Earlier this week, I watched Valley of the Dolls with Maria. It was the movie version of a book I gave her to read while we were just dating. Coincidentally, it's probably the only thing I gave her to read that she enjoyed. She read Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, and it gave her nightmares. Valley of the Dolls is a soap opera style book about three beauties who rise and fall in the New York social scene. She read the 400-plus page novel, and we watched the condensed movie version. It was all right, but she said, as is usually the case, the book is better than the movie.

Last night, I watched a local theatre production of the rock musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." They transformed the theatre into a cabaret-style diner, complete with a rock band and the drag queen Hedwig herself. It was a quality multi-media style show with catchy songs, illustrations and an infighting wait staff. It was an enjoyable time, but really, the movie was better than the play. The movie was able to go into detail events that were only spoken of in the play version.

I once directed a theatrical production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." To this day, it is my crowning achievement as a director. Not because I did anything brilliant, but because the process from beginning to end was enjoyable, well-received, and a blessing to almost everyone involved. Most people have seen the movie starring Jack Nicholson, and many think it is a great movie. I think it's pretty good myself. Of course, the real gem is the book written by Ken Kesey. I think I can safely say the play is better than the movie, and the book is better than the play or the movie.

Then, there's Fight Club. I saw that movie, and it blew my mind at the time. Then I read the book, and it also blew my mind. While different in their delivery, both the movie and the book are equally good in my mind. Of course, I've read many Chuck Palahniuk books and I've seen a few David Fincher-directed movies. Fight Club takes the cake for both of them. Maybe it's the story that is better than the men.

Maria is a fan of the movie The Notebook and swears it's a better movie than book. I have only seen the movie, but I must admit it's quite a good flick, even for a chick flick.

I was impressed by what Terry Gilliam and Johnny Depp did with Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It was shocking that they even came close to the flavor of Thompson's drug riddled ride. Still, the book is a masterpiece, and the movie is just pretty damn good.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is (in my eyes) the finest book-to-movie adaptation ever, and yet, it's hard to say which is better. Tolkien or Jackson? They are both incredible. Let's leave it at that.

Steel Magnolias. Um, I'm not a fan of either the play or movie, and I'm not sure which came first. It's a chick story to the nth degree, and I couldn't tell you which is better. For some reason, though, I thought I should mention it.

Oh yeah, a lot of people have read the Harry Potter books, and a lot of people have seen the Harry Potter movies. I am not one of those people.

There is one thing in common with all of these stories: They were all made into movies. Whether it came from a book, a play or a screenplay first, every halfway popular story finds its way onto the silver screen. Usually people say "The movie isn't as good as..." even though a lot more effort, manpower and money went into making the movie.

A good book takes one person, two if they have a good editor. A good play takes at least a dozen people, maybe up to fifty for a big production. A good movie takes hundreds of people, sometimes thousands. More people doesn't always mean a better product. Some stories are made for the page, some for the stage, and some for the screen.

Personally, I read a handful of books, watch at least twenty plays, and view dozens of movies every year. I'm always looking for a good story. I don't care from which medium it comes. I just want to be entertained or enlightened or awakened. You'd think it would be easy, but it's surprisingly not. I am ravenous to be told a quality tale, and it won't stop until the day I die.

Hey, what's showing tonight?

Chris Jungle is a sucker for a good story.