Greatest books turned into movies.

Hmmm... I feel like there is already a thread like this floating around, though I can't seem to locate it.

I'm always a sucker for To Kill A Mockingbird, no matter how times I read/watch it. It's a cliche answer, I know, but something about it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

White Oleander
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
A Clockwork Orange
Handmaiden's Tale
American Psycho

All of the above books translated into amazing movies...

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American Psycho

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I'm reading another book by Bret Easton Ellis for my work book club (I know, dark choice), but I've yet to read American Psycho.

I also always thought that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was an excellent adaptation.

Do TV miniseries count?

If so, I'd like to nominate [i]Brideshead Revisited[/i] and [i]Pride and Prejudice[/i].

"The Shining" (the movie, IMO, was much better than King's book).

Dead zone was decent too. And I enjoyed count of monte cristo (the tv version with depardieu)
Blade runner (anyone seen scanner darkly?)

I still haven't bothered to rent republic of love because they set it in toronto -grrrr

In a sense, but they still screwed it up with all that animation. They were trying to make it like that philosophy moive tha came out a while back, but really it deserved the film noir treatement like Blad Runner, or something along those lines. Basicly I hated it, even though it is one of the Dick books I like best... partly because it is very real, and not at all Sci-fi, except in the most cursory sense. It is straight fiction really.

"We" would make probably the coolest sci-fi movie...ever. One Day in the Life Ivan Denisovich. Russian prison lit. in general would lead to great things. The movie "Brother" was absolutely spectacular - not to mention that old Russian silents and Soviet cinema in general are great flicks.

Yes! American Psycho, very good call...
I would have to say one of my favourite ones is Fight Club. I think they did that book justice. Also Little Women did me proud. What about worst books turned into movies?? Simon Birch? Da Vinci Code?

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Originally posted by Cueball:
[b]

I thought Ubik was the autobiographical one...

[img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img] [/b]

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I thought it was the one with the space laser lifeform that was talking to him and his many dozens of hundreds of pages.

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Originally posted by Gab:
[b] What about worst books turned into movies?? Simon Birch? Da Vinci Code?[/b]

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Yeah, from what I've heard, Da Vinci Code really sucked in movie form, and that if you hadn't read the book, you couldn't make head or tail of the movie.

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, so I didn't bother seeing the movie.

Stargazer, I didn't know Legally Blonde was a book first!...guess I won't be reading it any time soon then. I did like the movie though (the first one anyways).
On a different note I JUST bought a really good book today at the Woman's Bookstore in TO and am really into it. It's called "Growing Up X" and it's a memoir by one of Malcolm X's daughter. Really interesting if anyone is looking for a good read.

I never read the book, but the film version of [i]To Kill a Mockingbird[/i] was just excellent. I read [i]One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest[/i], and I loved it, but the film version may the greater impact on me. Generally speaking I prefer film versions to books - sometimes it's hard to visualize in your mind somethings in a book. Same as with Charles Dicken's [i]A Christmas Carol[/i] and indeed anything by Dickens - the books are simply excellent, although in some cases a very long read, while the movie treatment is at most two hours. I prefer to watch classics on the big screen (or even on the telly) rather than have to sit down and digest a thick book - the plot which I probably might lose track of if I have many other things to do in the day.

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Originally posted by Stargazer:
[b]Gab, worst book turned into a movie? Good one. I immediately think of Legally Blond. I adore that movie but the book is useless, mindless drivel by a person who cannot write at all. Just a horrible book.
[/b]

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Are you sure the book wasn't written [i]after[/i] the movie?

I have one for worst book made [i]from[/i] a movie: [i]Mr. And Mrs. Smith[/i]. Not sure why, but I guess the marketing team thought that a book should accompany the movie, and it seems they hired a never-quite screenwriter, paid her off in several bottles of wine, and had her write it, shotgun, from the rough edit.

I bought the book for $1 second-hand. The cover was attractive and the movie had been entertaining, save its message that domestic violence is cool, sexy even, between physical equals. I actually regret throwing the book out as it could one day be a collector's item for worst fiction published by a major publisher as complement to a major studio film.

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Originally posted by jas:
[b]Are you sure the book wasn't written [i]after[/i] the movie? [/b]

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Yeah, there are lots of those out there, and boy do they suck! I can't think of any examples at the moment for grown-up movies, although they are out there, and I've read them, and they're bad.

But they do that for children's movies and television shows all the time, and it's really annoying. I shudder at the poor quality of "Blue's Clues" and "Scooby-Doo" and "Dora the Explorer" books that they mass produce for kids.