Spin-Off: BEST Movie from a Book

[Rob H.]

In honor of this thread started by LynneSin, what's the best movie from a book you've seen?

I'll start the nominations with The Maltese Falcon.



(Apologies for spinning-off from the other thread--the idea was just too good to pass up. :) )

[Joe Power]

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Although, the book was still better.

[BOSSHOG]

9. Two votes for the Cuckoo's Nest

Great Book and Great Movie

Anybody ever had a nightmare involving Nurse Ratchet?

[swag]

2. "Great Expectations," 1946

John Mills, Alec Guinness, Jean Simmons, Martita Hunt, et al.

Not saying it necessarily is the best movie from a book (so many great ones), but it's the one I thought of when I saw the subject line.

Also great is "Goodfellas," from Nick Pileggi's "Wiseguys."

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

19. Yup.

Goodfellas was my pic too. The book was okay but the movie is an obvious classic.

[Democrats_win]

30. Great Expectations never disappoints.

[pres2032]

3. Jurassic Park

granted it can't touch the book, but as a movie spin-off from a book, it is damn good.

[pres2032]

4. Friday Night Lghts

haven't read the book, but the movie is absolutely incredible.

[On the Road]

5. Fight Club

although the book was better and had a more satisfying conclusion.

[Lindsey]

6. To Kill A Mockingbird

n/t

[MissMillie]

16. Good choice! (n/t)

.

[vptpt]

8. I thought the book sucked

But then, I read it while standing in the aisle at Books-a-Million. That could have had a bearing on things.

[On the Road]

11. Chuck Palahniuk is One of My Favorite Authors

but you have to have a taste for his style. I find it dazzling. He completely abandons the prose style of most novels. His books go a mile a minute and mix scientific minutiae, philosophical themes, the scams his characters are always involved in, and a bunch of other stuff. Half of what happens isn't even comprehensible at the time and you have no idea what the resolution is going to be.

One of the things I liked about both the book and the movie was the antithesis of civilized and uncivilized life. The narrator's corporate Ikea-style life is slowly killing him, and he finds new life only through a kind of self-destruction. Tyler's vision is completely insane, but it's based on a deep insight into male psychology. Civilization and Its Discontents. The Unibomber's Manifesto.

[vptpt]

13. Based on what you just said,

I think I might need to try the book again. Maybe the standing-in-the-bookstore-aisle technique isn't appropriate.

If you're a fast reader, it's a good way to save some cash on books though.

[On the Road]

17. His Books Go Really Fast

and Fight Club is only one. Choke, Lullabye, and Invisible Monsters are all great. Finding yourself through self-destruction is one of his themes. They're funny, shocking, and surprising. He has quite an online following.

On Edit: And check these Wikipediea entries out. I didn't know this stuff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Palahniuk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacophony_Society

[vptpt]

22. Thanks for the links

I'll have to give ol' Chuck another shot. I like the whole philosophy behind Fight Club. Maybe I just need to get acquainted with his writing style to appreciate it.

[On the Road]

24. I'm a Relatively New Fan

Started over Christmas. But I haven't been this excited by a new author since David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Keep in mind that he's often characterized as a satirical novelist, which is helpful only if you realize he's also deadly serious.

[vptpt]

25. Time to dig out the library card

Of the ones you've read so far, which is your favorite?

[On the Road]

27. Actually, I Like Fight Club the Best

and am currently the middle of Survivor, so I can't tell yet. Seems good, but there's often a U-turn near the end of his books that sets everything on its head.

Invisible Monsters, Lullaby, and Choke are all good. (I would not choose Diary right off the bat.) They're all disturbing in different ways. Invisible Monsters is about beauty, disfigurement, sex change, self-destruction, and personal identity. Lullaby is about a "culling song" that kills anyone who hears it, and the decisions on what to do with the power of life and death. Choke starts with a way of taking financial advantage of the kindness of strangers and involves sex addiction, hospices, sanity, and some other stuff. Some other DUers (there are fans here) have said good things about his two nonfiction books. He also has a book of short horror stories coming out next month.

[tammywammy]

49. If after two of his books, you still don't like it, just give up there

I gave him three shots, Lullaby, Choke, and Diary. And then I gave up on him forever. I didn't find him innovating, or fast paced. I found him boring and stupid. Basically, they didn't take me long to read and I was glad when I was done.
But then I know people who love them. Just not for me.

[hfojvt]

29. most towns have a library too

so a person does not need to steal just because they are trying to save some cash.

[vptpt]

35. Thanks for the criticism

My library doesn't have any good books. I live in East Tennessee. If you want a book about Jesus, they can set you up. Otherwise, it's potluck. Thanks for your concern about my soul, though.

Plus, I never said I actually took the books from the store.

I hope the library in my town will have at least one Chuck Palalalala (guess I should learn to spell his name!) book to check out...stupid library.

[hfojvt]

57. as a former bookstore owner

I consider someone who deliberately reads a book in a bookstore as much of a thief as someone who makes and eats a sandwich while in a grocery store. You might say the book is still there whereas the food is gone (or digested), but the book is no longer as new after it has been handled. Some of its newness is gone just as surely as that sandwich.
Unless you live in a really small town, I find it hard to believe that a library does not have ANY good books. Maybe just not any current ones. East Tennessee does not seem any more podunk to me than East Kansas, or northern Iowa, or rural Wisconsin, and I found decent libraries there. And now there is a ton of free reading on the internet.

[johnnie]

7. A Clockwork Orange

The book gets confusing because you have to keep going to the back of the book to the glossary.
The movie is a classic.

[Joe Power]

10. That was my (very close) 2nd choice

Loved both

[hfojvt]

28. the movie sucked, Kubric was an ass

Pauline Kael explained it for me: "The ironies are protean, but Burgess is clearly a humanist; his point of view is that of a Christian horrified by the possibilities of a society turned Clockwork Orange, in which life is so mechanised that men lose their capacity for moral choice. There seems to be no way in this boring, dehumanising society for the boys to release their energies except in vandalism and crime; they do what they do as a matter of course. Alex the sadist is as mechanised a creature as Alex the good ... Far from being a little parable about the dangers of soullessness and the horrors of force, whether employed by individuals against each other or by society in 'conditioning', the movie becomes a vindication of Alex, saying that the punk was a free human being and only the good Alex was a robot."

[Squatch]

12. LOTR hands-down

[vptpt]

14. I was surprised at how well LOTR turned out

I thoroughly expected those movies to be a let down. And because of my job at the time, I was able to see the pre-screen run. Woohoo, I was special!

[Enraged_Ape]

26. I enthusiastically agree

I never thought they'd be able to pull it off in my lifetime, but they did.

[4_Legs_Good]

43. I enthusiastically vomit

:puke: x 100,000

Jackson's films SUCKED! (well the Extended Fellowship was okay).

Feh!!!!!!!!!!!

david

[Enraged_Ape]

62. Here. I'll hold the bag out for you.

I loved all the movies. I wept when Boromir died.

[4_Legs_Good]

67. Pffffftttt!!!

That Boromir scene was rediculous and absurdly melodramatic and silly. Slow motion. Pathetic! Arrows the size of tree trunks! The fact that Strider could kick the ass of 500,000 orcs and Boromir is a little wus? Feh on all that!!!!

But thanks for the bag!

Anyway, I'm glad you liked the movies, and Fellowship was certainly the best of the 3 - it was almost coherent!

Heh heh heh. Sorry, I'm just really, really, really bitter!

david

[Plaid Adder]

15. LOTR. Better than the books.

IMHO of course. But Jackson really captured the spirit of the trilogy as well as the most important elements of the story, and it was a VAST improvement in terms of dialogue and characterization, especially with Aragorn.

Go him,

The Plaid Adder

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

21. Lemme weigh in on that one too...

I read Return of the King right before the movie came out. Once thing Peter Jackson and his script writers did was EDIT. The movie floooooows. The book is a pretty difficult read IMHO.

[4_Legs_Good]

42. You are very, very sick. Luckily I think your disease is treatable!

Ask your doctor about "Jacksonsucks"*

*may cause certain sexual side effects.

Jacksons movies sucked ass out loud. He destroyed the books utterly. The dialogue was CRIMINAL.

The man should be shot.

I shook my head when leaving the Two Towers. I think I cried durring Return of the King, it was SOOOO horrible.

Jackson is an utter hack. His co-writers should be jailed and left to the devices of Donnie Rumsfeld.

There is only one film version of The Lord of the Rings, and it is forever incomplete



to the detriment of all humankind.

I say with all sincerity that even the silly assed Rankin Bass Return of the King was better than Jackson's offering.



Feh!

david

[Bridget Burke]

68. I wouldn't say "better"...but definitely an excellent version.

I read LOTR back when those psychedelic paperbacks first came out, re-read it several times, then neglected it for years. I decided to re-read before the movies came out since I didn't want my memories "ruined" by a possible bad version.

Of course, nothing was ruined. Some plot changes were understandable & others questionable, but the vision & spirit were wonderful. I own all 3 extended versions, have listened to all the commentaries & have watched all the special features. And I've even picked up a few collectibles.

I've also continued reading-- The Silmarillion, Lost Tales & now Tolkien's letters. I'm grateful that my interest has been re-awakened.

[4_Legs_Good]

80. When you read Tolkien's letters, pay particular attention to his

concerns about the Morton Grady Zimmerman treatment for a film version of LotR. I think you'll find that Mr. Zimmerman proposed many changes to the story about which Tolkien had a complete and utter fit.

Then think back to what Jackson did in his paltry films, and you'll notice an INCREDIBLE similarity.

The thing is that Zimmerman wrote that treatment only years after the books were published - long, long before they became classics, so IMO, his changes are certainly excusable.

There is no excuse for Jackson.

david

[giant_robot]

18. The Silence of the Lambs

Both the book and the movie were very good. Thomas Harris really disappointed me with Hannibal. I think both that book and movie sucked.

[Zuni]

20. Silence of the Lambs

[edbermac]

23. The Godfather, though I have never read Puzo's books...

[DrDan]

51. I have to agree with you . . .

It is arguably one of the best pictures of all time - so it has to be one of the best from a book

[hfojvt]

31. only two I have seen and read are kids books

The Wizard of Oz and The Neverending Story

[Ron Green]

32. "Jaws" ... Spielberg's last good movie.

[DerekG]

33. That's a bit absurd

Granted, "Jaws" was his best film, but claiming that it was his "last good" one is akin to saying "Rebecca" was Hitchcock's last laudable effort.

Spielberg has 5 films on the AFI's Top 100...and for good reason.

[4_Legs_Good]

46. The Color Purple was a great film, I thought

a decade after Jaws.

Anyway, I'd also refrain from saying the Indy movies sucked. They were fun.

david

Edit: added a "t"

[Ron Green]

53. I certainly wouldn't put Spielberg in the same realm as Hitchcock.

But that's just my opinion, which is worth 2 cents. However, Spielberg's smarmy, emotionally-manipulative cinematic view, only a glimmer in "Jaws," became his stock in trade, and despite the admitted fun of the Indy Jones films, dragged his work into hackdom.

[4_Legs_Good]

54. Good points...

it reminds me of the "Scenes of people looking" skit from one of the MST3K Oscar specials about Jurassic Park.

david

[DerekG]

60. His 1983-1992 output was rather saccharine

This, however, does not negate the fact that Spielberg has tackled, and mastered, as many genres as Billy Wilder and Howard Hawks. No, he is not in Hitchcock's league, but then, no one is: Sir Alfred was the master craftsman.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

34. "Trainspotting" and "Ghost World"

though gw was a comic book-which may not meet your criteria

though i think dan clowes is high art

[Debaser]

39. Yeah if it counts I'd go for Ghost World

Dan clowes is indeed high art- in the right hands David Boring could make for a fantastic film as well.

[RedSpartan]

36. Too close to call...

Although they are maybe as different as two movies can be...

The Princess Bride

The Godfather

[4_Legs_Good]

56. The Princess Bride translated very well, I thought

good call

david

[luvLLB]

37. by far the best was Lonesome Dove....followed the movie, even

the dialog was the same.

[GOPisEvil]

38. The Caine Mutiny.

Book by Herman Wouk...movie starring Humphrey Bogart, Fred MacMurray, and others.

[Texasgal]

40. The Notebook

If you haven't seen it or read it.... I highly suggest it!

[4_Legs_Good]

41. The Shining (Kubrick) and the Horse Whisperer

were the only two movies I've ever seen that I thought were better than the books.

david

[Lone Pawn]

44. LoTR nt

[4_Legs_Good]

47. Finally, someone I agree with!!!

Thanks Lone Pawn!

I agree, Ralph Bakshi's "The Lord of the Rings: Part One" is one of the greatest book to film movies ever made!

I'm so glad to find someone who understands great film!!!! :)



david

[Lone Pawn]

79. Of course that's what I meant, followed closely by

Return of the King--animated style, of course.

[JimmyJazz]

45. Last of the Mohicans

:9

[crispini]

48. OOoooooo. I'll buy THAT.

Rrrrrr. Daniel Day Lewis.

Plus, the book really does suck, so it's fairly easy to say that the film is better than the book.

[blue neen]

75. That movie was fantastic.

I can watch it over and over.

[MrScorpio]

50. Dune - The Sci-Fi Channel version

Same goes for the Children of Dune

[4_Legs_Good]

55. I liked the Sci-Fi Dune

but it was too aniseptic for me after the Lynch version. I hated the Lynch version, BTW, because of the awful acting and screenplay. It was horrific, BUT the set design and atmosphere I thought was dead on and amazing.

It's not the Sci-Fi Channel's fault that my mind was contaminated by the lush visuals of the Lynch movie, though, so I shouldn't hold that against the film, but it's hard not to.

david

[Bridget Burke]

69. The good parts of Lynch's version are very good indeed....

Too bad about the rest.

[tammywammy]

52. Silence of the Lambs

The move Hannibal sucked, but I liked the book.

[Lilith Velkor]

58. Shawshank Redemption for prose, Sin City for comic n/t

edited 'cause I like the other SK prison flick too, but Shawshank was better

[4_Legs_Good]

59. Great call on Shawshank, the only problem I have with it,

and I think it's one of my top 10 all time favorite films, is the ending where Morgan Freeman actually sees Tim Robbins on the beach. I would have ended the film with him on the bus, just like King ended the book "...I hope."

Because the whole story is about hope, and the fact that Red can now hope is more important than that he actually is reunited with Andy.

Just my $0.02.

david

[Lilith Velkor]

64. That didn't bother me at all.

Here's the tricky thing about adapting books to film: sometimes altering the source material is justified because it works better. For example, Ridley Scott's "Hannibal" was better as a film than the original was as a book, but I can't say the same for "Blade Runner", since he altered the story almost beyond recognition.

That's why ROTK sucked ass. The alterations were just clumsy.

[4_Legs_Good]

71. I agree on the main point...

that sometimes changes need to be made and are made. I just disagree on that change in Shawshank. I would have left the ending the way it was in the novella. I didn't mind at all the usage of the single warden instead of the multiple wardens in the book, for example.

Agreed on RotK. The changes made in TTT were even worse, and just plain idiotic.

david

[dean_dem]

61. "To Kill a Mokingbird" and "Catch 22"

Both were much better than the books.

[El Fuego]

63. Big Fish

[Lizzie Borden]

65. Gone With the Wind.

[adwon]

66. The Devil's Advocate

The movie was far, far better than the book. It didn't hurt that the movie scenario was significantly different.

That book sucked, but the movie is a favorite.

[KittyWampus]

70. Horatio Hornblower Series By A&E. Movie Quality. Buy It Or Rent It.

Even though it's from a miniseries... each episode is movie quality.

Shot on real ships and to-scale models, it has perfectly witty, concise scripting & spot on casting.

I loathe "war movies" but these stories chronicle the career of Horatio Hornblower- a young British naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. It showins developments to Horatio's character & tells of several moral dilemmas he must deal with.

Very realistic and little romanitization.

[yellowdogintexas]

72. 3 way draw: To Kill A Mockingbird;Godfather; GWTW

all were excellent adaptations of terrific books.

[Kat45]

73. "Goodfellas" from the book "Wiseguy"

My favorite movie, and the book was good too.

Another good one was "Mystic River" from the book by the same name.

[blue neen]

74. Pride and Prejudice

The A&E Version. It was sooo much more exciting than the book. The sexual tension between Lizzie and Mr. Darcy was much more evident.

And oh, that Colin Firth. Don't get me started!

[GirlinContempt]

76. Comic books count?

If so, Sin City.... duh

[Rob H.]

77. Of course they count! :)

D'oh! How could I have forgotten Sin City? I just saw it last weekend and as a fan of the comic and of hardboiled detective/crime fiction in general, I loved it.

[GirlinContempt]

82. It was amazing, no?

Brilliant brilliant work

[fishwax]

78. The Godfather and The Godfather II

[4_Legs_Good]

81. A Chirstmas Carol with George C. Scott

I know everyone likes the Crowley version or whomever it was, but I really like the George C. Scott verion. I think it captures the atmosphere and just seems so festive.

And I remember watching 1,000 IBM commercials every time it aired.

david