Books Made Into Movies

We've all heard the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover". "Don't judge a book by the movie" is becoming increasingly apt. The following is a list of current or upcoming movies that were adapted for the big screen.

Cloud Atlas
By David Mitchell

From Goodreads: "A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan’s California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified “dinery server” on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation—the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other’s echoes down the corridor of history, and their destinies are changed in ways great and small."

The movie, starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, will be in theaters shortly.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
By Stephen Chbosky

From Goodreads: "This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite."

The movie stars Emma Watson (of Harry Potter fame), Logan Lerman, and Ezra Miller.

Life of Pi
by Yann Martel

From Goodreads: "Life of Pi is a masterful and utterly original novel that is at once the story of a young castaway who faces immeasurable hardships on the high seas, and a meditation on religion, faith, art and life that is as witty as it is profound. Using the threads of all of our best stories, Yann Martel has woven a glorious spiritual adventure that makes us question what it means to be alive, and to believe."

The film is directed by Ang Lee and stars Suraj Sharma as Pi.

How will these tales fare as movies? I guess there is only one way to find out. Read the book and then watch the movie or vice versa. In my experience, the book is almost always better.