American Psycho
It’s kinda hard to read a book with your eyes closed but that is how I got through ‘American Psycho’. The promising beginning soon descends into page after page of murder! madness! misogyny! mutilation! without really going anywhere - at least, nowhere that I wanted to go. The movie has all of that, but one thing the book doesn’t have but really needed: character development.
Once Were Warriors
Am I allowed to say that? The movie just made such a massive impact and was so accessible in a way that a novel could not be. Of course, the movie succeeds in part because of the depth of the source material but…it’s just BOOM! you know?
The Devil Wears Prada
A chick-lit novel about fashion would be easy to slate, but it’s actually not a bad read. It’s entertaining enough: there’s a beginning, a middle and an end. There’s just something that the movie has that the book does not: Meryl Streep. She gives her fashion editor character a depth that the book lacks.
Trainspotting
I owned this book for years before I even got past the first few pages, what with all that Scottish dialect and no speech marks. Just watch the movie, it’s so much easier. And it has a great soundtrack.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Yawns all round! But the movie has Colin Firth, so it wins by a smidge.
Anne of Green Gables
This is highly controversial of me to say, but mostly because Anne of Green Gables was technically a miniseries, not a movie. Come on! You know I’m right. The book is great, lots of chapters about Anne’s various shenanigans in Avonlea, but it’s all a bit old-timey in structure and I want a bit more direction from my novels. Many of the books’ scenes just work better after being tweaked a bit for the movie to really bring out the humour, drama and sadness. Plus, Megan Follows is the Best Anne Shirley Ever and Gilbert Blythe is a stone cold fox. Facts.
Well, I’m done dancing with the devil for now. There’s nothing left to do but invite the outpouring of offence in the comments below. Do you agree or disagree with my 6 choices? What movies do you think are better than the books? Who’s hotter, Colin Firth or Gilbert Blythe? Post your comments below!
2 comments:
The 2011? movie of 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' was so much better than Le Carre's novel, mostly for its stellar casting and moody photography. Never has Cold War London looked sexier than shot through a thick fug of Woodbine smoke. I found the book patchy and confusing from start to finish- it was a relief just to find out who the 'mole' was and be done with it. Also, the movie has Colin Firth!
Blade Runner was probably better than the book ("Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep") though insanity of the book does have something to recommend it. In fact, they're pretty different so you could read both and not have one ruined by the other.
Maybe the movies of Lord of the Rings are better than the book? Big call, though definitely can't the same for The Hobbit!
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