Bad news...

[JakeB]

Bad news...#0

Posted: 4/18/04 at 11:35am

If adaptating novels for stage is lazy, then how about this..

It's not really 'bad', or in any way life threatening, but this made me very annoyed. They're currently filming Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events with JIM CAREY in the role of Count Olaf. Now, I don't know how many people have read these books, but Jim Carey is about as un-Count Olaf-ish as they come. Olaf is a villain, a real nasty piece of work. Jim Carey is too funny to play Olaf, he'll try and turn the film into a comedy, and it's not - it's a very dark book(/s).

To top this, I have to say - I can't believe they're turning the books into a film. It's all Harry Potter from here on. There'll be merchandise galore, sales of the books will go through the roof. I love the fact that hardly anyone (certainly in England) knows about these fantastic little books. As of December this year, the whole world is going to want to get their hands on the events of the Baudelaire orphans.

Lemony Snicket seems, from his style of writing (and yes I know he's writing under an identity), the kind of writer who would hate any of this globalism, any of this exposition. Sure, his bank balance will go through the roof, but this is a case of money winning over art.

Why can't books be books? ASOUE is about imagination. It's gothic, very dark. Although it's perfect for film adaptation, it will completely ruin what people get from it by reading it. The descriptions he gives are vivid enough without the need for it to be blown in our faces millions of dollars later.

Yep, I'm completely overreacting.. there are worse things to get annoyed about. But.. what the hell.. I will not be seeing the film, and I urge everyone who hasn't already read the books to do so now.

[b-waygirl]

re: Bad news...#1

Posted: 4/18/04 at 11:40am

i read the books, all my friends love the books, but i wouldn't have thought they would make a movie out of it. it seemed like it wouldn't meet anyone's expectations and now especially with jim carrey in the role, i really doubt that many people who have already read the books will be satisfied with it. idk. i still wanna see how the movie turns out tho.

parking for drive-thru service only. thank you.

[Mister Matt]

re: re: Bad news...#2

Posted: 4/18/04 at 12:13pm

They have had merchandising for those books for a few years now including T-Shirts, a Magic 8-Balls, and a fictional biography of Lemony Snicket (a character based on the author's pseudonym). The books have been a hit for a while (which explains the numerous volumes still available in hardback not sold on bargain shleves). While they are not as popular as Harry Potter, they are not as unknown as you think.

If the books are fantastic, then why don't you want the general public to know about them? If the author doesn't want this kind of exposure, then he shouldn't have sold the rights to his material.

I agree that Jim Carey is a horrible choice for the character, but I am excited to see a film version if it is done well. The books are far shorter than Harry Potter, so (hopefully) there is not much reason to leave much of the story out of the screenplay. But then, we all know Hollywood is most fond of staying as far away as possible from source material.

"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian

[JakeB]

re: re: re: Bad news...#3

Posted: 4/18/04 at 12:59pm

If the books are fantastic, then why don't you want the general public to know about them?

I'm not sure really. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people who are protective of theatre (you know the types, there's a few on this board.. when their friends start liking Hairspray they get annoyed), but take Donnie Darko for example. I saw it the weekend it came out in the local 'arthouse' cinema. It didn't get shown in the mainstream complexes. Flash forward a couple of years and Madworld gets released. Suddenly, everyone's MSN names read 'I love Donnie Darko', etc. That pissed me off. It's only because it was thrown in their faces that they like it.

I don't want a 'hype' around the books that means every time they're released it turns into a 'I read it in 40 minutes!!!' style event.. *step forward Harry Potter. These books are too good to be ruined by fanatics.

[iflitifloat]

re: re: re: re: Bad news...#4

Posted: 4/19/04 at 2:16am

On this message board, the screen name is more likely to be DonnieD4ever...

But seriously, Jake, I *do* know what you mean about feeling protective of a book. As a young child, I loved...make that LOVED...The Little House books. I was wary when I heard they were being turned into a TV series, and horrified when the show didn't match the vision I'd created from reading the books. The books had allowed me to experience an earlier, simpler period of time and I felt like I knew the characters as well as my own family. Suddenly, there were Little House on the Prairie lunch boxes EVERYWHERE. And with Little Joe playing Pa, it was all so wrong.

Maybe it's silly analogy, but your sentiments, while about loftier material, still struck a chord for me.

Sueleen Gay: "Here you go, Bitch, now go make some fukcing lemonade." 10/28/10

Updated On: 4/19/04 at 02:16 AM

[sabrelady]

re: re: re: re: re: Bad news...#5

Posted: 4/19/04 at 2:59pm

ANd now they wanna do the Narnia series as well but remove all the inconvenient Cristian Mythology. Shheeesh!