Hummingbird | Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 09:22 pm     This will be a short list for me because I can only think of two. As a rule the book is much better. Exceptions for me -- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Horse Whisperer. |
Duncan | Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 09:22 am     So far I don't think I have found a movie that was better than the book. |
Marysafan | Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 12:08 pm     My list would include the Dirty Dozen and The Natural..and I would definitley agree with One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. The movie was MUCH better. |
Hippyt | Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 06:24 pm     I think Steven King's Misery was as good as the book,maybe not better,but just as good. It is very hard to find a movie better than the book. I always have a pre-conceived notion of how the characters should look and sound,the settings and such,and of course Hollywood tends to 'tidy-up' books to sell more tickets. |
Missy2 | Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 08:27 pm     Has anyone read Election: A Novel? I loved the movie so I've been thinking about picking up the book. I've been in a reading dry spell lately. Just not liking anything type of deal... |
Hummingbird | Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 09:42 pm     Hippyt, I too always have a preconceived notion of who should be cast as the characters in books I read. And if I read a book and it comes out as a movie, I have to see it, no matter how poor the reviews, just to see who played whom. One of the worst examples was a book by Dean Koontz -- The Watchers. It was a mediocre book with the usual Koontz mix of dogs, computers, and horror. The movie cast Corey Haim, of all people as the hero. They turned it into a teenage story, which it wasn't. According to the E Hollywood Story, Corey fried his brain and ruined his life with drugs. This must have been his last coherent movie and it was just awful. I think they remade the movie later with an older cast but by then I no longer cared. As I said before, few movies are better than the book. |
Emerald | Friday, September 27, 2002 - 08:27 am     Jaws! Especially the ending. In the book, the shark just kind of rolled over and died as it was coming towards the sinking boat. Even though blowing up the air tank after it was swallowed in the movie was pretty implausible, at least it was a reason for it to die. And the music really added to the tension and fear factor. |
Hummingbird | Friday, September 27, 2002 - 08:12 pm     I can only comment on books I have actually read and I didn't read Jaws. It is hard though, to imagine the book being any better than the movie. |
Missy2 | Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 08:36 pm     I just finished Election: a novel - and I really enjoyed it It had a better ending than the movie and I felt like I could relate to all of the character in the book better than the movie (of course!). I loved both though! |
Denecee | Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 01:27 pm     I have always liked the books better than the movies but The Princess Bride was very well done as a movie. |
Laura11103 | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 07:21 am     Hummingbird... I thought the Horse Whisperer was a phenomenal book and thought the movie didn't do it justice in the least. Also, thought Watchers was another absolutely phenomenal book, so much so I couldn't bear to even try to watch the movie. I think The Shining was fantastic as was the book. Boy if it was the other way around (what books were better than their movies) we'd have a field day... I nearly died when they showed the tv movie It and the Stand they were so off the mark. |
Hummingbird | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 08:24 am     I liked the ending better in the Horse Whisperer movie. That poor teenaged girl had been though too much already. To have to also live with the guilt of causing the death of the Horse Whispperer who had done so much to help her would have been too much for her to bear. Also the scenery was so beautiful in the movie. The Watchers book was okay. The movie is right up there with major all-time stinkers. |
Missy2 | Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 01:44 pm     Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra was a great book and I know this category is about books that were better as movies but the book was way better than the movie and I recommend you pick it up! The movie was so commercial. When I finished reading the book I thought wow this would make A GREAT movie, but whoever did the screenplay lost the point of the book. |
Hermione69 | Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 01:56 pm     I think Silence of the Lambs was pretty enjoyable. Don't get me wrong... the book was great, but I actually think I liked the movie a tad more. It has been awhile since I read the book or saw the movie, but I was posting in another thread and it made me think of this. I really did like that movie. |
Hummingbird | Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 08:30 pm     Both book and movie gave me a serious case of the heebies! The plot line about the young daughter getting kidnapped by the perverted Jame Gumm (I think that was his name) really upset me, probably because at the time I read it, my own daughters were about the same age. I am trying to read books now that are more uplifting. I no longer enjoy the horror genre. I am not sure Silence ot the Lambs qualifies as horror but it should. |
Whit4you | Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 01:01 am     Well, I read oh about 30 books on the titanic back in my reading phase... and not one of them or all of them combined was as good as the movie Titanic |
Seamonkey | Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 10:57 am     But the books about the Titanic aren't fiction, so they had to follow reports of actual happenings.. the movie was jazzed up with fictional characters and events. Still a compelling movie but not made from a book. |
Whit4you | Tuesday, October 29, 2002 - 06:37 pm     I know Sea - I'm just saying that the movie about the titanic was better then any of the 30+ books I've read on it... they did a better job of capturing the events then any of the books had to me. I do know what the thread is about though, just thought I'd share that since I'd read about every book written on the Titanic lol. Lemme put it this way - had the movie The Titanic - been based on a specific book, I still think the movie would have been better. I wonder was Chindlers List based on a book? I think the same would apply in that case. |
Romans8_1 | Wednesday, October 30, 2002 - 05:30 am     "Contact" In the book Carl Sagan would go off for pages on tangents of his personal philosophy that left the reader thinking "Where the heck is he going with this", only to then find yourself back in the middle of the story. In the movie they cleaned it up and the story flowed MUCH better. |
Hermione69 | Wednesday, October 30, 2002 - 04:18 pm     Whit, Shindler's List IS based on a book. We have it in my library. Haven't seen the movie or read the book, but considering no one seems to have read the book, while everyone has been powerfully moved by the movie, I'd guess the movie would win. I think The Shawshank Redemption, which was based on a Stephen King short story, is better than the story and the story was good. |
Marysafan | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 06:35 am     I would have to believe that "Stand by Me" would fall into that same category. Awesome movie based on a Stephen King short story. Another one might be "Sarah, Plain and Tall." I loved the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie based on the short story. I read the short story...and the movie version made those characters come alive. One of my all time favorites. |
Goddessatlaw | Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 07:24 am     I thought "Gone With the Wind" was better in it's movie form. The book had alot of extra baggage, like the child of Scarlett's first marriage, which was unnecessary and weighed down the read. Liked the book, loved the movie. And then, of course, there's Clark Gable. Hubbahubbadingding. |
Whit4you | Tuesday, November 05, 2002 - 03:16 pm     Herm, Oh ya I absolutely loved Shawshank Redeemtion... have seen it a half dozen times. Awesome, awesome movie. Didn't read the book but have a hard time imagining the book would be better. |
Bananaclip | Friday, November 08, 2002 - 02:16 pm     How to Make an American Quilt was a boring book but much better done as a movie. It kept my attention a lot longer. |
Webkitty | Monday, December 16, 2002 - 10:55 am     I agree that Contact, Jaws, Shawshank Redemtion and Gone With The Wind were all just a little better than the book. I would add The Fellowship of the Rings. I never thought anyone could do justice to Tolkien, but Peter Jackson did. It was everthing I hoped for and more. Now I'm waiting for The Two Towers to see if it will hold up the second part of the Trilogy as well as the first part did. |
Tashakinz | Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 09:05 am     "Presumed Innocent". Scott Turow's novel really seems to drag and plod along whereas the movie is well-paced and filled with tension. |
Seamonkey | Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 09:42 am     Jurassic Park as well.. good book but seeing the dinos.. better.. |
Marysafan | Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 11:27 am     Oh Seamonkey...Good call! I didn't read the book...but seeing those dinosaurs on the big scared the bejesus outta me. I can't imagine the book being able to pull it off in quite the same way. |
Hummingbird | Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 02:19 pm     "Coma" was a much better movie than book. My first glimpse of Tom Selleck was in this movie, which was good for it's time. The book drug along and had the same gratudious sexual passages that were in "Presumed Innocent." (See Tashakinz above) It was as if the books had been written and turned in to the editors, then returned to the authors with notes saying, "Add some steamy, kinky sex and you'll have a best seller." I'm not a prude but give it a reason to be there or leave it out. These passages were omitted in the movies. Good call. |
Webkitty | Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 02:41 pm     I agree about Jurassic Park and Coma too  |
Allietex | Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 07:31 pm     I know this dates me, but Ben Hur was way better than the book. I read it in high school and thought it was pretty good, but the movie was one of my all time favorites. |
Hummingbird | Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 08:21 pm     Don't worry about being dated. The old ones are fun to discuss too. The Last of the Mohicans was a dreadfully boring book to try to get through for a high school reading assignment years ago but the movie with Daniel Day-Louis was pretty good. |
Fluffybbw | Thursday, February 20, 2003 - 02:15 pm     I like the movie version of "Sense and Sensibility" better than the book. I just love the movie and cry everytime, but I've tried three or four times to get into the book, and it is very difficult! |
Maesin | Thursday, March 20, 2003 - 09:47 am     I am with you Fluffy, I love "Sense and Sensibility" as a movie, I also like "Little Women" and "Emma". I think I like actually seeing the costumes! I am one of those that will watch the movie and then read the book, if I haven't read it already. That way I can try to enjoy the film before I tear it apart. I have yet to see "Hannibal". I threw the book (hardbound) across the room when I finished reading it so I can't imagine trying to sit through the movie! What about animated films? The "Disneyfied" version of fairytales? I love them; even if they aren't the way the Grimm's Brothers originally saw them. I guess I do have a sappy side (sigh).
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