Exactly. With the proper editor and co-screenwriter, I think Tarantino could be great. Unfortunately, he's got too much control of his films and not enough self control.

Portfolio filler.

If you're a beer lover, the next time you're in Iowa City, head to Dirty John's. It's like heaven.

The Ruts/Roots thing varies from person to person. I would say roots. I think there's a strong correlation between those who say "Ruts" and those who say "Crick" as opposed to "Creek." You'll also occasionally run across those who purposely countrify their speech. If you're in Iowa City, you're less likely to hear…

I moved from Iowa to Northern California, and aside from the spaced out Humboldt County folks, I couldn't detect any difference in dialect. Now I'm in Washington State, and occasionally I'll be in a group mixed with some upper midwesterners and locals, and while I think everybody sounds the same, the locals think we…

It even applies to filler words, see um vs erm.

I'd also like to see more original work, but I'm happy that movies like The Thing, The Wizard of Oz, The Shining, American Psycho, Jaws, Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, Game of Thrones, Hannibal, and the James Bond series, among many other films/tv shows based on novels that weren't slavishly adhered to were made…

Why do they often do novelizations of movies? Cross promotion, synergy, vertical integration, whatever you want to call it. It also, in some cases, can lend credibility to a film. It doesn't always work out that way. Thomas Harris writing Hannibal Rising is a good example of that—he purposely wrote a ridiculous…

Thanks for the reminder that I need to avoid downtown that week.

You're right. It's not their book, it's their movie. I actually think you may finally be getting it.

I don't really know how to respond to that. Clearly English is not your first language, but I don't think a language barrier is what's keeping me from understanding you. You don't seem to have an idea of how creativity or artistry work, or intellectual property, for that matter. You also don't seem to have any…

How would it be the opposite of original to stick entirely to someone else's ideas? Definitions of words, mostly.

Things that don't work in books don't always work in movies, or TV shows, for that matter, and vice versa. They are two different mediums with their own advantages and disadvantages. Filmmakers are artists and will want to tell the story from their own perspective. And so on, there are plenty of reasons. And how…

Sure, imagination is for suckers. Great.

That doesn't work for Amazon. Believe me, I've tried. When the last season of Ripper Street was available on Amazon UK, I assumed my Prime membership would gain me access. It doesn't. Prime can not pass international borders. Luckily there are always other means beyond what you've already suggested.

Spaniards are not white Europeans? Did I miss something?

It seems like you're quibbling over an enormously minor detail.

Good point. Megyn Kelly is not afraid to tell it like it is, even when it isn't.

"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea." - Shia LeBeouf

I think the Columbus and Yates films are the best adaptations of the books, because Columbus and Yates, while very good technical directors, don't really seem to have strong points of view. In that sense, they just take the story and put it on screen. I think the Cuaron and Newell movies are the best of the series if…