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madampresident August 26 2015, 02:52:57 UTC
- Do you typically enjoy films that are based off of books or do you avoid them? I often get excited to see a movie if I've just read the book and I'm usually let down. Usually, if I see the movie I don't bother with the book so I don't get upset about what was left out.
- Would you rather read the book or watch the movie first? I'd rather see the movie first because the book has so many more details, generally, so it's like a bonus, whereas if I read the book and then see the movie sometimes i get upset about what they left out.
- What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it right? Um... is this a trick question, or... Maybe the Orchid Thief... not because Adaptation was spot on for the book, because it wasn't but that was the whole point. Oh and Matilda was pretty much spot on.
- What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it wrong? A Series of Unfortunate Events is the movie adaptation I'm still the most upset about. I LOVED that book series and they ruined it by casting the ( ... )

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cardboardcornea August 26 2015, 03:08:20 UTC
Jim Carrey really was the biggest problem with that Series of Unfortunate Events movie. Have you heard about Netflix's series? Not that's there's any info besides it's happening but I'm excited because a series is a much better way of tackling those books than a movie.

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marishna August 26 2015, 04:01:52 UTC
Although, I will say I couldn't stand Devil Wears Prada (book), it was so bad. Every character was terrible.

Did you enjoy the movie or just the MS parts? I didn't read the book but after I watched the movie I ended up hating it SO MUCH because of Anne Hathaway's character and her stupid friends and bf. Were they all worse in the book?

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blue_sunflowers August 27 2015, 07:27:38 UTC
I thought the Giver was both a good and bad adaptation. It stayed fairly faithful to the original book, which I liked. What I didn't like was the non Jonas POV they added. Those just didn't seem to match my internal view of what that must have been like (because we don't get that in the book; it's left up to the imagination).

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catko August 26 2015, 07:17:50 UTC
- Do you typically enjoy films that are based off of books or do you avoid them?I like films based off of books if I haven't read the book. In fact, it seems like some of the best films are made from books--Lord of the Rings, for example ( ... )

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blue_sunflowers August 27 2015, 07:28:17 UTC
Blasphemy for saying you don't like David Suchet as Poirot!

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catko August 27 2015, 08:24:11 UTC
He's just different than I pictured. Looks, yes, but his weird stuffiness...eh.

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blue_sunflowers August 27 2015, 08:27:30 UTC
B.L.A.S.P.H.E.M.YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

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blue_sunflowers August 27 2015, 07:09:10 UTC
The most afraid I have ever been of a book to film translation was the Graveyard scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. When I first read the books, while I was intrigued (and addicted), THAT scene is the one that pulled me into the books. JK Rowling is not a good writer of action, but she wrote that scene so clearly, I could visualize the whole thing in my mind. Usually I struggle with that, and watching a movie helps, as it gives me a frame to use in order to picture things in my imagination ( ... )

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catko August 27 2015, 08:27:24 UTC
While that was not my favorite Harry Potter movie, I totally agree with you on that whole scene. Funny, I forgot that I too was worried as that movie unfolded, about how they would handle that part. I remember I saw it with my work team as a "Winter Break activity," which made it even more slightly worrisome. It was handled really really well.

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alorarose August 27 2015, 19:50:09 UTC
Even with the changes to Mockingjay, I liked it more than the book. But, I suppose the bulk of what I hated from the book is going to be in part 2. SO WE'LL SEE!

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stellicidio August 28 2015, 01:02:08 UTC
In general I really like THG adaptions but you're totally right about Haymitch. I love Effie and Plutarch but they should've had more Haymitch :/ They should've left out that whole little plot with Effie and used Haymitch more...

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adsullatta August 27 2015, 20:14:34 UTC
Do you typically enjoy films that are based off of books or do you avoid them? It very much depends on the book/movie but in general, I enjoy movies based on books. Knowing a film is based on a book doesn't really influence my decision to watch it one way or the other. It all boils down to whether or not it looks interesting.

Would you rather read the book or watch the movie first? If I can, I avoid reading the book until after I've seen the movie. This is because 9 times out of 10 I will like the book better and if I read it ahead of time, I wind up enjoying the movie less. This really isn't always (or even most of the time) the fault of the movie makers, but a contrast in what's achievable with the different mediums. Films are, by nature, much more constrained by time & technology where as books are only limited by the writer's imagination and vocabulary. Movie makers usually wind up having to cut out many elements from the book that while not essential for telling the story, still enrich the tale as a whole. ,Off the top of my ( ... )

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adsullatta August 27 2015, 20:16:34 UTC
What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it wrong? As I mentioned above, The Hobbit Trilogy by Peter Jackson was...really wrong. That should have been one single film, not three drawn out snore-fests designed to fatten the filmmaker's pockets. It's sad, but it's obvious the success of the LotR films made them greedy. There is only so much movie you can make from one slim novelette.

Another one is Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. For me, this was a REAL disappointment. I am a huge fan of the book, I am a huge fan of Tim Burton and when I first heard he was doing this movie I was over the moon! What a fantastic thing for Mr.Burton to put his uniquely wacky/creepy touch on AiW. I thought the story really lent itself to a new, darker treatment and that's what I was hoping for...it's not what I got. Sadly, to borrow a phrase, in Mr Burton's hands, the story lost much of its muchness. It just turned out to be a collection of visual gimmicks that didn't quite make the grade. They clearly went for bizarre in ( ... )

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kitty_fic August 28 2015, 03:22:13 UTC
I still haven't seen the Hobbit movies! I want to! But then again I've never read the book. I tried to read it but couldn't get through it. I'm always afraid to tell people that because so many people love it. lol

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kitty_fic August 28 2015, 03:24:45 UTC
I agree that the Potter movies were not perfect, but they still did a good job of bringing the world to life!

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mark_pierre August 27 2015, 21:02:13 UTC
Do you typically enjoy films that are based off of books or do you avoid them? It depends. If I like a book, I'm curious how it is transformed into movie. If I don't like a book, I feel very little inducement to watch. Generally I prefer reading, because it stimulates my imagination. There are things almost impossible to transfer from one media to another, like characters' thoughts, for example. You can inculde some of them into a dialogue, but it will never be the same.
Would you rather read the book or watch the movie first? I'd prefer reading, but I can go the other way too.
What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it right? The Deluge, The Leopard, To Kill A Mocking Bird. Enjoyed books and movies exactly the same.
What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it wrong? Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The book is amazing, the movie is average at best. And let's not speak of The Golden Compass, shall we?
If you see a film based on a book does it make you want to go and read the book ( ... )

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adsullatta August 28 2015, 02:19:53 UTC
The Princess Bride - I barely made through the book to find out there is a great movie based on it. You did better than me! I tried reading the book after I saw the movie and I could NOT make it through. All those little asides about ranking events "greatest ___ ever" and such got really annoying, really fast. I found the book too self-conscious of it's own attempts to be cute & humorous and it just didn't have half the charm of the film.

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kitty_fic August 28 2015, 03:17:27 UTC
I'm very curious about the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie now. I'm going to have to check it out :)

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mark_pierre August 28 2015, 08:54:20 UTC
The Swedish version was better, IMHO. :)

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