Swan Song And The Stand


This was originally posted 10/10/09. I'm reposting it with some corrections and some new quotes. In other words. . . this is the complete and uncut version of this article! I love both these novels!
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A King Like Review Of SWAN SONG:
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In The Library Policeman, Liberian Mrs. Lortz give realtor Sam Peebles a hefty dose of reality. In response to his suggestion that her signs might be a bit harsh -- over the top -- she responds by telling him what kids really read. "According to the poll. . . Their favorite novel was a paperback original called Swan Song. It's a horror novel by a man named Robert Mccammon. We can't keep it in stock, Sam. They read each new copy to rags in weeks. I had a copy put in Vinabind, but of course, it was stolen. By one of the bad children." Four Past Midnight, The Library Policeman, p. 431 (HB)
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Now, that's pretty close to a good review -- in the world of Stephen King. If a prudish librarian doesn't like the book -- it's must be good. She probably wouldn't like Dracula, either.
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Swan Song and the Original Edition of The Stand:
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Swan Song, by Robert Mccammon, is often compared to Stephen King's The Stand. Of course, when it was written the world only knew of the old version of The Stand. King had not yet shown his full hand on this masterpiece.
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Swan Song Stands On It's Own!
I should point out that Swan Song stands on its own. It is not a rip-off of The Stand. It moves in its own directions. Mccammon is no hack! There's an interesting blog entry titled, "Swan Song is Not Like The Stand." The author writes, "I was perusing McCammon’s Facebook page and one of his fans posted a question asking (I’m paraphrasing) the author why he never really discussed Swan Song. McCammon answered that it was because when the novel was originally released there were critics who lambasted the novel for being similar to King’s."
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I agree with his sentiments as further stated: "McCammon’s novel is a quality read and is good enough to stand up on its own; it is unfortunate that McCammon should feel shameful for writing such a great book and always have to go on the defensive every time Swan Song is brought up in conversation. The criticism should instead be directed towards the critics who were so unimaginative that they could not differentiate between the scenarios of McCammon’s to those of Stephen King."
http://readingwriting.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/swan-song-is-not-like-the-stand/
Comparing The Two
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By comparing the two novels, I am not saying they are the same! I am not suggesting either author took ideas or themes from the other. I am simply pointing out some common things between the novels. Like comparing Salem's Lot to Dracula.
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It is interesting for me to note how personally intertwined these books are for me. In fact, when I first posted this article, I noted that both The Stand and Swan Song have sympathetic black female characters. Some of you rightly pointed out the error of my way! Sister Creep isn't black! That startled me. How had I made that mistake? Well, the answer was simple: I had recently read The Stand, and Mother Abigail was on my mind. Sister -- Mother . . . somehow she was a street-smart mother Abigail in my imagination.
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Both novels are long, sweeping novels of good and evil. The primary difference I noted was the way in which each author got rid of the bulk of society. Mccammon used nukes. King used the "super-flu." Years ahead of Swine Flu or SARS, he imagined a world wide plague that would devastate the countryside.
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By the way, note the importance of women in both novels. In Swan Song it's Sister Creep, and, of course, in The Stand it's Mother Abigail. God is also a main character in both novels!
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Of interest: King does not use nukes to end the world, but they do play a critical part in the plot. It is Trashcan man who brings the nukes to Vegas, and God himself who pushes the button.
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King never moves into high places. He doesn't concern us too much with the government (except when Stu is taken captive). The story is told simply from the views of the main characters. But Mccammon takes is right into the oval office and Air Force One. I like the president in Swan Song.
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Brian Schwartz at You're entitled to my opinion writes, "It’s not hard to see the influence of Stephen King. There are too many parallels between The Stand and Swan Song. That does not diminish the power of this story, its characters, or the barren wasteland that is America after it is nuked. While the stories are similar, the characters are remarkably different. Besides, a tale can be retold in a number of ways and be enjoyable." http://brian1984books.blogspot.com/2006/05/swan-song-by-robert-mccammon.html
I do wonder if Mccammon was inspired by The Stand. So which one's better? Why bother -- both are worth multiple readings.
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Craigs Book Club rightly notes, "Epic in scope, Swan Song approaches 1000 pages. This may turn some off, but the pages are full and not a word is wasted. Fans of The Stand may scoff at the similar plot, but I can say that, even as a fan of The Stand myself, I was able to lose myself in this horrible world and forget all about Stephen King's."
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Available Editions:
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Strangely, I went to look for a hardcover copy of Swan Song, since the paperback was experiencing a pretty ugly death. But Pocketbooks offers no hardcover that I can find. Turns out there is a hardcover edition from Dark Harvest. Back in the day, it was $21.95. Now, it's looking more like $147 to $943 -- IF you can find it.
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In fact, a book this good begs a questions:
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1. Where's the audio edition?
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2. Where's the movie? (mini-series) The Stand mini-series will soon become dated. Maybe it's time to give Mccammon's novel a shot (instead of remaking The Stand).
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Differences:
Again, Brian at yourentitledtomyopinion, pointed out some itneresting differences between the two novles in the area of landscape. He has done some great work reviewing these two books.
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he writes: What sends The Stand above and beyond the others is the deconstruction of society that unfolds in the first third of the book. In Matheson’s tale, some of that deconstruction is told in flashback. In Swan Song, society is wiped out in an instant by a nuclear blast. King’s book starts with men lazing about a small town Texas gas station. As the flu spreads, we read as Americans first become suspicious that what is happening is more than your average flu epidemic. That suspicion turns into fear as the Army begins quarantining cities and killing those who resist. Finally, with their ranks decimated by the flu, the military gives way to the mobs who also eventually succumb to the virus."
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and:
"Another striking difference in The Stand versus other post-apocalyptic fiction is the quiet beauty of the post-apocalyptic world. McCammon’s world is scorched. Matheson’s is haunted. Cormac McCarthy paints an even bleaker picture in his book, The Road where the world is dead and covered in gray ash."
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http://brian1984books.blogspot.com/2006/05/swan-song-by-robert-mccammon.html
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See also: Swan Song Is Not Like The Stand: http://readingwriting.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/swan-song-is-not-like-the-stand/

Please feel free to add in the comments section any similarities you see between the two books.

King On Screen


I'm watching Signs. Well, I was. . . until my daughter told me to turn it off or she might have bad dreams. I really like this movie! The director, M. Night Shyamalan, has a small role in the film. Alfred Hitchcock was also known for making passing appearances in his films. For instance, in The Birds, he's walking his dog. William Castle did the same thing.
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Stephen King has racked up quite the screen credits, stemming from his own work. It's kinda cool to spot King on screen. In fact, it's one of the refreshing moments in Sleepwalkers. He had a wonderful role in The Stand -- but I don't think anyone should spend too much time looking for him in the remake!
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The most complete list I could find was on imbd.com.
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2010 Sons of Anarchy (TV series) Bachman
– Caregiver (2010) … Bachman
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2007 Diary of the Dead Newsreader (voice) (uncredited)
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2005 Gotham Cafe (short) Mr. Ring
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2004 Kingdom Hospital (TV series) Johnny B. Goode
– Finale (2004) … Johnny B. Goode
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2002 Rose Red (TV mini-series) Pizza Delivery Guy
– Episode #1.2 (2002) … Pizza Delivery Guy
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2000 Frasier (TV series) Brian
– Mary Christmas (2000) … Brian (voice)
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1999 Storm of the Century (TV mini-series) Lawyer in Ad / Reporter on Broken TV
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1997 The Shining (TV mini-series) Cage Creed
– Episode #1.3 (1997) … Cage Creed
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1996 Thinner Dr. Bangor
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1995 The Langoliers (TV movie) Tom Holby
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1994 The Stand (TV mini-series) Teddy Weizak
– The Stand (1994) … Teddy Weizak
– The Betrayal (1994) … Teddy Weizak
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1992 Sleepwalkers Cemetery Caretaker
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1991 Golden Years (TV series) Bus Driver
– Second Chance (1991) … Bus Driver
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1989 Pet Sematary Minister
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1987 Creepshow 2 Truck Driver (segment "The Hitchhiker")
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1986 Maximum Overdrive Man At Bank ATM (uncredited)
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1982 Creepshow Jordy Verrill (segment "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill")
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1981 Knightriders Hoagie Man
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Eyes Of The Dragon Journal 3

Photo: Beth drooling over Stu's copy of Eyes of the Dragon limited http://www.flickr.com/photos/diannewood/212653413/sizes/l/in/photostream/
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Just finishing up Eyes of the Dragon . . . as I wait patiently for The Stand cd's to arrive. So patiently. . . so patiently . . . MAN THE MAIL IS SLOW!
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As I've already noted, the narration is awesomely energetic. King often pauses to speak directly to the reader, something I really like.
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Plot:
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The Stephen King Universe says that this novel could easily be seen as "a segment of the Dark Tower series, and just as important, if not more so, than such other linked works as The Stand, Insomnia, and Salem's Lot." p.63
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The story is straight forward and not complicated by a lot of sub-plots. King stays focused on his primary story an avoids the temptation to ramble. He does preach every now and then, sharing with us that Thomas isn't a "bad boy" exactly. In fact, he spends quite a while developing Thomas' character. And the bluntness from King is appreciated.
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The novel really speeds up toward the end. In fact, it moves like an LA freeway. . . from slow crawl to 85 mph. This is really aided by the audio recording, which is played "straight" throughout, until the end. Flagg seethes throughout, but the reader all out screams in echoing terror. Bronson Pinchot did a great job. I'm thrilled Viking put several of King's older work to audio.
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Once Peter is locked up in the Needle, the novel focuses almost completely on Thomas' reign as King and Peter's plan to escape. Of course, the question is: how do you get out of a tower with only a window? well, I'm not going to tell you, but the answer is brilliant.
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Characters:
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The dedication reads, "This story is for my great friend BEN STRAUB, and for my daughter, NAOMI KING." So it is no surprise that we discover Ben and Naomi are Peter's loyal subjects who are faithful to the end.
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Flagg: He is the court magician who used Dragon Sand to kill King Roland. He framed Peter for the murder. He used to be Delain's chief executioner. He is also known as Flagg the hooded and The Dark Man.
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At the end of The Stand you will remember that Flagg appears at a tribal village -- apparently having somehow escaped nuclear annihilation. Delain fairs better than our world (via the Stand), but Flagg is a slippery dude to get your hands on. Is this the same Flagg we meet in The Stand -- or just a favorite bad guy name? I think it's the same dude, Satan himself. In fact, he's flat out called a demon in Eyes of the Dragon.
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The Stephen King Universe notes, "The gunslinger recalls that he saw the creature called Flagg near the end of the chaos that destroyed the realm of his birth, and that Dennis and Thomas were in pursuit of him. This is the first indication that the Dark Tower saga and Eyes are closely linked." p.61
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Flagg also makes appearances in:
The Stand, (both editions. But more so in the revised.)
The Dark Tower series
Hearts in Atlantis. By the way, in Hearts in Atlantis, the villian is Raymond Fiegler (RF -- Randall Flagg.)
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Delane and The Dark Tower:
The Kingdom of Delane is not part of our world. Does it stand alone in the S.K. unvierse? It does not! It is actually part of the Gunslingers world. (One connected to ours in many ways, most literally by a series of doors on the beach!)
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In volume 7 of The Dark Tower, King reveals that Delane is Flagg's hometown. More is revealed in The Little Sisters of Eluria. In that short Dark Tower novella, Roland encounters a boy from Delane which is a kingdom Roland is aware of and expects to pass through on his quest. This gives unmistakable evidence that Delane is part of Roland's world.
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George Beahm writes in his book The Stephen King Companion, "In the Wastelands King makes those connections explicit. While in the city of Lud, Roland and Jake hear the story of a dark magician who had passed through long before, pursued by two young men named Thomas and Dennis. The closing pages of the eyes of the dragon show a repentant Thomas relinquishing the throne in favor of the rightful king, thus restoring true order. With his friend Dennis he starts on a quest to find Flagg in his world or others -- and take vengeance on the magician; the narrator assures readers in the final paragraphs that 'Peter ruled long and well, and that Thomas and Dennis had many strange adventures, and that they did see Flagg again, and confronted him." p.247
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Thomas: Peter's little brother. King's real skill as a writer pops up when dealing with Thomas. He is a person who does unlovely things, though he personally is not a bad character. He's a weak person. Tormented because he lives with the pain of the past. He grew up with a father who showered favor on his brother and did not appear to love him deeply.
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Thomas is not a natural leader, so he allows others to push him around -- most notably, Flagg. He imposes high taxes on the people, causing discontented people to leave and threatening open civil war. This reminds me of Rehoboam -- Solomon's son who raised taxes and saw the kingdom divide. (1 Kings 12)
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Peter: The true King of Delain. He has a King's heart. Peter is a natural leader, comfortable in the role of making difficult decisions. He is smart, patient and upbeat. His one sign of immaturity is weeping at the wrong moment (in one scene). Peter is like his mother Sasha.
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Roland: Called "Roland the good", his is the King of Delain during a period of relative prosperity. Not a great leader, Roland is constantly pulled between his two advisers. We discover, by looking through the eyes of the dragon, that he is much more like Thomas than Peter.
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Important Stuff:
  • Dragon Sand
  • Two headed parrot
  • The eyes of the dragon
  • Royal Napkins
  • Dollhouse
  • Miniature Sewing machine
Like a children's book:
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One Amazon reviewer wrote: "plot line is really weak, more like a children's book." Genius. King wrote the book because he said his pre-teen daughter Naomi had read many books -- none of them his!
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Illustrations
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The book is nicely illustrated with pencil drawings by David Palladini.
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Connection to Lovecraft:
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The Stephen King Universe gives us the following note: "In Eyes of the Dragon, Flagg reads from a book of darkest magic, bound in human skin, which was written by a madman named Alhazred on the Plain of Leng. this is an obvious nod to horror grandmaster H.P. Lovecraft, whose own book of darkest magic, the Nercronomicon, was also supposedly written by a madman named Alhazred." p.60
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Self Published:
The Stephen King Companion (original, not revised) had an interesting note on the publication of this book. King originally self published the book. This was because his publishing schedule was full through 1988 and a trade edition was not a viable option. It also allowed him to give it away as a Christmas gift that year (instead of The Plant).
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Beahm notes, "Because the Eyes of the Dragon was published by King's own Philtrum Press, it, more than any other King book, reflects the author in every stage of publication." p.210
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Of course, the book would sell out immediately, so how to distribute the book in a fair manner was an issue. A lottery was held and a thousand names were drawn. The cost: $127. ($120 for the book, $7 for the shipping.) If you're a collector, finding a copy of this would be a dream come true.

Presidents Day: King's Fictional President Tops List

Frank E. Lee at X102.3 has compiled a list of 5 Fictional Presidents. Number one on his listw as President Stillson from the Dead Zone, played by Martin Sheen.
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Lee writes: "One of our future leaders who, (spoiler alert!) never makes it past the primaries in this film adaptation of the Stephen King novel. We do get a glimpse of what his administration would have accomplished."
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I also liked his inclusion of Tom Beck from Deep Impact (Morgan Freeman). I watched that movie the other night, and still like it a lot. Freeman's portrayal of the president was awesome!
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Of course, it makes me wonder about a few ommissions in Lee's post. What about...
Harrison Ford, Air Force 1. So the plot is pretty hokey, but it's a lot of fun to see Mr. President take terrorist on in hand to hand combat.
Michael Douglas, American President. This movie gave a really good "inside the white house" feeling. It let the viewer in on the every day inner workings of the executive branch. The love story is pretty lame -- but the surroundings feel real.
Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy novels. I stopped reading Tom Clancy when he began spending a hundred pages to tell me how to build a necular bomb. George Lucas once said it gets annoying when a story teller wants to explain how everything works. Clancy sank into that pit, I think. However. . . Jack Ryan has always been a really cool character.
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http://wxrt.radio.com/2011/02/21/famous-fictional-presidents/#ixzz1Efzxp8l3

The Black & White Version Of THE MIST


My wife and I love old movies, and have a special fondness for Black and White. My dad hates it! I think it has something to do with having grown up in the 50's, when color was a big deal. To me, Black and White draws us back to another generation of film makers who knew how to do it!
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Hitchcock Would Approve!
You know, of course, Hitchcock chose to film Psycho in B&W. It's not like they hadn't invented color! One reason was to keep the budget under a million smackers. But he also said he chose black and white because of the shower scene. Audiences, he explained, already know what blood looks like. I love how the camera pans down to the drain to reveal that dark black pooling up in the shower.
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Donald Spoto explains in The Art Of Alfred Hitchcock, "at the center of the film is the legendary shower murder. . . in it we receive the impression of violence brutality and despair without being nauseated with color blood and detail." (p.325)
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The Mist as a story reminds me more of The Birds than Psycho -- though none of us would have trouble believing Mother Carmody could have more than one person rattling around in that nutty head of hers.
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Some notes:
So here's my notes, with a particular eye to the black and white:
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1. I enjoyed Frank Darabont's introduction. By the way, the FBI warning is in color. (I'm just sayin'. . .)
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2. The B&W does give it a classic movie feeling. I think one of the goals was to give it the old feel of a 1950's horror movie. Only, the monsters get a lot more screen time than most old movies!
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3. The B&W also gives the movie an unworldly sense. It feels darker. My wife said it's a surreal feeling. The shadows are much more noticeable -- but it's more than that. Lilja writes this: "The black-and-white version is darker (and I don't mean picture wise) and gives the movie quite a different feeling --" (Lilja's Library, p.454)
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4. In the loading dock scene, the lighting makes the scene much more intense in B&W.
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5. Where B&W doesn't work as well. . . In the scene where the rope is pulled back to the store, the blood on the rope does not have the same impact it had in color.
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The Test:
So which do you like better? It's not left up to guessing, is it? You can actually watch both versions! What's interesting is that you can do the very same thing (almost) with Psycho. It was re-filmed, scene for scene, in color! The result? Well, in my opinion, Hitchcock was right! The chocolate syrup is a lot more scary than bright red blood. It almost makes the classic, well -- trashy. I'm actually not sure why the remake was done. Nothing new was added, except color and Anne Heche.
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Perhaps, like with Psycho, what I really like is that the Mist in B&W calls out to the imagination. Sure, everything is still on the screen, minus the color. But that extra demand on our imagination stirs us out of our lazy viewing habits and engages us at a deeper level. Or, I might be full of it on that! Just suffice to say, I really like the Black-and-White version.
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LINK: Review of MISERY


Here is Rebecca Mikulin's review of Misery. I liked it (the review and the movie).
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She cuts to the heart of King's work, saying: "In traditional Stephen King style, this film takes an unassuming situation that most people would consider one of the safest places in the world, and turns it into an experience from the darkness of nightmares. Of all writers, King is one of the few that has succeeded in scaring me at all...and of all horror films, those adapted from King's stories are some of the only ones worthy of the name in my book. As with movies like The Shining and Cujo, the "scare factor" does not depend upon blood, gore, and cheap thrills, but rather on convincing audiences that absolutely anything can turn against you, whether it be a father and husband, a beloved family pet, or a kind benefactor."
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The Stanley Hotel Shines On


Here's a really cool article by Caryn Eve Murray titled "Hotels in Literature - One Novel Idea!" It looks at some famous hotels that appear in literature. Of course, the section that interested me was on the Stanley Hotel, the inspiration for The Shining.
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Haunted Amusement Park
Murray quotes operations director Leslie Hoy as saying, “He didn’t know the hotel existed and he was toying with the idea of writing a novel about an abandoned amusement park. . ." wait! I didn't know that. A novel about an abandoned amusement would be awesome!
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I just got home from Disneyland. It's raining pretty hard here in Southern California, and the thought of something spooky happening on one of those rides is pretty cool. Of course, making it all broke down and abandoned is even more exciting. But then , I did see a B-rate movie that followed that idea. It wasn't good. But then, it wasn't Stephen King! I wonder if he'll ever return to that idea.
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An amusement park is a naturally scary setting. See, it's full of clowns and "characters." Further, once we are on a ride -- we're trapped. That bar goes down and the ride follows the set track, and there is not a thing in the world you can do about it.
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My mother told me about a fun house she used to go through at an amusement park along the California coast (The Pike). She said it was absolutely the scariest thing she had ever been in. Then, on an HBO show titled Autopsy, I learned that a real skeleton was found inside that fun house!
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Wikipedia says: "In December 1976, during filming at Queens Park (A.K.A. The Pike), of the television show The Six Million Dollar Man 1977 episode "Carnival of Spies"(1979), a crew member was moving what was thought to be a wax mannequin that was hanging from a gallows. When the mannequin's arm broke off, it was discovered that it was in fact embalmed and mummified human remains. Later, when medical examiner Thomas Noguchi opened the mummy's mouth for other clues, he was surprised to find a 1924 penny and a ticket from Sonney Amusement's Museum of Crime in Los Angeles. That ticket and archived newspaper accounts helped police and researchers identify the body as that of Elmer McCurdy." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_McCurdy
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Not Bad For Business!
Murray reveals that the hotel's center stage position in The Shining was good for business. "King’s room – which is Room 217 – now gets reservations months and months in advance and it is already sold for the next couple of Halloweens,” she (Hoy) said. The hotel had been near bankruptcy in the 1970s and was struggling at the time “The Shining” gave it a new shot at prosperity, Hoy said. The horror novel was published in 1977. The top draws at the hotel are now its guided ghost tours and history tours. “We’ve had 61,000 people come through since January [2010],” she said.
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Reading The Shining At The Hotel:
Murray's last lines are pretty spooky: "As for Hoy, it took her about two months to build up courage to sit down with Stephen King’s book. “It took me some time to read it. I had to get myself acclimated,” she said. “I was living on the property and in a building all by myself in the winter.”And then, when she did, she said “I made sure I had my door locked.”
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I think that lady has got guts! Would you read The Shining while all alone in the Stanley Hotel? I'm not sure I would.
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A Lotta House

picture: http://www.celebritydetective.com/Celebrity_Homes_Stephen-King-house.html
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This is interesting. Rob Bear has an article posted at curbed.com titled, "Stephen King, Clancy, and Other Pop Authors Living The High Life." It is a long shot from the spooky lookin' Victorian mansion in Bangor. Honestly, I am much more interested in King's writing than his home!
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Anyway, here's what Bear wrote about King:
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Visitors to Bangor, Me., often marvel at Stephen King's modest—and macabre—red Victorian, but that's just half his real estate story. In addition to the Maine home with wrought iron gargoyles, King enjoys a beachcomber lifestyle on Casey Key, off Sarasota, Fla. King purchased this beachfront property in 2001 for an undisclosed sum, but it's now worth an estimated $10M. That's just a drop in the bucket for the former schoolteacher, who took in roughly $34M last year alone.
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Is The Sandlot "Stand By Me Light"?


I'm watching The Sandlot. And it reminds me of a Stand By Me rip-off. Before you say I'm dead wrong, check this out:
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1. Middle age man narrates the greatest summer of his life. Of course, the narration (you know, old dude remembering) was also offered up on a weekly bases on The Wonder Years.
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2. Of course, there's a clubhouse.
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3. It's set in the 1950's. Though I'm not really buying that it's the 50's! The movie doesn't have that "feel." Sure, you can play some 50's music in the background, but check out those houses in the background. Doesn't look 50's to me!
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4. Fights between the losers and the cool-kids.
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5. A story in the middle of the movie told by one of the kids. Getting familiar yet?
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6. Total Barfo-Rama. In the Sandlot it's when they attend the carnival. Of course, that's totally different from the state fair where Lard-Ass where he creates total barfo-rama.
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7. A dog everyone is afraid of. Chomper v. The Beast. Of course, Cujo would have them both for dinner.
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What is missing here is King's natural story-telling .
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There is one laugh out loud scene in The Sandlot. When the kid jumps in the pool so the pretty lifeguard will save him, and give him mouth-to-mouth... classic! Nice.

Grover Gardner, the Stand


I recently purchased The Stand on audio tape. I am waiting for the company I paid to put it to CD and digital formats to send it to me. I can't wait! I have been mentally preparing myself to read The Stand again. This reading is of the original 1978 version, and was narrated by Grover Gardner.
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Now part of preparing to listen to the 1978 version of The Stand has to do with the reader, Grover Gardner. I first listened to a recording my Gardner of a theology book, and decided the reading was dry. So when I later listened to the Stand, I went in with the opinion that Grover is a dry reader. But then I read the theology book I had been listening to... and guess what -- it was still dry! I realized: It was not Gardner's reading that made it boring, it was the writer! Perhaps the material was too basic for what I was expecting; in any case, I came to the conclusion that maybe I hadn't given Gardner's reading a fair shot.
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So here I am again. Planning to read The Stand with Gardner as my guide. I went to his blog and really, really enjoyed it! He has a wonderful article on authors reading their own books. this is funny: "I am familiar with at least one instance of a famous politician who required literally thousands of edits because he couldn't read a whole sentence (no, it wasn't "W") and another case in which a celebrity author didn't make it through her ghost-written autobiography because she couldn't pronounce most of the vocabulary and wasn't familiar with the events and people as related in the book!"
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Check out Gardner's blog here: http://grovergardner.blogspot.com/

2011 Mason Award Goes To Stephen King


stephenking.com posted some awesome news:
"Stephen has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the Mason Award from the Fall for the Book Festival at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. He will be presented the award at a ceremony on September 23, 2011 and will be speaking and/or reading for approximately 30-45 minutes." http://www.stephenking.com/index.html
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I like the line, "or reading for approximately 30-45 minutes." I hope he does read! Often King brings new work with him. Thus we get glimses of what's to come. and believe me, I can't wait for November -- when King's next book is due out.
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Amy Tan (who is a member of the Rock Bottom Remainders... and has written a couple of books on her spare time) is also receiving an award.
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The Mason Award recogizes "authors who have made extraordinary contributions to bringing literature to a wide reading public."

Serial Novel and The eBook


Nick Eaton at Seattlepi.com has an article titled, "E-books and the return of the serial novel."
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Eaton sees the revival of the serial novel (via ebook) coming from The Huffington Post, which has said it will begin publishing serial novel's. Their first novel, "Seeing Red" by Claudia Ricci has had two chapters and the prologue published so far.
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He notes that King has been a recent pioneer in the genre, with both The Green Mile and The Plant.
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Eaton doesn't really seem too enthusiastic about serial novel's, though. For instance, why did Dickens write so much? Well, Eaton says it's because he needed to string the reader along and stretch the novel out. Eaton writes, "Authors such as Dickens liked the serial format because it meant more money. The more stories you have published in a magazine, the longer you draw out a narrative, the more cash you get. And a serial novel can hold the audience captive for months, even years, as the story plays out issue by issue. It's guaranteed long-term income."
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We'll not tell Mr. Eaton that A Tale Of Two Cities is not really considered one of Dickens' "biggies." Try: Our Mutual Friend, David Copperfield and so on for the really big-uns.
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I was surprised that he so blatantly argues that Dickens was in it for the money.
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Consider, please, that the later novels (which are larger) were written after Dickens was already very successful. His money problems related to a publishing issue with the United States. See, American publishers did not honor the copyright and stole his material. Thus he was not paid for his work by the American readership.
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King has stated often that he never wrote a single word for the money. Should we think less of Mr. Dickens'? And let's me clear, okay? Eaton is not saying that Dickens wrote the books, and a publishing decision was made to market them in a manner that would make more money. He is saying that Dickens actually stretched out his novels for the money; he was influenced by money, and thus the story itself was changed because of Dickens desire to get more money.
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The argument that writers publish in installments for the money falls completely apart when Mr. Eaton gets back to Stephen King and The Plant. He writes, "Starting in 2000, King experimented with the e-serial format with his yet-unfinished novel "The Plant"; he posted installments of the story on his website for $1 each, though the plan fell apart thanks to hackers in the early Web 2.0 days." Well, I doubt then that Stephen King was doing for the money!
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Like Stephen King, Dickens did not just write one size story fits all. Anyone remember a short novel called "A Christmas Carol"? And that was just one of several Christmas novels.
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I'm not saying Dickens didn't need the money. I am saying that I have trouble with the idea that he allowed his need for money to dictate the direction and pace of the novel, which in Dickens case is always genius.
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Then Again. . .

Hold on! David Todd says this about A Christmas Carol: When Dickens’ publishers required him to pay back advances due to the poor sales of Chuzzlewit, he knew he needed some other means of income. At that point in his career, 1843, Dickens was doing well, but had not reached a level of financial security that would allow him to go for a stretch of time without income. Years later he could have managed through, but not that year." Charles Dickens' Christmas Stories: More Than Just “A Christmas Carol” Over Twenty-Three Years
So, after all that ranting, maybe Eaton is right. But I don't like it. And I would point out that the book written to generate quick cash was not published as a serial novel. It was printed as a booklet.
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Dread Central: Tim Sullivan to Produce One for the Road

pictures from imbd.com
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Sean Decker at Dread Central reports that filmmaker Tim Sullivan will produce Stephen King's One for the Road from the Night Shift collection. The movie will be written and directed by Paul Ward (an Irish filmmaker) and will star Reggie Bannister (Phantasm).
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Sullivan told Dread Central: “Despite, or maybe because of, the challenges and limited budgets on both Bloody and Werebears, those projects epitomized the reason I do what I do in the first place. They were films made by horror fans for horror fans with the emphasis on passion and camaraderie and a true love for the material. While making Werebears, Paul, Gavin, Brian and I constantly felt like kids in a monster fan club doing for a living what we would be doing just for fun. Taking that clubhouse mentality, the four of us have formed an alliance, an ensemble dedicated to nurturing each other’s directorial visions as producers. What better way to carry on that alliance then with Stephen King, an incomparable master who has inspired us all, particularly Paul, whose atmospheric, elegant take on King’s story grabbed me the moment I read it. We aim to make King proud.”
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They report that filming is set to begin March 14th in Crestline, California.
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King gives vampires their teeth back

picture: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/stephen-king/images/72795/title/salems-lot-wallpaper
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Here's a refreshing and very well done review of Salem's Lot by Ana Faria at cu independent for Flashback Friday.
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Faria writes, "Sometimes readers forget that vampires were the original monsters lurking in the shadows. Stephen King gives vampires their teeth back as they stalk and seduce the townspeople of ‘Salem’s Lot."
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I like that! We've romanticised vampires, de-fanged them. The impotent vampires that clog up Hollywood today are, frankly, boring.
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Her concluding marks hit the nail right on the head. You know, Salem's Lot may not be the best King book to start with. I had trouble getting through it at first, and plan to revisit it now that I know the pace.
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Faria explains:
Although the novel is a horror staple, patience is a key value when approaching “Salem’s Lot” as a first time Stephen King reader. “Salem’s Lot” may leave readers looking for a fever pitch plot line disappointed. The novel’s focus is shady at best within the first few chapters.
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Multiple pages are devoted to describing the people that will eventually succumb to the evil lurking in “the Lot” and can seem unimportant at the start. It’s only at the climax that the detail-heavy introduction chapters begin to make sense.
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If time can be dedicated to the novel, the reader is sure to be charmed by King’s clever lines and the people of ‘the Lot’ that eventually become the classic evil of nightmares.
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Poll Results: Will You Watch THE STAND Movie?

If King is not involved with The Stand remake, will you go watch it?
  • No matter what, I've got to see this 21 (42%)
  • If it promises to be faithful to the book 22 (44%)
  • No way! 6 (12%)
  • Only if it's directed by Woody Allen (0%) ZERO none
Total votes: 49

UnFilmable


Darren Franich at popwatch.ew.com has a neat article about books he thinks are "unfilmable." On his list is Gerald's Game. That's interesting, because I was thinking recently that for all the talk lately about Stephen King adaptations, there has never been any talk about Gerald's Game (to my knowledge).
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In his article, titled "What books are in your opinion unfilmable", Franich writes: When I think of unfilmable books, my mind always goes to Gerald’s Game. It’s one of the few Stephen King books to never even come close to being adapted. The reason: The book takes place entirely in one room, with the lead female character handcuffed naked to a bed. It’s a thrilling, freaky read, and I guess you could argue that it’s not that much different from 127 Hours or Buried, but it’s hard to imagine any actress willingly signing up to be so exposed for the complete running time of a movie.
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The book does not really just take place in one room. There is a series of powerful flashbacks. But even they will leave you squirming -- because it deals with the subject of child abuse.
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Are there other books by King that are "unFilmable"? Well, I would suggest the Dark Tower is. But if anyone can do it, I think Ron Howard can! 1922 would also be iffy. Seems like it would be hard to bring such a dark book with a dark ending to screen -- but hey, I'll pay admission if someone will make the movie! It was a good story.
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There are some books that were adapted for screen that I still think were pretty much unfilmable. No, I won't name them. . . but you're welcome to.
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Some books have been declared unfilmable because of technology problems. For years that was the situation with The Mist. When it was filmed the results were awesome!
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It seems that more than a few books have been made better by the process of movie adaptation. After all, the story has to move through multiple layers of writers, directors and producers thinking over the details. This doesn't always insure anything at all, but sometimes it adds to the magic. This was the case with Tommyknockers, which I think is stronger on screen than in print. I also think Secret Window, Secret Garden was better as a movie. (Was there a secret Garden I missed in that story?
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Ten Movies Worth Holding On to


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The "11 best Stephen King adaptations" list got me thinking about King films that are great -- but overlooked. I offer the following, in a typical top ten fashion. Yes, I accept that top 10 lists are stupid and subjective. These movies might be old, but they're not forgotten! I also admit they may not have all been four-star movies. I have chosen not to include mini-series -- (though mini-series like IT, Desperation, Tommyknockers, Salem's Lot and The Shining were great!)
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I kindly ask yo to rexamine these movies -- they're probably better than you remember.
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1. The Dead Zone.
2. Cujo.
3. Christine.
4. Carrie TV version.
5. Silver Bullet.
6. The Shining mini-series.
7. Creepshow (1-2)
8. Secret Window.
9. The Dark Half.
10. Apt Pupil.

Stephen King story in Belfast

Strange Main posted a neat opportunity to hear a reading of "The Reach" at Aarhus Gallery on February 13. The post says that the reading will be performed by Maine actors Helen York and Bonnie VersbenCoeur, with musical accompaniment by Doug Ludwig.
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THE INFO: http://strangemaine.blogspot.com/2011/02/event-stephen-king-story-in-belfast.html

11 Best King Screen Adaptations


Wyndham Wyeth at Paste Magazine has put together a list of his favorite 11 Stephen King adaptations. No, I don't know why 11 and not 12.
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Hey, guess what's not on the list: Langoliers, Sleepwalkers (that wasn't based on a book), Cat's Eye, Creepshow (?!), Dark Half, Tommyknockers, none of the Salem's Lot adaptations (aren't we up to 3 now... ?), The Shining miniseries, Graveyard shift, Christine, Dolores Claiborne, Thinner, Cujo, Hearts in Atlantis. (That is not a complete list)
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Here's the list:
11. IT.
10. The Stand
9. The Mist
8. Pet Sematary
7. Nightmares and Dreamscapes
6. Carrie
5. Misery
4. Green Mile
3. Stand By Me
2. The Shawshank Redemption
1. The Shining. (Kubrick)
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There is a defense of making Kubrick's The Shining #1, saying it stands as its own movie. Which makes me wonder: Is it really a "screen adaptation" then? And if not, how does it make it to #1 on the chart, and not King's version -- which was great! I agree the view that Kubrick's version is scary and a lot of fun, it's simply not the story King told.
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I wonder if Cujo is easily overlooked in the King cannon. It's a small book and the intensity of the movie is easily forgotten. . . until you see it again. But you feel like, "Oh yeah, it's that dog movie. I've seen it." But you've probably forgotten how good it really is.

The Stand Remake: Body Language

Well, this is not exactly a handwriting analysis -- or a "body language" study. But let's read behind the lines of King's statements about the Stand remake.
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Here's what I got. . .
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1. They didn't have to get King's permission. He actually learned about it on the internet!
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2. King suspects that people will like the mini-series better. I agree.
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3. He doesn't think anyone can top the performance of Gary Sinise.
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4. King liked the directing Mick Garris brought to the original mini-series.
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5. King also thought would Rutger Hauer would do a great job as Flagg.
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So here's the bottom line: King really thinks the mini-series hit the nail on the head. It is a faithful representation of his book, he liked the acting and directing and length. So why remake it? -- is the unspoken question.
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I am very glad Woody Allen will not be directing it. The only Woody Allen film I liked is Radio Days. A Woody Allen Stephen King movie would be really messed up stupid.
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Now here's a line I disagree with:
King wrote, "People who’ve seen Kubrick’s The Shining dislike the miniseries I wrote (and my amigo Mick Garris directed) even if they haven’t seen it." I've seen both, and I prefer King's adaptation. Kubrick's offering is good, but it's another story -- as King himself has said.
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What could be good:
I'll stop harping on this someday. . . but not yet. Usually with a theatrical release the paperback edition of the book is re-released with a new cover depicting scenes or characters from the movie. And there is usually an audio release. Ah-ha! If that happened, it could be the best thing to come from the movie.
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Now before people comment and say that you can get The Stand audio edition for free on the Internet (yes, I do delete those comments, because you are advocating something illegal), I want to simply say that I am hopeful for a LEGAL release. Too bad I have to clarify that, y'all. That some of you are downloading books illegally not only denies the artist their rightful due, it promotes sites that do naughty things to your computer.
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Of course, The Stand has already been put on audio by Grover Gardner. But that was the abridged edition. I do not know that an unabridged reading of Revised Uncut The Stand has been done. I saw someone on eBay trying to sell the unabridged edition, recorded by a computer reading.
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Who should read The Stand? All of the recent artist reading King's work have been great. But my favorite reader is Stephen King -- always. Now, if I'm listening to Olive Anne Burns Cold Sassy Tree, I don't know that King would be my first choice as a reader. But when reading his own work, he's awesome! My favorite was his reading of Needful things.

King: 10 Things I Know About The Stand Remake

This is an article King wrote for Entertainment weekly -- where he is affectionately known as "Uncle Stevie." Here's what King told E.W. :
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1. No one will be able to top Gary Sinise, who played Stu Redman in the original ABC miniseries. He was perfect. When he says “You don’t know nothing” to the soldiers who are putting him under mandatory quarantine, you believe his contempt completely. My runner-up pick would be Jake Gyllenhaal.
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2. I didn’t know anything about the remake until I read about it on the Internet.
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3. You absolutely can’t make it as a two-hour movie. If it was a trilogy of films…maybe.
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4. Molly Ringwald won’t be playing Fran Goldsmith this time.
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5. Rutger Hauer is a little too old to play the Walkin’ Dude, and that’s too bad.
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6. People who’ve seen Kubrick’s The Shining dislike the miniseries I wrote (and my amigo Mick Garris directed) even if they haven’t seen it. That’s always annoyed me. But the wheel of karma turns! This time people will probably say, “The miniseries was lots better.” BUT…
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7. …historically speaking, movie studios blow the budget on things like this, so maybe it’ll be fun to look at. The dough certainly isn’t going to me, although if it is a trilogy, and if it makes a lot of money, I might be able to buy a chicken dinner at Popeye’s. Great slaw!
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8. Molly Ringwald will probably not play the Trashcan Man, either, but Billy Bob Thornton would be cool. Billy Bob’s always cool.
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9. They need to write in a lot of heavy-metal for the soundtrack.
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10. M-O-O-N, that spells “you probably won’t see this anytime soon.” And when you do, Woody Allen won’t be directing it. Or Molly Ringwald.
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http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/02/03/stephen-king-10-things-i-know-about-the-remake-of-the-stand/

Would You Give This Clown A Ride?

This picture is from creativecriminals.com. Here's the caption:
Volkswagen keeps introducing innovations in their cars. One of their new assistance systems is called ‘Lane assist’. It alerts a driver when he is deviating from the road, a problem usualy caused by tiredness. The clown in this ad is just perfect, it looks like it’s been done by Stephen King himself.
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Character Limitations

One of the things that amazes me about Stephen King is that he often limits or physically restricts his characters. It makes for brilliant writing. My mom is reading The Stand, and wrote to me "Nick and Tom ... Brilliant paring."
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Of course, King's willingness to harm or kill characters always adds to the tension of any scene. He has no problem letting Stu take a fall or the Beaver get whacked while holding down an alien coming up the toilet.
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One of the strengths of King's writing is the handicaps he gives characters. It's got to be the kid in the wheelchair who fights the werewolf, right? This was really played with in Gerald's game. One woman, tied to a bed, fighting for every bit of movement. It gives us brilliant writing!
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This actually got King in trouble when writing Christiane. He allowed the narrator, Dennis, to get hurt in a football accident. This meant that Denny had to quiet down and allow Mr. Stephen King to take over the story telling for a spell.
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Tightening the noose:
King also uses situations to limit or handicap his characters. In Cujo the characters were limited to the car. King narrowed this in Misery, where Paul Sheldon is in bed with broken bones. He really tightened the noose when he wrote Gerald's game and actually tied his main character to the bed -- alone in the room. (Well, mostly alone)
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Like The Real World
These handicaps draw the reader into the novel in a unique way. While other writers might avoid the difficulty of creating such characters, the real world is full of people with various limitations. The Stephen King universe is all the more real.
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Here's a few interesting character limitations King has given us:
  • Nick, deaf and mute. (The Stand)
  • Tom, mentally handicap. (The Stand)
  • Roland, hand injured (Dark Tower)
  • Susanna, crippled. (Dark Tower)
  • Jessie, tied to a bed. (Gerald's Game)
  • Paul Sheldon, injured in auto accident. (Misery)
  • Marty Coslaw, an eleven-year-old boy in a wheelchair. (Cycle Of the Werewolf)
  • Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., mentally handicap (Blaze)
  • Junior Rennie, migraines. (Under The Dome)
  • Dennis, broken leg (Christine)
  • Bill, stutters. (IT)
  • Eddie, ashma. (IT)
  • Jack, drinking. (The Shining) I'm not sure that one really counts. . .
  • Polly, arthritis. (Needful Things)

Female Characters

Sean Chumley at examiner.com. has an article titled, "King unleashes strong women in Full Dark No Stars." Here's his opening paragraph:
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If you thought famous novelist Stephen King was incapable of writing strong female characters, think again. Throughout his career he has featured such characters (the less-read Rose Madder and Dolores Claiborne), but sometimes they have been less-than-feminine (The Stand) or straight up evil (you may remember Kathy Bates's Oscar winning role as Annie Wilkes in Misery). In his latest collection of four novellas, Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King has written some seriously great fiction with some seriously strong female characters. Whether a ghastly symbol of a murderer's guilt or a victim searching for revenge, King shows a sympathetic eye toward the fairer sex, not to mention some pretty fantastic reading.
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The article goes on to summarize the book, with a focus on the female characters. My wife has mentioned before how impressive it is that King can get inside a woman's head!
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There is an entire book on the subject in Stephen King's fiction, titled: "Imagining The Worst."
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http://www.examiner.com/books-in-columbia/stephen-king-unleaseshes-strong-women-full-dark-no-stars-review

The Stand Begins A New Journey


According to hollywoodreporter.com, we can expect to see The Stand in theaters. Borys Kit says that "The studios and producers will sit down with writers and directors in the coming weeks in an attempt to find the right take on the material."
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Of course, there are a lot of issues yet to be hashed out. Is this one movie, or multiple movies? (Multiple, please!) And what will Stephen King's involvement be?
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The article says, CBS has held the rights for many years but recently realized the best way to undertake the project was with a partner. Warners beat out Fox and Sony in a tight bidding war for the gig, getting its hands on one of the biggest-selling books of all time.
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I hope they do an awesome job on this, because I really like The Stand. The mini-series was great, and very faithful to the book. There were scenes, however, that failed to deliver the same punch the novel did. Larry's journey through the tunnel is one. It wasn't claustrophobic enough. He just kinda walked through. But when I read the novel, I actually look ahead in the book to see if Larry lived! It seemed King was about to whack him in the tunnel.
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Does this make anyone wonder what happened to the IT movie adaptation?
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Kit also writes that George Romero and Warners separately tried in vain to launch a movie adaptation in the 1980s. Of course, a six hour mini-series was produced in the 1994. He offers this conclusion: "with Universal mounting an ambitious take on The Dark Tower, and now The Stand, King may be getting ready to return to the throne as the novelist the town loves the most."
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