Kritic's Korner

Recently a sort of bookish question and answer was circulating on a few blogs and one of the questions was something like, “Which fictional character do you have a crush on?” I started thinking about it and initially couldn’t come up with a literary lust. When I thought harder I decided I had the hots for Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird. Wow! What a great character. Here is a man who is a good dad, a subtle soul and gutsy enough to do something he really believed in that would alienate him from his community. Then I started to wonder if it was that I had melded the Atticus Finch character with Gregory Peck who also I find seriously hunky. Mr. Peck took on the role in the movie version of the book and kicked ass. This is one of the few movies that have, in my humble opinion, held up to the greatness of the book.

Then I started thinking about other books that have been made into movies and how the results usually lack in a major way. I have to admit that there are plenty of movies I have enjoyed that are based on books that I have not read. This is probably why I like the movies. Once the books had been read then game over-probable movie suckage. No movie can ever encompass all the nuances of a book. It just isn’t possible. I remember when I saw Interview With The Vampire. I learned a hard lesson with that one. That lesson being: DO NOT WATCH MOVIES BASED ON BOOKS YOU HAVE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED! When I first read I.W.T.V. I was 18 years old and The Vampire Lestat was the perfect combination of evil and sexy to pique my drama queen interests. After watching the role butchered by Tom Snooze I sat in the theatre bathroom and cried. I wanted so much for the movie to be good. I hate Anne Rice books now. No other book of hers has touched Interview. I recently checked one out of the library to see if they had improved. I didn’t get past the second page. I have heard that Anne Rice does not have an editor. She self edits. Ms. Rice, if you ever read my blog I ask you to please get an editor. Please.

I have heard that a movie version of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is coming out this summer. OH NO! Now here is a winding path – radio show to books to movie. I wonder if people who were fans of the radio show were disappointed in the books. In any case I will not be attending that movie because if Anne Rice could not prevent her book from being butchered to hell I can’t imagine what they could do with Douglas Adams being dead and all. There are absolutely no checks and balances. I bet you anything he would haunt anybody responsible for wrecking his books. I really think he would. There are just some things that should be left alone. A dear friend gave me my first copy of the first book when I left to backpack around Europe. For me, these stories are surrounded by other amazing memories. I can and have reread those books over and over and over again and laugh out loud every time.

As well as A Room With a View another book that I thought was made quite successfully into a move was Silence of the Lambs. Forever will Jodie Foster and Clarice Starling be one in my mind. Don’t even go there with me about Anthony Hopkins. Hello Creepyville! Awesome. Which leads me to my second fictional crush….

Mr. Hannibal Lecter. I have to admit I find him hot. He is smart and obviously has a great sense of humour. What more could you want? He is one interesting and sexy guy. Except for the killing and eating people part.