Sorry, gotta put in my 2 cents worth. I LOVE the flim The Right Stuff - but Tom Wolfe’s book “The Right Stuff” is an absolute masterpiece. Chapter Two, wherein he describes the pilots landing on the aircraft carriers, is one the most astonishing pieces of non-fiction ever.
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Please don’t laugh.
“The Bridges of Madison County”
OK. Laugh.
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I agree with you. It’s a tough call, because of the demands of the different media, but there should be no question that the Wolfe book is an absolute paradigm of dignity, righteousness, detail, research, and soul.
The movie is an absolute spectacle, and probably technically very significant.
It’s like asking yourself, “Who’s the best fighter pilot you ever seen?”
The answer is both, really.
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I hear its soundtrack was well chosen. Johnny Hartman? Aw, yeah!!
Speaking of soundtracks, I’m willing to rank the movie Battle Royale over the book simply because the former lacks any mention of Bruce Springsteen. 
Really though… I think they both have their strong and weak points. The most important change is in the dynamic the villain has with the pupils he manipulates. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a deal-maker or breaker for other viewers. But I try to appreciate both for what they are.
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Well, though it pains me to say it, I read the book and saw the movie. And you’re right.
The book had a lot of shortcomings. I’m not going to try to enumerate them now. But one of the studio executives who green lighted the movie said “The overall story arc is pretty good,” and I agree. The movie was able to tap into emotions that the book couldn’t.
Can I throw in one when I haven’t actually read the book, only been told about it?
Eh, I’ll do it anyway.
The Horse Whisperer - for the ending alone because our hero DOES NOT sell his soul for sex (nor does he get killed by a horse for gods’ sake)
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Another Phillip K. Dick story - “Man in the High Castle”. The Amazon series was way better than the book.
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When I read The Right Stuff, I got the feeling that Wolfe just did not ‘get’ John Glenn. Like he couldn’t believe that anyone was really that good of a person.
Cynicism met character, and cynicism cracked a little bit.
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That’s a thoughtful comment. I did read John Glenn’s autobio a number of years after the Wolfe book, and probably many decades after seeing the movie.
Not sure, for myself, how I’d land on that take: probably not going to read the book again, nor, for that matter, see the movie after however many times.
It did blow my mind as a theater geek in high school that indeed Sam Shephard was the same actor as the playwright.
There aren’t that many people who fulfil both roles. What? Welles, Cassavetes. I’m sure some others, but at the very pinnacle.
There was some line a poet or novelist spat out once about somebody whom I can’t remember, “He’s not ugly enough to be a writer!” I don’t remember, but it’s always a shock to me when artistic people come out from behind the screen or stage, and I suppose that’s a good example.
It’s almost like one expects prolific, accomplished artists above or below the line to be some kind of hideous Bukowski-type trolls emerging into daylight, so it’s surprising when some people seem to have had the good fortune to cross over as needed.
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The Princess Bride - both the book and the movie are classic, but the movie brings it to life better. On the other hand, the movie is even better after you’ve read the book and know the little bits of background that had to be cut from the movie.
Wicked - Not actually a movie. But the stage show is way way better than the book.
Lord of the Rings - I haven’t actually seen the movies (long, complicated story) but the books are incredibly dull and plodding. I read through the whole trilogy waiting for something to happen. I respect it as the foundational document for the fantasy genre and for all of D&D, but… what should be an epic quest to complete an impossible task to save the world from unthinkable doom turns out to be a few guys walking a lot while the bad guy sits back, waits, and does nothing. The movie has got to be a major improvement.
I do have to say the movie Stardust is fantastic, but I never got around to reading the book, so I can’t judge. But the book doesn’t have Robert De Niro as [major spoiler], and it’s hard to see how you could top that.
Eli Roth? Though he doesn’t act in things he’s written, AFAIK.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon? 
Vivian Schilling!
Joe Bob Briggs advises indie guys NOT to go the Orson Welles’ route. Get a writer, get actors, it’s not that hard…
Oh, maybe I’ll see that, then!
Mmmmm. Maybe not.
[quote="RocketJForklift, post:72, topic:13576]
Wicked - Not actually a movie. But the stage show is way way better than the book.[/quote]
I tried to read the book once. Couldn’t even make it through the first chapter.
My all time favorite book. I do consider the movies to be as good an adaptation as we could possibly have hoped to get, though. (Not so with The Hobbit.)
It’s a joyless slog.
He’s trying to be clever and metaphorical, but, yeah, “joyless slog” sums up my experience, too. And yet, it turns out you can take the outline of his story, tighten up the loose ends, give it some music and heart… It becomes a truly wonderful Broadway experience.
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I knew so many people who raved about the book Wicked. Now all I can remember about it is that we spent more time in the bathroom with characters than you normally do in a fantasy novel. I trust the musical left that out.
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Ha! Yes. No bathroom scenes in the musical. More character development, more sensible plot, actual closure, plus good music. And top notch costuming, sets, and choreography on Broadway. (Other productions may vary.)
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John Sayles, David Cronenberg, and David Lynch are also director/screenwriters who act, albeit usually in smaller roles than the lead.
And Woody Allen of course, if we dare speak his name.