Name a movie you've read the book it was based on or the adaptation of it.
"Fantastic voyage". Contrary to opinion, the movie was not based on the book but the book was based on the movie. The film makers tapped Isaac asimov to do an adaptation of the movie with no idea whatsoever how fast saint Isaac wrote. He had the book out long before the movie, and the book was so much better. It pointed out the innumerable science flaws in the movie and patched them, making it quite long.
Stephen King's The Shining: frightening book, blah film.
Peter Straub's Ghost Story: eerie book, crappy film.
David Westheimer's Von Ryan's Express: great book, awful film.
David Morrell's First Blood: great book, great film.
Jack Higgins' The Eagle Has Landed: great book, terrible film.
Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park: great book, great film.
The Bible: great book: film didn't cover enough of it :wink:
Anne Rice - Interview With The Vampire. Decent film, god-awful book where the heroes spent the whole time whining about everything. For my money, it remains the worst book I have ever read and I have no idea why I kept reading the sequels for so long hoping they would get less self indulgent.
Robert Heinlein - Starship Troopers. Fun movie, somewhat plodding as a novel.
Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien. Good adaption even if it missed out my favourite bits of the novel. I think the novel is good, but perhaps overpraised by people who manage to make it the whole way through.
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien. Fun enough kids book. Jackson let his ego run away with him on making the movies though. This should never have been a movie trilogy.
Thomas Eidson's The Missing: good book, good film.
Nicholas Conde's The Religion: scary book, scary film (made as The Believers)
Quote from: Trevor on June 05, 2019, 03:54:26 AM
Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park: great book, great film.
The guy who played Maj. Pribluda in that film was a big comedian in Scotland. I think this was his only dramatic role.
Quote from: Dark Alex on June 05, 2019, 06:43:32 AM
Quote from: Trevor on June 05, 2019, 03:54:26 AM
Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park: great book, great film.
The guy who played Maj. Pribluda in that film was a big comedian in Scotland. I think this was his only dramatic role.
Yes, the great Rikki Fulton. :thumbup:
(https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.z-QkIi_z6GVXdEvqmDHCwwAAAA&w=226&h=169&c=7&o=5&dpr=1.25&pid=1.7)
I remember seeing his comedy series Scotch and Wry: the episode with him giving Mark McManus (as Jim Taggart) a parking ticket is hilarious.
Quote from: Trevor on June 05, 2019, 07:02:26 AM
Quote from: Dark Alex on June 05, 2019, 06:43:32 AM
Quote from: Trevor on June 05, 2019, 03:54:26 AM
Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park: great book, great film.
The guy who played Maj. Pribluda in that film was a big comedian in Scotland. I think this was his only dramatic role.
Yes, the great Rikki Fulton. :thumbup:
(https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.z-QkIi_z6GVXdEvqmDHCwwAAAA&w=226&h=169&c=7&o=5&dpr=1.25&pid=1.7)
I remember seeing his comedy series Scotch and Wry: the episode with him giving Mark McManus (as Jim Taggart) a parking ticket is hilarious.
Yeah, his show was essential viewing every Hogmanay. Didn't know it was ever shown outside Scotland though, nice to hear others got to see him. The Rev I.M. Jolly was my favourite character. Anyway, I thought he was really good in Gorky Park and it was a great shame he chose not to do more movies. He was happy with his decisions though.
Interestingly, I'm watching the new TV adaptation of "Catch-22" right now, one of the best novels of all time.
I believe Mike Nichols' 1970 movie adaptation is very underrated.
The TV miniseries is very different from both the movie and the novel. It downplays a lot of Joseph Heller's original black comedy and absurdism and presents the material in a more realistic way, more in the style of M*A*S*H*.
It's not the choice I would have made, and I think it's not as good as the original book or movie, but it is interesting. I am not one of those who wants the film adaptation to be a faithful adaptation of the book. If I want that I'll read the book again. I want the adapter to shake things up a little and make it their own.
.the HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson. Fantastic book, good movie (1963 version, mind you.)
.the EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty- Good book and movie.
.Rev- I too read CATCH 22, and found the book so much better than the film.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - fantastic book, the 2013film was great -- but the book is better
* NIGHTWING by Martin Cruz Smith - Scary, suspenseful book about bats and bubonic plague. Silly movie with fake-looking bats.
* THE GODFATHER by Mario Puzo - Good book, great movie (actually, the book covers parts of GODFATHER, PART II as well).
* THE EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty - Great book, great movie.
* KILLSHOT by Elmore Leonard - Excellent book, disappointing movie.
* THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME by Victor Hugo - One of my favorite novels. The Charles Laughton and Lon Chaney movies are excellent. Other film versions are okay.
* SALEM'S LOT by Stephen King - My favorite Stephen King novel. The movie is good, too (despite David Soul).
* KING RAT by James Clavell - Excellent book. Very good movie.
* THE SENTINEL by Jeffrey Konvitz - Scary book, crappy movie.
* ROSEMARY'S BABY by Ira Levin - Excellent book, excellent movie.
* TAI PAN by James Clavell - Excellent book, tremendously disappointing movie.
* MARATHON MAN by William Goldman - Excellent book, excellent movie (but the book is better).
* MAGIC by William Goldman - Excellent book, pretty good movie.
.PSYCHO by Robert Bloch. Mediocre book, great movie.
The time machine. I read the book and I gotta tell you that none of the movies had the balls to be true to it. In the movies it was always a war or a disaster that divided humanity into the morlocks and the eloi. In he book what destroyed humanity was basically unchecked and uncontrolled big business and the way it dehumanjzed and brutalized working peopel whole letting the rich become utterly idle and decadent.
The book was based on how the English class and economic system of the 19tn century was so hard towards the poor and working classes it made them angry and brutish, while the rich lived in decadent luxury.
Wells forsaw this leading, eventually, to a absolute division of the human race into the brutal, but hard working morlocks who kept things running and the rich who became utterly useless and helpless after being served hand and foot so long.
None of the movies touched on this theme. In the 50's it would have been labled "comyoonist! " and the makers atttacked.
I'd like to see a more faithful adaptation if the time machine especially in lght of the growing class divisions in america.
FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelly.
Yeah I know- but the book is a crashing bore.
FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and the BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN outdistance it by miles.
I could say the same for DR.JEKYLL AND MR.HYDE by Stevenson, compared to the '32 movie.
I liked Shelly's book, but it was more interesting than scary.
I want a new adaption of Doyle's The Lost World; the restored silent version's good, but it takes too many liberties. There was a TV version made in the mid-90's which followed the plot better, but it was dull. And Irwin Allen's version was just a generic adventure movie.
I hope everyone pardons me, if I do this a little differently; for, if I listed every film that I saw, some fairly obscure, based upon a book, the list would be almost endless. Instead here is a much shorter list of books I'd like to see made into a film. In order, the likeliness that'll happen.
Justin Somper
Allies and Assassins
When his father dies in battle, and his older brother dies under mysterious circumstances, a young man finds himself, unexpectedly, the ruler of his kingdom with the understanding that there are foes both inside and outside the kingdom, that threaten both him and his kingdom.
Not for him, but for his younger brother the teenage Prince Edvin, with whom I feel some empathy, which means I like to play around with character, and while this is not in the book, I see him as a monocle wearing chain smoker, who, when he sits down, his feet barely reach the floor.
Andrew Shvarts
a Russian ex-pat and computer programmer, with the Royal Bastards trilogy, his 1st attempt at writing fiction.
The 3rd in the trilogy, War of the Bastards, out this month.
For one of my favorite literary villains the teenage "Pretty Boy," who appears in the 1st 2 books in the trilogy: Royal Bastards and City of Bastards.
And because it'd look so good on film. When you read it, the images just pop into your mind, especially the "Bar Brawl! Bar Brawl!" in the 1st book.
The 3 Janes
My Lady, Jane
In 2 parts, the story of Lady Jane Grey, her teenage husband Lord Guilford Dudley, and her teenage cousin King Edward VI.
While the 1st part follows the historical story fairly closely, the 2nd part goes off on a tangent. Where the 3 having escaped their historical fate, still are not out of the woods, as her husband turns into a horse at dawn, and her cousin turns into a hawk at dusk. And their enemies would see all such, not just the two, exterminated.
For not only the humor, but, for the fact that the story in the book packs quite an emotion wallop.
This one is being shopped around the studios in Hollywood, so it may get made into a film.
Karou Mori
Emma
a 10 book magna series in which a maid, in the U.K., during the last decade of the 19th century, falls in love and finally marries a scion in the family for which she works.
For I have never found anything that gets at better than the relationships between masters and servants.
This was popular enough in Japan that it spawned a 12-episode anime series. Though, I'd like to see all the books done, either as live action or animation.
Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl
A series of 8 books featuring a teenage Irish mastercriminal.
Ever since the 1st was published in 2001, this was meant to be in a film, and 18 years later, we are finally getting the film version, which should be out later this year, which is based upon the 1st two books in the series. Thus, if this is a success, we may get 3 more films, at 2 books a film.
Still, the series does not end here, as Colfer has an upcoming series based upon Artemis' 2 younger twin brothers--Myles and Beckett.
And except for the last, will any of these be made into a film. Who knows? But, one can only hope.
Read all of The Lord of the Rings
Read all of The Chronicles of Narnia
Read The Hobbit (PJ made up so much stuff for the movies)
Read Starship Troopers (the movie is a travesty)
Read The Running Man (nothing like the movie)
Here is another:
* THE CAINE MUTINY - One of the best books I've ever read. The movie is good, but it just doesn't capture the authenticity or deep characterizations that are in the book.
do plays count? i'm a huge tennessee williams fan( strange, i know, since i generally dislike depressing stuff), and i've liked all of the movies. fave is suddenly,last summer. liz taylor and my beloved kate were both INCREDIBLE!
This is a little off topic but i loved the battlestar galactica series in SFC and read a book called "the science of battlestar galactica" written by actual scientists who do their best to explain the actual scientific possibilities of BSG to people.
And the series had a fair degree of science in it, I noticed when adama called for the galactica crew to begin exploring nearby G,F anf K class stars, those star types are the most likely to have an earth like world orbiting them.
Quote from: 316zombie on June 08, 2019, 01:19:05 PM
do plays count? i'm a huge tennessee williams fan( strange, i know, since i generally dislike depressing stuff), and i've liked all of the movies. fave is suddenly,last summer. liz taylor and my beloved kate were both INCREDIBLE!
I'm also a fan. I love A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF.
Quote from: bob on June 05, 2019, 10:15:15 AM
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - fantastic book, the 2013film was great -- but the book is better
My favorite novel. I don't think there is a good film adaptation... at all.
I'm inclined toward interpretations of individual writers, one at a time.
THOMAS HARRIS:
BLACK SUNDAY: Good book; meh film.
RED DRAGON: Great book; first adaptation (called
MANHUNTER): Good. Second adaptation: not good.
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: Great book (superb) film adaptation: good, but overrated.
Hannibal. Great movie. Much better book.
I've seen a read the novels for many of the movies listed here, including the many Stephen King movies like Salem's Lot, The Shining, Pet Sematary, The Langoliers, Cat's Eye, Christine, Cujo, Carrie, but not the more recent novels/books. Some were quite faithful, others were pastiches like Cat's Eye, which I believe only had one story (Qutters Inc.) which made it into the film. Oh yes, The Lawnmower Man, which was nothing like the short story.
I've read
- The Golden Compass,
most of the James Bond novels
the Lord of the Rings trilogy
the Dune sequence
Interview With The Vampire and Queen of the Damned
Michael Crichton's Rising Sun... what else...
James Clavell's Noble House is on the shelf but I haven't read it
Hellraiser/The Hellbound Heart
The Midnight Meat Train, also by Clive Barker
Jumper (the Hayden Christensen film)
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Jack Reacher (big fan of those novels)
Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
In Australian cinema, there's All The Rivers Run, The Thorn Birds and something else which escapes me. Reasonable movie/TV adaptations which were lauded over here because, well, they were Australian.
Some slightly obscure but fun TV adaptations that I've also read include
- Chocky by John Wyndham of Day Of The Triffids fame
The Day Of The Triffids
Under The Mountain by Maurice Gee
The Famous Five series
Other TV adaptations for which I've read the books include the Blood Ties series by Tanya Huff, Hitchhikers' Guide To The Galaxy (read all the books and seen/heard the TV show, radio show, and movie)
I'd love to see these books made into movies:
- Williams Gibson's Neuromancer
Trevanian's Shibumi
Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash
Brian Lumley's Necroscope
Eric Lustbader's The Ninja
Yeah, I read a fair bit.
I would agree with Archivist with Clive Barker. He's better read than on screen.
I would say that CHEYENNE AUTUMN by Marie Sandoz is a fantastic book. The movie-not so much, to say the least.
Anything by Lovecraft is better on the page. I can't say that about Poe. Poe is dry, man. I would rather watch Vincent Price or Lugosi chew up the scenery.
i'd watch at least the first necroscope movie, loved the books. i'd like to see a better version the dresden chronicles, and i'd kill to see the garrett files made into a tv series.
Quote from: chefzombie on June 13, 2019, 12:51:15 PM
i'd watch at least the first necroscope movie, loved the books. i'd like to see a better version the dresden chronicles, and i'd kill to see the garrett files made into a tv series.
Didn't know they had done a necroscope movie.
Pappilon. The book was very good. Some peolle claimed pappy exaggerated a bit, but he did help end the French penal system in Guyana and that alone makes his story worthwhile.
Quote from: Alex on June 13, 2019, 01:10:37 PM
Quote from: chefzombie on June 13, 2019, 12:51:15 PM
i'd watch at least the first necroscope movie, loved the books. i'd like to see a better version the dresden chronicles, and i'd kill to see the garrett files made into a tv series.
Didn't know they had done a necroscope movie.
They haven't, not yet. I'd do unspeakable things to direct a Necroscope movie. Unspeakable.
Yeah, I've read at least one of Jim Butcher's Dresden books, too.
Quote from: Archivist on June 13, 2019, 07:47:32 PM
They haven't, not yet. I'd do unspeakable things to direct a Necroscope movie. Unspeakable.
That could make an interesting movie in of itself.
you's like the garrett files too, they're by glen cook. he also wrote the black company series, those are a bit too dark for me.