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JARHEAD
Anthony Swofford (Pocket, $7.99)
While screenwriter William
Broyles Jr. embellishes details (hello, strategically placed Santa
hats!), he stays true to Swofford's 2003 Desert Storm memoir, subjecting
Jake Gyllenhaal's Marine to repeat viewings of Apocalypse Now, football
games in 112° heat while dressed in full gear, and endless, endless
waiting. Last Word Though director Sam Mendes' film is visually stunning, it can't match
the gritty (and information-packed) scope of Swofford's book. You got
that, soldier?
SHOPGIRL
Steve Martin (Hyperion, $10.95)
Saks Fifth Avenue replaces
Neiman Marcus as the employer of mousy glove saleswoman Mirabelle
(Claire Danes), but practically every other aspect of Martin's
introspective 2000 novella remains intact. Could this be because the
star adapted his own work? Last Word Attention, customers: The film, while engaging, fails to capture the
book's melancholy and achy tone. And the story doesn't need Martin's
distracting voice-over as a self-described ''omniscient narrator.''
BEE SEASON
Myla Goldberg (Anchor, $13)
Although screenwriter Naomi Foner
spells out the basic plot about a girl's unexpected success as a
spelling bee champ sending her Jewish family into a tailspin, her
narrative lacks the mystical quality of Goldberg's 2000 debut. And why
change a religious zealot's sex to accommodate Kate Bosworth? Last Word Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche are dreadfully M-I-S-C-A-S-T as Jewish
parents, and the CGI effects demonstrating the girl's thought process
prove I-N-A-N-E.
DERAILED
James Siegel (Warner, $6.99)
Save for a slightly tweaked ending
and a more multicultural cast, Collateral scripter Stuart Beattie's take
on Siegel's 2003 thriller — about two adulterous lovers (Jennifer Aniston
and Clive Owen) having a very bad, horrible, no-good day — is pretty much
taken straight off the page. He even lifts much of the melodramatic
dialogue. Last Word For a more jolting and creepy ride, climb aboard Siegel's quick-paced
and, if possible, more explicit page-turner.
