Odd Thomas is a book about a guy who sees dead people. And other things...
The book/movie starts out with him confronting a killer of a little girl. The book, of course, does a much better job explaining this. But that's not my issue with this particular scene. Of course a book will explain better. The movie could have added in an extra quarter minute of narration to better explain the girl. Someone watching might not realize she's supposed to be dead...
The problem I had with that scene is once he starts chasing the killer, they run though a backyard. In the book they fall into a pool that is empty. In the movie, there's a whole pool party going on and it just detracts from the nature of the book/film. The little kid getting caught up in the killers goal to protect himself, fine, that part will work. However, that part even could have been much more beneficial without the detracting pool party.
Another big change is that in the movie we find out early on that his mom is in the nut house. In the book she's alive and crazy, but not in the way Odd is different. She's very narcissistic and hates dealing with anyone or having anyone in her world that she's not in complete control of. The book is the disservice here. Odd has to see his mom mid book to understand another part of the movie. To me, him seeing his parents in the book is just a filler. Seeing his mom explains his fear of guns but that could have been done in a different way. He already knew there was something off about the gunshot wound. He could have just gone back to the body in the first place.
We also meet his dad in the book. I don't mind the meeting of the parents and generally am okay with the book version of the dad meetup. The movie nixes that part. It isn't integral to the story line.
There is a bad man and Odd follows him to his home (this man is also the dead man with the gunshot wound). I much prefer the black room in the book to the dot that is in the movie in the bad man's office. Bad man is Robert Robertson. Also known as "fungus man". He however is not the only bad man in this story. The book didn't come out and make it obvious that he wasn't alone until his death. I like that. I don't like books that are obvious. More on that later... (Confessions of a Murder Suspect).
Then there is the big scene. I won't spoil it for those of you who actually want to read the book or watch the movie, but felt that it was adapted fairly well. The last part of the big scene Odd gets hurt in the book, and also in the movie. I like how the movie did that part other than how the lady with the dream was related to this version. She basically said how she saw Odd handle things in the movie and the book was different. I think that the book version was better with that aspect.
Then there is the end... after he leaves the hospital. Good on both accounts.
So, is the book better?? Or the movie??
I say that they are equal. I love to read so I'm glad I read the book (first as almost always).
The book and the movie won't be something I read or watch again. Neither are a "must read/see". Yes they are good, just not that good. I'd give them both a 3 out of 5.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Misery 1990 Movie vs Misery the book.
So the general idea is that there is an author named Paul Sheldon who is in an accident on a snowy pass and is "rescued" by a former nurse Annie Wilkes. He soon discovers she's not quite right.
More details:
In the movie and book Annie pulls Paul from the car in a snowstorm. It's quite possible he would have died had she not come along. It's quite possible he'll die in her care anyway or that she will just kill him outright. He is unable to move, both legs broken. She sets his legs and gives him medication that she has stashed away from her days as a nurse.
Once he's conscious, she tells him she's called his agent and the hospital and it's just not safe to take him on the roads to the hospital yet and that he will be staying under her care for a bit longer. She says the phones aren't up yet in the mountains where she lives but that they're up in town. Obviously, she's never made any calls and no one knows the writer is with the deranged nurse.
We discover much more about Annie's past as a nurse and why she is no longer a nurse in the book. The movie alludes to this with her "scrapbook". She killed patients as an angel of mercy (or death as it may be). It became more noticeable (in the book) when she started working in the nursery and babies started dying instead of the elderly.
His previous book that he finished was published and Annie picks up a copy of Misery's Child. Misery dies during childbirth and Annie is FURIOUS! She gets angry with Paul and decides he must fix it and bring Misery back to life.
In both the book and movie Paul was done writing his new manuscript which Annie also removed from the car. She HATES it, too much profanity and makes him burn his only copy of the manuscript. He needs pain meds and is probably already addicted to them so he burns the book.
Annie has to leave at times to go away from everything and Paul is left alone in the house. Eventually as he regains his strength and Annie has a wheelchair for him. She also sets him up a card table with a typewriter. But she buys the wrong paper, the expensive stuff. The expensive stuff smudges and she gets angry with Paul. She finds out Paul was out in the house in his wheelchair. She's afraid he's getting too strong and well and decides it's best to hobble him. In the book she uses an ax and chops off his feet. In the book she breaks his ankles. I like the movie better in this regard.
In both the book and movie Annie kills a police officer looking for Paul. In the movie she shoots the sheriff when he discovers Paul drugged in the basement. In the book she mows a police officer over and Paul is put in the basement while she gets rid of the evidence. I like the book better here.
The typewriter in the book is missing a letter and when another letter falls off, Paul complains. In retaliation in the book only, Annie cuts off Pauls thumb for complaining and puts it on a birthday cake. She was also angry about him not telling her what she wanted to know about Misery's Return which also may have lead to the additional amputation (both feet and now the thumb).
And the end, Misery's Return is almost done. They know it won't be long until more officers come around. He asks her to not read any more of what he's writing till it's all done. He asks for his customary cigarette to smoke when the book is finished as well as an extra glass for the champagne- one for her.
He has smuggled up lighter fluid from his time in the basement. He uses the match to light the book on fire, the best book he's ever written. Annie tries to put out the flames and he hits her with the typewriter. In the movie he manages to kill her in that room. In the book he gets out of the room but so does she-through a window. She had went to get a chainsaw to finish him off for good but died before she could make it back into the house.
So in this episode of Book VS. Movie it's an EXTREMELY close call. The book is awesome. But so is the movie. And the actress who plays Annie does a wonderful job becoming Annie.
The call on this is soooo close, but I'm going with the book. Mostly because of the ending. I like that the crazy lady didn't give up till the bitter end and was going to try to go back and finish him off.
Book Wins :).
More details:
In the movie and book Annie pulls Paul from the car in a snowstorm. It's quite possible he would have died had she not come along. It's quite possible he'll die in her care anyway or that she will just kill him outright. He is unable to move, both legs broken. She sets his legs and gives him medication that she has stashed away from her days as a nurse.
Once he's conscious, she tells him she's called his agent and the hospital and it's just not safe to take him on the roads to the hospital yet and that he will be staying under her care for a bit longer. She says the phones aren't up yet in the mountains where she lives but that they're up in town. Obviously, she's never made any calls and no one knows the writer is with the deranged nurse.
We discover much more about Annie's past as a nurse and why she is no longer a nurse in the book. The movie alludes to this with her "scrapbook". She killed patients as an angel of mercy (or death as it may be). It became more noticeable (in the book) when she started working in the nursery and babies started dying instead of the elderly.
His previous book that he finished was published and Annie picks up a copy of Misery's Child. Misery dies during childbirth and Annie is FURIOUS! She gets angry with Paul and decides he must fix it and bring Misery back to life.
In both the book and movie Paul was done writing his new manuscript which Annie also removed from the car. She HATES it, too much profanity and makes him burn his only copy of the manuscript. He needs pain meds and is probably already addicted to them so he burns the book.
Annie has to leave at times to go away from everything and Paul is left alone in the house. Eventually as he regains his strength and Annie has a wheelchair for him. She also sets him up a card table with a typewriter. But she buys the wrong paper, the expensive stuff. The expensive stuff smudges and she gets angry with Paul. She finds out Paul was out in the house in his wheelchair. She's afraid he's getting too strong and well and decides it's best to hobble him. In the book she uses an ax and chops off his feet. In the book she breaks his ankles. I like the movie better in this regard.
In both the book and movie Annie kills a police officer looking for Paul. In the movie she shoots the sheriff when he discovers Paul drugged in the basement. In the book she mows a police officer over and Paul is put in the basement while she gets rid of the evidence. I like the book better here.
The typewriter in the book is missing a letter and when another letter falls off, Paul complains. In retaliation in the book only, Annie cuts off Pauls thumb for complaining and puts it on a birthday cake. She was also angry about him not telling her what she wanted to know about Misery's Return which also may have lead to the additional amputation (both feet and now the thumb).
And the end, Misery's Return is almost done. They know it won't be long until more officers come around. He asks her to not read any more of what he's writing till it's all done. He asks for his customary cigarette to smoke when the book is finished as well as an extra glass for the champagne- one for her.
He has smuggled up lighter fluid from his time in the basement. He uses the match to light the book on fire, the best book he's ever written. Annie tries to put out the flames and he hits her with the typewriter. In the movie he manages to kill her in that room. In the book he gets out of the room but so does she-through a window. She had went to get a chainsaw to finish him off for good but died before she could make it back into the house.
So in this episode of Book VS. Movie it's an EXTREMELY close call. The book is awesome. But so is the movie. And the actress who plays Annie does a wonderful job becoming Annie.
The call on this is soooo close, but I'm going with the book. Mostly because of the ending. I like that the crazy lady didn't give up till the bitter end and was going to try to go back and finish him off.
Book Wins :).
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