Movies

Prompt for WED, July 28: Write a pitch for a movie that you wish someone would make.

Movies based on books usually disappoint. I was listening to SKIPPING CHRISTMAS on a trip to California with my daughter. It was dusk and snow was falling when the book got so funny and we were laughing so hard that we had to pull over to avoid an accident. I kept imagining that book as a movie as we listened to the CDs. Years later they made the movie, "Christmas with the Kranks." What a disappointment. But isn't that always the way? A good side effect of books made into movies is that people will often read the book after seeing the movie.

I recently saw "The A-Team" and loved it. I've already written a whole blog post about that. I might be able to promote a movie based on a TV show. What are some possibilities? Rockford Files would top my list but it's already been done, a movie made for TV this fall. And Hawaii Five O is back as a weekly TV show. Magnum PI, Mattlock, and Greatest American Hero would be possibilities for the same reason as Rockford Files. Each one has a fun, likable, interesting character that the show is built around.

Looking at a list of TV shows from the 60s, I'm amazed at how many have already been made into movies: Batman, The Flintstones, The Fugitive, Get Smart, I Spy, Mission Impossible, The Mod Squad, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and Star Trek. What were your favorite shows from long ago? Would they make good movies?

How funny would this be, make a movie based on a TV show that was based on a book? I thought of two right off: Perry Mason and Nero Wolf. The old Perry Mason TV shows have been made into TV movies, still starring Raymond Burr. Isn't it time for a 21st Century Perry Mason big screen movie? The kids don't know who he is, and he's worth knowing.

Lastly, if I were in the movie promoting business, I'd promote the quicker release of the last two Harry Potter movies. It's not that I want them to be over. It's just that I have a feeling J.K. Rowling isn't going to publish her next book until the Harry Potter films have been released. And I'm kind of going into Rowling withdrawal. I need her next book.

Well, what do you think? Should I keep my day job as a librarian or branch out into the movie promotion biz?