Bob Grimm has a great article discussing his own listing of the best and worst Stephen King adaptations. But, as Grimm compiled his lists, he came to a somewhat troubling realization -- he dislikes more King movies than he likes!
Grimm also observes that the really good Stephen King movies are over 30 years old. Go figure.
Topping Grimm's list is Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining. Noting King's personal distaste for the film, Grimm chastises, "Are you kidding, Stephen?" (I guess they're on first name basis) "You should be forever grateful that a maestro like Kubrick spent time on any of your work, and he improved upon your novel. I hated all of that business with the stupid boiler."
It's when we get to what Grimm considers really bad movies -- the worst -- that I start to really question his judgment. Christine? CHRISTINE?! It may not be an instant classic, but I thought that was a pretty good movie. However, he does make a good point that the really scary stuff from the book got left out of the movie. So true.
But, also on Grimms naughty list is Cujo. "This movie feels like it’s 10 hours long. E.T.’s mom stuck in a car with some dopey kid as a Saint Bernard drools on the windows."
I'm not going to take the time to defend Cujo. The rabid dog is smarter than this guys list.
www.newsreview.com
I was somewhat surprised to find Dead Zone and Misery farther down the best list than I'd put them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I still have a fondness for Silver Bullet. Say what you will, there's just something about the film that I like, cheesy 80s soundtrack and all.
If there's any truth in the article it seems to be in the implication that the way people watch movies has changed since the glory days of Clint Eastwood.
I think I realized that when I saw one vlog that complained "Good, Bad and the Ugly" was too slow and meandering. Which I found puzzling, the pauses were there to establish both mood, tension, and to underscore the fundamental violence of the characters, and the slow pace helps to establish the perfect existential mood about a story of a bunch of killers who know there's really no hope for themselves, no matter what happens.
Apparently all that flew by this particular vlogger.
I didn't get it until I realized whatever cinematic upbringing this kid had, it must have been one with less reliance on films from the 30s and 40s than may have been more common for kids, say, back in the 80s.
Heck, I wonder how many kids today still know of the REAL three stooges.
ChrisC
As a child of the 90s, I'm kind of confused about his takes on TGTBTU, too. I thought it was great. I also find it kind of ironic that someone who claims not to like toilet horror is pretty loose with the word shit in some of his reviews.
ReplyDeleteI know he was going for scary movies since it's that season, but I'm surprised he didn't mention "Stand By Me", "Shawshank Redemption" or "The Green Mile"...
I liked Cujo more than 1408. I don't know if it's the maternal instinct in me or the fact that the book ended on a much darker note, but I thought the whole part in the car was terrifying.
I've always kind of view Carrie as more of a drama than a horror novel/flick.
I did not think 1408 was a good movie. If the story suspends all laws of reality, there is no structure to the story itself -- anything can happen. The ocean can fall out of paintings. It's not scary, it's just random.
ReplyDeleteI loved 1408. Cujo was something I endured, but did not much care for.
ReplyDeleteI am quite fond of Silver Bullet and view it as possibly the most underrated of movies based on King's work.
Silver Bullet is a great movie, but it's not scary. The costume department was operating on a budget smaller than my kids Halloween budget at Walmart.
ReplyDeleteAs a pure ghost story, I liked 1408 myself. Haven't read the story yet, but I'm going to.
ReplyDeleteI liked Christine the movie but loved Christine the book, so there's that.
I can't understand the appreciation Creepshow gets. It's not bad, it's just not what I would call good, either.