Adobe Community: books that should be movies

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books that should be movies

Jul 20, 2011 10:51 AM

You know how sometimes you read a book that is sooooo good you wish it was also a movie ? Of course some books just should stay books cause they cant be improved by being a movie. But given the right treatment etc sometimes a really good book can also be a really good movie.

Most good books that get made movies have to introduce characters or voice over or something so that what characters only ' THINK TO THEMSELVES ' in the book can be delivered to the audience of the movie. Thats kinda tricky.

Anyway, this book I'm reading now would be a great movie if it could be treated well re: the above problem.

It is " The Mouse In The Moon ". It's the same author who wrote " Beware The Mouse " and " The Mouse That Roared ". The Mouse That Roared got made into a movie ( I think with Peter Sellers in it ? ) and was hilarious.

The Mouse In The Moon ( copyright about 1962 ? ) happens after the mouse that roared...

Grand Fenwick ( a little country started by some wayward Englishmen back around 1400 maybe ) which is between the Swiss and the French , sorta in a little valley between mountain ranges, needed some money in " The Mouse That Roared", so they decided to attack the United States with their Longbows and their small army of about 12 guys. So they sailed to NYC and attacked with the intention of LOSING quickly, so that the U.S. would then spend a ton of money to rebuild the country they defeated... kinda like Germany and Japan after WW2 etc etc.

Plans went awry however, because the little group found some professor who had just invented the Q-bomb and the plot thickened... and Grand Fenwick ended up winning the " war ".

Well, in the book " The Mouse In The Moon" , Grand Fenwick is applying for some financial aid from the U.S. to buy their Queen ( equiv of a Queen, as they are sorta Medieval even in modern times but with a parliment of sorts ) a fur coat ( Russian Sable )... and the professor who lives in Grand Fenwick now ( inventor of Q bomb ) is studying rocket fuel problems re: sending a man to the moon which the Russians and Americans are in a race to do ... and which threatens to "politicise" the moon territories, and space in general. Eg. If the Russians get there first will the moon be Russian ??

9544 Views 103 Replies Latest reply: able123, May 29, 2012 10:46 AM

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1. able123,

Jul 20, 2011 10:57 AM in reply to able123

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Oh... Forgot to mention the whole POINT of this tread...which is

What do YOU think would be a good book made into a good MOVIE ?? and why , how etc...like any ideas how to help it become a movie instead of a book ??

put on your script writing hats

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2. John T Smith,

Jul 20, 2011 11:54 AM in reply to able123

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The entire "In Death" series by JD Robb (Nora Roberts writing under an alias) would be a great (monthly or quarterly?) series

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3. Jim Simon,

Jul 20, 2011 12:03 PM in reply to able123

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"Rogue Wave" by Boyd Morrison would make a terrific summer blockbuster. You'd hardly even need a screenplay, the director could almost work directly from the novel.

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4. Jim Simon,

Jul 20, 2011 12:07 PM in reply to able123

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The entire series by Vince Flynn, whose main character is Mitch Rapp, a badass American CIA operative whose so good at being an assassin that even Seal Team 6 is afraid of getting on his bad side and not even a turncoat Senator is safe from his wrath.

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5. Bill Hunt,

Jul 29, 2011 1:04 PM in reply to Jim Simon

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Jim,

Not familiar with any of this, but it sounds like something that I would really enjoy.

Hunt

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6. Jim Simon,

Jul 30, 2011 12:43 AM in reply to Bill Hunt

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They're very good reads. I'll put down whatever I'm in the middle of when a new Vince Flynn hit's the shelves.

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7. Bill Hunt,

Jul 30, 2011 10:16 AM in reply to Jim Simon

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Thanks, and I will keep my eyes out for them. I'm ready to clean off a bunch of stuff on the Kindle, so will need some new material.

Back to the question - I always thought that Thomas Pynchon's V would make a good movie. However, then the temptation would be to do a prequel film of The Crying of Lot 49, and a sequel with Gravity's Rainbow. That would be tougher than Harry Potter and LOR rolled into one. The latter book makes reading James Joyce like a walk in the park.

Hunt

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8. Bill Hunt,

Jul 30, 2011 10:18 AM in reply to able123

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I do not believe that a movie has ever been made of Absalom - Absalom by William Faulkner.

Hunt

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9. able123,

Jul 30, 2011 11:04 AM in reply to Bill Hunt

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==============
Back to the question - I always thought that Thomas Pynchon's V would make a good movie. However, then the temptation would be to do a prequel film of The Crying of Lot 49, and a sequel with Gravity's Rainbow. That would be tougher than Harry Potter and LOR rolled into one. The latter book makes reading James Joyce like a walk in the park.
===============

I would rather have a sharp stick in my eye than have to re-read " The Dubliners".

Having checked out the reviews of the above books by Pynchon, I realize this is proof positive that friends can exist despite their exceedingly bizarre taste in books.

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10. Bill Hunt,

Jul 30, 2011 11:55 AM in reply to able123

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I would rather have a sharp stick in my eye

For a moment, I though that you were using a reference to V... [Gotta' read it to understand the reference.]

... I realize this is proof positive that friends can exist despite their exceedingly bizarre taste in books.

Hunt, whose Joycean days are now far behind him.

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11. John T Smith,

Aug 7, 2011 9:01 AM in reply to Jim Simon

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>series by Vince Flynn, whose main character is Mitch Rapp

I took a look on Amazon, and the series is at #11 so I went to the used bookstore to find early editions

I'm still looking to fill in the old ones (going to wait until I can start reading at #1) but found an early non-series book "Term Limits"

Good read, as long as you accept the premise that a few American SEAL team operatives have decided to start killing corrupt politicians to try and change the direction of US politics

Some day I'll find Mitch Rapp #1 and will see if it also a good read

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12. Jim Simon,

Aug 7, 2011 9:39 AM in reply to John T Smith

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Mitch first appeared in the the second novel, Transfer of Power. The story lines follow through into one another, with Scott and friends reappearing, so be sure to read in sequence.

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13. Bill Hunt,

Aug 7, 2011 11:38 AM in reply to John T Smith

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Term Limits sounds a bit like Magnum Force, in the Dirty Harry series. The difference is Seal Team 6, as opposed to a rogue motorcycle cop brigade.

Hunt

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14. John T Smith,

Aug 7, 2011 12:54 PM in reply to Bill Hunt

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Well, another difference in Magnum Force is the cops are killing criminals, not corrupt politicians (as if there is really much of a difference!)

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15. able123,

Aug 7, 2011 1:32 PM in reply to John T Smith

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==========
series by Vince Flynn, whose main character is Mitch Rapp
===========
Mitch is more like a ' James Bond' type character but Americanized... and more roguish... hard to explain. Not the same re: gadgets and humor that original ian flemming books had, but sorta similar re: get the bad guys... and kill them.

hehe... is comic book stuff with fun plots and storylines and easy to read etc. I guess if I was to critique it I would say its a cross between Parker's private eye stuff and Flemming's super spy potential. After all, Mitch has many 'friends' to help him achieve his aims when necessary.

I can think of a lot of authors and books that are less fun to read and easy to digest

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16. John T Smith,

Aug 7, 2011 2:34 PM in reply to able123

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Several years ago I started reading the Destroyer series by Sapir and Murphy

Early ones were pretty good, then one of the original author pair died and ghost writers came on to do some/most of the books, and the quality became very uneven

After 3 dozen or so I just stopped reading them

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17. Bill Hunt,

Aug 7, 2011 5:33 PM in reply to John T Smith

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John T.,

Yes, I believe that you are correct. Been too long, since I last saw that film. Didn't the bad guys kidnap the Mayor of SF, or was that another in the series?

Thanks for the correction,

Hunt

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18. John T Smith,

Aug 7, 2011 9:04 PM in reply to Bill Hunt

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Hmm... let's see what IMDB has to say about Dirty Harry...

1971 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066999/ sniper

1973 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070355/ bad cops

1976 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074483/ terrorists

1983 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086383/ vigalante

1988 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094963/ celebrity killer

I didn't read every word of the longer reviews, but the top sections didn't say anything about kidnapping

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19. Bill Hunt,

Aug 8, 2011 8:31 AM in reply to John T Smith

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John T.,

It was The Enforcer, with Tyne Daly. The mayor (sort of a shady character too) is kidnapped and taken to Alcatraz, [spoiler alert] where Daly is killed.

Thanks for setting me straight.

Hunt

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20. soerenkamper,

Aug 9, 2011 1:45 AM in reply to Bill Hunt

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There are so many books from the Star Wars EU that should be made into movies. Also stuff from The Knight of the old republic series could make excelent movies. I guess we have to settle for the game SWTOR though. Not bad I guess, but I would like to see something like this as a full lenght movie:

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21. able123,

Aug 9, 2011 9:15 AM in reply to soerenkamper

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wow... that trailer's well done.

dont see why it isnt a 3d movie. have you written to the game people ( lucasarts, EA, etc ) to see if it will become a movie someday ?

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22. Jim Simon,

Aug 9, 2011 11:05 AM in reply to soerenkamper

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Not crazy about the phony Falcon, or that anybody but Han Solo fly such a ship, but damn that was a good trailer! I want to play that game!

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23. Bill Hunt,

Aug 9, 2011 11:09 AM in reply to able123

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Brad Thor's Full Black.

Hunt

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24. Bill Hunt,

Aug 9, 2011 11:10 AM in reply to able123

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Glenn Beck's The Overton Window.

Hunt

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25. Jim Simon,

Aug 9, 2011 12:41 PM in reply to Bill Hunt

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Brad Thor's Full Black.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take a step back there, Tex.

You wanna go that route, you need to start at the beginning with Lions of Lucerne.

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26. able123,

Aug 9, 2011 12:45 PM in reply to Jim Simon

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hehe... " Tex "... that was funny....

dont know if it will "stick" though...somehow 'wine snob' and 'tex' just seem like opposites....

is there such a thing as a cowboy with a big stetson drinking fine wine ??

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27. Bill Hunt,

Aug 9, 2011 1:47 PM in reply to able123

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Now, if we were talking Lone Star beer...

Hunt

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28. Bill Hunt,

Aug 9, 2011 1:48 PM in reply to Jim Simon

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I have not read it yet, but hear that Lions IS a must-read too.

Thanks for reinforcing that.

Hunt

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29. Jim Simon,

Aug 9, 2011 11:37 PM in reply to Bill Hunt

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You should read the series in order. They kind of flow into one another. Same with the Vince Flynn novels.

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30. Bill Hunt,

Aug 10, 2011 8:49 AM in reply to Jim Simon

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Jim,

Thank you for that tip. I have broken the order, but will start with the first next (starting to sound like "who's on first?" there - sorry), and the work up. That will likely fill in a few "blank spots" for me.

Appreciated,

Hunt

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31. Sarahj11,

Aug 11, 2011 8:05 AM in reply to able123

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I would love a book that I have just read to be turned into a movie. Woman Vs Womaniser "This is the Book Men Do Not Want Women to Read' The book is the best book I have ever read. I stumbled on it last month here - www.womanvswomaniser.com

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32. Bill Hunt,

Aug 11, 2011 9:08 AM in reply to Sarahj11

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Welcome to the forum.

Have not heard of that, but then being a guy, perhaps my wife has kept it hidden from me, especially considering the sub-title?

Hunt

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33. John T Smith,

Aug 14, 2011 1:38 PM in reply to Jim Simon

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>series by Vince Flynn, whose main character is Mitch Rapp

I started with the "prequel" Term Limits and have now read 2 of the Mitch Rapp books

Well plotted, interesting characters... and WOW does contempt for most politicians come through loud and clear !!!

Doesn't really say if this is true personal opinion http://www.vinceflynn.com/About_Vince.html or just story plot... but I do have to agree, at least somewhat, that many (most?) politicians become (start out as?) only concerned with personal power and reelection, not any real care for the public

There was mention at his site about a movie franchise (ala James Bond, I suppose) so will be interesting to see what, if anything, is made

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34. able123,

Aug 14, 2011 1:55 PM in reply to John T Smith

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I hear what people say re: " the mighty and powerful " and so on..and politicians vs main st. concerns.. and its so easy to just parley money vs poor "classes" etc.
To put things in perspective re: real people working at the U.N. I have to say that having lived in nyc for a lifetime and meeting many of the people who work there at local "pubs" ( The Gingerman ) .. now gone but the O'Neil's are still around owning some good places elsewhere ... where lots of good people used to meet and yap at the bar, eat decent food, etc... I've met some really really super people. Not selfish or stupid or looking for anything but "solutions" to problems in this world.
I would have to say that it's my opinion that for every 10 really good decent people in the world ( of politics , whether united nations or country specific ) there is maybe 1 total jerk... and they are the ones that get the news headlines.. and they are the ones that skew public sentiment away from trusting ANY of them.

same in sports, movie stars, banking, etc. The bad apples get the headlines. It really doesnt mean the good people are not there.

case in point...some people here I know who do great things ( or are married to those who do the same ).

But fiction and movies are skewed to "fit" the mindset and box office. That's why so many movies are " games " ( pirates of carribean, batman, superman, ironman, bourne supremacy, harry potter, etc ) . that should have no influence on culture re: real life trust and politics. Its just entertainment. ( comic books turned into movies ).

To think there are not good people around cause the comics say so is plain not true... dont give up hope !

: )

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35. Bill Hunt,

Aug 14, 2011 2:32 PM in reply to able123

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But fiction and movies are skewed to "fit" the mindset and box office. That's why so many movies are " games " ( pirates of carribean, batman, superman, ironman, bourne supremacy, harry potter, etc ) . that should have no influence on culture re: real life trust and politics. Its just entertainment. ( comic books turned into movies ).

Probably fodder for another thread "Games, Disney Rides and Comic Books," that made good films... but I do see the trend here. Now, Potter was a series of novels, so not sure that it would count.

Not sure how many more comic book heros can be squeezed into the mix, but we might find out.

BTW - Did Spiderman ever re-open on Broadway?

Just curious,

Hunt

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36. John T Smith,

Aug 14, 2011 2:55 PM in reply to able123

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>fiction and movies are skewed to "fit" the mindset and box office

Yes... and "escapist" movies are more in line with what **I** watch than are movies based on the real world

Case in point... I do watch action-adventure-spy movies (Bourne, James Bond) but since I've been there (Vietnam) and seen the real thing, I have absolutely NO interest in watching movies about "real" wars

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37. able123,

Aug 14, 2011 2:59 PM in reply to Bill Hunt

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apparently you are not a "spidey" fan yet....or you would know...

yes, it re-opened about 10 times ... following every death defying flying stunt circus act ...that went "wrong".

not unlike cirque de whatever at radio city now...basically bringing the "circus" to legit theatre.

makes me wonder ( I dont know about you fellow culture vultures like me ) whether legit theatre has any marrow in it's bones anymore....
You can break it down into 2 categories.. and do it in 2 cities.
London, NY

musical, drama

that's it.

the circus is a new phenomenom (sp? ).... and is inherently dangerous... due to lots of changes ( scenery and lighting ) and being " live " ( audience waiting for the changes ).

But, in ans to your question, yes, spiderman is happening and in full " swing ". It is a comic book brought to legit , and it has as much depth and action ... as a ( need I say it ??? ) a comic book.

The only thing worse would be bringing back more re-makes... to legit... maybe scott rudin will come back to ny theatre with the banks behind him to do something like " the stepford wives ". Sorry scott.

it is truly not easy to figure out what will work and draw a crowd ( succeed ). AND be appreciated in the culture ( good reviews ). Its the nature of the thing...and I love that it is still possible to keep the business of this happening.. for 2 reasons.
1) it makes it possible to work and make money myself as a worker in this business
2) it sometimes says cool stuff about life and living and reality .. or sometimes is just beautiful in other ways ( like dance or music or other stuff people do ).

I love " art " in that sense... and it is important to realize we are part of that process. I dont mean 'the story' ...but the process of making the story have access to the audience.. let people judge the worth with ticket sales.. but at least give them a good " choice " to begin with... IMO

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38. Bill Hunt,

Aug 14, 2011 3:14 PM in reply to John T Smith

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John T.,

My wife feels the same way, concerning "medical dramas," as she lives those, and does not need them on her "day off."

Hunt

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39. Bill Hunt,

Aug 14, 2011 3:19 PM in reply to able123

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Thanks for the update. No, I am not really a Spiderman fan. Was not into Batman, until the last few movies, and they did strike a chord with me. The dark, Ridley Scott-like atmosphere was appealing.

I am gladdened that some of the "big names" are no longer allowed to "wing it." They need good material and production, to make it with audiences and the critics. Love Never Dies was a perfect example of that.

Hunt

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