When did reading become a thing to hate?

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I think every liberty the movie took was a bad decision. But hey, that's me.

Agreed. Though Alan Moores continued obsession with kink and sex is getting on my nerves and I think there's far too much focus on that in The Black Dossier, and not enough focus on deepening the League universe or telling a good story.

Moore's work has always been about superhero sex; but at least he doesn't do Miller's job of making it the entire focus.

I do like LoXG book 1, but I found book 2 to be almost purely titillation.

Granted, the movie took some liberties, but like Judge Dredd the film, as long as you ignore the original comic, it's quite good. As an action movie, I'd say it was a lot better than most. Although Nemo's beard needed it's own dressing room. I quite liked Mark Twain, as I don't think Paul Bunyan would have fitted in as well.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I was always getting in trouble during Junior High and High School for reading in class.

I was always being told to stop reading so fast and to answer all the questions at the end of the books; and this was back in *cough* early 70's, so it's not that recent.

 

[Hendar23]

I just don't like it when people read crap books on commuter trains and think it makes them look smart. Read good books, that will make you look smart. Or pretentious.

Oh and every time I see someone reading a Harry Potter book I feel like snatching it off them and tossing it out of the nearest window. It's not that they are bad books, but they aren't particularity good either, and don't deserve the ridiculous attention they have received. But then neither did Halo 3.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

Regarding Literature (and American literature especially), with the re-make of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, does anyone, apart from me, think that Mark Twain was actually a good addition?
(Given there's a psychopath, a sociopath, a gestalt personality, a white supremacist and a blood sucking fiend on board already?)

I think every liberty the movie took was a bad decision. But hey, that's me.

Agreed. Though Alan Moores continued obsession with kink and sex is getting on my nerves and I think there's far too much focus on that in The Black Dossier, and not enough focus on deepening the League universe or telling a good story.

actually see that's the point of public domain, is to take some liberties with things, but that's another discussion altogether

i sometimes think it's good to do odd things with characters, with the league it could get ppl to go and actually read some of the original books the characters are in

as for Mr Moore and his kinks and all that, well art is imitating life in this case probly, he's quite the interesting person.

and although he does have some good points about movies made of comic books, he's just being a wanker about it, he could easily have creative control over his stuff.

v was done well
from hell was good but it's got freemasons and jack the ripper in it, what's not to like

constantine i hated it cause he wasn't the smarmy cocksucker that john constantine was in the comics, not ever sure who to get to be john but keanu was a VERY bad choice. gave the movie then name "john constantine's bogus journey", i mean he made a deal with the 3 brothers of hell for his soul so heaven would win if he died, so they made him immortal basically

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Oh and every time I see someone reading a Harry Potter book I feel like snatching it off them and tossing it out of the nearest window. It's not that they are bad books, but they aren't particularity good either, and don't deserve the ridiculous attention they have received. But then neither did Halo 3.

They got reading on a train to a level of acceptance though. Like Windows, don't knock it for everything; without it we'd never have close to hardware compatibility and certainly not the level of online play we have now.

@Cleverlymadeup

We don't recognise the Constantine film in the same way that we don't recognise Highlander 2 or Star Wars 1-3.

Tales from Development Hell had a good story about the Sandman movie. (Neil Gaiman) When one of the writers had Dream chasing a mugger down to punch him for attacking a woman; Gaiman told them to fuck off. Moore really should have done the same; and started with Swamp Thing.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Moore doesn't care. He has no interest in preventing or allowing people to make movies based off of his work. As far as he's concerned it is all going to suck anyway.

 

[Benny Blanco]

Blighty does have a lot of very good bookshops though, (says he who works in one) and I think Harry Potter/The Da Vinci Code (despite me loathing them) have done for reading what Windows did for compatability.

I.E. Not all good but at least we're on the same page now.

He he...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ByyMd_qDA

I would normally agree with Terry Pratchett that "reading is the most fun you can have on your own" but there are books, and there's trash.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

@Benny Blanco

Guilty Secret: I like trashy novels. "Star" from Pamela Anderson is truly mind-numbing.

But even if you leave the last page of the Da Vinci Code in the book, it still makes no sense.

The Va Dinci Cod, however, is actually a very good spoof and makes more sense.

 

[Geoffrey42]

I quite liked Mark Twain, as I don't think Paul Bunyan would have fitted in as well.

You said this before, and I was quite confused, but I just let it go, because context allowed a more loose interpretation... but now... do you really mean Mark Twain? Unless I've truly forgotten something, Mark Twain wasn't in the US Theatrical/DVD release of the LoXG film. Tom Sawyer, mayhaps?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I quite liked Mark Twain, as I don't think Paul Bunyan would have fitted in as well.

Tom Sawyer, mayhaps?

My bad, you're right. Time for bed I think.

 

[Copter400]

Man, I wish more people at my high school read. Maybe then I wouldn't have to read Nick Feckin' Earl's 'After January,' which is about 200 pages of pure, uncut boredom. I think my teacher had to keep the size of the book in mind, because even 200 pages seems to be too much for some of my classmates.

I've read a lot of Pratchett, but now I've decided to philosophize the crap out of my brain. I'm more than halfway through Atlas Shrugged, and after that I might read something more light-hearted before diving back into the deep waters of philosophy.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Nuff said.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Books I was forced to read in English that I disliked: Catcher in the Rye (lynching in 3...2...), The Crucible, Antigone (they had us read the third part of a play trilogy first, so it confused me), Pride and Prejudice (only time I've used Cliff Notes, since I refused to read the whole bood), Canterbury Tales.

Books I read in English that I enjoyed: To Kill a Mockingbird (lynching in 3...2...), Lord of the Flies, Romeo and Juliet, The Dark Knight Returns, Farenheit 451.

 

[Sib]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone EVER actually finished "War and Peace"?
I had a bash at reading it and got a few chapters done, but god it's mind numbing.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Books I read in English that I enjoyed: The Dark Knight Returns.

Really? In English Class?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Idiotic and cruel teachers are a good chunk of why students no longer like reading, and progress into adulthood with all the verbal skills of a 13-year-old on MSN. Also, fight authority when you know they're wrong...

Now here I'm in two minds.

On the one hand, I know some truly astonishing teachers that literally would go out of their way to help you and would be heartbroken if you backchatted them like that.

One the other, I've been taught by some of the most jumped up little pricks that ever dared to try and teach a class; and sadly, when I've been caught 'answering questions too much','reading ahead' or even 'asking for more homework'; I've been slung out of class and after that, sod paying attention.

My advice would be to find the teacher you like(there's always one that has a soft spot for you) and let them know. I'd have got out of University far faster if some old battleaxe hadn't tried to fail me at every possible oppurtunity.

But make sure you're not being the asshole first. Education is a terrible gift to lose.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I know one thing in Canada that can kill the joy of reading for anyone...

CANADIAN LITERATURE!!!

Some of the most boring and annoying prose ever written and the government forces us to read it so we can understand our national "culture", which if the lit is any guide, revolves around pissed off and racist natives, boring old people is Saskatchewan and lots and lots of historical books about pioneers on the prairies.

Fuck Can-Lit.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

I know one thing in Canada that can kill the joy of reading for anyone...

CANADIAN LITERATURE!!!

Some of the most boring and annoying prose ever written and the government forces us to read it so we can understand our national "culture", which if the lit is any guide, revolves around pissed off and racist natives, boring old people is Saskatchewan and lots and lots of historical books about pioneers on the prairies.

actually canaada does have some good authors, farley mowatt is one of them, tho some of his sutff is a bit bland

there's also mordecai richler, ed greenwood (of eliminster and forgotten realms fame), margaret atwood, jean little (i actually used to talk to her lots without knowing who she really was), robert munsch (well he's adopted canadian but his daughter is smoking hot), cory doctrow, leslie macfarlane (aka franklin w. dixon author of the hardy boys)

but have you read any american books on the pioneers and such? they suck just as much, look at grapes of wrath


and also why would we read stories about american history in canada? i do believe we live in CANADA and not america, there is no can-con rules for literature in school it's only a tv and radio thing

Books I read in English that I enjoyed: The Dark Knight Returns.

Really? In English Class?

that's what i thought too

Just out of curiosity, has anyone EVER actually finished "War and Peace"?
I had a bash at reading it and got a few chapters done, but god it's mind numbing.

never even started it, don't even want to either