Yes, I noticed that, too. It was real joy that was EARNED.
I saw it at a matinee today and one thing that was lovely was the owner of the theater came down front and center before the film started and spoke to the audience. He said that when he first heard the movie was going to come out he contacted them and was told they were having a lot of problems finding a distributor for it. He asked if he could help with the distribution in any way because he loved the book. Basically he said it wasn't easy getting this film. It was a very nice touch.
On a scale of one to five, I give this movie, production-wise, acting-wise, & script-wise, a three. On the actual story, I give it a five out of five. I haven't read the book (well, I've tried several times but only got about 100 pages in), so I'm really looking forward to the next part of the movie so I can find out what happens next.
I encourage you to push through more than the first 100 pages. It really does pick up.
Check out Publius and Billthedrill’s threads from the bookclub (post 89 of this thread). They are a good “Cliffnotes” sort of guide to the book. Pub posted each thread and Bill added his comments down thread. If you just read those two, you get an excellent guide to the book.
Auntie, please go back to the book and try again. Force yourself to get beyond 100 pages. You will get caught up in it and it will be hard to put down. I have so little time for that kind of reading, it was difficult for me to attempt it. So, I made it my “bathroom” book. It took a very long time to get through it, but you know, I didn’t forget what I had read on the last visit to the BR. LOL
“I haven’t read the book (well, I’ve tried several times but only got about 100 pages in)”
Get the book on CD or in MP3 format and try that. Especially if you are going on vacation or commute anywhere.
Libraries usually carry this in audio book format.