Books to Movies

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Books to Movies

Post by Kalphoenix »

I JUST saw a trailer recently for a movie based on a book I read YEARS ago. It was on TV about ten minutes ago. I didn't recognize it from the trailer...when they displayed the title I was incredulous. The book wasn't fantastic, but I liked it. I found it a little on the melodramatic and emo side. However, it had redeeming qualities and an interesting twist ending that actually made sense. I wouldn't say it was a favorite, but I revisited it a couple times.

From the preview, it looks like they changed it into some bland action movie just like every other kind of movie with a supernatural bent. They completely changed the setting (it was based in America, in the book, looks like Europe in the movie) and the characters don't seem anything like described. It also seemed like they are changing the main point of the story. Why didn't they just change the names and make something "original?"

My question: Does it ever REALLY get under your skin when a comic or book gets turned into a movie and you just KNOW they are going to mangle it?
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Post by Todd »

Yes. Although 300 looks fan-f*cking-tastic!

A wee different, but definately awesome.


What Movie/Book where you talking about?

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Post by WayneO42 »

Let me guess...."Bridge to Tarabitha"
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Post by cole45 »

i though maybe the Dresden files myself.
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Post by Amagus »

Every time. Minor changes are necessary and acceptable, even appreciated. But major deviations end up just ruining it for me.
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Post by Kalphoenix »

"Bridge to Terabitha" was one of them that I looked further into after the commercial for this OTHER movie last night and yes, they butchered that by changing the whole theme, from what I can tell. I'm glad I looked it up, so that I don't have to waste my time. It was actually one of my favorite childhood books and it really made me think, even though I was only something like eight or nine. I've read it several times since then and there are still quotes from that book that make me choke up.

I'm all for creative license, but it you are going to kill the theme, at least have the balls to say "inspired by" instead of "based on."

That's not the one I'm specifically talking about, this one is pretty obscure and I'm not sure if anyone has actually read it (It was kind of of the teen angst variety, I don't even remember why I bought it at the time). It's not really deep or hard to guess what's going on, but it's a good story about the difficulties of a transition from child to adult. I haven't actually thought about the book until I heard the name on the commercial last night. It was called "Blood and Chocolate," and if you don't want to be spoiled (although the movie plot is nothing like the book except, it seems, for character names), don't read under the star line, because here I go with the plot of the book (Most of it is from memory, so bear with me and it's kind of long, cliffnotes long...I probably butchered it almost as bad as they did, lol.) I'm posting this so if someone goes to see it, they can tell me how bad it is.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!! SEVERE TIRE DAMAGE!!!

**************************************
Vivian, a teenager, is a loup-garoux, a race that lives among humans but is actually a descendant of a tribe who, in ancient times, was given the ability to turn into wolf-like creatures. Their lore says that the moon told them to pity humans for their soft flesh, for loup-garoux had once been like them, and to kill humans was to kill themselves. But human vulnerabilities triggered the instinct to hunt and it was dangerous to live among them. They came to America in the 1600's to escape hunting in Europe. To hunt a human is forbidden, because it puts the pack at risk of discovery. After several shifts in territory, Vivian's pack settles in West Virginia. A young pack member, Axel, is killed for hunting humans. The tribe is hard-pressed to cover up the incident and another well-meaning member commits another murder while Axel is in a human prison to throw off human authorities. But it is too late and the pack is exposed. Their current communal dwelling is burnt to the ground by someone who believed the tales of a humanoid creature with fur. Several pack-members are killed, including Vivian's father, the pack-leader, who is killed when the burning building collapses on him.

Fast forward to a year later. The pack has re-located to Maryland. Vivian is sixteen and attends high-school even though the only other five loup-garoux in her age-group don't. These boys are known as "The Five" and are wild. She lives with her uncle Rudy and her mother Esme, who is a bit rambunctious and is starting to date their kind again. Vivian is hurt and sees this as a betrayal of her father. One of the pack who comes for a visit is Gabriel, twenty-four, who teases Vivian good-naturedly. Vivian is pissed and tells her mom that she thinks it's gross for her to try to date a man young enough to be her son.

Vivian loves everything about being a Loup-Garou and has a strong, confident air. She is mature with an athletic build. She is an artist and paints at school. Her art-teacher thinks she's one of those punk-artists (not realizing that the wolf subjects of her paintings are real) and encourages her to submit her work to a local anthology. She does and finds her art posted in the book next to a piece of poetry by a classmate that seems to describe her art perfectly. She meets the author, Aiden and finds herself slightly disappointed that he is completely human. His circle of friends are fairly nice to him (except a girl named Kelly, who seems jealous). He calls her up later and asks her on a date. On a whim, she accepts and Esme finds out, disapprovingly asking her why she can't date her own kind instead of a "meat-boy." Vivian says it isn't serious.
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The pack is in disarray with no central authority and there is a meeting. Insurance money from the fire has finally come through. Some of the pack is worried about living so close among humans. Some want to move before there is an accident. Others want to stay. Some call for a vote. There is a great deal of arguing, from Lucien Dafoe, father of Rafe (one of the Five) and Astrid, a woman who reminds Vivian more of a fox than a wolf. There is distention again when a vote is called for who will lead them.

After a long argument, Aunt Persia, the eldest and "magic" keeper says that new leader must be chosen by the old ways. There is more argument and it is revealed that the Old Way means trial by combat, which hasn't happened in generations. Astrid argues that times change and females should also be allowed the chance to participate. There is more arguing about whether they should risk death and injury when they are already missing so many. Aunt Persia says that if the pack cannot unanimously choose a leader, then the right must be won by a demonstration of strength to gain the support of every member. Vivian leaves while they are arguing and is shocked to discover she is actually excited by the prospect of a fight. The Five soon join her, angry that they can't participate because they are not "of age." The Five have a reputation as troublemakers, scaring children and kids making out down by the river in their animal forms. Vivian is sure that they will do something worse if no one is in authority to control them. They tell her they know about her "date" with Aiden and that she isn't "princess wolf" anymore. If she gives Adrian anything she won't give them, there will be trouble. It is only half in jest.

Vivian wears a slinky dress on the date, which is going to see a band at the park. Esme tells her she doesn't want Vivian to "give him any ideas." While outside waiting for Aiden to pick him up, she worried that she won't be able to act normal with him, that she'll do something weird, like bite him if he tries to kiss her. She realizes she has a crush on him. From all the things in his car, Vivian deduces that Aiden is one of those people interested in the supernatural. Vivian decides that she likes Adrian's "pack," except for his friend Kelly. She has a good time, they kiss and nothing weird happens. She does catch the Five spying on her, though.

Over the next week, she tries to convince herself that she is just having fun and not falling in love. One night after transforming back into human form, she is confronted by Rafe who admits that he thinks the pack would be better off if they could hunt humans. Vivian remembers that it was the Five who killed a human with Axel was in jail to throw people off the scent. Vivian wonders how many others in the pack think the same and if he still has a taste for human blood.

The date for the Ordeal (the fight for pack-leader) is set for July thirteenth, four weeks away. Vivian has to break a date with Aidan on the coming Saturday because she realizes that she will be changed that night. She tells him she is grounded. They talk about his poem and he says that maybe he would like to be a were-wolf or some kind of supernatural being, because he doesn't want to be like everyone else. Esme and most of the rest of the pack go up to the State Park to run, but Vivian stays home, not wanting to see pack members testing each other for the next full moon. Just as she is about to change, Aiden drops in as a surprise and she has a difficult time getting him to leave before she changes. Worried she will hunt him if she goes out to run in fur, she stays locked in the house where she can't open the door once she changes. She listens to her mom and uncle Rudy argue about why females can't participate in the Ordeal. Her uncle says it's because females are built smaller and lighter. Esme says some females are craftier fighters. Rudy says that the females still get their chance to fight each other for the position of "queen bitch." Esme responds by saying that it's unfair that a female can be "queen," but she doesn't get to choose her king. Rudy reminds Esme that she really loved Ian, her husband and that she didn't beat the crap out of every female who came sniffing around just for the status. He also comments that Ian loved her as well; Esme always got her way with him and had authority through him. Vivian comes down the stairs after listening for awhile commenting on the inherent sexism and hypocrisy in the pack laws. The laws that want them to be able to breed healthy young and insure their survival, yet want them to tear each-other apart to see who would be leader.

In the meantime, Vivian has dinner with Aiden and his parents, who are polite, although Aiden's dad seems to come on to her and his mom is uncomfortable with Aiden's affection towards Vivian. Vivian learns that Aiden's dad's hobby is repairing antique guns. On the way back to the dining room from the bathroom, she catches Aiden's folks discussing her and realizes her mature attitude upsets them. She realizes that most humans she know treat her differently, Aiden says it is because she frightens them with her confidence. He also says he thinks maybe Vivian is his soul-mate.

Aiden has to go out-of-town on a family vacation during Vivian's seventeenth birthday. Already upset, she is under the impression that her mom is going to ditch her to go on a date, but when she answers the door, the pack has come to help her celebrate. She has a good time and even dances with each of the Five. When she goes into the kitchen, Rafe, who has been drinking, comes on to her in a physical way but she easily defends herself. Gabriel comes in and appreciatively comments that she's quite able to handle herself and Vivian tells him not to forget that, which amuses him and irritates her.

She spends the next week trying to get rid of the Five, who pester her incessantly because she danced with them at her birthday party and are vying with each other for her attention. Aiden invites her to fourth of July fireworks and gives her a gift: A silver pentagram necklace. This amuses her, because although silver could be deadly to Loup-Garoux, it only had a reaction when exposed to their blood. When they get to the park to watch the fireworks, Aiden leaves to go to the bathroom and is gone for a long time. Vivian is spooked and goes to find him; she finds Rafe instead with something almost as big as he is wrapped up. He first says it's Aiden, but it turns out to be a large dog. The Five chuckle and take off.

Vivian and Adrian go down by the river, but are interrupted by a pack of Loup-Garoux on the run. She is able to make out Astrid leading them, as well as Lucien, Rafe and the Five and other males from the pack. It's dangerous for the pack to run in large numbers in a public area. Nothing happens, but she sends Aiden home. Esme tells Vivian she should tell Gabriel about the wild run but Vivian says he is not the leader yet. They get into an argument about Vivian's dad and Rudy says that her dad had been a good leader, but in a time of unrest, they need a leader who could lead with his teeth. He comments that they would have had more trouble with the Five if it hadn't been for Gabriel beating the crap out of them in West Virgina when they wanted to start a war against the town. Although she dislikes the fact that Gabriel is trying to take control of the pack, she knows Rudy is right.

She goes down to the bar to find Gabriel and gets hassled by a patron. Gabriel steps in to break it up and Vivian gets pissed at him for interfering. She tells him about the run anyway. He mentions going to pay Astrid a visit and Vivian wonders what she has started.

Vivian walks in on her mother crying and looking at pictures of her dad. Esme talks about how she was trying so hard to forget him that she had forgotten his face. Vivian comments on how her father could have fixed everything happening. Esme talks about how Ian was a gentle leader and if he had lived after the fire, he probably would have been challenged for leadership anyway. Vivian realizes her mother is probably right. They go down to the bar together to have burgers for dinner and Lucien comes in with Astrid on his heels calling him a coward for not standing up to Gabriel, who had beaten him up. Astrid says that Gabriel is a bully. More of the pack arrives to take Lucien, who is in a bad way, to get help. Gabriel shows up and lets the remaining pack members know that it's "not healthy to party with Astrid right now."

Vivian is going out to see Aiden. Esme tells her not to waste her time on a boy who can never know her fully. When Vivian almost says something, Esme warns her that revealing her nature to a human could get her exiled and if it lead to death, she could be killed. Esme reminds her that they will be moving again soon and that Vivian is young, beautiful and can have her choice of men. She runs into Rafe on the way, who is all dressed up and says he "has a honey." She doesn't think much about it. At Aiden's house, he comes running out the door with his parents yelling at him. Aiden is angry when he gets in his car with her and drives off. He tells Vivian that his parents want him to see a shrink because he is interested in the unknown and wants them to accept his right to be different. She wonders if he really understands what difference is and if he could accept her right to be different. They have an intimate moment and she considers taking him down to the river to consummate their relationship before they are interrupted by Kelly, who comes out of the pizza place they are parked in front of. She hangs out with Aiden's "pack' for awhile and they head to the movies where she runs into Gabriel outside on his motorbike. He gives her a strange look when he sees her with Aiden and she turns to ignore him. He stops, walks over and whispers in her ear to "Let him go." He leaves and Aiden's friend express concern for her safety, asking if he has been harassing her. She says he is a "friend of her mothers" and just a jerk.
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Post by Kalphoenix »

Aiden is grounded indefinitely for running off. One of Aiden's friends Bingo, shows up and invites Vivian to hang out with them and watch movies. Kelly calls and talks to Bingo and mentions something about Vivian. After Bingo gets off the phone, all the friends mention that they think Kelly is a bitch. Vivian has a good time and decides that maybe humans and loup-garou can be friends after all.

The pack meets at the state park for the Ordeal. Vivian sees figures rolling in the bushes and is surprised when it turns out to be Rafe and Astrid. A few new outsiders have come to watch and to fight. The contenders line up, Astrid included. When there is distention, she tells the Lawkeeper to read the law, which says that all eligible adults may participate, not just the males. He says it is tradition, and that first blood can be life's blood. Gabriel says to just let her participate, that it is true that the law does not say females are excluded and she was welcome to be the practical reason why.

Rafe also argues that they should be able to participate, but this is put to a halt when the lawkeeper says that the age allowed is 21, it is listed very clear and cannot be debated. He continues arguing, but the Lawkeeper reminds him that he will "obey or die" and the Five convince him to back off. The combatants line up to fight and change as the Ordeal begins. Gabriel runs down the line and swipes Astrid's snout, calling First blood. She accuses him of being a cheat and goes for the throat, but he easily tosses her aside. Several non-combatants go to drag her off the field but she attacks them and goes back to attack those still fighting, severely injuring several who aren't sure what to do, since she has already lost. Gabriel manages to pin her long enough to make her surrender. She slinks off to the edge of the clearing. Then the Ordeal is joined in earnest. Several are eliminated almost instantly with severe wounds; the rest were more cautious. Friends and brothers fight each other and Vivian is shocked to realize she is enjoying the violence. When it is down to four, two pack mates, Bucky and Jean attack each other. Bucky goes into a frenzy and shreds Jean. Gabriel bites Bucky and throws him off the field towards Jean, who dies. Down to the last two, Vivian wonders what kind of people kill their friends. Gabriel snaps the neck of the last wolf and emerges the victor. As the howls start, Vivian hears Esme scream and turns to see Astrid on Esme's back, biting her neck. Vivian goes into a rage when she sees no one going to help her mother. Vivian attacks Astrid but can't get her to let go of Esme, who is choking. Vivian manages to rip out Astrid's eye and she finally lets go. Astrid plays chicken and Vivian tears into her. Astrid backs off, but Vivian wants to keep attacking her. She is suddenly surrounded by the pack females. Suddenly she is afraid that she has broken the law and ruined the Ordeal by defending her family. Then, all the females make a show of submission to her and Vivian realizes she has just won the bitches' dance, accidentally naming herself Gabriel's mate. She growls in defiance and takes off into the night. After locking herself in her room, she tries to think about what she could do to get out of it.

The next morning, Esme tries to get her used to the idea, saying that she knows Vivian can handle it. Vivian is angry and tries to tell herself it is Esme's fault she's in this mess to begin with. Vivian mopes around for a bit and later takes a call from Aiden, who asks her over the next evening, because his parents will be gone. Not sure what to say, she tells him she will call and let him know tomorrow. Walking into the living room, her better mood is crushed by the presence of Gabriel, who is jovial and amused about the whole situation. He so much as says says he intends to court her and will give her as much time as possible to understand him, because he thinks she is worth the wait. He leaves and she decides she will choose her own mate.

Vivian calls Aiden the next morning and she asks him what he would think if she was a magical creature that could change into something else, like a wolf? He laughs and says she would be a very beautiful wolf. She tells him to think about what she has just told him and that she would come over that night. She doesn't intend to tell him about her duality until after they make love, but when she gets to his room she starts to change anyway. She takes it as a sign and tells him she wants to show him real magic, show him what was in his poem. As she starts to change, she looks up, expecting to see amazement and pleasure. Instead, Aiden is horrified and she can't even comfort him with words because it comes out in growls. When she is finished, she knows he only sees a monster. He throws something at her and she jumps out the window, breaking it.

She suddenly wakes up the next morning with the taste of blood in her mouth and a stabbing pain in her head. She is in her bedroom, but with no recall of how she had gotten there, she only remembered running and a bunch of jumbled images. As she tries to gather her thoughts, she realizes she has human blood on her. She panics and calls Aiden's house. He answers and she hangs up on him. She turns on the TV to see if there is anything on the news, which there isn't. She follows an ambulance and police car that pass the house to the bar, where they are pulling a body out from behind the dumpster. The Five are at the bar and they tell her there was a lot of blood at the site. Rafe says he saw her under the bridge down by the river last night and asks if she saw anything. When she tells him to screw off, he says he saw what she did to Astrid and that she is no different from the rest of them.

Vivian tells her mother that, by the way the body had been mutilated, it had to have been one of them who did it. Gabriel comes over and says that he is ordering that no one runs in their fur because the police will be looking for a large animal. If there are no more killings, than the police might write it off. He said he would be looking for the killer, who had obviously killed for pleasure and that, once caught, he would make him pay. He talks about understanding the urge to kill, but also the need to control that urge. He talks about how humans outnumber them and how he sometimes thinks that the Loup-Garoux have outlived their time. Vivian realizes that he longs for the old days. Gabriel notices that she is afraid and he promises he will keep her safe.

Vivian locks herself in her room, listening to depressing music and eating chocolate. Her dreams are dark. She realizes she should have enjoyed her time with Aiden and never revealed herself. She tells Esme that Aiden dumped her and Esme tries to make her feel better. When Esme goes out on a date that evening, Vivian calls Aiden only to have him hang up on her, twice. She calls Bingo who says she has some nerve calling her after what she had done to Aiden. Vivian tries to get Bingo to reveal what she knew, worried that Aiden had told her what really happened. Bingo said that Vivian had "another jealous rage" and that Aiden was afraid to even look at another girl. Bingo says she was surprised that she didn't really know Vivian after all and was a poor judge of character. Bingo further reveals that Vivian threw a chair through the window when Aiden had tried to break up with her. Bingo tells Vivian she is a crazy bitch, she should pay for the window and then get the hell out of Aiden's life. Then hangs up on her.

Vivian stalks Aiden and confronts him on his way out of work. She tries to explain that she didn't mean to frighten him, but he will have none of it. He says he doesn't want to see her again and that he won't tell anyone if she will just go away and leave him alone. She doesn't understand why he is so afraid and repulsed by her. Aiden asks if she killed the man at the bar and Vivian asks if he is afraid she will kill him. She asks if she has been anything but loving to him and asks if he really wants a "tame" girl. He says he is sorry, but every time he thinks of kissing her, he sees that other face. She throws his silver pentagram necklace at him, which he catches. He says he is sorry it ended the way it did and gets in his car. Vivian whispers that it isn't ended and he will be seeing her again.

Vivian gets dressed up and decides to have a good time by going down to the park to watch a concert. She runs into Gabriel on his bike. He follows her and asks what she could possibly do to get Aiden to break up with her. Vivian tells him off. Gabriel says if she ever just wants to talk, he is a good listener and if she is in trouble, he is good at untying knots. He offers her a ride to the park, which she accepts as a sort of apology for snapping at him. She notices the duffel back on his bike. He mentions that he had gone north to talk to packs in nearby states to see if any of them had a rogue member but had no leads yet. While they are riding, she wonders briefly if he would protect her if they were together, or if he would kill her the same if it turned out she was actually the rogue. He shows off while they are riding and pulls right into the crowd. She notices Aiden looking at her and tries to give Gabriel a brief kiss to make Aiden Jealous. Gabriel is not fooled, however and catches her in a long kiss before releasing her, with a warning growl of "Don't use me." She is heartbroken and enraged when she later sees Aiden and Kelly embracing in more than just a friendly way.

Later that night, down by the river, she runs into Rafe while she is angry. He tells her to save her anger for the "meat-boy." He gives her a big bottle of booze and says that it doesn't change anything, but will at least make things numb for awhile. She drinks and thinks about how this is all actually Aiden's fault, that she had never had blackouts before he had hurt her feelings. The more she drinks, the more reasons she finds to blame him. She thinks about how Aiden had pushed Kelly in her face and wonders how long it took for him to start dating her. She thinks about how much better she would feel if she hurt Kelly, but decides she would settle for scaring her instead. Drunkenly she staggers to her feet with the bottle of booze and twenty minutes later breaks into Kelly's house. Finding no one there she decides to wait for her, but then has a moment of clarity and realizes she shouldn't be there. She sets the bottle down on the dresser but it goes off balance because the silver pentagram necklace is on it. Vivian's rage is renewed by the realization that Aiden gave it to Kelly. She trashes Kelly's room and again decides to wait until Kelly gets home. Three AM comes and goes, and Kelly still hasn't returned. Angry, Vivian decides Kelly is not coming come and that she is sleeping with Aiden. She leaves and vows to rip her out of his arms. Then there is only hate.

She awakens in her room again, in pain, with no memory after leaving Kelly's room and her clothes from the night before missing. Although she is streaked with mud, she sees no blood and is relieved. She gets out of bed and disturbs the sheets. A human arm falls on the floor, punctured with teeth marks and puckered, as though it had been in the river. A skull ring was on the finger and she realized the hand belonged to the biker from the bar that had hassled her. Self-preservation tells her to get rid of the arm. She hides it in a box, covers it with kitchen spices to disguise the smell and buries it.

Esme and her new boyfriend Tomas are having breakfast and talk about a new body being found. They turn on the radio in time to hear a report about it, as well as a comment that there had been several anonymous phone calls claiming it to be the work of were-wolves, to which the reporter chuckles and then switches to a more serious tone, realizing his bad taste and asks anyone with serious information to report it to the police. Tomas tries to say that no one will believe it was a were-wolf. Esme panics and wonder who would know? Vivian does and realizes she can't remember what she told Aiden when she changed. She is looking out the window when two police officers come walking up to the house.

Tomas sneaks out the back to go get Gabriel. The police have come to ask Vivian about the break-in at Kelly's house and Vivian is almost relieved until she realizes she might give herself away. During the questioning the police ask where she was between twelve and six am, Gabriel walks in and interrupts by saying that she had been with him all night and that his roommate could confirm that. After the police leave, Vivian makes it pretty obvious that she had indeed been in Kelly's house and had been drinking. Esme starts to tear into Vivian but Gabriel sends her away to get Rudy, saying that it's not family business when police are involved, it's pack business. Gabriel says that he understands the draw to humans, but that they can be dangerous when there were things they didn't understand. Gabriel again tells her that she has to let Aiden go and that she can't make him love her. He says that she needs to stop going after him because sooner or later she will reveal herself to him and that he will try to kill her. Esme returns with Rudy and they discuss the killings. Gabriel calls a meeting.

At the meeting, Gabriel sets teams on shifts to patrol so that no one will be alone and they can catch the killer. He suggests that if any of the shifts need to nap, that they do it at Aunt Persia's place, where they will have an alibi or there would be trouble. Astrid, with her new eye-patch claimed to still be recovering from her injuries and was assigned to help watch the kids. Vivian is paired with Willem, one of the Five. There was some distention over the pairings, which Gabriel made in favor of not getting two people who would cover for each other if something happened. There is discussion about who would give them away and Astrid says it would have to be someone who hung out with "meat-people," clearing calling out Vivian. There is more arguing and Gabriel shuts them up by saying it could have been any of them and it would be strange if they didn't mix with humans. As the pack leaves, they have kind words for Vivian, who is looking pale and sad. Rafe and Astrid hang around across the street, making out.

After they have all left, Vivian sees Quince, a friend of Aiden, walking up to the house. He has a note for Vivian from Aiden, asking her to meet him down by the river at 2am for the sake of what they used to have. When Vivian snaps at Peter, he tells her he liked her at first, but that she was a real two-faced bitch and leaves. Rafe and Astrid laugh at her and she flips them off. Vivian thinks about whether or not she should go meet him, figuring it was a trick, but not willing to believe that he would really hurt her. She thinks about how she is the weak link in the pack, a danger that needs to be removed. She worries that she will keep killing and get caught, exposing her family, but she is too afraid to turn herself into the pack for trial.

She decides her only recourse is to kill herself, to protect her family and the pack. The method eludes her...she can't think of something that will kill her fast enough that she won't chicken out and do enough damage to kill her for sure. She finally decides to douse herself in gasoline and die in flames like her father. She leaves a note for her mother saying that she was the killer and though she couldn't remember doing it but it had to be her. She said she was killing herself to keep them safe and that she was sorry. She took a can of gasoline and went far enough away from home that she hoped the police wouldn't know where she came from. After dousing herself in gasoline, she finds she can't get the match to light. As she tries the second, she is suddenly interrupted by several pack mates who tell her she isn't the killer. Then Gabriel is there, too.

After a dip in the river and a clean t-shirt, Vivian smells less like gasoline and Ulf reveals that Astrid and Rafe thought he wasn't home and came into the house with a human. They killed him, rolled him up in a carpet and Ulf left without them seeing him. Gabriel sends scouts to rally the pack for a judgment. Ulf also mentions that Rafe had read a note that the human had and mentioned that he would like to be there at two o'clock. When Vivian realizes they have killed Aiden's friend, she also realizes that Rafe and Astrid mean to meet Aiden down by the river and kill him. She asks the pack to help him, but refuses to come herself, saying that Aiden is afraid of her. Gabriel remarks that Vivian has told Aiden what she is and demands that they can't risk another body, especially if there were others who knew he was going to meet her and she had to do everything she could to drive him away if he wouldn't listen to her.

Gabriel goes up to the house and Vivian races to the meeting place and Vivian begs Aiden to run. Aiden has a gun loaded with a silver bullet and says he wishes to release her from her torment. As she tries to convince him that she isn't the killer and asks if he made more than one bullet, Astrid and Rafe appear, taunting the pair and closing in for the kill. Astrid offers to let Vivian leave so she doesn't have to see him suffer, then changes her mind when Vivian asks why Astrid set her up and why Rafe went along with it. They mention Astrid says they will kill her and claim she was the rogue and going to kill Aiden. Astrid says it is because she hates her for taking Gabriel from her. Rafe is upset at this, saying that Vivian didn't take Gabriel away from her, that Gabriel didn't want her. Besides, Astrid had him now, so why should it matter? While they argue, Vivian tells Aiden to shoot Rafe. She changes and goes for Astrid's throat. The pack arrives and Gabriel pulls Vivian and Astrid apart, claiming his right to mete out the law. When Vivian demands to know where he has been, he remarks that he was removing a rug from Vivian's porch. Rafe is dead, shot by Aiden, who is now panicking from the presence of all the loup-garou in various stages of transformation that are surrounding him. Gabriel pronounces judgment on Astrid for hunting humans for fun, endangering the pack and tormenting one of her own.

"You will always be a danger to us. We have no prisons, we have no jailors. This is the only sentence." He breaks her neck. Vivian sees only pain in his eyes, not pleasure and realizes his burden as leader. The pack starts to howl but Gabriel silences them. Vivian tells Aiden that it is ok, he can go. Gabriel, still somewhat transformed, reaches down to help Aiden to his feet. Vivian, realizing his panic, steps between them as the gun goes off, knocking her backwards with a shot in her chest. As Vivian lays in a state of semi-consciousness, Gabriel threatens Aiden, telling him that he had shot the only one here who cares about her. If he breathes a word of this to anyone, there will be nowhere he will be safe. He clears a path through the pack and tells him to go. Aiden asks Gabriel to tell him to let him know how she is. Gabriel replies that he will know if Vivian dies. Aunt Persia tries to help Vivian and asks her to take one form or the other, as Vivian is somewhere in between. Vivian realizes she is stuck.

Two weeks later, she is in her room, still unable to change and unwilling to let the others see her in her current condition. The full moon has come and gone without her changing. The police activity is high and the pack is relieved when the purchase of property in Vermont has gone through. Everyone is content to think about the future except Vivian who feels she will be nothing but an ugly reminder of their year in the suburbs. The Five come to her window and try to make her feel better by wearing their half-changed forms. She tells them to get lost. Esme comes and tells Vivian that she will feel better when they are in Vermont where she can get some air. Vivian snaps about being a secret monster and Esme leaves her to sulk. She hears tapping on her window again and it's Gabriel, who tells her that once upon a time, he killed the girl he loved.

He enters her room and tells her that when he was first out in the world he had met a dancer who was too educated and sensitive to be in her line of work. She needed someone to protect her from those guys who came on too strong and Gabriel admits that he liked being the guy to defend her. They became lovers but he always felt that something was missing. He found that if he could just change a tiny bit when they were making love, he felt more satisfied. One night he changed too far and couldn't change back. She screamed, afraid and told him he was a monster. Upset and enraged, he hit her and she died from the blow. He said that he spent months in his animal form, living like a stray and unable to change because he was so ashamed of what he had done. Vivian realized that if she hadn't jumped out the window, she might have killed Aiden, too. Vivian asked Gabriel why he hadn't warned her and then admits that she wouldn't have listened anyway.

Gabriel kisses her and she turns away, ashamed of her appearance. He tells her she is beautiful no matter what she wears. She asks why they are attracted to humans and he says it is because they look like them sometimes and that even humans have a beast inside. They just can't change and give it a safe voice. He says that it is both a blessing and a curse that they can change. Vivian realizes he has given this a lot of thought.

She doesn't understand why she is stuck and Gabriel says it is her choice. He kisses her and it is the kiss that Aiden couldn't give her. She is able to change. Gabriel explains that they want a mate who can love them in all their forms and that it is only natural that they should reveal themselves to their human choices.

He says that he admires her because she cares so much. Because it broke her heart to see the pack in chaos, that she cared enough to risk her neck to save her mother and because she cared enough to save the life of someone who wanted her dead. And because she is beautiful and walks like a queen. He asks her to run with him, and she realizes if she does, she will be bound to duty her entire life, just as her father was.

She tells him not to wag his tail yet, he's bitten off more than he can chew.

*****
END SPOILERS!
Mike: For the majority of you, choosing to use a packet instead of a weapon is a hindrance because your aims suck.

Travis: Crap he is on to me.
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Post by Kalphoenix »

Wow, I can't believe I spend a couple hours writing that all up. That's a lot of work for something I said wasn't that awesome of a book. I'm insane, I think. Oh well, I wanted to get back to writing. Writing is writing, I guess.

Anyways, the movie plot as I keep hearing it (and interpreting it from the trailers) is thus:

MOVIE SPOILERS!!
*****
The story takes place in modern day Bucharest and tells the tale of nineteen year old Vivian Gandillon (Bruckner), who has spent her life on the run from the truth... that she is a werewolf. When her affections for a visiting American artist threaten to expose her family’s secret society, she must choose between her love for an outsider and betraying the secret.

That's the official summary of the movie, which is already sounding like a sharp deviation. (Bucharest? Didn't the book take place in America?)

From the trailer (Unless it's a pretty crappy trailer, which happens too, I remember the trailer for the last Highlander movie...that was screwed up), it looks like Gabriel is an evil megalomaniac and already the leader of the pack who encourages the rest of the pack to hunt humans (also, he's played by a waaaay older skinny gaunt guy who is pretty much known for playing villans). The were-wolves are ghost-wolves when they shift, it's not a physical thing (But definitely wolves, not something that's just similar). Supposibly, Vivian works at a chocolate store (Probably an attempt to make the title work, heh). There is something about a prophesy where the alpha leader is supposed to take a new mate every seven years which is why Gabriel has an obsession with her. She is trying to hide from the pack and despises being a werewolf. Both her parents are dead.

It looks like an action movie with a really similar plot to the first Underworld (Supernatural being protects human, falls in love and leaves the rest of her people for him because it turns out they were all lying to her anyway) and from the preview, it's pretty obvious whom she chooses. I can't say I blame her, what with Gabriel and the werewolves being evil and all.

I can understand why they made Vivian being older, her being seventeen in the book is on that age of consent line that squicks people, especially considering the Gabriel thing. That stuff doesn't fly in the states.

Other than the names though...it sounds like a whole different story...why didn't they just put a different name on it? :P It doesn't look any more awful than most supernatural ones, but it's definitely NOT "Blood and Chocolate."
Mike: For the majority of you, choosing to use a packet instead of a weapon is a hindrance because your aims suck.

Travis: Crap he is on to me.
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Post by Todd »

Holy Monkeys!!

Ive read books that werent that long. :D

~the Lunatic fringe~
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Post by GM-Mike »

We should have a Post Your Own Cliff Notes Forum. You never know, it might just help someone
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Post by Kalphoenix »

I just kinda went flying along, typing it up and by the time I finished it, I didn't think to go back and edit it down to a smaller size. Technically, I guess this IS a smaller size...the book is only 264 pages in my version. This is what...10? Hehehe.

2nd draft = 1st draft - 10%

Hehehe...yeah, I guess I got a little carried away there.
Mike: For the majority of you, choosing to use a packet instead of a weapon is a hindrance because your aims suck.

Travis: Crap he is on to me.
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Post by kmeinka »

I agree, rarely do movies do books any justice. However I think one of the few expections to this (and I may anger quite a few people with this) were the Lord of the Rings. I always felt the books were fantastic concepts, very poorly realized in Tolkien's (in my opinion) rather lack-luster writing. I have always kind of felt that he would have been better off writing source books for RPGs.
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Post by GM-Mike »

Incidentally, it is sounding like the Bridge to Tarabithia more closely resembles the book than the preview lets on. I will direct your attention to rottentomatoes.com for any who are interested
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Post by Doctor Erasmus »

I've been reading rumors that after Stephen King visited the set of Lost he is now thinking about doing the The Dark Tower as some kind of television series.

No word yet on who would pick this up, but honestly, I've thought that if they did it as a limited series on something like HBO they could have the time and freedom to do it justice... I hope. At any rate we shall see, this may never even get off the ground...

I do have a great deal of trepidation though seeing one of favorite series brought to tv after the dismal treatment many of Kings works have received. This series would need to be able to address all of the content and themes in the series and not sugarcoat a lick of it. Rolands mass executions, Eddie fighting naked against the men that decapitated his junkie brother, demon rape... I'd want the whole nine yards in grisly HD. Damn I hope they don't puss out on this.
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