USVI-On-Line

IslandElle wrote:

I started "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" but it just seems really slow to me. I know a lot of people love this series, but I put it down about a 1/3 of the way in and haven't picked it back up.

Me too, me too. I'm sure I will try it again in the future but I have books on my short list that I will read first.

Read "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt". Quick read.

AH

Read 3 books on recent trip to CA and AZ:

Water for Elephants - great great book. Would make a good movie.

The Road - freakin' GRIM. Don't understand all the accolades. Sure, McCarthy finds 17,000 ways to describe the bleak postapocalyptic landscape, and you got somewhat interested in what would finally happen to the boy and the man, which was not much of anything, but wow wee, that was not a good read.

The Art of Racing in the Rain - really enjoyed this, loved the dog POV (we had a dog who passed a couple yrs ago that was an old soul) and the auto racing angle, although it was a little embarassing to tear up at the end while reading on the plane.

jmq, Water for Elephants the movie is in pre-production. They cast Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon as the leads. I would tell you what I think about those casting choices, but I always try to be nice on this board.

I'll be mean and say- enough with Robert Pattison! The Twilight series is going to kill his career.

liamsaunt wrote:jmq, Water for Elephants the movie is in pre-production. They cast Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon as the leads. I would tell you what I think about those casting choices, but I always try to be nice on this board.

Ohh boy...you're kidding right? Why cast a pretty boy in that role, just so they can cross market it to teens? Does he have any acting chops other than staring at his female co-star? Wouldn’t someone with an ethnic look, someone who actually looks like a Polish son of immigrants work better? Maybe not a great choice, but I could picture Witherspoon as Marlena. She was good in Election and Pleasantville, although not much else since.

This reminds me of the rant I went on way early in this very same thread about the atrocious/worst movie casting ever for Prince of Tides – Nick Nolte and Barbara Streisand – ouch.

I just loved "Water For Elephants". I'm one of those people who feel movies never do a book justice no matter who the actors are.

AH

AH wrote:I just loved "Water For Elephants". I'm one of those people who feel movies never do a book justice no matter who the actors are.
AH

Me too. I drive my husband nuts with my complaining.

My two exceptions -

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Band of Brothers (mini series, not a movie)

Four Stephen King books that translated well and stayed true to the book-

Dolores Claiborne
Misery
Stand By Me
Shawshank Redemption

Of course, these are all his non-ghost-paranormal-alien books! His creepy ones- those don't always translate well to film. The Shining was a good movie but it was different than the book. If it had stayed true to the book, it would've looked ridiculous on screen.

Dances with Wolves was also VERY well translated to movie but, even though the movie was great, the book was better. One of those that I was sad that it had ended. Great book if you haven't read it yet- short too.

I would add the Green Mile to your list, Lysa.

In general I agree that the book is always better than the movie. I can think of a couple that I thought adapted really well though. Off the top of my head:

Field of Dreams
Raise the Red Lantern
Age of Innocence
Remains of the Day (especially this one)

And no, jmq, I am not kidding about Robert Pattinson. Unfortunately.

Okay I think I should take the "never" out of my statement. I do agree that the Stephen King novels mentioned did transfer very well to the small screen. I used to love Stephen King. After reading "Duma Key" I think he is getting better again.

AH

I so totally agree with you. Duma Key felt like old school Stephen King.

PA Girl wrote:

AH wrote:I just loved "Water For Elephants". I'm one of those people who feel movies never do a book justice no matter who the actors are.
AH

Me too. I drive my husband nuts with my complaining.

My two exceptions -

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Band of Brothers (mini series, not a movie)

Another exception that did justice to a great book was the perfectly cast mini-series adaptation of Lonesome Dove.

I agree - Age of Innocence was a good adaption.

I learned something, I had no idea Stand By Me was a King book.

"Stand By Me" and "(Rita Hayworth and the) Shawshank Redemption" were in the same collection of Stepehn King novella's.

LysaC wrote:I so totally agree with you. Duma Key felt like old school Stephen King.

I read Duma Key, and about 100 pages into it, smiled and said to myself "He's got his fastball back"

Under the Dome still sits bedside. I need to commit to a book that thick!