I finished the book Sahara this past week while on the road. It was a good Dirk Pitt novel and if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you know that I can’t wait for the movie that is coming out the day before my birthday, on April 8, 2005. I have seen the trailer and many other things that have to do with this movie. It is not going to be true to the book, this is good and bad. The bad, Steve Zahn as Al Giordino. Al is a bull of a man in the books and he can take alot of punishment, he is also short and stocky and very Italian. Zahn does not physically fit this bill. The good about Steve Zahn is his comic ability. Despite not being true to the physical characteristics of Al Giordino Steve Zahn can most certainly provide the sarcastic wit of Al Giordino, and I think I will be pleasantly surprised if the trailer didn’t put in all the jokes that we will be seeing. Matthew McConaughey as Dirk Pitt, Matt bulked up for the role but is still a lean guy and physically he can fit the bill of Dirk Pitt.
I just hope they get the eyes right, you see in every Dirk Pitt book when Dirk is introduced, within two sentences of the reveal of Dirk Pitt, you get the description of his opaline green eyes. You get the whole character from his eyes, Dirk is not a big talker, he is a man of action and his eyes reveal who he is I hope that they movie can convey that.
It looks like the novel was merely a jumping off point and the story was rewritten to “punch it up” for Hollywood. Dirk Pitt stories don’t need punching up, they are full of action and storytelling that doesn’t need much Hollywood help. The read like a movie and that is why they are so fun. The good thing about the movie being rewritten is that I get two stories instead of one. I’m looking forward to a great ACTION movie, Dirk Pitt is an ACTION hero in the vein of James Bond and Indiana Jones and I for one hope that this franchise takes off. I think we need some ACTION heroes again. They can be kinder gentler guys and whatnot but they should be accessible to the masses like Indiana Jones, but they should also kick some butt.
The thing I find so appealing about Indy is his humanness, he has many strengths and weaknesses and he’s like an everyman that we can relate to as a character, I hope that the world will receive Dirk Pitt as that kind of character and many more movies will be made.
Oh and the reason I posted this was because the Sahara Website is up.
And on a totally unrelated note last night my Dad and I saw In Good Company at the Route One Cinema Pub. Good movie, family friendly and just and all around good movie, Dennis Quaid is a good actor and I could see how is this movie was made back in the 80s the Topher Grace character could have so been played by Michael J. Fox. They both have that clean cut aw shucks look to them that made them likeable even when they plays characters who were emotionally flawed. You still root for them when they are cast in the light of being “the bad guy” even though they really aren’t bad at all just flawed.
I just hope they get the eyes right, you see in every Dirk Pitt book when Dirk is introduced, within two sentences of the reveal of Dirk Pitt, you get the description of his opaline green eyes. You get the whole character from his eyes, Dirk is not a big talker, he is a man of action and his eyes reveal who he is I hope that they movie can convey that.
It looks like the novel was merely a jumping off point and the story was rewritten to “punch it up” for Hollywood. Dirk Pitt stories don’t need punching up, they are full of action and storytelling that doesn’t need much Hollywood help. The read like a movie and that is why they are so fun. The good thing about the movie being rewritten is that I get two stories instead of one. I’m looking forward to a great ACTION movie, Dirk Pitt is an ACTION hero in the vein of James Bond and Indiana Jones and I for one hope that this franchise takes off. I think we need some ACTION heroes again. They can be kinder gentler guys and whatnot but they should be accessible to the masses like Indiana Jones, but they should also kick some butt.
The thing I find so appealing about Indy is his humanness, he has many strengths and weaknesses and he’s like an everyman that we can relate to as a character, I hope that the world will receive Dirk Pitt as that kind of character and many more movies will be made.
Oh and the reason I posted this was because the Sahara Website is up.
And on a totally unrelated note last night my Dad and I saw In Good Company at the Route One Cinema Pub. Good movie, family friendly and just and all around good movie, Dennis Quaid is a good actor and I could see how is this movie was made back in the 80s the Topher Grace character could have so been played by Michael J. Fox. They both have that clean cut aw shucks look to them that made them likeable even when they plays characters who were emotionally flawed. You still root for them when they are cast in the light of being “the bad guy” even though they really aren’t bad at all just flawed.