Author Topic: Stephen King on the big screen  (Read 31994 times)

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Offline The Walrus

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #175 on: April 15, 2018, 10:19:02 AM »
I started to actually get pissed off at it right towards the end and it's because of a huge spoiler, so, spoiler warning:



Quote
The way Walter dies. Walter throws this chunk of debris at Roland and knocks him out; Roland gets a vision of Jake reciting the gunslinger's oath, and then Roland grabs his sandalwood gun (no mention of how important these things are either) and fires a bullet. Now we know how fast bullets travel. Walter is like 50 feet away at absolute best. He fires the first bullet, then aims the gun to the left and fires another that ricochets off a steel beam towards Walter, and hits the first bullet exactly at the right moment to send the first bullet off path directly into Walter's heart.



I just threw my hands up and shouted "What?!" when that happened  :lol
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Offline axeman90210

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #176 on: April 16, 2018, 09:42:56 AM »
My biggest problem was that it felt way more like Jake's story than Roland's story. It wasn't great no matter how you slice it, but it was a worse adaptation than it was a standalone YA adventure movie.
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Offline lordxizor

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #177 on: March 21, 2019, 02:07:16 PM »
New Dark Tower series coming to Amazon, based on Roland's early days. Perhaps the flashback scenes from Wizard & Glass?

Sounds promising. I'd love to see this do well and translate into a future series based on (and true to) the books.

https://deadline.com/2019/03/the-dark-tower-sam-strike-cast-gunslinger-roland-deschain-jasper-paakkonen-amazon-nears-pilot-order-1202556652/?fbclid=IwAR0EWSwOpUBVQGlCyFBiVL8ofxCeVKdanask2Rj42VchpMXcZrg_imqpCHY

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The Dark Tower TV series is independent from the film and is meant to be a more faithful retelling of the book than the movie was. I hear it will take place many years before the events depicted in the feature and will focus on Roland Deschain’s (Strike) origin story – how he first became a gunslinger and got his guns, his first conflict with the man in black, his first love and his first mission as a gunslinger.

Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #178 on: March 21, 2019, 04:40:37 PM »
I will definitely be checking that Dark Tower series out.

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #179 on: March 22, 2019, 05:35:10 AM »
Per
New Dark Tower series coming to Amazon, based on Roland's early days. Perhaps the flashback scenes from Wizard & Glass?

Sounds promising. I'd love to see this do well and translate into a future series based on (and true to) the books.

Perhaps some elements of Wind Through the Keyhole too?
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Offline soupytwist

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #180 on: March 22, 2019, 05:41:31 AM »
Kind off on topic I got to see an advanced screening of Pet Sematary recently.  Based on the two films in this thread title, it's not as good as IT chapter 1 - but it's much better than Dark Tower.  It hits most of the big beats from the book but lacks the quiet creeping dread that builds in the book, it also changes the ending quite dramatically - which in the moment of the watching the film is pretty fun ride, but on reflection probably goes little wrong.

6/10 I think.

Offline The Walrus

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #181 on: March 22, 2019, 07:06:47 AM »
After that abortion of a film I have absolutely no faith in this Dark Tower series. Do it right or don't do it at all. I'll check it out in the future once we're gearing up for actual footage, but yeah... I'm worried enough about this new LOTR series.
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Offline kaos2900

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #182 on: March 22, 2019, 07:11:00 AM »
I believe there is going to be a new The Stand series on the CBS AllAccesss streaming service as well.

I LOVE The Dark Tower series so I'm hoping Amazon can get this right.

Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #183 on: March 22, 2019, 04:23:46 PM »
Kind off on topic I got to see an advanced screening of Pet Sematary recently.  Based on the two films in this thread title, it's not as good as IT chapter 1 - but it's much better than Dark Tower.  It hits most of the big beats from the book but lacks the quiet creeping dread that builds in the book, it also changes the ending quite dramatically - which in the moment of the watching the film is pretty fun ride, but on reflection probably goes little wrong.

Trailer made it look pretty interesting (but that just means the marketing dept did their job). John Lithgow seemed odd as Jud. Not sure why. I spoiled myself by reading about the significant change (don't want to spoil, don't know if that is the change to the ending you are referring to) and why it was done. The reasoning was sound, and could be done without significantly changing the narrative. Been ages since I've seen the original but recall it being poor. It missed the whole [I[feel[/I] of the story and was no better than a TV horror movie on cable at 2am. And other than Jud, the cast was somewhere between forgettable and awful.

I believe there is going to be a new The Stand series on the CBS AllAccesss streaming service as well.

I watched a couple clips from The Stand a few days ago. it looks a little dated, but in all I think it holds up reasonably well. I enjoyed it quite a lot when it came out. Faithful to the spirit and structure of the book while still translating well to the screen. Some minor nitpicks not worth going in to here.
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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #184 on: May 09, 2019, 01:08:17 PM »
Trailer up for It: Chapter 2 (was that really the best they could come up with?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX2cnCbYmQc
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Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #185 on: May 09, 2019, 01:47:30 PM »
They aint doing themselves any favors with that trailer.

I love the Bev/zombie lady scene with-in the context of the movie, but I could see a lot of viewers being like "what movie is this". It drags too much to be in a trailer.

Regardless, I am and always have been mental for Stephen king and IT, so I'm definitely gonna go see it.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2019, 02:03:34 PM by Phoenix87x »

Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #186 on: May 09, 2019, 02:01:34 PM »
I was also surprised that snippet took up half the trailer, followed by the requisite half second shots clipped together which is usually how trailers are done. That old lady was awesome, when she stared right at Bev without so much as moving an eyelash for like 5 seconds.


I am equally as mental for King and It, but this will be a Redbox for me. I found the first movie largely underwhelming.
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Offline lordxizor

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #187 on: September 06, 2019, 07:43:38 AM »
Saw IT Chapter Two last night. It was pretty good. Not as good as the first one, but a fitting end.

Offline PowerSlave

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #188 on: September 08, 2019, 05:00:51 PM »
Saw IT Chapter Two last night. It was pretty good. Not as good as the first one, but a fitting end.

I just got home from seeing the movie. Usually I'm not very pleased when screen writers stray as far as this from the source material, but I think that they did a great job in this instance. They still managed to keep the general feel intact.
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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #189 on: September 08, 2019, 05:14:30 PM »
It is my favorite novel so I am unnecessarily critical of this project and the 1990 TV miniseries. I have not see Pt 2, but I didn't like how they split the narrative as they did. It's not 2 separate but equal story lines. It's one story line, and important how the experiences of the kids inform on who they become as adults. And who they are as adults makes us reflect on who they were as kids. The two main Godfather II story lines (young Vito and older Michael) aren't strong individually, but they work when presented as intertwined. Watch Godfather I and II chronologically. It's not as enjoyable.

I did like how 1985 It kept the basic structure. We know the Losers made a pact, but seeing the scene play out at the end of the novel, instead of the end of Pt 1 makes it all the more powerful. That vow they took in the Barrens drives the whole plot, and the course of their whole lives. Everything we've read over 1,000 pages was predicated on that.

I want to know how you all felt about the narrative structure of Pt 2 but can't decide if I even care about spoilers at this point.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2019, 11:21:17 PM by Cool Chris »
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Offline vtgrad

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #190 on: September 09, 2019, 12:45:37 PM »
It was good (see what I did there)... I understand the changes and the movement through the film was well paced.  I'll agree that it was not as good as Chapter 1, but it was good and the emotional ending kind of captured the emotional ending of the book for me (though the two are very, very different).  Not ashamed to say I shed a tear at the end when the letter was read.  IT is not my personal favorite of King's work (that stands with Salem's Lot and the DT books), but IT is my emotional favorite of his books. 

As much as I like McAvoy as an actor (and person... dude is very funny) and as much as I liked his casting as Bill, I felt like he held back the entire film.  I didn't get the power I usually get from him as an actor.  Bill is a powerhouse in the book and brings them together on so many occasions, I felt that McAvoy was either holding back himself or was held back by direction.  He's easily the star of the adult cast in my mind.  The child cast blows the adult cast away... with the possible exception of the adult Richie and Eddie (their exchanges are worth the price of the ticket  :lol).  Henry Bowers' character was spot on in child and adult... SPOT on.

All in all it was very good.  I'd like to see what this director would do with The Stand and the DT story-line.
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Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #191 on: September 14, 2019, 03:40:58 PM »
I finally just watched The Dark Tower movie. I kept hearing it was crap so I avoided it, but I really liked it.

I tried to read book 1 (The gunslinger) but put it down multiple times. For the life of me, I just can not follow it. I got the audiobook for book 1 and that I am struggling with as well. I am ready to love this series, so I am going to keep trying to get through it.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2019, 04:12:28 PM by Phoenix87x »

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #192 on: September 14, 2019, 06:49:43 PM »
Just keep going. IMO, The Gunslinger is the weakest of the series. Luckily it’s the shortest. Drawing of the Three, and Wolves of the Calla are the best.
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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #193 on: September 14, 2019, 09:27:50 PM »
In a vacuum, that is a tough read. Just power through, and get to Drawing of the Three, then you'll be off and running. There will be some slogs along the way, but the journey is well worth it.
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Offline The Walrus

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #194 on: September 14, 2019, 10:38:18 PM »
Read the books and then watch the movie and tell me that it's still good.  :lol
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Offline axeman90210

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #195 on: September 16, 2019, 07:28:28 PM »
I was going to post my thoughts on the DT movie, but I see they're still at the top of this page :lol

I saw It Chapter 2 opening weekend, it was... OK. I feel like just about every individual "scare" sequence was well done (with maybe the exception of the Paul Bunyan one), but there were just too many of them that it felt a bit formulaic. They probably did about as well with the ending as can be expected, given how weird it is in the book. And I was fine with the change to Richie.
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Offline PowerSlave

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #196 on: September 19, 2019, 02:15:55 AM »
I finally just watched The Dark Tower movie. I kept hearing it was crap so I avoided it, but I really liked it.

I tried to read book 1 (The gunslinger) but put it down multiple times. For the life of me, I just can not follow it. I got the audiobook for book 1 and that I am struggling with as well. I am ready to love this series, so I am going to keep trying to get through it.

I've read the entire series front to back several times. The Gunslinger is a bit tough the first time through, but the story really begins to take off about a 1/4 of the way into the next book. The landscape of that world is very bleak in the beginning, but that will begin to make a lot more sense as you go through the series. If you end up enjoying the series and decided to read it again at a later time the feel of The Gunslinger will make much more sense when you revisit it.
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Offline axeman90210

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #197 on: September 19, 2019, 05:19:41 AM »
Agreed, The Drawing of the Three is where the Dark Tower series really takes off. I first became a big Stephen King fan when we read The Eyes of the Dragon in my freshman year English class, and I vividly remember reading The Gunslinger my junior year and thinking it was just OK. I decided to continue on with The Drawing of the Three though, and by the time I got to the scene at Balazar's I was risking my neck by reading during the class of a fairly strict teacher because I literally just could not put the book down.
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Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #198 on: September 19, 2019, 07:54:14 AM »
Thanks guys. I'm going to power through book 1 and try and make it further in the series.


Offline vtgrad

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #199 on: September 19, 2019, 09:56:24 AM »
I finally just watched The Dark Tower movie. I kept hearing it was crap so I avoided it, but I really liked it.

I tried to read book 1 (The gunslinger) but put it down multiple times. For the life of me, I just can not follow it. I got the audiobook for book 1 and that I am struggling with as well. I am ready to love this series, so I am going to keep trying to get through it.

I've read the entire series front to back several times. The Gunslinger is a bit tough the first time through, but the story really begins to take off about a 1/4 of the way into the next book. The landscape of that world is very bleak in the beginning, but that will begin to make a lot more sense as you go through the series. If you end up enjoying the series and decided to read it again at a later time the feel of The Gunslinger will make much more sense when you revisit it.

Having been through the series several times myself as well (currently going through it actually; I'm on Wizard and Glass), I can attest to PowerSlave's comments... I actually enjoy The Gunslinger more each time I go through it and I always find something that I missed in previous cycles... the recount of Tull along with Roland and Jake's passage through the mountains are two of my favorite passages of the entire story.  Pay close attention to what you read as many familiar names and places will come up again throughout the story's arc.

Drawing of the Three was slow for me the first time through it, but upon subsequent readings and listenings (Audible man... Audible) I pick up more on Roland's emotions with each character and how much he does truly love them, almost immediately. 

Highlights for me are The Wastelands, Wizard and Glass, and Wolves... and I do love the final novel as well.  I love the ending, and I love that you can choose how far you go with the ending (though, who really stops where King wants you to stop?).
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Now with Twitler taking a high end steak of this caliber and insulting the cow that died for it by having it well done just shows zero respect for the product, which falls right in line with the amount of respect he shows for pretty much everything else.- Lonestar

Online hefdaddy42

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #200 on: September 19, 2019, 10:40:13 AM »
The kids and I caught It Chapter 2 a couple of nights ago.  We enjoyed it quite a bit.

Obviously some differences from the book, as well there should be.  But I thought they did a pretty good job of capturing the essence of the book, and how it felt, and how I felt the first time I read the book.

Pretty nice. 
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Offline ZirconBlue

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #201 on: September 20, 2019, 07:48:52 PM »
Thanks guys. I'm going to power through book 1 and try and make it further in the series.


Please be aware that there are 2 versions of the first book: the original and an author's revised version where King tried to improve the prose and seed some more foreshadowing for the later novels.  I've read both, but so far apart that I can't really say which is better.

Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #202 on: October 12, 2019, 07:10:51 PM »
Saw It Part II

Overall it was pretty decent. Maybe I'm just too used to the original mini series, but the pacing seemed all over the place. Sometimes very fast at points. Like they had to hurry up and cross plot points off the list. But then on the flip side it starts dragging in places, like when they all have to find their totems. 

Eddy was SOOOOOO god damn annoying. Jesus christ. He was wimpy, polite and sympathetic in the mini series, but here he never shuts up and is a rude, obnoxious asshole that says fuck every two breaths. He was a little bit better toward the end.

And that's another thing, holy shit do they say FUCK a lot in this movie. What, are they going for a record or something? And this coming from someone who says fuck ALL the time. I had to go and watch Casino just to clean my ears, jesus  :lol  Sometimes less is more.

Really didn't need to be 3 hours though. God damn, did I feel that 3 hours. Good enough movie otherwise.

Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #203 on: October 12, 2019, 07:59:20 PM »
Have not seen Pt2 but commented on the kids in Pt1. Richie was beyond awful. He is a complete jerk with no charm or wit to his "humor." In the 1990 miniseries, he is a bit of an asshat, but has a charm that endears him to fellow losers. There is no reason any sane kid would hang out with 2019 version of Richie. 1990 Eddie (as you said is) is a sympathetic, whimpering shell of a kid burdened by his overbearing mother, a kid trying just trying to survive as best he can. 2019 Eddie is a snotty brat.
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Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: Doctor Sleep (Stephen King)
« Reply #204 on: November 08, 2019, 01:59:47 PM »
Instead of starting a new thread, I'll put Doctor Sleep in here.

Just got back and it was incredibles. I absolutely loved it.

It nailed the feel and style of the original Kubrick film, but it also did its own thing. This movie is its own interesting story and I was engaged the entire film. Its super thought provoking and psychological as well. And I loved the main villain Rose. She's both disarming and intensely dangerous at the same time. A great combination.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone that enjoyed the Kubrick shining film. Or if you like psychological thrillers.
 

Offline axeman90210

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #205 on: November 08, 2019, 02:11:55 PM »
Really looking forward to seeing this, I liked the book a lot. Probably won't get to the theater until next weekend.
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Offline Cool Chris

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #206 on: November 08, 2019, 06:43:42 PM »
I was hoping I'd enjoy the book more than I did. It was an enjoayble read, but it didn't really impact me, or stay with me when I finished. Which is pretty common for me with recent King books.
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Offline jingle.boy

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Re: The Dark Tower Movie + It
« Reply #207 on: November 08, 2019, 07:49:57 PM »
I'll update the thread title
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Offline Evermind

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Re: Stephen King on the big screen
« Reply #208 on: November 11, 2019, 09:45:58 AM »
Thinking of going to see Doctor Sleep, I haven't read the book though. Is the film still good without the book knowledge? I have read The Shining, if that matters.
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Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: Stephen King on the big screen
« Reply #209 on: November 11, 2019, 10:53:18 AM »
I also have not read Doctor sleep the book and still really enjoyed the movie. So i don’t think it really would make a difference.