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Brilliant Writers of ED WOOD turning the quill loose upon Stephen King's short story, 1408!!!
Hey folks, Harry here with a story that popped up over at Variety that I figured would interest most of you. I know Stephen King adaptations are a dime a dozen, but when you have writers of the sheer quality of Scott Alexander and Larry Karazewski working on that adaptation... well, that's something to top the barn and start crowing about.
I know, I know... you haven't really seen anything from this pair since THE PEOPLE VS LARRY FLYNT and ED WOOD - but I've read their wonderful script for RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT, which takes Ripley and turns him into a globe-trotting adventurer in search for strange believe it or not things. Hope to god that thing gets made. But now these pair are working on Stephen King's 1408. Personally - my favorite Stephen King writing is with his Short Stories. Oh sure, there's nothing quite so lovely as sitting down with 5lbs of pulp and ripping through one of his novels, but there's something absolutely magical about a story that in an economical page count can give you the heebie jeebies. Like, my favorite thing that Edgar Allan Poe wrote was his SHADOW: A PARABLE, just because it's so damn short that it is absolutely stunning that it gives me the creeps that it does. Well, 1408 isn't quite up there with SHADOW: A PARABLE for me, but I'll be damned if reading it under the covers with a flashlight in a darkened room doesn't downright make my neck hairs dance as if upon a hot plate. Just creepy. Having said that, Alexander and Karazewski tend to be slightly comedic writers - that find a satiric riff for their subjects and the story of a paranormal investigator finding a haunted room that just... well, that'd be telling... but this story was flat out fucking scary. Have to say though... I'm dying to read what they do to the script. They're some of the best writers in Hollywood.
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The Dark Man approves.
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Lest we forget Screwed...Agent Cody Banks and the dissapointment Man on the Moon. But Ed Wood does rule (as does Problem Child), so they're of course going to get a pass.
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YEAH!
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sounds intresting it seems like a bit of a departure for these guys, I hope they don't screw it up.
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How about giving some of the praise for Ed Wood's quality to Tim Burton? (You may remember him - he was the guy who rewrote and directed the film)
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...did NOT rewrite the script, he actually shot basically the first draft with very few changes. His best work, though - excellent filmmaking and acting all around.
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Oct 26, 2005 10:27:38 AM CDT
When the FUCK are we gonna get The Mist and The Long Walk?!?
by osmosis jones
Seriously.
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As his novels do better in a long one.
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Steven King's endings all SUCK. My girlfriend insists on watching the scary movies I recommend but keeps getting nightmares from them. She LOVED this article: ------------------------- http://www.intrepidmedia.com/column.asp?id=2383
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... unless it's a short. And even then, no one will ever be able to recreate the unsettling vibe created by King's creative use of the tape recorder, where he slowly unfolds the madness of what the poor unwitting visitor endures in that room from hell. Instead, it'll be a violent, gory hackfest. And no, I don't give a shit what writers are attached -- look at what's "hot" in Hollywood's eyes right now: violent (but PG-13!) slasherfests. Leave King's good stuff alone. And the poster above was right -- they ought to be doing "The Long Walk" and "The Mist" -- THOSE are tales worth adapting!!!
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And if he's a hack, I'm a billy-bumbler. There are King novels that will be taught in classrooms 50 years from now, mark my words. He's stumbled many times, but he's written some absolutely classic American horror-fantasy epics ('SALEM'S LOT, THE STAND, PET SEMATARY and the entire DARK TOWER cycle). And don't blame him for the movies -- they aren't all his fault! ;)
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...this short story is simply horrible. And by horrible I mean crap, not gory or scary in any way. King admits himself that he never intended to finish 1408. He wrote the first part and put it in his 'on writing' book to illustrate how he edits his work. At some point he changed his mind and finished it, but I wish he hadn't. The first part was good, but there are no words to describe how shit the rest of it is...just nonsensical. And they're making a movie of it?! These guys have got some serious work to do. And for those who don't know - it's about a haunted hotel room. And the numbers 1408 add up to thirteen. Oooooooooooooh.
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Frank Darabont owns the rights, yes? How is it that this guy can't get a movie done? Except that maybe the real talent in h-town (the money guys) think he's obsessing with king (green mile, shawshank, etc), but Shawshank, damn that was great. Green mile was good, but Coffee wanted to pray with Paul, not go to a movie for his last wish. That there is hollywood rewriting a perfectly fine scene and masturbating all over itself. Self indulgent, much? The Mist would be really great via Darabont, methinks. But I thought Apt Pupil would have been great and that sucked beans. The animated 'Home Delivery' looks pretty cool.
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...think Dawn of the Dead but with lots of cool, varied monsters instead of zombies. And mist instead of no mist.
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In a way, at least. I'm not sorry for the fact that he's a brilliant writer/director who is paid quite a bit by Hollywood to write incredible scripts that will never get made. But he wants to make Fahrenheit 451 and the project is half-mooked by the fact that Michael Moore made Fahrenheit 9/11 and I'm sure someone would mistake Darabont's film for a sequel, or prequel. Then he preps The Mist, and The Fog comes out... So, another prequel I suppose. Sad that everything he seems to want to make gets immediately shot town by title similarities. But if he makes "The Mist" I'll probably start weeping. A horror film with classy A-treatment... Yes, thank you very much.
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Oct 26, 2005 11:21:43 AM CDT
but I've read their wonderful script for RIPLEY'S BELIEV
by harker-writes
Er.... isn't that what Ripley was? Doesn't sound like they did much changing to me.
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As long as they don't turn it into another 'Running Man' hack job.
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...if they don't let the touch of humor take it over into camp. With rare exceptions (Creepshow, most notably) King's writing doesn't hold up to self deprication very well. And has there been any more information on The Mist since Darabont acquired the rights? That is easily my most eagerly anticipated (and least dreaded) King movie adaptation.
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Good story but keep the film under an hour.
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Oct 26, 2005 12:17:34 PM CDT
What has happened with that Marx Bros. project these two were go
by moviemaniac-7
Now, given Ed Wood and People Vs. Larry Flynt I'd love to see THAT one happen one day!
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Does anyone remember what the prize was for the winner of the long walk? I remember it being "whatever you want from the government for the rest of your life" or something vague/lame like that. Either way, I agree, make "Long Walk" and "Mist".
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What books did you read, and what other writers do you like??? Dean Koontz is an example of a hack, albeit a good one. You can see him recycling ideas and characters in damn near every book. King is NOT a hack. The man knows how to create solid, unique, and flawed characters. He knows how to create and tell a good story. The man is a fantastic author. Comparing him to a shit-churner like RL Stine just makes you look stupid. Stine cranks out photocopied bullshit for brainless kids. King creates real stories and novels for adults who can appreciate them.
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...in short, a haunted hotel room. A guy who is writing a book on haunted places comes through and has to sit through the hotel manager begging him not to go into that room. We get some backstory on what has happened to people in there. The guy eventually goes in, and some seriously creepy shit happens. That's it in a nutshell. Read it. It's in King's "Everything's Eventual" compilation. Great and fucking freaky story, almost on the same level of creepy as some of H. P. Lovecraft's stuff.
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when he's inspired to write something decent, like he was with The Colorado Kid, an excellent crime noir novella that Hard Case Crime just published. No horror whatsoever but it still has King's ear for excellent dialogue and even a hint of creepiness, albeit set in the real world. Yeah, King can go off on tangents and put out some truly vile shit, (The Tommyknockers) but he can also write a psychological horror story that can scare the bejesus out of you. (The Shining) I hope that in his "semi-retirement", he stops cranking out product and goes back to labors of love that he takes some time with. Those are the ones that stand up.
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King's novels have been increasingly hit or miss. Aside from some of his Dark Tower stuff, I haven't enjoyed any of his books in over a decade. The exception is his short story collections. King writes short horror stories like no other. One of the major problems with his novels is that he tends to have difficulty ending them. His short stories usually pack a good punch. I like that this site focuses on new King happenings.
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peter runs a man over. upon realizing what he
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Oct 26, 2005 1:43:43 PM CDT
re: When the FUCK are we gonna get The Mist and The Long Walk?!?
by removed_user
YES GODDAMMIT!!!
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I Love the idea of a Long Walk film...They don't usually do justice to King Novels (except for Frank Darabont) So I'm usually not too excited about turning his books into movies... but hey, as long as they get Frank to direct and don't cast it with a bunch of WB and OC actors, it would be a nice little film to see played out...
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Oct 26, 2005 1:58:01 PM CDT
re: Actually can we NOT have THE LONG WALK....Because i just kno
by removed_user
BLOODY HELL THAT'S TRUE!!! AAAAAAaaaargh.......! Just make the Mist (R).
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But because they skip 13 in hotels, the room's actually on the 13th floor!! OOOoooOOooo...
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The hacks that gave us Problem Child 1 & 2, Agent Cody Banks, That darn Cat & Screwed you're talking about here? If that's the best that Hollywood has to offer then it's truly a sad state of affairs. Sure, they also did Man On The Moon & People vs Larry Flynt, both of which were damn good, but both were also rumoured to have been heavily polished by Milos Forman himself, and Ed Wood is a masterpiece, but that was also based on a book, so the material was already largely there, all they had to do was adapt it well enough to let Burton and his cast do their magic. Now I'm not saying that they are terrible writers (though you'd have to wonder given some of their stuff), and they have clearly been involved in three very good films, but taking their careers on a whole, I'd hardly rank them amongst the greats of those working today. Not even close. Still, that's just me I guess.
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Could do The Long Walk. He might be one of the few who could capture the tone of it. If David Gordon Green ever reels himself in and makes a movie that could stay with the plot, he too could probably do it.
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is that project dead already? I thought they specialized in "weirdo biopics" - what happened to the momentum from Ed Wood, Larry Flynt and Man In The Moon? fuck Stephen King
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1408 was an OK story, not bad, not great but good. The problem I have with King and movies is that he actually really likes the truly shitty ones-even writes the screenplays for the worst of the lot. He digs Mick Garris, who directed a passable 'The Stand' for TV and made a steaming monkey crap pile with 'Riding the Bullet', which I never got past 15 minutes. Yes, he should NEVER be allowed on a movie set, to advise a movie, etc. The best film to date captured the 'Feeling' of the book yet was fairly divergent from the novel. That film is Kubricks 'The Shinning.' Other good adaptations are 'Stand by Me', Shawshank Redemption, 'Misery'. As for King not 'recycling' himself, try reading ANY child character he has and see if they dont have the 'brave, sexually abused' girl; the athletic, heroic boy; the kid who stutters; the smart ass future DJ/Rock Star/etc. I cant even read him anymore and I was a collector for years until Drak Tower #4. That really should be considered an olympic event to finish. Even when I make a stab at comming back to hime, I always see the same character, the same alcoholic/writer/teacher who is beautiful loser guy, the heoic guy, ad nauseum. His best book lately was called 'Bag of Bones' because it represented a successful effort to change his style/narrative. It does not feel like a King novel, but is very fresh. This would make a good film only if in the right hands. I would also love to see 'Pet Semetary' get made, and no, the previous pile of crap does not count. Make 'Pet' in black and white, no sound track. Real graveyard depressing, dark, and hopeless, 'IT' would also be a great movie if it were filmed as two movies, one in Technocolor (childhood) that really worked in those famous monster icons doing incredibly R rated stuff, which you never saw in the originals.
As for endings, he cannot end a novel without resorting to something incredibly childish happening that almost destroys the rest of the book. Oh, and another very very very good KING is his last with Struab, 'Black House'. An old man in a nursing home faking dementia who is actually a serial child killer? Truly creepy. -
If you like really weird, but well-written, short stories, check out a writer named Brian Evanson. His stuff will freak your mind.
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WHY do "people" on talkback feel the need to swear, when leaving feedback. Yes I am talking about D
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oh no!! sorry i might to print WEAK not WEEK sorry all. anything that these guys do after the GREAT film thta was ed wood will be good!!
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Oct 26, 2005 5:41:04 PM CDT
Does anyone know what Short Story collection 1408 appears in?
by tompalpatine
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http://eserver.org/books/poe/shadow.html
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The short story is scary. Reminded me of Lovecraft when it gets truly freaky, which is from the moment he walks in the room. Doesn't have much of a plot though. It will be interesting to see if the filmmakers can pull this one off since the haunting bits are out there.
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Oct 26, 2005 6:40:13 PM CDT
ehh, stupid question -- that Ripley related to the Patricia High
by theseeker7
Like, I realize there was the TV series "Ripley's Believe It Or Not", I grew up on the dang thing though I have few actual clear memories from it, but the context Harry puts that script in ("it takes Ripley around the globe... etc"), that's not in fact talking about the same character from THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (among others), is it?
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First of all can I say how cool it is to have childe roland and randall flagg in the same talk back. That rocks! Yes some of his endings have sucked (I'm talking to you It and The Stand)but everything leading up to them is great. The endings for The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption were wonderful and it just so happens I think that they were two of the best movies based on his works. Try reading the Dark Tower series all the way through and then reading both of the endings not coming away with a tear in your eye. He has said before that the point of reading his books is the journey anyway not just the destination. Anyway for those of you who think he's a hack that is your prerogative. Every writer will not appeal to every person. Back on topic 1408 is a creepy read but I don't know what kind of movie it would make and yeah they really should make The Long Walk before they waste their time on 1408.
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And damnit do I still wish they had made a good version of Graveyard Shift. That story creeped me out so bad when I first read it. My Mom had a hissy fit when she caught me reading Night Shift. I said chill out Mom, I'm a junior in college . . . .
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He made two of the BEST S.K. adaptations (Misery,Stand by Me)?It's hard to argue against the man who brought us Spinal Tap"This Review for Shark Sandwich is...only two words....Shit Sandwich.heh."
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Oct 26, 2005 7:51:21 PM CDT
The Long Walk is a great read - but I don't think it would m
by chickychow
Face it, some stories are just better left up to the imagination. This is one of them. Whats great about it is that its not like you have to imagine some bizarre creatures or alternate universe or anything, just kids walking down a stretch of road (surely there are a few visceral moments, such as the one kid ripping out his own throat/a bunch of others get shot to shreds). And yet, Can't picture it being made into a 90 min flick. I'm down for a Mist movie, but I truly fear all the ways it could be fucked up.
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What the fuck does it matter if the screenwriters are talented or have done great work in the past? This will be one of the worst King adaptations ever (no mean feat) simply because it's an in-house production of the worst genre studio in existance.
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First of all, it's a very cool short story. The previous draft of the screenplay (by Matthew Greenberg) was very well-written. Unfortunately, it is as several people have mentioned above... not much of a concept or a plot for a movie. The guy goes to a hotel room and lots of crazy supernatural shit happens. Would be a great short film, not necessarily enough to sustain a feature length film. Not to mention they've made a horrible choice of director. You need somebody with an incredibly imaginative visual sense... but instead you hired a guy who's made two very average movies in EVIL and DERAILED.
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It sagged in the middle like a geriatric ex-stripper. So did Cujo. Sometimes King spends too much time getting sidetracked and doesn't get into the real meat of the story for a long time, and maybe I haven't read enough of his books, but it seems that was something in his earlier novels. He has written some really good books. The Stand was an excellent novel, and so was IT, with the exception of a few totally unnecessary scenes. Need I mention The Dark Tower series, which was an incredible epic? And if you haven't read The Long Walk, then read it. He wrote it as Richard Bachman, and it was definitely the best of the Bachman books. Creepy, unrelenting, and gripping.
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Oct 26, 2005 9:42:22 PM CDT
As always, whenever the master of horror is referenced I must sa
by cutest_of_borg
HUGH JACKMAN IS ROLAND.
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King does Zombies. I can't wait. Until then, 1408 works for me.
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Hugh Jackman IS Roland.
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Are you kidding? Who *wouldn't* want to see a movie packed with the likes of Freddie Prinze, Jr., Paul Walker and Tom Welling walking themselves into utter exhaustion and getting shot one after the other? As for The Long Walk not being "visceral" enough for a screen treatment, what? With people tuning in to crap like The Biggest Loser, I could see a truly subversive movie made about our current addiction to "reality" television. It's a movie about teenage kids getting shot and tearing their throats out! It's a prime concept for a great horror/thriller. Get Paul Verhoeven on it, STAT!
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....and all MUST be faithful to the book - not literal, but faithful. I'd rather see The Talisman, and its sequel The Black House. I'd rather see Bag Of Bones. I'd rather see The Stand DONE RIGHT. I'd love to see The Dark Tower books come to life, but I think it would be too difficult to do (how do you keep a young kid the same age over 7 books!?). But that's just me.
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...and keep MICK GARRIS away from Stephen King books!!! ALL of his movies look like crappy made-for-tv productions.
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The actor that played Jek Porkins in Star Wars IV died today from pancreatic cancer. May the force be with him.
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Easy answer: witness the Culkins. They just kept having kids so they could have a constant flow of similar-looking child actors to bring in the bucks.
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"Snips and snails...puppy dog's tails..."
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"Vhat kind of role is Frankenstein, anyvays? Nothink but *makeup* and *grunting*, UUUUUUURRRRGGGHHHH....!"
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The Rage. I read that in High School and I thought it was one of his best...really top notch King
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It would have to be a weeklong mini-series, and not on regular T.V. but on HBO with an "R" rating. And of course much better casting than that hideous version of The Stand they made for T.V. like 13 years ago. Of course that will never happen.
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Does the Shawshank Redemption ring a bell as best King adaptation. And of course... The Running Man!
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That's what I'm talking about! I think HBO would also be best for the Dark Tower if they ever decided to try it (series, animation, etc.). The Talisman (and later The Black House) might work there too as a Band Of Brothers-style mini series. But yeah, a well-financed/well-cast update of The Stand would ROCK on HBO!!!!
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Oct 27, 2005 10:23:37 AM CDT
You can't get better Stand casting than Gary Sinise as Stu R
by osmosis jones
Yeah, it'd be cool to see a hard-R version of the story, but finding a better Stu would be dificult.
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it WAS brian who ran over dean kootz...i
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Harry wrote, "(T)here's something absolutely magical about a story that in an economical page count can give you the heebie jeebies." I wonder if Harry's familiar with the story, or if Harry's use of the phrase "heebie jeebies" was merely a spooky coincidence. In "1408," our protagonist gives some serious thought to the phrase "heebie jeebies."
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You are doing yourself a disservice if you just read the Stephen King books and not his short stories. The horror stories read like the best Twilight Zone episodes - I am not exaggerating -and they probably would have worked best on a anthology TV show instead of full blown movies (Sometimes they Come Back, Maximum Overdrive, etc). But there are other genre's, like science fiction and romance (remember Shawshank and Stand by Me were both from short stories, not novels) that sometimes have twist endings but aren't necessarily horror. And some of the stories give you backstories on Salem's Lot, Shawshank, the Stand and Firestarter. // If you don't understand Kings economy of writing, his way of setting mood, his way of giving reader key descriptions and dialogue, then you won't understand was a good and important writer he is.
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Oct 27, 2005 11:54:57 AM CDT
The IT miniseries sucked. They should do a better one on HBO.
by durendal
Seriously, it deviated way too much from the novel and left way too much out. Tim Curry was the only good part. He made a killer Pennywise. Put that one up as a multi-part miniseries on HBO and do it right, dammit!
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is actually a pretty inspired idea. He would nail the tone for sure. Whoever posted that one is right on the money.
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Or specifically a movie dramatizing a few King stories ala Creepshow? That would work much better. I really enjoyed the 1408 story but it will NOT I repeat NOT make a ninety minute three act film, there's no way. It would probably cost too much to license more than one story, just the Everything's Eventual Collection must represent about a billion in film options. --Anyway as far as King goes he's very talented but for some reason (maybe because he's so prolific) the quality of his work varies widely. Everything's Eventual had stories that read like high school creative writing assignments and stuff that was genius. The title piece is about another King adolescent with lethal demonic powers. He realizes he can make people sick or kill them just by drawing strange pictures. In one scene he kills a neighbor by drawing a weird chalk symbol on the sidewalk by his house and stands back to admire his handiwork. There's something about the whole mental image that's incredibly creepy and unnerving. There's no explanation for why but its got the werid magic that only a great writer can put into a story. I remeber thinking it would look great in a movie. But a short film not feature people.
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The first three were classic. The fourth was good but dragged on. The 5th started out great but was destroyed by having him introduce himself into the story and the last two were a complete mess. Flagg and Walter suddenly the same person ?? Flagg getting taken out by a baby spider ?? King whining about how his readers were being unfair by wanting a proper end .. FUCK .. YOU
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