Lit To Lens

The guys discuss the classic film noir adaptation, THE BIG SLEEP, based on the 1939 pulp detective novel by Raymond Chandler. … The Big Sleep is the first novel in Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe series. The novel follows private investigator Marlowe as he’s hired by the old but wealthy General Sternwood to stop a blackmailer involved with his daughter, Carmen. Marlowe soon uncovers a web of blackmail, murder, and crime, involving both Sternwood's daughters, Carmen and Vivian. As Marlowe delves deeper into a case that various people don’t seem to want him to solve, he encounters various criminals and faces dangerous situations, ultimately uncovering secrets that he chooses not to reveal to the General to preserve his peace of mind. The corrosion of wealth, the connectedness of family, and the follies of women feature prominently.  … The film adaptation was directed by Howard Hawks and written by Leigh Brackett, Jules Furthman, and William Faulkner. The film stars Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The f

The guys discuss the film adaptation, MICKEY 17, based on the 2022 science fiction novel by Edward Ashton. … Mickey 7 tells the story of Mickey Barnes, an expendable, that is a body that can be reprinted again and again, who is part of an expedition to colonize and terraform the ice planet Niflheim. The planet is inhabited by cockroach, rolly polly, armadillo like creatures called Creepers, who stand in the way of the colony’s efforts to gain a foothold. On one of his missions into the planet, Mickey 7 falls into a cavern and is left for dead, causing the colony to print a Mickey 8. When Mickey 7 doesn’t die and returns to the colony, the two bodies plot how to keep this multiple pairing unknown while also learning more about the creepers and the colony’s intentions. Themes include: the perils of colonization, and identity.  … The film adaptation was written and directed by Bong Joon-ho (Parasite, The Host, Snowpiercer, Memories of Murder, Okja) and stars Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni

The guys discuss the film adaptation, NICKEL BOYS, based on the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead. … Nickel Boys tells the story of Elwood Curtis, a black teenager growing up outside Tallahassee, Florida in the 1960s. One day, as he attempts to hitchhike his way to a historically black technical school to take courses for college credit, he unknowingly catches a ride with a wanted thief. When they’re pulled over shortly thereafter, Elwood is found to be an accomplice to the crime and sentenced to spend the rest of his teenage years at the Nickel Academy, a reform school for boys based on a real school called the Dozier School (which itself only shut down in 2011). Of course, this school is more than meets the eye. And though he meets a friend, Turner, he faces all forms of abuse, humiliation and racism until it all comes to a head. Themes include: finding hope in the hopeless, reclaiming identity, and affecting change in an unchanging society. … The film adaptation was directed by RaM

The guys discuss the film adaptation, CONCLAVE, based on the 2016 novel by Richard Harris. … The Pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth. … The film adaptation was directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front), written by Peter Straughan, and stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Gucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini. The film has been nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Berger), Best Actor (Fiennes), Best Supporting Actor (Rossellini), Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and most importantly (for our purposes) Best Adapted Screenplay (Straughan). … Topics of discussion include the minor differences in the fi

In an adapted recap of 2024, the guys discuss their favorites from the past year of cinema, literature, and (self-indulgently) themselves. … Top 3 films we saw this past year (that were also released in 2024) Top 3 books we read this past year (can be released before 2024) And our favorite Lit to Lens episode from this past year … Happy New Year! We are looking forward to a big 2025, and we hope you are too! … Our next episode will be on the adaptation of the Richard Harris novel, CONCLAVE, which is the story of when after the pope dies of a heart attack, the College of Cardinals gathers in seclusion for a papal conclave to choose the new pope. It has been adapted for the screen by Edward Berger and stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and Jon Lithgow. … If you would like to get in contact with us about anything regarding the show, feel free to shoot us an e-mail: littolens@gmail.com … Or reach out on social media: twitter.com/littolens instagram.com/littolens

The guys discuss the film adaptation, SING SING, based on an article published in October 2005 by John H. Richardson. … The Sing Sing Follies (A maximum security comedy) is a magazine piece that tells the story of a group of inmates in Sing Sing prison who, through the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, are working to put on a play, called Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code. The play is about six convicts who each write separate plays and then splice them together and includes pirates, gladiators, cowboys, a spy in a tuxedo and even Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Within the article, we get to know a little bit about a number of inmates, the RTA program and the creative process. … The film adaptation was directed by Greg Kwedar, written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, and stars Oscar-nominee Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San José and Paul Raci. … Topics of discussion include the differences in adapting an 8-page magazine article from a novel, the creation of new characters, Divine Eye’s backstory, wher

The guys discuss one of the film adaptation of THE OUTSIDERS, which is based on the 1967 novel written by S.E. Hinton. … THE OUTSIDERS tells the coming-of-age story of Ponyboy Curtis, a greaser living in Oklahoma in the 1960s. After his parents die in an automobile accident, Pony and his two brothers work to survive in a town divided on class lines. Gang and class conflict, friendship, cigarette smoking and paperback versions of Gone with the Wind feature prominently. … The film adaptation was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Kathleen Rowell, and stars a future all-star cast in C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, and Leif Garrett. … Topics of discussion include the two film versions of the adaptation, the holes in the story, why the book is so popularly taught in English classes across America, and whether or not Francis Ford Coppola fell off after Apocalypse Now, … (0:00) From the book… (1:08) Fast facts, recap,

The guys discuss one of the all-time classic film adaptations, THE GODFATHER, which is based on the 1969 best-selling novel written by Mario Puzo. … THE GODFATHER tells the story of the Corelone family, one of the largest and most powerful crime families operating in the New York City area circa 1946. When Don Vito Corelone refuses an offer to participate in the narcotics trade by a rival family, the decision sets off a mafia war and ultimately a succession crisis for the Corelone family. Themes of legacy, violence, and how to make it in America feature prominently.  … The film adaptation was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, and Diane Keaton. … Topics of discussion include the popularity of the novel, the importance of omertà, how the adaptation stacks up to the source material, and whether or not the film is actually overrated. … (0:00) From the book… (1:22) Fast facts, recap, trivia… (22:

The guys discuss the new film from Francis Ford Coppola, APOCALYPSE NOW, which is NOT directly based on any source material such as a novel or play. But, the release of MEGALOPOLIS fits nicely within our season on Francis Ford Coppola, and this may be the last opportunity to witness an opening release for the acclaimed director. … MEGALOPOLIS tells the story of a conflict between Cesar, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. … The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who has directed THE GODFATHER trilogy, THE CONVERSATION, THE OUTSIDERS, and THE RAINMAKER, among many others. The script was written by Francis Ford Coppola, while the film stars Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Robert Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voigt, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter and Dustin Hoffman. … Topics of discussion

The guys discuss one of the all-time classic film adaptations, APOCALYPSE NOW, which is based on the century-old (also) classic British novella, HEART OF DARKNESS. … HEART OF DARKNESS tells a story within a story, following Charlie Marlow, who recounts his adventure to a group of men onboard an anchored ship. Although his job was to transport ivory downriver, Charlie develops an interest in investing an ivory procurement agent, Kurtz, who is employed by the government. Preceded by his reputation as a brilliant emissary of progress, Kurtz has now established himself as a god among the natives in “one of the darkest places on earth.” Marlow suspects something else of Kurtz: he has gone mad. ... APOCALYPSE NOW tells the story of Captain Benjamin Willard, a troubled soldier sent on a dangerous mission at the height of the Vietnam War, ordered to terminate the mysterious Green Beret Colonel Walter Kurtz. It is suspected that Kurtz has gone deep into the Vietnamese jungle, recruited his own personal army, and ta

The guys discuss the new MAX series THE SYMPATHIZER, directed by Park Chan-wook based on the Pulitzer Prize winning debut novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen. … THE SYMPATHIZER tells the story of The Captain, a North Vietnamese mole working undercover for the South Vietnamese army. The story traces his escape from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon, his acclimation to Los Angeles and working in Hollywood, to his grappling with the competing ideologies of his friends and foes, and the moral lines he must cross to save his life and those of the ones he loves. … The series adaptation was directed by Park Chan-wook, who has directed acclaimed films such as OLDBOY and DECISION TO LEAVE. The series, streaming on MAX (formerly HBO) stars How Xuande, Robert Downey, Jr., Toan Le, Fred Nguyen Khan, Day Nguyen, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Phanxinê, Kieu Chinh, Alan Trong, Sandra Oh, with special appearances by John Cho and David Duchovny. … Topics of discussion include how the book felt like homework, the minor changes made to the sh

The guys discuss the film THE ZONE OF INTEREST, the Jonathan Glazer adaptation from the Martin Amis novel of the same name. THE ZONE OF INTEREST, the fourteenth novel from British writer Martin Amis, is set among a group of German commanders at an unnamed concentration camp, taken to be Auschwitz. The story traces the fall of the Third Reich from three interweaving perspectives: Angelus Thomsen, an officer at the camp; Paul Doll, his commandant; and Szmul Zacharias, a Jewish death camp prisoner. The stories and characters intersect due to the nature of their work and Thomsen’s attempts to attract Paul’s wife, Hannah. Themes of the power of memory, survivors guilt, navigating right and wrong, and society building feature prominently. The novel was shortlisted for the Walker Scott Prize in 2015. … The film adaptation was written and directed by Jonathan Glazer and stars Christian Friedl and Sandra Hüller. It made its premier on May 19, 2023 at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the Grand Prix and the FIPR

The guys discuss the film AMERICAN FICTION, the Cord Jefferson adaptation from the Percival Everett novel ERASURE. AMERICAN FICTION, follows Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a frustrated novelist of general fiction, who decides to write a “Black” book full of tired and offensive tropes to profit off the publishing industry’s possibly misguided demand for those stories. He uses a pen name to write an outlandish Black book of his own, which rockets up the bestseller list and into the madness of the book publishing world. At the same time, there is also a gripping family drama threatening to overwhelm the Ellison household. … The film adaptation stars Jeffrey Wright, Trace Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Adam Brody, and Keith David. The film was released on December 15, 2023 and was written and directed by Cord Jefferson in his debut film. … Topics of discussion include the origin of Monk’s pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, the experimental structure of the novel with its embedded narratives, the unfo

In an adapted recap of 2023, the guys discuss their favorites from the past year of cinema, literature, and (self-indulgently) themselves. … Top 3 films we saw this past year (that were also released in 2023) Top 3 books we read this past year (can be released before 2023) And our favorite Lit to Lens episode from this past year … Happy New Year! We are looking forward to a big 2024, and we hope you are too! … Our next episode will be on the adaptation of the Percival Everett novel, ERASURE, which has been adapted for the screen as AMERICAN FICTION and directed by Cord Jefferson and stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, and Sterling K. Brown. The film is not in theaters. … If you would like to get in contact with us about anything regarding the show, feel free to shoot us an e-mail: littolens@gmail.com … Or reach out on social media: twitter.com/littolens instagram.com/littolens

The guys discuss the film adaptation of POOR THINGS, the Yorgos Lanthimos adaptation from the Alasdair Gray novel of the same name. The book follows the account of Archie McCandless, a Scottish public health officer, who falls in love with a strange woman named Bella Baxter, created by his medical friend Godwin Baxter by implanting her unborn child's brain into her lifeless body. Bella is animated by a desire to see and experience the world, and all of the book is related second hand whether through letters to Archie which are printed in his narrative, Bella’s own postscript to whoever is reading this decades later, and the author’s own notes on both narratives. … The film adaptation stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ray Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael and Margaret Qualley. The film was released on December 15, 2023 and was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, with the screenplay written by Tony McNamara. … Topics of discussion include the shift away from the book’s story within a stor

The guys discuss the film adaptation of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, the Martin Scorsese adaptation from the bestselling David Grann nonfiction novel of the same name. It tells the story of the investigation of a series of murders that took place in the early 1920s in Osage County, Oklahoma. After big oil deposits were found under their land, the Osage people were awarded headrights to the profits made from the oil deposits, but a complex plot is hatched by a number of white locals to kill the Osage inheritors and receive the headrights themselves. … The film adaptation stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro and Lily Gladstone. The film was released on October 20, 2023 and was directed by Martin Scorsese, with the screenplay written by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese. … Topics of discussion include the shift in story framing, the Tom White backstory that didn’t make it to the screen, the different types of full moons, and whether or not intermissions should be allowed in movie theaters. … Listen to the epi

The guys discuss the film adaptation of FOE, the story of Junior and Henrietta, a married couple living on a remote farm in the near future. One day, a mysterious man named Terrence arrives. Terrence works for an aerospace corporation called OuterMore and tells Junior he’s been selected to travel to the Installation, a large space station that orbits around earth, to test its livability for human life. What follows is the domestic fallout from this visit, as Henrietta and Junior both come to terms with the opportunity and the replacement Junior the corporation plans to have live with Henrietta while he’s gone. Themes of isolation, identity, and AI feature prominently. … The film adaptation stars Satires Ronan, Paul Mescal and Aaron Pierre. The film was released on October 6, 2023 and was directed by Garth Davis, with the screenplay written by Garth Davis and Iain Reid (also the author of the novel). … Topics of discussion include the importance of a plot twist, the symbology of a horned beetle, the differe

The guys discuss the film adaptation of THE LONG GOODBYE, a classic hard-boiled detective fiction novel written by Raymond Chandler, that tells the story of Philip Marlowe, a private detective living in Los Angeles, who is pulled into a mystery when both his friend Terry Lennox, and his wife, turn up dead, the latter by murder and the former by suicide. Or were they? While Marlowe investigates the deaths, he’s pulled deeper into the lives of the Lennox’s neighbors, the famous author Roger Wade and his wife, and the police. … The film adaptation stars Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, and a brief appearance from a young Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film was released in 1973 and was directed by Robert Altman, with the screenplay written by Leigh Brackett. … Topics of discussion include the modernizing of the film’s setting, the dynamic performances of Gould and Sterling, the complex plot of the book that is stripped down in the film, and the unlikely talent of striking a match. … Listen to th

The guys discuss the series adaptation of WOOL, a science fiction novel written by Hugh Howey, that tells the story of a dystopian future where generations of survivors live together in a subterranean silo. The society is stratified into blue and white collar workers and governed by strict regulations designed to protect the residents from the perceived horrors of the outside world. But when a small group of residents start to believe that all is not what it seems, they threaten to unravel the stability of the silo. … The Apple TV+ series adaptation stars Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Common, and Tim Robbins. The series was developed by Graham Yost, consists of ten episodes in Season 1 and debuted May 5, 2023 on Apple TV+. The series was renewed for a second season. … Topics of discussion include the tonal shift in the show, the expanded roles of Sims and Judicial, where the series ends in comparison to the book, and whether or not there would be accents in the silo. … Listen to the episo

The guys discuss the series adaptation of DAISY JONES & THE SIX, a novel written in an oral history format by Taylor Jenkins Reid, that tells the story of a rock n’ roll band in the 1970’s, and details their meteoric rise to the top of the charts and their chaotic fall to oblivion. The series adaptation stars Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse, Camila Morrone, Nabiyah Be and Timothy Olyphant. The series was developed by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, consists of ten episodes and debuted March 3, 2023 on Amazon Prime. Topics of discussion include the experience of reading a novel with an oral history format and if that fits this story well, the seemingly easy decision to adapt a story like this, and the major differences from the book including Simone’s expanded backstory. Listen to the episode to find out how the film stacks up to the novel. (0:22) Excerpt from the novel… (0:55) Fast facts, Recap, Games… (12:44) A word from our sponsor… (13:04) Studio pitch & novel breakdown… (34:02) Tra