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Movie Week: 11/15/08 to 11/21/08: The Book or the Movie? By: Gavin Mooney Two new movies out this week that again I didn’t personally want to see right away if ever, “Bolt” and “Twilight”. I have a brief word or two say about them, and as promised a better late than never review of Changeling. And finally I wish to address a never ending topic of debate, “Which was better, the movie or the book?” But first:
Bolt - New animated feature out by Disney this month. Now, as I have said before it takes a lot to get me to an animated feature and this movie almost had it but not quite. If you’ve seen the previews then all I have to say is that gerbil or hamster or whatever in the ball is gonna make the movie hilarious! You got kids, little bros or sis’s you gotta take care of; then get an hour and a half of peace, watching what could be a funny movie.
Twilight - Not much to say about this movie. It’s a romance story about a chick who falls in love with a vampire. Also, this movie is based off a series of popular books under the same name. If you read the books, then fuck go see it! You’ll probably enjoy it a lot more than me. Personally I’m gonna save my time and money.
Changeling - “Changeling” is a movie about a single mother, played by Angelina Jolie, and the long hard struggle she goes through in the 1920’s when her son goes missing. This movie was pretty heavy. Not really my cup of tea but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I liked it. In fact, liked it and thought the performances by all the actors were very good. One on screen gem I enjoyed was Jeffrey Donovan. I am a fan of his after getting sucked into the USA television show “Burn Notice” which he is exceptional in and was happy to see him get a movie role. Donovan and of course John Malkovich were huge draws for me to see this movie. Malkovich is one of those actors who stays way off the grid and when the time comes that he think there is a movie worth doing, you had better go see it. That is what has made this year so enjoyable with two movies featuring John Malkovich. Angelina Jolie also gave yet another good performance. She is definitely one of those actresses who can do it all: look sexy, be bad ass, action star, romance star, and oh yeah did I mention she can act. If you are gearing up for the Oscars or like to see the movies that are nominated at the Oscars then get out and see “Changeling” because I’m sure it will get a nod or two. And finally... Even though I will not see “Twilight,” it does bring up a classic old argument; which is better the book or the movie? Nine out of ten times we already know the answer, if you read the book then it was better; and if you don’t like to read, then the movie is better. What I typically like to do is when a movie comes out that looks really cool and is based on a book I will read the book first. Such examples were I Robot, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Lord of the Rings. On each occasion people always asked which was better and the answer is never the same. For instance “I Robot” was way better as a book then a movie simply because Hollywood, as they usually do, fucked up a kick ass story in order to make it more marketable. The book always obeyed its own rules and still explored the same concepts and story arcs the movie touched on. The movie though felt a need to make the story “really cool” by just tossing the rules out the window and making up new ones. That’s bullshit! On the other hand there was “The Lord of the Rings.” Way better as a movie. The movie takes three and half hours to watch now for each movie. If you thought that drags out and gets boring at times, avoid the book at all costs. One reason the movie takes so long is that a lot of chapters of the book can be and are covered in good twenty to thirty minute blocks in the movie through one story telling technique a book does not have. A book must tell you what something looks like. A paragraph or page description in a book is a one second frame in a movie. So “Lord of the Rings” is a bad ass story (and if you can muscle it out the books are good too), but save yourself the time and just watch the movie it’s just as good. But then there are my favorite types of movie which I feel most movies fall under the category of and is the true answer to the argument. My favorite, “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,” delivered in both book and movie form and many argue with me about this. To all of you, I say you just don’t get the book or the movie. Hitchhiker's is a movie that really sparks the debate among some. Fans of the book say it was better and funnier and the movie didn’t even follow the book and all sorts of nonsense. Fans of the movie say they didn’t get the book, it wasn’t that funny, and it was boring. I say you both got it wrong. The book was better because it was the fucking book! Of course it’s better because a book doesn’t have to be two hours long. You get more in, tell more story or background, and you have longer to develop what actually is a rather short story. But also the movie is better because now instead of just reading and imagining what the guide looks like and how it is read I get to see it. I get to see the words DON’T PANIC! and all the other creatures, and the ships, and for the fans Marvin the manically depressed robot. All of that makes the movie priceless, and I can watch it over and over again. And when I’m done with the movie and I’m still in the mood for more of the same I can just read the other books. Many movies have the exact same response in me because when you see the movie if the story or the essence of the story is transferred from page to frame one really can’t be compared to the other. A really cool story is always a really cool story. And it is because of that when people ask which was better the movie or the book and some one responds with book, I say that person just didn’t get the movie. And For those who say movie I say you just don’t like to read.
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