Status
Available
Genres
Collections
Publication
New York : St. Martin's Press, 1997.
1st U.S. ed.
Description
"Bruce shoots movies. Wayne and Scout shoot to kill. In a single night they find out the hard way what's real and what's not, who's the hero and who's the villain. The USA watches slack-jawed as Bruce and Wayne together resolve some serious questions. Does Bruce use erection cream? Does art imitate life or does life simply imitate bad art? And most of all, does sugar-pie really love his honeybun?"
User reviews
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
Not one of my favourites by Ben Elton. It started off great - the Bruce character was hilarious, I loved the line about his backside being spring-loaded. I'm reminded of that line every time I accidentally catch an awards ceremony on TV. The 'shelf' of bosoms was a pretty good piece of imagery too,
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I thought. But once we got into the main event of the story, an event that lasts and lasts.....and lasts... and gets a bit samey after a while, my attention started drifting. I'm sure a profound point was being made about modern society, but if I was re-reading, I'd just re-read the beginning. Show Less
LibraryThing member booooo
bruce is a star. it's the night of the night's in hollywood. his movie makes him the hottest candidate for the oscar. so why does everybody insist on pestering him about the psychopath killers roaming the streets?
well, sure his movie does show some violent scenes, but that doesnt make him
this is my least favourite ben elton,which is very sad, because i loved all his stuff up till now.
sure his writing is still witty, but the characters a two dimensional, and the story is weak. part of the writing is made to be a script with all the camera angels. this is a nice idea, but it only serves to create even more distance to the gruesom events.
the point he's trying to make is how nobody seems to accept responsibility for they actions. he gets his point at the end, pretty impressively. but thats about all that speaks for the book.
well, sure his movie does show some violent scenes, but that doesnt make him
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responsible, does it?this is my least favourite ben elton,which is very sad, because i loved all his stuff up till now.
sure his writing is still witty, but the characters a two dimensional, and the story is weak. part of the writing is made to be a script with all the camera angels. this is a nice idea, but it only serves to create even more distance to the gruesom events.
the point he's trying to make is how nobody seems to accept responsibility for they actions. he gets his point at the end, pretty impressively. but thats about all that speaks for the book.
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LibraryThing member Cassandra2020
First of all, I'm wondering where this book has been for 3 years - I picked it up at our meetup at the BookFest, but it certainly didn't look like it had been lying around in Charlotte Square for that amount of time!
Secondly, I stole this review from an Amazon contributor, because it almost exactly
"This is one of the most balanced books I have ever read. Not only does Popcorn have a genuinely fixating plot with a brilliant storyline, it also has some fantastic humor with dry sarcasm in some places and blatant comedy in others. But the book's by far most impressive aspect is its social commentary. Elton casts an eye over the daytime chat show media and reproduces it in a totally believably, yet intrinsically funny, way.
Of course, however, the most important aspect is the aspect on the 'film violence' debate. Elton presents the views of Bruce Delamitri in such a way that even the most hardened antagonist of violent imagery would surely be drawn about to his views. The minds of two killers are concisely portrayed to the point that their plight, and solution to it, is completely reasonable. This book, then, is a true masterpiece of readability and debate."
I've read quite a few of Ben Elton's books now & have always been entertained by them. I suspect I have similar views to him, so therefore his social commentary sits well with me. The only time I've been less happy is when I've read one of his earlier works, sometime after reading his later stuff - he has become more accomplished at his art & therefore the earlier stuff (& I'm thinking about when I read Gridlock last year) just isn't so polished. He always seems to get his agenda across but at the same time writes a witty and entertaining story. Neat trick.
Secondly, I stole this review from an Amazon contributor, because it almost exactly
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mirrored my thoughts:"This is one of the most balanced books I have ever read. Not only does Popcorn have a genuinely fixating plot with a brilliant storyline, it also has some fantastic humor with dry sarcasm in some places and blatant comedy in others. But the book's by far most impressive aspect is its social commentary. Elton casts an eye over the daytime chat show media and reproduces it in a totally believably, yet intrinsically funny, way.
Of course, however, the most important aspect is the aspect on the 'film violence' debate. Elton presents the views of Bruce Delamitri in such a way that even the most hardened antagonist of violent imagery would surely be drawn about to his views. The minds of two killers are concisely portrayed to the point that their plight, and solution to it, is completely reasonable. This book, then, is a true masterpiece of readability and debate."
I've read quite a few of Ben Elton's books now & have always been entertained by them. I suspect I have similar views to him, so therefore his social commentary sits well with me. The only time I've been less happy is when I've read one of his earlier works, sometime after reading his later stuff - he has become more accomplished at his art & therefore the earlier stuff (& I'm thinking about when I read Gridlock last year) just isn't so polished. He always seems to get his agenda across but at the same time writes a witty and entertaining story. Neat trick.
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LibraryThing member zerraweth
Highly cynical "what if" scenario - not my favourite Ben Elton book but still very clever and definitely well-written.
LibraryThing member Amzzz
Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? Ben Elton tackles this question using a humorous yet chilling story, making us question who is really responsible for the problems with society. The book is well written and interesting, but I didn't enoy it as much as some of his other books.
LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
The age old question of art imitating life or vice-versa is asked in this satirical novel by Ben Elton. Hip action director Bruce Delamitri (read Quentin Tarantino) fresh from claiming best direct and best film for his latest creation is tired of people asking if he's responsible for the current
The book is a very quick and easy read despite having characters that you can't bring yourself to care about. As the plot revolves around graphic violence then you should expect to find more than your fair share of it here and in that score you won't be disappointed. There's no real laugh out loud moments but occasional bits of mirth do pop up from time to time (i.e. the Michael Douglas cameo). An okay book but nothing special.
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state of violence in American society. Having wimped out on an opportunity to repudiate these claims in his acceptance speech he gets to confront the question head-on when modern day Bonnie & Clyde team (The Mall Murderers) crash his intended party for two with Playmate du jour and wannabe actress, Brooke Daniels. How better to avoid facing execution for the trail of dead bodies that they've left in their wake than to blame it all on Hollywood and the media circus that it generates and have Bruce confess live on national TV.The book is a very quick and easy read despite having characters that you can't bring yourself to care about. As the plot revolves around graphic violence then you should expect to find more than your fair share of it here and in that score you won't be disappointed. There's no real laugh out loud moments but occasional bits of mirth do pop up from time to time (i.e. the Michael Douglas cameo). An okay book but nothing special.
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LibraryThing member verenka
a book about a celebrated, award winning director who makes films which storyline strongly reminded me of quentin tarantino films or oliver stone's "Natural Born Killers". He is confronted with questions about his own responsibility in a young couple's killing spree which seems to be modelled after
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his latest success. clever idea, but oh so deeply cynical. I was never quite sure whether ben elton wasn't making fun of himself in this book. i'm still undecided on whether i like it or not. Show Less
LibraryThing member mstrust
Bruce Delamitri is an Oliver Stone-esque movie director. His films are bloody, full of sexy murderers and rock soundtracks. As Bruce wins the Oscar for his latest, Ordinary Americans, a real mass-murdering couple, Wayne and Scout, are killing their way across the country. They're copying the
This book was nothing like what I expected. Elton is a famous stand-up and comedy writer responsible for two of the funniest shows on British t.v. (The Young Ones and Blackadder), and the blurbs on the back from friend Emma Thompson and others calling this book "funny" and "a comedy" are completely out of place. This is a satire on the media of Hollywood and how Americans tend to think that fame, no matter how it's attained, is worthy. But it's far from funny, and that isn't a criticism. Much of the violence is actually chilling and it's rampant; Wayne and Scout are truly psychopaths. Elton was obviously influenced by the movie "Natural Born Killers", and combines that with an eerie premonition, considering this was published in 1996, of reality t.v., where people who only have a talent for being horrible can be famous.
I have just two criticisms: that the blurbs referring to this as a comedic book should be dropped, and that Elton is just so English that he doesn't have a grasp on American English. The book is set in America and all the characters are American but the language is British. Still, doesn't affect the plot.
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murders from Bruce's films as Wayne is a big fan of Bruce's work. Such a fan that they continue their killing spree all the way to Hollywood,break into Bruce's house on Oscar night and wait for him to return home, because Wayne believes that Bruce can manipulate the media well enough to keep the couple from having to pay for their crimes.This book was nothing like what I expected. Elton is a famous stand-up and comedy writer responsible for two of the funniest shows on British t.v. (The Young Ones and Blackadder), and the blurbs on the back from friend Emma Thompson and others calling this book "funny" and "a comedy" are completely out of place. This is a satire on the media of Hollywood and how Americans tend to think that fame, no matter how it's attained, is worthy. But it's far from funny, and that isn't a criticism. Much of the violence is actually chilling and it's rampant; Wayne and Scout are truly psychopaths. Elton was obviously influenced by the movie "Natural Born Killers", and combines that with an eerie premonition, considering this was published in 1996, of reality t.v., where people who only have a talent for being horrible can be famous.
I have just two criticisms: that the blurbs referring to this as a comedic book should be dropped, and that Elton is just so English that he doesn't have a grasp on American English. The book is set in America and all the characters are American but the language is British. Still, doesn't affect the plot.
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LibraryThing member isabelx
'It is said that men who practice the ancient Chinese art of kung fu are capable of retracting their testicles at the first sign of danger. They probably couldn't do it if the testicles in question were held in the vice-like grip of a large gangster.'
Ben Elton originally wrote "Popcorn" as a play,
Ben Elton originally wrote "Popcorn" as a play,
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which I saw at Nottingham Playhouse a log time before reading the novel. It is a black comedy about a film-maker who makes violent films, and his reaction when real violence enters his life in the shape of a couple who kill for fun. It is a savage satire of the relationship between violence and the media. Show Less
LibraryThing member HotWolfie
There were a couple of lines in here that were memorable (i.e. the director's awards acceptance speech), but overall the book was a major disappointment. It was a difficult read due to several reasons (1) the story dragged and felt stretched out (2) characters were built around cliches and
Since the book was a satirical criticism of America's interest in violent films, I felt the author should have attempted to actually research American vernacular, culture, and to not rely on dusty stereoptypes. If you want to read a book that deals with criticisms of violence and moral corruption, I would suggest Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange or even Jose Saramago's Blindness (warning: Saramgo's experimental style is not for everyone).
The humor in this was sparse, I felt it failed at satire (I'm a HUGE fan of satire btw!), and the author's apparent lack of understanding for the the very topic he was criticizing diminished the message of the book for me.
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stereotryoes (3) it was pretty obvious that this was an English author attempting to write from an American persepctive (i.e. American characters using heavy English slang).Since the book was a satirical criticism of America's interest in violent films, I felt the author should have attempted to actually research American vernacular, culture, and to not rely on dusty stereoptypes. If you want to read a book that deals with criticisms of violence and moral corruption, I would suggest Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange or even Jose Saramago's Blindness (warning: Saramgo's experimental style is not for everyone).
The humor in this was sparse, I felt it failed at satire (I'm a HUGE fan of satire btw!), and the author's apparent lack of understanding for the the very topic he was criticizing diminished the message of the book for me.
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LibraryThing member aeromaxtran
If you watch 'natural born killers' after reading this, you will have a different perspective.
LibraryThing member Ben_Harnwell
This is my 'fill in' book while I recover from a few bigger reads.
I have Doctor Sleep to read - the Stephen King follow in from the Shining. I'm not sure if I should re read The Shining first.
Anyway Ben Elton is always a good read although I find you can get too much of him.
Popcorn, so far, is a
I have Doctor Sleep to read - the Stephen King follow in from the Shining. I'm not sure if I should re read The Shining first.
Anyway Ben Elton is always a good read although I find you can get too much of him.
Popcorn, so far, is a
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obtuse parody of the Hollywood ultra violent movies - the Tarantino-esque scenes remind me of many film that could be out in the genre. I'm only a 1/3 of the way through but so far it is proving to be a great distraction on my bus ride to work. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Winner — 1996)
Olivier Award (1998)
Language
Original publication date
1996
Physical description
298 p.; 25 cm
ISBN
312169655
Local notes
"A Thomas Dunne book."
Similar in this library
Pages
298