tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post6694493218259666380..comments2023-09-12T06:18:38.552-04:00Comments on The World in the Satin Bag: Top 7 Movies That Were Better Than the BooksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-35952975497672800852009-11-29T12:13:59.177-05:002009-11-29T12:13:59.177-05:00Rachel: To each his or her own :PRachel: To each his or her own :PAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-15034960429846117442009-11-28T23:27:14.022-05:002009-11-28T23:27:14.022-05:00I agree with you--I have found certain movies to b...I agree with you--I have found certain movies to be better than the books which preceded them. One that always springs to mind for me is Fried Green Tomatoes. I don't know why, but after seeing the movie, the book just put me right to sleep.<br /><br />I disagree with you about LOTR--in a way. I can definitely see how parts of the book are hard to get through. But I, for one, always found his prose style to be highly engaging precisely because it sets up a certain aura around the book. Tolkien was a student of olden-times literature, and that comes through in his writing. Although it seems foreign and slow to modern readers, if I allow myself to slip into it, I can appreciate the atmosphere it creates--an atmosphere I almost never find in modern lit.<br /><br />Just my two cents. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-25111476115683459552009-11-27T16:14:51.065-05:002009-11-27T16:14:51.065-05:00I actually liked the book Eaters of the Dead bette...I actually liked the book Eaters of the Dead better then the 13th Warrior movie. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think it has more depth and isn't just action. Also, it's a much clearer reinterpretation of Beowulf. <br /><br />You might have had trouble with the beginning (like the first two or three chapters), because Crichton basically incorporated a historical document actually written by a Muslim envoy who made contact with Vikings with only slight modifications. <br /><br />--CrocAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-4195742511710503702009-11-27T13:36:11.892-05:002009-11-27T13:36:11.892-05:00Sean: Oh, hardly. If you were a regular reader o...Sean: Oh, hardly. If you were a regular reader of this blog you'd know that wasn't true. I actually liked Jurassic Park (the book), but the movie was better, in my opinion.<br /><br />And I'm hardly young. You're taking this whole post out of context. It's one post about some movies that were better than the books. There are loads of books that were damn better than the movies, but that's not what this list is about.<br /><br />Hell, I don't even get TV in my apartment anymore. I never converted to the digital format. I watch movies occasionally, but mostly I am on here, reading, or writing.<br /><br />I'll just assume you don't know much about my blog, because none of what you have said is really true of me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-85396697530205137042009-11-27T13:24:15.108-05:002009-11-27T13:24:15.108-05:00It's interesting, while I can see where you ar...It's interesting, while I can see where you are going in your arguments, I really find myself strongly disagreeing with the majority of your picks.<br /><br />My general opinion is that you really don't enjoy reading that much, that's the only justification I can discern for your picking movies over the originals by Adams, Tolkien and Crichton as well as others. <br /><br />More than anything this list makes me feel sorry for the decline of interest in excellent fiction, as younger generations drift to the TV, finding it more engaging than expert prose.Sean Stephenshttp://www.darkelfls.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-33412965160500417642009-11-27T11:14:01.815-05:002009-11-27T11:14:01.815-05:00Greyweather: Ah, now I understand!
Rob: I never...Greyweather: Ah, now I understand!<br /><br />Rob: I never read the book. I have it somewhere, though. I'll take your word for it :P.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-57206800859367866012009-11-27T07:26:10.499-05:002009-11-27T07:26:10.499-05:00DNA = Douglas Noel AdamsDNA = Douglas Noel AdamsGreyweatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05546347316848518932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-10407645697993678332009-11-27T05:11:12.379-05:002009-11-27T05:11:12.379-05:00You missed The Bourne Identity. A terrible, terri...You missed The Bourne Identity. A terrible, terrible book and an awful mini-series but an action film so good that it redefined the genre.<br /><br />I tried to re-read it in light of the new films but it is such a 'product of its time' that it was even more awful, badly plotted, badly paced, just bad.<br /><br />The sequels too, were infinitely better than the books.Swinefeverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15719804649768875890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-53302999777144944492009-11-27T00:29:50.257-05:002009-11-27T00:29:50.257-05:00What the heck does it mean to be a disciple of DNA...What the heck does it mean to be a disciple of DNA? And which movie? *confused*Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-85580878339303357072009-11-26T23:09:17.910-05:002009-11-26T23:09:17.910-05:00I am a disciple of DNA, and I have to disagree abo...I am a disciple of DNA, and I have to disagree about the movie. Even though he helped write the script, the books are works of pure genius. I'll leave it at that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-78247969445498889462009-11-26T22:06:07.665-05:002009-11-26T22:06:07.665-05:00Dr. Tundra: They made a lot of very logical choic...Dr. Tundra: They made a lot of very logical choices in regards to omission in LOTR. They had to. You can't tell each book in a movie without it being too long for any reasonable person to sit through. Bombadill simply had to go...<br /><br />I think HGTG could have tried to incorporate more of the jokes, but you can't translate Douglas flat to the film at all. His jokes are too much and you always have to cut out the fat. I personally loved the Stephen Fry bits; they were a clever way to tell some of Douglas' more long-winded jokes :). And the opening number was awesome. My friend and I saw it in theaters together and were the only ones that actually got the movie...sadly...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-76002540956518404352009-11-26T22:03:29.686-05:002009-11-26T22:03:29.686-05:00Mr. Fusspot: I just found parts of the first of D...Mr. Fusspot: I just found parts of the first of Douglas' books incredibly difficult to get through because his jokes tend to overrun the story. I liked some of his jokes, but, as an example, the whole first chapter with Zaphod drove me nuts, because basically the chapter is about him stealing the ship...but it's ten times longer than it needs to be because he wants to turn every thought, motion, and object into a joke...it's too much in that instance. But I think the movie capture enough of the essence to make it worthwhile.<br /><br />I actually liked the book for Jurassic Park, but I think the movie functions better than the book does, primarily because the movie can do things with visuals that the book never could. I simply have a memory of seeing that movie for the first time and being bloody terrified. But this might be differences between us...movies are more likely to scare me...except Stephen King's Cell, which is probably the only book that scared me because it had "zombies" in it...zombies *shiver*<br /><br />seekerpat: I LOVE 13th Warrior. Nothing guilty about liking that movie. I don't even think it's a B movie if you really think on the story. It's kickass.<br /><br />Dang, I haven't read the books for your other suggestions...I agree that the Planet of the Apes movie still holds up...so much so that they tried to remake it a few years back to moderate success (personally I like the new one).<br /><br />Jodi: Generally I am of the same opinion about books. The movies typically disappoint or they get the job done, but mostly the former.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13571452656553970472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-17010570976323438862009-11-26T20:29:57.032-05:002009-11-26T20:29:57.032-05:00I hafta disagree with your last two picks.
Sure, y...I hafta disagree with your last two picks.<br />Sure, you're right, Hitchhiker's did have some moments where the jokes took away from the story, but I honestly enjoyed it immensely. One of very few British authors whose books I can actually sit through (Pratchett being the only other I can think of off the top of my head). I found myself laughing more with that book than I did with the movie.<br /><br />And Jurassic Park... I donno if you really read the book, because I found the book to be about ten times better than the movie. Even though I had the general idea for how it was going to end while reading through it, I was still terrified. More so than I was with the movie. Over and over I found myself scared, almost too much to turn the page a lot of the time.<br /><br />But whatever. Your picks are your picks. I just know I'd have chosen differently.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-13043146705595616292009-11-26T20:28:18.984-05:002009-11-26T20:28:18.984-05:00The 13th Warrior is one of my guilty pleasures :-)...The 13th Warrior is one of my guilty pleasures :-) But its a very well made B movie, perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon.<br><br>Here's a couple of more(IMO):<br><b>Planet of the Apes.</b> The book was interesting but nothing exceptional. The movie still holds up all these years later.(I'm talking about the 1968 version)<br><br><b>Soylent Green</b>. Based on "Make Room, Make Room" by Harry Harrison. Again, an interesting story (by one of the great SF writers) but the movie was prescient in a way few SF films are and resonates even more today. <br><br><b>Colossus, the Forbin Project</b>. The book was forgettable, but the film was tense, thought provoking and didn't end happily. <b>On The Beach</b>, is another one.seekerpathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10212974137586251078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-55811153029552063102009-11-26T20:15:06.210-05:002009-11-26T20:15:06.210-05:00I have to disagree. I have not found a movie bett...I have to disagree. I have not found a movie better than the book. Silence of the Lambs, was as good as the book. The rest of the Hannibal Lector movies were almost as good as the books. I find books are so much better than the movies that I am always disappointed. Silence of the Lambs is the only movie I was never disappointed in. Fight Club was almost as good as the book. It would be a movie I would almost say that was improved upon with the movie. Certainly Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter gave that movie some oomph! But overall I have to say no other movies have made it bigger than the books in my mind.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15055558847536339677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33813337.post-57499977675560289192009-11-26T19:54:42.206-05:002009-11-26T19:54:42.206-05:00We'll just have to agree to disagree on the wh...We'll just have to agree to disagree on the whole LOTR thing -- I for one missed all the Tom Bombadill stuff, but I can see why they cut it. But MY GOD, the movie adaptation of HGTG lost much of the best humor of the book. The funniest parts were the animations narrated by Stephen Fry, and those were parts that were closest to the humor of the book. (Though I have to give the filmmakers props for the opening number, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish.)Dr. Tundrahttp://markarayner.com/blog/noreply@blogger.com