Episode 043 - Page to Screen (Books turned into movies and TV shows)

Book Club for Masochists: a Readers’ Advisory Podcast

In this episode we chat about what happens when books go from page to screen in Adaptations! In the process we argue about lots of stuff (as usual) and you learn more than you ever wanted to know about manga sound effects! Plus: psychic sidekicks, librarian in-jokes, our faith in Ellen DeGeneres, and what we want to see adapted for the screen.

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In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jessi

Books and Other Media We Read This Month

• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki; Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (movie 1984)
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman; The Princess Bride (movie 1987)
• The Snowman by Jo Nesbø; The Snowman (movie 2017)
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman, illustrated Charles Vess; Stardust (movie 2007)
• Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones; Howl’s Moving Castle (movie 2004)
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik; adaptation in potentia
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness; A Discovery of Witches (TV series 2018)

Books and Other Media We Discuss

• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk; Fight Club (movie 1999)
• Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, translated by Yuji Oniki; Battle Royale (movie 2000)
• Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien; Lord of the Rings (movie trilogy 2001-3)
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick; Blade Runner (movie 1982)
• A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick; A Scanner Darkly (movie 2006)
• Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery; Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (tv mini-series 1985 & 1987) (I’ve never watched two more recent sequel/prequels, and I never will)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Pride and Prejudice (BBC mini-series 1995); Pride and Prejudice (movie 2005)
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien; The Hobbit (movie trilogy 2012-14)
• Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell; Wives and Daughters (mini series 1999)
• Persuasion by Jane Austen; Persuasion (movie 2007)
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen; Northanger Abbey (movie 2007)
• A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess; A Clockwork Orange (movie 1971)
• The Bloodettes/Les Saignantes (movie 2005)
• Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman; Good Omens (TV series 2018?)
• Hellboy: An Assortment of Horrors (short stories collection) edited by Christopher Golden, art by Mike Mignola; Hellboy (movie 2004)
• The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean; Adaptation (movie 2002)
• Ponyo (movie 2008); The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
• The Coldest City by Anthony Johnston; Atomic Blonde (movie 2017)
• Her Space Opera by Katie Longua, music by Accumulator - a comic with a code to download related music
• Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley; Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (movie 2010)
• Fullmetal Alchemist series by Hiromu Arakawa; there are a number of different adaptations in films and video games and more, but Jessi is referring to Fullmetal Alchemist (anime 2003-4) and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-10)
• A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin; Game of Thrones (TV series 2011-)
• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; Harry Potter (film series 2001-2011)
• Sandman series by Neil Gaiman and various artists
• Papillon by Henri Charrière; Papillon (movie 1973) AND Papillon (movie 2017) which is a remake of the 1973 film and Meghan didn’t even know it existed (layers of adaptation!!)
• Criminal Minds (TV series 2005-)
• Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker; Mindhunter (TV series 2017-)
• Suicide Squad (comics); Suicide Squad (movie 2016)
• The Alienist by Caleb Carr; The Alienist (TV series 2018)
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman; American Gods (TV series 2017-)
• Jodorowsky’s Dune (documentary 2013)

Adaptations We Want to See

• Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, specifically more adaptations from this universe since three live action ones exist:
• • The Color of Magic (mini series 2008), based on The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic
  • Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather (movie 2006), based on Hogfather
  • Going Postal (mini series 2010), based on Going Postal
• China Miéville - just everything

Links, Articles, and Things

• The Metabarons: A Rape Comic - Here’s the piece about Alejandro Jodorowsky and how he is scum
• Remembering the Time Alejandro Jodorowsky Raped a Woman in the Name of Art

Questions

• Do you seek out movie adaptations of books or avoid them?
• Do you read the books that movies you like are based on?
• Did anyone get Meghan’s Library joke?
• What makes a good adaptation (or a bad adaptation)?
• Where’s the line between adaptation and something that is “inspired by” an existing text?
• What’s a book or comic you’d love to see adapted?

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Join us again on January 2nd, for our Best of 2017 episode!

Then come back on January 16th for our episode on Family Sagas!