Life in the Slow Lane

Life in the Slow Lane

Friday, April 15, 2005

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.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm right there with you on the Atticus Finch/Gregory Peck thing. Yum!

Susie said...

I have a permanent thing for Gregory Peck (the late GP) because of that role. Strong, good, sexy. I find Hannibal Lecter interesting, but I cannot say "hot." In that movie, the Buffalo Bill character amazed me. Not that I was attracted to him, but I thought he played that role so brilliantly, that it was as though they got a psychopath to do the part. I saw that guy in other things later, and just couldn't get beyond the Buffalo Bill persona.

Kranki said...

Ah yes! Mr. Peck. They just don't make them like they used to.

Sharkey - Yum, INDEED!
Susie-that character was great. His voice. Still remember it. The movie/book was great if you are interested in how people tick which you obviously are with your occupation. Really complex characters. I enjoy Thomas Harris' characters a lot. I guess he will have a new book out soon if not already. Hopefully with more Lecter. It is a crying shame he is a psychopath. Or is he a sociopath? Or are they the same? Oh yeah, and I guess he isn't real either.

Anonymous said...

dear darling,
check out Queen of the Damned starring Aliyah....IT is truly the worst book to movie Anne Rice book ever produced

Kranki said...

Dearest Pablo-I will never check it out because if IWTV caused me to openly weep in a cinema toilet I hate to think what will happen if I actually see QOTD. I may shit me own panties!

c said...

Kranki, I will let you know if the Hitchiker's Guide movie is any good. I totally cannot NOT see a movie that's made from a book I love. I'm fortunate that I can totally separate the two and, while I've been disappointed in a book-to-movie before, it doesn't change my opinion of the book. And if the movie is good on it's own merits, all the better.

SO, I'll let you know!

Kranki said...

misfit-THANK YOU! I would love to see it if I knew it was great and not too far off from the book. I wish I had the ability to keep things separate. I totally look forward to hearing all about it.