Susie Pennywise

 

Later

 

Dr Phil Stalking the Shining

Many of us remember the rather disturbing interview Dr. Phil ran in 2016 of Shelly Duvall.  Turns out, the story wasn’t over. I found this article interesting account of Duvall’s ongoing frustrations with Dr. Phil.

The article notes that the 2016 appearance was “slammed by critics for being exploitative of her mental health struggles.”  Duvall noted that she later regretted having done the segment for Phil.

 One of those who expressed disappointment in the interview was none other than Stanley Kubrick’s daughter Vivian.  She tweeted, "You are putting Shelly Duvall ‘on show’ while she is suffering from a pitiable state of ill health.  Unquestionably, this is purely a form of lurid and exploitive entertainment – it’s appallingly cruel."

However, that’s not all.  Duvall claims that even after the show, “Phil McGraw tried repeatedly tried to get in touch with her mother even after the show.”  It quotes her, “He started calling my mother.  She told him, ‘Don’t call my daughter anymore.’ But he started calling my mother all the time trying to get her to let me talk to him again."

The Stand: You Should Like This

 

Episode 9, The Circle Closes

I’m going to have to watch this episode again, because I’m not sure what I just saw.  I think I was supposed to like it.  I mean. . . the preacher in me is supposed to like the Christian symbolism, the clear battle between good and evil, the demand to resist temptation.  And I do.  Still, something feels, wrong about this episode.

The long journey home was cut out altogether.  I’m glad for that because I was afraid it would be reduced to a series of flashbacks; This episode gave us none of those hard painful slaps to the face.  Instead, this final episode gave us a journey.  But here’s the deal. . . it’s a journey that we the viewers had no vested interest in making with the characters.  Yep, sure enough, life goes on.  They drive, an the stop places, and they drive some more.  But nothing has been done to sell the viewer on why we should care about this new destination. 

The more spiritual elements were refreshing.  But they did not really move or inspire me spiritually.  Fran has this great epiphany that there is an entire other dimension all around her; both of great good and a deep well of dark evil.  Really?  She had to come this far through the world of The Stand to realize there’s a dimension of evil.  And it required a special vision for her to figure it out?  A little obtuse, don’t you think?

I’ve always liked the circle closing.  In Revelation the Beast rises again and again, and each generation, each culture, must take their “stand” against evil.  The vision promising Fran a line of children was interesting, and perhaps supposed to give us hope.  I just didn’t care.  Humans go on.  I think I’m so numb to this series I just couldn’t enjoy the final fireworks. 

Not sure what to make of miracle child either.

Know how I feel about this episode?  Glad it’s over.  Glad this miniseries is over.  Ready to give it some time and space and maybe someday I can come back with lowered expectations and find the diamond I missed on the first run through.

Was it a fun journey?  Nope.

Would I do it again?  I’m a sucker for punishment.

The Stand: Cancelling God

The Stand is a novel with deep roots in the Bible.  Specifically, Christianity.  You don’t have to be a scholar to spot the Biblical themes; though today it is harder as the culture itself is less versed in Scripture itself.    

It’s not that a few Bible Thumpers went and claimed The Stand as their own, choosing to read it as a novel of faith.  That happens quite often (try all those books telling us Star Wars is about Christianity.)  In his 1989 introduction to the uncut version of The Stand, Stephen King made it clear the references are to. . . Christianity.  “Finally, I write for only two reasons: to please myself and to please others. In returning to this long tale of dark Christianity, I hope I have done both.” In other words, if you’re reading this and keep thinking you spot themes of faith and Biblical symbolism – you aren’t wrong.

The phrase, “I will fear no evil” is used at least eleven times in the novel.  This was picked up on in the CBS miniseries, but was rendered powerless.  

The battle in the miniseries isn’t between any real good and evil personified; it’s a battle of viewpoints.  Flagg is a monster, but he’s not really the embodiment of the wicked.  The people from the Free Zone aren’t people of fait taking their stand for righteousness; they are people scared their way of life is in danger.  (How American.)  In other words, they aren’t there to stand against evil, they are their to try and protect the Free Zone.

I was swept away when I first read the novel because it was so gutsy.  The Almighty himself reaches down and does business on planet earth.  When the spies take their stand, it is like Samson pressing against the Philistines and power reaches down from on high to do what no human could do. This was exciting because it was so unexpected (at least for me when I read this as a teenager.)  I remember the Stand at camp in the middle of the night and actually sitting up and going, “No way!” It was amazing to young me that an author would be so bold.  

Of course, it was question from the moment the spies set out from the Free Zone – how will the very powerful Flagg be taken down?  Would the Free Zone build an army?  Would Stephen King, the master of horror, allow Flagg to destroy the Free Zone and rule the world?  I mean, it was Stephen King (and it was the first Stephen King novel I read) so the suspense was real.  When the hand of God reached down, it didn’t just surprise me, it seemed right.  Not righteous (it was that) but right for the novel itself.  As if it had all been building that direction, but I hadn’t seen it until the moment it happened.  Then the entire novel (or at least the last third) came together.  

Of course, I had questions.  Why did they have to take their “Stand” if they were just going to die in a nuke blast?  (Think Samson again.)

The hand of God doesn’t just suddenly appear at the end of the book, but plays a major theme throughout.  The ending was hinted at when Mother Abagail knelt down to pray (Chapter 52), Bible pressed for forehead and began to meditate on the conversion of Saul.  “Acts was the last book in the Bible where doctrine was backed up by miracles, and what were miracles but the divine hand of God at work upon the earth?”  A question is being put forth in this scene; does God still do miracles in our world?  Does God’s hand still reach down and do business, or does he just leave it to us to sort things out?  Does God deal with evil, or does he expect us to build bigger nukes to counter enemy nukes?  Is God indebted to the arms race to keep peace on earth?  I think not.  

But, of course, in a cancel culture, what CBS cancelled in this retelling was. . . God.  Mother Abagail is a nice lady with her own moral compass; but there’s no real sense she’s actually being led by God.  She’s not a prophet, she’s a grandma.  You respect your grandma’s religion, but don’t necessarily have to think it’s true outside of her.  

It’s not only important to the novel that God’s hand destroyed the wicked in the novel, but that the Free Zone KNOW it was God’s hand.  Consider this vision Tom has of Nick: “You have to get back to Boulder and tell them that you saw the hand of God in the desert. If it’s God’s will, Stu will go with you … in time.”  It’s not enough for team Flagg to be taken down by the hand of God; the Free-zone needs to KNOW that the Almighty has acted in their world.  Mother had wondered earlier if God still does miracles; now her people need to know that God not only does miracles in their world, but it was his hand who delivered them.  At the core of The Stand the story of a dark miracle.  It doesn’t serve just to cap off the novel; the book runs another 100 plus pages in order for the survivors (Tom and Stu) to tell of what they have seen.  Again, this is a theme from the Bible.  Exodus doesn’t end at the Red Sea, even though the parting of the sea is the major miracle of the book.  Big miracles have after-shocks that have to be told.  (In Exodus, they not only celebrate, but move on to Mount Sinai where the Almighty descends in fire.)  

Without going into the nuance of themes from The Stand, the big picture was a retelling of the book of Revelation.  A Beast (Flagg in this case) comes rises up on the earth to bring destruction.  Now it’s important in Revelation that the Beast rises again and again, forcing the people of God to take their Stand, until the end of time.  Remember at the end of the novel (the uncut version) King added a scene in which evil rises yet again.  

The Revelation of John is the struggle of two cities: Jerusalem v. Babylon.  Jerusalem and her people are pictured as a “Bride” while Babylon and her people are depicted as a whore drunk on the blood of the saints.  (Free Zone v. New Las Vegas.)   

In John’s vision, the armies of the earth (the wicked) surround the Holy City.  The righteous are hopelessly out numbered.  They’ve taken their stand against evil, but at the climax of the Apocalypse it looks like good will be destroyed after all. In Revelation 20, the nations (the “earth dwellers”) come from every corner of the earth to fight against the city of God.  So the picture painted looks gloomy;  With insurmountable odds against the righteous, the scene is painted as a hopeless situation.  But then. . . “fire came down from heaven and devoured them.” (Revelation 20:9)

What rescued them?  Fire from heaven.  Why does that matter in a Stephen King story?  Because he was using the same plotline!  Only, instead of Flagg and his forces coming to Boulder, the Free Zone comes to him to take their stand.  What caused them to do this?  A vision from Mother.  That is, a force outside themselves was directing the entire story.  That’s important to The Stand.  It’s important not that the characters have personal faith; but that their faith is in something that is real and able to act in our universe.  You don’t have to believe that; I’m just saying that’s the engine that runs this novel. 

How does Flagg die in our new version of The Stand?  Well, God either has really bad aim, or he’s just killed by a random electrical storm.  Yep, that’s it.  Lots of lightning.  Seriously, Emperor Palpatine could have made this more interesting.  There’s no sense in this that this is the climax of a battle between Good and Evil; it’s just. . . more CBS mush.

This is a lot of whining about one scen; but it’s like complaining that someone took the engine out of your car. . . kinda a big deal.  But hey, it’s shiny and has nice special effects; never mind that somehow the transmission is shot and this thing ain’t going anywhere.

The Stand: Hate Mail To A Stephen King Fan

Episode 7: The Walk

There’s a lot of complaining here.  I wouldn’t read it if I were you.  But I feel better.

Know what CBS’ The Stand is like?  It’s like getting hate mail for being a Stephen King fan.  How dare any of us like the novel and think things should slightly resemble the book.  Every aspect must be changed, every character, every scene.  It's like being told, "Hey, you can't like that.  We'll fix it for you, make it politically correct, and then you can like our new retelling." 

At the beginning of the uncut version of The Stand, King gave the example of Hansel and Gretel, suggesting it could be retold but too many cuts hurts the story.  That's what CBS has done; made not just cuts, but so many deep changes and bad decisions that at some point they stopped telling the story of The Stand and started on a brand-new clunky soap opera.

What’s with calling Mother Abigail “Mother A” ?  Rally, it’s illogical for the role she plays.  Mother Abigail is supposed to be a revered spiritual leader.  You call your buddy “Mother A.”  You call your spiritual leader by a respectable title… Such as “Mother.”  But shortening her name to “A” is disrespectful for the prophetess role she holds in the community.  

Trashcan Man.  I like this rendition a lot because he does seem crazy.  But our new Trashcan Man is so insane (a muttering fool) that it’s hard to believe he could know how to get access to a nuke, pull it from the silo and transport it.  This is a guy who seems like he would have trouble getting a bus ticket.  So in his great wisdom, this is the guy Flagg chose to get him a nuke? !!! 

Speaking of Flagg being a poor leader; what’s up with Las Vegas?  It’s just one endless orgy.  The Flagg that Stephen King gave us ran a tight ship.  We all know the bad guys basically implode, but wow this retelling gives him a big head start in that direction.

This is probably a good place to ask: What’s up with Lloyd?  He’s supposed to be a tough hardened criminal capable of running the underworld.  This Lloyd is just Trashcan Man’s little brother.  He’s like a junior high kid who just doesn’t have it together yet. In fact, all of New Vegas is kind of like junior high.

Turns out: Flagg is not scary enough to be the dark man; he’s not smart enough to choose someone with half a brain to get him a nuke (he’s not even bright enough to find himself a righthand man who’s not pathetic) and Flagg’s not inspirational enough to actually draw anyone to him.  Who would follow this Flagg?  Maybe Trashcan Man and Lloyd, but that’s it.  That Las Vegas is full of Flagg followers is thanks to the script writers putting them there; because there’s nothing the Flagg character that would make us think anyone would be drawn that direction.

Whoopie Goldberg as Mother Abigail doesn’t work.  Her acting is bad; it’s just Whoopie reciting lines.  Her wig is terrible.  Her makeup is. . . did they put makeup on her?  She doesn’t look over 60.  It’s like they weren’t even trying.  Someone threw a wig on Whoopie, she jumped in the bed and read her lines off a teleprompter and kindly collected her billion-dollar paycheck.  She doesn’t seem old, weak or authentic. 

Whoopie Goldberg is deserving of the title “Mother A”… because this is not Mother Abigail.  I know they want to reinvent everything, but they should try to do better, not dumb it down.  That’s what we’re getting with the Stand, a dumbed down version.  Not a dumbed down version of the novel, a dumbed down version of the original miniseries.  Ruby Dee nailed the role in 1994.  Whoopie Goldberg had big shoes to fill, and she didn’t even try.

It is nice to finally be free from Herold.  The role was well played, but the show was becoming the Herold Show.  They were so busy developing this character that it took 5 episodes for Larry to get enough screen time to become likeable.

I really like Larry’s attempt to give Herold some dignity in death.  Track with me… I’ve been teaching through the life of King David.  When Saul and Jonathan died, even though Saul had made himself David’s chief enemy, David went and rescued his dead body so that he would be buried with dignity. (2 Samuel 21)  I’m sure the writers didn’t have king David in mind when they did this, but it’s very much reminiscent of that Biblical scene.

All in all, this is series is reduced to a letter from CBS and the Stephen King inner circle, “Dear fans, we hate you.” 

King has said a show and movie can’t ruin a book.  He’s correct, the book is right there, ready to be read it again.  But for now, the story is marred for me.  I started rereading Swan Song last week and fell in love again.  So, thanks for the hate mail, CBS, but don’t get too full of yourselves; there are better looking girls out there.

Shine On Bern

 

The Stand Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back

We all know stories get better when the villains get a turn to play in the sandbox.  Sure, they don’t play nice, and that’s what makes it so much fun.  I don’t know if that’s universally true, but it’s sure true for The Stand

It feels like the introductions are finally over, and now the story itself is finally moving forward.  Herold gets his best scenes, and Dana... wow!  It was nice to finally settle in on a somewhat new character.  What am I talking about, it was just nice to have the story told from beginning to end.

There were enough changes to give the story real tension.  I won’t spoil it yet.

The Dark Man is scary partly because we don’t overdose on him ahead of time.  Up until this episode, he’s only appeared briefly in a few scenes.  Keeping him in the shadows was nice.

Often, the middle of a story is the best because that’s where the bad guys get to reek havoc and raise the temperature.  Just think, why is Empire Strikes Back the greatest Star Wars move ever?  (And it is.)  Because it’s dark, full of tension and there’s something big enough to actually fear.  This episode of The Stand gives us a dose of the Empire Strikes Back.  No, it’s not that good – but it’s the best offering we’ve had so far.

The Stand 2020 Episode 4

 

The Stand, Episode 4: CBS Hates Stephen King

Great, more scenes all chopped up.  It’s like someone ran the script through a blender.  

We start at a community meeting in the Free Zone.  

. . . But then bounce backward (we assume backward) to a committee meeting,  Don't get confused by community and committee, they are two different scenes. 

. . . only to be yo-yo’d back to the community meeting.  For me, this is the first scene where Larry is really likeable; even inspiring.  

. . . Wait, don’t get excited, because about the time this meeting gets interesting, we are sent back to the committee meeting.

. . . and you guessed it: We are back at the community meeting.  Wait, which is the flashback and which is reality?  It’s like a chicken egg question.  Which scene came first?

And all that the INTRO !

The skipping and dipping doesn’t stop there.  The entire show is a time-warp.  Back to the Future had less time travel.  

There is no “now” in the Stand.  What that means is that there’s no real story progression.  Here’s an example: There is a very good scene where Fran and Herold are attacked.  It wasn’t in the book, so it pulls everyone forward in their seat a little – what’s happening?  This is new.  Only, even as they put in what should look like an impossible situation, there’s no tension because we’ve already established it’s a flashback and our two main characters in the scene make it out just fine. How do we know?  Because some idiot told us the end of the story before telling us the story!

There are other strange things here.  One reason for doing the Stand on cable was to actually – do The Stand.  That is, TV couldn’t handle some of the Stephen King content.  However, twice now CBS has flinched.  First by not giving us the Lincoln Tunnel done “right.”  Actually, Mick Garris did great with that scene.  But I still would have liked to see it without television standard imposed.  But the oddities continue.  We all remember exactly what Nadine told Herold he could do to her; only, CBS is afraid to air that, so we just get strange hints.  

The need to change every single character is frustrating as well.  Sweet Tom is reduced to a joke; a bumbling idiot instead of the kindhearted good intentioned character he is in the novel.  The Judge can’t possibly be an old man; so for no reason at all, he becomes and old woman.  Why?  Just because CBS can.  Glenn is supposed to the old man of the story, but instead he’s just another middle aged white guy.  There’s no story reason for any of these changes.  At some point, it’s no longer Stephen King’s story that’s being told; it’s different people all together living in the universe of The Stand.  You almost expect this Tom to run into the Tom from the King novel, because they are two wholly different people.  So same plot, but with new characters.

It’s like that Star Trek (old series) where each person on the enterprise has a duplicate in another universe that’s like them, but just a little different.  With each character you go, “Yeah, that’s them... but something’s wrong.  Something’s off.”  It’s like drinking Coke without the right syrup mix.

If CBS wanted to give viewers a gift, they’d send the Stand back in for another edit.  A redo.  Because actually, I like the scenes a lot.  The characters are insanely good. At almost every turn, they made decisions with the cast that were brilliant.  But it’s all lost in the edit blender.

What someone should do is build a visual timeline we can track all this on, because at some point I'm just going to give up.  CBS teased, and then they kicked fans in the face with garbage.  

CBS The Stand: We're On The Titanic

How many times have we heard this year, "We're all in this together" ?  Well, I'm afraid when it comes to the Stand, we are all having the same frustrating experience.  At some point (think around episode 2) this big beautiful boat hit an iceberg and we're now all on a sinking ship. 

CBS has put a lot of time and effort into offering Stephen King fans a plate of trash.  I was so excited with the first episode, endured the second, and am ready to cancel CBS after the third.  After watching the latest gob of mush, I finally decided to open my eyes and see what others were saying.  Am I the only one who hates this?  What I found was -- I'm not alone.

In fact, after reading article after article expressing similar frustrations, I started looking for someone who enjoyed this.  Some reviews found some entertaining moments, but no one seems blown away.  Even Lilja at struggled to find positive notes in his spoiler free review. (liljas-library.com)  Surprised, I turned to the ever-fan at thetruthinsidethelie.blogspot.com.  Stuff I hate, Bryant and usually find hope in.  But when it comes to this version of the Stand, we all seem to be on the same sinking ship. "Thus far, The Stand has failed utterly to establish that it is the "present" which is the real story."  He notes the timeline is "sloppily connected." (Well said.)

Stephen King has rightly pointed out that no movie can really "ruin" his book, since the book is right there for you to read any time you want.  Which might be what I end up doing.  That, and canceling CBS. 

hollywoodreporter: CBS All Access' new adaptation of The Stand is a car on cinderblocks. It looks great. If you glance under the hood, you can see all of the work that's been done on the engine. But no matter how ready it seems to peel out onto the road, it isn't going anywhere. Very rarely is the Benjamin Cavell-steered adaptation, with Josh Boone directing the pilot, actively bad, but it's very frustrating.

Rotten Tomatoes: Critics Consensus: Despite an A-list ensemble and a smattering of poignant moments, The Stand's extended runtime doesn't make for better storytelling, leaving its expansive cast stranded in a cluttered apocalypse.

rogerebert.com: Most damningly, there’s no sense of the world’s descent into madness, no seeping dread, no unbearable builds of tension; “The Stand” hits you with the glowing eyes of evil and the mystical wisdom of the “magical old black lady” (the show’s description, not mine) early and often, leaving subtlety in the dust.

www.vulture.comWhile there are some genuinely effective attempts to generate suspense, those sequences stand beside some of the wildest and most off-the-mark sections of the series,

indiewire.com: in an article titled, "‘The Stand’ Review: Stephen King’s CBS All Access Adaptation Is a Plague Unto Itself": Even more debilitating is the realization these flashbacks are going to keep happening every time we meet a new character. “The Stand” is famous for having a massive cast, and while jumping ahead in time so we can get past the pandemic is a sound instinct — the show’s viral outbreak is close enough to reality to remind viewers what’s going on outside, but far too extreme to provide meaningful parallels — repeatedly going back in time kills forward momentum. And it doesn’t help that all these flashbacks fail to set up any intriguing “how did they get from here to there” teases.

and: It is also miscast, in nearly every role. “The Stand” isn’t bolstered by a fleet of skilled actors so much as it’s hindered by watching those proven talents struggle to find a credible tone within the series’ cleaned-up TV sheen and dirty allegory for good vs. evil.

CNN notes, 'The Stand' turns Stephen King's epic book into what feels like a very long sit." And Collider headlines their article, "'The Stand' Review: A Sprawling Apocalypse Epic That Trips on Its Own Ambition."

USA Today said, "CBS All Access makes a -- mess out of Stephen King's epic." I think this form the USA Today article nails everyone's frustration: :The most troublesome problem with "Stand" is the decision to jump around in the timeline, starting not at the pandemic that destroys humanity but in the middle of a new society that sprang up after it. Working backward (and then forward, and then backward again), the episodes struggle to clearly explain what happened with "Captain Tripps," a lethal super flu accidentally released from a military facility. Most plot developments and characterizations are implied rather than filmed, making this "Stand" more confusing than anything else."