Written by Mackenzie Manley, Content Specialist, Downtown Main Library
If you believe in the power of buttery popcorn and a crisp soda at the cinema, this blog is for you. From blockbusters to indie darlings to beloved franchises, we’ve matched books to recent box office releases.
While you’re waiting for new-release DVDs to hit our shelves, check out these read-a-likes from our collection.
Superman
James Gunn’s take on the iconic Superman feels ripped straight from a comic page. Colorful, earnest, goofy, and optimistic, this Superman posits that human kindness is, indeed, punk rock. Union Terminal, home of the Cincinnati Museum Center, also makes an appearance as the Hall of Justice. And local band Foxy Shazam appears in the soundtrack via “The Might Crabjoys Theme.” (Psst… You can go to CMC with the Library’s Discovery Pass!)
If you’re looking for the film’s counterpart, try All Star Superman by Grant Morrison, which Gunn has cited as inspiration for shaping his superhero flick. And if the movie made you think about punk rock, try another graphic novel: The High Desert by James Spooner, a coming-of-age memoir that explores one young man's reckoning with identity, racism and search for community through punk subculture.
The Phoenician Scheme
Wes Anderson’s latest, The Phoenician Scheme, has all the hallmarks of the director’s work: a distinct color palette, in-your-face symmetry, quirky characters, a script peppered in dry witticisms, twee stylings, and retro-inspired sets.
Our recommendation is meta, just like Wes Anderson’s work: Flip though titles inspired by his filmography, including The Films of Wes Anderson: Critical Essays on an Indiewood Icon and Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally Koval.
Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic Park’s original screenwriter returned to the franchise to pen its latest movie: Jurassic World Rebirth. This installment also delivered Dolores, the cutest animatronic baby dino.
If you’re a fan of Jurassic Park and its successors, there’s a solid chance you’ve read Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name. If you love larger-than-life creature features, reach for manga series Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto. Inspired by classic manga series Ultraman, this is perfect read for science fiction fans!
The Materialists
The Materialists, director Celine Song’s follow up to her Oscar-nominated debut Past Lives, also centers on a love triangle. In the words of ABBA, this time around it’s all about money, money, money. Thirty-something Dakota Johnson stars as New York City matchmaker torn between her scrappy, aspiring actor ex-boyfriend (Chris Evans) and a bachelor (Pedro Pascal) who checks off all the boxes: incredibly wealthy and tall with no obvious personality flaws.
There’s been a lot of online discourse about this movie (including who ends up coupled), but if you’re into noodling the trappings of marriage, check out a Cincinnati-set retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. And if you were sat in the theater for Pedro Pascal, check out some of his favorites: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez and The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Friendship
Tim Robinson’s (of I Think You Should Leave fame) dark comedy Friendship is equal parts cringe-inducing, outrageous, and even sinister. It’s a wild ride, and if you enjoyed the trainwreck, you might want to check out Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier, another tale of obsessive, one-sided friendship that reached unhinged heights.
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