OFF: Starship Troopers and a connection to the Tick

[BREVARD, Adrian R.]

>There in lies the rub.  How many great books have been sucessfully
>translated into movies?  I'm hard pressed to think of many.

>It's harder than it sounds.  Some people who write great books
>cannot write good screenplays...

Indeed.  Two different mediums.  How do you treat character development
in a movie when the general consensus is that most people won't watch a
movie greater than 2 hours.  This school of thought being the movie
industry and not my own.  Further I agree it can be done, citing
specifically some of the examples you list most notably Dune.  Thats a
difficult project and probably undoable if you stayed true to the book.
Overall I think the intent was there and the results were not bad.  Yet
it seems for every Dune or Blade Runner you have a movie like The
Shining.  One of King's best books but a deplorable  movie.  Please
don't harp in on the job done by Nicholson, I'm totally inflexible on
this. The movie version sucked period. 8>)

>speaking of adaptations (and comics, to tie two OFF threads together),
comics often adapt much better to movies since they are already a
visual medium to begin with, and their layout gives a direct storyboard
for a movie.  One of the best adaptations to a tv format of a comic
would
have to be The Tick, which your quote indicates you are familiar with.
Still wish Edlund would at least do one or two more issues of the comic,
though...

Yes, yes a thousand times yes!  comics/movies are really close and
easier to do.  Tick is one of the crown jewels.  I fell in love with the
animated series before I even knew it was based on an adpation.  Both
mediums work well for the big blue guy.  Along with Edlund continuing
the Comic I wish Fox had not backed off their decision to produce more
animated episodes. Wish me luck, on the 18th of this month Com Central
is broadcasting the Santa Clone episode which is rarely shown.  I get
this one then I have all 36 of the episodes made.

There is a scene in Starship Troopers that had me howling.  Recall the
"Brain Bug" prepping to suck grey matter out of the two pilots.  I could
not help but think of my fave Tick episode "Tick vs. The Uncommon Cold".
 In this ep an Alien named Thrak-a-zog moves next door to the Tick and
Authur.  His plan is to clone the Tick and create an army of super
beings to conquer earth.  Thrak is made mostly of slime but has toungue
with a mind of its own.  Occassionaly it pops out looking to eat human
brains.  Anyway during that scene in Starship Troopers I was sorely
tempted to yell out "Eat rude Brains." ala Thrak's tongue.  I restrained
myself though as I was with my two sons and feared I might embarrass
them in front of their friends.

lil ab

OBsecond on comics to movies HBO's animated Spawn, powerful stuff