tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post7778810886859263132..comments2024-03-19T05:28:00.356-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: Based on the Novel by . . .Leigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-66655002506412873502014-11-30T21:42:35.640-05:002014-11-30T21:42:35.640-05:00I actually remember Jimmy the Kid. One of the Dor...I actually remember <i>Jimmy the Kid</i>. One of the Dortmunders, right? Some of the Westlake novels I really liked, others not so much. Of the movies, I liked <i>Point Blank</i>, and <i>Payback</i>.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-8686842442626151442014-11-30T20:04:31.962-05:002014-11-30T20:04:31.962-05:00This is a case of a bad book made into a bad movie...This is a case of a bad book made into a bad movie, but Westlake's JIMMY THE KID started out as aa screenplay inspired by an actual crime based on a novel. (Yup, you read that right.) The studio turned down the screenplay, but years later a movie was made from the novel.Robert Loprestihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08844889305615182897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-38671204240561669722014-11-30T16:44:53.393-05:002014-11-30T16:44:53.393-05:00Jeff, that sounds sort of like what happened with ...Jeff, that sounds sort of like what happened with "Animal Rescue"/<i>The Drop</i>. I suppose it doesn't matter what the process was, if the result is good. Some say the movie <i>Psycho</i> began as the 1959 Robert Bloch novel; others say it was first a short story before being novelized, etc.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-45195691062454276332014-11-30T15:23:42.289-05:002014-11-30T15:23:42.289-05:00Twisting this a bit, the 1940's movie "I ...Twisting this a bit, the 1940's movie "I Married A Witch" was supposedly based on Thorne Smith's final novel "The Passionate Witch," the novel completed after Smith's death in 1934 by Norman Matson. Actually it was based on the first draft of the screenplay that Smith wrote while in Hollywood. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?Jeff Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00316081079528920123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-66665904758051353202014-11-30T14:45:02.702-05:002014-11-30T14:45:02.702-05:00Rob, you're right, it'd be hard to make a ...Rob, you're right, it'd be hard to make a bigger impact than the source material did, there.<br /><br />Thanks, Dale, for that news. I'm a little surprised that it's debuting on HULU, but King's known for being innovative. <i>The Green Mile</i> first came out serialized (I have all six books), <i>Riding the Bullet</i> was first available as an e-book only (I think), <i>Desperation</i> and <i>The Regulators</i> were published on the same day, <i>Storm of the Century</i> was first published as a screenplay, etc.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-79164840003931645182014-11-30T12:04:57.316-05:002014-11-30T12:04:57.316-05:00More news on 11/22/63: It is, indeed, being overs...More news on 11/22/63: It is, indeed, being overseen by J.J. Abrams and will be a nine hour miniseries streaming on HULU in 2015. Here is the announcement:<br /><br />http://blog.hulu.com/2014/09/22/stephen-kings-best-seller-112263-finds-its-place-in-history-with-direct-to-series-order-from-hulu/<br /><br />The BAD news is that this means I will have to subscribe to HULU!Dale Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553503281187956955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-78723183126989789562014-11-30T00:50:14.344-05:002014-11-30T00:50:14.344-05:00Forgot to add that I don't think James Cameron...Forgot to add that I don't think James Cameron's new movie, out next month will be as Good as the Book. It is titled EXODUS.Robert Loprestihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08844889305615182897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-89411966357187727222014-11-29T23:32:24.873-05:002014-11-29T23:32:24.873-05:00David, The Drop is now on my list--I love to get r...David, <i>The Drop</i> is now on my list--I love to get recommendations like this. <br /><br />I agree that the sweeping majesty of an adaptation like <i>Reds</i> (and, in places, <i>Lonesome Dove</i>, IMO) is rare, and it occurs to me that part of the beauty of source material like <i>Legends of the Fall</i> might lie in the fact that Jim Harrison is (as James Dickey was, I suppose) as much or more a poet as a novelist.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-139633251017730882014-11-29T21:51:39.479-05:002014-11-29T21:51:39.479-05:00Lehane edited BOSTON NOIR, and "Animal Rescue...Lehane edited BOSTON NOIR, and "Animal Rescue" was his own entry. I highly recommend THE DROP, both book and movie (one of James Gandofini's last character parts). McMurtry himself said that LONESOME DOVE was meant to be sort of an anti-Western, but I have a sense that the epic voice inhabits you in spite of yourself. LEGENDS OF THE FALL, say, although it was turned into an excrutiatingly bad movie (POV or voice, again, I think.) A movie is most obviously surface, WYSIWYG. The more successful adaptions, or originals, manage to suggest something beyond the immediate - if not an inner life, a world larger than the frame: maybe REDS? <br />Very few pictures manage to effectively convey an inner life. Voice-over almost never works. One of the few where it does is MURDER, MY SWEET (or FAREWELL, MY LOVELY), but it's set up in such a way that Dick Powell is telling his story to the cops, after the fact, and his commenting on the action - I mean, seriously, would you trust Claire Trevor any further than you could throw her? Or equally seriously, I'd be on my hands and knees - he sells it. The exception to the rule. David Edgerley Gateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05302818835018859164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-19208444445687534902014-11-29T17:00:42.909-05:002014-11-29T17:00:42.909-05:00Don't know why I put quotes around The Last Pi...Don't know why I put quotes around <i>The Last Picture Show</i>. "I'm going crazy."John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-21912261117439795462014-11-29T16:58:49.628-05:002014-11-29T16:58:49.628-05:00Eve, I agree with you about "The Last Picture...Eve, I agree with you about "The Last Picture Show" I liked the movie more than the novel. As for the adaptation of <i>Lonesome Dove</i>, I thought it was one of the best Westerns ever made, but I swear I thought the book was wonderful as well. Maybe it's as David said: I have a strong sentimental attachment to that novel.<br /><br />A good observation, about <i>Gatsby</i>--maybe Daisy is too complex to be properly portrayed on film.<br /><br />Thanks, Peter! I've read some of the Noir anthologies, but not this one (obviously). I'll look for it!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-89548463914927042772014-11-29T16:42:30.142-05:002014-11-29T16:42:30.142-05:00John, "Animal Rescue" is in the Boston N...John, "Animal Rescue" is in the Boston Noir anthology from Akashic Books. I found it at my local library, which (lucky for me) carries lots of the Noir series anthos. I think this series is popular for library sales, so maybe you'll luck out too.<br />Peter DiChellishttp://murderandfries.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-28805135255655595582014-11-29T16:17:19.955-05:002014-11-29T16:17:19.955-05:00I've always felt that the movies "The Las...I've always felt that the movies "The Last Picture Show" and "Lonesome Dove" (original with Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall) were both better than the books, which has led me to believe that Larry McMurtry writes better for the screen than the page. I also feel that the movie "Deliverance" was infinitely better than the book, but then again, maybe I just didn't like the POV of the book. <br /><br />On the other hand, I think the real reason any movie version of "The Great Gatsby" fails is because Daisy is unfilmable; I actually think Robert Redford grasped Gatsby, all surface, no depth, just a mirror of longing. Daisy is, through most of the book, simply Gatsby's dream image. I've always said that if I could ever film it, I would have two actresses for Daisy, one (a CGI ethereally, unbelievably beautiful innocent) whenever Gatsby is watching her, and another (pretty, hardened) whenever anyone else's POV is used. Eve Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03015761600962360110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-45853914367012552202014-11-29T15:14:44.488-05:002014-11-29T15:14:44.488-05:00Good points, David. You are absolutely correct th...Good points, David. You are absolutely correct that many of these opinions, including mine, are tied to how sentimental we are toward our first contact with the source (usually the novel). As for after-the-fact novelizations of movies, I've usually tried to avoid those, although I'm sure some are very well done.<br /><br />All this talk about "Animal Rescue" has made me really want to find and read it. As I've said, I've enjoyed almost everything Lehane has written.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-43883789644068930922014-11-29T14:58:09.423-05:002014-11-29T14:58:09.423-05:00GODFATHER is an interesting example. No disrespec...GODFATHER is an interesting example. No disrespect to Mario Puzo, but the movies are better. ENEMY AT THE GATES is only loosely based on WAR OF THE RATS, and the book is uncredited. THE DROP is kind of a curiosity, because the movie was adapted from a Lehane short story ("Animal Rescue") and the book is a novelization of the script. I think it also depends to a large degree on how much of a sentimental attachment we have to a specific book. My opinion, THE GREAT GATSBY is unfilmable - but this is probably an aspect of POV, as both Melodie and John point out. David Edgerley Gateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05302818835018859164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-33453984999918856832014-11-29T14:02:44.392-05:002014-11-29T14:02:44.392-05:00Dale, you and I are both longtime King fans, and I...Dale, you and I are both longtime King fans, and I thought <i>11/22/63</i>, <i>The Dead Zone</i>, and <i>The Stand</i> were his best novels--although I also really enjoyed <i>It</i> and <i>The Green Mile</i>--and, like you, I think many of his screen adaptations didn't work well. But I probably need to give the TV version of <i>The Shining</i> another watch; I remember not finishing it, and it sounds as if I should've given it more of a chance. I did hear someplace last week that J.J. Abrams plans to adapt <i>The Stand</i>, and I have high hopes for that one. Thanks for your thoughts!John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-51135339400464783882014-11-29T13:46:15.578-05:002014-11-29T13:46:15.578-05:00Peter, thanks for the comment. I too thought the ...Peter, thanks for the comment. I too thought the book version of <i>Gone Baby Gone</i> was better. The ONLY one of Dennis Lehane's novels (and movie versions) that I didn't like much was <i>Shutter Island</i> (maybe it WAS too creepy for me). Another of his that I wish would be adapted for the screen is the lesser-known <i>Prayers for Rain</i>--boy I liked that book. Alas, I have not yet read the Lehane short story you mentioned. OR any of Don Winslow's work (?!?). I do intend to, though. Thanks again.<br />John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-77684259750443218832014-11-29T13:45:39.030-05:002014-11-29T13:45:39.030-05:00Liz, good to hear from you! I agree completely, o...Liz, good to hear from you! I agree completely, on <i>Harriet the Spy</i>. As for <i>The Shipping News</i>, I confess that I enjoyed that movie. I convinced myself that the reason it moved so slowly was the fact that it was of course literary fiction--but I thought Spacey and Judi Dench made it interesting.<br /><br />Rob, you're right. Especially with <i>Postman</i>, <i>Eight Million</i> (which could've been great), and <i>Fletch</i>. Haven't seen or read <i>Slayground</i>. I never even thought about <i>The Paper Chase</i>, but you're right there too. I'm not sure what my problem was with the novel version of <i>Smoking</i>--I usually like Christopher Buckley's novels--but I truly enjoyed the movie more. And I have not seen <i>Smiley's People</i> (!!), although I liked the book.<br /><br />John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-80080232148793376312014-11-29T13:37:40.889-05:002014-11-29T13:37:40.889-05:00Well, this is what makes horse races. I reach exa...Well, this is what makes horse races. I reach exactly the opposite conclusion than Fran on The Shining. I thought the book was one of King's finest -- right up there with The Stand, It and 11/22/63. But I was deeply disappointed by Kubrick's 1980 version, which re-imagined the book to remove most of the paranormal parts. And it was absolutely unforgivable to cast the PERFECT actor for Halloran -- Scatman Crothers -- and then re-write the book so as to render the character surplusage. And, in contrast to John's views, I thought the television mini-series re-make -- shot under the supervision of King -- was great and one of my favorite filmed versions of a King work. <br /><br />Go figure!Dale Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553503281187956955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-12395443465891100072014-11-29T13:26:34.723-05:002014-11-29T13:26:34.723-05:00Great lists. I enjoy Dennis Lehane's work and ...Great lists. I enjoy Dennis Lehane's work and liked seeing where you placed some of his books and movie adaptations. Here's how couple more shook out for me.<br /><br />Gone Baby Gone: Book better than movie.<br /><br />Shutter Island: Book and movie both creepy-great, book maybe a little bit more. (Also, I hear HBO is developing a series now.)<br /><br />Animal Rescue/The Drop: Enjoyed the short story, haven't seen the movie yet and didn't finish the novel/novella, which (in a twist) Lehane adapted from the screenplay! (Which he also wrote, based on the original unfinished novel that became the short story. Whew.)<br /><br />Also a huge fan of Don Winslow. Savages/Kings of Cool: Books better than the movie, which was good, but couldn't show how Winslow experiments with writing. <br />Peter DiChellishttp://murderandfries.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-91653083354870928572014-11-29T13:01:42.863-05:002014-11-29T13:01:42.863-05:00I love your list columns, John. A few i think you ...I love your list columns, John. A few i think you missed (or i missed em).<br /><br />Books better than movies: The Postman, Eight Million Ways To Die, Bank Shot, Slayground, Fletch, Tinker Tailor soldier Spy.<br /><br />Movies better than books|. the Paper Chase.<br /><br />I disagree on Thank You For Smoking, thinking the book was the better version.<br /><br />Great TV adaptations| Tinker tailor and Smiley's People.<br /><br /><br /><br />Robert Loprestihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08844889305615182897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-49720730455958499802014-11-29T13:00:25.678-05:002014-11-29T13:00:25.678-05:00Terrible movies from great books? The Shipping New...Terrible movies from great books? <i>The Shipping News</i> lost an awful lot on its journey to the screen. And <i>Harriet the Spy</i>, which is a fantastic book for kids 10+ or thereabouts, became a really stupid movie starring Rosie O'Donnell.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00239163766419735693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-67832289237616981862014-11-29T10:18:44.861-05:002014-11-29T10:18:44.861-05:00Thanks for these thoughts, Melodie--I couldn't...Thanks for these thoughts, Melodie--I couldn't agree more. I've written three screenplays, and I discovered right away that having to use what's sometimes called the "detached" viewpoint, not being able to get into any of the characters' heads, is the one hardest thing about screenwriting. It automatically distances the characters (and the writer) from the audience, since by definition the viewer can see them only as a camera does.<br /><br />That probably makes me appreciate even more those times when movies DO work well, and even better than the source material did.<br />John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-34274742650170980522014-11-29T10:10:11.467-05:002014-11-29T10:10:11.467-05:00A lot of the time, I think if comes down to this: ...A lot of the time, I think if comes down to this: in a movie, you lose viewpoint (we aren't in the protagonist's head, hearing his thoughts.) I teach that viewpoint is the author's greatest tool: it allows the reader to hear the goals and motivation of the protagonist and thus have sympathy for him. If we take that away, the movie has to compensate in some way. And in some books, the thoughts of the protagonist are just too important to omit.<br />(Hey! I can talk serious now and again, grin.)Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-85507288139424147902014-11-29T09:41:10.474-05:002014-11-29T09:41:10.474-05:00Fran, I agree with you on The Sound and the Fury. ...Fran, I agree with you on <i>The Sound and the Fury</i>. And I probably should've added <i>As I Lay Dying</i> to the "book is better than the movie" list.<br /><br />I gotta disagree with you on <i>The Shining</i>. I forgot to include it in any of the lists, but I actually think that book was better than the Jack Nicholson version of the movie (there was a later version, made for TV I think, which I enjoyed even less). I think most of the film adaptations of Stephen King's books, except maybe for <i>Misery</i>, <i>The Green Mile</i>, <i>Cujo</i>, <i>Shawshank</i>, and a few others, weren't as good as the novels were. I will admit, though, that there are a few scenes from the movie of <i>The Shining</i> (Heeeere's Johnny, etc.) that have stayed with me over the years.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.com