Movies & Books Into Movies

[pedln]

How many of you have read a book, then watched a movie that was based on that same book? Were you disappointed? Or elated that they hadn't made any significant changes? Or even surprised to discover the movie was even better than the book?

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Books Into Movies Now on DVD
Recent Movies Based on Books
Books in a Series by Their Authors
Movies Based on the Book

Join us in an ongoing discussion of this very popular subject right now.
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Your Discussion Leader: pedln

I think it (100 Ft Journey) will, too, Tomereader.  With Helen Mirren and also directed by Lasse Halstrom -- Chocolat, My Life as a Dog, and many many more.

Unbroken should be good, too.  The book has received so many favorable comments, on my TBR list.

My hiking, back-packing daughter read Wild, MaryZ.  She wasn't real impressed either.  The book's on my TBR, but I'll probably skip it, and just watch the movie. Even though I"ll never do it, there's something appealing about the challenge of the outdoors and unexplored.  I did like the movie of Jon Krackour's Into the Wild.

[marjifay]

Unbroken was one of my favorite books -- I hope they make it into a good movie.  I was sorry to hear that Louie Zamperini died the other day at age 97.  He seemed like a person I'd liked to have known.

I remember a surprising fact from the book -- that more of our men in WW2 were killed in airplanes that crashed because they were poorly made and hastily put together than were killed in crashes from enemy fire.  As I recall, that was what was wrong with Louie's plane that crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

Marj

[maryz]

pedln, I felt Wild was more about her "poor me" and whining than about the trail.  Guess I thought it would be more about that.

[ginny]

I got the 100 Foot Journey  book today and it's got Helen Mirren's photo on the cover, B&N had it under a huge display of movie tie ins. I can't wait for the movie, it looks wonderful, August 9 it's coming out. I'm going to start it tonight, am in the mood for something positive and uplifting  which it appears to be.  And let's face it, as Tome says, how can the movie  be bad, really?

The type of movie reminds me of something they used to do here back  in the late 60's, it was movie matinees for ladies only. They showed movies of the type like the  Marigold Hotel and  the Doris Day comedies, free, and served refreshments free, too.  I seem to remember Crispy Creme doughnuts and we all had a lovely time. It was full, too.

[Frybabe]

James Garner just passed away at 86.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/21/movies/james-garner-actor-dies-at-86.html?action=click&contentCollection=Television&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article

[salan]

I just loved James Garner and feel his loss personally.

I just watched Lee Daniel's The Butler.  It was well worth watching in my opinion.
Sally

[marjifay]

Yahoo News showed several photos of James Garner in his various movie roles.  One was a scene in the movie Move Over Darling where he picked up Doris Day with one arm and, not meaning to do so, accidently fractured her rib.  She continued with the film, wearing a brace of some sort.  I've put that movie on my Netflix queue, along with some other of his films.

Marj

[marjifay]

I just found a James Garner movie I'd never heard of.  It was highly recommended in an article about his films, and I've added it to my Netflix queue.  THE NOTEBOOK, 2004, starring James Garner and Gena Rowlands.  Directed by Nick Cassavetes (I love Cassavetes' films).  Per IMDB summary, A poor and passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman and gives her a sense of freedom. They soon are separated by their social differences."

Marj

[MaryPage]

There was a book, too.  I have forgotten who wrote it, but it was some well known author.  I read the book AND saw the movie.  Seems ages ago now.

Nicholas Sparks, that's who.  I had to look it up, and then I felt stupid for not remembering.

[marjifay]

Thanks, MaryPage.  I see the movie was made from the book by Nicholas Sparks.  I'll add the book to my TBR list.

Marj

[mrssherlock]

TCM is having a James Garner retrospective Monday (EST) starting at 6 am (3 am PST)
http://www.tcm.com/schedule/index.html?tz=PST&sdate=2014-07-28

[salan]

Jackie, Thanks for that info.  I'll set my dvr.
Sally

[pedln]

Thanks, Jackie.  Offhand I couldn't think of a film he starred in, thought it was mainly Westerns.  But that's not necessarily so.  Amazon had one of his DVDs  really marked down, so I just ordered it -- My Fellow Americans.  Garner plays an ex-president.  Also stars Willford Brimley, Dan Acroyd, and ?

A few weeks ago, after having seen the ad daily on the NY Times, I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel.  That is one strange film, not particularly to my liking.  I think it's one of those films that I'd probably like better if I watched it a second time, but I don't think I can bring myself to do that.

Am currently caught up in Netflix's  Season two of HOuse of Cards.  It's been a while since Season one, and I think I need to rewatch it too.

[marcie]

Pedln, I recently watched Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel (from our local library) due to a mention here, I think. I enjoyed its whimsical perspectives and settings.

Ralph Fiennes  played one of the main characters and I thought he was superb in a role unlike I've seen him play before.

I looked up the writer/director Wes Anderson and found out he's the great-grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

[pedln]

That's interesting, Marcie, about Wes Anderson's grandfather.  He has had some good results with his films -- I loved Moonrise Kingdom, and have The Royal Tenebaums here, ready to watch someday.  Sometime down the road I'll rewatch the Grand Budapest and will find that I like it.  That happened for me with Sideways.  Wiki says Anderson fetishizes material things.  Thinking of Grand Budapest that makes me wonder if he fetishizes women.

[marjifay]

Just goes to show how tastes differ.  My son and I thought The Grand Budapest Hotel was one of the best films we'd seen this year.

Marj

[MaryPage]

I just watched the first episode of THE OUTLANDER.  Starz is showing it for free on ON DEMAND for just this week.  Then you have to subscribe to the premium channel of Starz in order to see each weekly episode.
And it is really, really, really good.  A little bit, weeeel, MORE than a little bit strong and modern with the sex.  I find those parts difficult, but then again, I found the same with the books.  And, while this is BASICALLY the same story, they have changed a lot.  The beginning lasts a lot longer, you know, before she gets wafted off to the past.  And they explain a lot of stuff up front that you don't learn until the end of the first book or into the second.  But you have to do different stuff with film than you do with the pen.  Oh, and her language is quite nasty;  I hate that.  But she is quite good, I would say most excellent, in the part.  And he is downright DIVINE.  I mean Jamie, of course.  I will probably buy the DVDs.

[CallieOK]

I just finished reading the most recent book in the series.   Isn't she EVER going to get them back to Scotland??

Although I'd love to see the tv version,  I suspect it would be a case of being disappointed because the actors don't look like the ones in my head.

[MaryPage]

I suspect you will like them, Callie.  Give it a whirl this week.  You can stream it for free, this week only, from Starz or get it for free on On Demand.

[pedln]

Not sure this is my cup of tea, MaryPage, but the reviews on Netflix praise both film and books.

If you have read the books, you will love it.

I agree with MaryPage, Callie -- give it a whirl.

[CallieOK]

Might do that.  A couple of family "situations" have developed and I may not have time to think about it while the Starz Freebie time is on - but I'll put it on the To Do list.
Thanks.

[MaryPage]

I will tell you the truth, I did not think they could pull off translating those books into films.  Not for so much as a minute did I think it could be done.

And, truth to tell, I am not that big a fan of the author and the series.  More truth telling time:  I am not much for fantasy, but very into history.  Not much for thick, overdone in the sex and romance department historical fiction that ends up with books so fat they are hard to handle and WILL NOT fit into a purse.  A tote, mebbe, but a purse, no!  And I love a paperback I can take along to doctors waiting rooms and restaurants.  I am always reading while waiting or eating.

So daughter Anne gave me about 5 of the original books as one of my Christmas gifts years ago.  I inherited more from a friend, just an acquaintance, really, who died.  Inherited in the sense that her widower brought over a large cardboard box of her books and told me to take what I wanted and give away the rest.  Mike, as we called her, had loved the series, and so I acquired all the rest.  My daughter Debi starting reading them, and she was totally hooked.  I just bought her the very latest in hardback for her June 14th birthday.  Now Debi is busier than a one arm paper hanger these days, marrying off a daughter this coming Saturday.  She has pulled off already reading that book, though, but did not feel she had time to spare to watch the free pilot of The Outlander.  And so it is that I did it for her.

And I have to admit to any who wonder, I think they did a terrific job with it.  WELL worth the time to tune in to every episode, if they don't fall down on the job.

By the way, Debi has read every single book.  I need to pick up again one day.  With book three!  And so I hang on to them.  Not really my cuppa, but passable.

[ginny]

I just saw The Hundred Foot Journey, and while it was not the same ending as the book, I enjoyed it VERY much. It's a positive feel good type of movie. Here they only gave it 2 stars, I think that's a disservice. The theater was full of people of a certain age and it was delightful. Yes I can think of some criticisms, but what's wrong with a nice movie now and then?

I guess they did not kill enough people or show enough nudity. Faugh.

But in the previews was Exotic Marigold Hotel II and it looks to DIE for! Nobody who sees that trailer will ever  be able to stay away. A must see and a surprising new guest star, too, to go with all our old favorites.

Looks wonderful, just wonderful. And there was nothing wrong with the Hundred Foot Journey, either. The man who plays the father needs some serious Oscar consideration, he was wonderful.

[CallieOK]

The Hundred Foot Journey opened here today - and also received a 2-star rating.  Criticisms were "picky" IMO and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

[Frybabe]

I was perusing the upcoming movies and ran across Paddington. It is scheduled to be released for Christmas this year. Looks like a nice gift for the little ones. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1109624/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1

Since I never read the Paddington Bear series, I never knew he was a Peruvian bear. Peru has bears? Yep! Looked it up. The Spectacled Bear, the only bear in South America, stays mostly in the Andes Mountains but apparently doesn't range down into Chili.

[salan]

I am looking forward to the Hundred Foot Journey & Marigold, too!  I think the people who give reviews must be "twenty something".  My sil (who is 9 yrs older than I) were just bemoaning the fact that the entertainment world (tv & movies) leave those of us a certain age out of consideration when they program.  I am so sick of vulgar language, explicit sex, etc. being crammed down our throats; and when did it become popular to have crooks and criminals as heroes ??
Sally

[marjifay]

The Hundred Foot Journey gets a good rating of 7.2/10 at IMDB (altho it doesn't sound like a movie I'd see).  And I can't get excited about a Richard Gere film (Marigold Hotel).

Just saw a film I liked -- A Most Wanted Man with Phillip Seymour Hoffman, from a John leCarre book.  Le Carre's books are not favorites of mine, but after seeing the film I want to read the book.

Also want to see Guardians of the Galaxy, a new Sci-Fi film, which they say has, along with an exciting story,  very good interesting characterization (unlike many such films), witty dialogue and lots of humor.

Marj

[MaryPage]

I enjoyed The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel so much that I have actually watched it on my DVD twice more since I scurried off to the moving picture theatre to first see it.  Like some of the rest of you, I can barely contain myself looking forward to the sequel.  Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton (uh-uh, looks like the wife is coming back to India!), they were all so wonderful!

[ginny]

Yes I loved that, too.

I just read a new review of the Hundred Foot Journey in that magazine  Week  or something and the reviewer gave it two stars and said if you like...I believe he said soppy fairy tales  then you'd like it but said something nice afterwards. That kind of stuck with me, soppy fairy tales. I guess it did have too much of a pat ending (in comparison to the book which did not), so maybe he read the book and was disappointed in the pat ending, but I liked it anyway. That Om Puri is worth the price of admission alone.

Soppy fairy tales (if I'm quoting that correctly and may not be, but it was a generally dismissive remark  very similar, the words "fairy tale" were definitely used)...in comparison to....shoot em ups? People dying in every frame? Vampires, robots, aliens and zombies? Car chases? Prostitution? People dying of drug overdoses? Cars transforming into super heroes?

I hate to tell some of these "critics," but my normal world does not consist of any of the above, and I don't think (and I hope) everybody else's doesn't either. So a movie about what appears to be normal people in a beautiful setting is a lot more normal for most of us.

 He can keep his "fairy tales," soppy or not and just watch what he's used to in his life,  the news. It's free.

[marjifay]

I just watched a movie from Netflix, Under the Skin, based on a novel by Michael Faber. The novel was a strange and haunting but fastinating story.  I'd read the novel and was looking forward to see how they made it into a film.  I don't mind when a movie is different from the book if it's done well.  The director supposedly spent a decade working on the film, and IMO he wasted his time making a dull, boring movie which had only the barest resemblance to the book.  Note:  Neither the book nor the film is one for Ginny, who likes films "about what appears to be normal people in a beautiful setting." (and I'm afraid ones I usually find boring. LOL)

Marj

[marjifay]

I'd like to see UNBROKEN as a movie, provided it gets good reviews.  I've seen too many great books (as this one was) made into disappointing movies.

Oh, I see where the Coen Brothers are doing the script.  That should go a long way to making it a good movie.

Marj

[ginny]

Nonono, that's not what I meant. I was being sarcastic with the critic calling The Hundred Foot Walk a "soppy fairy tale" just because it ended nicely and had no violence, sex, drug use, robots, transformers, zombies, end of the world, etc., etc. I was trying to say that every movie really does not have to have that as sometimes it's nice to see something which approached normalcy without those additions without calling it a fairy tale.

I like all kinds of movies but I don't call those which are pleasant  fairy tales. That implies that one's own life is a long way from what's on the screen, to me. Maybe I'm nuts.  

[marjifay]

Tom Rob Smith, who wrote THE FARM, also wrote CHILD 44, an interesting novel based on the true story of a Russian serial killer who, over many years, claimed over 50 victims, mostly under the age of 17.   This was during Stalin's Russia and the bureaucrats in power would not admit that such crimes were being committed.  They were only interested in hearing about crimes committed against the state.

I remember a terrific TV film made about this, called CITIZEN X. It's available at Netflix.  Netflix summary:  "In this fact-based film, Russian forensics expert Burakov (Stephen Rea) tracks a serial killer over several years. Bukarov's superior, Fetisov (Donald Sutherland), does his best to assist, but with more than 50 victims, the case stalls under Soviet bureaucracy. At the end of his rope, Bukarov brings in a psychiatrist (Max von Sydow) to create the killer's profile. Sutherland won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role in this made-for-cable thriller."

Marj

[Dana]

oh yes I remember Citizen X, an absolutely terrific movie.  Donald Sutherland was the Russian general who supported the policeman in his endeavours.  When they finally caught the guy they just shot him.  (Can't remember if he was tried...hope so...but...it was a very satisfactory ending...... I'm pretty sure I got a book, too, also called Citizen X.

[maryz]

Have you  seen that A&E has cancelled Longmire?  According to the article, the producers are shopping it around to other networks to see if somebody else will buy it.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-es-longmire-canceled-728963

[Frybabe]

What the heck are they thinking? Get rid of the high ranking shows so they have room for more crappy reality marathons? It is the only show I watch on A&E anymore.

[maryz]

You and me, too, Frybabe!

[MaryPage]

What I find these days, the thing I am finally analyzing about my choices in reading and television, is this:  

When young, I kept up with and read almost every book featured in best seller lists and Book of The Month.  Was almost robotic in slurping up every new offering, and remember being so shocked and put off by the likes of Philip Roth.  As time went by, the passing decades put me out of the mainstream.  The movement toward and then into total acceptance of unrepressed sexuality and gutter speech filled with expletives made me turn to cosy British mysteries.  I could not then, and still flinch from, absorb the to my mind uncivilized culture exhibited in so many acclaimed works of modern literature and plays.  I confess to finding refuge in any good book or movie from a more civil era.  In the same way that the vast majority of network and cable television offerings smite me right into my soul and are impossible for me to adjust to, I cannot dive into the latest best sellers.  The immoral choices, the language, the THOUGHTS!  The addictions, the lack of duty and responsibility and LOYALTY!  No wonder the young are the way they are!  I get the feeling my own family groupings are, most of them, a wholesome throwback to the Leave It To Beaver days;  but I see some of those few of my own generation of friends still chugging along having to accept downright earthmoving changes in the mores of their descendants.  I have been on the phone long distance with a number (I can count on one hand) who live too far for further meeting, and they cry over the change in values.

It all goes together, it is a package of time;  and I am living in the wrong package these days!

[Tomereader1]

A dear friend of mine, who is also in our Book Club, introduced me to the Longmire books way before he came to TV, and we were all so excited that it was going to be a TV show.  We all started watching regularly, bemoaned the season finales that made us wait so long to get new episodes, and now A&E pulls this crap on us.  In the beginning (doesn't that sound truly biblical? LOL) A&E had quality shows, then they suddenly deteriorated into "reality" shows, which bear not a semblance of reality (scripted nonsense).  I can be happy just reading my books, but hubby requires television.  I do have regular shows I watch, both cable and local broadcast, but the content and quality of TV in general is severely lacking. 

[MaryPage]

Yes, I remember when the Arts & Entertainment channel was just as good, if not better than, PBS.  Hasn't been true for simply years now.

And the HISTORY channel started out wonderfully.  Ugh!  Now they are putting on spooky shows about UFOs and aliens and such like.  Filling people up with a lot of crap, and no discernable History!

And THE LEARNING CHANNEL.  It is all Reality TV now.  Icky poo!

Finally, THE DISCOVER CHANNEL.  Oh, such wonderful documentaries in the beginning!

I guess it is a matter of making money, and the advertisers only flock to stuff large numbers of the TV watching public will watch.  Makes me want to puke, it do!