Books to movies, a checklist
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- August
- 6
Which movies in theaters right now are based on bestsellers? Which books will be neighborhood theater screens next season?
You’ll find some of these answers courtesy of Amazon.com which has compiled a list of “Books on the Big Screen.” The online book retailer has put together a list of books that have movie tie-ins or ones that are on the way this fall. With this information, readers can pick up the book before or after the movie comes out. And, I’m hoping some folks let me know which film versions work and which ones really don’t.
Personally, I like to read a book first, then see the movie. I think the book is always fuller and better. Often once I read a book I am disappointed with the movie and have to force myself to think of them in different terms. Casting directors sometimes have different images of what the leading characters should look and be like.
In the case of Stephen King, though, I have to admit I like to see the scary movie (sometimes) and don’t always have the guts to read the book. I feel very different about “The Kite Runner,” which I hear is a real page turner and is floating around my house. (I promise I will read it before seeing the flick.) I also want to read “The Other Boyeln Girl” before I see the movie  and the paperback is on my bookself at home.
I read Nancy Drew stories as a teenager just as many young girls did. I’m not sure I will re-read these, but who knows. Maybe for nostalgia sake.
See the Amazon list.
Locally, I have my own favorite movie theater/bookstore tie-in and it’s in Pleasantville. I adore seeing movies at the Jacob Burns Film Center on Manville Road and then walking across the street to Washington Avenue to The Village Bookstore, which often has displays that connect to movies on the screen. The store stays open late for movie goers who have some waiting time. Perfect!
What’s your take on movies and books? Which do you check out first and what are some movie book tie-ins that stand out in your mind? This eager blogger wants to know.
This entry was posted
on Monday, August 6th, 2007 at 5:44 pm by Barbara Nackman.
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Funny you mention King. I only know a handful of movies that kept true to the books, to a point. The Running Man was a travesty, I think it would have been far better if they kept to the original story.
Nancy Drew , I didnt bother seeing as it appeared to have thoroughly ruined the character.
I understand that directors will take dramatic license and make certain changes for the screen but in many books there are crucial turning points in the book that shouldnt be changed. Whn I see such a change and it feels wrong, The movie has lost apeal to me.
I remember the Robin Williams film version of The World According to Garp getting pretty solid reviews and even winning awards for best adaptation of a novel. I thought it was a pretty poor adaptation. Glenn Close was not well cast as Garp’s mother and several themes from the novel were just randomly thrown in, completely taking away their meaning.
I felt similarly dissapointed by the film version of Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho. But I know people who haven’t read the book who loved the movie. So maybe that shows something. You rarely will enjoy a film adaptation if you are constantly comparing it to the book.
Ironically, I felt the Da Vinci Code movie (aside from Tom Hanks’s awful acting and a shaky screenplay) played out on-screen quite well.