I'm going to commit a cardinal sin here (though, lets keep in mind that you committed one first with that Dune call out. I'll write it off as a subjective interpretation and just say, I STRONGLY disagree. CAPS for the needed and added emphasis). Back on the topic at hand... The Lord of the Rings movies are better than the books. (Looks left, looks right... ducks just in case). I say this because I like those first three movies (extended, even) but the books are a slog and I never enjoyed reading them. I know I've offended all of the Tolkien Trolls out there but I'll give you 2 clear reasons (though there are numerous others, not the least of which it is the giant plot hole that even Tolkien talked about, the eagles could have carried them to the end):
1) Tom Bombadil is boring. His chapter is boring. Anyone just starting the first book... You can skip that entire boring and dull chapter.
2) The last half of The Return of the King, after the story ends... When the Hobbits travel back to their home and have to fight Saruman. When you are at the halfway point, you can put that book down. It's over. Thankfully the movie knows this.
Okay... I'm going to go change my name to The Cartilage Writer now and go into witness protection so I can hide from those Tolkien Trolls out there.
I cracked up like 3 times reading this. When you disagree with my Dune call out, are you talking about the book or the David Lynch train wreck? (I laughed writing that, hopefully we’re both on the same page regarding the Lynch movie.)
I’ve never seen the Lord of the Ring movies (or read the books). This is shocking for a self proclaimed film buff such as myself. I plan on watching them in the near future though so I can report back to you on them.
PS. I was trying to come up with a funny bit about Tolkien (formerly Token) from South Park, sadly to no avail.
I was talking about the Dune book good sir, until this egregious insult against the Lynch magnum opus was foisted upon me. With the exception of the weirding machines, Lynch's Dune, especially the one close to 4 hours which also encompasses the Dune Encyclopedia, (canon by Frank Herbert but jettisoned by his greedy son and Kevin J Anderson the hack... I do digress...), is to this day the BEST filmed version of the book with both atmosphere and direct conversation and dialogue as well as the internal monologue. Even this new Dune suffers from the lack of internal monologue and no filmed version of Dune can be called pure, without the internal monologue that is all throughout the book.
As for The Lord of the Rings movies, you are in for a treat. Do watch the extended versions, though. Make a day of it. When finished watching, you may be curious to dig into the books but I would urge you to forego that temptation and consider the movies the visual book (like audiobooks to hearing) and count it as read. However, if you like reading 5 pages about the wind as it breaks on the fields and the grass sways, said books may be your thing. I find world building to be different than overly describing the environment for paragraphs on end.
I didn’t even realize there was a 4 hour version of Lynch’s Dune. That makes way more since since the 2 hour one we tries watching wasn’t nearly enough time to fit in everything the novel had to offer. However, the cinematic experience that was Dune Part 2 in theaters this year was something special.
I’m all for the extended version of films to get the most respectable book adaptation out of it. The Watchmen movie with Tales of the Black Freighter included is definitely the best version of that adaptation (even though I still think it sucks because it has none of the soul of Moore and Gibbon’s masterpiece and should have never been made. Don’t even get me started on the HBO series…)
If I had to pick a superhero flick that iis excellent it is the Watchmen, the cut you spoke of. However, in my most humble opinion, that too is better than the graphic novel. The entire ending of the film fixed what Moore made into camp. We do agree on the TV show, that was pure race baiting. Although, my good friend's daughter does make a cameo appearance in that show, which was also the best episode of that series. The one that focuses on the mirror face guy. And downtown Decatur also appears quite heavily in that show as well, since it was filmed here in Georgia. Doesn't change the fact that the entire series was bad overall.
Now that is sacrilege! Watchmen the graphic novel is the best thing I’ve ever read, hands down. The movie doesn’t hold a candle to it IMO. Cool that you know someone in the series, but it really pains me to think that so many people will think of that show when they hear Watchmen mentioned, and won’t ever realize the genius that was the book.
Wow! I agree with your position on Dune. You are clearly channeling the Harvard Lampoon’s “Bored of the Rings” in your assessment of Tom Bombadil. I find a Tom Bombadil on psychedelics to be much more entertaining. If you haven’t read this book, I would recommend it highly. Some of the humor is low, but much is clever. Definitely worth the time and effort.
Jaws is one of my all time favorites. Love the book except for the affair nonsense. Quint, and the Sea Hunt in the book are excellent. But you are right, the movie is better.
They Live! I've always loved the movie. I keep forgetting about the book.
One of my favorites is Aristophanes, and Paul Roche is a fantastic translator, ha, he communicates like you and Melissa. These are comedies, like the woman withholding sex until the stupid men stop their war! : ) And he pokes fun at his contemporary Socrates, one scene opens with Socrates floating in basket, head in the clouds. We could possibly read one of the plays? Additionally, Aristophanes wrote during the collapse of the golden age of Athens, he was aware of the leadership was destroying Greece, but he was only a comic writer ... yet he kept is benevolence and humor...also historically is he is the father of two kinds of humor, the later when the Spartans ruled Athens, and had intense censorship, Aristophanes created humor of prototypes, like the sassy tart, the butler, etc. Much is that is typical Hollywood comedy now. https://a.co/d/gZ0CPVX
I was in the third grade when this movie came out, back when they would put out a TV edit for the broadcast networks a year after any successful movie left theaters.
I remember carrying that book around at school, with the shark coming up to devour our first victim.
Now I live a short walk from Narragansett Bay which is were the title and closing credits sequence were filmed, I can see the landscape is still much the same.
At least you have a beautiful view from the shore! Melissa and I love that area, it’s on our list of places to move to one day if we were ever brave enough to finally move away from NYC.
I'm going to commit a cardinal sin here (though, lets keep in mind that you committed one first with that Dune call out. I'll write it off as a subjective interpretation and just say, I STRONGLY disagree. CAPS for the needed and added emphasis). Back on the topic at hand... The Lord of the Rings movies are better than the books. (Looks left, looks right... ducks just in case). I say this because I like those first three movies (extended, even) but the books are a slog and I never enjoyed reading them. I know I've offended all of the Tolkien Trolls out there but I'll give you 2 clear reasons (though there are numerous others, not the least of which it is the giant plot hole that even Tolkien talked about, the eagles could have carried them to the end):
1) Tom Bombadil is boring. His chapter is boring. Anyone just starting the first book... You can skip that entire boring and dull chapter.
2) The last half of The Return of the King, after the story ends... When the Hobbits travel back to their home and have to fight Saruman. When you are at the halfway point, you can put that book down. It's over. Thankfully the movie knows this.
Okay... I'm going to go change my name to The Cartilage Writer now and go into witness protection so I can hide from those Tolkien Trolls out there.
I cracked up like 3 times reading this. When you disagree with my Dune call out, are you talking about the book or the David Lynch train wreck? (I laughed writing that, hopefully we’re both on the same page regarding the Lynch movie.)
I’ve never seen the Lord of the Ring movies (or read the books). This is shocking for a self proclaimed film buff such as myself. I plan on watching them in the near future though so I can report back to you on them.
PS. I was trying to come up with a funny bit about Tolkien (formerly Token) from South Park, sadly to no avail.
I was talking about the Dune book good sir, until this egregious insult against the Lynch magnum opus was foisted upon me. With the exception of the weirding machines, Lynch's Dune, especially the one close to 4 hours which also encompasses the Dune Encyclopedia, (canon by Frank Herbert but jettisoned by his greedy son and Kevin J Anderson the hack... I do digress...), is to this day the BEST filmed version of the book with both atmosphere and direct conversation and dialogue as well as the internal monologue. Even this new Dune suffers from the lack of internal monologue and no filmed version of Dune can be called pure, without the internal monologue that is all throughout the book.
As for The Lord of the Rings movies, you are in for a treat. Do watch the extended versions, though. Make a day of it. When finished watching, you may be curious to dig into the books but I would urge you to forego that temptation and consider the movies the visual book (like audiobooks to hearing) and count it as read. However, if you like reading 5 pages about the wind as it breaks on the fields and the grass sways, said books may be your thing. I find world building to be different than overly describing the environment for paragraphs on end.
In the end, it's all subjective.
I didn’t even realize there was a 4 hour version of Lynch’s Dune. That makes way more since since the 2 hour one we tries watching wasn’t nearly enough time to fit in everything the novel had to offer. However, the cinematic experience that was Dune Part 2 in theaters this year was something special.
I’m all for the extended version of films to get the most respectable book adaptation out of it. The Watchmen movie with Tales of the Black Freighter included is definitely the best version of that adaptation (even though I still think it sucks because it has none of the soul of Moore and Gibbon’s masterpiece and should have never been made. Don’t even get me started on the HBO series…)
If I had to pick a superhero flick that iis excellent it is the Watchmen, the cut you spoke of. However, in my most humble opinion, that too is better than the graphic novel. The entire ending of the film fixed what Moore made into camp. We do agree on the TV show, that was pure race baiting. Although, my good friend's daughter does make a cameo appearance in that show, which was also the best episode of that series. The one that focuses on the mirror face guy. And downtown Decatur also appears quite heavily in that show as well, since it was filmed here in Georgia. Doesn't change the fact that the entire series was bad overall.
Now that is sacrilege! Watchmen the graphic novel is the best thing I’ve ever read, hands down. The movie doesn’t hold a candle to it IMO. Cool that you know someone in the series, but it really pains me to think that so many people will think of that show when they hear Watchmen mentioned, and won’t ever realize the genius that was the book.
Wow! I agree with your position on Dune. You are clearly channeling the Harvard Lampoon’s “Bored of the Rings” in your assessment of Tom Bombadil. I find a Tom Bombadil on psychedelics to be much more entertaining. If you haven’t read this book, I would recommend it highly. Some of the humor is low, but much is clever. Definitely worth the time and effort.
Fight Club is a good example of, “the movie is better.”
Palahniuk agreed himself, in an interview somewhere. Both are fantastic though
Good stuff!
Jaws is one of my all time favorites. Love the book except for the affair nonsense. Quint, and the Sea Hunt in the book are excellent. But you are right, the movie is better.
They Live! I've always loved the movie. I keep forgetting about the book.
(I'm not a Dune guy)
Thanks!
Here’s the short story They Live is based on:
https://pvto.weebly.com/uploads/9/1/5/0/91508780/eight_o%E2%80%99clock_in_the_morning-nelson.pdf
Give it a read it’s really quick and a fun one.
Good story! So glad Carpenter found it. And Roddy Pipers performance is perfect.
And of course the alley fight with Keith David is legendary.
Thanks!
Jurassic Park movie > Jurassic Park book.
Yeah, I said it.
Those are fighting words, sir!
A movie poster of Jaws and the Name of the Rose, so bad it was great. hahaha. I am thinking of making a book suggestion ... : )
Glad you appreciated it 😂 suggest away!
One of my favorites is Aristophanes, and Paul Roche is a fantastic translator, ha, he communicates like you and Melissa. These are comedies, like the woman withholding sex until the stupid men stop their war! : ) And he pokes fun at his contemporary Socrates, one scene opens with Socrates floating in basket, head in the clouds. We could possibly read one of the plays? Additionally, Aristophanes wrote during the collapse of the golden age of Athens, he was aware of the leadership was destroying Greece, but he was only a comic writer ... yet he kept is benevolence and humor...also historically is he is the father of two kinds of humor, the later when the Spartans ruled Athens, and had intense censorship, Aristophanes created humor of prototypes, like the sassy tart, the butler, etc. Much is that is typical Hollywood comedy now. https://a.co/d/gZ0CPVX
That sounds like a fun one—and right up Melissa’s alley too. Would you recommend starting with any play in particular?
I would like to skim them first before picking one.
Ok cool let us know!
I was in the third grade when this movie came out, back when they would put out a TV edit for the broadcast networks a year after any successful movie left theaters.
I remember carrying that book around at school, with the shark coming up to devour our first victim.
Now I live a short walk from Narragansett Bay which is were the title and closing credits sequence were filmed, I can see the landscape is still much the same.
I don’t go in the water….
At least you have a beautiful view from the shore! Melissa and I love that area, it’s on our list of places to move to one day if we were ever brave enough to finally move away from NYC.
That book is awful