Heh, I’m so rotting in literary hell for this. Which level, I’m not quite sure.
Movies I Prefer to the Books They’re Based On:
Atonement. Loved the movie. I thought it was beautifully shot, lovely costumes, great soundtrack, good acting. In the book? Well, I was bored stiff. I didn’t care for McEwan’s writing style; it was too flowery and overly descriptive for my liking.
The Princess Bride. The movie is so classic, it just wins. And in the book, the author’s butting in is annoying.
The Princess Diaries. The book doesn’t have Julie Andrews.
Bridget Jones’s Diary. Colin Firth + Hugh Grant + wimp fight> book entertainment value. I enjoyed the book. Wimp fight on screen is just awesome.
And the ultimate reason why I belong in literary hell…
Pride and Prejudice. Either the BBC one or the 2005 one. Try as I may, I just can’t stomach Jane Austen. I like her story lines. I like her characters. I dislike her writing style. I realize that she lived/wrote during the Regency so her style isn’t exactly modern. But there are PLENTY of books I enjoy from before or just after that time period.
She Thinks Too Much 
My wife is an avid reader also. She can read a book a day if she sets her mind to it. She recently bought a copy of Jane Austin’s “Emma”. She managed the first two chapters and gave up on it. “Language too difficult,” she said, giving the book to me to read. So after I finish “The Secret Garden,” I’ll give Jane a whirl. We own both DVDs of “Pride and Prejudice” as well. Haven’t read the book so can’t comment but the flicks are excellent.
Hahahaha! Well, I’ll admit it, just for the record, the wimp fight WAS fantastic. And how perfect were the two male leads. (Perfect.) Enjoyed the movies, both of them. As for the books, I did love the second one, so I’d have to give it another go-round before concurring.
As for P&P, that book is one of my perennials. The movies are too. There’s only one line in the book which fails to be said in the BBC version–which I *heart*–or one line which I enjoy, I should say. It’s in the scene where Mr Darcy gets quite a different reception to his declaration/proposal than he expects. Part of Ms Bennet’s pert putting him in his place. Actually, two lines, I think. BBC doesn’t have her call his conduct “ungentlemanly,” does it? What a book… What a series!!! But the story’s magical, regardless who does it.
And Mr Collins is….breathtakingly perfect, way beyond my imagination. In the BBC version. God bless it.
Ah, someone’s dropped a glass table outside, by the sound of it.