Mildred Pierce. Poster of the 2011 TV series and cover of the 1941 book
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Mildred Pierce
James M. Cain, 1941
TV series vs book
Todd Haynes, 2011

Mildred Pierce depicts an overprotective, self-sacrificing mother during the Great Depression who finds herself separated from her husband, opening a restaurant of her own and falling in love with a man, all the while trying to earn her spoiled, narcissistic elder daughter’s love and respect.


American Splendor. Poster of the 2003 movie and cover of the 1976 comic book
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American Splendor
Harvey Pekar, 1976
movie vs comic book
Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, 2003

Harvey Pekar is file clerk at the local VA hospital. He regularly scours Cleveland’s thrift stores and garage, savoring the rare joy of a 25-cent find. It is at one of these junk sales that Harvey meets Robert Crumb, a greeting card artist and music enthusiast. When, years later, Crumb finds international success for his underground comics, the idea that comic books can be a valid art form for adults inspires Harvey to write his own brand of comic book.


American Splendor. Poster of the 2003 movie and cover of the 1994 comic book, Our Cancer Year
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Our Cancer Year
Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, Frank Stack, 1994
movie vs comic book
Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, 2003

Harvey Pekar is file clerk at the local VA hospital. He regularly scours Cleveland’s thrift stores and garage, savoring the rare joy of a 25-cent find. It is at one of these junk sales that Harvey meets Robert Crumb, a greeting card artist and music enthusiast. When, years later, Crumb finds international success for his underground comics, the idea that comic books can be a valid art form for adults inspires Harvey to write his own brand of comic book.


Wayward Pines. Poster of the 2015 TV series and cover of the 2012 book, Pines
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Pines
Blake Crouch, 2012
TV series vs book
Chad Hodge, 2015

In the first season, Ethan Burke is a U.S. Secret Service agent investigating the disappearance of two fellow agents in the mysterious small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. In the second season, Dr. Theo Yedlin is a surgeon who is caught in the battle between Jason Higgins, leader of the First Generation that took over Wayward Pines following the Abbie incident, and the underground rebels led by Ethan’s son Ben Burke.


Real Steel. Poster of the 2011 movie and cover of the 1957 book, Steel
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Steel
Richard Matheson, 1957
movie vs book
Shawn Levy, 2011

In 2020, human boxers are replaced by robots. After the fight, Charlie learns that his ex-girlfriend died and he must now attend a hearing deciding the future of their son, Max, a robot-boxing fan with whom Charlie has virtually no contact since Max was born.


About Schmidt. Poster of the 2002 movie and cover of the 1996 book
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About Schmidt
Louis Begley, 1996
movie vs book
Alexander Payne, 2002

Warren Schmidt is retiring from his position as an actuary with Woodmen of the World, a life insurance company in Omaha, Nebraska. He soon receives an information package with a photo of his foster child, a small Tanzanian boy named Ndugu Umbo, to whom he relates his life in a series of candid, rambling letters.


Infamous. Poster of the 2006 movie and cover of the 1997 book, Truman Capote
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Truman Capote
George Plimpton, 1997
movie vs book
Douglas McGrath, 2006

Truman Capote, known in New York City society for his wit and fashion flair as much as he is recognized in literary circles, reads a brief article about the murder of a farming family in Holcomb, Kansas. Curious as to how the residents would react to a brutal massacre in their midst, the author and his friend, Nelle Harper Lee, travel to the rural Midwestern town, so Capote can interview people for a magazine article.


Hearts in Atlantis. Poster of the 2001 movie and cover of the 1999 book
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Hearts in Atlantis
Stephen King, 1999
movie vs book
Scott Hicks, 2001

Middle-aged photographer and businessman Robert Bobby Garfield returns to his old hometown upon learning that his best friend, decorated soldier John Sully Sullivan has died in a traffic accident and begins recollecting his past when he visits an abandoned house where he used to live.


Proof. Poster of the 2005 movie and cover of the 2000 book
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Proof
David Auburn, 2000
movie vs book
John Madden, 2005

The daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician, recently deceased, tries to come to grips with her possible inheritance: his insanity. Complicating matters are one of her father’s ex-students, who wants to search through his papers, and her estranged sister, who shows up to help settle his affairs.


Rebel in the Rye. Poster of the 2017 movie and cover of the 2010 book, J.D. Salinger: A Life
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J.D. Salinger: A Life
Kenneth Slawenski, 2010
movie vs book
Danny Strong, 2017

Nicholas Hoult stars in the tale of the literary genius behind the masterpiece Catcher in the Rye and the mentor who helped change American culture forever. The movie follows the life of J. D. Salinger from his youth to the World War II era, including his romantic life and the publication of his debut novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ in 1951.


The Hoax. Poster of the 2006 movie and cover of the 1972 book, Hoax
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Hoax
Stephen Fay, Lewis Chester, Magnus Linklater, 1972
movie vs book
Lasse Hallström, 2006

Early in 1971, the publishing company McGraw-Hill passes on Clifford Irving’s new novel. He’s desperate for money, so, against the backdrop of Nixon’s reelection calculations, Irving claims he has Howard Hughes’s cooperation to write Hughes’s autobiography. With the help of friend Richard Suskind, Irving does research, lucks into a manuscript written by a long-time Hughes associate, and plays on corporate greed.


The Secret Lives of Dentists. Poster of the 2002 movie and cover of the 1987 book, The Age of Grief
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The Age of Grief
Jane Smiley, 1987
movie vs book
Alan Rudolph, 2002

Married dentists David and Dana Hurst, parents to three children, find their relationship strained when David suspects Dana of infidelity. Coping with the emotional turmoil, David starts engaging in imagined conversations with a discontented patient. The family’s stress escalates as they all fall ill with the flu.