hogan873

I like what he's done so far. Of course if Davidson and Eaton are busts, things will look bad. I don't see that happening, though. Not to say both will be studs right away, but they have huge potential. Now, if Hahn somehow lands Tanaka, he should instantly be GM of the year.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 9, 2014 -> 03:40 PM) Hearts in Atlantis was a weird choice to film, it's part of the larger Dark Towet story. So it doesn't really make sense because it is not really put into context. That said, I like the movie Hearts in Atlantis was essentially four novellas in one book with each novella relating to the other three. The movie was just from Low Men in Yellow Coats, and I didn't think they quite got the translation right. On its own, though, it wasn't a bad movie.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Jan 9, 2014 -> 02:50 PM) I got handful of books for Christmas. So far I’m about half-way through Horns by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s oldest son). It’s about a dude that wakes up one day with horns growing out of his head and some really strange powers to go with them. He was accused of murdering his GF a year prior but never formally charged. So now he’s finding out who the real killer was/is. Stephen definitely passed down some writing talent to his son. There are a couple of times in the book where suddenly I’m am reading a flashback with no warning but so far it’s pretty good. I just finished up Dr. Sleep which is the sequel to The Shining. I really enjoyed it and actually liked it better than The Shining. I ended up re-reading The Shining right afterword and picked up on a number references to it in Dr. Sleep that I had missed because it had been so long since I first read it. Next on my to-read list are Heart-Shaped Box, NOS4A2, and the Frankenstein series by Dean Koontz. I read the original Frankenstein book over the summer and then the first DK Frankenstein book a couple of months ago. The basic premise is that both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster are still alive in modern times. The Dr. is attempting to create a superior race of humans and his original creation wants to stop him. I enjoyed all three of Joe Hill's books. I liked NOS4A2 the best. There's no doubt, after reading that one, that he is Stephen King's son. By the way, Horns is being made into a movie, and I think it's due to come out in the fall. I've only read the first Koontz Frankenstein. I thought it was pretty good. I'll get around to reading the others soon. Otherwise, I've read just about every Dean Koontz book. His earlier stuff is much better, but Odd Thomas was a great book. I'm currently reading his latest, Innocence. It's one of his better ones of late, but I still miss his writing style of Watchers, Phantoms, and Lightning.

So, it certainly seems like there are a lot of readers on this board. I know the yearly book thread doesn't get the same kind of action the TV, movie, or video game threads do, but if we can share what we're reading with each other, why not? So, what is everyone reading? What have you read? Any suggestions for the rest of us?

The one movie I can say for sure was better than the book was Up In The Air. I saw the movie first and then read the book. I'm glad I had seen the movie first, because I probably would not have watched the movie based on what I thought of the book. Some movies that have come close would be Jurassic Park, The Omen, Stand By Me (The Body), The Shawshank Redemption, The Road, and even Catching Fire.

A discussion in the movies thread got me thinking about movies that are based on books. I'm an avid reader, and I usually look forward to seeing movies based on books I've read. Of course, most of the time, the book is much better. But every once in a while a movie matches or even exceeds the book. So, let's discuss the movies that we've seen that are based on books. What adaptations were good, which were terrible, what books would you like to see adapted, etc.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 9, 2014 -> 08:50 AM) The Stand has already been a movie, starred Gary Sinise. As I recall, it was made for TV, and broken up into pieces. I only saw the very beginning of it, and it wasn't great, from what I saw. I remember the mini-series. I think it was 1994? Anyway, I didn't think it was terrible, but with it being on TV (and 20 years ago), a lot of the terror and hopelessness was lost. I'm not sure what the plan for the potential new movie is. Unless they make a three part movie with each part released a year apart, I don't see how a movie could possibly be made and be any good. How could you cram 1100 pages into 2 hours? The mini-series was 8 hours (with commercials), and it still skipped a bunch of stuff.

I doubt it will be a 2014 movie, but there has been news on and off about a movie adaptation of The Stand. I guess they've gone through three directors, and the latest to drop out was concerned because the producers wanted a PG or PG-13 type movie. That might be problem enough, but I just don't see how they could even capture a glimpse of the novel in a 2 hour movie.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jan 8, 2014 -> 02:11 PM) Wait, does Chili = JoeCoolMan? I had the same question, but I was too engrossed by the arguing. Who needs movies? Just grab a bag of popcorn and watch the drama in this thread unfold.

Finally got around to watching Orange Is The New Black. My wife and I are three episodes in, and we're hooked. The only thing keeping us from binge watching is time. Season 3 of Workaholics is on Amazon Prime. It's so stupid, but I laugh my ass off.

Kind of surprised there weren't more comments about the Ginger Zee pics.

Zero chance of this snow melting anytime soon.

I'm not really concerned about the Konerko/Gillaspie/Keppinger issue right now. One of Gillaspie or Keppinger will most likely be moved, and that will essentially take care of the problem. Konerko being on the roster will only be an issue for next year, and as I said, I don't think it'll be an issue soon. The worst case scenario is that Gillaspie and Keppinger are both still here come mid-March and Davidson, Elmore, and Garcia all perform well in spring training. Then some tough decisions will have to be made. But, I think all of those things coming together are slim. I expect Davidson to be the starting 3B and either Gillaspie or Keppinger to be on the bench. I'd prefer Gillaspie, though.

Holy frigid air mass, Batman. -11 degrees this morning.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 07:27 PM) Do these three things and the weight will come off quickly and in a healthy way. You should also sign up for one of the free diet sites/apps that allow you to count calories and log what you eat every day. I signed up http://caloriecount.about.com/ for a few years ago and it (sites like it) are really good for seeing what you are eating daily and helping you make informed decisions regarding necessary nutrients (protein, vitamins, etc) that come from a balanced diet. Good luck. I've used the app My Fitness Pal for a while now. It's great for tracking calorie intake and burning. It allows you to scan the UPC on a package, and it'll automatically input the nutrition facts. My problem is sticking with it. I'm going to start up again today and aim to start shedding some weight.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 11:14 AM) Just trying to steer the conversation away from QBs and back to boobies. Knockers, boobs, cans, jugs, etc.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 11:10 AM) I was being facetious. Oh. I should have caught that. I guess I need more coffee...or maybe I'll just start the beer early.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 09:12 AM) Caught the 2nd Hunger Games on Friday last week. I'd give it a B+. Same review as the first movie although with less criticism for the shaky cam. I still think there's too much love triangle crap, but that's not the fault of the movies, more a fault of the books. Excited for the third one even though the third book was by far the worst. I enjoyed it, as well. I think Catching Fire was made more with the book readers in mind...if that makes any sense. I liked it better than the first movie, and I thought it did well to build excitement for Mockingjay.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 10:59 AM) Guys like him get lynched in Chicago. They don't take kindly to Green Bay QBs. Hell, they don't take too kindly to Chicago QBs.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 10:06 AM) I guess you have to be at the level to understand the movie. However, James Franco was pretty funny in that movie. LOOK AT ALL MY s***TTTTTT! At what level? I understood it; I just didn't like it.

I don't think I've seen enough movies this year to compile a true top ten, but here are some of the movies I thoroughly enjoyed: Elysium The Conjuring Catching Fire We're The Millers Kick-Ass 2 Pacific Rim This Is The End

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 04:16 PM) OK seriously why was Spring Breakers such a good movie. I even saw the Redeye critic give it a good review. Personally, I thought it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

Well, looks like a snowy New Year's Eve.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 07:43 AM) Gillaspie has never played anywhere but 3B and 1B, but I'd still rather have him over Kep. I thought he played 2B a few times last year. Maybe I'm mistaken. Still, I'd still prefer him over Keppinger. *edit: Yes, I was mistaken.

Really don't feel like being at work today, but money is important.