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MONDAY MOVIE MEME
Molly looked around for a weekly meme about movies and did not have any luck. So therefore she decided to start her own! Andy will play along as well - hopefully you will too. Go to your blog and create your own post on the topic, linking back to us in your post, then come back and leave a link to your post here in our Comments section. If you don’t have a blog, just share your response in the Comments section.
This week's movie topic is all about Books vs. Movies...
While we were out of town over the weekend we got into a discussion with family about movies and many of them were based on books. Molly is beginning to wonder if there are actually any original screenplays anymore because it seems that everything is either a re-make of an existing film or based on a book. Sometimes the movie comes off better than the book - more often that is not the case. It likely depends upon which you came across first. Here are a few movies that Molly came up with regarding books vs. movies. Share on your blog movie versions of books and your take on them, linking back here at The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!
Mystic River (2003) - This film stayed very true to Dennis Lehane's novel. Molly saw this before reading the book. Andy read the book first. We agree that both were excellent.The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - We've never read the Stephen King short story that this movie came from. I wonder if the movie added new stuff to the story or if it did what movies can't usually, devote lots of time to every detail, leaving nothing out.The Shining (1980) - Stephen King's book was incredibly different from Stanley Kubrick's film interpretation. The overall concept was the same but they took completely different paths which usually means one who loves the book will be disappointed with the movie. Not for Molly. She loved both versions.Gone With The Wind (1939) - Recreating an epic novel on film can be a disaster because there is just so much to cover in a short period of time. But when you make the story come alive with such beautiful cinematography and a memorable cast, the Cliff Notes version on film is forgiven.To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) - Molly happens to feel this is the only movie that has ever been made that may be better than the book, when the book was phenomenal in its own right. Her favorite book. Her favorite movie. She doesn't even remember which she experienced first. She's just thankful she has experienced them, period.The First Wives Club (1996) - Molly wishes she had never experienced the disaster that was this movie. She read the book while on a vacation and loved it so much she convinced Andy to rent it right away. It was so different from the story fresh in her mind, and left out all of the key plots. It took out all of the good stuff and turned it into fluff, wasting a talented cast. Blech. Do you have a topic to suggest to the Monday Movie Meme? Leave it in the Comments section or send us an e-mail.
20 comments:
Well, poop, I didn't see the post coming through, and I thought you may not play this week, considering the fact that you must have had a tough weekend. So I sorta did my own thing. I could go back and redo, but I'm ready for bed! I'm sorry! You guys have been in my prayers, by the way.
I read Gone With the Wind years after seeing the movie and was surprised that an epic four-hour film had left so much out (the Cliff Notes version for sure)! And I so love both versions of Mockingbird that I have to flip a coin.
Thinking of you...
I often read books after seeing the movie...Black Hawk Down, Fried Green Tomatoes, Stephen King's Dreamcatcher, The Missing. Dreamcatcher, the movie, was HORRIBLE, but the book was much better. Fried Green Tomatoes, the movie, I really enjoyed because of the time period. I'm still reading the book. The others...the books were all better than the movies, in my opinion. I read Seabiscuit and read the book. While I really enjoyed the movie, still, the book went into much more depth. I really love good books and how the authors play with words. But, while I really love books, I also enjoy great movie soundtracks!
You are so right on about both To Kill a Mockingbird and GWTW! I did manage to come up with three other comparisons.
I agree with you completely on TKAM...favorite book, favorite movie. Harper Lee must have known it was hard to beat perfection. I disagree slightly with Mystic River...I liked the book better, but mostly because I really hated Tim Robbins in that role.
I liked the TV version of The Shining better, but it's hard not to love Jack Nicholson's over the top performance. Still preferred the book over either one.
GWTW was definitely much better in book form, but I agree with your assessment of the movie. I actually got to see the 30th anniversary re-release on the big screen when I was sixteen. It was awesome. My daughter used to watch it every time it played on TBS, even though we had the VHS tape!
http://www.chrischronicles.com/monday-movie-meme-book-and-movies/ is my post for today!
Shawshank Redemption the short story was good, too. One thing I liked is it was called Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption which is just a cool name.
Preferred the Shining the book...
Two of my favorite books were made into movies the bombed so bad they should not have even named the movie the same as the book. Sphere, The book was excelent a great sci-fi book with multiple people doing all this amazing stuff. but the movie only had half the amount of people and they changed thing arround too much that the movie really stunk.
Congo, was another great book also kinda science fiction, and the movie really buchared the book. I was very disapointed.
BUT, So far I have to say that the Harry potter book into movies have done the best over all.
I try not to judge a book by it's movie :)
a couple of good book to movie translations that I saw recently were:
"The Secret Lives of Bees"
"The Spiderwick Chronicles"
A couple of movies that were better than the books:
"Julie and Julia"
"My Sister's Keeper"
I posted photo hunt results on my page today--so I didn't make a movie post.
How are you doing?
Great, easy topic this week--for me anyway, LOL! My post
Years ago I read Clan of the Cave Bears and loved it but the movie was a disaster! I wish I hadn't read The Lovely Bones and just waited for the movie because a 2 hour committment is all I want for that kind of gruesome topic (child abuse and murder).
Hey, I totally lost track of your email and the idea of incorporating the visitor's guide page in my posts. My blog just moved and am still up in the air. I don't know when it will calm down.
I enjoyed the movie of Stardust (which I saw first) a lot more than the book. I also like the James Bond films a lot more than the books. On the other hand, I much preferred the book of Logan's Run to the film. However, in all these instances, it's the version I came across first that I tend to like best, so not sure if I'm just biased because of that.
As for The Shawshank Redemption, it's incredibly faithful to the short story, apart from changing the title (the same can be said of Stand By Me). Having said that, I found both adaptations a bit disappointing just because they were so faithful which gave me a feeling of been there done that (I got a similar feeling of deja vu watching Watchmen, though that was far inferior to the source material).
Well, I feel pretty foolish that I haven't ready any of those books except "To Kill a Mockingbird," and it never occurred to me to list that one.
http://www.endomental.com/2010/03/monday-movie-meme.html
Gone with the Wind is Awesome! My entry is up now!
I love both the movie and book of Gone With the Wind! I also love both versions of To Kill a Mockingbird!
My Entry
here's my list
Can you imagine how long Gone With The Wind could have been had they included everything in the novel?! LOL. It would take a week :)
My list is up!
I agree with all of those picks!
Shutter Island would go on there as well. Gone Baby Gone also.
I agree with you about To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm listening to The Shining right now and then plan on seeing the movie.
I saw all the movies but didn't read the First Wives Club. I don't think I read The Shining -- the movie was scary enough.
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