Read the Book Before You See the Movie

While movie lovers around the world are de-bating how many trophies the Batman movie The Dark Knight will rack up this awards season, comic book fans already are anticipating the cinematic arrival of Watchmen, scheduled for March 2009. The film is based on a graphic novel that raises the question of who polices the superheroes, and it has been hailed as a masterpiece for the two decades since it was first published. You could wait for the movie, but it's likely that memorable parts will end up on the cutting-room floor, such as the comic-within-a-comic pirate story and the prose biographical bits.

Other films on deck that are based on worthy page-turners include Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-winning The Road and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.