Jake

I don't think the book is required to enjoy the film at all. They share plot/characters/setting/theme - in that way it's obviously a very faithful sounding adaptation - but it communicates them in ways wholly different from the book. The Harry Potter films at their worst feel like visual companions to the film, like the set of color photographs bound into the middle of a biography or historical story book for children to give them something tangible to picture as they read along.* I think the Tinker Tailor film is an exercise in giving the bare minimum pieces needed to see the shape of the puzzle and trusting the audience (and Smiley) to see the rest for themselves in their minds eye (and to be saddened and frustrated that what they see can never be objectively shown and made plain in the light of day). If that sort of thing isn't satisfying to you, you probably won't be very satisfied with the movie (or the book, or most of Le Carre's other writing from that era). * I find this super disappointing in the case of the Harry Potter movies because the books are so visually evocative on their own! The aesthetic and tone they pump out infect kids dreams and imaginations so potently, a pure visual rendering on film is totally not needed. Those movies are a huge quandering of opportunity 95% of the time.

We're going to add authors notes and further reading to go along with episode transcriptions, to help reduce mystery and ambiguity on this front.

Important If True 7: Human Behavior The universe is infinitely complex, filled with unlimited possibilities. To get to the truth we must tear down our preconceptions and ask real questions, like: Why does your friend remember a movie that never existed? How bad of a driver does your car really think you are? And which members of E.T.'s original family were human-pranking assholes? Send us email at questions@importantiftrue.com. If you enjoyed this and would like to subscribe to an ad-free feed, please consider supporting Idle Thumbs by backing our Patreon. Discussed: buff bros, pork chops, Cafe X, way-too-smart cars, gyroscopic smart spoon, Hopkinsville Goblin Encounter, E.T. (Amazon, iTunes), The Net (Amazon, iTunes), The Conversation (Amazon, iTunes), the ending to Predator (sorry for the poor quality), the Mandela Effect, Jake's Endorsement: Interacting with humans Chris' Endorsement: The rapturous reaction to last week's shoehorn endorsement Nick's Endorsement: The experience of watching this subway saxophone confluence that occurred on a New York subway train. One must feast on this meal in the proper order: the opening course, followed by the entree. Mwah. Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Idle Thumbs 302: The Stupidity and the Grandeur You peek over the edge of the hill to confirm — good, they're still there. One of them gets up and walks away from their friends. You inch forward to get a better look and, yep, that one saw you. Their weapons come out, they call for help. You ready a grenade, turn to throw it, run into a rock you didn't see, and drop the grenade at your feet. It rolls down the hill. The hill is on fire, the tree is on fire, you're on fire, you accomplished nothing, and it was wonderful. Discussed: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Far Cry 2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Amazing

This 100% tracks.

It's a Fugitive reference, in both the Mask and Twin Peaks. Gerard is also the last name of the chief pursuing officer in the Fugitive, chasing the protagonist who claims he was framed and his wife was killed by a one armed man. (Though the police think he did it.) The Mask is referencing the 90s Harrison Ford movie adaptation and Twin Peaks is almost definitely referencing the original 60s tv show.

Mario wasn't allowed into Wreck-it Ralph because he was too high profile in the eyes of Nintendo - they just gave them Bowser. The Lego movies are almost exclusively licenses Warner already has access to, except Star Wars which was signed before Disney bought LucasFilm. Who Framed Roger Rabbit has Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny sharing a scene and swapping jokes for maybe the one and only time in a movie. I feel like that threshold of iconic crossover isn't going to happen again for a long time. Like: are we ever going to see Avengers vs Justice League on film? Is Lego Iron Man going to show up in Lego Batman? Almost guaranteed not. (Mario and Sonic only started crossing over once Sega had fallen way off the map, when Sonic was basically a support character by comparison to Mario...)

How new is this "new" trend your observing? If it's literally this week which is about the things you describe then yes, nailed it. Otherwise, is this vaguely a dig?

Idle Thumbs 303: Great Play Dad An old man sits in the dark, alone, waiting for a hero to arrive. The old man has lived a full life; he has seen things you wouldn't believe, but the world has changed around him, without him. "Were you able to get the files to download? I bought the game but nothing showed up," he says to no one in particular. "I was having a lot of trouble." He continues to wait for help. Discussed: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mac shareware, ResEdit, Nintendo Switch, Bloodborne, choose-your-own-adventure books, Wasteland, Fatal Frame 2, old man complaints about technology Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

I thought I'd told it before too, but the reaction was SO STRONG, I thought I was wrong.

Idle Weekend November 21, 2016: Electing Better Hey listeners! This was the first Idle Weekend episode we recorded after the 2016 presidential election, and we talk about politics, a lot. But, instead of cutting bits and pieces, we elected (ha!) to keep it all in, to give you an open, honest conversation between friends. Also, we played some games and watched some movies and TV! So join us, friends. We promise to always try to give you thoughtful, honest, from-the-heart conversation, no matter what happens to the world around us. Discussed: 2016 election, Dishonored 2, Even the Ocean, A Force More Powerful, Life is Strange (w/spoilers!), Dr. Strange, Pitch Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Pretty sure I declared myself hoisted. If not, should have.

I love it and my brief discovery of it, falling for it, and shame-laughing window are all captured on air in next weeks ep.

Have you seen the movie? I think it helps the killer storyline.

That's a super reductive take on our discussion, haha. Sorry if we seen this dumb to you. Chris talked a bunch about Just Cause 3 in 2016 I think.

I was worried that claiming towers would make the game feel smaller but it's made things feel bigger! I'm noticing so many more weird pockets and folds in the world than I noticed in my hours of trekking around claiming towers. My adventures are getting smaller in scale and it's great. This game!

Strongly recommend joining the Sam & Max Funhouse on Facebook. No full comics but Steve posts a lot.

Welcome back Marek!

I noticed there were only two endorsements and also it sounds like an advertisement for Flonase snuck in? ...

There are a few really good episodes coming up and then a weird dry spell. We try to comfort people through the hard times on the podcast. I think it's worth it when you get to the last couple episodes and the film, though.

I believe he did, after filming.

Yeah Jon cleaned them up (and added a few alts!) and they should return shortly.

I didn't own one until it came out, and we're not press so we didn't have eval hardware. I wasnt really into the Switch conceptually, the month before launch, but I bought it for Zelda and have no regrets.