Yes, it is pretty good. So good I bought the DVD.
The Princess Bride
So this kid gets sick and has to stay home in bed, you see, and his grandpa reads him a story.
With kissing! And twu luv!
Update: so I am actually about halfway through this book. I can’t argue with any of **Lamia’s **description above - and will add that the geek-trivia about music theory, guitars and hair metal and classical-shred players is all surprisingly detailed and accurate - clearly a true guitar geek and 80’s metal-head wrote this book. And while it is decent urban fantasy, honestly it reads more like fanfic to me - it is so…so…earnest and detailed in its earnest detail and has enough stilted phrasing to just seem, well, fanficky.
Debating whether I will finish it - but all the guitar geekery is tending to keep me drawn in despite the intense cheese of the actual story…either way, glad I was at least exposed to it via this thread…kinda surprised I hadn’t heard of it now that I am reading it, given my interest in both guitar and sci-fi/fantasy…
It’s been a while since I re-read this book, but IIRC it becomes more exciting as you go further on and the characters run into various troubles. I won’t claim it gets any less cheesy, though!
I really liked it but Adaptation sounds boring as shit when you summarize the plot. “This Hollywood writer is trying to write a screen play on a book about orchids, but he can’t make it interesting so he gets help from his identical twin who doesn’t know how to write.”
Instead of a long explanation, I just start singing South Park’s Rent:
“Aids, aids, we all haaaaave aiiiiids!”
Up: A senior citizen, half-Asian boy scout, a talking Golden Retriever, and a bird that looks like Toucan Sam with 6’ legs… (it kind of fizzles around here)
Wizard of Oz: A girl dreams about a magical kingdom populated by her relatives.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets: A puzzle master obviously copied off the much better version in Dan Brown’s books attempts to uncover the secret involving make OoOooo sound Rutherford B. Haaaaayes’ Deeeeesk… pause for non-believing stare …AT MOUNT RUSHMOOOOOoOOoOOoOORE!!!
Asimov’s The Foundation Trilogy: It’s a science fiction story written in the 50’s about a guy who tells the future from the past, and then his prophecies become completely useless about 1/2 of the way through the first book. Why? Oh, there’s this character called “The Mule” who…Yes, you heard me right: The Mule. Yes, he’s quite a terrifying figure in the universe of this book. Oh, he dies of old age at the end of the 2nd book. Yes, they were never able to stop him. Um, yeah I guess he’s the main villain of the entire series. Yes, dead by the 2nd book. I guess they couldn’t stop him because everybody was using gas powered combustion engines on their spaceships.
The Bible: In the first half of the book, there’s this guy, God, who’s just fucking with everybody left and right. I think he’s bipolar or something. Every other page he’s either helping the character or sending a problem to that character. In the 2nd half of the book, there’s these 5 stories about the same guy. Yes, it’s the same guy. They all have the same ending too. Finally, the book ends with some crazy guy making up all sorts of shit about the 7 tribes or something.
Saw 1-3: A serial killer who doesn’t actually kill anybody teaches the importance of following the rules, cooperation, and living life to the fullest.
ET: An alien that looks like a deformed midget overdoses on candy, gets sick, and then goes home.
Rocky: A poor guy who dreams of being a boxer loses the big match to the champ. Oh wait, it wasn’t a loss…ties with the champ. Um, I wouldn’t call it a “boxing” movie…or a “sports” movie…I think there’s only one match in the film. But it’s a long match!
Good Will Hunting: A guy who is really good at math…does some math. Apparently, the math he does is incredibly impressive. One of the things he does is some sort of equation that nobody else could solve. Then he burns it. But, along the way, he manages to hook up with some British chick that looks like an ostrich.
Fame: a bunch of kids go to some “special” school. I think it’s some sort of alternative education thing where they use art to get to problem kids.
Darkness Falls: it’s a pretty typical horror movie. The monster is the Tooth Fairy. What? Stop laughing!
The Blair Witch Project: 3 idiots get lost in the woods. At the end, one disappears, one pees in the corner, and another one drops the camera. I think they find a tooth or something, but I really couldn’t see shit. They spend a lot of time waving the camera around at night. I think there’s only 2 lines repeated throughout the entire film: I’m scared and What’s going on?
Clearly, you haven’t met the real tooth fairy.
Even Pratchett’s carry pliers so they can make change!
I would have agreed with you a few days ago, but it was just on TV and the episode guide summary was perfect. Along the lines of
“In related episodes over a couple days, two hitmen, a boxer, a crime lord and other characters meet their fates.”
“I’m thinkin’ with SAND here!”
Ahhhh, I really should dust it off and watch it again.