Need to watch movies that will not waste your time? Here are the twelve best novel-to-film adaptations you need to see.

A Clockwork Orange
Inspired by the book penned by Anthony Burgess, it features the delinquent Alex who leads a gang in a dystopian Britain.

Blade Runner
This film is largely based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? a novel by Philip K. Dick. Blade Runner is set in Los Angeles where the replicants, genetically engineered creatures, are nearly identical to humans. These replicants are banned and hunted by the Blade Runners.

Catch-22
Adapted from the novel by Joseph Heller, it details the struggles of Captain Yossarian and his squad while they are trapped in Pianosa and asked to complete suicide missions. Even insanity will not be enough to offer an escape from their tasks.

Devil in a Blue Dress
Based on Walter Mosley’s novel, it features Easy Rawlins, a war veteran who becomes a private investigator even if he had no training or experience. Rawlins’s first mission was to find a missing woman.

Empire of the Sun
Taken from J.G. Ballard’s novel, this adaptation chronicles the story of Jim Graham who became a prisoner of war in World War II.

Lord of the Flies
There are two films based on William Golding’s novel of the same title. The first was released in 1963 which faithfully follows the book about 30 boys trapped in an island, while the second film focuses on the child Ralph.

Nineteen Eighty-Four
Taken from the dystopian novel by George Orwell, it details the life of Winston Smith who is trying to make sense of his life in the totalitarian state of Oceania. His life changed when he met Julia and they start questioning the state.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Inspired by the book written by Ken Kesey, it tells the story of the criminal Randle McMurphy who was transferred to a mental hospital and is hoping to avoid menial labor and eventually plans an escape.

The Godfather
The first installment of the of the series of the same name by Mario Puzo is about the Corleone family who became well-known in organized crimes after the eldest son took over.

The Remains of the Day
Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, it recalls the story of the butler Stevens during post-war Britain when he received a letter from Miss Kenton.

To Kill a Mockingbird
Based on the novel of the same title by Harper Lee, it features the lawyer Atticus and his two children who are exposed to a fictional town’s idea of racism when Atticus was appointed to defend a black man accused of rape.

Watership Down
Inspired by the novel of the same title by Richard Adams, this animated film tells the story of Fiver and Hazel who are trying to convince their fellow rabbits of Fiver’s vision of an apocalypse.

When you were young, your parents used to tell fairytales about princesses, prince charmings, villains and happily ever after.  Of course when it comes to characters, your sympathies go to the protagonists of the story – princesses and prince charmings and to happily ever after.

You remember the good times but you fail to remember who contributed to the strength of character of the princesses and prince charmings. You should give credit to villains if only at this time. Here are some villains in Disney’s films worth remembering:

1. Hades: Who would ever like Hades from ‘Hercules’? He feasts on the miseries of Hercules.
2. Ursula: You know Ursula from ‘The Little Mermaid’. She also tried so hard to make the life of Ariel a misery.
3. Captain Hook: You know Captain Hook, the Crocodile and Peter Pan. His abominable character made Pan strong.  
4. Gaston: Many people only remember the Beauty and the Beast but not Gaston.
5. The Evil Queen: The most famous story is that of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The Evil Queen sought to kill Snow White because all she ever wanted is to be the “fairest of them all”.
6. Maleficent: Now you know the story of Maleficent and how she came to be. She is from ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

Villains are characters in stories that do bad things. They should not be followed but you can learn something from them – that evil doings will never go unnoticed. Your kids need to understand this so they will not do evil things.

Singaporeans love fairytales and when it is time to tell your children about it, you have to include villains as well but leave them with morale at the end of the day.

Halloween is only a few days away. During this season, people get in really hard into the celebration. Houses are decorated to look creepy and people don their favorite Halloween costumes. Another Halloween staple are the myriad number of horror flicks that avid moviegoers can enjoy.

In honor of this celebration, we give you the best horror movies of the year 2015. Enjoy these movies as you go about your Halloween celebration.

1. Crimson Peak

Crimson Peak was a great horror picture that veered away from the usual story flow of movies in this genre. It is the blend of drama, subtle romance and a haunted house plot. The story is about a woman, who after marrying a mysterious gentleman, starts to experience paranormal occurrences after living in his house.

2. Goodnight Mommy

This Austrian movie is a psychological horror that centers on identical male twins living in the countryside whose mother comes home after having plastic surgery. The mother’s face is completely covered in bandages and has an erratic change in behavior. This leads the twins to believe an impostor is living in their house.

3. It Follows

This internationally acclaimed movie shares the story of a college student who ends up being infected after having sex with her boyfriend. This infection will lead her to be followed by a supernatural entity that takes on different forms.

4. The Visit

The story starts with two siblings who are sent to temporarily live with their grandparents in Pennsylvania. The siblings are frightened by the grandparents’ odd behavior.

5. Unfriended

A group of high school friends reconnect through Skype and suddenly start experiencing paranormal hauntings that make them kill themselves.