Tag Archives: Stephen King

Movies/TV

The Best Stephen King Movies/TV Series

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These are my favorite Stephen King movie and television adaptations.

  1. The Shawshank Redemption – Drama
  2. It: Chapter One – Horror/Science Fiction
  3. The Green Mile – Science Fiction
  4. Stand By Me – Drama
  5. Storm of the Century – Horror/Science Fiction
  6. The Mist – Science Fiction
  7. 11/22/63 – Science Fiction
  8. 1408 – Horror/Science Fiction
  9. Hearts in Atlantis – Drama/Science Fiction
  10. 1922 – Horror/Science Fiction
  11. Misery – Drama
  12. The Stand – Science Fiction 
  13. Chinga – Horror (X-Files Episode)
  14. The Shinning – Horror
  15. The Langoliers – Science Fiction 

shawshank-redemption-1.jpg

Movies/TV

The Mist

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“You got that kid killed, and I got his f***ing blood on me!” – David Drayton

Synopses

David Drayton, a commercial artist is painting in his home one night in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. He leaves to take shelter with his family in the basement only to awake the next morning to find his art studio and the painting he was working on has bee completely destroyed. While surveying the damage outside he also learns his boathouse has been crushed by a neighbors tree. As he goes to exchange insurance information with him he learns his neighbor, Brent Norton he learns a tree also fell on his property and crushed his car.

The two of them, along with David’s five-year-old son Billy head into to town to get supplies and resources while the power is down. On the way there they pass several military vehicles speeding down the highway. Once they arrive at the store a strange mist starts to engulf everything outside. A local named Dan Miller comes running, in front of the mist bleeding from the nose saying “something is in the mist.”

Jeff’s Review

Based on a 1980 novella by Stephen King, the Mist might be the most frightening film based on King’s work. It was directed and written by Frank Darabont who also adapted King’s the Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile. Both of those movies are numbers one and two on my all time favorite movie list. So I had very high expectations about this movie beforehand.

I had never read the book so I came to the story fresh with no preconceived notions of what to expect.  Sometimes it hurts when you know the story from a book seeing the movie. I probably would have enjoyed “I am Legend” better if I did not view the movie wanting to see Richard Matheson’s vampire novel on screen.

So coming in blind, what I saw shocked and scared me. Darabont succeeds in making a very terrifying monster movie. And yet at the same time, an interesting movie about people’s natural reaction to fear.

Having seen the movie, I did go out and read the book and the film was fairly faithful to the original story, changing a few things for dramatic and storytelling purposes. One major change was the ending of the movie. It is completely different then what King penned in his novella. Darabont wasn’t sure if King would like it or not and was apprehensive about showing it to him, but to his delight King loved it. King went as far as saying:

“Frank wrote a new ending I love. It is the most shocking ending ever. There should be a law passed stating that anybody who reveals the last five minutes of this film should be hung from their neck until dead.”

I, of course, will obey Mr. King and just say after viewing the movie’s ending it literally left me speechless.  It is something you did not see coming and will make you think for a long time to come about what you would do if ever faced with a similar situation.

Cast

  • Thomas Jane as David Drayton
  • Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs. Carmody
  • Laurie Holden as Amanda Dumfries
  • Andre Braugher as Brent Norton
  • Toby Jones as Ollie Weeks
  • William Sadler as Jim Grondin
  • Jeffrey DeMunn as Dan Miller
  • Frances Sternhagen as Irene
  • Alexa Davalos as Sally
  • Nathan Gamble as Billy Drayton

The cast did a magnificent job. Thomas Jane is remarkable as a David Drayton and he almost did not get the role, as the studio did not want him at first. Luckily for us, everything got straightened out.  I was also really happy to see Jeffrey DeMunn as he is one of my favorite actors. He has been in a number of Stephen King movies, including Shawshank and Green Mile. But m favorite role of his was in King’s miniseries, “Storm of the Century.” His role here in the Mist was small, but he was brilliant every moment he was on camera.

Suggestions and Ratings

The movie is rated R for violence, terror, gore, and language. At just over two hours long this movie is a perfect movie to watch with all the lights off and a big bag of popcorn on your lap. Seriously, you are doing yourself a disservice if you watch this movie with the lights on. So turn them off and prepare yourself for a terrifying night! Four out of four stars.

Movies/TV

The Shawshank Redemption

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As any Stephen King fan knows, his books sometimes have trouble translating to film. King has even gone so far as to sue certain filmmakers after the fact because they made such horrible representation of his work. However, because Stephen King is such a brilliant writer when his films do succeed they are usually masterpieces.

Such is the case with the Shawshank Redemption. Frank Darabont took this short story about a man falsely imprisoned for murder and turned it into the greatest movie ever made!

Set in the late forties, Tim Robins plays, Andy Dufresne, a successful banker, who is tried and convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover. He is sentenced to two life terms in prison, without the possibility of parole. Once there he is confronted with the harsh reality, that will be his life from this day on.

He eventually meets a man named Red, played wonderfully by Morgan Freeman. Red is everyone’s go-to-guy, if there is something you want, he is the man who can get it for you. Andy asks Red if he could get him a rock hammer because Andy is making a chess board and would like the hammer to make the pieces.  And so begins one of the strongest friendships ever portrayed in the film. Robins and Freeman are such amazing actors, you feel as if each line of dialogue is being spoken directly to you.

Obviously, in a prison movie, you are bound to get themes like hope and freedom. But with the Shawshank Redemption, it is more than just clever storytelling.  You actually share the same hopefulness with Andy as he longs for his freedom once again.

As movies go, you don’t get better then the Shawshank Redemption! The only other movie that is in the same league is the Green Mile. Which also happens to be a Stephen King movie adapted for the screen, by Frank Darabont. As Andy says, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and good things never die.” Neither will the Shawshank Redemption. Four out of four stars.

Literature

Stephen King’s “N.” (Graphic Novel)

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My Library, Book Reviews – 6AM Reviews

Title: Stephen King’s “N.” – Download the comics
Comics: Four in the Series
Author: Stephen King and Marc Guggenheim
Rating: 5/5 – Near Perfect

This graphic novel is based on Stephen King’s short story “N.” It can be found in his 2008 book, “Just After Sunset.”  Wikipedia describes the book as, “a woman named Sheila writes to her friend Charlie about her brother Johnny, a psychiatrist who recently committed suicide. Sheila suspects it was due to a patient Johnny referred to in his notes only as of the eponymous “N.”

The graphic novel follows the story pretty close with amazing and terrifying images. You can buy physical hard copies at marvel.com for $4.00 each or you can download PDF versions of the comics here.

More information can be found: N. Is Here

Check back tomorrow morning, for another 6AM Review.

Literature

The Man in the Black Suite: 4 Dark Tales

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My Library, Book Reviews – 6AM Reviews

Title: The Man in the Black Suite: 4 Dark Tales
Pages: Audiobook
Author: Stephen King
Rating: 3/5 – Good King, Not Great King

This audiobook features four stories from Stephen King’s “Everything’s Eventual.”

  1. The Man in the Black Suit, read by John Cullum. The story is one hour and seven minutes long. And is the weakest of the four tales.
  2. All That You Love Will Be Carried Away, read by Peter Gerety
  3. That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French, read by Becky Ann Baker
  4. The Death of Jack Hamilton, read by Arliss Howard

My favorite of the four stories is the final one. Jack Hamilton is a member of the infamous John Dillinger gang. We follow his life and death is told to us by his friend Homer. Stephen King said he wrote the novella after six months of researching the actual events.

Check back tomorrow morning, for another 6AM Review.

Books, Literature

Stephen King’s UR

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I finally got around to Stephen King’s “UR.” I listened to the audiobook version, as I don’t yet have a Kindle. As it turns out, you need one to read the story, as Stephen King released the book only on that platform.

It’s about an English teacher named Wesley Smith who receives someone else’s mail. He orders a Kindle from amazon.com and instead of the standard Kindle, the one he gets is pink and can access other dimensions.

In these other dimensions, he finds authors we know and love have written more books than they did in our world. He is lured into buying these new books and is shocked at what he finds. Ernest Hemingway, for example, lives longer and produces three or four more books! I wish King focused more on this, he spends a decent amount of time, but it’s over just as it gets interesting!

The first six chapters of the book are amazing and fast-paced. It’s just that last, seventh chapter where I draw my objections.

SPOILER WARNING

I’m assuming you’ve read the book if you are reading this spoiler section. I have several issues with the way King finished UR. And it comes down to this: It doesn’t make sense.

I accept everything that happens in the book at face value. Smith gets a Kindle, which can access different dimensions. I’m sold. My problem comes when the ridiculous “Paradox Police” show up and only give Wesley a slap on the wrist.

Why would these two monsters warn Wesley about this horrible thing he had done, only then to say, “We’re giving you a pass.” By all estimations, Wesley screwed up big time. They just want to come and get the Kindle and leave? And then there is the whole point, they are taking the Kindle. Why would they warn him not to do anything like this again, if he physically can’t without that pink little device?

One more thing, the monsters lecture Wesley that he should have realized about the importance of the “Paradox Laws.” But, why would he? He just got the Kindle a few days before – he’s still adjusting to the whole idea of everything.

These two paradox police officers are scary as hell, I wish Stephen King would have really socked it to Wesley. It would have been a great twist, if by saving the life of the one he loved (and breaking the law), the monsters would have taken him to a different dimension where she had originally died. Or something along those lines.

Far be it from me to accuse the great Stephen King for rushing to meet a deadline, but the last chapter of UR seems to have been written in a different dimension. A dimension where Stephen King writes children’s books with happy endings.

The first six chapters of the book are amazing. It’s just that last, seventh chapter I fear will leave readers with a nasty taste in their mouth.

END OF SPOILER SECTION

The book is worth buying. It’s a great deal at only about $3.00 in the Kindle Store on amazon.com. Many have accused King of writing UR as nothing but an advertisement for the Kindle Reading Device. I’m not as cynical to believe this, but the story does make the Kindle sound pretty darn awesome. Awesome enough to spend $250.00 on it? Maybe, especially if you get a pink one…

A side note about the audio book. It’s read by Holter Graham, and as usual, does a fantastic job. He captures the book perfectly and makes the listening experience a delight.

Literature, Movies/TV

1408 (2007)

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Swedish film director Mikael Håfström takes Stephen King’s unsettling story about a haunted hotel room and turned it into an amazing hour and forty six minute fright-fest!

This film is unique because the majority of it is Crusack alone in the hotel room. It’s virtually his very own one-man show. He takes command of the screen and doesn’t let go.

The film version of 1408 is vastly different and I dare say superior to the book. While King’s novella was good and spooky in its own right, the movie takes the story to a new level. In the book, we don’t really know what’s going on in the room. All we hear (read) is what Michel records in the cassette recorder. Other than that we are left to our imagination. And while this does work well for a novel, it obviously would not work for the theaters.

The story builds and plays on your anticipation of what is going to happen next. And when it does actually happen, it has you jumping out of your seats with fear. The pacing reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan’s work in Sightings, very slow and methodical.

When you get to watch this on DVD, be sure to watch the alternative version of the film too. I would say they are both equally good, while the alterative version is just slightly better. The ending is improved and makes more sense to me than the original.

Verdict: Buy the DVD

Movies/TV

The Green Mile

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Based on a serial novella by Stephen King, the Green Mile is the best adaption of King’s work. The film faithfully follows the book, by using flashbacks to tell the story of John Coffee and the miraculous year of 1935. It was directed by Frank Darabont, who previously teamed with King on the Shawshank Redemption. Darabont also wrote the screenplay for the Green Mile, turning the 400 pages, six-volume tome into the brilliant three-hour movie we have today.

We are introduced to Paul Edgecombe as he awakes from a nightmare. Presumably the same nightmare he’s been having for decades. He’s haunted by his past, and the things he’s seen and done. One afternoon while watching television in the family room of the retirement home he is living in, and the old show brings back a flood of memories he wishes he could forget. He leaves the room in tears and his close friend, Elaine Connelly follows. They withdraw to a private room where he precedes to tell her the story of John Coffee and the two dead girls.

Stephen King is often labeled a “horror” writer. And sure, it’s with good reason as he is the man who brought us the Shinning and Storm of the Century. However, he has quite a knack for dramatic storytelling. Sure, the Green Mile has plenty of supernatural elements in it, however, it’s much more of a story about the men who come into contact with Coffee.

King and Darabont make several allusions to Coffee as a Christ-like figure. His name is John Coffee (J.C.). He is sacrificed for crimes he did not commit. He has an incredible ability to heal and to raise the dead. Despite all these obvious implications, the movie does not push this view on anyone, it’s only something you would notice from watching it closely.

Unfortunately for the Green Mile, 1999 was a remarkable year for films. It was nominated for several Oscars, including best picture. But as a result of the daunting competition, it lost to American Beauty.