I thought I would combine two hobbies of mine and do a comparison of books-to-movies.
Book/Movie: Princess Bride
Love this movie - it's witty, funny, and has a lot of my favorite one-liners. The book is a bit long-winded, but most of the dialogue from the movie comes directly from the book. If you love reading then I would recommend the book, otherwise just stick with the movie.
Winner: Movie
Book/Movie: Ella Enchanted
Loved the book so much I bought it for my little sister. It's a retelling of Cinderella. Sadly, the movie falls very short. After watching an interview with Anne Hathaway (who plays Ella), I knew the movie wasn't going to follow the book. I was still sorely disappointed. Disney took a perfectly good story and warped it into a shallow, pre-teen targeted movie. Skip the two hour movie and just spend a few hours reading a great story. Better yet - make it a family affair and read it to your kids, they'll love it.
Winner: Book
Book/Movie: Twilight
Loved the book, liked the movie. The movie isn't the book by any means and you might be a little lost if you haven't read the book before watching the movie, but it's still good. Stephenie Meyer has a style of writing that I absolutely love which is why I like the book so much. Remember that the book and movie are targeted to teenage girls who are romantics.
Winner: Book
Book/Movie: The Devil Wears Prada
Loved both the book and the movie - for different reasons. I feel they did a good job adapting this book to the screen. They managed to capture the essence of the book without completely ruining the story. It does have a bit of Hollywood ending while the book is a bit more realistic.
Winner: Both
Book/Movie: Nanny Diaries
Loved this book, but was a little disappointed in the movie. Overall I liked the movie but I didn't like the relationship between Nanny and her mother in the movie. In the book she has a great relationship with both of her parents. The other strike against the movie is the Hollywood ending that the Nanny's words had an effect on her employer, Mrs. X. If you are in the mood for a humorous character-study read the book. However, if you do not read at all, the movie will be a satisfactory substitute.
Winner: Book
Book/Movie: Memoirs of a Geisha
The book is an interesting look at the Japanese culture, the movie a beautiful portrait (even though the actors are Chinese). The book has better character development, but then again, how much character development can you do in a 2 hour movie?
Winner: Book
Book/Movie: About a Boy
All. Time. Favorite. Movie. Enough said. The book is a bit depressing (yes, even more so than the movie) and one of the rare occasions where I liked the movie more than the book. Don't get me wrong, the book was wonderful... I just really like the movie.
Winner: Movie
Overall I prefer the books to the movies. I love the character development, the style of writing an author uses, and the ability to imagine things the way I want instead of the way the director saw it.
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About Me
- Aubrey
- A wife, a Mormon, a daugther, a sister, a friend... but mostly, a Mother. These are our adventures and this is my story.
From the Mouth of Babes
Samuel (after Carlin spilled water on his shirt): "Daddy, you disgust yourself."
July 2013
Me: "You guys need to clean-up the play-doh."
Samuel: "Mommy, you just need to control yourself."
Me: "What? - Why do I need to control myself?"
Samuel: "You just need to control yourself Mommy, we are playing."
January 2013
Me: "Lillian, you're such a pretty girl."
Lillian: "No!"
Me: "Yes you are!"
Lillian: "No, I a child of God!"
June 2012
Samuel: "Mommy, I need a haircut."
Me: "You do?"
Samuel: "Yes. My hair is freaking me out!"
May 2012
Lillian: "I hear a gog!"
Me: "I hear a dog too!"
Samuel: "I hear a dog one!"
Feb. 21, 2012
Samuel: "Mommy, I have hiccups in my mouth."
Feb. 20, 2012
July 2013
Me: "You guys need to clean-up the play-doh."
Samuel: "Mommy, you just need to control yourself."
Me: "What? - Why do I need to control myself?"
Samuel: "You just need to control yourself Mommy, we are playing."
January 2013
Me: "Lillian, you're such a pretty girl."
Lillian: "No!"
Me: "Yes you are!"
Lillian: "No, I a child of God!"
June 2012
Samuel: "Mommy, I need a haircut."
Me: "You do?"
Samuel: "Yes. My hair is freaking me out!"
May 2012
Lillian: "I hear a gog!"
Me: "I hear a dog too!"
Samuel: "I hear a dog one!"
Feb. 21, 2012
Samuel: "Mommy, I have hiccups in my mouth."
Feb. 20, 2012
Book Quotes
Friends & Family
Fun Websites
Favorite Books & Authors
- Abhorsen Trilogy
- Freakonomics
- Nicholas
- The Help
- Hunger Games Trilogy
- Ender's Game
- Fisher of Men Series
- The Great Gatsby
- Ella Enchanted
- Lust for Life
- Harry Potter
- Scriptures
- Shannon Hale
- Jane Austen
- Gail Carson Levine
- Robin McKinley
- Donna Jo Napoli
- Daphne DuMaurier
- Rebecca
- Beauty
- Pride & Prejudice
- Goose Girl
- Patrick F. McManus stories
7 comments:
I like the books better generally too. I've always had an unwritten rule to try and read the book (if any) before seeing the movie. But it seems like,anymore, that books are being written with the express hope that they will get million dollar movie contracts :-P
I actually haven't seen Twilight yet [I know... the only girl in the United States] but I'm almost afraid to because the books were so incredible. How could it even compare? I've heard pretty good reviews of it though, so who knows? Princess Bride is always a good one [over-quoted as it may be] :) Love the post!
Okay, I really have to agree with Carlin on this one...lol, so true.
Thanks for the reviews. I used to be an avid reader back in my single days, but it seems picture books beckon my inner reader nowadays...hmmm.
o mother me.
What a neat post- I love that you have read all those books that I didn't know were even books! I read the nanny diaries before it came out and I have to say the book too- I didn't like the language that the book had, but there was SO much that the movie didn't have. And it is also true about Ella Enchanted. I can't believe you read Memoirs of a Geisha- the movie cinematography was beautiful. And I love that you loved About a Boy.
Aubrey I totally agree with all of it....or at least the books that I have read. I really like the post!
I pretty much agree w/you about everything. I just gotta say, LOVE LOVE LOVE About a boy. Best friggin' movie of all time. But you know that already...
"I am an island. I am bloody Ibiza!"
"I find the key is to think of a day as units of time, each unit consisting of no more than thirty minutes."
"And there I was killing them softly with my song. Or rather being killed. And not so softly either."
And who could possibly forget the dead duck day? Ahhh, I love that movie.
This reminds me of when the movie version of Jane Austen's "Emma" came out, and I asked a friend if she was going to go see it, and she said, "I heard it was just like 'Clueless' but with old-fashioned clothes."
Heh.
Books are almost always better, because the author can take the time to develop plots and characters more thoroughly, and you get to imagine it your own way, instead of having some Hollywood art director imagine it for you.
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