Movies Versus Books

I've been thinking about this for a while now, thought I'd post on it. I have set myself a goal of reading a book a week, and I try to make that weekly read something edifying, serious, literary, or at least noteworthy. (I'm way behind this week, btw. I started The Fortress of Solitude, by Jonathan Lethem, but it isn't really doing very much for me.) But I also watch two or three movies a week, and I don't particularly set high standards for those. Indeed, if you read this blog, you know that I have a soft spot for sci-fi and cheesy horror movies. And thrillers, crime capers, Westerns . . . Middle- to low-brow, for the most part, with a few "arty" pix thrown in, now and then. (But even then, are Kurosawa samurai movies "high brow"? They're like Westerns with swords.) I will pretty much watch any old movie, so long as it's not a romantic comedy.

So does that mean I'm a book snob? Probably. Reading a book takes much more time and effort than watching a movie, so I guess I try to make the effort "worthwhile." Movies are more about entertainment. In addition, I'm a pretty visual person, so I like to just look at movies. But books, they have to keep me engaged on a more intellectual level. That must be why I can stand George Lucas dialogue in a movie--I'm sure I could never read that in print.