I love spine-tingling scary books and movies, but no gore, serial killer or slasher movies. True to Leafy form, even when I was a kid I preferred scary movies with beautiful rooms in them--two of my favorites were "The Changeling" starring George C. Scott as a widower living alone in a creepy (but gorgeous) mansion, and "Audrey Rose" which featured the kind of NYC apartment I dreamed of when I was growing up in undistinguished suburbia. Think about it--nothing is scarier than thinking you might have to give up PRIME REAL ESTATE because of an unfortunate ghost/curse/reincarnation/demon possession. I loved the book Amityville Horror although it made it so that I was unable to go into Dutch capes, basements or attics for decades. And then to find out it wasn't true?! Heartbreak. I still remember the rooms from a movie I saw in the late 80's early 90's that was a murder mystery that somehow involved a pair of fancy German scissors, (?) also set in really beautiful rooms in a California mission style home--I want to remember the name so I can watch it again for the decor, but I can't! Anyone know what movie I mean?

I read the book last summer and LOVED it! At the time I had just graduated college and gotten my first "real job" as an assistant in NY city, so I was completely able to relate. The only thing I did not like about the book was the ending- but it WAS realistic, not a typical happily ever after story-book ending... so in a way it was good. I just saw the movie with my mom last night (who also read the book) and although we both enjoyed the movie, we were a little dissapointed. I expected it to be a different, but there are so many things they could've done better. First of all I CANNOT STAND Anne Hathaway!!! She's weird looking first of all, she was WAY too nerdy for this role, and she completely over-acts. I think she's painful to watch. The role of Andrea should've been played by someone more natural, funny/sarcastic, and she shoulve been kinda unmotivated at first- crashing on her friend's couch b/c she has no apartment, eating a lot, drinking, smoking, sleeping til noon- still in college mentality...the way she's portrayed in the book. I think Kate Hudson would've been a good choice. She's a little too mature for the role, but if this movie came out 4 or 5 years ago, she would be it. Anne Hathaway was just HORRIBLE. She was too flimsy and jittery and not funny AT ALL. Ugh she's such a bad actress. Meryl Streep however is a brilliant actress. Anything she does is great! However, the role was definitely written too nice. The character of Miranda in the book didnt have conversations with Andrea, she simply just ordered her around. She was meaner and showed no emotion. Whoever said they made her too human was right... I know however for the movie they want to show more of a relationship between her and Andrea, but the writers could've made her just a tad meaner. And my final complaint is the lack of build up with her outside-work relationships. Lily in the book gradually became an alcoholic, hooking up with shady guys in bars b/c she was neglected by her over-working friend. In the movie she had 4 lines and no personality. Also they made the boyfriend so DULL in the movie. Plus I wasn't feeling their relationship AT ALL. They looked unnatural together. Other than all that, it was a cute movie. I just think they could've made it SO much better. "That's all"

My favorites not in order...The color purple, Fried green tomatoes, Ordinary people, Terms of endearment, Chicago , most Jason Statham movies, most Bruce Willis movies. I also really like movies with Kathy Bateman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Melissa McCathy. Love quirky comedies like The invention of lying. There are more but that's off the top of my head. Thought of more. ..When Harry meet Sally, Catty shack, Something about Mary. Oh you have to have A Few Good Men on your list!!! Jack Nicholson is one of the stars. Favorite quote..."You can't Handle the Truth"!

It's rarely that movie is as good as a book but sometimes good adaptations happen-and I tend to remember them all since happens not often For example "Girl With a Dragon Tatoo" i liked more as a movie..the non-American version. But I started with a movie, that probably influences things. "The Joy Luck Club" managed to be a great adaptation of the book-and I actually read the book several yeas before watching the movie Mini series of "Pride and Predjudice" are nice adaptation while the movie with Keira Knightly was something I kinda dismissed because to me that wasn't a good adaptation at all. Still, I prefer the book of course. The former Soviet Union movies based on "Sherlock Holmes" are considered the best in all the adaptations of Sherlck Holmes ever made, and won the prize as such-and I totally agree. Of course they filmed just several stories but did it very well. "Alias Grace" did a very fine job; but let me tell you the book is finer...reading it now. Now some books are probably too much of a challenge to ever be interpreted on the screen..I haven't seen one good "Wuthering Heights"..and I really tried. I haven't seen a "Lolita" that comes even close to the book itself. I don't think one can adapt Nabokov successfully. Too many things will go missing. His language is too good and too elusive for that. No Dostoevsky or Tolstoy either,,of course I didn't watch all of these..but whatever I started I just turned off. Very fast. As I was totally obsessed with "Les Miserables" since age 8 (to the point I tried to steal a little bun from a bakery-and succedeed-but that was my first and last attempt of stealing lol..more than I can handle..it was a tiny 3 kopeiks bun but nevertheless)-I tried to watch as many adaptations as possible. Some I enjoyed; but no they don't measure to the book. I couldn't appreciate long passages about monasteries, sewer, Parisian jargon, the battle of Waterloo etc when I was a little girl..but now I find these much more interesting. As it was when I read Fowles "The Magus"..at twenty I was so much into story..and the stories within the story I went through too quick..wars and all.. But now I understand these are actually the best ones there..or maybe they are to me now, since I became older. Generally I think the more complex and well written the book is the harder it will be to translate it I do look forward to adaptations that don't exist yet, or exist but I haven't seen them yet like Löwensköld trilogy by Selma Lagerlöf'..I think there can be a huge potential of making a great movie out of it.. Steven King is an example of an author whose books can be translated very well into visuals. PS remembered one more adatation that was good .."The Name of the Rose". They cut a lot out of it obviously..still, a good movie