BoB was a good miniseries, but the acting was not that of movie quality. The book is much better(and is factual, not 'plot' driven with dialog like the miniseries). In fact, if you like history, the wroter, Ambrose, has many good books.

Platoon was also a very good movie. Nothing can compare to the the way thin Red Line is presented. The way the director allows you to get into the soldiers head is very well done.