Can we believe Critics' endorsements?

I liked Chocolat though I preferred the book. Sometimes I need a fairytale

I was sure everyone and their auntie had seen Sound of Music!

I also enjoyed the book but I have not seen the film.

I have had 2 attempts at reading Gone Girl but no joy- I hate it.

If it's a film of a book I've read then I generally give it a miss whatever the reviews - Warhorse being a case in point. I loved the book and cried buckets and didn't fancy actually seeing it on stage nor in a film as it would have spoiled my own vision of the story. I do read critics but don't usually base my choices on what they've said.

I'm always wary of films of books. I loved Captain Corelli's Mandoline, but the film was a disaster. Her little pine marten who was very important in the book never appeared at all and there was a big sex scene when the point of the book was that they couldn't possibly risk her getting pregnant and sex was right out.

Generally, the most you can hope for is a film version that takes on a life of its own and has the same relationship with the book as tinned pears do do fresh, (nice but quite different).

The bit where Mandras swims out to sea is so moving and yet was missed out of the film as well. I now understand why they chose Penelope Cruz because she is a very good actress, but I don't think her English was very good at that stage of her career. I assume they missed out the pine marten because they couldn't find one that could act. All in all a complete disaster of a film for me and one that I'd been really looking forward to.goldengirl; I don't think you'd be disappointed by the stage version of War Horse..I've yet to hear a negative comment about it [unlike the film].

When 'Sound of Music' first came out all those years ago, I was the only I knew who didn't like it. Also did not like Mamma Mia, Shirley Valentine, The King's Speech, refused to accompany a friend to Les Mis because I knew I would hate it, don't watch Downton Abbey, avoided The Queen (Helen Mirren doing her maj really gets on my nerves)

I did like Big School which got luke warm reviews in The Guardian.

Part of me would really like to see War Horse Tegan while part of me can't bear the awful things that happened to the horses. I've been absolutely amazed by the clips I've seen of the puppets. They had one on Breakfast last week to celebrate Michael Morpurgo's birthday and it was so hard to remember that it wasn't real. Even my husband commented on how brilliant it was - and he makes a point of never being impressed by anything!