Hot Fudge Book Club

[Roquefort Robert]

Oh, and don't believe the "Cell" haters guest. Try the book for yourself. It's been at least five years but I recall being engrossed. Now my next King book after that, Lisey's Story, that was an exercise in self-torture. I don't know why I trudged through the whole thing.

I haven't read "Lisey's Story" so thanks for the heads up. I'll save that one for later. I have heard really good things about "Duma Key" and "Under The Dome", though.

[Mulligan]

Oh, and don't believe the "Cell" haters guest. Try the book for yourself. It's been at least five years but I recall being engrossed. Now my next King book after that, Lisey's Story, that was an exercise in self-torture. I don't know why I trudged through the whole thing.

I haven't read "Lisey's Story" so thanks for the heads up. I'll save that one for later. I have heard really good things about "Duma Key" and "Under The Dome", though.

Under the Dome was even more engrossing than Cell, if you can believe that. The ending didn't quite cut it, but the journey was enjoyable.

[Roquefort Robert]

Oh, and don't believe the "Cell" haters guest. Try the book for yourself. It's been at least five years but I recall being engrossed. Now my next King book after that, Lisey's Story, that was an exercise in self-torture. I don't know why I trudged through the whole thing.

I haven't read "Lisey's Story" so thanks for the heads up. I'll save that one for later. I have heard really good things about "Duma Key" and "Under The Dome", though.

Under the Dome was even more engrossing than Cell, if you can believe that. The ending didn't quite cut it, but the journey was enjoyable.

Did you see the movie version of King's "The Mist"? Holy christ. The ending was nothing like the book. It was almost unfair but I liked it.

[Doctor Detroit]

King books vs. King movies is an interesting conversation. I've heard the farther he is from the movie production (think "The Shining") the better the movie, and vise versa. I thought The Stand miniseries was decent, but I only saw it when it first ran on TV in 1994. Mrs. D really likes The Green Mile. I think it's hard to translate some of the feelings the books give you into film. I'm sure that's true for any author, but in King's case, that's really all he has, so if you lose it, you have a crappy movie.

[gullycanyon]

I've seen only three movies that, in my view, did an excellent job of "realizing" the books, and all three won "Best Picture" Oscars. (Like that means anything.)

The Godfather, Parts I & II, did a good job. The book had more stuff in it-- of course-- but I'm sure that Mario Puzo writing for the movie versions really, really helped. Also, great effort was made to make the settings look like the settings in the book. That counts, a lot, because reading is such a visualization thing.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest did a great job, too, even though the truth that the real protagonist, in the story, is the Chief is difficult to convey (especially since he plays mute most of the way through) when the central character is not only the most dynamic but also played by a guy like Nicholson, who, whether you like him or not, is rather arresting to the viewer.

I'm sure that it was a challenge, and-- it just so happens that a high school teacher had assigned the book to us, not long before the film was released (he probably knew,) so it was very, very fresh in my mind-- Milos Forman & Co. carried it off. The scene where the Chief manages to tear that thing out from the floor and shove it through the window was masterfully shot and was maybe even more powerful than in the book. In any case, it completes the nursery rhyme which is in the front of the book: One flew east (Billy Bibbitt, castrating himself on the toilet and bleeding out,) One flew west (McMurphy, lobotomized into oblivion and mercifully put down by the Chief,) One flew over the cuckoo's nest (the Chief, obviously.)

As for The Shining-- which I have not read-- I always got the impression that the only ones who dug the movie, as did I, were the ones who had not read the book.

Also, Schindler's List did a good job of putting the book to screen.

[Roquefort Robert]

I've seen only three movies that, in my view, did an excellent job of "realizing" the books, and all three won "Best Picture" Oscars. (Like that means anything.)

The Godfather, Parts I & II, did a good job. The book had more stuff in it-- of course-- but I'm sure that Mario Puzo writing for the movie versions really, really helped. Also, great effort was made to make the settings look like the settings in the book. That counts, a lot, because reading is such a visualization thing.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest did a great job, too, even though the truth that the real protagonist, in the story, is the Chief is difficult to convey (especially since he plays deaf most of the way through) when the central character is not only the most dynamic but also played by a guy like Nicholson, who, whether you like him or not, is rather arresting to the viewer.

I'm sure that it was a challenge, and-- it just so happens that a high school teacher had assigned the book to us, not long before the film was released (he probably knew,) so it was very, very fresh in my mind-- Milos Forman & Co. carried it off. The scene where the Chief manages to tear that thing out from the floor and shove it through the window was masterfully shot and was maybe even more powerful than in the book. In any case, it completes the nursery rhyme which is in the front of the book: One flew east (Billy Bibbitt, castrating himself on the toilet and bleeding out,) One flew west (McMurphy, lobotomized into oblivion and mercifully put down by the Chief,) One flew over the cuckoo's nest (the Chief, obviously.)

As for The Shining-- which I have not read-- I always got the impression that the only ones who dug the movie, as did I, were the ones who had not read the book.

Also, Schindler's List did a good job of putting the book to screen.

"One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest", I agree, did an excellent book-movie translation but as with all movies, it's never quite perfect. If I remember correctly, there was something about the sink that didn't mesh. At any rate, both the book and movie are excellent.

I may have mentioned it when we were discussion it before, but I have long felt that the most accurate book-movie translation has been "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas". Now that I think about it, however, I think that "No Country For Old Men" was pretty much written like a screen play and the movie just flowed perfectly from there so that may be the most accurate book-movie translation.

[The Suburban Avenger]

Now that I think about it, however, I think that "No Country For Old Men" was pretty much written like a screen play and the movie just flowed perfectly from there so that may be the most accurate book-movie translation.

It certainly was.

The worst book-to-screenplay disaster I've ever seen was "Bonfire of the Vanities." Never a good idea to change the Jewish judge to Morgan Freeman, among other gaffes.

In a related note, was surprised to learn recently that Pierre Boule's novel "The Bridge on the River Kwai" ends with the British officer 'saving' the bridge.

[middle aged female]

Now that I think about it, however, I think that "No Country For Old Men" was pretty much written like a screen play and the movie just flowed perfectly from there so that may be the most accurate book-movie translation.

It certainly was.

The worst book-to-screenplay disaster I've ever seen was "Bonfire of the Vanities." Never a good idea to change the Jewish judge to Morgan Freeman, among other gaffes.

In a related note, was surprised to learn recently that Pierre Boule's novel "The Bridge on the River Kwai" ends with the British officer 'saving' the bridge.

Gone with the Wind was actually a pretty abysmal adaptation too. Among other things, Scarlett has only one child in the movie, who was her beloved Bonnie, daughter of Rhett. In the book, she has two other children by different husbands; Wade Hampton, who is described as bland like his father, Charles, and Ella, who she describes as looking like a monkey by her second husband Frank.

[frank - up in grand blanc]

In my pantheon one flick stands alone for beating the book: The Girl in the Swing, which was an adaptation of Richard Adam's (can I get some love, Hazel?) novel. The story follows a British porcelain collector who falls into a whirlwind romance with a mysterious young woman. In the book version you follow the couple from romance through some odd occurrences unto the point where it becomes clear that (a) the protagonist combines naiveté with egocentricism, and (b) you want to climb into the book and kick his stuffy English ass just 'cuz. But the movie convincingly introduces the possibility of ghosts, or is it mass-hysteria, or mental illness, or what! Either way, the movie got my heart pounding accomplished what few others can: it became fodder for speculation, discussion, arguments, and then finally a return visit to the theater with my pal to watch it again and settle our points of contention. A rare bird indeed.

[Random Douchebag]

Now that I think about it, however, I think that "No Country For Old Men" was pretty much written like a screen play and the movie just flowed perfectly from there so that may be the most accurate book-movie translation.

It certainly was.

The worst book-to-screenplay disaster I've ever seen was "Bonfire of the Vanities." Never a good idea to change the Jewish judge to Morgan Freeman, among other gaffes.

In a related note, was surprised to learn recently that Pierre Boule's novel "The Bridge on the River Kwai" ends with the British officer 'saving' the bridge.

What a great song in that movie.

[middle aged female]

Now that I think about it, however, I think that "No Country For Old Men" was pretty much written like a screen play and the movie just flowed perfectly from there so that may be the most accurate book-movie translation.

It certainly was.

The worst book-to-screenplay disaster I've ever seen was "Bonfire of the Vanities." Never a good idea to change the Jewish judge to Morgan Freeman, among other gaffes.

In a related note, was surprised to learn recently that Pierre Boule's novel "The Bridge on the River Kwai" ends with the British officer 'saving' the bridge.

What a great song in that movie.

Everyone!! Sing along:

Hitler has only got one ball,
Göring has two but very small,
Himmler is somewhat sim'lar,
But poor Goebbels has no balls at all.

[April St.Clair]

Started to re-read the Odyssey by Homer.

[Doctor Detroit]

Re-reading Dragon's Egg by Robert Forward. Life forms on a neutron star with super high gravity, nuclear bonds replace the atomic bonds common on Earth because everything is so compressed, 3 cm ripple in the crust is like a mountain range to them, they mostly move East and West along magnetic field lines, the other way is incredibly difficult to travel in because the magnetic field created by the super-fast spinning neutron star is so strong. Civilizations come and go, technology, etc. Good book.

[gullycanyon]

Started to re-read the Odyssey by Homer.

Cripes!! You decided to re-read that right after returning to work?

[The Beav]

http://www.amazon.com/Detroit-Biography-Scott-Martelle/dp/156976526X

I plan on buying this when it comes out. Ex-bartender at H?J's (and ex-Detroit News reporter before the strike) wrote it. Kirkus has given it a good review. Little birdies tell me he interviewed John and the new owners for the book. Not sure if they made the final edit, tho.