Because film and comics are different mediums, with different strengths and weaknesses, and successfully transitioning from one to the other requires more than frame by frame reproduction.

Well yeah, I realised that. I'm not completely craxy. :)

However beloved any work in any medium is, I think it's a mistake to treat it as sacred text when adapting it for another. I want Snyder to make the best possible Watchmen movie, not the best possible Watchmen book on tape.

Trouble is, by not treating it as "sacred text" they tend to start screwing with it; it's one thing to take out bits but something else entirely when they start adding their own bits. Therefore, while I also want Snyder to make the best possible Watchmen movie, I want it to be Moore's Watchmen, not Snyder's Watchmen.

I'll cop to being one of the purists with regard to Eowyn's big dramatic revelation, but really, how much more screentime would five extra sentences by Miranda Otto have stolen away from all the CGI of vast armies massing and Legolas surfing down elephants' trunks?

I don't know about "Eowyn's big dramatic revelation", since I never got past the first movie but this is pretty much what I'm talking about. I love LotR and consider myself a purist but I'm not a craxy who learnt Elvish, or dresses up as Gandalf. I realise Jackson and Co. had to excise whole portions of the books to make it feasible to film it as a motion picture but as I've said numerous times; you don't cut stuff, and then add new stuff to the mix! More importantly, you don't completely alter the nature of important characters and have them do things they would never do in the book--for no apparent reason.

The most faithful book-to-movie adaptation I've ever seen is Battlefield Earth. Watching the film was exactly like reading the book.

I'm conflicted about Battlefield Earth. I depise Hubbard and what he created with dianetics, and I know the world would be a slightly better place if he'd stuck to being a successful author and nothing more but I do love this book. It's pure escapist space-opera, just like E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman. I can't comment on the movie, however, because 10 minutes was long enough to make me realise it bore no resemblance to the book.

but I do love this book. It's pure escapist space-opera, just like E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman

It may be pure space opera just like E.E. 'Doc' Smith, but at least the Lensmen series was good. Battlefiled Earth was a piece of crap.

I don't recall who recommended The Hobart Shakespeareans but I am blown away. I had to take a break. I've laughed, I've cried, I've sat with my mouth hanging open and I'm less than halfway through the film. I think if you love Hamlet you have to see this.

I just had to pause it again because I hit play, the teacher said, "Oh my God, boys & girls: Michael York!" and I squeed and wine came out my nose.

I watched it a few weeks ago. That teacher is an amazing person, isn't he? More to the point, he thinks his students are amazing too.

I got choked up so many times. I think my favorite part was when the girl was reading for Ophelia and the teacher turned to the camera and mouthed, "holy shit!"

wrod.

Don't remember if it has been mentioned here, but I saw Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One) yesterday. A very good mystery that cleaned up at the French Césars last year. François Cluzet is the lead, but there are good performances all around, including that of Kristin Scott-Thomas. I highly recommend it if it is playing anywhere near you.

Don't remember if it has been mentioned here, but I saw Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One) yesterday.

I remember reading some very good reviews somewhere. Maybe the NYT. Sadly, with the foreign film situation the way it is here, I'll probably need to see it on DVD.

Morgan Freeman was seriously injured in a car accident today: link .