Books vs. Movies

I recently received the following thought-provoking question from Tom-E-Lee, Program Director and morning DJ on Z99 KXRZ:

"As movies have changed over the years in what seems to be a downward spiral where it seems quantity and not quality is important, have books suffered the same fate and if so why or why not?"

It struck a nerve, so I turned off White Chicks, Unrated and Uncut, put finger to chin, and pondered the question. My gut reaction is "no," books haven't suffered the same fate, but that might have more to do with the fact that I've always been a book snob and had really pedestrian taste in movies (My favorites: O Brother, Where Art Though?, Gone with the Wind, all the original Pink Panthers with Peter Sellers, Murder by Death, every single James Bond Movie, Jaws, Finding Nemo, the original three Star Wars, Spirited Away, and anything with Humphrey Bogart). So, I decided to do some research on the current best-selling movies and best-selling books. I html-coded the table below myself. The white space, well, that is just a free gift from a cyber-gremlin. Scroll on.

Movies	Books
1. Madea’s Family Reunion	1. THE 5TH HORSEMAN, by James Patterson*
2. 16 Blocks	2. CELL, by Stephen King
3. Eight Below	3. THE DA VINCI CODE, by Dan Brown
4. Ultraviolet	4. THE TEMPLAR LEGACY, by Steve Berry
5. Aquamarine	5. THE LAST TEMPLAR, by Raymond Khoury
6. The Pink Panther	6. THE TWO MINUTE RULE, by Robert Crais
7. Dave Chapelle’s Block Party	7. IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN, by Sarah Dunant**
8. Date Movie	8. THE OLD WINE SHADES, by Martha Grimes
9. Curious George	9. LOVERS & PLAYERS, by Jackie Collins
10. Firewall	10. SEA CHANGE, by Robert B. Parker

*Word on the street is that Patterson no longer writes his novels. He's the Carolyn Keene of our generation. He has people write the novels, I imagine he gives them some feedback, and they get published with his name, and, I think, the main authors name on the cover in much smaller print.
**The synopsis of this one is, “[a] courtesan and her friend and pimp, a dwarf, make their way in Renaissance Venice. ” I wish I were lying. It’s gotten really good reviews, so I will withhold judgment. At least, out loud judgment. Internally, I’m judging.

What strikes me about the movies is that four of the top ten are children's movies, and none of the top ten have original concepts. What strikes me about the books are:

1. There are a couple really good ones up there, and The Da Vinci Code is one of them. You could argue that it isn't an original concept as many had done it before Brown, but none as well as he.
2. Three of the top five best-selling books in the United States are about the Knights of Templar, a fact which I think reflects cultural unrest with the co-opting of Christianity for political gain and to feed the hegemon.
3. Mysteries are selling well.

Overall, comparing the top ten current bestselling books with the top ten current highest-grossing movies, one is left feeling generally uninspired, though there appear to be a little more hope in books because a novelist has a smaller group to appease than a screenwriter/actor/director before their work is available to the public. I think the more creative freedom allowed to the artist, the better the chance of the product being original and satisfying.

You know, though, if you put aside the top ten lists, which are more a reflection of marketing than artistic worth or integrity, there are a lot of fantastic, independent movies out there and exciting, original novels. So, to answer your question, Tom E. Lee, I think neither movies nor books are in a downward spiral--it's us. We're too lazy to seek out anything not directly laid in our paths, and so publishers and movie studios are taking the path of least resistance. If we make the effort to seek out what we really want to see and read, as opposed to letting our diets be decided to us, we'll all be better for it.

Feel free to argue with me. Anyone. In the meantime, tell me what your favorite books are so that readers of this blog can have some direction next time they're at the bookstore. Tell me what you like and why, and I'll pass it on!