What story or stories on SOL do you think would make a good movie, perhaps with a little tinkering with characters or plot?
I'm not asking for any legitimate literary reason, just idle curiosity, after I found myself wishing that "Aftermath" by Al Steiner could be seen on a big screen. There are some characters in the story I felt were unrealistic, but a little tinkering could fix that pretty easily.
Can you go into some detail on what you think would make a compelling movie out of the story? I've read a few of Lazlo's stories and they didn't seem to really commit their premise in ways that seemed strange. For example, Service Society opens with a big "show, don't tell" demonstration of a bunch of ways in which wage theft is bad - it's damaging to the employee's mental and physical health, it's damaging to their relationships, it's destructive to morale and productivity at the company - and then inexplicably takes a "tell, don't show" swerve to polemic about how actually the problem is that people aren't respectful anymore. And yes, sure, you can argue that one of the issues with wage theft is that it's disrespectful, but it's kind of strange to focus on just the respect portion while ignoring the whole "wage theft is an actual crime" portion of the issue you've laid out. When somebody is mugging you, you have a valid case to say they were rude about taking your wallet but is that really the problem you want to highlight, you know?
The one about modern communes has a similar issue, from what I recall. The core message of the story could be summed up as "there is a clear benefit to forming a community with the people around you and helping each other, looking past the bonds of familial membership" but then it takes an unexpected HARD swerve into very explicit racism for a few chapters, never addresses or reckons with the racism in any way, and then drops the plotline entirely and forgets about it. The result is that the message shifts to "There is a clear benefit to forming a community with the people around you and helping each other, looking past the bonds of familial membership, but if the people around you are from a different country they are not invited" which on the whole feels like it undercuts the opening pretty significantly.
I have no idea what goes into the making of a movie from a story but personally I think it would be entertaining. And the op even says
perhaps with a little tinkering with characters or plot?
I got to ask why some are criticizing other peoples choices? We all probably have different tastes in what we find entertaining.
SunSeeker
I got to ask why some are criticizing other peoples choices?
I can't speak for anybody else, but I want to push back on this to the extent that it's aimed at me; my response to the choice was a polite "can you tell me more about your thoughts here", which I think you have to approach with a pretty bad-faith reading to take as criticism. I go into detailed criticism of the story, but that's not targeted at an individual.
Politely asking for more detail here feels like the opposite of criticizing a choice, unless you're interpreting disagreement as criticism.
Or
Tales From Mist World by Anotherp08
Which i just found out is for sale on another site for $25! I hope he fixed the typos first.
Sooo many I would love to see! To name a couple...
The Eric Olafson stories by Vanessa Ravencroft
https://storiesonline.net/a/vanessa-ravencroft
Always on Guard by Jay Cantrell
https://storiesonline.net/s/70888/always-on-guard
SunSeeker
You might also like to consider the suggestions in DS's variation on this question, although it encompasses graphic novels too.
AJ
On Finestories (oops - StoryRoom.com) there is a book by Rooftop Herald, "The Dance", which would make a great movie. Good plot, excellent characterization, happy ending. Trying to fit the entire story into a two hour movie would be difficult but I'd like to see someone try.
Agree with Steiner's 'Aftermath'. I see Matt Damon as the main character. Perhaps too much would be lost in a typical screen-play re-write for the typical 120 to 160 minute Hollywood fare. Maybe a Netflix mini-series.
'Always On Guard' would not be my choice, as it is ill-suited for what H/W execs expect and would be willing to finance. Perhaps an Indy would do it after an extreme re-write, which would destroy the story. In any case, Cantrell has too much other stuff that would be better, in both content and format, for a movie or mini-series.
The Eric Olafson stuff is one of my favorites, but is another example of a story that would be subjected to an extreme and destructive re-write. Perhaps a Disney animation flick? But probably not, as Disney fucks up everything these days.
'The Dance' may not be reasonable for a movie or a streaming mini-series. It would be more likely to find a place in one of those sappy Hallmark for-TV movies. Which would probably destroy the tone of the story.
My choice for a streaming mini-series would be all of 'The Shack' stories. Good action, good plot, interesting characters, funny, and irreverent.
I have done a few techie contracts for movie sets, some Indy, some main-stream H/W productions. Hollywood execs are not interested in creating good art or telling a good story. They want the shit that makes money.
I think my own, One Thousand Apologies, would make the transition to film. Too long for a movie, each chapter (or two) could be an hour long episode of a limited series (I plan to end at chapter 19)
https://storiesonline.net/library/storyInfo.php?id=13545
I think my books (if you could find a way to not lose too much content) would rival Grey's Anatomy or NCIS for the number of episodes.
😎
I had not thought to try to pick actors for roles in the movie. Who would you choose to play Chrissie, the 16-year-old major character?
It's probably just me, but would Lazlo Zalezac's Millionaire Next Door work at all?
And I'd pay to see Needles and the ThugBunny on screen!
I could see the Hallmark Channel with this one.
'Christmas Blues at Random Valley Junction' by Stultus
and this would just be an awesome for Halloween.
'The Ifrinn' by Cotton Nightie
These could easily slide in with Star Trek, Babylon 5, or Battlestar Galactica.
The series by QM - The Cure, The Healer, and The Artist
This could be the next Behind Enemy Lines or Red Dawn
'A Reluctant Hero' by Douglas Fox
This could easily fit on the small or big screen
'For Want of a Memory' by Lubrican
Any of the three stories by writer-406 would make great movies. https://storiesonline.net/a/writer-406