I have watched the movie of the same name thats based on the premise in this. Michael is a for hire intellectual property thief, taking the best of a competitors product, reverse. Based on the novel do androids dream of electric sheep. And, of course, if the project makes it to the screen, it can really positively affect book sales, which is the goal of every author and publisher. Beware those of you who have seen the film and are looking for the book of the film. Dick, minority report is an actiondetective thriller. Prime members enjoy free twoday delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, tv shows, original audio series, and kindle books. Good action, big names, there is plenty here to entertain if you arent looking for a masterpiece. Phantoms, armageddon, the sum of all fears, daredevil likes it so. Paycheck begins with a thoughtprovoking idea from philip k. Movie websites launches for december 19 december 25.
Movies based on books when you love a book, few things are more exciting or more nerveracking than seeing it turned into a movie. The plot of the film results to be pretty twisted and the ending has an extraordinary surprise. Dick, written on july 31, 1952 and first published in the june 1953 issue of imagination. For two years he worked for a company named rethrick construction but he has no recollection of his time there. These directors had been signed on a pay or play basis, and would get paid when the movie was made, even if they didnt make the movie. The film was directed by john woo and stars ben affleck, uma thurman, and aaron eckhart. Not having read the shortstory of dicks also called paycheck that paycheck is based upon, i can only assume the source material is not riddled with plot holes andor stupid.
The purchase price is the amount which the producer has to pay. The most assaulting thing about the movie was probably how much potential was squandered. Apr 10, 2017 a new book, the financial diaries, sheds light on the creative ways that american families cope with financial uncertainty. In 2007, michael jennings is what is known as a reverse engineer. By the end, the film seems to have lost enthusiasm for itself and should be scored with is that all there is. Paycheck by john woo ben affleck, aaron eckhart, uma. I think one has to understand with these shorts that not a lot of time is spend on developing characters. With paycheck dont think ive actually seen the movie there were quite a few twists, which was nice.
He has his memory wiped after each assignment in order to keep his clients designs and. Apr 29, 2014 paycheck was first published in imagination in its june 1953 issue. The concept of the story is fantastic and quite intriguing, but the films execution doesnt quite fair so well. How to buy film rights to a book with pictures wikihow. Paycheck is a 2003 scifi action thriller based on philip k. John woo directs the scifi action thriller paycheck, based on a story written by philip k.
Ben appears in this inexpressibly ropey scifi thriller joylessly directed by john woo and based, natch. Enter your employees pay information and well do the rest. Most contain plenty of action, lots of plot, and contain a moral. Dicks short fiction, it is easy to ascertain why so many movies are made based on his work. The story was later made, with various alterations, into the film paycheck in. Dicks short story of the same titleben affleck plays the main character michael jennings in a movie advertised in the same breath as mi2, minority report and blade runner. Composition of book actual chase scenes or violence 20% planning. All time domestic box office for based on fiction book short story movies rank 301400 350. Paycheck is a science fiction novelette by american writer philip k. I say that to confess that paycheck had two strikes against it before the lights ever went. The road was chosen as an oprahs book club pick and awarded the pulitzer prize for fiction in 2007. I have seen ben affleck in a number of films, and felt that he was good in a few, ok in most. But i bought the dvd and rewatch it because i like for its own sake.
Hollywood often turns to books for movie ideas, but sometimes the films are so popular they overshadow their source material. The story was later made, with various alterations, into the film paycheck in 2003 directed by john woo and starring ben affleck. Its like an assembly of offtheshelf parts from technothrillers. A great theme for this film might be little things mean a lot or thanks for the memories. But at the end of a threeyear job, hes told he isnt getting a paycheck and instead receives a. What that means is that the producer has acquired not the exclusive right to make the movie, but has acquired the exclusive right to purchase the right to make the movie. Paycheck is a 2003 american science fiction action film based on the short story of the same. Paycheck novelette news newspapers books scholar jstor. Most often, the deal to make a movie based on a book takes the form of an exclusive option agreement. All time domestic box office for live action movies rank 1,3011,400. Looking back at the 9 movie adaptations of philip k dick. Its dull, unconvincing, boring, and razzie wining material. Curon when their mother mysteriously vanishes shortly after they all arrive in her hometown, teen twins discover secrets behind the villages tranquil facade.
After all, a lot can happen between signing an option and the. Paycheck directed by john woo available on bluray, dvd. Dicks original short story and its aesopianlevel lessons for guns and fists, and is far worse for it. Dick, exploits it for its action and plot potential, but never really develops it.
Dec 25, 2003 the storyline is based on an original novel from philip k. Paycheck is about an engineer whos paid big money by a hightech firms for working on hushhush projects. It takes longer to watch the film adaptation of this book than to read the short. Paycheck is a 2003 film adaptation starring ben affleck, aaron eckhart and uma thurman of the short story of the same name by science fiction writer philip k. The movie has some interesting ideas and a promising premise. While not every movie based on a book manages to live up to fans imaginations, the ones on this list are almost as good on the screen as they were on the page.
The film is based on the science fiction writing of philip dick, a great mind and perhaps a soothsayer to what lies ahead for all of us. Jane gives you the lowdown on how the moon, stars and hollywood all have to align to make that happen. Based on the iconic book series, the film adaptation scary stories to tell in the dark follows a girl named stella and her friends as they find a book of scary stories in. As a film producer, however, you can bring the story to a much larger audience as a movie. If a film can do that, it cant be all that bad in my book. An utterly boring film that even miles and miles of action, explosions, car chases, and ridiculous combat cant temper, paycheck trades the subtle narrative of philip k. Only loosely based on the source novel one significant piece of dialogue and a few themes. My own list of those actors is extremely short, but two who rank right at the top are ben affleck and uma thurman.
Paycheck is a 2003 science fiction thriller directed by john woo and stars ben affleck as michael jennings, a reverse engineer who undergoes a procedure to erase his memory of the secret work he performed for a technology company. All time domestic box office for based on fiction book short story. Page numbers come from paycheck and other classic stories by philip k. Dicks short story paycheck far more subtle and fascinating than the film. Ben affleck and uma thurman seem to have great chemistry, and aaron eckhart rounds out the pretty people quota for this film. Michael jennings ben affleck is a topnotch reverse engineer. Paycheck is a 2003 american science fiction action film based on the short story of the same name by science fiction writer philip k. No the acting was not great but my year old is not an acting critic. Finding meaning, money, and happiness in the second half of life. How these 9 families deal with living paycheck to paycheck. Michael jennings ben affleck works as a reverse engineer, taking technology and figuring out how it was made. Mar 10, 2006 maybe flat is the wrong word for eckhart. When he discovers that he has forgone his paycheck in exchange for an envelope filled with seemingly unrelated. How astounded was i then when confronted with paycheck and other classic stories at a used bookstore while on holiday in savannah, georgia.
You might fall in love with a book and recommend it to your friends. Paycheck 2003 screenplay by dean georgaris directed by john woo based on the short story, paycheck by philip k. Plot summary jennings is a mechanic who agreed to work for earl rethricks company with a two year contract. Its a good short story, and i am always amazed by how many of his were taken up by hollywood and expanded into feature films the guy did have some good. I read the short story years ago and just recently found out about this movie, so i thought id give it a shot.
Ben affleck, uma thurman, aaron eckhart, colm feore, peter friedman, paul giamatti, michael c. I first saw this film shortly after its release because its loosely based on a philip k. Paycheck was directed by john woo faceoff, broken arrow and written by dean georgaris tomb raider ii, the manchurian candidate 2004, based on a short story by the aforementioned mr. An engineer whose past two years of work have been erased from memory unravels. This is often considered the black sheep of director john woos american films, though to be honest i dont understand why. Oct 01, 2018 by the way, after the film was released, terry bisson wrote a novelization out of the screenplay that was published separately under the same title, and if you think a novelization of a movie based on a short story sounds ridiculous, then you really havent seen this film. Directed by john woo, the film stars ben affleck, uma.
Paycheck features ben affleck as a programmer whose memory is erased by a greedy businessman. Finding meaning, money, and happiness in the second half of life farrell, chris on. The main character is a college freshman named tessa who falls in love. Paycheck is a good movie, with surprisingly little language for a ben affleck movie and no nuditysex scenes and some moderate. Paycheck is a movie that has interesting ideas, but its poor writing and leading actor makes it a boring and forgettable experience. Dick, author of blade runner, total recall, and minority report. This is yet another collection of dicks short stories, paycheck making up only the first 2030 pages. Paycheck is based on the short story from the author who wrote minority report. Paycheck internet movie firearms database guns in movies. Everything you need to know about after, the movie based on. Their mere presence in a film is like spending a twohour flight seated beside someone who doesnt know when enough perfume is enough. Im sure one our nerd fanboys will write in and give me. Like all movie lists, this one is subjective and in no way authoritative. Elements of the story suggest parablelike christian meaning and the story has some interesting twists, but ultimately it is a typical action movie with plenty of fastpaced violence.
Paycheck by john woo ben affleck, aaron eckhart, uma thurman. Based on a story by famed science fiction writer philip k. Remember the future michael jennings is a genius whos hired and paid handsomely by hightech firms to work on highly sensitive projects, after which his shortterm memory is erased so hes incapable of breaching security. Viggo mortensen and charlize theron star in the 2009 movie adaptation.
Waking up with his shortterm memory erased, engineer michael jennings ben affleck learns that he has been doing highly secretive work for the last three years in exchange for. Dec 24, 2003 paycheck begins with a thoughtprovoking idea from philip k. Dick, minority report is an actiondetective thriller set in washington d. Dec 25, 2003 if a film can do that, it cant be all that bad in my book. Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice. If you show someone the future, they have no future. Based on the overall number of customers for qb payroll products as of 102018. What are your favorite books that have been made into movies. The film is based on the science fiction writing of philip dick, a great mind and perhaps a soothsayer to. We make sure the calculations are accurate by using the most uptodate tax table. Like the original short story, paycheck deals with erased memories. Looking to pay your employees, quickly and accurately. Neutral based on the actiondrama movies that are available for a family to see this movie was not bad. Rethrick aaron eckhart, head of a company called allcom, hires jennings to reverseengineer a secret government device.
Intuits free paycheck calculator makes it a cinch to calculate paychecks for both your hourly and salary employees. Last spring i signed an option with a producer who wanted to make one of my books, the convenient groom, into a hallmark movie. Selling the film rights increases the chances of a book that might not have been picked up otherwisegetting picked up in a foreign translation deal. Book of secrets, in which she played a professor who was the mother to nicolas cage. Le film paycheck 2003 est librement base sur cette nouvelle. Im sure one our nerd fanboys will write in and give me the low down, as always. John woos work has been for the most part rather disappointing since he left hong kong for hollywood, and his sf thriller paycheck, based on a 50yearold story by philip k dick, is both sleek. A new 3d monitor is demonstrated and michael jennings ben affleck.
Ecstatic would be a more appropriate word, i think. The main purpose of which is to spark discussion and maybe interest in seeing some of these fantastic films again, or for the first time. When the job is done, he has his memory of it erased. The storyline is based on an original novel from philip k. Waking up with his shortterm memory erased, engineer michael jennings ben affleck learns that he has been doing highly secretive work for the last three years in exchange for billions of dollars. Before paycheck, ive only been familiar with dicks novels, so i therefore had not read any of his short stories. After he finishes his most recent job that leaves him on the run for his life and piecing together why hes being chased. After the job, jennings wakes from the memory erasure to find himself being. The movie moneyball based on the book by michael lewis tells the story of billy beane, the general manager of the oakland as baseball team, and how he transformed baseball using advanced statistical techniques for selecting players.
Dick story of the same title, paycheck is a science fiction action adventure. When he discovers that he has forgone his paycheck in exchange for an envelope filled with seemingly unrelated items, jennings races to discover what their. After the job, jennings wakes from the memory erasure to find himself being chased. Online payroll software small business payroll services. Corporations pay him to crack the secrets of their competitors products.
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