Something Wicked...?

[Mr. Grady]

Is the film worth seeing? Loved the book, but am wondering why it seems that movie makers have been unable to capture the mystery, darkness & fear from the novel on screen. It's hard to be sure because I have not watched the film in its entirety, but the clips I have seen are not grabbing me. What gives??

[newb]

I didn't think it was bad , but I never read the book.....some purist might disagree with me.

[urgeok2]

Something wicked this way comes ?


my all time favorite book - ever.

the movie wasnt bad - but it only scraped the surface of what it could have been.

i'd love to see this remade by someone who really understands the source.

[neverending]

I think he means the film "Something Wicked"

I was confused at first, as well.

[Elvis_Christ]

Haven't heard of it...

[ChronoGrl]

Something wicked this way comes ?


my all time favorite book - ever.

the movie wasnt bad - but it only scraped the surface of what it could have been.

i'd love to see this remade by someone who really understands the source.

I honestly thought that that book was easily Bradbury's weakest book and was endlessly disappointed that he diverged from the macabre and science fiction into the realm of super natural. Not his genre and I was disappointed with this book.

...

As for this thread... Uhm... Can't comment about the actual topic, but your avatar Mr. Grady looks like this guy that I work with.

[neverending]

I honestly thought that that book was easily Bradbury's weakest book and was endlessly disappointed that he diverged from the macabre and science fiction into the realm of super natural. Not his genre and I was disappointed with this book.

...

As for this thread... Uhm... Can't comment about the actual topic, but your avatar Mr. Grady looks like this guy that I work with.

OMG- Something Wicked This Way Comes is my all time favorite novel by one of my favorite writers. Bradbury has used supernatural elements in his stories dating back to the 40s. It may be a gender gap/age gap thing. I grew up as a boy in the midwest, as did Bradbury, in a time that was quite different than it is now. The nostalgia for that time and place and all it meant to be a boy growing up in the midwest has a large part to do with my enjoyment of the book.

[ChronoGrl]

Yah - A lot of people loved the book; guess I just didn't. It's interesting that you bring up the age difference because if I remember correctly, my dad really enjoyed Something Wicked, though I didn't really share his enjoyment.

I realize that Bradbury used a lot of super natural elements in his writing, but they were definitely more subtle in his other works than in Something Wicked. I personally preferred his more science fiction-leaning Martian Chronicles, however, (which will forever be on my all-time Favorite list). In regards to the life of a boy growing up in the midwest, I'd assume that you would empathize more with Dandelion Wine (also one of my absolute favorites); I feel as though that one is definitely more grounded, though possessing the subtle elements of the super natural.

As for short story books, The Illustrated Man is at the top of my list followed by October County. The Toybeen Convector was weak as a whole, though the short story "The Attic" (I believe that's the title) was one of the most horrific stories I've ever read and even read it aloud to a middle school class that I was student teaching a few years ago.

I read Something Wicked after I had read the other pieces of work that I mentioned above (along with Fahrenheit 451 which I honestly think is one of his weaker works as well; function outweighing form on that one), so it might have been that I fell in love with Chronicles and Dandelion Wine and did not so much care for the dark, mad carnival depicted in Something Wicked. I think my biggest problem, honestly, was suspending my disbelief (oddly enough, not something that I had trouble doing in any of his other works), but that might have been more of a personal issue - circumstantial over anything else.

MAN this conversation makes me want to pick up Bradbury again. Good to hear from other enthusiasts (even though we disagree on Something Wicked).


Edit: It was killing me because I couldn't remember the title of this other book of his that I remember enjoying back in High School and I just looked it up (thank you http://www.raybradbury.com/books/books.html): Death is a Lonely Business. It was this strange, macabre, and whimsical summer murder mystery. I remember enjoying that one quite a bit.

[neverending]

Yah, I really like everything he's written. I've even adapted and performed his short story "The Murderer" on stage a few times.

I like Dandelion Wine as well, but in Something Wicked there's the whole thing about the boy's father, which I related to very well cuz I viewed my father as a weak person.

Even though the film is not great, I've got to hand it to the producers on one count. A couple years before the film came out I was saying to some friends if they ever made a movie of the book the only one to play the father would be Jason Robards- and by god, they did it.

[crabapple]

I liked both the book AND the movie, a lot. And I thought that, in adapting himself for the screen, Bradbury did a very good job stripping down and simplifying the story for the filmic medium.

[neverending]

I can remember my initial reaction as I sat there in the theatre watching the film for the first time because I had been looking forward to the movie with great anticipation.

My first thought as I sat there watching the first few minutes of the film was- wow, everything is so CLEAN. It didn't seem like a real place to me- and for the fantasy to work, the world needed to be real. It was too DISNEY. That was a fatal flaw for me. It needed to have a darker tone.

[urgeok2]

I've got to hand it to the producers on one count. A couple years before the film came out I was saying to some friends if they ever made a movie of the book the only one to play the father would be Jason Robards- and by god, they did it.

yeah that was brilliant casting - and the one thing that made the film wortyh watching.

i was disappointed with Pryce. He was menacing - but in a very 1 domentional way - unlike his character in the book.

I agree that it is a boys book ..
the magic of being a boy and the horror of leaving that behind to become a man is definately something most guys would relate to far more than a girl.

It is the one book i reread at least once a year and to me the most powerful book he's ever written. (and like most people here i collect his books and have read almost all of them.

i find his latter books to be his weakest .. meandering and personal. he seems to be writing to himself these days - not that that is wrong - it's just a lot tougher for me to find something to relate to.

I think Dandilion Wine is my second favorite.

[ChronoGrl]

I agree that it is a boys book ..
the magic of being a boy and the horror of leaving that behind to become a man is definately something most guys would relate to far more than a girl.

I don't know... I always identified more with boy characters than girl characters while growing up. Dandelion Wine, for example, I really identified with.

I'm curious about the movie and now I want to check it out... Wonder if I'll enjoy it more than the book.

[urgeok2]

I'm curious about the movie and now I want to check it out... Wonder if I'll enjoy it more than the book.


i doubt it .. you may want to revisit the book.

the movie really missed the mark on most of the points - with the exception of casting jason robards.


if you want to see an interesting movie with a somewhat similar theme - check out The Seven Faces of Dr Lao, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057812/
a film that captured my imagination as a kid.

[neverending]

Tony Randall's greatest film! Love that as well. Have you read the book?

[urgeok2]

Tony Randall's greatest film! Love that as well. Have you read the book?


didnt even know there was a book ..

i assumed it was loosly based on the Bradbury book.
a hell of a lot of similarities.

[newb]

if you want to see an interesting movie with a somewhat similar theme - check out The Seven Faces of Dr Lao, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057812/
a film that captured my imagination as a kid.

I'm gonna have to find that one.......it would make a nice double feature with Something Wicked...

[novakru]

Something Wicked This Way Comes :cool: :cool:

My 8th grade Lit. class read this book and watched this movie for one whole month.
(with reports, question and answer segment, poster board renditions-the works:) )

Ties with kissing David in the Shop class closet as my Most Fun 8th Grade Memory:)

[urgeok2]

I'm gonna have to find that one.......it would make a nice double feature with Something Wicked...


let me know if you cant - i have the laserdisc..

[newb]

let me know if you cant - i have the laserdisc..

cool.....

Let me see if my son has it at his video store

[neverending]

didnt even know there was a book ..

i assumed it was loosly based on the Bradbury book.
a hell of a lot of similarities.

It was actually written almost 30 years BEFORE Something Wicked This Way Comes.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Circus_of_Dr._Lao