I suspect I’m not alone among the readers of this site in citing Clueless as one of my all-time favourite films.

However, it still surprises me that what is – in my opinion – the quintessential 1990s movie was actually based on an early 19th Century novel. The film’s director, Amy Heckerling, read Jane Austen’s 1815 classic, Emma, in college and soon realised how similar it was to her experiences as a teenager 150 or so years later. “That thing of leaving a party and wondering who’s going in whose car is exactly the same as leaving a ball and wondering who’s going in whose carriage”, she said. “Emma fit right into the goofy [’90s] teen world I was writing about.”

Clueless is far from an anomaly in this sense. From 10 Things I Hate About You (based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew) to O Brother, Where Art Thou? (based on Homer’s Odyssey), many of the most popular films and books of the past few decades have simply been rebooted versions of classic stories.

Perhaps one of the most frequently retold of these classics is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. From Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, to Bill Murray’s Scrooged, if you want to ignite a quick and easy Twitter feud you can simply put the question out there: What is the best ever adaptation of Dickens’ famous festive book? (For me, it’s A Muppet Christmas Carol, by the way, and I won’t hear otherwise. Michael Caine’s greatest performance. Don’t @ me).

Anyway, this month I am launching myself into this long tradition of using Dickens’ iconic tale as a scaffold on which to build a story. Because my new novel – All About Us – is based loosely on A Christmas Carol.

It centres around Ben – a man in his mid-thirties – who is having a bit of a life crisis. His marriage to his college sweetheart Daphne is on the rocks, and when his old flame Alice gets back in touch, he suddenly wonders what his life might have looked like with her instead of Daphne. A Christmas Eve encounter with a mysterious watch-seller gives him the chance to revisit various Christmases Past, Present and Future. He dives into alternate timelines, and eventually has to make the biggest decision of his life all over again. This time around, though, he must decide if he has the courage to truly follow his heart.

The question is, then: why do I – and so many other writers – keep coming back to this 1843 story? What makes it so intriguing? Its structure is an obvious appeal – that perfect three-act simplicity of the Past/Present/Future idea. But I think the real answer is that A Christmas Carol – like Austen’s Emma – it is a genuinely timeless work.

The themes it explores are woven deeply into the human experience, no matter what age you live in. Regret, hope, grief, self-doubt, self-improvement – no matter who we are or where we live, we can all relate to those things. That ‘Sliding Doors’ idea of imagining how your life might look if you made one decision differently, or took a slightly different path – it all started with old Charlie D and Ebenezer Scrooge.

Another big part of A Christmas Carol‘s appeal is that it’s also – at heart – an optimistic story. It’s about the possibility of change, the possibility of making ourselves better. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and submit my entry for ‘Most Pretentious Statement of 2020’ by claiming that Dickens may have pre-empted Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis: by digging back into his past, Scrooge is able to alter his future.

Despite its quaint Victorian setting, then, it’s a distinctly modern book – and I think that’s why it’s endured so well and remained firmly in the public consciousness. I really hope that if you read All About Us you’ll find it not only funny, romantic and uplifting – but also a worthy inclusion among the many excellent reimaginings of Dickens’ book over the years.

Although, I’m NOT saying it’s better than A Muppet Christmas Carol. Let’s face it: nothing is.

The post Reimagining The Classics appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

While it seems like Netflix is consistently most popular for streaming TV series and original series, it’s actually full of film gems, many of which you may not have even noticed were there. If you didn’t know you could watch these great movies on Netflix, now you do. What are you waiting for?

Let us know in the comments below if you will be watching one of these fantastic movies!

1. While You Were Sleeping
Starring: Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman | Genre: Romantic Comedy
An adorable 90s classic starring Sandra as a woman who is in love with a stranger, saves his life, and then falls in love with his brother while he’s in a coma. It’s an underrated rom-com gem.

2. Chicago
Starring: Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones | Genre: Musical & Drama
This award-winning movie has fantastic songs, amazing costumes, and it is basically some of the purest entertainment you can find.

3. Homeward Bound
Starring: Two adorable dogs and a cat | Genre: Family & Comedy
This is the one you watched as a kid, that can still get you weeping. Three pets travel cross-country together to get back to their family.

4. The BFG
Starring: Mark Rylance and Ruby Barnhill | Genre: Family & Drama
This is based on the classic kid’s book by Roald Dahl and it makes for an adorable movie. The story is fun and the BFG is such a sweet character. Watch this one for the childhood nostalgia!

5. Midnight in Paris
Starring: Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams | Genre: Romance, Comedy & Fantasy
For the lovers of art, literature, travel, and history, this movie is beautifully made and full of gorgeous scenery and great music. Set in present time, the film tells the story of a man travelling to Paris, who finds himself transported nightly to Paris of the 20s to enjoy jazz with famous authors and artists.

6. Moonrise Kingdom
Starring: Jared Gilman and Bruce Willis | Genre: Drama & Adventure
This Wes Anderson cult classic is one of his best by far. It’s the story of two odd young people who run away together and cause a massive and misguided search in their towns.

7. Turner & Hooch
Starring: Tom Hanks and a dog, nothing better | Genre: Comedy & Crime
This classic 80s film sees a man who adopts a dog in order to solve a murder mystery.

8. Deja Vu
Starring: Denzel Washington | Genre: Action, Sci-fi & Thriller
This movie is instantly intriguing, and very well acted by Denzel, of course. It tells the story of an agent who has the chance to try to change the past, and stop an event that kills innocent people.

9. Nightcrawler
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo | Genre: Thriller, Crime & Drama
This is a fascinating movie about an independent and amateur news reporter who becomes obsessed with finding the best and most brutal crime stories first.

10. Disney Short Films Collection
Starring: Various beloved Disney characters | Genre: Family
This collection is available on Netflix and includes 12 Disney shorts, including those featuring characters from Tangled and Frozen, among many others.

11. 10 Things I Hate About You
Starring: Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles | Genre: Comedy & Romance
A classic 90s teenage angst comedy! This movie stars Heath Ledger in one of his best roles ever as a high school underachiever who tries to win over the notoriously anti-dating Katarina Stratford.

13. Lilo & Stitch
Starring: Daveigh Chase and Chris Sanders | Genre: Family
If you weren’t watching this as a kid you were missing out!

12. In Your Eyes
Starring: Michael Stahl-David and Zoe Kazan | Genre: Romance
This movie is amazing. It focuses on two people who have a connection they don’t understand which allows them to see and hear what the other person does.

14. Chocolat
Starring: Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche | Genre: Romance & Drama
Not enough people have seen this movie and you should definitely give it a go! It takes place in a small French town, where a newcomer opens a chocolate shop and falls in love.

15. Shakespeare in Love
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes | Genre: Comedy, Drama & History
This best picture winner is a comedic look at Shakespeare himself, low on money, determined to put on a good play, and in love with a lovely lady who eventually inspires his work.

* Not all films will be available in every country. This article is based on films available in the U.S as of May 2017.

The post Start A Netflix Marathon With These Movie Gems! appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

It’s Valentine’s Day! For some, it’s the time where love is in the air and it’s essential to share that love with your significant other and every social media account you have. But for others, it’s a time for copious amounts of eye-rolling and even though you may deny it, deep down there’s a bit of romantic inside you.

To restart that heart of yours, we’ve found some rom-coms that you can’t help but feel the love! Maybe it’s because they are fun with a hopeful atmosphere that everything will be better and work out in the end, or perhaps its the actors who you can’t help but to crush on…

Whether you spend V-Day with your significant other, with friends or family, here are some great rom-coms for a marathon!

Let us know in the comments below what your favourite rom-com is!

Mean Girls
The ultimate classic. Despite being very stereotypical and, with modern values, problematic, the level of pettiness and drama in this movie is hilarious and will give you a good laugh to start V-Day off the right way!

10 Things I Hate About You
It’s always fun when there’s a fake relationship and a love-hate relationship. While Kat and Patrick are not exactly hating on each other, they aren’t on friendly terms, and watching them fall in love with each other is so cute! Not to mention Kat has a no-nonsense attitude that makes it so fun to watch Patrick finding ways to get to her. Plus Heath Ledger!

The Princess Diaries
While not exactly a romance movie, it has the same feeling with watching other chick flicks as it’s lighthearted and fun. It has a more serious theme which is about finding yourself and taking responsibility, but also about not forgetting your friends and family. Mia finally learns to embrace herself and becomes confident in who she is.

27 Dresses
27 Dresses will make you feel sad but also know that it’s for the better. Whenever Jane was hurt by George, Kevin was always there, and so you know exactly who she will end up with. It also portrays the complexity of sisterly relationship perfectly!

Love, Rosie
Best friend turn lovers, with a high level of angst. Whenever they are getting closer, the universe keeps pulling them apart. You’re so hopeful while watching the movie even though it’s heartbreak 99% of the time. This movie is literally a roller coaster of emotions!

A Walk to Remember
Obviously romance isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, so to play the mood a bit, we suggest A Walk to Remember. The movie isn’t quite as good as the book, but it’s still captures all the feelings and sadness lingering throughout the whole movie. Some people will prefer The Fault in Our Stars, but I will take this movie any day.

Mamma Mia!
To finish it off, how can you not have a musical? You can’t help but sing along and get in the mood with Mamma Mia. It depicts amazing an mother-daughter relationship, amazing girl friendships, so many fun and catchy songs with the beautiful Santorini as its backdrop. What’s not to love about this movie?

The post 7 Rom-Coms To Make Your Heart Warm Again appeared first on The Nerd Daily.