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AICN-HAWAII! Albert Lanier On THE KITE RUNNER!

Sooooo... by mefrog	Nov 4th, 2007 04:46:52 PM
How about you give us your review BEFORE you explain the entire plot, rehash on very public controversy, and throw in your own unnecessary opinions about the rape scene?
When I heard this was being made into a movie.... by Bobo_Vision	Nov 4th, 2007 05:55:16 PM
...I was wondering how the rape scenes would play out, because what a writer can get away with one paper, a film has to actually show, but they can still do it without actually showing it and letting the audience fill in the gaps, and that was my hope. I'll reserve my own judgment until I see it, but the book was pretty dark in terms of the main thread of events. This really isn't the type of story one looks forward to in terms of film adaptation. And as for him calling "Wuthering Heights" a sad story, I believe he did so in the book as well.
Was this review posted twice? by red_weed	Nov 4th, 2007 08:39:18 PM
I seem to remember reading this before.. maybe it's just me.
I think it's funny . . . by tsfogg	Nov 4th, 2007 11:32:52 PM
I think it's funny that a reviewer can call an adaptation a "cinematic equivalent of Readers Digest Condensed Books" when (s)he hasn't read the book from which the film comes.
FROM WHAT I READ THE RAPE SCENE IS HANDLED by BringingSexyBack	Nov 5th, 2007 09:49:19 AM
as carefully as possible. Sorry dude, but it was pivotal in the book, a childhood act of betrayal and neglect that haunts Amir and motivates his adulthood journey. You can't leave it out. I'm looking forward to this movie more than any other. Having to wait another month to watch it sucks, but understandable. I hope the studio does the right thing and helps the child actors emigrate. Russian soldiers and the Taliban are TEH SUCK.
rape scene by LegoKenobi	Nov 5th, 2007 06:11:06 PM
i agree with BringingSexyBack -- that scene is integral to the entire story. it's horrific, but it's supposed to be. the main character is haunted by that event and his actions directly after it for the rest of his life.
Characters by Abhimanyu	Nov 6th, 2007 12:18:16 AM
I'll probably get berated for this, but I didn't like the book at all. It seemed to me that all the characters were flat and simplistically presented, and the author's voice was far too obvious: too much We-could-never be-friends, because-we-were-of different-faiths type of stuff, the bad guy likes Hitler even as a kid, believes in ethnic cleansing, the "progressive" Afghanis complain about their government while drinking whisky - all too safe and begging for nodding agreement. So it wouldn't surpise me if the movie just ends up a polished prestige project - the power of the book is not in its characters or plot - more about the situation and world that most people don't know about being revealed. It's really Salman Rushdie (very) lite, especially if you read Midnight's Children and Shame - far superior and effective in the historo/personal narrative art business.
I saw the movie and... by MaxG	Nov 6th, 2007 01:33:27 AM
The rape scene is handled very tactfully. It's horrific because of the subject matter, but to me, it seemed in no way exploitative. The amount of physical contact the other actors in the scene actually had with the boy were about on par with if they'd given him a wedgie.
Also it's a good movie. by MaxG	Nov 6th, 2007 01:47:14 AM
I forgot to mention, I really liked the movie. I didn't read the book, but I found the movie to be very compelling. The story was captivating, and really has you feeling for the characters. This reviewer seemed to take a very negative and analyzed view of the kite competition shown in the filmm as well. I feel I should say that in my opinion this isn't really reflected in the movie. There may be some symbolism I didn't pick up on, but it seemed simply to be depicted as a fun childhood activity. In fact, I'd disagree with the reviewer on nearly all of his points. The movie certainly has some flaws, but if you were interested in the movie, I wouldn't let the review deter you. At the very least, The Kite Runner is worth watching.

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