"Uglies," "The Hunger Games," and "Flowers in the Attic": Three Books that Require Immediate Film Adaptations

Movies based on books have always been popular. From Gone with the Wind to The Lovely Bones, the adaptations have run from breathtaking to utterly forgettable. These are some of my picks for books that should be adapted into films -with hopefully good results.

Uglies

This is the first in a trilogy of books by Scott Westerfeld. The books tell the story of a futuristic world where, on your sixteenth birthday, you're given an operation in order to be turned pretty. From there, life is an endless array of parties in a high-tech paradise. Tally Youngblood is ecstatic for her operation until her new friend Shay reveals that she's foregoing the operation and running away to join a rumored group of outcasts outside the city limits. When Shay runs away, Tally is told that she can't have her operation until she finds her friend and brings her back. When she does, she's faced with a host of new decisions: turn Shay in or remain with the others and learn the truth about the operation, her world, and just what it means to be pretty.

Saoirse Ronan would make a fierce Tally, while Kat Dennings would be equally enjoyable as the rebellious Shay. For David, the earnest young man the girls befriend, Anton Yelchin. Sigourney Weaver would be a wonderful addition as the evil Dr. Cable, the person who assigns Tally her task. Ridley Scott would be a great choice for director, not just because he's such an excellent director of science fiction films, but it would be a much needed opportunity to reunite him with Sigourney Weaver.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is part of yet another sci-fi trilogy, this time written by Suzanne Collins. The book tells the story of a North America so decimated by war that it has been divided into twelve different districts and renamed Panem. Each district is poorer than the next and all are controlled by the ruthless Capitol who every year punishes the citizens by forcing them to hold a lottery in which one boy and one girl are chosen for the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are basically a reality show from hell where the twenty four teens are placed in a huge dome and forced to fight to the death to the delight of the delusional citizens of the Capitol and the horror of their friends and families back home. The winner receives a decent home and food for their family from life. Katniss Everdeen is that rare person who takes the place of another person -in this case, her younger sister. She and local boy Peeta Mellark are sent to the Capitol with no other guidance than the drunken Haymitch -their district's only former winner. When Peeta reveals his love for Katniss on television before the big event, she's left to wonder if it's for real or some sort of sympathy ploy. When they enter the arena, it's every person for themselves -or is it?

Carey Mulligan would be a good choice for Katniss -someone that audiences would find believable as a hunter. Michael Cera could finally stop playing the same character in every film and defy type to play the sensitive yet strong Peeta. As the drunken seemingly useless Haymitch, Johnny Depp would be a surprising and hilarious addition to the cast. James Cameron would be the perfect director for the film. He's great with action (which the book has a great deal of) and with Avatar he's proven that he's capable of creating the many creatures that inhabit Panem that do not yet inhabit ours.

Flowers in the Attic

Okay, I'm cheating a bit here because this was already made into a film. However, what I (and the many other fans of the V.C. Andrews novel) would like is a faithful adaptation. Flowers in the Attic is the story of the four Dollanganger children who lead a charmed life until their father is killed in a car accident. Their mother, destitute, is forced to take them to live with her wealthy estranged parents while she attempts to work her way into their good graces -and wills. But the mother has an awful secret knowing that the children will never be accepted by their grandfather, she and the grandmother keep them locked away in an upstairs room where they have access to the attic. What was supposed to be a temporary arrangement turns into weeks, months, and finally years as the mother's visits become more sporadic and the grandmother's more sadistic. The children only have each other to turn to for comfort and for Chris and Cathy, the two oldest, sibling comfort turns to something more extreme.

Without giving away too much information, the book is extremely controversial and needs a good director like Gus Van Sant who doesn't shy away from controversy and won't deliver a watered down sanitized version. While the two younger children, Cory and Carrie could be played by newcomers, Emile Hirsch and Mia Wasikowska are two actors would can play a lot younger than they are and, thus, make the age transition believable. As the vain and beautiful mother Corrine, Michelle Pfeiffer would be a great addition. As the evil grandmother, there is no better reason for this film to be made than to cast the always impeccable Kathy Bates.