Will You Be Spooked At The Stanley Film Festival

The Stanley Hotel is debuting the Stanley Film Festival May 2-5.

What is the Stanley Film Festival?  examiner.com contributor Claudia Carbone explains that it is a "A full slate of films, panels, student competitions, audience awards and parties are on tap, with all events at the hotel."

Hold on!  The Stanley Hotel is hosting a film festival?!  HOW COOL IS THAT?  Yes, I knew about this -- but somehow the sheer coolness of it hadn't sunk in.

One of the films to be featured is Room 237

Carbone writes:

A fitting venue for the horror film genre, the Stanley Hotel enjoys its reputation for being the inspiration for Stephen King's book The Shining and the location for the TV mini series based on the book. And, the historic hotel is rumored to be haunted since its opening in 1909. Visitors flock to the iconic hotel six miles from Rocky Mountain National Park to take the haunted tours, learn of its fascinating history, dine at its gourmet restaurant, and enjoy its old world charm in overnight stays.

Carbone quotes Festival Director Jenny Bloom, “It’s an honor to join the Stanley Film Festival team in its inaugural year and build a prestigious cinematic event specifically for the horror genre. The Stanley Hotel's history with Hollywood and real paranormal activity makes it such a natural fit for an annual celebration of film."


FILMS:

• 100 BLOODY ACRES: A trio of fun-loving tourists on their way to a music festival fall into the hands of two crazed brothers with sinister plans in this madcap comedy about trying to survive.
• AFTERSHOCK: Modern horror maestro Eli Roth co-wrote, produces and stars as a mopey tourist whose wild vacation in Chile turns gruesome. Ravaged by a vicious earthquake, he and his friends desperately struggle to survive a living nightmare. Closing Night film with Eli Roth in-person. 
• ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE: Resurrected after a several year hiatus, this legendary splatter-fest is finally making its way back to the big screen. When the most sought after girl in school is invited to a weekend outing with friends on a secluded farm, a mysterious suitor begins to pick off the other boys one by one.
• BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO: Winner of five British Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Actor, this creepy love letter to the classic “Giallo” period details the complications befalling a motion picture sound designer as he quietly descends into madness.
• BIG BAD WOLVES: An obsessed cop, and the father of a victim take justice into their own hands when they capture a suspected killer of children. In their genre-bending follow-up to Israel’s first horror film Rabies, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado explore an unimaginable terror.
• BLACK ROCK: Three childhood friends have their weekend getaway on a secluded island transformed into a brutal game of cat-and-mouse with a trio of trained predators. Katie Aselton (The Freebie, star of “The League”) directs from a script by husband Mark Duplass.
• Bobby Yeah: Bobby Yeah is a petty thug who lightens his miserable existence by brawling and thieving stuff. When he steals the favorite pet of some very dangerous individuals, he finds himself in deep trouble. 
• Broken: Sarah is haunted by a tragic accident that leaves her fighting between reality and the terror in her mind. Part of the Stanley Dean’s Cup Student Competition Submitted by University of Colorado Denver
• Broken Things: This dark fairy tale, blending live action and stop motion, explores what happens when misfits fights back. Part of the Stanley Dean’s Cup Student Competition Submitted by University of Colorado Denver
• Bydlo: An allegory of mankind heading for disaster, Bydlo is a tragic vision inspired by Mussorgsky’s music. 
• CABIN FEVER: The inaugural Stanley Film Festival Visionary award recipient Eli Roth will present his directorial debut. This modern horror classic centers on a group of college graduates who rent a cabin in the woods, only to fall victim to a flesh-eating virus. Eli Roth in Person
• Dance Till You Drop: The Girl is a newly single dancer that is tasked to watch her best friend’s house. After deciding the place needs a clean, she cranks up the tunes and decides to show off her nifty moves. And that’s when things get really weird. 
• FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY: Near the end of World War II, a platoon of Russian soldiers are given a secret mission that leads them into the lair of a Nazi mad scientist and his frightening creations in this cinematically inventive take on the monster movie. 
• Haunted Castle: For our very first festival, we proudly present the very first horror film in recorded history. Master of silent cinema Georges Melies directs for your enjoyment. 
• Haunted Love: Jane and John explore the subtle – almost tortured – feelings they hold for each other. 
• Hell No: Hell No is a short movie trailer that explores what would happen in horror movies if smart characters made quality logical decisions. Spoiler alert: everyone lives. 
• HENGE: Following treatment for violent spells, a young man returns home to his loving wife. But as his seizures intensify, it becomes clear something inside him is trying to get out. Part domestic drama, part sci-fi thriller, this ambitious micro-budget tragedy heralds the arrival of a bright new talent
• HENLEY: Meet nine-year-old Ted Henley, budding motel manager and roadkill entrepreneur. 
• Here After: A young girl investigates an ghostly apparition in a fimilar locale, The Stanley Hotel. Part of the Stanley Dean’s Cup Student Competition Submitted by Art Institute of Colorado
• HERE COMES THE DEVIL: Argentine director Adrían García Bogliano (Cold Sweat, Penumbra) returns with a shockingly gory erotic horror film about a couple whose children mysteriously disappear while on vacation in Mexico.
• Hundred Waters “Boreal”: Hundreds of years before the first Europeans land in Florida, a young Tequesta boy goes hunting in the Everglades. Meanwhile, his prey longs for deeper fulfillment. 
• IN: A man is asked by a friend to retrieve something lost inside a train tunnel where an unknown terror lies in wait. 
• In Hanford: This heartbreaking true story of a town poisoned by Cold War–era nuclear-arms manufacture is told through firsthand accounts and fantasy scenes, which empathize with the victim’s plight. 
• Lazarov: Refusing to accept the decline of the U.S.S.R., a handful of Russian scientists work secretly to resurrect Soviet power through the mysterious program Lazarov. 
• Legend: Claudia, a ten-year-old girl, leaves with her family to spend the weekend out of town. At an abandoned gas station, the appearance of a strange woman will reveal her true fate.
• Macabre: A group of friends traveling together are lured to a house of evil run by an ageless matron and her bloodthirsty offspring. The rarely seen directorial debut of Indonesian horror-hounds The Mo Brothers delivers carnage in spades.
• MANIAC: Elijah Wood shines in this remake of the horror classic about a psychotic stalker with a habit of scalping his objects of desire. Reimagined in mostly point-of-view shots, this revolutionary horror hit from Cannes is part camp, part art and all fear.
• Meadowcroft: After a failed suicide attempt, a depressed teen seeks the help of a former classmate, Charlie Meadowcroft. Part of the Stanley Dean’s Cup Student Competition Submitted by University of Colorado Denver
• No One Lives: Gore master Ryûhei Kitamura (VERSUS, THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN) tells the story of a brutal gang of thieves who get more than they bargained when they attempt a typical highway robbery of what appears to be an average vacationing couple. 
• Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise: Terrifying and strange happenings descend on a 1970’s high school. 
• Peak of Terror: When a Monster terrorizes a small town a woman must confront her past to protect the people she loves. Part of the Stanley Dean’s Cup Student Competition Submitted by Colorado Film School
• Pet Peeves: Is a film about Victor, a cereal killer thats motivation for murder is based on her P.e.t P.e.e.v.e.s. Part of the Stanley Dean’s Cup Student Competition Submitted by University of Colorado Denver
• ROOM 237: In 1980 Stanley Kubrick released his classic horror film, The Shining. Over 30 years later, viewers are still struggling to understand its hidden meanings. A wild exploration into the heart of obsession, this cinematic essay is one that you will want to see at The Stanley Hotel. Filmmaker in Person
• Shorts Program I: This program contains the following films: THE APOCALYPSE DIRECTOR Andrew Zuchero Four uninspired friends try to come up with a terrific idea for how to spend their Saturday afternoon. HUNDRED WATERS “BOREAL” Director Lucas Leyva & Jillian Mayer Hundreds of years before the first Europeans land in Florida, a young Tequesta boy goes hunting in the...
• Shorts Program II: This program contains the following films: IN DIRECTOR Adam Berg A man is asked by a friend to retrieve something lost inside a train tunnel where an unknown terror lies in wait. Hell No DIRECTOR Joe Nicolosi HELL NO is a short movie trailer that explores what would happen in horror movies if smart characters made...
• SIGHTSEERS: Ben Wheatley, director of the cult hit KILL LIST, returns with this hilarious horror comedy about a couple vacationing in rural England who can’t seem to shake the series of graphic deaths that follow them wherever they go. 
• The Apocalypse: Four uninspired friends try to come up with a terrific idea for how to spend their Saturday afternoon. 
• The Bungled Child: There’s nothing easy about mending a bungled child. 
• The Cub: Wolves make the best parents. 
• The Event: Love and a severed foot at the end of the world. 
• The Purge: In the near future, a daring new edict keeps the nation safe. Called simply The Purge, it is a 24 hour release from all laws. When vicious outsiders break into an innocent family’s home on the one night that crime is legal each year, everyone will find out how far they would go to protect...
• THE RAMBLER: Director Calvin Lee Reeder (The Oregonian) utilizes his unique style of psychological horror and surrealism to adapt his acclaimed short about the man known only as “The Rambler” and his bizarre journey through the back roads of America. 
• The Root of the Problem: In the candy-colored world of 1950s suburbia, a reluctant young housewife suspects that the friendly neighborhood dentist is hiding a horrible secret. Is it just the anesthesia at work, or is there something more sinister hiding below the surface? 
• The Unliving: Thirty years after a zombie outbreak, people are taming the undead and using them as cheap labour. Katrine catches ‘em and Mark lobotomizes’em. They’re an awesome team, but work is starting to bleed into their relationship. 
• Thumb Snatchers from the Moon Cocoon: A Texas Sheriff uses his cowboy logic to recklessly defeat a race of thumb-snatching, cocoon dwelling robo critters. 
• TOWER BLOCK: When bullets start flying into an isolated tenement building, no one is safe from the faceless shooter who has trapped the residents there for reasons unknown. The traditional slasher film is taken to its extreme in this taut psychological thriller.
• Two Fingers "Vengeance Rhythm": This is the story of a very very angry teddy bear. 
• V/H/S/2 : The latest installment to last year’s successful found-footage short anthology series aims higher, bigger and scarier with new visions from the deranged minds behind some of independent genre’s finest offerings (The Blair Witch Project, The Raid, Hobo with a Shotgun, You’re Next).
• VANISHING WAVES: A hypnotic, erotic, and wildly thought-provoking cinematic odyssey into the unknown realms of the mind, this operatic sci-fi vision highlights the development of a strong psychic link between two patients in an experiment gone awry.
• When The Zombies Come: At a remote hardware store, fans of the walking dead have turned their love of zombies into an obsession, warping the way they see the store and its customers. 
• WITHER: In the grand tradition of EVIL DEAD and it’s progeny, this tale of a group of vacationing friends who encounter an infectious creature from the unknown delivers on the gore in this impressively made low budget screamfest.
• Yellow: A reclusive older man is on the hunt for a vicious serial killer in neon-lit Berlin in this neo Giallo short by Jon Britt and Ryan Haysom.

King ON Shining Prequel, I Would Be Just As Happy If It Didn't Happen

With recent news  that the Overlook, a prequel to The Shining, might actually become a reality -- many of us are interested in Stephen King's reaction.

Uncle Creepy at Dread Central posted the following from King (via EW),

"I’m not saying I would put a stop to the project because I’m sort of a nice guy," King tells Entertainment Weekly. "When I was a kid, my mother said, ‘Stephen if you were a girl, you’d always be pregnant.’ I have a tendency to let people develop things. I’m always curious to see what will happen. But you know what? I would be just as happy if it didn’t happen."

www.dreadcentral.com

The Cujo We Love

Now that's a Good dog!

Hey Hollywood. . . this is the Cujo we love. . . don't mess with it.  Don't rethink it.  Don't reinterpret it.  Don't re-imagine it.  Don't "re-tell" it.

Sun Classic Pictures posted on their website:

LANG ELLIOTT, PRESIDENT & CEO OF SUNN CLASSIC PICTURES, INC., ANNOUNCED THAT SUNN PLANS TO PRODUCE THE REMAKE OF “CUJO” THIS YEAR REPRESENTING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY SINCE SUNN PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED THE ORIGINAL “CUJO” MOTION PICTURE IN 1983, BASED UPON STEPHEN KING’S NOVEL. (www.sunnclassicpicturesinc)

Scary Breaking Bad Fan

Dean Norris tweeted from the set of Under The Dome On CBS: "A VERY scary Breaking Bad fan. Oh, he also writes stuff #icon #stephenking #awesomeguy"

from King's facebook page (www.facebook.com OfficialStephenKing)

LAWSON: 'The Shining' Prequel Is the Problem with Prequels

photo credit: www.reelizer.com

Strange things are happening with The Shining.  Thus the strange picture!  What do ya'all think of it?

Richard Lawson at the Atlantic summed up my own feelings toward the plans to make a Prequel to The Shining.

Responding to news that Glen Mazzara of The Walking Dead is set to write the script for The Overlook Hotel, Lawson writes:

What's worse: The unnecessary sequel? The unnecessary remake? May I submit that in fact the unnecessary prequel does the job of both, simultaneously adding to a story that didn't need adding to, just as a sequel does, and managing to oddly reinvent the world of the original, just like a bad remake would. Look no further for an example than the ultimate terrible prequels, Star Wars I-III, which were not only bad movies in their own right but, boy, did they do a number on the original trilogy. A bad prequel can wreak a lot of havoc. And so when we hear news that the whispered-about prequel to The Shining is chugging along, with Warner Bros. hiring a writer, it bears taking a moment to yell: No

YES!  That summed it up well.  I did not enjoy the Star Wars prequels at all.  I watched a documentary called "The People v. George Lucas" in which some fans said Lucas had ruined their lives.  Well, the prequels neither ruined my life nor made me love the originals any less. And, in my opinion -- they got better.  That is, until Darth Vader cried, "nooooooo!"  Really, Darth, really.

Lawson gives us an important reminder.  The prequel to The Shining will be a prequel to the Kubrick version of the film, not the King story.  Kinda sad, because as I pointed out earlier, King's own prequel in "Before the play" was quite good.  Kubrick's story was all together another story -- like something that happened in a parallel universe.

Lawson suggested, "So this prequel would exist more in Kubrick's world than in King's, though the prequel material would theoretically be based on a prologue written by King that was eventually cut from the book."  I'm not so sure of that.  The only reason to say it's based on the Kubrick film is to say that they are going in a whole new direction.  The only real back story that the Kubrick film offered was the idea that Jack had "always" been the caretaker.  Certainly not an idea King had worked with at all.

Of course The Shining had everyone scratching their heads at points -- but I wonder if we really want answers. Lawson again sums it up well, saying, "While something of an interesting thought experiment — why is Jack Torrance in that photo from 1921? — I'm not sure we really need a whole movie based on the idea of the pre-Shining hotel."  That's right!

The full story is at www.theatlanticwire.com

Cujo and The Shining Back To Hollywood

photo credit: www.liljas-library.com

Today the Hollywood Reporter posted that Glen Mazzara is "in negotiations to pen the screenplay" to a project called "Overlook Hotel."  The story will serve as a prequel to The Shining.  This was actually hard for me to imagine until I read Stephen King's original opening to The Shining called "Before The Play."  An edited version appeared in TV guide.  (talkstephenking.blogspot. before the play)

My favorite website, Lilja's Library, posted this news:

SUNN CLASSIC ANNOUNCES CUJO FOR 2013
Lang Elliott, President & CEO of Sunn Classic Pictures, Inc., announced that Sunn plans to produce the remake of “CUJO” this year representing the 30th Anniversary since Sunn produced and distributed the original “CUJO” motion picture in l983, based upon Stephen King’s novel. The l983 version was highly successful at the worldwide box-office and, compared with today’s inflation and higher ticket prices, the box-office would be well over $225 million even without ancillary sales (i.e., DVD, cable, free television, pay-per-view, etc.).

Of course, the big question is -- why?  Cujo was a good book, and a better movie.  Could a remake be better  than the original?  Carrie could justify a remake because the original deviated so far from the book -- though it was great.  But Cujo actually made the story better!  If Sunn wants to drop money on a Stephen King project, how about CELL, The Sun Dog, From a Buick 8. Or how about a remake of The Runningman.

King films that need a remake:

• The Runningman
• Langoliers
• Desperation
• Needful Things (mini-series please)
• IT
• Firestarter
• Dreamcatcher

Some projects you hope will just go away. . . like Children of the Corn.  

What King movies would you like to see remade?

King: Writing Is What God Put Me On Earth To Do

I enjoyed this 1981 PEOPLE magazine article, titled, "For Years, Stephen King's Firestarter Was Wife Tabitha; Now She Burns to Write, Too." (www.people.com)
What's kind of cool about old dated articles is you see how they come out.  Often you read a magazine just a few years old, and the couples have broken up and the love is gone.  But when love endures the story is more interesting.

Here's an interesting quote:

The marriage is built upon a healthy combination of respect and friendly give-and-take. "We have a pact not to argue about drinking, hair and dope," says Tabby, but everything else is fair game.

We know now that Tabby would eventually step in and force King to make some hard decisions.  Consider this: If she had not stepped in, think how messed up he would have been.  So in a way -- all you dark tower freaks -- she saved the Dark Tower.

This article actually sent me searching for my copy of Tabitha King's Small World.  No, I did not find it right away.  No, I have not read it.  But it sounds interesting -- "a fantasy about a mad scientist and his minimizer."

I like this:

Both concede that Small World's sales have been boosted by the fact that Tabby is Steve's wife. "I put 10 years into helping his career," she reasons, "so if his name helps me with mine, I think it's legitimate." 

When the article was written (and I think this is still true) the King's saw writing very differently.

But Tabby says that "writing is only the frosting on my cake. I'm whole without it." For Steve it is different. "If I weren't writing," he admits, "I might be like that guy in the Texas tower. Writing is what God put me on earth to do."

By the way, we know that during the time that this article was written, King was working hard on a book called Cannibals.  

BURNETTE: Interview With Owen King

WOW!  Big time congrats to my friend Bryant Burnette for getting to interview Owen King.  Check it out at thetruthinsidethelie.blogspot.com

Burnette does a really good job discussing Owen King's work, and not bugging him for details about his famous dad!  The interview is serious and fun -- and at times over my head since I haven't read a lot of Owen King yet.

Here's an interesting question that I too had wondered about when I read the synopsis of Double Feature:

Burnette: You've mentioned in other interviews that the novel was to some degree sparked by the desire to explore the life of someone who'd become famous for something they didn't want to be famous for (not unlike Internet celebrities like the "Star Wars kid"). The end result is a very empathetic novel, in which we see and experience from Sam's vantage point what it would be like to have that sort of thing happen. Did your ideas about that sort of fame and celebrity change or evolve at all during the writing of the novel, or did you wind up at essentially the place you expected to wind up? 

Owen King: In a lot of ways, the reason I wrote the book was to figure out how I felt about that weird, upside down brand of fame. With that in mind, I'm leery of spelling out my conclusions. I don't want to step on anyone's interpretation. I should say, though, that, ultimately, the novel keys on Sam as a character. It's not so much about how I feel about that weird, upside down brand of fame, and more about how he feels about it - and how his feelings change.

MANN "You Can't Kill Stephen King" Headed To NETFLIX

Here is an interview with Monroe Mann about the feature film You Can't Kill Stephen King! - The Movie.  Mann explained on his FB page that it is from last month at the New York County Lawyer's Association Entertainment Law Panel, "where I had the pleasure of being one of the five panelists."

Asked where in the US, he said, "Definitely Netflix, Red Box, Walmart  Cable, Pay per view.  Fans who want to see it will have many opportunities to do so."

Under The Dome Promo

CLUB STEPHEN KING: Richard Bachman Check

I enjoyed this article from my friends at club Stephen King about Richard Bachman.  The website is in French, but both google  and Bing will translate it just fine.  So here's something cool  I didn't know:

In 1994, nine years after his death, when his widow was preparing to move, she discovered a box of manuscript in the basement.It contained a number of novels and short stories, more or less finalized. The most complete was a novel called regulators . Claudia took the manuscript to the former editor Richard Bachman , Charles Verrill, who found that the book was a continuation of his previous books. After a few minor changes and with the permission of the widow Bachman (now Claudia Eschelman) Regulators was published in September 1996, and in October of the same year, the novel skin and bones became a Paramount film Pictures. [At the same time that the output Regulators , Stephen King published Desolation novel protanogistes comprising the same, but a different story. Similarly, the book covers are set side by side full artwork.] 

A limited edition of Regulators was published by Dutton and each copy has a check signed by Bachman before his death.

Check out  the entire website, it's a lot of fun.  club-stephenking

Could CARRIE Send Morets To The Oscar's?

contactmusic.com headlines an article about Chloe Grace Moretz that asks the question, "Will ‘Carrie’ be Chloe Grace Moretz’ First Oscar Nominated Role?"  This on the heels of the new Carrie trailer that has gotten a lot of positive attention.  The site notes that her "stock has been rising" and that  Carrie could be the project that moves her out of the realm of "child actor" and into "Oscar contender".

Of course, the idea of Moretz at the Oscar's makes me think of Carrie at the Oscars.  How much more fun would it be to see her reign terror on egocentric Hollywood instead of a High School prom.  I mean, think about it -- they're kind of the same thing. It's all about who is going with who, what you wear and who will be made king and queen.

About Moretz, the article says,

She’s proved her worth for years now, and, barring the drug, alcohol and over-spending tendencies that come with being a Hollywood actress, she should have a long and glittering career ahead, with people remembering Carrie as the film that ‘made her’

Ebert On King

The famous movie reviewer Roger Ebert died Thursday.  I first became acquainted with him when I was a kid and he offered movie commentary with Gene Siskel on Siskel and Ebert.  I would watch them on Sunday afternoon between morning church and evening church.  Strangely, the review I remember is Back to the Beach -- which both of them liked.  Seems Disney was really hesitant to let them review the film, thinking it would get bad publicity right from the start.  But it got two thumbs up.

In his review of Dreamcatcher, Ebert revealed that he is also a King reader, saying, "The movie is based on a novel by Stephen King, unread by me, apparently much altered for the screen version, especially in the appalling closing sequences. I have just finished the audiobook of King's From a Buick 8 , was a fan of his Hearts in Atlantis , and like the way his heart tugs him away from horror ingredients and into the human element in his stories."

In his review of Secret Window, Ebert offered this about King's book On Writing, "A lot of people were outraged that he was honored at the National Book Awards, as if a popular writer could not be taken seriously. But after finding that his book On Writing had more useful and observant things to say about the craft than any book since Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, I have gotten over my own snobbery."

Here are some of his reviews of Stephen King movies:

CARRIE (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

The scariest horror stories -- the ones by M.R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, and Oliver Onions -- are like this. They develop their horrors out of the people they observe. That happens here, too. Does it ever.                                        

THE DEAD ZONE (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

No other King novel has been better filmed (certainly not the recent, dreadful "Cujo"), and Cronenberg, who knows how to handle terror, now also knows how to create three-dimensional, fascinating characters. (writing circa 1983)

MISERY (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

The material in "Misery" is so much Stephen King's own that it's a little surprising that a director like Rob Reiner would have been interested in making the film.  . . .What he does with "Misery" is essentially simply respectful - he "brings the story to the screen," as the saying goes.

THE MIST (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

THE GREEN MILE (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

By the end, when he is asked to forgive them for sending him to the electric chair, the story has so well prepared us that the key scenes play like drama, not metaphor, and that is not an easy thing to achieve.

And I think this is a very important quote, since he links King to Dickens.  This is something I've  been doing for a while.  (Stephen King A Mordern Charles Dickens)

Stephen King, sometimes dismissed as merely a best-seller, has in his best novels some of the power of Dickens, who created worlds that enveloped us and populated them with colorful, peculiar, sharply seen characters. King in his strongest work is a storyteller likely to survive as Dickens has, despite the sniffs of the litcrit establishment.

SILVER BULLET (rogerebert.suntimes.com)  I like the opening line:

Stephen King's "Silver Bullet" is either the worst movie ever made from a Stephen King story, or the funniest. It is either simply bad, or it is an inspired parody of his whole formula, in which quiet American towns are invaded by unspeakable horrors. It's a close call, but I think the movie is intentionally funny.

 DREAMCATCHER (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

"Dreamcatcher" begins as the intriguing story of friends who share a telepathic gift, and ends as a monster movie of stunning awfulness. What went wrong? How could director Lawrence Kasdan and writer William Goldman be responsible for a film that goes so awesomely wrong?

SECRET WINDOW (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

CAT'S EYE (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

 The crazy unreality of the situation has a "Twilight Zone" sort of appeal, and indeed "Cat's Eye" is a superior Twilight-style anthology of three stories that are held together by the adventures of the cat. It's a small, scrappy tabby that survives not only electric shock (actually only special effects, so don't call the ASPCA), but also city traffic, falls from high buildings, one-way tickets to the pound, and a duel to the death with a gremlin who lives behind a little girl's bedroom wall.

APT PUPIL (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

HEARTS IN ATLANTIS (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

Rarely does a movie make you feel so warm and so uneasy at the same time, as Stephen King's story evokes the mystery of adolescence, when everything seems to be happening for the very first time.

NEEDFUL THINGS (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

"Needful Things" is yet another one of those films based on a Stephen King story that inspires you to wonder why his stories don't make better films. (INDEED!)

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (rogerebert.suntimes.com)

The word "redemption" is in the title for a reason. The movie is based on a story, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, by Stephen King, which is quite unlike most of King's work. The horror here is not of the supernatural kind, but of the sort that flows from the realization than 10, 20, 30 years of a man's life have unreeled in the same unchanging daily prison routine.

BAG OF BONES (www.suntimes.com/entertainment)

‘Stephen King’s Bag of Bones” is a bag of something, and it ain’t bones. Based on King’s 1998 thriller (which I trust is better than the two-part miniseries starting Sunday on A&E), “Bag of Bones” boils down to a hokey horror story that relies on cheap tricks — nightmares! sudden bursts of loud music! animal in the attic! — to deliver most of its chills. Worse yet, some of the characters are so cartoonish, they’re more “Scooby-Doo” than Cujo.  (OUCH!!!)

CHILDREN OF THE CORN (rogerebert.suntimes.com)  -- this one is great!

By the end of “Children of the Corn,” the only thing moving behind the rows is the audience, fleeing to the exits. (well said, sir)

Planning A Conspiricy Theory

I really feel quite left out.  Now that Room 217 is out, the book The Shining Revealed and the documentary The Shining Code – I’m starting to wish I was a conspiracy nut.  I want to see Jesus in pancakes, believe the pyramids were built by ancient aliens and be convinced the moon landing was a hoax directed by Stanley Kubrick.

I’m so bad at the conspiricy angle that even when Stephen King confirms he was really talking about another subject – I still don’t see it.  For instance, he said Needful Things was really about the eighties.  About Ronald Reagan.  Really?  Needful Things was actually about Ronald Regan and the eighties?  I would disagree wholeheartedly – if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s the author himself saying this.  So I guess if Kubrick said, “Hey, the Shining is actually about the moon landing,” I still wouldn’t believe!

You know, surely there are other King movies that I could dig a conspiracy out of.  The best prospects are: Pet Sematary, IT and Richard Bachman.  I know Richard Bachman is not a movie --  but the prospects for conspiracy theories are ripe.

So here's some thoughts:
1. It is really about how McDonald's is destroying the world, eating little kids alive.
2. Christine is actually a tale about the power of self help.  Thus the car, though beaten down, is able to restore itself.
3. Cujo is about spiritual warfare.  The mother and son take refuge in the sanctuary of the car, while the demons seek to attack from all around.

And, I offer this from talkstephenking.blogspot.com

RICHARD BACHMAN -- THE REAL STORY

On Writing contains Stephen King's most complete autobiography to date. It is an outstanding look at himself, his growth as a writer, and the things that influenced him.

I found myself wondering recently, "Will anyone ever write Richard Bachman's biography?" Will the real story every get told?

But wasn't Bachman just a pseudonym?

Well, if you believe Mr. King he was. But can we be sure? Really? The story we were given by Mr. King was that he wrote under the name Bachman because he desired to write genre's other than horror -- and the publishing world was already full of Stephen King books. But that tale has holes in it.

First, If "Richard Bachman" is just a pseudonym, then who is the man in the photo on the back of Thinner?

Second, If Bachman didn't exist, why was it necessary to give him a wife and a death date?

Don't laugh at that first one. Really, wasn't this photo taken before computers were the rage? Before faces could be generated? So. . . who is that man? Does he walk in stores and people say, "Hey! You're Richard Bachman, aren't you?"

No! No one ever sees this fellow! No one points to him on the street. He doesn't have to hide is face in public or sneak into the movies. People don't point and say, "Hey, that's the guy who wrote The Running Man."

Why not? Why has only one picture of this man appeared? I ask this delecatly, but could Richard Bachman have existed outside the mind of Stephen King?

What if. . .

What if Richard Bachman really was the author of The Long Walk, Running Man and other paperback novels. But they didn't sell very well. He had trouble breaking through.

Dickie wasn't only a writer, he was an avid Stephen King fan. Bachman carefully hid little hints about King in his books. Not direct links, but unnerving things. Things that only King would notice.

Perhaps he even stalked Mr. King. One of those fans who gets a little too close for comfort. But Bachman was the type who just wouldn't go away! Who knows all the details. Who knows what Dickie did to make the author miserable, but we can all be sure of this: Stephen King himself told the world that Bachman was "not a very nice guy."

But as Bachman added more and more links between his work and the world of Stephen King, people began to wonder if perhaps Stephen King was actually Richard Bachman. Bachman was, after-all, a recluse. At first King denied it. How irritating to have someone elses work put out as your own. But then someone saw the way to kill two birds with one stone. They could get rid of pesky Richard Bachman, make Bachman a load of money -- enough to disappear for the rest of his life --, and add a new chapter to the Stephen King phenoma. (Okay, that was three birds with one stone).

So a deal was struck. Bachman disappeared, King took credit for the work and the money began to roll in. What had been little paperback throw away's became best sellers. Richard Bachman got a heafty monthly check, and Stephen King got rid of that pesky writer who kept creeping in on his world. Bachman demanded one more thing: Credit on the movie The Running Man. He didn't want Mr. King to suck up all his fame.

Benefits For Bachman:

Why would Richard Bachman agree to attributing his work to S.K.? Just a few thoughts:

1. To raise interest in his work. What author doesn't want to be read?

2. To raise the value of his books. His novels went from being worth a few dollars to worth hundreds of dollars each!

3. To sell even more copies. What were the chances of Bachman appearing over-seas? Or of his work even getting a second printing? Slim! But with King's name attached, the world took notice. And Bachman could cash the check and smile wide. . . on whatever island he chose to hide on.

4. To give his work a lasting impact. The paperback novels would not simply slip into obscurity, but would now live on. Of course, they must be attached to the famous author.

5. To attach himself directly to the world of Stephen King. If I am correct, Bachman was a fan of King. He slipped references of people they both knew into his work. In fact, he went all out in his novel the Regulators. Probably annoying to the famous author, Bachman would leap at the chance to have his work identified as the work of Stephen King. Soon Bachman's own name would drop into smaller print, and Stephen King's own name would appear above his.

The Problem:

There is a problem, isn't there? Bachman just wouldn't go away! Once his name was out there, he knew he could do better. In 1995 he did the unacceptable: He wrote another book! And he was back to his old ways. Spying on Mr. King, snooping through his things, and worse. How shocked was King when he got a manuscript from Bachman that contained characters and tie ins with King's own work Desperation. What had Dickie been up to?!

A decision had to be made. Would they publish the Regulators, or expose the big secret? King and publisher agreed to print one last novel. But, King had his own slice of revenge waiting for Dickie. Are you ready? This was brilliant!

In 1997 King expressed his concern that Bachman's book Rage could inspire violence in our culture -- so he asked that the book be pulled. There was truth to the concern, but it was "one for one." Bachman wrote a book . . . so Bachman would lose a book. And bam! On the word of Stephen King, Bachman saw his novel disappear from book stores.

The message was clear as day: No more novel's, Dickie, or I'll make your already published stuff go bye bye. And with it. . . those nice checks from the publisher.

Bachman must have brewed over this. What could he do? King had him over a barrell. He couldn't come out and reveal the secret. The best revenge on King woudl be. . . another novel. One King couldn't deny. One that King had already mentioned the existance of.

So Richard threw himself into writing his next novel. A retarded man kidnaps a baby and falls in love with it. He worked slowly, editing his own work and rewriting several drafts. Ten years later, in 2006, another disturbing call was placed to the famous author: "I've been at work again. Do you think you can help me out, or should I seek my own publisher?"

The decision was made to keep up the pretense.

Can We Really Trust The King?

Some of you are saying, "But I trust Stephen King's version of events." Well, when it comes to biography, King has been known to admit to fibbing. King cites John Irving and says, "never believe a writer when he he seems to be offering you autobiography, because we all lie." (Stephen King goes to Hollywood, Jeff Conner, 1987)

For those of you who want to believe the King story and accept that Mr. Bachman never existed, I say: FINE. I understand your doubts. But someone's picture is on the back of Thinner. . . and they've never come forward. The only proof needed to show Bachman never existed is for the man in the photo to step in front of a camera. But he'll never do that. Why? Because it WAS Richard Bachman!  (You try to find that insurance agent)

Answer: yoda.arachsys.com

New Carrie Tailer

The new Carrie trailer is at yahoo.com/movie/carrie

Here's some good news:

Signs CARRIE Will Be A Great Movie

I think this looks great!



source: etonline.com

REVOLUTION hints at Stephen King references

Jason Hughes at HuffPost has a recap of episode 12 of NBC's "REVOLUTION."  He is spotting a lot of Stephen King nods.  Hughes notes:

In a post-apocalyptic world everything centers around ... a tower? Is this show a part of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series? "Revolution" started revealing some of its secrets this week, including the man who gave the order that triggered the blackout. That man is one Randall Flagg --er, sorry, Randall Flynn. Got Stephen King on the brain, but that's the show's fault, too. They had a blatant reference to "The Stand" -- also the name of last week's episode -- in a library scene in the episode. The horror master is clearly an influence on the series.

The full recap is www.huffingtonpost.com.

What's Revolution?  Here's the wikipedia short answer: Revolution takes place in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future. Fifteen years earlier, an unknown phenomenon disabled electricity on Earth and effectively all devices powered by it, ranging from computers and electronics to car and jet engines. People were forced to adapt to a world without electricity. Due to the collapse of government and public order, many areas are ruled by warlords and militias. The series focuses on the Matheson family, who possess a special device (a USB flash drive contained in a pendant) that is the key to not only finding out what happened fifteen years ago, but also a possible way to reverse its effects. However, they must elude Sebastian Monroe, the General of the Monroe Militia and President of the Monroe Republic who wants to possess that power for himself for conquest of the former United States of America.  (wiki/Revolution)

THE SHINING CODE

The Shining Code is a one-hour documentary which deciphers and explains the meaning behind Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Due to its mysterious nature, the movie left most viewers confused and unable to understand what the events that took place were all about. The Shining Code documentary unlocks more than 50 codes within the film, codes that finally shed some light on the mysteries that left so many scratching their head and wondering what possessed Kubrick to release such a film.

Schull and Riding The Bullet

Bennet Loudon has an interesting article about Jon Schull, the inventor of softlock. The company went under, but Schull's technology was used to distribute Stephen King's ebook, Riding the Bullet. While the internet was yet young, Schull started the company to create a means of releasing "digital products on the web and ensure compensation for the owner."

SoftLock’s success peaked in 2000 when it was one of only a few technologies used to distribute Stephen King’s ebook Riding the Bullet online, one of the first mass market ebooks. But soon after, investors no longer wanted to inject capital into the operation, which meant he could no longer pay his 70 workers and the company shut down.

The professors plan was to do research, and allow his students to run the business.  What he learned was that students aren't always good capitalist.  I guess Alex P. Keaton wasn't in his class.

The full article is at democratandchronicle.com

First Look: Under The Dome

King says, "People's eyes are gonna bug out of their heads when they see it."

Girl vs Monster References Stephen King

What does a monster locked up for thirteen years want to know?  How the fear business is going, of course!  Seems monsters get their energy from fear -- according to Disney's Girl vs. Monster.  I was watching this with my daughters (okay, I was playing Civ 5) when this bit of dialogue brought me up from my plans to take over the world:

Monsters on a bridge after escaping fifteen years in the monster tank:

Deimata: “So much catching up to do.  How’s the fear business?  Stephen King still writing?”
Witch: “Yes, but his last novel is historical fiction.”
Deimata: “Scary historical fiction?”
Witch: “Not particularly.”
Deimata: “What about horror movies?  Still big with the kids?”
Scarecrow: “No, it’s not gross out comedies now.  But vampires are in.”
Deimata:“Oh!  That’s promising!”
Witch: “Except, they have romantic vampires who fall in love.”
Deimata: “YUCK!”

hahahah!  I love it! The monsters are absolutely disgusted by the idea of romantic vampires.

The Shining Revealed

Here's more proof that a lot of people take Kubrick's The Shining really serious.  The Shining Revealed is a paperback book that discusses various views of what the movie really means.

The Shining Revealed examines the narrative behind Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece as well as the many themes weaved into the film. Furthermore, it includes a scene-by-scene analysis that provides answers to the questions the audience is left to ponder once they have seen the film. Who is the woman in room 237? Why is Jack in the Fourth of July photograph from 1921? Is the Overlook Hotel really haunted? These questions and more are explained using actions and events, which occur in the film, transforming the plot’s ambiguity into reason and meaning. Only then, the true narrative is revealed and one is able to watch the film again for the first time. (theshiningrevealed.com) 

theshiningrevealed.com says this about the King to Kubrick transition:

On May 23, 1980, The Shining premiered in theaters across North America. It was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and presented to audiences as a movie based on Stephen King’s novel. But the similarity between novel and film has been a subject of debate amongst fans and critics ever since the release of the movie. Does Kubrick’s version of The Shining accurately depict the story of King’s novel about one man’s descent into madness while spending the winter with his family in a haunted hotel? Or, was Kubrick’s objective to reveal a different story altogether? Trying to decipher Kubrick’s version of The Shining is like putting together a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle wherein the picture on the box differs from the picture on the pieces. However, once the puzzle is complete, you know you are staring at the correct picture because the pieces do, in the end, fit together perfectly. 

You can but the book at amazon.com
5.99 Kindle
10.99 Paperback

The In Depth Meaning of the In Depth Meaning Of THE SHINING

photo credit: www.npr.org
Rodney Ascher, director of the experimental documentary Room 237,
leads an exploration of differing interpretations of
Stanley Kubrick's classic horror film The Shining.

I've been reading a lot of reviews of Room 237.  There's a good one at Salon and here's one from www.csmonitor.com (though I don't get the feeling CS Monitor has seen the movie.)  nj.com has an article titled, "Unlocking The Key To The Shining."  Stephen Whitty quips,

Didn't you realize that Kubrick's movie is really about the slaughter of Native Americans? That's why there's all that Western artwork in the hotel. And the elevator that fills with blood? That's because it goes right down to the ancient burial grounds below and... 

No, no, no. That's not it. The movie's about genocide, yes. But it's really about the Holocaust. That's why Nicholson's character uses a German typewriter. Or why, if you multiply the numbers of the haunted room — 2 x 3 x 7 — you get 42. Like 1942, OK? 

Sound a little far-fetched? Of course it does. After all, everybody knows why Kubrick really made this movie — to acknowledge his role in helping NASA fake the Moon landing. Why else do you think one character is wearing an Apollo 11 T-shirt?  (The full review is at: nj.com Unlocking the key to THE SHINING)

NPR's John Powers compares Kubrick to Alfred Hitchcock in that his films are still watched and studied by younger generations.

 My favorite article is posted at Wired by Angela Watercutter (is that really her name?), who offers, "The 10 Most Outrageous Theories About What The Shining Really Means."

"I have this nightmare of a spreadsheet that I'm afraid to look at that I put together at one point where I was trying to categorize every single theory that we found and cross-referenced them," Room 237 producer Tim Kirk told Wired. "At some point we just had to give up on that.”

Keep in mind, none of this has anything to do with the Stephen King novel!  He was  absolutely right to point out, "That's not my story!"  He may have been the first to recognize just how far off track Kubrick had gone.  What King has said The Shining is about: 1. Child abuse. 2. Drinking. 3. Family. 4. A haunted hotel.

 Here are a few highlights from Watercutter's article of what the Shining is really about:

• Kubrick Changed the Mysterious Room from 217 to 237 -- to Indicate Kubrick's Moon Landing Confession
• The Shining is really about the Holocaust. 
• The window in Ullman's office can't exist.  (Because, of course, someone made a map and discovered the window shouldn't be there!)
• The Shining is meant to be seen forward and backward.  (Not that I know HOW to watch the film backward.  Does my DVD do that?)
• The  disappearing chair is a parody of horror films, reminding the audience that this is not just your regular scream fest.
• Jack is a Minotaur, the Overlook is a Labyrinth
• The pattern in the carpet of room 237 is full of symbols "telling us something about the continuation of humanity."  Of course!

And all of this proves what?  That we humans are not nearly as busy as we pretend to be.  Have we really stopped seeking the purpose of life and have instead begun to seek the in-depth meaning of the in-depth meaning of The Shining?

I agree wholeheartedly with John Powers:

In one clip, the fake-moon-landing guy discusses an "aha" Moment. Listening to this man talk, it's hard not to think that here are obviously intelligent people with too much time on their hands. The obsessions with sweaters and moving chairs bespeak some sort of interpretive disease in which one ignores most of a movie — the plot, the characters, the setting, etc. — in order to claim that what matters is actually found in a poster hanging in the background. If Stanley Kubrick — a hugely powerful director — wanted to make a movie about the slaughter of Native Americans, why didn't he just make it rather than hide his secret meaning in baking-powder labels that almost nobody would notice? (www.npr.org hunting for secrets in the shinings room 237)

This is so much like Seminary students debating symbolism in the Gospel of John.  Or gracious, the Revelation!  I remember a NT teacher explaining the many meanings of the apostles catching 153 fish.  (Because there were 153 known types of fish back then -- thus the Gospel is saying to reach out to all men. -- I like that view a lot).  Finally the professor says, "Maybe it says 153 because John had to clean all those fish and he knew how many stinkin' fish there were!"

So when Doctor Sleep becomes a movie, I hope it will really tell us what happened to Osama Bin Laden.

Smythe Returns To The Forgotten Wolrd Of The Talisman

Photograph: www.peterstraub.net

I was excited to see a review of The Talisman appear as part of James Smythe's "Rereading Stephen King" series at The Guardian.  This is because I've never read The Talisman.  I promised a friend a while back  I'd get right to it, as he really encouraged me, saying it was quite good.  However, I can't seem to get very far into it!

Smythe says that this is a novel that completely "slipped" through his memory!  He couldn't remember a word of it.  Still, Smythe  comes away with a fresh love for the book, declaring, "The themes are strong; the world is strong; the characters are strong. It's well written. It's long, and maybe a little over-egged in places – some of the novel's mid-section sags – but the things that they were paying tribute to come through, and the story is a good one."

Smythe offers the best summery of the boo that I've read -- and I've read several.  Smythe notes the influence of Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz and Huck Finn streaming throughout the novel.

As always, Smythe does a nice job spotting the connections to King's other works.

The full article is at www.guardian.co.uk

On a final note -- I offer this strange comment: I think one reason I have been  unable to read The Talisman has to do with bad book cover.  Don't throw stones!  Seriously.  And, the original paperback  I tried to read was strangely bound.  The type face was unusual.  Everything about the edition I first tried to read seemed unusual and uber-boring!

Film School Rejects: ROOM 237

Here's another review of Room 237, this one by one of my favorites -- Film School Rejects.  (Maybe I just like the name, Film School Rejects.  That's  great!)

Actually, I'm getting tired of reading reviews for a film that doesn't seem readily available.  They might as well be reviewing government documents from area  51 -- I don't have access to any of it.

Landon Palmer writes, "But Room 237 isn’t about them, nor is it about “expertise” in any institutional or formal sense. It’s not about the history of the film’s production, nor even the historical Kubrick’s intentions."

So what is it about? You can read the article -- the bottom line is that the movie is about obsession.  But, we knew that, right?   I mean, some of these people think Kubrick directed a fake moon landing and exposed it via The Shining.  Now, I think I would struggle to believe people could actually think that's true.  They might say it, but it seems unlikely that they would actually believe it in their heart of hearts.  However, I've known enough people to know that people can actually believe interesting stuff.  Moon landings hidden in The Shining. . . that's  the kind of stuff that makes you want to say to the person, "Come on!  You know that's not true!"  Pause.  "I mean, you do know that, right?  You do know you're just making this stuff up."  Pause.  "I mean, in your core, you know that's not true -- right?"

Palmer offers that the downside of the film is, "As a movie 'about' The Shining, it leaves a great deal wanting, so it’s better to see it as a quilt of fans’ diverse, colorful, and harried engagements with the film.

The film is given a B (same grade Roger Moore gave it).

Moore's Review Of ROOM 237

image credit: dreadcentral.com

Here is a wonderful review of the documentary "Room 237" that doesn't lower itself to drooling.  The review is refreshingly honest when it says,

The documentary "Room 237" is an ostensibly thoughtful deep reading, a deconstruction of Stanley Kubrick's film of Stephen King's 1980 novel "The Shining." What it really is, is a bunch of obsessives obsessing about an obsessive movie maker's obsessive movie.

Now who can disagree with that?

The review comes from Roger Moore at McClatchy-Tribune News Service and is titled, "Yes, you can watch a favorite film too many times for your own good."

About the documentaries commentators  Moore writes, "They have examined the film, frame by frame, parsing its images like a cinematic "Da Vinci Code." And the reason they can do this is that Kubrick was just as obsessed as they are."

So what are some of the crazy interpretations of The Shining?  Moore lists some of them being that the film is about the destruction of American Indians, the Holocaust, the Apollo Moon landings, or "Kubrick's favorite bugaboo, sexuality?"  Not having seen the film, I'll vote for the Apollo Moon landing, just because I think it's the most nuts!

And here's the thing -- he liked it!  Moore gives the film 3 out of four stars, rating it a grade of "B." Not bad.

Check out the full review, "Yes, you can watch a favorite film too many times for your own good.

What's Haunting Stephen King

10,000 Magazines, #9,996
USA Weekend, October 29-31

USA Weekend is a small paper.  The article, headlined "What's haunting Stephen King?" by Brian Truitt is titled "What's On Stephen King's dark side?" inside.  The short write-up is actually a series of quotes from King.  The artilce came out just as King was publishing Full Dark, No Staars.

Truitt says, "It's Halloween, a time when ghosts, goblins and assorted ghouls are everywhere.  So when better to check in with the master of horror himself, Stephen ing, whose next book, four novellas called Full Dark, No Stars based  around themes of retribution, arrives November 9."

Truitt reminds us that king prefers "blodthristy" vampires, saying that vampires "are takers" not lovers.  He also discusses King's favorite TV shows (not Mad Men, but more like Lost or Sons of Anarchy.)  King doesn't "stress" about getting pegged.  He emphasizes that he simply writes what he wants without concern for what category others might drop it into.

King says,

I'd like to try everything that I possibly can, and  when you do something different, sometimes it buzzes you all over again.  You know what, it's nice to push your limits a little bit. 

He has certainly been pushing readers limits for some time!

When asked if King keeps a notebook, he tells  people that he does not, because the good ideas stay.  "I think a writers notebook is the best way there is to immortalize really bad ideas," King says.  Now, let me ask. . . do you think that's true?  I disagree.  I think sometimes good lines come to you and should be written down.  Scenes need  to be held onto.

Ghost Brothers Onstage In Atlanta

From Joy Tipping at dallasnews.com

Stephen King, John Mellencamp and Fort Worth’s own T Bone Burnett have been collaborating for some time — 13 years, to be exact — on a Southern Gothic, supernatural musical called Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. The musical had a short run at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Ga., last spring, and now a soundtrack is coming out. In a press release, the show is described as having a blues-and-roots musical backdrop for its “haunting tale of fraternal love, lust, jealousy and revenge.”

And, here is a video of Ghost Brothers behind the scenes:

Is King More Personal

Does Stephen King make a deeper connection with his readers than other writers?

Question -- do you feel like you know Stephen King better than other authors?

I  found myself thinking about this as I read The Stand.  A character named Joe appears on the scene -- a child who doesn't talk but sure likes knives!  Larry Underwood is not a fan of  the kid.  I thought, "I wonder if Joe is a tribute to his son.  Probably same age when it was written."  Then I began to think how much I know about King.  Strange.  I didn't seek to know anything.  That's  the truth!  I just read books.

But I don't know Tom Clancy's kids names.  If I work real  hard I might come up with Dicken's  wife's name -- but I don't remember.  I did see Dicken's biography on Biography channel, but it was so cut up and scattered that it offered nothing.

But  without much extra effort you learn a lot about King and his family.  For one thing, that's because  his introductions and commentary's are  always so chatty and personal.  For another, his writing itself is very personal.  Scattered  throughout novels are  personal  nods.

Is it just that I read more King?  I read Anne Rice's books for a while.  I know she had a husband who died and a son.  And I read a book about her return to Christianity (before she un-returned!).  But still, there's not that  sense of personal connection.

Seems the more you know about an author,  the clearer their  narrative voice becomes.  I suspect one reason readers go back again and again to certain authors is because they feel a connection to them.  I know, and disagree with, King's politics.  But actually knowing where  he's coming from helps me understand what he's writing about.

Now I'm not advocating crazy fandom!  In fact, I don't make any attempt -- or want to -- meet King or know him.  I'm just a reader.  It worries me when I see how crazy people get for a signature in a book or. . . more.  But a "constant reader" as King calls us slowly learns more  and more about the artist just by reading.  Of  course, King has made himself  available for about 1.6 billion interviews!  So that helps.  He speaks often on an array of subjects.

One of the things I really respect about King is his love for his wife.  Does this make him a better writer?  Probably not.  But my respect for his treatment of his wife gives me a deeper appreciation for his work.

Now I have read a couple biography's on King.  But  here's an interesting thing: His biography's all follow the same trail!  They focus on his writing career (as they should) instead of personal interactions with family.  By the way, George Beahms "Stephen King, America's Best Loved Boogieman" is the best bio out there.

Think about all the stuff  you know about King.  Isn't that strange?  Do you know that stuff about other authors?  Did you go out trying to find out those things, or did the information just come bit by  bit as you read.

USA Today article on Owen King

Image Credit: the always awesome. .  FIRE WIRE

Here's a neat article about Owen King's new novel.  Seems O.King's novel focuses on a famous son -- causing some to ask if the novel is really about King's own father son relationship.  Not at all, Owen assures, it's just story-tellin'.

The USA Today article notes that Owen King comes from a family of writers.  In fact, Stephen King reminds everyone about both sons writing, "You should remember that they get it from both sides.”


The article has this quote from King, which came via e-mail:

“I’m sort of bowled over by both boys publishing novels a month apart, with good advance reviews for both.” He has his own novel coming in September, “Doctor Sleep,” a sequel to 1997’s “The Shining.” He calls it his “return to the real creepy scary stuff.”

The full articleat  courierpostonline.com

Stephen King Crossovers

Stephen King has inspired a lot of crazy stuff.  The cultural references are. . . everywhere.  Here's a unique one: Afterlife with Archie is doing a crossover series that will take the characters "to the grave and back."

Writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa says, “Afterlife with Archie combines two of my great passions: Archie comics and horror comics.  This series came out of conversations with Jon [Goldwater], asking questions like, ‘what if the Archie characters found themselves in a Stephen King novel like The Stand." (www.horrortalk.com)

Now, I've never read Archie.  Ever.  Didn't know he existed until he was mentioned in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.  The article got me thinking, what kinds of crossovers would be fun?

Crossover isn't meeting Stephen King -- it's entering the world of Mr. King, or drawing elements from King's work.  Carrie Underwood recently used Christine in a music video to take out an adulterous spouse.  We've seen The Simpsons take a trip through The Shining.

Just for fun, what would be some cool cross overs?  Tell me in the comments section.

• Sheldon from Big Bang Theory is put on the Graveyard shift to help clean out the rats in the sub-basement.
• Dwight from The Office goes on a blind date with Carrie's mom.
• A crazy clown terrorizes Middle Earth.
• The Smurf's adopt a dog. . . 
• Ghost Busters are called  to The Overlook Hotel (Thanks Chris)

Amityville Legos

What does the Amityville Horror in legos have to do with Stephen King?  Nothing.

photo credit: www.facebook.com FREDDY IN SPACE

King Tells Washington To GROW UP!

Stephen King has an editorial at the Bangor Daily News (HERE).

Discussing his essay, "Guns" King wrote:

What I asked for in that piece — what I almost begged for — was that we Americans find some middle ground on the subject of heavy-duty firearms. Just a small median strip of rationality between the honking freeway lanes jammed with those on the political right and the political left. According to polls, the majority of Americans would really like a place like that, where a rational discussion could be held without raised voices.

About the reception to Guns, King shares that  the response has been strong but "in many ways depressing."

There have been more than 1,300 capsule reviews on the Amazon website. A thousand have been favorable (834 five-star reviews, 205 four-star reviews). More than 200 have been unfavorable (160 one-star reviews, 49 two-star reviews). In the middle, the place I really wanted to reach, less than 90. If you need a statistical example of how polarized the country is, there it is.

It is interesting, King points out, that those who liked the essay were also verified as having bought the book.  Many who marked it with one star were not noted as having bought the item!  Like writing a book report on a book you made up.

Throughout the article King calls for middle ground.  I'm a conservative on most social issues -- and I would be glad for middle ground and honest discussion in our nation. If we stopped hating each other, we might be able to talk.