Book Related Films...Film Related Book...October 2020

What are you reading that has also become a movie? Tell us what it is and which you liked best if you have done both.

I'm reading Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. I don't remember much about the film other than I didn't recognise Tom Cruise as Lestat. The novel gives an atmospheric feel of New Orleans in the late 1700's.

>2 .cris: I loved the movie...but just couldn't get into the book for some reason.

The Perfect Storm (2000) - based on the book by Sebastian Junger
5/5

In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail. Magnificent foreshadowing and anticipation fill this true-life drama while minute details of the fishing boats, their gear and the weather are juxtaposed with the sea adventure.

Another one of my dozen or so favorite films. I read the book but it wasn't anywhere near as in your face terrorizing as seeing what these men actually saw and experienced as they fought a killing sea and storm, in a battle that they never had a chance of winning.

From Amazon: The Perfect Storm combines an intimate portrait of a small fishing crew with fascinating scientific data about boats and weather systems. In late October, North Atlantic seas are unpredictable. Still, one last good swordfish catch is a chance to start the winter with a fat wallet. As Captain Billy Tyne steers his 72-foot longboat Andrea Gail toward the Grand Banks, growing weather fronts are moving toward the same waters. The Andrea Gail is sailing into the storm of the century, one with 100 mile per hour winds and waves cresting over 110 feet. As each man on the boat faces this ultimate foe, Sebastian Junger gives the account an immediacy that fills The Perfect Storm with suspense and authenticity. Narrator Richard M. Davidson’s reading adds further drama to this unforgettable sea adventure. An interview with the author concludes the audiobook.

Murder At 1600 (1997)
Based on the novel Murder In The White House by Margaret Truman
4/5

A young woman is murdered in the White House. Homicide detective Regis investigates while Secret Service works against him. He's assigned agent Chance. She eventually cooperates after a man's framed.

Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane gave an ok performance but nothing compared to other roles by these two...Snipes especially. I wanted the entire White House staff arrested. The film's source novel is the first and one of twenty-five "Murder..." mystery fictional novels written by Margaret Truman, they generally most having government... political...legal....intelligence and bureaucracy backgrounds, but none of these ever having being filmed except the first, Murder in the White House...which is the source novel of this movie.

Phantoms (1998)
Based on the novel...Phantoms by Dean Koontz
4.5/5

One hundred fifty dead, and three hundred fifty missing in the tiny mountain town of Snowfield, Colorado, and that's only the beginning.

It is a very effective monster movie...especially in the first half. The best monsters are always the ones which are difficult to kill. To these "things"...humans are little more than a species to be crushed and absorbed. Of course the human condition demands that it fights back. The atmosphere in the first half hour is very eerie blended with a lot of mystery. An empty town....a couple of young women who have just arrived...a couple of bodies and...no answers. Gloom & foreboding doom is creatively created. Then the cops show up and just when you think that things can't get any worse...THEY CAN AND DO. Good edge of your seat nail biter.

Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White
Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen
4/5 stars
Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen talk about their lives as stand up comics and as the first comedy duo who were interracial. This was a fascinating look at their lives growing up, how they met and started to perform together, how audiences responded to them and how they ended up eventually parting ways. Tom remained a comedian and was the opener to Frank Sinatra concerts while Tim moved on to TV in WKRP in Cincinnati and Frank's Place. Written in 2008, this book is still relevant today.