Ink to Film

Guillermo Del Toro's adaptation of Pinocchio makes smart changes to Carlo Collodi's classic tale, managing to modernize the story in the best ways while keeping true to the heart of what makes it timeless. In episode 261, Luke & James discuss the nature of the film's transformation, the authenticity of human art, intentionality in the of stop-motion, and when it's actually good not to obey your pa...

One of the most read books of all time, Carlo Collodi's classic has also been translated more than almost any book besides the Bible. In episode 260, Luke & James learn just how bad life can be for a lazy boy, marvel at the incredible illustrations by Gris Grimly, wonder how all marionettes know each other, follow the azure fairy through time, Meet a reincarnating cricket, and end on a sad note th...

Akira Kurosawa was a legendary director of adaptations, with one of his most famous coming from author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's short story "In a Grove." In episode 259, Luke & James get a history lesson in Japanese short fiction, try to untangle a web of lies and exaggerations, examine a World War II metaphor, debate which character is the actual worst, trust the words of a medium, and consider the...

Return to the land of Fantasia with George T. Miller's adaptation of the 2nd half of Michael Ende's novel that Wolfgang Peterson left out of his original film. Did it do enough to justify its existence, or was this one better left alone? Join us for this former Patreon-exclusive episode! Ink to Film Buy any of the source material books or guest novels at Ink to Film's bookshop: www.bookshop.org/sh...

M. Night Shyamalan uses Paul Tremblay's work THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD to tell his own version of a twisty home invasion-style horror, but how effective are the changes? In episode 258, join Luke & James for a SPOILER-FREE review to start the episode off, followed by a discussion that analyzes what worked and what didn't in this version of the story, Dave Bautista's version of Leonard, and...

Postmodernism comes to the home-invasion Horror subgenre when Paul Tremblay has his way. In episode 257, join Luke & James for a SPOILER-FREE review to start the episode off, including a real-world connection to the author, before delving into the grasshopper theory and their thoughts on the three major dividing points Luke identifies for readers of this book. SPOILERS BEGIN: 22:18 Ink to Film Buy...

Judy Garland's performance as Dorothy is the stuff of cinematic history, but it came at a cost as director Victor Fleming's treatment of her is also infamous. In episode 256, Luke & James delve into the unbelievable behind-the-scenes stories, a real-skin suit, the enduring hanging-man myth, and all the other lasting magic of this legendary adaptation of L. Frank Baum's original children's novel. I...

Frank Baum's children's fantasy novel introduced a land of wicked witches and wizards that inspired a generation of children even before it was adapted for the screen. In episode 255, Luke & James the tears of a reluctant tin killer, American life in the 1900s, a scarecrow nightmare, a bizarre stage production, and the secret meanings that the author always denied. Join them next week when they di...

Ink to Film covered a wide variety of adaptations in 2022, but how do they stack up against each other? In episode 254 Luke & James try to put their year in adaptations into context. From Macbeth to The Sandman, Frankenstein to The Last Unicorn, it's time for Last Looks! Categories Biggest Surprise Worst Read Best Read Worst Watch Best Watch   Ink to Film Buy any of the source material books or gu...

John McClane is back for Christmas to bag even more bad guys in "Die Hard 2: Die Harder," but how does it compare to the novel it's based on, "58 Minutes?" In episode 253, Luke & James talk about 90s Bruce Willis, how many one-liners is too many one-liners, the Die-Hard-villain misdirect, way too many grenades, and how the Mythbusters tested lighting a stream of jet fuel on a runway to blow up a p...

Die Hard 2 was also based on a novel! 58 Minutes by Walter Wager, to be precise. In episode 252, Luke & James discuss differences in a protagonist, the challenge of writing politically motivated villains, how to bore a thriller reader, the author's self-insert debate, and wonder about the existence of left-leaning military thrillers. Join them next week when they watch the movie starring Bruce Wil...

Brad Pitt and Edward Norton anchor this memorable adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel that helped propel director David Fincher's career to new heights. In episode 251, Luke & James revel in the craftsmanship, watch Tyler Durden get meta, talk film reels and "cigarette burns," and finally cast their vote on which was better: the book or the movie! Ink to Film Buy Fight Club or any of the other s...

Chuck Palahniuk's debut novel launched him into literary superstardom, but how do its ideas about consumerism and masculinity hold up? In their 250th episode, Luke & James destroy something beautiful, debate transgressional fiction, relive teenage boxing matches, wonder what it even means to be a man in modern society, and explore whether Tyler Durden has a worldview worth emulating. Join them nex...

Kenneth Branagh stars in and directs this new version of the Agatha Christie story Luke & James covered in the past, but how does it hold up compared to the 1974 version? Are they excited for another adaptation in this franchise? All aboard! Ink to Film Vote on Quarterly Project #4!  https://www.patreon.com/posts/74988249?utm_campaign=postshare_creator Buy any of the source material books or guest...

Neil Berger's adaptation of Steven Millhauser's short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" introduced a romantic plot to a story about magical deception, but does it deliver? In episode 249, Luke & James discuss an overlooked film from the aughts, Edward Norton's performance as Eisenheim, an extremely elaborate plot, and the nature of ambiguous magic in movies about stage magic. Then they vote on whi...

H. P. Lovecraft's work is famously tricky to adapt, but that hasn't stopped many from trying over the years. In episode 248, Luke & James discuss the pair of Lovecraft adaptations that appear in Guillermo Del Toro's anthology series, "Pickman's Model" and "Dreams in the Witch House," directed by Keith Thomas and Catherine Hardwicke respectively. How well did they handle the (in)famous author's mat...

Guillermo Del Toro has opened his cabinet of horrors on Netflix and it's delivering thrills, gore, and grotesqueries to the masses. In episode 247, Luke & James discuss the first three adaptations in the series from directors Vincenzo Natali, David Prior, and Ana Lily Amirpour, which cover adaptations of "The Graveyard Rats" by Henry Kuttner, "The Autopsy" by Michael Shea, and "Some Other Animal's...

Guillermo Del Toro is one of the hottest names in horror cinema today, and he's chosen multiple short stories to adapt for his brand new Netflix anthology series dropping for Halloween 2022. In episode 246, Luke & James move through all of the source stories back to back, touching on each in order of their episode's corresponding release in the series.  Join them next week as they review the adapt...

Is this sequel to William Friedkin's The Exorcist (1973) worth watching today? Are you fascinated enough with Pazuzu to see what more he could put Regan through? In this former Patreon-exclusive episode, Luke and James tackle John Boorman's 1977 commercial and critical disaster, often called "one of the worst films ever made." Ink to Film Buy any of the source material books or guest novels at Ink...

Luke is mad about this one, folks, calling it "one of the worst adaptations" they have ever covered. Laura from the "Why the Book Wins" podcast and YouTube channel joins the show to talk about this movie she'd never seen in this final installment of Peter Jackson's overstuffed Hobbit trilogy adapting the book by J.R.R. Tolkien. In episode 245, Luke, James, and Laura wonder why Tauriel doesn't seem...

Author, folklorist, and the executive director of Willamette Writers Kate Ristau joins the show to talk all things dragons for this installment of The Hobbit! In episode 244 Luke, James, and Kate ride barrels together for far too long, spot a Peter Jackson cameo, wonder about elven physics, geek out about big scaley wyrms, and try to see things with childlike wonder, despite it all. Join them next...

The "Watch. Review. Repeat." podcast joins the show to see what gems might still be mined from Peter Jackson's first film in his Hobbit trilogy. In episode 243, Luke, James, Colton, and Andrew make the comparison to the Star Wars Prequels, admire the waterfalls of Rivendell, get sh*tty with Radagast the Brown, come face to horrible face with the Goblin King, question the glowing of elvish blades,...

Happy Hobbit Day! Let's explore what makes JRR Tolkien's original children's novel so iconic to this day. In episode 242, Luke & James return to Hobbiton and Middle Earth for one more journey that starts with the written word, but will cover all three of Peter Jackson's films. Topics include the greatest fantasy song of all time, what Father Christmas might have in common with Gandalf, a philology...

Filmmaker Kogonada adapts a heady sci-fi story written by Alexander Weinstein into a thoughtful, melancholic piece about the nature of existence, artificial intelligence, and the ethics of personhood. In episode 241, Luke & James consider the "Chinese Room thought experiment," debate Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, the power of immigrants being able to name themselves, the opening credit dance, d...

David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel Dune didn't wow critics, but how does it stand up today? Join us to hear our thoughts on this wacky but ultimately enjoyable version of Arrakis, which also includes a cast of familiar faces for the pod in this former Patreon-exclusive! Ink to Film Buy Dune or any of the other source materials at Ink to Film's bookshop: www.bookshop.org/shop/in...