Jeannie in NJ Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 dh is a huge Lord of the Rings fan, has read the books several times and he absolutly loved the movies. He said whenever he would read the books, he would always get Arwen and Eowyn mixed up, but not in the movies. The only negative he had about the movies was that one of his favorite characters was left out of the movie. I can't remember the character's name since I have never read the books and he wasn't in the movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 dh is a huge Lord of the Rings fan, has read the books several times and he absolutly loved the movies. He said whenever he would read the books, he would always get Arwen and Eowyn mixed up, but not in the movies. The only negative he had about the movies was that one of his favorite characters was left out of the movie. I can't remember the character's name since I have never read the books and he wasn't in the movies. Was it Tom Bombadil (spelling?)? I know a lot of LOTR fans were sad he didn't make it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 And I would much rather watch the Disney version of Bambi than read the original story "Life in the Woods." It was very depressing. :iagree: Depressing and slooooow-moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 THEY CHANGED THE ENDING????? Scratch THAT movie off my too-see list! I think it's really bad when the author is actually saying something about it to the media (she sounds like she's trying to "keep it nice" but...). :glare: She must have been devastated. Jodi Picoult tells USA Today: "Having the ending changed would certainly not have been my choice. I wrote the ending very intentionally because I wanted to leave the reader with a certain message. And changing that ending changes that message. However, I am excited to see the movie and to judge it on its strengths." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 yes Melinda, that is the character that dh was bummmed that was left out of the movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Oh, I can't believe the timing of this thread. We just finished reading Heidi and I thought it would be nice to watch the movie (with Shirley Temple). It was awful, it did not follow the book at all - even the kids didn't like it and my 6 year old kept yelling, "That's not how it happens!" I just love the mental picture this conjures up! My dc did the same thing! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 What a great thread!! :) I agree with so many - while I think Anne of Green Gables SHOULD'VE been made into a movie - it certainly shouldn't have been made into the 2nd and 3rd AoGG movies they did make. :lol: I mentioned this on another thread recently (I can't remember which...I'm a posting fiend lately!) I found a very good, pretty darn close version of Anne of Avonlea (with some of Anne of the Island thrown in) at the library last week. It is a 1975 BBC version. The production values aren't nearly as beautiful as the Sullivan Canadian CBC production, but the screenplay and acting are great. Here's Amazon link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Ella Enchanted. Did they even READ the book? The Westing Game, believe it or not, is a very cheesy movie under a different name, and it's horribly done. They left out half the characters and half the clues. One obscure one that's not too bad ... Betty Ren Wright, who mostly writes children's ghost stories (her earlier ones are less creepy than her more current ones) wrote The Dollhouse Murders. The movie actually isn't too bad, though they made it creepy enough that it scared me AND the kid I was sitting when we watched it (we'd both read and loved the book). I have never seen a movie that was better than the book, except perhaps The Princess Bride, only because I did what it said and read the last chapter that you're not supposed to read. LOL. And the movie is just a hoot and so quotable. Don't even get me started on the new Narnia movies. The first one ... I could bite my tongue, they added some nice touches but left out some important stuff. The second one ... Peter just would never have behaved like that. It was ALL wrong from beginning to end. They had a few nice touches here and there (I loved the mostly empty council chamber, a set-up for the next movie), but overall ... let's just say I own every version of the Narnia movies ever made, and the new LWW in both extended and regular form ... but I just cannot bring myself to pay actual money for Prince Caspian. I just found a copy of Nim's Island, I'm about three pages into it, and I can already see that the book is better than the movie. The quirks of the book came across as bizarre and surreal on screen, and it just felt wrong when we watched it. I used to hate the Phantom Tollbooth movie but it's grown on me. The book is way better though. Disney ... let's not go there either. They don't understand the dignity of a proper ending that isn't perky. (Little Mermaid, for example.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Apparently Stephen King thinks the movie Misery is much better than his book. Well, with Cathy Bates... she is outstandingly crazy! It's nice, though, when the author approves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Currently, my dd is aggravated by the ruin that is Nim's Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Ella Enchanted was a wonderful book, but the movie was dreadful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in the NH Woods Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Dracula. Absolutely! The book is riveting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Oh boy if that wasn't the worst movie I have ever been secretly hoping to see! !! Now them's fightin' words! :lol: I saw the movie Twilight first before I read the book and I'm glad. But I like all the books AND the movie. However, I agree with a previous poster that you have to view the films and books as completely separate entities. With Inkheart, though, I didn't enjoy either one, although I'm glad I read a little bit of the book first...it helped me understand the movie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The Borrowers. The movie was OK, but to us the book was better. I was very disappointed in the movie. I really enjoyed reading The Borrowers when I was a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Currently, my dd is aggravated by the ruin that is Nim's Island. I kind of liked the movie. Have to go find the book now (I'm pretty sure I bought it recently) and see how much better it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Absolutely! The book is riveting. OOOH I love it when someone agrees with me! :) I feel special now! hehehehe ;) :D Silliness aside... I LOVE this book. You should see my personal copy of it. It's practically in tatters I've read it so many times. It's been taped and glued so much! :eek: I finally broke down and bought a new copy of it to read, but I'll always keep my original copy of it. I've read it at least 30 times, probably more than that. I couldn't bear to part with it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 DaVinci Code The Other Boleyn Girl I personally always prefer the book to the movie but those two I just hated the movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsetmom Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 I did NOT like the new Charlotte's Web movie. But I did really like how "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" was done. "Prince Caspian" not so much, but I just loved the casting in those movies. I did like "The Secret Garden" overall although the book is much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Beowulf. The little man and I were so primed to see the cinematic adaptation of one of our very favorite bed-time stories, but :eek: :blink: :blushing: :ack2: My oldest saw it (the Angelina Jolie debacle?) and hated it totally! There's another version called "Beowulf and Grendel" that is on my Netflix queue - have you seen it? The *only* movie that was better than the book was Sense and Sensibility IMO. Emma Thompson made some great changes to that story! I completely hate what they have done to the "Love Comes Softly" series!! The first movie I like OK despite some changes. The second movie is watchable. The third movie was absolutely awful!!! My dh still teases me because I was flipping out about the Indians in the movie - there are NO Indians in the book AT ALL!!!! I refused to watch any others. Disney never intended to make faithful versions of the books and stories he used. Oh, and I have never allowed my dc to watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 My oldest saw it (the Angelina Jolie debacle?) and hated it totally! There's another version called "Beowulf and Grendel" that is on my Netflix queue - have you seen it? Oh, please please please let me know if "Beowulf and Grendel" is any good. The Angelina Jolie version was so bad. Not just bad, but a desecration of our cultural heritage. Bleck! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakeside Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 DaVinci CodeThe Other Boleyn Girl I personally always prefer the book to the movie but those two I just hated the movies. When I saw The Other Boleyn Girl I didn't realize it was a book. I just started the book and there seem to be a lot of discrepancies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 For me The Never Ending Story was wretched and the second movie they made the author refused to put his name on the credits! The book is wonderful. We've read it aloud here. The Harry Potter movies I think can stand on their own without the books. I like both for different reasons. The movies would have to be 10 hours long each to fit in all the smaller plot lines-especially the Dobby/SPEW lines, which are the stories my boys most miss in the movies. As a side, my dh hates the Lion King because in real life daddy lions eat their babies. LOL It might explain why that was our youngest's fav. when he was little! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 As a side, my dh hates the Lion King because in real life daddy lions eat their babies.I don't think this is the case. When a new lion takes over a pride, it will often kill cubs fathered by other males to the lionesses back to breeding state so it can start producing offspring as quickly as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Timeline by Michael Crichton. Just... all kinds of wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 For me The Never Ending Story was wretched and the second movie they made the author refused to put his name on the credits! The book is wonderful. We've read it aloud here. I'll have to give the book a try. Never tried because I hated the movies. The second movie is the only movie I've ever walked out of the theater during. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 I think it's really bad when the author is actually saying something about it to the media (she sounds like she's trying to "keep it nice" but...). :glare: She must have been devastated. Interesting. You see, I did not like the ending in "My Sister's Keeper." I felt like I had been manipulated by the author and was sick to my stomach. "Let's see how many tears we can wring out of our readers" kind of manipulated. Perhaps that is why they changed the ending. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 The Angelina Jolie version was so bad. Not just bad, but a desecration of our cultural heritage. Bleck! That's what I suspected from the previews. I'm sure glad I never watched it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Interesting. You see, I did not like the ending in "My Sister's Keeper." I felt like I had been manipulated by the author and was sick to my stomach. "Let's see how many tears we can wring out of our readers" kind of manipulated. Perhaps that is why they changed the ending. :001_huh: I completely agree with you. I also thought the ending felt slapped on, because the final version of the book was due at the printer's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 The Tale of Desperaux. Wonderful book, so why did they have to stray from the book so much? Eragon. Again good book, really bad movie. They missed so much out. :iagree: I would never read or watch the Golden Compass. I enjoyed the other movies that you mentioned, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 I have said over and over again that the only movie that is better than the book is The Wizard of Oz. Another movie that I think was better than the book is Babe. The book, Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith, is written with a lot of heavily accented dialogue. I do love Dick King-Smith's books; however, this one was a tough read. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Twilight! LOL I think that comes under the heading of "Books that should never have been made into books." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Being There falls in this category IMHO, *sigh* Loved that movie. Of course, I do believe it was Sellers who made it what it was. Simply no one else could have brought the essence of Chance from the page like he did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 When I saw The Other Boleyn Girl I didn't realize it was a book. I just started the book and there seem to be a lot of discrepancies. They left out and changed so much that they missed everything that I thought was important or thought provoking about the book. They basically turned it into fluff. Very disappointing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 I think that comes under the heading of "Books that should never have been made into books." :lol: But my sister in law has never read a book in her life and has read 3 of them now!!:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Twilight! LOL I think that comes under the heading of "Books that should never have been made into books." :iagree: I'm currently listening to the second book (don't ask me why--I don't have a good reason). It's like I have an episode of MST3K running in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoraida Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 I haven't seen this one mentioned. The Kite Runner. I liked the book (not loved) and hated, hated, hated the movie. I would also like to make a prediction about an up coming movie. I LOVED The Time Traveler's Wife. I have been waiting for years for the movie to come out. But I have a funny feeling it is going to be bad. According to one of the Entertainment Weekly issues the movie is supposed to be released this summer. The movie was finished with filming over two years ago and they are now finally releasing it. This is always a bad sign when they have to delay releasing a film. Blessings Zoraida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 The Bonfire of the Vanities was a wonderful book. The movie was a real stinker. Yuck, Yuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 I would also like to make a prediction about an up coming movie. I LOVED The Time Traveler's Wife. I have been waiting for years for the movie to come out. But I have a funny feeling it is going to be bad. According to one of the Entertainment Weekly issues the movie is supposed to be released this summer. The movie was finished with filming over two years ago and they are now finally releasing it. This is always a bad sign when they have to delay releasing a film. Blessings Zoraida I could not make myself finish that book. I really tried, but I couldn't finish it. Surely the movie won't be worse!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 Interesting. You see, I did not like the ending in "My Sister's Keeper." I felt like I had been manipulated by the author and was sick to my stomach. "Let's see how many tears we can wring out of our readers" kind of manipulated. Perhaps that is why they changed the ending. :001_huh: I completely agree with you. I also thought the ending felt slapped on, because the final version of the book was due at the printer's. Now, see, I actually didn't like the ending either. But, I felt that it was really the one thing that made that story different. The rest of the story felt like... well, well-worn slippers. lol Like every other Oprah book out there. The ending, while I didn't like it - I didn't really like the rest of the book either (I'm not an Oprah book reader, though - I far prefer fantasy/sci-fi, classics or historical fiction) - was memorable, at least. But, I feel that it was the author's creation and it irritates me when the movie companies will bother to buy the rights to a book - and then change the very fundamental things about the book that MADE it what it was (Eragon is a great case-in-point, or the 2 dreadful Anne of GG movies)! If they didn't want that ending (which, again, I felt made that book different from the rest of the books out there with similar themes) - then they shouldn't have bought the rights to that book. I feel they're just using the name of the book, the names of the characters, and writing their own story - which just really irritates me. I'm also a Canon-movie person. I want to see the director's best interpretation of the author's intentions. Not the director's or screenwriter's dreamed-up story - they need to write their own screenplays from scratch for that and not desecrate someone else's creation. I know the author's lose much of the rights to give their opinion when they sell the rights to a movie, and it has to be maddening to have your "baby" be manipulated like that. :glare: (of course, they make a ton of money selling the rights, so maybe they don't mind as much as I think they do! LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewHomeSchoolMarm Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 Bridge to Teribithia!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frelle Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 I am Legend, great book, bad Will Smith movie. Another changed ending! Children of Men. Great book, bad movie. Bad!! Anne of Green Gables 2 and 3 Twilight I liked Ella Enchanted the move and Ella Enchanted the book. Just should have not had same title! DaVinci Code Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 :iagree: I'm currently listening to the second book (don't ask me why--I don't have a good reason). It's like I have an episode of MST3K running in my head. MST3K? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 MST3K? Sorry. MST3K :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 Sorry. MST3K :001_smile: Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 Anything Michael Landon Jr directs. He destroys the books - totally changes the plots. I dont understand why. The books are good on their own, why make it into a totally different story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 I haven't read all the other replies, but here's my thoughts: Pretty much any Disney movie. :tongue_smilie: One of my all-time favorite stories is The Little Mermaid, but Disney absolutely butchered it. I wanted to cry when I saw it the first time. I also hated what was done to The Tale of Desperaux and The Other Boleyn Girl. I had liked TOBG as a book, but now after seeing the movie, I don't even want to read the other books. (Seriously....Eric Bana as Henry VIII??!) Now I try to only rent movies that haven't been adapted from children's stories (and preferably not other books, either) because of how badly Hollywood tends to handle all these beautiful stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my3starsofthesea Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 The Cat in the Hat and the Grinch - it should be a crime to ruin a good Dr. Seuss book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 The Cat in the Hat and the Grinch - it should be a crime to ruin a good Dr. Seuss book!I'd completely repressed those. I can't think of a picture books that's made a good movie yet. That said, doesn't the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are look fantastic? *fingers crossed* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 The A A Milne books. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 And there's Lord of the Rings: I can't even stay in the room when they're playing. Beautifully filmed, visually *right,* but the story was so wrong on so many levels. Ugh. I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.