Ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at an official New Year’s Resolution keeper! Back in December 2010 I was ruminating over what I wanted to change in 2011. I had tried in years past to “read more” but it never ended up sticking. This year, however, I crushed it.
I have read 27 books so far this year with a month to go. I have a sweet new library card for the NOBLE Network (North of Boston Library Exchange) and they’re having a tough time keeping up with me. I’ve read fiction (The Night Circus), non-fiction (The Longest Day), series (The Hunger Games), memoirs (Bossypants), and a children’s book (Go The Fuck To Sleep).
Am I better for it? I guess I’ll already know the backstory for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo movie but now it’s forced to live up to my expectations. It’s a double edged sword. I don’t want to be one of those “The book was much better than the movie” kind of people. (But seriously, The DaVinci Code was definitely a better book.)
Then again, other things have fallen to the wayside to make room for all this reading. My music listening has dropped dramatically. I just don’t have the time now. And I rarely watch TV but that’s not anything new. So, I kept my resolution all year but isn’t the point to make it a normal part of your life? All I did was focus my energy on that in lieu of doing other things. Mission accomplished?
The movie will almost never be as good as the book (exception: Fight Club...it's almost exactly the same) because when you read a book, you in essence become part of it. It's your mind creating the characters and scenery; sure the author is giving the description, but your minds doing the rest-you decide what everything looks like, sounds like, smells like. You're essentially making up what you want that particular world to be like. Movies decide everything for you, if it isn't what you imagined, there's a good chance you won't like it.
ReplyDeleteAnd books give you hours and hours to live in their world-movies give you 1 1/2-3 hours. Things have to be cut out; certain things don't work in movies the way they work in books. (Same goes for movie musicals vs. stage musicals.) Sometimes the plot points have to change to move the story along...or sometimes make room for a sequel.
They're two separate things in my view even though I always think the book is better-I realize you have to think of them differently.
The most important thing to come out of this novel of a comment: read Fight Club. Seriously. Then watch it. (Better yet, same time...you can actually follow along.)
You're absolutely right about that. A movie based on a book is at an immediate disadvantage. Which I think sucks because movies can be so awesome too. Inception, anyone? It was mind-blowing but I'm sure if it had been a book first it wouldn't have lived up to people's expectations. And that, I think, is the problem. They are 2 separate mediums and should be judged as such but when it's the same story it's very difficult to isolate them.
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