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| Books & Authors Recommended and not so recommended reading. |
12-06-2007, 07:21 AM
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#1
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Addict
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 195
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Good books that should never be made into movies
The books into movies thread is the inspiration for this one, of course.
What book (or books) have you read that you thought were brilliant, but that you know would be absolutely destroyed if it was turned into a movie? Any why?
To start: The Debt to Pleasure by John Lancaster.
A brilliant book that seems lighthearted but has a sinister vein that grows through the length of the book until the nasty (in a good way) conclusion.
Making The Debt to Pleasure into a movie would destroy this book entirely because it is written in the first person and it is the exploration of the mind of the narrator which is interesting and gives the book its depth. I don't believe it could even be slightly reproduced in movie form without a clunky voice-over narration that would destroy it.
So, how about you? Which books do you love that you know should never be made into movies?
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12-06-2007, 07:30 AM
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#2
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Earth... for now.
Posts: 430
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VALIS.
I just don't think it's possible.
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"The writer you envy today will probably have reason to envy you tomorrow." - Orson Scott Card
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12-06-2007, 08:32 AM
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#3
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Scribe
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: state of total despair, South Africa
Gender: Female
Posts: 82
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I gagged when I heard they are making Spud by John van de Ruit into a movie. An American movie no less, turning cricket into baseball and Spud the Soprano Choirboy into some teenage Brad Pitt. It won't be half as funny as the book. 
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Nobody is suddenly an author. They do not wake up and say, "Today I will auth and auth!" -- Anne Fine
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12-06-2007, 10:46 AM
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#4
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That is easy - Every Stephen King book!
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12-06-2007, 02:19 PM
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#5
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Utah
Gender: Male
Posts: 260
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The Bible - can you imagine the length that movie would be? And then there'd probably be some Mel Gibson type directing it, so in the end, utter junk.
Also, I'd hate to see a film adaptation of Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. That would also be incredibly long, and such a lousy plot for a movie.
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12-06-2007, 03:03 PM
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#6
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Actually The Passion was an incredible movie.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wheelz1138
The Bible - can you imagine the length that movie would be? And then there'd probably be some Mel Gibson type directing it, so in the end, utter junk.
Also, I'd hate to see a film adaptation of Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. That would also be incredibly long, and such a lousy plot for a movie.
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12-06-2007, 11:56 PM
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#7
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Scribe
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Pittsburgh
Gender: Male
Posts: 69
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House of Leaves. Although I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't want to hear some ideas of how it COULD be filmed.
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12-07-2007, 12:38 AM
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#8
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Wordsmith
Join Date: May 2007
Location: On islands
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,965
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Roget's Thesaurus
The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
The Necronomicon
The Domesday Book
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Cooking With Tofu
The Whole Earth Catalog
The Blue Book
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12-07-2007, 01:04 AM
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#9
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Addict
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Gender: Male
Posts: 149
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The Road - Cormac McCarthy
The Ruins - Scott Smith
Too bad the Ruins is already slated and casted. Sadly, the director doesn't really have a resume and, while I seen Jena Malone listed, without a character. There are five main characters and they not only need young actors (that can portray people in young to mid twenties) who can also capture these characters. As much as the book ruled I can see it being turned into a lame thriller instead of a psychological, situation-themed, horror. Smith did an amazing job not only capturing the horror but the hopelessness and desperation. I can't see the film doing it.
Duck - I agree save for the works made on his smaller works (Mist, Shawshank) and many of the larger books (Dreamcatcher) are either low-budget/mini-series (It, Pet Semetary) an don't transfer well. Problem that King's horror often depends on the depth and strength of it's characters and without great actors (like a Maricia Gay Harden or a Jack Nicholson) it canot be portrayed properly.
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12-07-2007, 01:51 AM
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#10
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Addict
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Mystical Land of Hats
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Posts: 148
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Starship Troopers.. what? They already made a movie about it...
Enders Game... they made a movie about that too?
The Iliad... huh? Oh so that's why Brad Pit was in that movie...
Eragon... horrible you say?
The Gospel of John... they did? Damn it!
Honestly every good book I've ever read has a movie about it and the movie always ruins the experience.
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"There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path." ~ Morpheus, The Matrix
"Sometimes, Lies are more dependable than truth." ~ Ender, Enders Game
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12-07-2007, 06:54 AM
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#11
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Adept Writer
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Somewhere between Heaven and Hell. Limbo, they call it. It's a bit dark and cold here.
Gender: Male
Posts: 863
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* God Emperor of Dune
* The entire Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (Interview With The Vampire and Queen OfThe Damned was acceptable, but let's not go for a third)
* Shannara-series
* Wheel of Time
* Anything by Frank Miller. Wasn't Sin City and 300 bad enough? I know, they are "Just like the comic books!" So was Batman & Robin... 
* Spectre by Stephen Laws
* Shaman Woods by Morgan Fields (although an army of ghost cowboys fighting and army of ghost indians could be funny to watch)
* Death of Superman
* Batman: Year 1 (I already mentioned Frank Miller, but I don't mind mentioning this again.)
* Any books I've written / is writing / will write. 
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"Where are you from again? Ireland? Dude, that was utter crap. Try again. Or just learn from me." Truth-Teller
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12-07-2007, 07:01 AM
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#12
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Adept Writer
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Swadlincote, England
Gender: Male
Posts: 923
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Not because it would make a bad movie, but because every attempt to far has failed miserably. I don't think anyone can/will do it properly.
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12-07-2007, 07:54 AM
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#13
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Addict
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 195
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lin
Roget's Thesaurus
The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
The Necronomicon
The Domesday Book
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Cooking With Tofu
The Whole Earth Catalog
The Blue Book
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If you do not have the vision to see Cooking with Tofu as a movie, then I feel only pity for you.  |
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12-07-2007, 09:13 AM
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#14
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Earth... for now.
Posts: 430
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Mein Kampf.
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"The writer you envy today will probably have reason to envy you tomorrow." - Orson Scott Card
Last edited by Mr Sci Fi : 12-07-2007 at 09:38 AM.
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12-07-2007, 09:34 AM
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#15
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Southeast U.S.
Gender: Female
Posts: 254
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Quote:
Originally Posted by duck
That is easy - Every Stephen King book!
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As soon as I read the title of this thread, that was the first thing I thought, too. His books just don't translate well to the big screen.
I recently heard that The Lovely Bones is being made into a movie. There will be no in between for that movie. It will either have to be phenomenal or it will fail miserably. |
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