quote:

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Originally posted by Giabow:
_Interview With a Vampire_; mostly because I get bored reading Anne Rice's descriptions of things.

Oh I have to disagree! The first of the Vampire Chronicles were amazing. Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were good and all, but the book totally stomped the film's bum! And another thing... Why was Armand played by Antonio Vanderez? He was supposed to be young and red headed! That still bothers me. Queen of the Damned. I'm not going there.

I haven't read it, but my sister says _Girl, Interrupted_ (or however its spelled/punctuated) was a better movie than book.

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Once again, read the book. I think it is more satisfy ing.

My ex-boyfriend used to absolutely loathe watching a film based on a book that I had read. I am yet to leave the theater or power off the TV and be satisfied with out pointing out what they shouldn't have left out and/or switched. I get into an elitist rant mode. The adventure of reading and coloring the details for oneself seems more filling than sitting lazily and letting someone else use their imagination for you. Ooops.. here I go again.

But my point is, this topic is awesome simply because if there are others out there like me, we'd never stop listing movies that slaughtered the books. And I'd prolly rant more.

quote:

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Originally posted by [bread and] Circüs [bodyguard]:
It's worth a read. And it's a quick one at that.

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Circus, have you read "Asa, As I Knew Him" or "Far Afield?"


FA wasn't my normal reading preference, but it was very very good.


amy, the triad hussy:
Ami of the Amiii/Twilight Cafe Regulars/Triad of One/ Polar Bear Cartel/Other Triad Cartel/Third Triad Cartel/ aardvark oath to the Triad Cartel

quote:

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Originally posted by Mary:

Once again, read the book. I think it is more satisfy ing.

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I have read the books. As well as a variety of other Anne Rice books. I guess I just don't really like her writing style. If I did, I suppose the book would have been better than the movie. But I don't, so its not (in my opinion, of course.)

quote:

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Originally posted by aitapata:
Circus, have you read "Asa, As I Knew Him" or "Far Afield?"

FA wasn't my normal reading preference, but it was very very good.

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Sadly, i haven't read either, but i've seen them in the store and been very curious about them.

What are they about?

I don't much remember too much about Asa.... an affair with a married man, from all I recall.

Far Afield was a man who went to a distant lone island up in Iceland or something like that. I forget why. But it was *very* well written, with good imagery. I don't normally care for my fun fiction to be narrated by a guy, but this one changed my opinion.


edited in : FA, ah yes, he goes there as an anthropology student. I think he's there to collect stories. They're like the last living people who still have these oral stories. It's a very interesting view into a part of the world I never even thought about before.



amy, the triad hussy:
Ami of the Amiii/Twilight Cafe Regulars/Triad of One/ Polar Bear Cartel/Other Triad Cartel/Third Triad Cartel/ aardvark oath to the Triad Cartel

Far Afield

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A compulsively readable novel of enormous charm by the author of Asa, As I Knew Him , this stakes out the Faroe Islands, an isolated, autonomous Danish territory in the North Atlantic that Harvard anthropology graduate student Jonathan Brand has "discovered" for his course fieldwork. The product of repressed academic parents and of a reductionist scholarly discipline that "made much of such simplicities as who traded beans or feathers with what cousin or whether dinner was cooked in one pot or two," Jonathan sets out to sniff, taste and touch his way to a doctoral thesis from the comfortable remove of an impartial observer. But resisting documentation and analysis, the land of midnight sun and winter "drear," and its deceptively impassive and unevolved denizens, insinuate themselves into the American's underemotive heart. Overeducated and as insular as any of his "primitive" subjects, Jonathan is a narrator who manages to be both hilarious and poignant in his bafflement and neurosis. We watch him empty an obstructed septic tank of wheelbarrowfuls of its repulsive contents; nibble tentatively at fish and meat prepared native-style--months old and rotten; negotiate the seduction of a woman whom he barely fathoms and whom everyone assumes will become his bride; clash with otherworldly shepherds, specters who apparently try to wrest sheep away from Jonathan's grip; and play reluctant host to another American anthropology grad student encroaching on his turf. As they flirt with NATO and the CIA, ritually kill whales and cats, enhance their natural moroseness with liquor acquired through payment of their taxes, and open their homes to Jonathan with abundant hospitality, the Faroese are nuanced keepers of a culture not wholly unlike our own.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Asa, As I Knew Him

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This is an exceptionally well-written, polished, curious novel, ostensibly about the love affair between the passionate Jewish narrator, Dinah Sachs, and her WASPish boss, Asa Thayer, a blond, soulless man whose people "think their great-great-grandfathers sprang fully evolved on these shores, products of the Mayflower's timber and New Hampshire rock." The account of the actual affair is sketchy and intriguing, and almost two-thirds of the book is devoted to a description of Asa's teenaged friendship with and attraction to Reuben Sola, a handsome, daredevil, Jewish esthete who dies by accident while climbing a bridge for the thrill of it. For all the author's observations about Asa and the attempt to use Reuben's life and death to explain Asa's distance from others, Asa remains a blurred figure. This is unfortunate: the reader would like to understand him beyond cultural cliches, and the author might have offered a more effective portrait had she focused on Dinah and Asa rather than Reuben and Asa.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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amy, the triad hussy:
Ami of the Amiii/Twilight Cafe Regulars/Triad of One/ Polar Bear Cartel/Other Triad Cartel/Third Triad Cartel/ aardvark oath to the Triad Cartel

Very cool--thank you!

quote:

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Originally posted by Giabow:

quote:

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Originally posted by Mary:

Once again, read the book. I think it is more satisfy ing.

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I have read the books. As well as a variety of other Anne Rice books. I guess I just don't really like her writing style. If I did, I suppose the book would have been better than the movie. But I don't, so its not (in my opinion, of course.)

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Can we all agree that Queen of the Damned was a worse movie than any book ever?

______________________
This machine kills fascists

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Originally posted by Dweller in Darkness:
*places cross and nails next to him*

Dune.

__________
AJGraeme

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Dude, I can't crucify you for liking a David Lynch film. Sure, it didn't make sense, but it made more sense then most David Lynch movies, and the images were really cool... and if you read the book, it was neat.

See you, space cowboy.

~~~~~~~~~

I am a hunter of peace, chasing the mayfly known as love. -- Vash the Stampede

"Shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased, and thus do we refute entropy."-- Spider Robinson
http://lon.blogspot.com -- Its a slightly less eloquent me.

Has anyone here read W.P. Kinsella's Shoeless Joe? I haven't, but I love the film version (Field of Dreams), and I hear that the movie's at least as good as the book.

--
Mairsydoats and dosydoats and lidellamsydivy, a kidilee divy too, wouldn't you?

I thought Cape Fear (the second one, with De Niro) was much better than the John MacDonald book (different original title) because the bad guy was given a lot of depth. Of course, De Niro tends to do that to a role. The movie was much less black-and-white.

Scott Nicholson
www.hauntedcomputer.com

Scott Nicholson
http://www.hauntedcomputer.com

quote:

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Originally posted by Thirith:
Has anyone here read W.P. Kinsella's Shoeless Joe? I haven't, but I love the film version (Field of Dreams), and I hear that the movie's at least as good as the book.

--
Mairsydoats and dosydoats and lidellamsydivy, a kidilee divy too, wouldn't you?

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We own it. I haven't read it, but the Boy has. He liked it. He couldn't really compare the book to the movie, but likes them both.

~~~~~~~~~~~
WWDD
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I remembered the movie I was thinking of!!!!!


The movie Orlando is much better than the book by Virginia Woolf.


amy, the triad hussy:
Ami of the Amiii/Twilight Cafe Regulars/Triad of One/ Polar Bear Cartel/Other Triad Cartel/Third Triad Cartel/Kate KarTel/ aardvark oath to the Triad Cartel

quote:

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Originally posted by Dweller in Darkness:
*places cross and nails next to him*

Dune.

__________
AJGraeme

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You're shitting me. That's like the best book and the worst movie in the world. Oh my god. I just...oh my god. I mean, I know it sounds silly/stupid, but I am almost offended by this concept. And it is REALLY friggin' hard to offend me. That horrible, nonsensical movie? That fun, intelligent book? Jaysis. I mean, you didn't state any reasons, so I have to take this as opinion not supported by facts, and thus inarguable either way, but still.

As for Lord of Nothings, you...lord of...nothings, and that fight club scene, he chooses Marla, and the feelings he has for her, rather than to continue inflicting misery. Or something like that. In any case, it makes more sense than the "I'm in heaven now" ending of the book.

"Today shalt thou be with me in heaven, humperdido."

I have to agree about LOTR being a better movie than a book, just because I personally am not a big fan of Tolkien's writing style. I like that one beautiful image can take the place of pages of rambling descriptions.
Also, I'd have to say the A&E (I think?) Pride and Prejudice was better than the book. It was very true to the book, but it was funnier, and it just... mm, was good. (And Colin Firth is pretty. But that's not why I think it's better, really.)

------------------------------
~renata~
Press: Do you plan to record any anti-war songs?
John Lennon: All our songs are anti-war.

quote:

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Originally posted by Giabow:

I have read the books. As well as a variety of other Anne Rice books. I guess I just don't really like her writing style.

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You know why? Because it just plain sucks.

I read most of her books as a teenager, then I recently picked up the last one at the library, and realized, oh my God, her style is awful.

~St.CountZero, of the Ancient Order of the Triad Cartel~
_________________________________________
A slim pixie, thin and forlorn
A Count, white and drawn - Bauhaus.

Cracks her neck and then her knuckles, loudly and growls at the posts here

GodDAMNIT people, Have you all lost your minds? So many issues to deal with here. Lucky I got here when I did.

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I take a lot of flak for this, but I'm sticking to my guns. Hannibal was a better movie than book. The book ending just didn't make any sense, wasn't true to the characters. The movie ending did.

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Remembers to breathe

Uhm..NO? Sorry, but I have to dissagree with you. As Jeff explained, he and I have had this discussion before, and I couldn't agree with either of you less. But that's ok. I'm not here to flame anyone, just explain my standpoint.



I truly adore that trilogy of books by Thomas Harris. I've read and re-read Hannibal more times than the preceding books. In as such, I believe that there is an evolutionary journey underwhich Hannibal is on. Clarice is finally able to shake free of those societal restraints of "morality" and join him, in the book.

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I think that Thomas Harris became just a little too enchanted with Hannibal here, and found a way for him to get the girl (by drugging her).

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Ok Jeff, you know I love you, BUT...I think you need to re-read the book. The drugs freed her, they didn't alter her ability to make consious decisions. She chose to leave her life behind to create a new existence with Hannibal. That's how it should be. A more touching, and spiritual love story exists not. I nearly wept when I read that.



The movie was a FUCKING TRAVESTY!!! What they did to the end was butchery of the worst kind and I Quite Literaly YELLED out in the theatre when I saw it, "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!" (much to the horror of my partner at the time)

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The ending of the movie fixes this problem, quite nicely I think

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FIXES??????

It's Wrong wrong wrong fucking WRONG! That was the best part of the book, their joining together in a higher evolution of consiousness and living. I would give anything to be in her shoes for that.

*ahem* anyway...moving right along,

quote:

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Exit to Eden.
*tries to keep a straight face*

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I totally agree. What in the fuck were they thinking when they took that sublime, beautiful book and turned it into that fucking farce??? Someone was huffing on the crack pipe a lil too much that day.

The book is truly gorgeous, one of Anne Rice's great works (although "Belinda" is my fav of that genre of hers) and they fucking killed it in the movie. The love story was gone. They made fun of the S&M community Makes me mad just thinking of it.

Who's brilliant idea was it to actually put Dan Akroyd and Rosie O'Donnell in this film????

quote:

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Originally posted by Giabow:
_Interview With a Vampire_; mostly because I get bored reading Anne Rice's descriptions of things.

Oh I have to disagree! The first of the Vampire Chronicles were amazing. Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were good and all, but the book totally stomped the film's bum! And another thing... Why was Armand played by Antonio Vanderez? He was supposed to be young and red headed! That still bothers me. Queen of the Damned. I'm not going there.

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Again, remembers to breathe

On some points, we agree. The film version of this film would have been brilliant if it weren't for Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Antonio Banderas. It made me so fucking mad, having to watch those glam queens pretend to be Lestat, Louis and Armand, I thought I'd start projectile vomitting a la Exorcist.

Sure, visually the film was great. They had the story line worked out well enough. But the casting was so fucking tragic as to ruin any possibility to enjoy it whatsoever. The book is perfection. In case you haven't figured this out by now, or haven't read the other thread in here about Anne Rice, I am her Staunchest Supporter on this board (yah, bite me). I recognize her style isn't for everyone, and that's just fine. Then don't read her books. Leave them to people like me who loves and cherishes them for the works of art that they are. If her wordiness upsets you, then you are missing out on how she's creating, using words to evoke a world, an understanding, a transportation into that existence that is so far from our own. A bit heavy for some, sure. A shame though.



As for "Queen of the Damned" I was sure that I'd hate it. But I did extensive research on it before hand, to understand the condensing they had to do in order to make the film. Sure, the book is clearly the best of the beginning of the series (although I'm still in love with "Memnoch") and the movie was trying to do its best.



Stuart Chapman as Lestat was a revelation and it makes me weep that they didn't use him in the first film. Tom Cruise???? Still baffles me. The new Lestat is PERFECT, and I'm utterly in love with his performance. Finally he was young enough, sexy enough, entirely what the role needed. Of course, I wasn't thrilled with Akasha, but it was good enough. She could have been more evil, but whatever. I loved the movie, and have recently downloaded it to watch a million times over. You just can't expect them to make a coherant movie from such a HUGELY elaborate book! Not possible, without turning it into another LOTR. (which I don't like, watch, or read)

quote:

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I remembered the movie I was thinking of!!!!!
The movie Orlando is much better than the book by Virginia Woolf.

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Wow, that's not hard to do though, is it? Her books make me want to gouge my eyes out. How others describe how they hate Anne Rice books is exactly how I feel about Virginia Woolf's books. The most boring, retarded shite ever.

But the movie was gorgeous! I loved it loved it loved it. It's one of my all time fav's, go figure.



And now, for my contribution to this thread;
The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike is one of the worst, most dissapointing books I have ever had the misfortune to lay my goddamned eyes on.

The movie is so fucking different from it that I'm baffled. They changed it SO much, (thank god) that it's nearly unrecognizable from the book.

But this movie has been so important to me, as to work its way into my own personal mythology. (complicated to explain) Needless to say, its one of the best movies, IMO.



The First Wives Club. Now that movie, we can all agree I'm sure, was a fucking joke, right? But, I picked up the paperback for like a $1, and actually read it out of curiosity. Y'know what? It's a Really Good Book! I'm shocked and amazed! It's very touching, thought provoking, shocking at times, and totally emotion-evoking. Again, this is one of those books that goes on my *highly recommended* list. Go out and read it!

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"So excitingly written it will have you holding your breath... It's an excellent read, especially for a first novel - vividly written, constantly moving and with a believable love story thrown in for good measure. And you don't have to be mad about horses to enjoy it." -She (Australien)

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Hear Hear!! Now, I love both the book and the movie equally. Which is rare for me. It's just a given that I'm in love with Robert Redford, hehehe



...but his performance was of course, as usual, utterly masterful. I fought against seeing this film for ages, as I believed it was just some schmaltzy shite about horses. But, it's a love story too, and for that, I fell in love with it. The same can be said for the book. I bought it the same time I bought "The First Wives Club", and have totally fallen for it too. It's on the afore-mentioned list, of course.

Moving right along...to air out one of my personal grievances on this topic...



Now there's a movie that's a total fucking joke, for ya. The short story by Stephen King (in Different Seasons) was wonderful, one of my all time favourite pieces of his. A truly captivating read, fascinating psychological horror. But the movie????? What the FUCK was THAT??? Why didn't they just let Disney fucking make it, for all the good it did. That was so fucking watered down! Shitty shitty shitty!!! Again, this was another movie where I got really fucking mad in the movie theatre. Useless fuckers. At least they didn't fuck up "The Green Mile" too.

Ok, I think I've ranted long enough.

_________________________________________________
But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.
`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'

Actually, I did like Memnoch. Probably the only book of hers I'd save, personally.

Then again, I like Virginia Woolf...

~St.CountZero, of the Ancient Order of the Triad Cartel~
_________________________________________
A slim pixie, thin and forlorn
A Count, white and drawn - Bauhaus.