Better World Books » movies

Books on the Big Screen: He’s Just Not That Into You

Dana — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:07:11 +0000

What will they think of next? Of course they make movies from comic books, and from great classics like Pride and Prejudice or Romeo and Juliet – but now apparently the movie biz is tapping into self help books too. Of course I’m talking about the new Warner Brothers release of He’s Just Not That Into You coming out this weekend with a pretty impressive cast including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long.

The book by former “Sex and the City” writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo was a runaway hit for good reason. Who doesn’t have a friend that you just want to smack upside the head for staying with the wrong guy? Who isn’t themselves in need of some good old fashioned head smacking that only a non-interested third party like this book can give you? While I certainly don’t think this is one you have to read before you see the movie, (note the lack of plot, character and surprise ending in the book), I do think you might want to have a copy on hand if you happen to be, well…female. I’m not saying you necessarily need the advice. Maybe it’s your sister or your best friend. You could just casually slip it into her backpack or leave it on her coffee table. I’m just saying…

I’ll definitely be checking out the movie (what can I say – I’m a sucker for the chick flicks). Will you? Let me know what you think of it!

Poll Wednesday: Comics and Movies

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:29:53 +0000

In honor of the upcoming movie release of the (awesome) graphic novel: Watchmen, our poll today is, can the movie ever stand up to the comic?

Some quotes from a story about Watchmen writer Alan Moore to help you think about it: “Moore said he has never watched any of the film adaptations of his comics creations (which have included “V for Vendetta,” “From Hell,” “Constantine” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen“) and that he believes “Watchmen” is “inherently unfilmable.” He also rues the effect of Hollywood’s siren call on the contemporary comics scene.

“There are three or four companies now that exist for the sole purpose of creating not comics, but storyboards for films. It may be true that the only reason the comic book industry now exists is for this purpose, to create characters for movies, board games and other types of merchandise. Comics are just a sort of pumpkin patch growing franchises that might be profitable for the ailing movie industry.”

Granted, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” was a positively awful film, but V for Vendetta was pretty sweet, and I have a soft spot for the original Spiderman as well. So, can it work?

Poll Wednesday: Books and Movies

Jack — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:01:52 +0000

In light of the coming Stephen King pre-order (coming to you via mail soon, if you don’t get it drop me a line at jack [at] betterworld [dot] com) let’s talk books and movies. Can the movie ever eclipse the book? Is the book always better?

Top Ten list coming Friday!

Thanksgiving Break ‘Movie Night’

admin — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:48:54 +0000

With Thanksgiving just 10 days away, I am already anticipating renting some good movies and getting cozy on the couch during the long weekend. For those of you with a similar plan, my recommendation is a double feature of two documentaries that follow Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America…the Emmy nominated Lost Boys of Sudan

http://www.lostboysfilm.com/index.html

and the more recently produced God Grew Tired of Us.

http://www.godgrewtiredofus.com/

Both are powerful accounts of courage and a wonderful reminder of all we have to be thankful for.