"Seven Types of Ambiguity," "Cat's Cradle," and "The Handmaid's Tale": Books for the Big Screen

It seems they turn all sorts of books into movies these days. Everything from children's books such as Harry Potter to the classics-just about every Shakespeare play ever written to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" (even rumored, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"). If I had to choose three books to turn into movies, however, they would be far from the action-intense, CG-riddled box office hits we see generally. Mine would embrace the literary nature, and careful story-telling of some of the best modern works. If you've never read them, you absolutely should check them out.

1. "Seven Types of Ambiguity" by Eliot Perlman. This is a novel that I just finished reading, and I feel it has the perfect plotline for a movie, and intense characters. "Seven Types of Ambiguity" is a psychologically charged story of a man still hung up on his ex, who goes to the extent of taking her child (harmlessly), and gets thrown into jail-with a would-be girlfriend prostitute, a therapist best friend, a messed up childhood, and a network of individuals who never thought they were so intimately bound. I would undoubtedly cast Jude Law to be Simon, the story's protagonist, Christina Ricci to be the gorgeous Angelique, Liam Neeson to play therapist Alex, Aaron Eckhart to be Joe, the husband of Simon's lost love Anna, and Scarlett Johansen to be Anna, the beautiful woman at the center of it all.

2. "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut. This book has an absolutely ridiculous story that involves its own religion (Bokononism), incredible technology and science, an interesting culture, and an unforeseen ending. There is no way I could summarize "Cat's Cradle" adequately in one single paragraph, but nonetheless I'll try. The narrator, a man by the name of John (or sometimes Jonah) is a writer, working on a book about the A bombs that hit Japan. He becomes involved with Dr. Felix Hoenikker (the physicist who worked on the bomb) and his family, then ends up on an island finding a dying ruler and an unbelievable string of events. No spoilers here, but if you have read the novel you understand the genius of it. Casting decisions would be: Adrian Brody as John, Alfred Molina as Felix Hoenikker, and Morgan Freeman as the elusive Bokonon.

3. "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. "The Handmaid's Tale" is a true work of art. It falls into the dystopia genre, presenting a world in which all women and the less desired of the culture are stripped of all rights, and entered into a system that treats sex as an act purely for reproductive purposes, in which handmaids play an integral role. The main character, Offred, is one of these handmaids. Her purpose is to live at the home of the Commander-her master-and provide reproductive services (as his wife is believed to be sterile). This obviously creates an interesting dynamic in the household-as the Commander is torn between his dissatisfaction with his place in the system and his marriage, and the issues he would cause for himself if he tried to do anything about it. A resistance is abound, and different characters get involved... but I wont tell too much! My casting would be: Natalie Portman as our protagonist, Offred, Kevin Spacey as the Commander, and Nicole Kidman as the Commander's wife, Serena Joy.

I'm sure there are countless other books that would be fabulous with film adaptations, but I think you'll find these are great picks for the silver screen. Make sure to give them a read!