The music in all the books I've read sucks though.

I wonder how e.g. The Cable Guy would work as a book? Would it be as funny, or even funnier? (using it as an example as there was just yet another rerun on the TV; I just love that movie, more than any other Carrey movie).

That reminds me, are the many cases where a movie was turned into a book, not vice versa? Naturally all movies originally had a manuscript, but you know what I mean. I recall reading a cartoon as a kid which was based on the first Alien movie, but it isn't quite the same (and I think it was actually better than the movie; not sure if that was because I read the cartoon years before I actually saw the movie).

Is music better at expressing something than paintings?

Tbh I find the question kind of absurd. It's appples and oranges. Both are good at telling stories in their own way, if used by talented people who know the forte of their medium, just like comics, videogames, drama etc. And then there are terrible writers and movie directors who don't.

Agreed.

Books are older than movies so I think they tend to get better at telling a story overall.

But I'm glad movies exist, or we would have missed great stories and experiments, especially in the action genre :P
In my mind, books cannot give the feel of urgency the way movies do, although they can make us feel the tension in the story.

QFT

Wanted to write the same thing, but instead I will quote you. Couldn't have said it better.

Not if the movie is done well, which didn't happened yet, or I haven't see it, but you never know, maybe in the future, when people will not bother watching Spiderman x**n, some smart ass guy will put a decent movie based on a book.

This is also available for games. Those point & click / visual novels could make some great games based on books, but they still have poor stories delivered.

/thread

Books are better than Movies,unless it's an X-Rated Movie:-)

I don't know, "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Fucker" was a real page turner.

And yes that is a real book. :D

Actually the real thing slamdunks Books and Movies..

Porn? No...

Hentai? That's different. Usually Hentai the plot is flimsy, but still better acting and story telling. Quite often the best story telling might have some sex added but sex isn't the main point, in which case you have sexual scenes like Black Butler, Ninja Scroll, BioHunters where sexuality is shown a few times...

Then ones that are totally about sex with some plot are a little different, but still good, yet still incorporate plenty of humor. Dragon Pink and one who's name escapes me comes to mind...

Then there's Ecchi, usually boob/panty shots while otherwise normal anime/manga.

Exactly that. Movies and books shouldn't be compared since are total different entertainment kind.

A book will force your brain to work since works with language, which is mostly logic and hiddes before some kind of "cache".
A movie suggest all you have to think, not much to talk here besides director's work is almost all about it.

Each kind of entertainment uses different techniques, so if you want your imagination to work, read a book. If you want to watch some kind of history, watch a movie.

I think more often the book is better than the movie adaptation of it, but I can think of exceptions, like The Shining. Kubrick took a terrible King book and made a good movie out of it.

Yes, but cooking > movies.