Stephen King Binge

[Orac]

Kubrick's The Shining is the best adaption, apparently King didn't like it, probbly because he thinks of the character of Jack as semi autobiographical but only the alcohol addiction elements of the character. I suspect he didn't like the subtext in the film that Jack was a child molester as well as an alcoholic.

 

[Oddish]

The topiary cgi was almost as bad as the pac-man like cgi in The Langoliers, which happens to be another Stephen King adapted miniseries.

I call them "Pac-Men From Hell".

And I do like Standby Me. Watched that this summer on Netflix. It’s been a long time since I saw it. But it holds up.

Plus, you know. Wesley's in it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

As is Commander Jack Ransom.

 

[DonIago]

Kubrick's The Shining is the best adaption, apparently King didn't like it, probbly because he thinks of the character of Jack as semi autobiographical but only the alcohol addiction elements of the character. I suspect he didn't like the subtext in the film that Jack was a child molester as well as an alcoholic.

TBF, there are significantly more departures from the novel than you touch on above. I certainly don't think that Jack Nicholson was a good casting choice for the film if fidelity to the novel was a priority concern. His entire performance is unhinged even before the hotel really starts to mess with him.

 

[Orac]

I know. I saw the film before I read the book and liked the film better.

 

[Set Harth]

TBF, there are significantly more departures from the novel than you touch on above. I certainly don't think that Jack Nicholson was a good casting choice for the film if fidelity to the novel was a priority concern. His entire performance is unhinged even before the hotel really starts to mess with him.

What does he do that's unhinged before that?

 

[DonIago]

What does he do that's unhinged before that?

I didn't say he does things that are unhinged, but the very first time I watched the film, even while they're driving up to the hotel, I got the sense that Jack wasn't particularly in his right mind, and it comes down largely to Nicholson's performance.

 

[Set Harth]

I thought he seemed pretty chill at that point, but I'd have to watch it again.

 

[DonIago]

Same, really. It's been years, but that's the impression I have.

 

[publiusr]

I rather liked The Langoliers mini-series.

Once, in traveling by air from California to Atlanta, I could hardly see any break in the clouds. Fronts are often 100 miles wide or so.

That spooked me.

 

[DonIago]

I rather liked The Langoliers mini-series.

Once, in traveling by air from California to Atlanta, I could hardly see any break in the clouds. Fronts are often 100 miles wide or so.

That spooked me.

I mostly just found "The Langoliers" boring. There were interesting concepts, but the characters and/or the acting didn't really spark my interest.

 

[the G-man]

I thought he seemed pretty chill at that point, but I'd have to watch it again.

He was as chill as late 70s-early 80s Jack Nicholson performances could be but that's still kind of crazy.

 

[Oddish]

I remember when I was a kid, obsessively reading his "Bachman Books" omnibus. And I'm glad he took "Rage" out of play, i think it was the responsible thing to do. But it's too bad in a way, it actually was a pretty good story.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I've read that Stephen King's preferred casting choice for the Shining was John Voight or Michael Moriarty. I've also heard that Robin Williams was being thought of for the role.

 

[DonIago]

I've read that Stephen King's preferred casting choice for the Shining was John Voight or Michael Moriarty. I've also heard that Robin Williams was being thought of for the role.

It would have been very interesting to see Robin Williams as Jack becoming unraveled over the course of the film. I did see him do something a little similar in One Hour Photo, though I've only seen that film once and don't recall much of it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Michael Moriarty? Now THAT's interesting.

I don't know if I'd like to see Ben Stone lose it.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

Michael Moriarty? Now THAT's interesting. I don't know if I'd like to see Ben Stone lose it.

If you want to see a slightly unhinged Michael Moriarty, I would suggest the movie 'Q. The Winged Serpent'.

As for other actors in the role of Jack Torrance, I can't remember how King described Jack, so I'm having a hard time picturing someone in the role. The only persons that comes to mind is Dennis Quaid or Kurt Russell.

 

[Forbin]

We watched The Shining Saturday night. Jack seemed fairly nominal right up until Wendy interrupted him at the typewriter. Then suddenly he's swearing at her and insulting her. It just seemed to start, suddenly, right there. I didn't sense any kind of a slow burn, just, bam, crazy guy. I guess King is better at writing the slow burn than Kubrick.

 

[USS Firefly]

We watched The Shining Saturday night. Jack seemed fairly nominal right up until Wendy interrupted him at the typewriter. Then suddenly he's swearing at her and insulting her. It just seemed to start, suddenly, right there. I didn't sense any kind of a slow burn, just, bam, crazy guy. I guess King is better at writing the slow burn than Kubrick.

Or it is all Wendy's fault

 

[Oddish]

While "Misery" was overall a good adaptation, the best aspects of the book was the way it delved into the psyche of the writer. Most notably that Paul could no more destroy "Misery's Return" than Annie could bear to see it destroyed. It's a crazy irony that at the end of the book, Paul publishes "Misery's Return". So in a strange sort of way, Annie wins.

If course, the movie couldn't translate Paul's thought processes, so it couldn't explain why he would save the book. Hence it getting destroyed for real.