Thursday, June 10, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks-Worst Book to Movie Adaptations

 


Oh, I bet you writers out there in the dark can have a field day today with this theme chosen by The Punk Theory. There are countless films based on books with many being good, entertaining and fun, a few being great and many that stank the high heaven. I hope you check out Wandering Through The Shelves to see what everyone else has chosen. Here are my 3 stinkaroos....

1. THE NOTEBOOK-2004

I might get some flack from this irritating romance but I can't help it.....this film sucks. The only redeeming quality of this film are the scenes with James Garner and Gena Rowlands who had chemistry and portrayed genuine love and affection for one another. The Garner character reads from Rowlands' notebook to her hoping she will register who she is and whom he is since she has Alzheimer's. We travel back in time to 2 young people who are attracted to one another but seem to fight, burp and fart around one another causing mayhem and irritation to this person watching this couple. Years pass, they kiss in the rain (oooh, that's original) before they burp, fart and fight knowing that they get under each others' skin like bedbugs but they can't be without one another....ok. You find out this irritating couple are the loving old souls...bulls&^! They would have divorced long ago or killed each other if I didn't go through the screen first to kill them. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams did become a couple for a while but the burp and fart split many moons ago. 

2. THE GREAT GATSBY-2013

The book is great and I don't mind the Robert Redford version although what he saw in Mia Farrow I have no idea. The remake stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan in an over the top monstrosity directed by Baz Luhrmann who just threw up color, glitter, camera tricks, modern shit and everything else to create a colossal bore of a flick. Tobey(Where is he?) Maguire is the narrator and eventual friend of the mysterious Gatsby played by Leo who has many parties (being the 1920s and all) before falling for the whispy Daisy. Who cares, this film dragged so much and was so long that I lost a third of my life watching this dredge.

3. 50 POUNDS OF SHIT..ER....50 SHADES OF SHIT..NOPE..WHO CARES-2015

I read a few parts of this horrible, horrible book while in Chapters and was laughing at the crap I was reading. Barbara Cartland must be turning over in her grave. The chick who wrote this dredge plus 50 Shits Darker and 50 Shits Freed (sounds like books for reasons why one needs a colonoscopy) is laughing all the way to bank. When there are so many great writers out there, what did she do to get these published and made into movies that so many went to see. Why? Why have so many gone to see the slop..no, I have not seen any of these flicks of bad taste. I don't care to see heavy breathing, butts, boobs and whatever else that a good porn will do. I would rather see "The Sheets of San Francisco" or "Ramb-ohhhh" (Yes those are real) than ever watch this dribble. 

So which Flicks would you choose? Battlefield Earth anyone??


31 comments:

  1. Hi, Birgit!

    I'm sittin' in the balcony with you "At The Movies," dear friend!

    Your review of the Notebook gave me the chuckles. Countless women swooned over that chick flick for years after its release. I watched the film around ten years ago and enjoyed the ride, but wouldn't count it among my favorites. Notebook is the movie that launched Rachel McAdams' career as a romcom "it girl" of the 2000s. In the years that followed, I watched three more Rachel vehicles: the psycho thriller Red Eye and the romantic features Morning Glory and Midnight In Paris.

    I laughed again reading your review of Gatsby. I doubt you would have appreciated spending a third of your life watching the old Andy Kaufman sketch in which he elected to entertain the audience on SNL by reading the Gatsby book aloud from cover to cover. As fidgeting and nervous laughter in the peanut gallery turned to loud booing, Andy kept on reading undeterred. The sketch is a classic. I didn't know about this 2013 Baz L remake, but I love Carey Mulligan having seen her in An Education and Drive. The Gatsby Jazz Age period doesn't interest me as much as the 1950s and 60s, but I rather enjoy indulgent use of color, glitter and camera tricks thrown at the screen to see if anything sticks.

    After reading your third film review, I am laughing to beat the band. You pulled no punches in your put-down of 50 Shades and its sequels. I haven't seen any of them, and the banshees wailing throughout the trailer you posted don't make me wanna. Wiki sez: << Fifty Shades of Grey has attracted criticism due to its depictions of BDSM >> << showing incorrect and possibly dangerous BDSM techniques. >> Shady sez they should have brought in the Marquis de Sade as a consultant to show them the ropes.

    I needed to look up bad book to movie adapts. On one list I found the 2002 film A Walk To Remember, adapted from a novel by Nicholas Sparks who gave us The Notebook. I remember watching A Walk To Remember shortly after its release. It stars Shane West, the actor Mrs. Shady and I are currently enjoying in the role of a studly young doctor in reruns of ER, and Mandy Moore, former pop singer and current star of This Is Us.

    Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend, dear friend BB!

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    1. I am glad you like my thoughts on these 3 flicks. I know that so many women just loved The Notebook and I had no desire to see it since it was a soppy romance but, years later, I thought, “Let’s give it a shot.” Meh...the only thing that redeems this film are Garner and Rowlands. You may like Gatsby because it is a very visual flick. I couldn’t read much of that book as it was just in the. Book store and after reading a few bits and pieces, I knew that Harlequin romances are Shakespeare compared to those horrible books. Yeah, I have not seen A Walk To Remember because it looked like a Walk to Forget.

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  2. LOL at 50 Shades. I liked The Notebook but I never read the actual book so I can't compare. For me, it's the least offensive Nicholas Sparks book.

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    1. Glad you like the 50 Shades. ...ugh to the Notebook

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  3. I'd have to think on this one, but I did want to mention that a neighbor of mine actually allowed herself to be interviewed on a local talk show about how much she enjoyed the book 50 shades of whatever. Why????

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    1. Oh God I could never go on the air to admit to that piece of crap. I only read snippets and that was enough for me.

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  4. I never read The Notebook and I have no intention since I wasn't a fan of the movie. I'm so glad to hear I'm not alone on that island haha. I haven't seen this adaptation of The Great Gatsby (only the older one with Sam Waterston) and I'll stay away from it because I've heard nothing but bad things. As for the 50 shades movies... I tried reading the novel but stopped after 10 pages and only watched the movies to laugh at how bad they were.

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    1. The Notebook...glad to find someone who agrees with me. I don't know the Sam Waterston version but will look it up. I have always wanted to see the version with Alan Ladd. 50 Shades is just dreck and I can't believe there are 3 films out.

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  5. I blush to admit I haven't seen any of these.
    Hope you are having a good day.

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    1. You are lucky but I am a bit surprised by The Notebook having been so popular.

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  6. I haven't read 50SOG but knowing it was Twilight fanfic was enough to push me off of it forever. IDK what Jamie Dornan was thinking, other than cashing those checks. Blech.

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    1. He had to be thinking about money. I almost went with Twilight which was such a dumb teeny bopper flick.

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    2. Twilight was garbage! but the books were too! So maybe it was a fantastic adaptation lol

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  7. AS to your picks I would disagree to some degree. I never read the sources of the first or last film you mention and haven't seen any of the "50 Shades" movies, but I did enjoy The Notebook despite the schlockiness of it. I loved Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, but I liked all of the Gatsby treatments that I've seen. For me, Luhrmann's "Gatsby" was far better than Moulin Rouge which I disliked intensely.

    This is one of those categories where I often don't pay attention to sources unless it's so obvious that it's difficult to miss. So I'll go with some that might not have been the worst movies, but they were disappointments because I had liked the source material so much that the films let me down:

    1) The Atlas Shrugged trilogy was a noble attempt I thought, but I was disturbed that they changed actors for some of the same roles from movie to movie. I thought each episode fizzled a bit from the previous.

    2) John Huston's adaptation of Flannery O'Connor's Wiseblood just didn't quite hit the mark of the original novel, but that's a tough one since the book is so weird anyway. The movie just kind of left me flat. I'm not sure what they could have done to make it better.

    That's all I got for now though I know there are some others that I've seen but just can't dredge up the names at the momemnt.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Funny, I like Moulin Rouge better than Gatsby. Usually if one reads the book first, one is usually let down by the movie. I don't know of your 2 picks but they don't sound appealing.

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  8. I haven't read or even heard of the first one. I've heard of The Great Gatspy, but never saw the film or read the book. As for the 50 Shades of Shit, I heard about it when it came out, but I'm not into soft porn and could care less about that Shit anyway. Loved the reviews, though.

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    1. Glad you loved my reviews. Most people , well, women, just loved The Notebook but the young leads were so annoying that I couldn't get into those 2. I did enjoy the moments with the older version played by Garner and Rowlands. 50 Shades is horrid just from the snippets I read.

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  9. I haven't read The Notebook but thought the film was okay if standard romantic stuff. I agree that Gena Rowlands and James Garner were the best part of it though.

    This version of Gatsby is garbage completely missing the points of the novel or any other points actually. The book is a tough one to adapt and the role of Daisy apparently impossible to cast properly! I've seen several versions and NEVER has Daisy been right. Admittedly the character is more of a conceptual dream than a flesh and blood woman but every single one has been off the mark. The best take on the story that I've seen was the 1949 Alan Ladd film. A lot of that was because Ladd was comfortable with the dialog and Shelley Winters was a perfect fit as Myrtle but even there Betty Field was all wrong as Daisy. I love her but she was just wrong for the role, especially galling since Alexis Smith-who I envisioned as Daisy as I read the book-was right there and working at the time!!

    I neither read Fifty Shades nor felt any inclination to see the movies. They are too obviously awful. Have you seen this clip for the Graham Norton Show where Julie Walters is talking about accidentally reading the book? It's short and hilarious.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbsI6FG6pQM

    There are a distressingly high number of options for this week. These three dogs came quickly to mind.

    The Scarlet Letter (1995)-In a 17th century Massachusetts Puritan settlement Hester Prynne has a secret adulterous affair with the local minister Arthur Dimmesdale while her husband is in Europe resulting in the birth of a child-Pearl. Condemned by the townspeople she is forced to wear a scarlet A in perpetuity to atone for her sin. Such is the meat of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s moralistic novel, but you will find extraordinarily little of any message, or anything else, in this sexed up hash that stars Demi Moore and Gary Oldman. When it’s not vulgar it’s stupid.

    All the King’s Men (2006)-Southerner Willie Stark is a simple man who once he is elected to office slides wholly into corruption stepping on anyone in his way and crushing enemies and friends alike in his insatiable quest for power until a reckoning befalls him. Author Robert Penn Warren’s roman a clef novel of the rise and fall of politician Huey Long won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into an Oscar winning film (Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress) in the 50’s. All that is thrown away in this cinematic dog where the director managed to attract an amazing cast (including Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Mark Ruffalo) and guided them all to giving some of their worst performances in a film that is both overblown and boring.

    Romeo & Juliet (1936)-The tragic story of impulsive teenagers who because of their families enmity feel compelled to take drastic measures rather than be parted. More a stage text than a book but either way this stiff and clunky adaptation shots itself in the foot coming out of the starting gate by having 34-year-old Norma Shearer playing the 13-year-old Juliet and even worse Leslie Howard aged 43! cast as her 16-year-old swain!

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    1. I just found the 2 young leads in The Notebook so irritating with no semblance of sameness when one went to the present day with Garner Rowlands. It was like they are completely a separate couple from the other. I have only seen the Robert Redford one and this lame duck. Mia Farrow is horrid as Daisy. If you could cast anyone as Daisy, who would it be? Would it be Alexis Smith? Thankfully, to be honest I never read the book or seen the flicks of 50 lbs of shit. I read parts of that book which was crap and the bits I did see of 50 Shades was enough for me to change the channel to fishing. I have not seen any of your picks but have heard of all of them. The promos for King's Men just looked bad from the start and Penn looked like he was over-acting to the hilt. I want to see Romeo & Juliet where the 2 older folks are pretending to be teenagers.

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    2. Oh and I watched the clip which is hilarious...I love Graham Norton!

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  10. Great list! I almost forgot about 50 Shades of Grey, although the book was pretty controversial too.

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    1. It was very controversial which just made more women buy the book.

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  11. I didn't like Gatsby either, but I hate the book, so... (Sadly, I had to teach the book to 11th graders this school year. Sigh.) I did sit through the 50 Shades movies just for curiosity sake. The plot was awful. I refused to read the books because I heard they were terrible. I do like smutty books, but I know some good authors who pen them.

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    1. Oh nothing would be worse than to have to teach about a book you hate. I recall being irritated by Daisy. You sat through the 50 Shade flicks? I can't believe they decided to make all 3.

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  12. Oh god, that Fifty Shades trilogy is the worst. I had never read the books nor do I want to but man, the films are fucking shit. I even did a rant about the second film that just pissed me off to no fucking end.

    I never read The Notebook and man, that film is shit. I however, did like Baz Luhrmann's take on The Great Gatsby because it was what I expected from Luhrmann since he's known for excess.

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  13. I've only got two.

    1. Forrest Gump - I read the book and laughed my way through it. When I saw the movie, I wondered if they had read the same book as I had. Not to say that the movie is (that) bad, but it wasn't the laughfest that I was expecting, and I was disappointed, to say the very least...

    2. The Osterman Weekend - We went to see this because Mary had read the book. The movie was nothing like the book, according to her. I never read the book, and I thought it was a bit stupid, though the scenes with the women strutting around in sexy lingerie were somewhat pleasant.

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  14. I prefer to ignore that 50 Shades exists - be it book or movie 😂

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  15. Those three work for me:) How are you feeling today?

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  16. Funny to see The Notebook here even though I haven't seen it because every woman in my family has been telling me I need to since 2004. I didn't hate The Great Gatsby, but I get anyone who does. And 50 Shades of Shit, indeed.

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  17. I didn't read The Notebook, but I didn't like the movie. It's sappy and dull. The Great Gatsby is my all-time favorite novel. I do not like the Redford version, but I appreciate the newer movie and enjoyed its bold take on the novel because it reflects the frantic pace at which the characters live. I didn't read or see 50 Shades. I don't need to do so to know it's crap. My choices: 1. Into The Wild--the book by Jon Krakauer is great, although very sad. The movie doesn't capture the book's intensity and spirit. 2. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger absolutely captivated me, but the movie is dull. 3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is so good; the movie is terrible. It's miscast and doesn't capture the greatness of the book at all.

    Love,
    Janie

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  18. Hahaha! That's a long list.

    Hotel New Hampshire. I loved the book. It was the first time I fell in love with a character - Franny - reading a book. It kept me up reading all night - not sure that's happened in the years since! The movie was disappointing. Jodie Foster was Franny and she was fine. But the film lacked the strong emotional pull that dragged me by the neck through the book.

    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It may be my favorite book - solid top 2 anyway with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Neither film adaptation has met my needs. They're both fun in their own right but they're not quite right. The Tim Burton one was more faithful to the original material and I appreciated that.

    Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Again, I'm not sure any film could live up to my needs. The movie's fun but it strays too far from the original material. The old BBC series is actually much better. Douglas Adams played a more direct role in that production - obviously; he was dead by the time the movie was made - and it benefited tremendously. The story itself is not as compelling as the author's playful language. You need as much as possible of it in the script!

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