You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

What movie have you just watched? What did you think of it? Is it based on a book? Have you read that book? Did it live up to your expectations?

Quantum of Solace - I have to say I thought the story line was pretty pants but Daniel Craig is so yum that I didn't need a plot :P

We just saw Role Models. It was not based on a book. It was pretty funny, but not what I was expecting from the previews.

The last movie I saw was High School Musical 3 at the insistence of my daughter!! Cheese, cheese and more cheese! I need to get out more!

I love Daniel Craig!!!! Must see Quantum of Solace

I haven't seen any of the high school musical films. I do like a bit of cheese though. I'd probably love them!!

Jenny they are lovely happy stories! Kind of the Grease of the day!

I just rented Penelope. I really enjoyed it. It's kind of a modern day fairy tale. Also just watched Juno. Not bad. Made me cry though, but then I am a sap about babies. I cry every time babies are born in movies or on TV, and I don't know why.

I loved Juno! Great film (I cried too!)

Oh good. At least I'm not alone!

I am not a big movie watcher anymore..... not enough time in the day! However, I just sat down last night and watched The Kite Runner with my husband. I was sort of looking forward to seeing it since I finally read the book! I was disappointed. As usual, there was so, so much left out. I kept complaining to my husband who was already mad because there were subtitles and he was not in the mood to read!! I don't know why I even watch movies based on books I read. I'm disappointed almost every time. The only time I wasn't was with Gone With the Wind!!

I liked Juno as well. It also made me cry, but then again the opening scene to Beauty and the Beast makes me cry '....who could ever learn to love a beast?' boo hoo hoo. Yes I am a big cry baby when it comes to films ha ha!

I'm not too bad with books that are made into films most the time. I get that if they put every little bit of the book in a film it would probably last for ever and also doesn't always work on the big screen. I always try and distance myself from the book. I'm only ever dissapointed if I think they've totally miss cast someone for a role..... can't think of one right now though!

I know, I keep telling myself I need to distance myself from what I've read but I just can't do it. Then I get mad that I wasted my time watching a movie I didn't like when I could have been reading another book! I guess I just have to pick movies that are not books, or at least books that I have any interest in reading.

I actually didn't mind The Kite Runner, thought the subtitles added to the feel of the movie. My partner hadn't read the book so I did find myself adding little things here and there for him to help him better understand some situation.

I don't know, I just feel like the characters weren't fleshed out enough. But that is typical for many movies, I think. The character development can't be the same as books. They are two completely different mediums and I understand that. The book just affected me so much (I actually cried while reading it which is unusual for me). The movie, for me, did not develop the characters in a way that made me feel for them what I did in the book.

I saw The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas last month. I hadn't read the book and I had no idea what it was about. I saw it because I was doing an audit of the adverts and trailers before the film and I had heard it was a really good book so decided to stay to watch the film.

I was really traumatised by it! All the way through it I was thinking "This really isn't feeling very pleasant maybe I'll leave." But then not leaving because I was wanting to find out the ending.

Well when the ending came I was really devastated. When the finishing credits came up the entire cinema seemed shell shocked. No one moved and I was sitting there thinking I want to get out of here that was horrible who's going to be the first to move. I was the one who got up and left first and my 2 minute walk to my car felt like a life time. I was in tears all the way home.

Because the book is a children's book I was intrigued to find out what the ending of that was like so the next day I was in WHSmith's and read the last chapter. It was completely different. The book being for children was written in a tone that made it seem a lot less hardhitting (of course that may because i had just picked it off the shelf and dipped in at the end and was standing in a busy shop) and also the film ended a lot earlier than the book. The book continuing a bit further down the line meant that it didn't finish so much on a shock to the system.

The film certainly made me think a lot about the 2nd World War and what civilians really knew what was going on. It also made me think about what we 'need' to be exposed to through education and film and also at what age different things are appropriate. I felt 12a was a too low an age certificate for it.

Straight after watching the film and for a few weeks afterwards I wished I hadn't seen it. It was really harrowing. But now I'm not so sure. It was definitely a thought provoking film though!

I would be interested to hear what others who have seen the film thought and also if you have read the book too as I didn't have that insight before seeing the film.

Alice

(sorry didn't quite mean to write so much! it is definitely a film that has stuck with me!!)

Blimey that does sound traumatic. The only film I've watched which actually left me traumatised and crying hours after I'd watched it was The Passion of the Christ, it's not that it was really sad, I mean yeh it's a sad story, but the scenes of Jesus being tortured were so horrific I was balling my eyes out :( It's very good though, so don't let me put anyone off watching it.

I haven't watched that film for that reason Jenny. I imagine it is going to be really grusome!

Jenny you've read the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas didn't you? Did you find the book upsetting?

No I've not read it, and probably won't now ha ha!

I watched The Jane Austen Book Club yesterday and really liked it, I had read the book a while ago but couldn't really remember the storyline so didn't know what to expect but it was a perfect way to spend my lazy afternoon.

Just took my little guy to the movies for the first time today. We went and saw Bolt. It was fairly decent for a Disney movie, but let me tell you, it was no Pixar, that's for sure! My little one did pretty okay for about 45 minutes, but then he started to get pretty antsy. Luckily, I managed to have my childless sister and brother-in-law on hand. They actually raelly enjoy taking care of him, so I got a bit of a break. wonderful thanksgiving!

I've not heard of Bolt. Maybe it's not come over to the UK yet. I wouldn't mind seeing The Jane Austen Book Club,I read the book a loooong time ago and remember it not being great, I can imagine that it would make quite a cute film though.

I saw a trailer for Bolt at the pictures last month so I think it may have just come to the UK.

I haven't read the book, but thought The Boy in Striped Pyjamas was an excellent film. Yes it's upsetting because of the context, but it isn't graphic or gruesome. The horror is off camera and in the viewers' heads. It's primarily about a little boy unaware of the holocaust on his doorstep and how cicumstances and his dawning awareness affect his family and his worldview. Not comfortable viewing, and when it finished, the cinema was silent and still for some time, but well worth seeing as long as you go with a friend you can discuss it with afterwards.

Bolt is the story of a dog who thinks he is a super hero, when in reality it is just a TV show. He ends up getting shipped to NY on accident and then has to figure out how to get home to "save" the little girl who is his person. Very cute, with great characters on the part of his two sidekicks. Good for kids, but not for my two-year-old, who still prefers Wow Wow Wubbzy

I saw Changeling on Saturday night. I thought it was a good film. Made me cry a few times though just to warn you to take some tissues with you if you're a blubberer!!

Just watched Tropic Thunder yesterday. Meh...it was okay, but massive amount of explicitives and I think they thought they were funnier than they actually were. It was a very self indulgent movie, I felt.

I also watched WALL-E on Friday. Sooooo good! I am desperately hoping I get this for Christmas. It was a bit depressing though.

Alice, I definitely cried a lot when I saw Changeling too! I loved it, though. I love all Eastwood stuff!

I want to see Changeling, I'm trying to persuade the other half that he wants to see it as well :P I wasn't impressed with Tropic Thunder, it had potential to be really good. I love Robert Downey Jnr. I think the cast were wasted!

I agree Tropic Thunder was a flop, it could have been so good too.

I just watched Bolt (so disney but I liked it)
and Twilight. I haven't read the book twilight but I could see why people like it, interesting characters

I went to see 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' the other day (not my choice!). Man did it suck!! Keanu reeves couldn't be more wooden if he tried. I know he's supposed to be some sort of alien in this but STILL!!

Finally watched Fargo for the first time ever over the weekend. Quite interesting, and I must say, their accents were pretty dead on, especially Frances McDormond's.

Can't remember that film now but I know their accents made me laugh :P I love a good accent!

Fargo. I actually saw that movie when I was studying in Poland in college. It was in English with Polish subtitles. Very interesting to see a movie like this in a country where English is not the primary language. The accents had no effect. Many of the Polish people did not get the American humor so it was sort of wierd to be chuckling with my friend in a theatre of complete silence.

Just watched "the women" It was okay, a little disappointing with the all star cast, but a good chic flick

We're going to see either The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Marley and Me for our New Year's Eve "date" tonight. It depends on which one doesn't conflict with our dinner reservations!

My daughter and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire yesterday. It could have been a very depressing movie, and there were some pretty intense scenes, but the story was told in a very interesting way. It interspersed scenes of Jamal's life growing up as a slumdog (children who live in abject poverty in the slums of Mumbai) with his appearance on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. It was ultimately a movie of perserverance and triumph.

I keep seeing the trailer for that one. I don't think I can persuade the other half to watch it though!

I went to see Yes Man on Saturday night. It was funny but nothing at all like the book. In fact nothing from the book was in the film at all. It is just based on the book in so far as he says yes to everything! I found the book a lot more funny but I think that's because when reading it you are imagining Danny Wallace (the author) actually doing those things as it was a true 'event'. The film was well worth seeing though and I spotted Danny Wallace at a party in the film!

I just saw that yesterday! I thought it was pretty funny too. I will have to read the book!

We also saw Bedtime stories, super cute disney as always.

Yep Kipahni definitely read the book as that and the film are two completely different stories really!

I went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button this past weekend and loved it. I actually was prepared to not love it going into seeing it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Even the length seemed to work. I highly recommend it.

Kathy,

I saw that on New Years. I also loved it! I didn't realize how long it was until one of the people we were going to see it with mentioned the length on the way into the theatre. The time went by faster than I thought it would though!

I am planning on reading the short story sometime in the future. I'm curious as to how different it will be.

Alice - Is that the same Daniel Wallace who wrote Big Fish? If so, I am so there.

Update: ooh ooh ooh, I did get Wall-E for Christmas, though my son insists that its his. Thankfully, he is still small enough I can put it on a high shelf and he can't crack the DVD (which he has done in the past).

Currently working my way through the Showtime series The Tudors: Season one

I saw bejamin button as well. What did you think of the ending? I was a little confused but maybe that is because I was reading into the Hurricane.

heather i don't think it is but to be honest i don't know big fish so not entirely sure!

I saw Changeling at the weekend. I thought it was brilliant and quite disturbing, but really well made. I do find Angelina Jolie so strange looking that it distracted me a bit though. With reading, at least you can decide what the characters look like!

Has anyone seen Slumdog Millionaire? My Mum is coming to keep me company following my next round of chemotherapy and when I asked her what she wanted to do while she is here (I refuse to sit around waiting to feel ill) she announced that she wanted to see it. My Mum was appalled by the language and violence in Billy Elliot... should I take her?

Donna has seen it. She was talking about it earlier in this thread :)

D'oh! So she was. Cheese for brains today.

Hi Stephanie, The treatment of the slumdogs (the children in Mumbai) is pretty graphic and brutal, also Jamal is briefly interrogated (tortured) by the local police. I did see Billy Elliot and I think there is even more violence in Slumdog Millionaire. Perhaps this is not the best choice for your Mum.