Overly Chatty Penguins

The Ready Room => Off Topic => Topic started by: ziggot on May 12, 2005, 12:04:19 AM

Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: ziggot on May 12, 2005, 12:04:19 AM: Within the last week hollywood has taken one of my favorite books from me, about five hours of my life and fourteen dollars. :angry:

They ruined my favorite book with Hitch Hikers Guide, and tonight they managed to screw up a medievel sword fighting movie.

Is it just me or are movies getting worse?
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: CryForMe on May 12, 2005, 03:19:05 AM: hollywood has been ****ing up books by making them into movies for as long as anyone can recall. a great example is the movie that came out some few years ago called "simon birch". It's about a dwarfish kid who does interesting things. The movie is a pseudo-adaptation of a book by John Irving called "A Prayer for Owen Meany".
In the movie, the kid dies in an alley at about age 12 after a christmas pageant in which he was the part of baby Jesus due to his small size...and thats the end of the movie. That part happens to be at about chapter 5 in the book...and he doesnt die. In the book, the main character (the dwarfish kid) goes on to grow up, join the army, is about to be sent to vietnam and gets killed by throwing himself on a grenade to save a group of vietnamese refugee women and children. They turned a first rate book with a heroic ending and a amazing plotline into a third rate joke of a movie that has been used as a punchline in the scripts of other movies (it's mentioned as being a sappy movie about "a goofy kid with problems" by david spade in the movie "Loser"). As a matter of fact, the movie was originally supposed to carry the title of the book, but John Irving was so pissed off about how badly they butchered the story that he revoked the contract rights for the name.
I could easily name at least a hundred other movies which have followed the same pattern, but i wont bore you all. However, there have been some reasonably good adaptations, as evidenced by most of the movies adapted from John Grisham's novels (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, A Time To Kill, etc.)...but those are few and far between.
Yeah, hollywood sucks.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: SwiftSpear on May 12, 2005, 04:57:50 AM: I think I speak for all of us when I say, "what sword fighting movie?"
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Plaguebearer on May 12, 2005, 07:31:04 AM: Kingdom of Heaven, methinks.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Dead_Meat on May 12, 2005, 08:12:42 AM: wut is a book?
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Niteowl on May 12, 2005, 10:33:57 AM: CryForMe, dude, I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, so PLEASE use more paragraphs in your posts. It's too much for my brain to read those massive ginormous ones of dewm!
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: GrayDuck on May 12, 2005, 10:51:27 AM: well I'm actually READING harry potter (go me!) and I have to say that they did those movies excellently. I've heard people say the harry potter movies don't compare to the books but I think they do. Sure the books contain a bit more - but the choices the movie makers made were great ones.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: CryForMe on May 12, 2005, 10:51:44 AM: i do use paragraphs. look again, not all the lines run to the end of the page (plus the forums dont allow for spaced indentation) and i refuse to doublespace. in addition, what does being smart have to do with using paragraphs?
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: ziggot on May 12, 2005, 11:03:38 AM: yeah, it was Kingdom of Heaven.

They threw away all notions of history in order to make a point about modern day politics. That and Legolas didnt fire a bow once in the whole movie.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Niteowl on May 12, 2005, 12:27:13 PM: Quote
i do use paragraphs. look again, not all the lines run to the end of the page (plus the forums dont allow for spaced indentation) and i refuse to doublespace. in addition, what does being smart have to do with using paragraphs?
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I'm not smart, I need spaces and stuff to read your posts better.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: devicenull on May 12, 2005, 12:39:08 PM: They also screwed up the Battlefield: Earth movie. It's NOTHING like the book, and I hated it. Don't waste your time on it.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Goldy on May 12, 2005, 12:45:55 PM: The worst book to movie adaptation? Stephen King's IT!
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: 2_of_8 on May 12, 2005, 01:33:38 PM: Hmm... movies? Haven't seen one of those in a while, and I'm talking about home TV watching. In a movie theater? Jeez. Must have been a year, if not more...
I don't enjoy watching movies, or at least starting them. If I magically get hooked, I might continue watching it (if it was at the beginning), but chances of that happenening are very low. I'd rather play some NS or read a book.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Legionnaired on May 12, 2005, 01:56:04 PM: Quote
They also screwed up the Battlefield: Earth movie. It's NOTHING like the book, and I hated it. Don't waste your time on it.
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QFT.

In all fairness, the book did kind of drag on for a while during the whole bomber bit.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Anarki3x6 on May 12, 2005, 03:02:50 PM: well at least star wars episode 3 is coming soon :)
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Diablus on May 12, 2005, 03:07:03 PM: Quote
well at least star wars episode 3 is coming soon :)
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<3

amen to that!
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: CryForMe on May 12, 2005, 04:39:06 PM: speaking of which, some guys photoshopped the whole trailer to ep 3 and gave it leetspeak subtitles, supposed to be really funny. if ayone has it or knows where i can get a copy, let me know! the guy who originally created and hosted it got in trouble with lucasfilms for unautorized use of their trademarks....they just cant take a joke.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Dubbilex on May 12, 2005, 05:30:27 PM: Now I, I am a strong proponent of Hollywood. YOU WILL GET NO SYMPATHY FROM ME.

(interestingly enough, I also saw both those movies within the past two weeks but I try not to hate movies because that only makes me lament the cash & time that I blew.)

PS: I'd let Orlando Bloom hammer me anyday, eh eh?
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: ziggot on May 12, 2005, 05:45:31 PM: Thats cool that you have decided on an alternative life style, i support you dubb
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: SuicidaL MonkeY on May 12, 2005, 06:07:51 PM: Books are intended to take your mind through what the author is trying to tell.

Movies are intended to take your sight through what the director wants you to see.

These two never really mix because most directors make a book into a movie because they fell it can be better in little things that could only be added on through "his" or "her" vision. Then theres books which are written for ones who like or love to read, to take you to another realm, and so forth.

Then out of the blue, there are directors that love the book the way it was intended to be, and make movies exactly along the lines of the book.

Best Book Adaptation I've Seen = Lord of the Flies

Worst Book Adaptation I've Seen = Battlefield: Earth movie
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: LowCrawler on May 12, 2005, 06:09:48 PM: the absolute worst book to movie was fahernheit 451. It was a British movie done back in the 60's with basically every important plot element left out... the murder of captain Beatty.... Clarisse dying... Mildred's drug overdose... everything.

And this was a suckass job of a book to begin with!

and shall i even MENTION I, Robot?
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: bacon_flaps on May 12, 2005, 06:20:25 PM: CFM, have you even seen Simon Birch? Maybe there's some Bizzaro version of the movie that you saw, but the kid didn't die in an alley, he died of hypothermia or something similar after saving kids from a bus that went into a lake. Yeah, it's still lame, but damn man, atleast be accurate when you criticize something.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Dubbilex on May 12, 2005, 07:51:47 PM: Quote
Thats cool that you have decided on an alternative life style, i support you dubb
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he was a blacksmith :(
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: LowCrawler on May 12, 2005, 08:18:23 PM: Quote
CFM, have you even seen Simon Birch? Maybe there's some Bizzaro version of the movie that you saw, but the kid didn't die in an alley, he died of hypothermia or something similar after saving kids from a bus that went into a lake. Yeah, it's still lame, but damn man, atleast be accurate when you criticize something.
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yeah when i read your post this was what i was thinking of... itty bitty white kid who wears glasses... it was a touching movie.

i cried.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Diablus on May 12, 2005, 08:40:47 PM: Quote
Quote
CFM, have you even seen Simon Birch? Maybe there's some Bizzaro version of the movie that you saw, but the kid didn't die in an alley, he died of hypothermia or something similar after saving kids from a bus that went into a lake. Yeah, it's still lame, but damn man, atleast be accurate when you criticize something.
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yeah when i read your post this was what i was thinking of... itty bitty white kid who wears glasses... it was a touching movie.

i cried.
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best part was when he decks out the mom with the baseball and kills her.

Though I felt bad laughing my arse off becuase she totally rocked! :(
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Bryan on May 12, 2005, 09:48:15 PM: second to Hitchhickers guide of course. im most pissed about the horred things thay did to the "born identy" books.

Bryan
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: @gentOrange on May 13, 2005, 07:17:06 AM: Gah!

People act as though movies were so much better when they were younger. But really was there ever a surplus of non stop decent movies? You may think those lame 80s movies are funny now because they're so corny but at the time it was just more crap. They had just as much garbage as us they just didn't have the internet to go on and complain.

No Flames Please.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: rad4Christ on May 13, 2005, 09:33:28 AM: ON the reverse, what movies do you think stayed true?

I think the whole LOTR saga was very well done, even tho some parts were left out and some altered. I think Tolkein would have been pleased.

I'm VERY anxious about Narnia coming out this winter. My two favorite Christian Fiction writers done by the same effects house... great decade so far!
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Malevolent on May 13, 2005, 10:26:11 AM: I'm looking forward to the Narnia movie also. I haven't read the books in some time though.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Niteowl on May 13, 2005, 10:38:34 AM: Quote
and shall i even MENTION I, Robot?
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I, Robot was actually totally NOT based on the book. It was originally called Hard-wired, iirc, but the producer, or someone, had rights to the I, Robot title, so they slapped it on, put in a few Asimovian references, and BAM!

And yes, movies are supposed to be worse than the books. It's a given, isn't it?

And dear buddha on a BBQ, the movie Battlefield Earth is quite possibly the worse movie i've EVER seen. I still get angry just thinking about it!
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Guenhwyvar on May 13, 2005, 11:12:36 AM: The LOTR series and The Princess Bride.

I think those were four of the best movies from books. Although I suspect that with The Princess Bride, the movie came first, then he wrote the book. So then it won't count eh?

**edited because it made more sense to say four as opposed to two. So I can't count. :p
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Mac on May 13, 2005, 11:55:52 AM: Quote
I could easily name at least a hundred other movies which have followed the same pattern, but i wont bore you all. However, there have been some reasonably good adaptations, as evidenced by most of the movies adapted from John Grisham's novels (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, A Time To Kill, etc.)...but those are few and far between.
Yeah, hollywood sucks.
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Those books were made into movies? :blink: John Grisham is my favorite author.. I've read The Pelican Brief, and I'm reading The Client right now. Both awesome reads.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Goldy on May 13, 2005, 12:33:14 PM: Anyone who really expects a movie to be true to a book is going to be let down every time. However, many times movies from books are awesome on their own. Jurassic Park is a good example.

Oh, and I'm totally looking forward to the new War of the Worlds. Of course it won't be anything at all like the original book (which was awesome), but I have high expecations of it as an original movie.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Niteowl on May 13, 2005, 12:51:38 PM: Quote
The LOTR series and The Princess Bride.

I think those were two of the best movies from books. Although I suspect that with The Princess Bride, the movie came first, then he wrote the book. So then it won't count eh?
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The Princess Bride is actually a REALLY old book. The one you can buy in stores is just one that has been edited by Goldman to take out all the boring bits, and was done well before the movie.

EDIT: holy crap, am I EVER so wrong. The whole idea that it's an abridgement is apparently part of some inside joke?! *shrugs* Anyhoo, book was published in 72, movie, in the 80's.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Diablus on May 13, 2005, 01:01:27 PM: movies are considered *bad* to most because in a book you can have 500+ pages to work with and no time limit, Movies don't have infinite amount of time and a budget to fit every. little. thing. possible. and in some cases have to twist scenes as a 50/50 chance of the audience liking it or hating it or just to cut down time. Also keep in mind that the movies are from the directors eyes NOT your own, so obviously everyone ahs their own take on books because it lets their minds run freely.

So quit bashing movies based on how they didnt follow the storyline or what *you* percieved as a situation in your own mind of a certain scene or setting.

Though you can keep bashing movies on their ****ty quality. Just like Battlefield Earth, that movie was just plain stupid.

Edit: I also need to add in Uwe Boll's movies.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Guenhwyvar on May 13, 2005, 10:56:29 PM: That's what I thought about the "good parts book" being a joke, cos every search I did for S. Morgenstern came up empty. But you're saying that the book did actually come first, so surely that would count as a book that made into a good movie?
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Goldy on May 14, 2005, 10:38:23 AM: Ahh, he's written a lot of great movies: http://imdb.com/name/nm0001279/ (http://imdb.com/name/nm0001279/)
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: ziggot on May 15, 2005, 12:35:35 AM: okay, i changed my mind. Hollywood aint so bad.

I just saw Crash and it was pretty good, kinda depressing but tht Cheadle dude can act.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Scuzball on May 15, 2005, 05:11:47 AM: Yea. They're bastards all right.

I'm kinda creeped out actually. Almost all of the movies I was going to mention in one light or another... have been spoken for. And then I said, "But what about Jurassic Park?" and scrolled down... yea. Kinda creepy.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: lolfighter on May 15, 2005, 07:15:20 PM: Narnia? NARNIA??? OMG! (http://rc.creativeblank.com/cupboard/)

And The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy isn't ruined because of the movie. The books are still every bit as brilliant as they used to be.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Spectre X on May 15, 2005, 08:13:47 PM: What about games to movies, i.e. Mortal Kombat. I can see how they TRIED to keep the movie true to the game, but it went a little overkill. I also heard theres gonna be a Doom movie? lets hope they dont FUBAR that one.
Idea: how would a NS movie work? poor marines defending 'the last outpost' against some carniverous, self consuming evil aliens? or the opposite?
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Malevolent on May 15, 2005, 09:16:05 PM: Quote
I also heard theres gonna be a Doom movie? lets hope they dont FUBAR that one.
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Too late. Hell/demons aren't involved. It's supposed to be some type of virus. It really could just be called any generic sci-fi name.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: TychoCelchuuu on May 16, 2005, 07:36:11 AM: I just saw the H2G2 movie after re-reading all 5 books. It was pretty good IMHO. It wasn't amazing, and it could have been better, but I think it did a good job as far as making an enjoyable movie.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Black Mage on May 16, 2005, 08:41:45 AM: Quote
Quote
I also heard theres gonna be a Doom movie? lets hope they dont FUBAR that one.
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Too late. Hell/demons aren't involved. It's supposed to be some type of virus. It really could just be called any generic sci-fi name.
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w...t........f**k?
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Malevolent on May 16, 2005, 10:28:07 AM: Quote
Quote
Quote
I also heard theres gonna be a Doom movie? lets hope they dont FUBAR that one.
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Too late. Hell/demons aren't involved. It's supposed to be some type of virus. It really could just be called any generic sci-fi name.
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w...t........f**k?
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Yeah, exactly.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: @gentOrange on May 16, 2005, 11:15:55 PM: It has The Rock!

Finally, The Rock has come back to HELL!
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: SwiftSpear on May 17, 2005, 01:04:47 AM: Quote
It has The Rock!

Finally, The Rock has come back to HELL!
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Except hell isn't acctually involved... it's just a virus.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: @gentOrange on May 17, 2005, 07:09:33 AM: I can't really use the catchphrase with that. If you smell what I'm cookin.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Goldy on May 17, 2005, 08:35:09 AM: I'm sure they won't screw it up. Video game movies are always excellent. Super Mario Brothers, Mortal Kombat, Double Dragon... Tomb Raider...

Resident Evil was the only semi-decent one, and even that was kinda poor.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: SwiftSpear on May 17, 2005, 09:49:00 AM: Quote
I'm sure they won't screw it up. Video game movies are always excellent. Super Mario Brothers, Mortal Kombat, Double Dragon... Tomb Raider...

Resident Evil was the only semi-decent one, and even that was kinda poor.
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Don't worry, RE2 sucked in ways only Uwe Boll could emulate.
Title: I hate hollywood
Post by: Condizzle on May 17, 2005, 05:22:37 PM: Quote
Idea: how would a NS movie work? poor marines defending 'the last outpost' against some carniverous, self consuming evil aliens? or the opposite?
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Of course, by the time it was a movie, the marines would be called the Virus Killing Squad, the aliens would be replaced by crappy looking ones that are heavily mutated humans made by the "S Virus", and [insert bad actor here] would be in it.