12: Arthur: The Legend of the Sword

The Sword in the Stone, retold, again. We love Arthur and Merlin and all that magic, don't we? Guy Ritchie is behind this iteration of the legendary tale Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. Charlie Hunnam stars as Arthur, the cast includes Jude Law, Eric Bana and Annabelle Wallis.

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May 19: Everything, Everything  

Based on Nicola Yoon’s bestselling book about a young girl allergic to ... yep ... everything, everything, the movie stars Amandla Stenberg who you may remember as Rue from The Hunger Games. While Maddy has lived a sheltered life, confined to her home, her world changes when a cute boy moves in next door. Awwww. Nick Robinson plays cute boy Olly Bright, the boy next door. Here they are in a shot the author shared from the movie. Directed by Stella Meghie. 

What will you be watching while I’m gone? Keep me posted!

On a personal note, we leave for Europe the same day the US State Department has issued a travel alert for Americans traveling to Europe. 

‘‘Extremists continue to focus on tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities as viable targets.  In addition, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, high-profile events, educational institutions, airports, and other soft targets remain priority locations for possible attacks.  U.S. citizens should exercise additional vigilance in these and similar locations, in particular during the upcoming summer travel season when large crowds may be common.

Terrorists persist in employing a variety of tactics, including firearms, explosives, using vehicles as ramming devices, and sharp-edged weapons that are difficult to detect prior to an attack.

If you are traveling between countries in Europe, please check the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate in your destination city for any recent security messages.  Review security information from local officials, who are responsible for the safety and security of all visitors to their host country. 

I want my friends and family and all you lovely readers out there to know that while we will be careful, and vigilant, we are unconcerned. Living in a large city like Los Angeles, we take our lives in our hands every day; we could just as easily die in a freeway accident, we could just as easily be a target of a random shooter. That’s the reality.

I’ve been dreaming of going to Europe again since the last time I was there in the mid-80’s. I turn the dreaded 64 this year, dammit! There is nothing that can take the pleasure of this trip away from me. That being said, I’ll be posting irregularly here and on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook. IF there is an incident, I’ll let you know we are safe and sound on one or all of those platforms. Thanks for thinking of me, now forget it and have a great day. 

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