"Movies that were "better than the book" (im sure its been done)" Tue Nov-11-08 12:52 PM by lexx3001
The only movie I can think of that was clearly better than the book would be "One Flew over the Cukoo's Nest". And I think it was mostly due to jack's performance.
18. "The Godfather was the most honest adaption of a book..." In response to Reply # 6
that I've ever seen...
The Sicilian.....................................
I was always mad curious if there were ever any talks to do The Fourth K
************************************** "I'm sick of followin' my dreams. I'm just gonna ask where they goin', and hook with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
"I don't think muthafuckas went to the moon either, but that's just me."-Mos
36. "Yeah, I'd love to see The Fourth K or another version of The Sicilian" In response to Reply # 18
The Sicilian was a great read and the movie was horrible. Cutting out Michael Corleone didn't help any (maybe it should be a mini-series) but they could have done it a lot better even without Michael.
I still can't believe they cast Christopher Lambert as THE SICILIAN.
The 4th K has some amazing parallels to what really happened (allowing a NY tragedy so the President can declare war) but there are some issues that would have to be worked out (not a huge fan of the ending).
40. "I still scratch my head after that Lambert casting...." In response to Reply # 36
on the Sicilian. Ugh, I can't even think about it.
I thought of The Fourth K immediately after 9/11. Yeah, the events in the book did ring a little too true to life.
Was Puzo psychic?
************************************** "I'm sick of followin' my dreams. I'm just gonna ask where they goin', and hook with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
"I don't think muthafuckas went to the moon either, but that's just me."-Mos
20. "pretty equal??!? did we read the same book? movie waay surpasses" In response to Reply # 6
that pulp piece of trash.
That's one of the few movies that unquestionably transcends the trash pulp novel that spawned it, and the studio was none too please with Coppola for it, either. They were desperate to fire his ass because he wasn't turning in the pulp popcorn flick the book was calling for on the screen.
25. "exactly...had alot of soft-core porn scenes" In response to Reply # 20 Tue Nov-11-08 09:06 PM by The Analyst
there were tons of gratuitous explicit sex scenes in that book. For those who haven't read it, let me quote one (only 27 pages in):
"at that moment she felt his hand come up beneath her bridesmaid's gown, heard the rustle of material giving way, felt his large warm hand between her legs, ripping aside the satin panties to caress her vulva. she put her arms around his neck and hung there as he opened his trousers. then he placed both his hands beneath her bare buttocks and lifted her...she let her right hand drop from his neck and reached down to guide him. her hand closed around an enormous, blood-gorged pole of muscle. it pulsated in her hand like an animal and almost weeping with grateful ecstasy she pointed it into her own wet, turgid flesh."
30. "man, no lie -- you gotta read more books" In response to Reply # 27
as far as books go, the Godfather was a page-turner, no more, no less. If you read other books, no matter how much you might have personally enjoyed the Godfather by Mario Puzo, it should be painfully clear that the book is not that fantastic as a book.
The movie, though?
It isn't just fanboy bullshit, the movie legitimately has a claim to the greatest movie ever made. Never in a million kazillion hojillion kukugajamabajillion fucking years would you ever say that about the book.
One of these things is not like the other. And it's the book. The book kinda sucks, but the movie is transcendent.
37. "The movie definitely elevated the book" In response to Reply # 30
Puzo was a good pulp storyteller but Coppola raised that film to a higher level.
The movie that is closest to Puzo's writing style was Godfather 3 which was just kind of a silly genre movie with some completely random romances thrown in. No surprise, Coppola didn't have much passion for that one and did it because he needed the money.
It's like if someone took a Tom Clancy novel and turned it into one of the greatest movies of all time. Not knocking Clancy but his books aren't exactly looked at as great literature.
42. "FFC did the smart thing and avoided all of the Santino BM stuff..." In response to Reply # 20
...now THAT would have made Godfather a completely different film.
************************************** "I'm sick of followin' my dreams. I'm just gonna ask where they goin', and hook with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
"I don't think muthafuckas went to the moon either, but that's just me."-Mos
49. "RE: FFC did the smart thing and avoided all of the Santino BM stuff..." In response to Reply # 42
The book also paid waaaaayyyyy more attention to Lucy Mancini (the bridesmaid Sonny fucks at Connie's wedding) than the movie ever did. If FFC stuck to the book, Godfather III couldn't have existed...which might have been fine with some people.
Reading the book after seeing the movie gives you insights into character motivations that also makes you appreciate the movie a lot more because that stuff is always there without the book. It just seems a lot more pronounced after reading the book. Especially Michael's whole awakening in Sicily and Carlo as a sleazy ass character.
The book is actually a pretty good companion piece to the movie, if you want to take it that far.
As far as movies that were better than the book, I'm kind of surprised no one has said Fight Club yet.
60. "Santino BM = Lucy Mancini. Sorry, should have clarified..." In response to Reply # 49
And that was a big plus.
And you're right, there would have been no III if FFC stuck to the book.
No Lucy pregnancy, therefore, no son.
But no Andy Garcia, either! So III gets a pass.
************************************** "I'm sick of followin' my dreams. I'm just gonna ask where they goin', and hook with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
"I don't think muthafuckas went to the moon either, but that's just me."-Mos
Orfeo_Negro Member since Oct 24th 2004 20923 posts
Wed Nov-19-08 10:40 AM
69. "Fight Club? no way..." In response to Reply # 49
>As far as movies that were better than the book, I'm kind of >surprised no one has said Fight Club yet.
the movie improved upon the book in a number of ways, but it falls apart in the third act and really handles the reveal at the end in a really ham-fisted, unintentionally hilarious manner... for that alone, i can't give it to the movie.
9. "They're both completely different animals" In response to Reply # 2
And both are great in their seperate mediums. Most of the stuff that made the book really creepy and scary couldn't have translated into film or would have looked awful if done at the time (even the Hedge-monsters looked ass-awful in the remake).
>And both are great in their seperate mediums. Most of the >stuff that made the book really creepy and scary couldn't have >translated into film or would have looked awful if done at the >time (even the Hedge-monsters looked ass-awful in the >remake).
17. "they're both different?" In response to Reply # 9
not just one?
"Quienes argumentan que el arte no debe propagar doctrinas, se refieren a doctrinas contrarias a las suyas" - Jorge Luis Borges Per quanto riguarda l'identità religiosa, l'Islam continua a vedere i cristiani come fossero ancora i protagonisti medievali del Cristianesimo.
66. "RE: Stanley Kubricks- The Shinning" In response to Reply # 2
One of my favorite books of ALL TIME!!! But, I am a big King fan.
Why I love the Stanley Kubrick movie version of The Shining, I can't think about it in the same vein as the book. They may be based around the same premise, but to me, they are different stories.
"We don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents" - Bob Ross
"I'm wearing a MSU Tshirt because I went to MSU, you are wearing a UM Tshirt because you went to Walmart!" -unknown.
55. "the book is almost unreadable" In response to Reply # 19
that early 1800's prose style is so dense and distracting.
>And besides, did you read other novels in that series? The >characters are SOOOOOOOO much deeper in the book. And >adventures are waaaay more exciting.
I dunno about the other novels, but the characters are much deeper in the movie than in the original book. especially Magua.
21. "V for Vendetta ... yup, V for Vendetta" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Nov-11-08 06:59 PM by celery77
book was some anarchistic bullshit with a man and a computer in love <--- fucking dumb.
Movie took the good, distilled it into a general parable about rebellion against authority. Tightened up the loose ends and excised the embarrassing man-machine love plot which is sadly central in the book.
22. "yup...unless......" In response to Reply # 21
...this might not be fair...but Count of Monte Cristo inspired V for..the comic thats spawned the movie. v for vendetta the movie might be better than the comic but both are inferior to The Count by far, imo
39. "You got it a little backwards." In response to Reply # 32
a) he was alliterating, not rhyming b) V spent a whole chapter singing a song he wrote about the drama in his life in the book. I'm gonna go with that as much gayer than anything in the movie. c) in general, it's much more obvious to me that V is gay in the book than in the movie. I didn't even really get that impression when I saw the movie...then I read the book.
************************************** "I'm sick of followin' my dreams. I'm just gonna ask where they goin', and hook with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
"I don't think muthafuckas went to the moon either, but that's just me."-Mos
the book was interesting for its religious overtures... i love the whole idea of the younger generations going nuts and the idea of society going "Lord of the Flies"
and when i can im gonna build a castle that touches the clouds, not to get closer to god but to get further from y'all
idk man. i read the book before i saw the movie and wished i didn't cause it paled in comparison in some ways. The movie was good but the book is much better
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