1. Joined
    10 Nov '12
    Moves
    6889
    10 Dec '13 05:03
    Bad film good book...
    Etc. Etc.

    Good book, Bad film

    I watched the first 20-25 minutes of The Perfect Storm tonight. How utterly diabolical it was. Right from the first moment with the entirely transparent, brazenly emotionally manipulative music, placed in league with appallingly lazy footage of names on memorial marble and a plaque commemorating the founding of the town. Massive Hollywood stars totally fail to convince as working class people, and the hammy acting reaches standards lower than you'd find in the worst film in an obsessive martial arts fan's DVD cupboard. Also, were those accents credible? I'm not an expert in American accents but they didn't sound right to me—I guess they were meant to be Boston or elsewhere in New England, perhaps Maine. A disappointed reviewer on IMDB who happened to be a cameraman pointed out how in virtually every scene half of one or more actors' foreheads were cut off by the top of the screen, and even as I read it I noticed it immediately in the scene that was playing. And the next one. And...after that, I switched it off and deleted it from my PVR.

    The book, on the other hand... Well, I haven't actually read it, but I think I will like it. I, er...er, like the idea of it, and it's very well reviewed and hugely popular. And my sister has a copy! Surely that sort of counts? Anyway, after reading the first review on this page I cannot doubt that it's a great read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6545608-the-perfect-storm?from_search=true
  2. Joined
    09 Jun '04
    Moves
    39731
    10 Dec '13 09:23
    Originally posted by NoEarthlyReason
    Bad film good book...
    Etc. Etc.

    [b]Good book, Bad film


    I watched the first 20-25 minutes of The Perfect Storm tonight. How utterly diabolical it was. Right from the first moment with the entirely transparent, brazenly emotionally manipulative music, placed in league with appallingly lazy footage of names on memorial marble and a plaque com ...[text shortened]... t's a great read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6545608-the-perfect-storm?from_search=true[/b]
    Sorry, I haven't actually read your post. But I like the idea of it. No, wait, actually I don't.
  3. Joined
    06 Feb '13
    Moves
    13105
    10 Dec '13 10:38
    Originally posted by NoEarthlyReason
    Bad film good book...
    Etc. Etc.

    [b]Good book, Bad film


    I watched the first 20-25 minutes of The Perfect Storm tonight. How utterly diabolical it was. Right from the first moment with the entirely transparent, brazenly emotionally manipulative music, placed in league with appallingly lazy footage of names on memorial marble and a plaque com ...[text shortened]... t's a great read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6545608-the-perfect-storm?from_search=true[/b]
    err.... The Hobbit.
  4. SubscriberPonderableonline
    chemist
    Linkenheim
    Joined
    22 Apr '05
    Moves
    653670
    10 Dec '13 11:35
    Well I wrote my Abitur Argumentation about the topic "Read the book to that movie, watch the movie to that book."

    My main point was then as it is now: Books and films are totally different media with their specific strenth and weaknesses.
    So if you have a story to tell by pictures or action: go for the film.
    If on the other hand you like to create the pictures yourself in your mind or want to go for deep inner monologues don't make a movie from that book.

    About the book/movie in question I haven't been in contact with either.
  5. Standard memberHandyAndy
    Read a book!
    Joined
    23 Sep '06
    Moves
    18677
    10 Dec '13 16:27
    If I enjoy a book, I usually skip the movie. If I see the movie first, I'm often motivated to read the book.
    Two exceptions that come to mind are Mister Roberts and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, where the film
    portrayals (James Cagney, Henry Fonda, Jack Nicholson) far outstripped those in the novels.
  6. Joined
    10 May '07
    Moves
    10128
    10 Dec '13 16:48
    The English Patient written by Michael Ondaatje

    I first read it in English, didn't quite understand all of it. I then read the Swedish translation and saw the movie too. I needed all of them to know what it was all about.
  7. Standard memberavalanchethecat
    Not actually a cat
    The Flat Earth
    Joined
    09 Apr '10
    Moves
    14988
    10 Dec '13 17:581 edit
    Originally posted by HandyAndy
    If I enjoy a book, I usually skip the movie. If I see the movie first, I'm often motivated to read the book.
    Two exceptions that come to mind are Mister Roberts and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, where the film
    portrayals (James Cagney, Henry Fonda, Jack Nicholson) far outstripped those in the novels.
    I'm not familiar with 'Mister Roberts', either the film or the book, but I'm a bit surprised to hear anybody rate the film 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' as far better than the book. It's an excellent film, and Jack Nicholson's career pinnacle imo, but the book is better still.

    In fact I'm struggling to come up with a single instance of a film which is better than the book. Star Wars maybe? Is there even a book of that?

    Edit: Oh wait, are you just talking about the individual character portrayals? That makes more sense. Still prefer the book though.
  8. Standard memberHandyAndy
    Read a book!
    Joined
    23 Sep '06
    Moves
    18677
    10 Dec '13 21:49
    Originally posted by avalanchethecat
    I'm not familiar with 'Mister Roberts', either the film or the book, but I'm a bit surprised to hear anybody rate the film 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' as far better than the book. It's an excellent film, and Jack Nicholson's career pinnacle imo, but the book is better still.

    In fact I'm struggling to come up with a single instance of ...[text shortened]... about the individual character portrayals? That makes more sense. Still prefer the book though.
    The novel is a classic, I agree, but I give the edge to the movie, largely due to Nicholson's tour de force.
  9. Joined
    14 Mar '04
    Moves
    173581
    10 Dec '13 22:09
    Originally posted by HandyAndy
    If I enjoy a book, I usually skip the movie. If I see the movie first, I'm often motivated to read the book.
    Two exceptions that come to mind are Mister Roberts and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, where the film
    portrayals (James Cagney, Henry Fonda, Jack Nicholson) far outstripped those in the novels.
    I agree about Cockoo's Nest. I'm only familiar with the movie version of Mister Roberts and enjoyed it. One, of very few books I read where the movie did the book justice, IMHO, was The World According to Garp....loved both.
  10. SubscriberDrewnogal
    Constant Gardener
    The Plot
    Joined
    07 Aug '12
    Moves
    51480
    10 Dec '13 22:14

    This post is unavailable.

    Please refer to our posting guidelines.

  11. Joined
    23 Nov '09
    Moves
    136022
    10 Dec '13 22:15
    Dune
Back to Top

Cookies help us deliver our Services. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn More.I Agree