Watch the movie or read the book?

I love movies. Let me preface that now. I love movies. Crappy movies, horror movies, comedies, they're all great. I do have issue with movies/TV shows that are based on/adapted from books. And don't get me started on the "Oscar-winning films."

If you saw The Scarlet Letter, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I had to read that book in junior high (what an initiation into adultery and clandestine affairs with clergy members) and I don't recall half of what happened in the movie happening in the book. Might have made the book a little easier to read, if I must be honest. Now to be fair, it does say in the beginning credits, "Loosely adapted from." (At least that's what I recall, only saw the movie once and that's saying something from the person that saw Top Gun so many times, I could basically recite the entire movie from beginning to end.) Don't even get me started on the Stephen King books being turned into movies. Love the books, hate the movies.

This is my dilemna, I'll see a movie and find out there's a book and I'll want to read it. Why? I don't know, I just saw the movie which probably contains all the good parts of the book; one would think I would save my money right? Well, I'm a book junkie too. Not literary greats, usually horror or trashy romance novels. I know, I'm cultured. But I've heard nothing but hype about the new Twilight books and the movie coming out. So of course, I just rushed to my nearest book retailer and bought not one but two of the books from the series. Yeah, I'm not bothering to check to see if the first one sucks, I committed myself to two of them. I'm so fiscally responsible right?

On top of that, I'm in the middle of Generation Kill. The book and the mini-series. Yeah, I watch the show and then try reading the book. I'm almost caught up in the book to the point where the series is. Makes sense, I know. Well, I have to say it's because I love the series. The storyline is pretty compelling and, as a former military member, I can relate to some of the situations that the guys encounter (not the combat ones, of course, but others such as crazy, incompetent leaders, military decisions that seem to make no sense, and the love of the ol' MRE to name a few). Plus, most of the guys are pretty hot. Just a bonus.

So I guess this brings me to my point: do you read the book or watch the movie? If you do both, which comes first? Don't think it's quite up there with the chicken or the egg quandry but I think it comes close.

Alexander Skarsgard is hot at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.