Friday, September 19, 2008

Daily Raffle #5

Books and Movies

Today's raffle is for a ten dollar gift certificate to Amazon and a ten dollar gift card to Blockbuster.

To enter, just leave me a comment telling me what the best book-to-film adaption you've seen is and the one you were most disappointed in.

Two answers.


cheryl c said...

Best - The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Worst - The Harry Potter books (so far)

Cheryl (aka Cheri)

Anonymous said...

Best book-to-film adaptation: For Whom The Bell Tolls with Gary Cooper.

One in which I was most disappointed: The Grapes of Wrath because the theme was changed so drastically from Steinbeck's intent.

Marjorie said...

Okay... it's a toughie but...

Best film adaptation: To Kill a Mocking Bird -

it didn't include everything from the book - it just couldn't - but what it did was nigh on perfect - and Grgory Peck and the little girl who played Scout couldn't be bettered...

Worst film adaptation: Volevo i Pantaloni

The book was a prize-winner whose subject-matter (child abuse) stigmatised the young authoress; the film was so awful it made me think it had been deliberately sabotaged to make people not bother with the book!

Ruth King said...

The Best: 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice

Great characterizations, stayed true to the book, and wasn't rushed like the 2005 version. (Which I like, but the BBC production is my favorite.)

The Worst: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I loved the book. Loved it. I also liked how the first two movies really captured the magical feeling of Rowling's world, and I didn't feel that with this one. I'm sure there are worse film adaptations (Love in the Time of Cholera was a HORRID film, and I've heard the book was so much better, but honestly the movie completely put me off the book for the time being) but PoA is the one that was the most personally disappointing to me.

Deborah said...

hmm Best: The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yes they left some parts out, but this is an outstanding work of art that it makes the boring parts of the book way interesting.

Worst: The Cat in the Hat. Crude crude crude. and why is Paris Hilton in it?

Anonymous said...

Fun question...I tend to see movies before I read the books...not sure why, but usually the movie is what makes me want to read the book (or not).

Best: A Walk to Remember
Disappointment: Rose Hill (a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie based on Julie Garwood's For the was NOTHING like the book...only similarities were a few characters and that 4 boys found a baby). I enjoyed the movie on its own, but once I read the book (I saw the movie first), I was disappointed that they didn't follow it more and use the same plot.

Anonymous said...

Best for me is Forrest Gump; disappointment would have to be the newest Grinch movie

Krista said...

Best: Pride and Prejudice
Worst:... I don't really know... the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. But any movie that Hollywood takes and adds gratuitous sex to that wasn't in the original book is BAD in my book.

raych said...

Best: The Shawshank Redemption (totally eight ways from brilliant!)

Worst: The new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (why, Johnny? Why?)

Ruth Schaller said...

Best: Interview with the Vampire (wasn't bad at all!)

Worst: I Am Legend (it was so far off the book, it wasn't even funny!)

Ronnica said...

Best: Sense and Sensibility (the one with Hugh Grant).

Most disappointing: Frank Peretti's The Visitation. Book's great, but the cut out the best storyline for the movie.

Anonymous said...

Best: Stardust

Worst: Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

hannah DOT free AT gmail DOT com

Anonymous said...

I thought that Memoirs of a Geisha was a good book to movie adaptation. I really disliked the first Harry Potter movie (although the movies have gotten better!

Anonymous said...

Best: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Worst: The Count of Monte Cristo


allisonmariecat said...

Best? Chocolat--I loved the movie more than the book! Worst? Mansfield Park. Why has no one done a good job on this one?

allison DOT campbell AT gmail DOT com

S. Krishna said...

Best film adaptation: The Jane Austen Book Club (because I liked the movie better than the book!)
Worst adaptation: The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (If I hadn't known it was based on Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising, I wouldn't have recognized it!)

Anonymous said...

Best: The movie "The King and I" (love Yul Brynner) from the book "Anna and the King" by Margaret Landon.

Worst: The movie "Love Story" (Ali McGraw totally mis-acted the line "love means never having to say you're sorry") from the book "Love Story" by Erich Segal.

nbmars AT yahoo DOT com

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

There are so many to choose from!

Best: 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Also, the Devil Wears Prada was so much better than the book.

Worst: 2005 Pride and Prejudice. Casting Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett. A complete travesty. The film isn't bad (aside from being way too short) if you take her out of it. And Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka? I'm sorry. That was a complete travesty too.

Flora said...

Best: The Joy Luck Club - seeing it in movie form made all the character switching make sense. And I cried a lot.

Most Disappointing: The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. Overhyped.

Joanne ♦ The Book Zombie said...

I have so many favorite and not-so faves, so to narrow it down I will list scary ones (Halloween is coming soon!)

Favorite - Pet Semetary - Stephen King

Worst - I Am Legend (supposedly based on Matheson's story)

Anonymous said...

Best: Atonement
Worst: (and I am dating myself) Island of the Blue Dolphins

Stacie said...

The best one I have seen recently is "The Kite Runner". But, I have a huge feeling that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. So, I am always a little disappointed in the adaptation for some reason. I can't wait to see how they do Jodi Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper" and am also looking forward to Sue Monk Kidd's "The Secret Life of Bees"!

Anonymous said...

My favorite question!
Best: I Loved The Notebook!
Worst: I was so disappointed in Memoirs of A Geshia but I don't think any adaption could have lived up to the book

KT Grant said...

Best- Gone With the Wind
Worst- Battlestar Galactica!

Ana S. said...

Best - The Virgin Suicides
Most Disappointing - Queen of the Damned

untuneric at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, hard to choose:
Best: Pride and Prejudice (BBC version)
Worst: Scarlet Letter


Anonymous said...

Best: To Kill a Mockingbird
Worst: Cold Mountain (because while I loathed the book, I actually liked the movie...although maybe that should qualify it for best adaptation?)

Ladytink_534 said...

I LOVE Books into Movies (I even have a Yahoo group named that). Right off the bat I can tell you the worst one is Relic based on the book by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I have a hard time answering the best one though so the best one I've read recently is The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. I love all of the movies based on this book!

Icedream said...

Best- To Kill A Mockingbird
Worst- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Kelly said...

Best: Cold Mountain
Worst: Practical Magic

Sandra said...

Best: The Kite Runner, a very faithful adaption.
Worst:Ethan Fromme-they changed the ending.
Thanks for entering me.

Serena said...

The best book-to-film adaptation was the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth

The worst book-to-film adaptation was The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Anonymous said...

My favorite was Memoirs of a Geisha, I loved how easily I could follow along.
The worst I think was the 3rd Harry Potter Book. I know there is a lot they left out!

Ali said...

Best: Cold Mountain
Worst: the most recent Grinch.

Anonymous said...

Best: The Green Mile
Worst: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Maureen said...

Best: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Worst: Demi Moore's The Scarlet Letter

MySharonAnne said...

My favorite book to movie adaption is The Color Purple. My least fav is War of the Worlds (all of the movies).

Unknown said...

Best: The Lord of The Rings trilogy

Worst: The Golden Compass. The book was so much better.

Tammy said...

Best: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (based on The Odyssey) -- I thought the way it was reimagined in more modern times was genius.

Worst: The Bonfire of the Vanities

Beatrice said...

I think the best adaptation I've ever seen/read was Shawshank Redemption. Sadly, Sleeping With the Enemy was the worst book and movie I've read/watched. And I think that the most recent adaptation I was disappointed in was The Golden Compass. They really dumbed it down from the book.

Trisha said...

Like Stacey said, I am also always disappointed in a movie. I should really learn. LOL. I think I should read the book first because I won't read it once I have seen the movie. But sometimes the movie and book are sooo different it doesn't even matter-they are two separate stories as in Ella Enchanted. But if I have to choose:

Favorite: Lord of the Rings Tril.

Worst: The Tenth Circle (I felt like they took too much out of the story line. Picoult books are so complicated, I am sure its hard to get it into a 2 hour movie, but that one was ruined for me, or rather would have been had I not had the extra info from having read the book.) I love her books by the way!

Traci said...

Best - The Two Towers (LOTR part 2) and the Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy version of Pride and Prejudice

Worst - ah, there are so many bad ones. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp, why???) and The Cat in the Hat (couldn't finish it, scared the crap out of my then 4 year old, what I saw was awful).

The Bookworm said...

The best book to film adaptation has been: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

the worst: The Cat in the Hat with Mike Myers, he creeped me out a bit

Anonymous said...

Best: There are lots but The Hours comes to mind.

Worst: I'm finding it hard to think of any at the moment, although I have to agree with Flora that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was overhyped.

Anonymous said...

Best: (surprisingly) "Holes", but that's probably because the author also wrote the screenplay; and "Pride and Prejudice," BBC version.

Worst: "The Time Machine" with Guy Pierce and Jeremy Irons. Good movie, but lots of liberties with the book.

Jena said...

Oooh, this is hard...

Best: Sense & Sensibility (w/ Emma Thompson & Kate Winslet)

Worst: Harry Potter #5--I really can't believe they did that.

Alyce said...

I think the best movie adaptation is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The worst would be the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp.

Anonymous said...


Best: Matilda (Ronald Dahl)
Worst: Willy Wonka & the Cocolate Factory (Burton was more faithful to the book than the original)

I'd also like to take the moment to say that I fear what they will to do The Time Traveler's Wife movie..

Anonymous said...

This one is easy. Gone with the Wind is hands down the best adaptation for me. The worst was The House of Mirth with Gillian Anderson.

Anonymous said...

Best: The Devil Wears Prada
Worst: The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Anonymous said...

Best: the 1995 version of Little Princess
Worst: Ella Enchanted (good movie, BAD adaptation)

Aerinblogs AT aol DOT com

Megan said...

Best: Lord of the Rings
Worst: (okay, so this is a short story - but that's *part* of a book) Stephen King's The Mist (say, I don't remember that dreadful ending from when I read the story...)

Cheryl said...

Best book-to-film adaptation in my opinion: Anne of Green Gables

Worst: The Grinch (the live one). I couldn't bear it, though I made myself sit through the first half hour. Ug!

Cheryl Rainfield

Anonymous said...

Worst: Jurassic Park (they stripped everything interesting out of the movie)

Best: The Bourne Identity (the TV movie, NOT the Hollywood version that came out a few years ago)

Alessandra said...

Best: The Green Mile

Worst: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with Johnny Depp)

Ramya said...

Best: The Kite Runner
Worst: da Vinci Code

Kris said...

Best: BBC Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth
Worst: Blood and Chocolate by Klause

Anonymous said...

Best book to film: Chocolat
Most disappointing book to film: Angela's Ashes

Lindsey said...

So far I think the best I've seen is the Masterpiece Theatre version of Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen). The worst? I was pretty disappointed in Eragon (Christopher Paolini). Thanks for the giveaway!

ladyufshalott at

Nise' said...

Best: BBC Pride and Prejudice

Worst: Jane Eyre (with Timothy Dalton) as Mr. Rochester. I could not stop seeing James Bond.

darbyscloset said...

The worst adaption was "The Accidental Tourist".
The best adaption "The Longest Day", outstanding book and a great movie.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
darbyscloset (at) yahoo (dot) com

Jessica said...

I think my favorite adaptation is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

By far the worst for me was The Bourne Identity. Did the script writers even read the book?

Anonymous said...

I remember way back when being completely and utterly disgusted with the translation to film of 'Flowers in the Attic'. Horrid, simply horrid.

As for the best, nothing is as good as the book but I did love 'Memoirs of a Geisha' very much. I actually just watched it again a couple of days ago so it's fresh in my mind and once again, I was riveted from start to finish.

Booklogged said...

The best: The Princess Bride
The worst: Ella Enchanted

Anonymous said...

My Favorite: What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Most Disappointing: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Anna said...

My favorite: The Notebook
The worst: Da Vinci Code

--Anna (Diary of an Eccentric)

Dina said...

For me:

Best: The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Worst:The new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (I'm with you all on this one, yuk)

tanabata said...

Best: The English Patient, or the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice

Most disappointing: The Golden Compass

Amanda said...

I think my favorite would be the old Pride and Prejudice or Memoirs of a Geisha.

The worst in my opinion was PS I Love you. I like the way the movie was done if it wasn't based on a book but it was completely changed from the book. It made me almost hate the movie because of it. awalworth19(at)gmail(dot)com. I also agree with the new Charlie and the chocolate factory

RebekahC said...

WORST: Stephen King's The Tommyknockers
The book was excellent, but the movie blew hard. It was typical for most King books vs the movie, but yet so much worse. So much of the relevant storyline was completely left out of the movie, and it was just awful.

BEST: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
These actually didn't go hand in hand wherein the details are concerned. There were several points that changed from book to movie, but both were excellent on their own.


Kathleen said...

Hmmm, it's hard to answer as usually I've either seen the movie OR read the book.

Best: Heidi by Johanna Spyrii, the movie is very close to the book as far as I can tell.

Worst: Cheaper by the Dozen. The movie was funny but NOTHING like the book.

callista83 AT cogeco DOT ca

Jackie B. said...

Best: To Kill a Mockingbird
Worst: Cat in the Hat

Pamela Fierro said...

Best: Atonement
Worst: The Da Vinci Code

CrystalGB said...

Best: The Notebook
Worst: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Jen said...

Best-The Notebook
Worst-Message in a Bottle

Tarasview said...

Best- The Notebook and Charles Dickens Scrooge.
Worst- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the new Grinch.

Bev(QB) said...

Best: Forrest Gump
Worst: The Amityville Horror

Carol M said...

I think that the books are always better than the movies! lol
The best would be Gone With the Wind.
The worst would be Jurassic Park.
mittens0831 AT aol Dot com

Anonymous said...

Best would be Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Worst would be I Capture the Castle.

nnjmom at yahoo dot com

Cathy said...

My favorite was Last Of The Mohicans, and the one that just didn't work for me was, No Country For Old Men.


Shooting Stars Mag said...

Best: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (i just think it follows the book really well and the kids LOOK like the characters)

Worst: I haven't read it, but apparently, Eragon wasn't the same as the book in a lot of ways (according to my friend) and the movie version of Pay it Forward is really different, according to the author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

As for my thoughts as to the worst....I don't know...Crucible maybe? It was just really different.


lauren51990 at aol dot com

Unknown said...

Best: Interview With The Vampire
Worst: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

stampedwithgrace said...

I really enjoyed The Ultimate Gift although the movie wasn't exactly like the book, I loved them both. I didn't care for The Notebook~ I don't remember the constant kissing in the book.

Anonymous said...

Best: BBC Pride and Prejudice

Worst: Stuart Little

Post a Comment
