The A.V. Club - Book vs. Film

Books: Book vs. Film:Let The Right One In

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:17:00 -0500

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who’ve already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Låt Den Rätte Komma In, John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2004 • Film: Let The Right One In, adapted by John Ajvide Lindqvist, directed by Tomas Alfredson, 2008 Some people think it’s better ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: Watchmen

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who’ve already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Watchmen, Alan Moore, 1986-1987 • Film: Watchmen, adapted by David Hayter and Alex Tse, directed by Zack Snyder, 2009 Welcome back to Book Vs. Film, my sometime column picking apart film adaptations in the ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:49:00 -0500

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, Gary K. Wolf, 1981 • Book: Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? A Hare-Raising Mystery, Gary K. Wolf, 1991 • Film: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:12:00 -0500

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Cameron Crowe, 1981 • Film: Fast Times At Ridgemont High, adapted by Cameron Crowe, directed by Amy Heckerling, 1982 When I first set out to write my Better Late ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: The Graduate

Fri, 30 May 2008 11:51:00 -0500

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: The Graduate, Charles Webb, 1963 • Film: The Graduate, adapted by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, directed by Mike Nichols, 1967 So it's like this If you happen to grow up with a ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: The Ruins

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:20:00 -0500

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: The Ruins, Scott Smith, 2006 • Film: The Ruins, adapted by Scott Smith, directed by Carter Smith, 2008 Let's get the obvious question out of the way first: No, first-time director Carter Smith ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: Paranoid Park

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:08:00 -0500

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Paranoid Park, Blake Nelson, 2006 • Film: Paranoid Park, adapted and directed by Gus Van Sant, 2007 Given how often books get turned into films for the wrong reasons–say, because the book is ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: The Other Boleyn Girl

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:02:00 -0500

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory, 2001 • Film: The Other Boleyn Girl, adapted by Peter Morgan and directed by Justin Chadwick, 2007 Say what you will about ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: Oil!

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:27:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Oil!, Upton Sinclair, 1927 • Film: There Will Be Blood, adapted and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007 For me, one of the biggest similarities between Upton ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: Jumper

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:04:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Jumper, Steven Gould, 1992 • Book: Reflex, Steven Gould, 2005 • Book: Jumper: Griffin's Story, Steven Gould, 2007 • Graphic novel: Jumper: Jumpscars, Nunzio Defilippis and Christina Weir, 2008 • Film: Jumper, adapted by David S ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: Into The Wild

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:36:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer, 1996 • Film: Into The Wild, adapted and directed by Sean Penn, 2007 I missed Into The Wild during its initial theatrical run in September 2007, and didn't ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film Special Mega Bonus Edition: I Am Legend

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Novella: "I Am Legend," Richard Matheson, 1956 • Film: I Am Legend, adapted by Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman, directed by Francis Lawrence, 2007 • Film: I Am Omega, adapted by Griff Furst, directed by Geoff ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: Atonement

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:11:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Atonement, Ian McEwan, 2001 • Film: Atonement, adapted by Christopher Hampton, directed by Joe Wright, 2007 Let's just get it out of the way up front: I loved Atonement the movie. It made ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 04:03:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby, 1997 • Film: The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, adapted by Ronald Harwood, directed by Julian Schnabel, 2007 The story behind The Diving Bell And The ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: The Golden Compass

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 02:15:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman, 1995 • Film: The Golden Compass, adapted and directed by Chris Weitz, 2007 The first thing Keith Phipps said to me after the critics' screening of The Golden Compass ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: The Mist

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 23:43:00 -0600

SPOILER WARNING: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who've already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Novella: "The Mist," Stephen King, 1980 • Film: The Mist, directed by Frank Darabont, 2007 Back when I was in my early teens, and reading Stephen King not only scared the shit out of me ...

Books: Book vs. Film:Book Vs. Film: No Country For Old Men

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 04:02:00 -0600

If you're anything like me, you find books that spawned films and films adapted from books weirdly irresistible. Almost literally irresistible, in fact–I frequently wind up half-reluctantly checking out films that look awful based on books that were awful (Dreamcatcher immediately leaps to mind for some strange reason), and muddling through books that aren't very interesting which prompted films that weren't very interesting. (Earlier this year, I bullied myself about halfway through the book version of Fierce People before finally accepting that I just didn't care, and giving up.) There's just something about the ...