Liz CA Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Uhmmm...the movie was a bit more than I bargained for. Is it true to the book? It was recommended here by several people and I happened to see the movie before the book. Now I am not sure at all I want to read the book, KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I got the book because so many people here loved it, but I couldn't finish it, so I got the movie, and had to turn it off. It was too intense for me. I couldn't watch Blue Velvet either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I got the book because so many people here loved it, but I couldn't finish it, so I got the movie, and had to turn it off. It was too intense for me. I couldn't watch Blue Velvet either. I couldn't read the book or watch the whole movie. I could not take it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I made it (barely) through the first book. Then I tried reading the second one - made it to chapter two before I tossed it. I watched the first 20 minutes of the movie and bailed there too. Just too intense for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I haven't wanted to watch the movie because I've read all the books, and I really don't need to see that much sickness and violence on a screen. I had to wait a long period of time between each book because I couldn't handle all that stuff all in a row. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I could never read or watch that. Just watching the trailer was enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I couldn't read or watch...My mil loved, loved both of them; I should have known.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I heard there was a certain type of scene in both the book and the movie that I hate watching or reading about, so I've avoided both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Both are pretty brutal & graphic -- definitely not my normal type of reading. I loved the 2 main characters in the book (some of my favorites from books in recent years); however, I didn't care for the brutal storyline. If you thought the movies were too much, you probably would not enjoy the books. (I actually liked the movies better than the books. I saw both the Swedish & American versions of the films.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 5, 2012 Author Share Posted July 5, 2012 Right now I wish I could rinse my brain out. I am kind of glad to see I am not the only one. Sometimes I just feel like such a wimp. But I really can do without those images in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 (edited) If you thought the movies were too much, you probably would not enjoy the books. (I actually liked the movies better than the books. I saw both the Swedish & American versions of the films.) I am curious, which version of the movie did you like better? I saw the US version first and found that I liked the girl so much better in that version, that I couldn't make it through the original Swedish film. Also, other than setting differences, they seemed soooo close to each other I didn't feel the need to see it again. I heard the US version was more sexual (um, with Daniel Craig that makes sense to me) but that wouldn't have made much of a difference to me either way. My husband and I watched the US version straight through (rare) and immediately got the Swedish version to compare as we thought it was so well done. I thought it was excellent. Yes, a few scenes are really difficult, but it's a movie. I had a harder time watching The Hangover or Horrible Bosses. If the movie is more than you bargained for, I don't see why you would want to read the books. Life is too short, skip 'em! Read something you'll enjoy more, who cares if other people like it...:D I KILLED THIS THREAD! 7/5/2012 Edited July 6, 2012 by radiobrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I am curious, which version of the movie did you like better? I saw the US version first and found that I liked the girl so much better in that version, that I couldn't make it through the original Swedish film. Also, other than setting differences, they seemed soooo close to each other I didn't feel the need to see it again. I heard the US version was more sexual (um, with Daniel Craig that makes sense to me) but that wouldn't have made much of a difference to me either way. My husband and I watched the US version straight through (rare) and immediately got the Swedish version to compare as we thought it was so well done. I thought it was excellent. Yes, a few scenes are really difficult, but it's a movie. I had a harder time watching The Hangover or Horrible Bosses. If the movie is more than you bargained for, I don't see why you would want to read the books. Life is too short, skip 'em! Read something you'll enjoy more, who cares if other people like it...:D I KILLED THIS THREAD! 7/5/2012 Haha -- you didn't kill the thread! ;) I liked the Swedish version of the movies better (but I saw them first, prior to ever seeing the American version). I actually liked the actors better in the Swedish version, felt they were truer to the personalities in the books. Like I mentioned, I love the characters of Mikhail (sp?) & Lisbeth -- some of my favorite fictional characters in recent years. Really love them both. Fwiw, I loved both The Hangover & Horrible Bosses. :tongue_smilie::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I haven't seen or read them yet. I'm curious, what is so hard to take in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 It was too intense for me. I couldn't watch Blue Velvet either. I took a date to see Blue Velvet (which I loved). Afterwards I was feeling very enthusiastic about the film and I turned to my date and said, "Wasn't that fantastic!!!" Her response was to slap me hard across the face. Needless to say that relationship didn't work out :D Bill (who had no problem with the GWTDT book or either of the two movie adaptations) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Haha -- you didn't kill the thread! ;) I liked the Swedish version of the movies better (but I saw them first, prior to ever seeing the American version). I actually liked the actors better in the Swedish version, felt they were truer to the personalities in the books. Like I mentioned, I love the characters of Mikhail (sp?) & Lisbeth -- some of my favorite fictional characters in recent years. Really love them both. I preferred the lead actors in the Swedish version better too. The American version had some nice directorial touches and some of the plot points were better handled in the American version, but over-all I like the Swedish version better. I do think the book was more interesting than either film version. What made the book fun for me was all the great plotting points in the novel. For the sake of screen time most of the nuance is lost in the film. One gets all the violent action, but the suspense (that is very well done in the book, it is a real page-turner) just can't be developed in the same way in the film adaptations. Don't slap me :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Haha -- you didn't kill the thread! ;) Fwiw, I loved both The Hangover & Horrible Bosses. :tongue_smilie::lol: I thought they were both funny, but they go into the Bruno, Borat, category of over the top, totally "did you really just go there?" sort of place... that sometimes I wish didn't exist. :tongue_smilie:I meant that the hard to take scenes in GWaDT, while extreme and uncomfortable to watch, were appropriate to the movie. That sort of thing is brutal, and keeping it brutal on screen goes along with the storytelling. The Hangover and Horrible Bosses try to push an envelope just for pushing an envelope's sake. I LOVED Blue Velvet. I saw it sold out, opening night at the Fine Arts Theatre in Chicago. One of my favorite movie going experiences. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyK Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I haven't seen or read them yet. I'm curious, what is so hard to take in them? There are some very brutal sexual assaults in these movies. I'd never seen anything like it. I watched the Swedish version, and had never read anything about it, just knew it was a popular title. I did watch the whole thing, and it haunted me for a long time. I did think it was excellently done, but I was also disturbed that it was considered 'entertainment'. I guess I just have mixed feelings about the whole thing. Overall, I thought it was dark and sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Oh Bill, Blue Velvet gave me nightmares. I was much younger then and not as exposed to that kind of movie as I am now. I still shudder when I think of Hopper hyperventilating into the mask. Great. That's gonna stick with me all day today. ;) I loved the GWTDT books and the first American movie. It was very true to the book. A bit better even because the author tends to be too wordy for my taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Many months ago someone on here finally made mention of what she found disturbing about the book and I knew immediately I had NO interest in reading or watching them. Definitely not my kind of thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I haven't read the book or seen the movie. But this last school year was my dd's first year at a tech college. That was the required book to read for her English class. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durriyyah Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 A friend of mine told me about the abusive scene in the movie and I knew it wasn't something I wanted to read/watch. I really liked the Hunger Games though, which seems like doesn't make sense to like one but not the other... maybe because it wasn't very graphic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I really liked the Hunger Games though, which seems like doesn't make sense to like one but not the other... maybe because it wasn't very graphic? See, I couldn't make it through reading Hunger Games (but could make it through the Dragon Tattoo books & movies). Maybe because I see Hunger Games as violence purely for entertainment's sake (& using the plot point of children killing children for entertainment really bothered me). I even find it ironic that Hunger Games is so popular since it is violence for entertainment's sake. The violence in Dragon Tattoo is really rough, yet the author was trying to combat & condemn real situations/violence against women that he knew existed in Sweden (& around the world); so, I guess I feel that even though I found the subject matter hard, he was trying to bring some important social issues to the forefront. (I don't feel like the Hunger Games author was trying to do the same thing; I think she was just trying to write an entertaining book that would sell well.) I believe the title of the Dragon Tattoo books in Swedish actually translates to "Men Who Hate Women" & I think that's a truer description of the issues the author is tackling in that series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 A friend of mine told me about the abusive scene in the movie and I knew it wasn't something I wanted to read/watch. I really liked the Hunger Games though, which seems like doesn't make sense to like one but not the other... maybe because it wasn't very graphic? I found it easier to read The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, even Helter Skelter because they are all *less* specifically graphic. 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.