Ask Joseph Finder and Barry L. Levy - August 5th! discussion
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Paranoia
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Joseph wrote: "Oh, and major congratulations on winning the trip to the movie premiere! I'll see you on Thursday!Merle wrote: "Aloha Joe and Barry!
First of all, I would like to offer my congratulations on Pa..."
Thank you, Joe! We look forward to seeing you on Thursday!! Xoxo
Joseph wrote: "Hi Merle -- Greetings to my #1 fan! I'm very excited about PARANOIA the movie coming out. It's funny, you ask about how it feels to have the characters "come to life," but in my head, PARANOIA w..."
Greetings back to my favorite author! It's been awesome reading all of the questions and answers. I CAN'T WAIT TIL THURSDAY to see you!! I hope to meet Barry as well!!!
Dennis wrote: "Hi Joseph! I'm a big fan of your work. I still think Moscow Club is my favorite. I know you probably cannot pick a favorite novel among your works but is there one that you are most proud of? ..."
It's so great to see that someone agrees with me about MOSCOW CLUB. That my favorite, too.
Mod
Wow. Good question. Before answering, I should probably explain that I have a rather unique opinion/perspective on adaptations based on two personal experiences.
On an earlier film I was involved in, I struggled mightily with the finished film. (For anyone wondering which film it is, all I can say is that for better or worse my imdb profile is incomplete :)). Days after viewing the rough cut, I sat in a producer's office and expressed as much and he gave me piece of advice that I have since passed along to a half-dozen other writers. He told me that the problem for most writers is that we see the movie that ISN'T on screen. We are among the first ones involved in a film and we therefore have a wholly unadulterated view of the world, the dialogue, the tone, style, etc. Then part of the job is to invite 500-1000 of our "closest friends," in to make themselves at home :) Well, all you can do is hope that those friends insist on improving upon what you have given them.
To me, this advice has shaped and changed how I view all films (but especially adaptations of preexisting material). Everyone reads something their own way and if the author has done his/her job, the reader has a specific vision in mind. But no one's vision is the same... and this leads me to my second experience.
Years ago when I was in grad school, I read the screenplay for Twelve Monkeys. The movie was in production at the time and I fell in love with the script. I thought it was brilliant. Masterful. Then I saw the movie -- a movie that I think we can all agree was critically well received and I really didn't like it. I hated it. It didn't look at all like the vision I had in my head. Years later, when the script itself became nothing more than a distant memory, I saw it again and I totally dug the movie. In large part because I wasn't bound by my own vision for the material. But herein, I realized just how strongly my enjoyment of a film was based on my expectations going on. I have a vision for it. I saw it a certain way. It just happened to be very different than how the filmmakers interpreted the material.
Alright, so what does this all mean for the question you asked? My favorite novel adaptations and my least favorite are judged on a less than traditional criteria than most.
See, I'm someone who marveled at the first Transformers movie. Not because I thought it was Oscar worthy but because I couldn't believe how unbelievable difficult the job of adaptation on that had to have been -- semi-coherent (in my humble opinion) mythology from 30 years ago, toys, lame tv episodes. And yet the screenwriters (and the filmmakers in total) turned it into something incredibly alive and emotionally honest. The counter argument would be to simply say: so, I had pretty low expectations... :) But that's sort of an injustice to the screenwriters. They took the source material, found what sparked inside them and they owned it. I loved that. Was it an accurate adaptation? I have no idea.
So for me, I love it when filmmakers tackle material -- whether they're scripts or books, etc -- and bring something of themselves to it. They aspire to elevate material. Perhaps it is (as my first point was hopefully illustrating) my desire that my collaborators strive for as much with my screenplays.
With that in mind, I'd rate among the best thriller adaptations I've ever seen: Die Hard. The book bares only passing resemblance to the finished film. BUT... that finished film owns it's world. It's not weighed down by its tribute to the source material. But more importantly, it took many of the strengths of the book -- and added to it. I thought that was great.
As for my least favorite... I'd have to say Before & After. I want to be clear, I don't think it's because the movie was good or bad. But if you'd read the book itself, the hook was so powerful... so resonant, and yet there were some real problems later in the novel -- it doesn't really go anywhere. Well, I thought the screenplay delivered on all that worked well in the book, but it didn't solve the problems. See, unfortunately in my own nutty criteria for adaptations, I think it's my job (and my fellow screenwriters job) to aspire to elevate things. I so wanted to believe that the filmmakers collectively -- not just the writer -- would've aspired to deliver more.
hope that answers the question...
B
Mod
First of all, I would like to offer my congratulations on Paranoia, releasing on August 16! I am so excited about Paranoia hitting the big screen!
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My pleasure... it has been fun! Enjoy the film!
Barry wrote: "Eric wrote: "Barry wrote: "Eric wrote: "How difficult is it to turn a 400 plus page novel into a screen play? Are you worried that fans of the book will not see the movie? Jack Reacher fans were no..."How can you say the 80s Transformer cartoon is lame?! ;) Diehard is my all time favorite movie franchise. I didn't even know it was based on a novel until the most recent movie. The 4th movie is also loosely based on a book.
Have you ever done TV? If so, how different is TV compared to writing for a movie? If you haven't done TV, would you consider it?
Who is your favorite actor? I love Bruce Willis movies. I don't care what critics say about them. I don't care if they are box office smash hits or not. I see his movies. I especially love to see stuff blow up. :)
Mod
I've done a little tv but I'm fascinated with it. My wife and I are avid Good Wife viewers... and a host of other shows. As for favorite actors, Harrison Ford (obviously).
Morgan Freeman is right up there. I just saw 2 Guns last night and I was reminded of just how compelling both of the leads in that movie are as well. Too many to list here.
Barry wrote: "Hi Eric,I've done a little tv but I'm fascinated with it. My wife and I are avid Good Wife viewers... and a host of other shows. As for favorite actors, Harrison Ford (obviously).
Morgan Free..."
I think thriller novels are more suited for TV. I would love to see a Jack Reacher TV series, as opposed to the movie. I think it would give more time to tell the story the way Reacher fans have come to expect. How do you feel about that.
My wife and I have a list of TV shows that we can't miss. :)
hmm thinking if Nick Heller series is made into a TV show we need a Mark Harmon type to be him and Aishia from the view (darn brain farts) as the computer wiz
First of all, I would like to offer my congratulations on Paranoia, releasing on August 16! I am so excited about Paranoia hitting the big screen!
I have read P..."
Thank you, Barry! You certainly offered awesome insight! Hope to see you on Thursday! Aloha!