Ender's Game

[Griff]

Even to bring up Dune is so hurtful. Can't we just pretend we're waiting for the first film adaptation? Ah that's better...

I finally watched the first episode of Game of Thrones, holy shit did they hit the mark.

[classicman]

Griff ... The whole thing is amazing.
Try to pay attention to who is who and where they're from.
I didn't really put all that together until the third time.

[Pico and ME]

Jaws was good. Or even better than the book. It certainly did it justice.

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by Griff

Even to bring up Dune is so hurtful. Can't we just pretend we're waiting for the first film adaptation? Ah that's better...

The film must flow.



The Lynch version of Dune, for me, had the right feel. Oh, it was flawed, way bad fucking flawed. But there was a fundamental understanding of the book that resonated.

The 2000 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries? Totally bloodless. Any points it scored by being "more accurate" were totally demolished by its complete fucking boringness.

I fear we'll never have anybody truly do it justice.

More might-have-been.

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by Griff

I finally watched the first episode of Game of Thrones, holy shit did they hit the mark.

Double reply, yeah, yeah, shoot me.

For some reason when I was running errands this evening I thought about Galaxy Quest, and I thought I should watch it again sometime, and maybe my son would like it. And I thought about how everybody Learns An Important Lesson(tm) in the end. And I thought to myself, you know that's just fucked. In real life nobody ever learns anything, much less Important Lessons. Hey, I ought to write a story or something where NOBODY EVER FUCKING LEARNS ANYTHING.

And then I immediately thought... ha. It'd be just like Game of Thrones.

Aficionados of The Tudors will recognize Natalie Dormer aka Anne Boleyn when you get to the 3rd episode of season 2.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by classicman

Griff ... The whole thing is amazing.
Try to pay attention to who is who and where they're from.
I didn't really put all that together until the third time.

I'm on the most recent book in the series so I'm good with the crazy number of characters. The HBO series will probably clear up some sloppy connections though.

Nobody learns a damn thing, its kind of refreshing.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by Griff

Nobody learns a damn thing, its kind of refreshing.

I like that too - good call Sleeve.

In my story, powerful people will be caught out in lies and shrug and go "Meh" and nothing will change. Don't know if that's Game of Thrones, but it is real life.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

Aficionados of The Tudors will recognize Natalie Dormer aka Anne Boleyn when you get to the 3rd episode of season 2.

I've watched much of the Tudors. (Date night with Daughter)
I really didn't think much of it. She loved it.

Yeh, funny the actress seems to be playing a similar role too.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by wolf

You never saw Dune, did you?

Yep. Never read it though.

Originally Posted by wolf

Or I, Robot. Seen it, didn't read it.

Or The Seeker: The Dark is Rising. Never seen it or read it. ETA: Wait, made from the "Sword of Truth" books? Read a few of them. Pretty good. TV series eats donkey ass.

Or War of the Worlds. Seen it, didn't read it.

Or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Never seen it or read it.

Or Starship Troopers. Seen it, didn't read it.

Or Freejack. Seen it, didn't read it.

Or Screamers. Never seen it or read it.

Or The Puppet Masters. Never seen it or read it.

Or ... no, both the book and movie of Battlefield: Earth sucked, so it's not a good example. Seen it, didn't read it. The movie was so-so.

Or nearly every movie based on a Stephen King novel.

(there are several of these movies that I actually like very, very much, but I still know they are shitty adaptations)

I liked 'Shawshank' ten times better than the story. King has become a caricature, I think.

[it]

out of all of orson's books, i don't even began to imagine how can this one be turned into a good movie.

don't get me wrong, i loved the book, but think about it:

*spoiler warning*

most sci fi flicks indulge in the combination of sci-fi and action, or sci-fi and horror, and sometimes sci-fi and drama.

here, in order to recreate the surprise in the end, which i think is the most meaningful aspect of the book's plot, they basically aren't allowed to show any real action on the screen, at all. at no point are we actually getting to see the characters fighting in the war, except maybe as a flashbacks of realization after the events. all we get to see is Ender playing a space RTS game. there's no action sequences to speak of, or they can show the fighting, and loose the main theme of taking the journey of discovery with ender himself, knowingly seen him become the innocent/ignorant killer before he does.

the closest cross-section you can make of it is with a teenage sports drama, where Ender becomes the tactician for the zero gravity games. even that isn't much to work with.

and if memory serves me right, isn't it the case that there weren't any girls through most of the book? a teenage military drama with only boys?

its a book that is running on the lack of visual, and movies feed on the visual. i don't see how the movie can serve both the book and the needs of a good movie.

personally i think it would have being better to do speakers of the dead, and combine ender's game as background material.

[glatt]

If they build a really cool set, and spend the whole movie lovingly filming the set, it might work. They have the space station set, and the bugger caves set. The bugger caves could be eerie. And the space station is loaded with gadgets we haven't seen before.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Or The Seeker: The Dark is Rising. Never seen it or read it. ETA: Wait, made from the "Sword of Truth" books? Read a few of them. Pretty good. TV series eats donkey ass.

If I'm right, Wolf is referring to the film The Dark is Rising, based on the exceptional book by Susun Cooper.
I daren't watch the film as the book is complex, disturbing and wide-ranging. Or at least it was when I read it (nearly two years younger than the main protagonist, Will) and I've not shaken the thrill of it since.

I still know the second prophecy by heart. Well, when I'm sober. I usually only try to share it with other people when I'm drunk and get stuck halfway through.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Sundae

If I'm right, Wolf is referring to the film The Dark is Rising, based on the exceptional book by Susun Cooper.
I daren't watch the film as the book is complex, disturbing and wide-ranging. Or at least it was when I read it (nearly two years younger than the main protagonist, Will) and I've not shaken the thrill of it since.

I still know the second prophecy by heart. Well, when I'm sober. I usually only try to share it with other people when I'm drunk and get stuck halfway through.

Ah. I was thinking of the Terry Goodkind novels...

[wolf]

Grav, you have much homework.

And yes, I did mean the Susan Cooper series ... Even Ian MacShane and Christopher Eccleston didn't provide sufficient distraction for me. And they made the kid American?

Oh, and for the record .... I like Dune as a Lynch Film, even though he Alan Smithee'd it.

[Stormieweather]

I just started this book. Pretty good, so far. Glad I got to the book before a movie is made of it.