Films that are better than the books???

[Will]

Patti (Baku Bound) wrote: "Will wrote: ""I agree with Patti, Dune was crap"

Can I have another vote begging post now, please?"

Yeah go on.

Everyone is ignoring you anyway. :D"



I've noticed. *Sniff*

[Andy]

Dun dun dun dun der-der, dun dun dun der-der, dun dun dun derrr-derrr, dun dun dun derrrrrrrr!

[Andy]

Karen wrote: "a bit eerie cos the fireworks are going off outside for the Shrews flower show! can't smell napalm yet tho..."

I think it's adorable that shrews have their own flower show. Can't wait till the hedgehogs have their jam making festival.

[Patti (baconater)]

Stop it you!

I'm being all serious here and now there's a puddle on my couch!

[Jim]

Patti (Baku Bound) wrote: "I'm sure that I saw photos of scenes in this film in museums. Or scenes were based on photos, more likely.

I've seen this film probably ten times, but not through these eyes.

Criminy."

Perhaps you realise why it freaked me out when I saw 'Vietnam' on the stats for my blog.

Now go back and re-read http://jandbvwebster.wordpress.com/20...

;-)

[Patti (baconater)]

I love the smell of napalm in the morning...

[Patti (baconater)]

Frick Jim.

You've got me bawling again.

[Karen]

mm, now got the betting ad.
DVD sounds a better idea.
Fireworks were interesting, just as the Ride of the Valkyrie was kicking in!

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

Patti (Baku Bound) wrote: "Stop it you!

I'm being all serious here and now there's a puddle on my couch!"

Did you get a puppy??

[Patti (baconater)]

I have soooo many photos of tanks and choppers on my phone.

Oh. Look. Pattaya.

[Andy]

Definitely going to put the Redux DVD on. I'm missing all the extra bits that Coppola slipped back in.

[Patti (baconater)]

Yep. That was me n Dave walking in the red light district in pattaya.

We had no chopper tho...

[Andy]

Larry Fishburne looks so young, and thin. He's half the man he is now.

[Patti (baconater)]

Oh cripes.

Did I talk about the tunnels???

[Jim]

Patti (Baku Bound) wrote: "Oh cripes.

Did I talk about the tunnels???"

The Tunnels of Cu Chi?

[Patti (baconater)]

No, we did the tunnels near Khe San Combat Base. Sort of near.

We didn't bother with Cu Chi cuz the other ones really freaked me out.

[Jim]

I can well imagine
Way back, in the 1960s, there was a condensed book at the end of the Readers Digest which was the story of a Viet Cong cadre taken from a diary found on the body after a firefight.
I've no idea what the book was called now or whether it was a propaganda exercise by one or both sides or the real deal but it was a fascinating insight into life in the tunnels generally

[Patti (baconater)]

i have no idea how anyone lived in them. mind the longest they stayed inside at one stretch was nine days if i recalling correctly. i disliked the half hour we were in them. mind you im fairly tall.

[Jim]

The book (condensed book) I read had an overground village integrated with the tunnels, so most people would spend a fair bit of time above ground

I do wish I could remember the book

[Patti (baconater)]

yep that's how it was Jim. they tended crops in the day and token shelter in the night. or whenever bombing was happening, of course.
the was even a maternity ward underground. sort of a wide spot in the corridor. can't recall how many babies were born underground. several. most are still alive

[Jim]

I remember once producing a game for Miniature Wargames based on living/running that sort of complex. The war was probably over but barely. Gods but it's a long time ago

[Jamie]

I really enjoyed Sharknado! Who'd have thought the way to stop them was to chuck bombs into the tornadoes. Megacroc has got Tiffany and Debbie Gibson in it. Worth a look. And theres a human centipede one too. All on the ScyFy channel on Sky.

On topic - Shawshank redemption. Decent short story. Utterly superb film.

[Andy]

I really like the film version of Hannibal, having found the book to be a bit bloated and at times silly (drinking orphans tears, 'roided up sister etc). The film got quite a bit of stick at the time because it wasn't the tense thriller that Silence of the Lambs was, and also because Foster didn't return as Starling. Whilst Julianne Moore does a good job as the FBI special agent, I imagine the film would have benefited from Jodie's more familiar take on the character. Hopkins chews the scenery throughout, and his Lecter doesn't seem as expertly played as Mads Mikelson has been during the recent superb TV series.

Criticism was also levelled at the amount of gore present (especially in that dinner scene) but I actually enjoyed that part of it as it matched the Grand Guignol sensibilities that Harris hinted at in the novels. What is inarguable though is how beautifully made the film is. From the expertly staged opening shoot out, to how lavish Florence appears on screen, Ridley Scott frames every shot with his usual eye for detail. Hans Zimmer supplies a memorable score also, with vide Cor meum becoming an instantly classic piece of film music (even though it wasn't scored by Zimmer).

The ending of the film, for me, improves Harris's finale also and much more respectful of the characters of Lecter and Starling.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Andy wrote: "I really like the film version of Hannibal, having found the book to be a bit bloated and at times silly (drinking orphans tears, 'roided up sister etc). The film got quite a bit of stick at the ti..."

I didn't like the ending - Harris wrote it like that for a reason, it shouldn't have been changed.

There have been a few films/books that I only like one or the other, must be due to my imagination. I like the book of The Godfather, but hate the movie, and can't remember which way round I like Fight Club. There are very few films true to the books, but I remember annoying a friend once as I had just finished reading Sleepers and we watched it, and I could quote most of the film, it was that close. I'm generally disappointed watching the films though

[Darren]

Film is a different medium and changes have to be made in order for a book to be filmed at all. The changes that Peter Jackson made to Lord Of The Rings all worked in the context of the films. Then again, the changes made to the Hobbit were all about milking the cash cow. I think that it was The Firm with Tom Cruise where they changed something and the author of the book said something along the lines of 'Bloody hell, I wish I'd thought of that'.

[Simon (Highwayman)]

Debbie does Dallas worked much better as a film. You got a better feel for the architecture and culture of the place that is difficult to describe in words alone.

[Elle]

Stardust film > Stardust book

[Andy]

Elle wrote: "Stardust film > Stardust book"

Definitely. I'm a big Gaiman fan but thought Vaughan and Goldman infused the film version with more wit and verve than the book managed.

[Andy]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "I didn't like the ending - Harris wrote it like that for a reason, it shouldn't have been changed. ..."

When I read the book it was the ending that I disliked the most, it seemed slightly out of character for Lecter. Hannibal's actions in the kitchen at the end of the film seemed much more appropriate to both his character and his relationship with Starling.

[Elle]

Andy wrote: "Elle wrote: "Stardust film > Stardust book"

Definitely. I'm a big Gaiman fan but thought Vaughan and Goldman infused the film version with more wit and verve than the book managed."

Most importantly for me the film had action and excitement