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Post by sonstuds on Oct 10, 2019 12:11:04 GMT -5
An adaptation is not meant to be an exact, verbatim page-for-page on screen visual of a book. That's why it's called an adaptation. The Shining and then maybe arguably Jaws are easily the best examples of two not that great books being adapted into amazing movies by taking liberties. Especially with the '97 miniseries as a comparison there just really is no comparison. Stephen King can bellyache all he wants (this is from someone who actually really likes him. Pet Sematary still is one of my all time favorite books) but Kubrick took his novel, which basically ends with a ridiculous explosion that's almost like Die Hard, and adapted it as best as it could possibly be done and then some. Just because he interpreted Jack Torrance differently doesn't make it some sort of weak piece. Just because there are no hedge animals doesn't make it less frightening. I get people like seeing what they've read exactly on screen as how they remember it or whatever but the argument about The Shining is one that has always baffled me. Other than that, I wouldn't say too many of the films that have been made from his works really hold up. I'm with everyone on Salem's Lot and It being pretty great for nostalgia. I also enjoy Silver Bullet just because it's fun. I thought the new It was just weak as hell and the new Pet Sematary was even worse. There are a handful of scenes here and there in King adaptations that are decent but for the most part it's really only The Shining that gets into actually frightening territory for me. But I'm also pretty critical with horror so it's tough to say. lol believe me, removing the hedge animals is one of the things I loved about Kubrick's. Of the few issues I have with it is that ultimately what did the shining really do in the movie vs. the book? Partially I'm asking, but generally speaking it's a gift that didn't really have any bearing on whether or not he survived (unless that five second diversion of axing Scatman Crothers in the back was the difference). Anyways not really an adaptation but no one's mentioned Creepshow.
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taker
Mid-Carder
Hector, are you going to behave yourself hector
Joined on: Jul 19, 2019 13:28:49 GMT -5
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Post by taker on Oct 10, 2019 13:15:15 GMT -5
Didn't have my bedroom window open for over a year when i was a kid even in the summer because of Danny Glick. And this was a "made for TV movie". Could you imagine how it would've been had it been a Hollywood studio production? Seen your post salem's lot scared the piss out of me as a kid and thought ya that's me, good job i shared a bedroom with one of my brothers and his bed was closer to the windor. Haven't seen it since back then probably dated now but back then jesus. I always thought it was a mimi series because it was definitely on for more than one nignt in the uk sure it was like four weeks
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Post by RSCTom on Oct 10, 2019 14:15:59 GMT -5
lol believe me, removing the hedge animals is one of the things I loved about Kubrick's. Of the few issues I have with it is that ultimately what did the shining really do in the movie vs. the book? Partially I'm asking, but generally speaking it's a gift that didn't really have any bearing on whether or not he survived (unless that five second diversion of axing Scatman Crothers in the back was the difference). Anyways not really an adaptation but no one's mentioned Creepshow. It's a good point because I guess that's also kind of where a lot of people divert not only on this movie but in watching movies in general. For me, it's best left up to personal interpretation. I like the way it kind of obviously comes off which is some sort of confused telepathy that Dick Halloran understands but Danny (and in my opinion Jack) are completely confused by. Danny gets to have a grandfatherly conversation with Dick in the beginning about it, something he never had because he has a drunk dick of a father who would rather focus on a drink. So the 'gift' is just as Dick says, the fact that they can connect on this just as he and his grandma used to. For Jack, he takes it the other direction and interacts with the haunted elements (what he can control of it) of the hotel to further indulge his selfishness. I don't really have an affinity to the Torrance family in the movie other than that you kind of hope based on how depressive and thrown together they seem in the beginning of the movie that they will some how turn out ok. Obviously they don't (not completely at least) but that's what's so horrific about the whole thing. Not only does their emotional disconnect cause trauma, but ghosts in a hotel they can't escape feed off of it and use it against them, even more so with the 'gift' two out of three of them have. So to answer your original question, I don't think it had an bearing on the overall outcome other than the sides of it they couldn't understand, but that's what's pretty scary about it all.
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Post by Artie Kendall on Oct 10, 2019 14:59:26 GMT -5
lol believe me, removing the hedge animals is one of the things I loved about Kubrick's. Of the few issues I have with it is that ultimately what did the shining really do in the movie vs. the book? Partially I'm asking, but generally speaking it's a gift that didn't really have any bearing on whether or not he survived (unless that five second diversion of axing Scatman Crothers in the back was the difference). Anyways not really an adaptation but no one's mentioned Creepshow.Two of the stories from Creepshow were adaptations of King short stories: The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill and The Crate. I think Kubrick did the best thing for The Shining. I didn't like the book that much so maybe that might something to do with my view. I like that Kubrick in many of his films never gives you all the answers. It makes his films good for conversation. His friend Spielberg on the other hand is the exact opposite, wrapping everything up and sending you home happy.
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Post by rKoNomad316 on Oct 10, 2019 15:52:27 GMT -5
Mr. Mercedes is a great show. I feel like each episode builds up nicely, to the final episode. As it seems like the 1st 3 or 4 episode drag.
Castle Rock was good too. The new season of Castle Rock looks great. Looks better then the 1st season.
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Post by JokerFC on Oct 11, 2019 4:48:19 GMT -5
I wont say dislike...but my lack of reverence for The Shining has very little to do with it being an adaptation. I love Jack Nicholson....one of my favourite actors & He is great in this but I find the movie itself chronically overrated. I find lots of Kubricks "classics" brutally overrated though. Full metal Jacket to me is the only one that lives up to the hype.
Every time I hear The Shining announced as "the greatest Horror movie ever"? I f*ckin roll my eyes.
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Post by punksnotdead on Oct 11, 2019 10:24:31 GMT -5
Tom, what's your beef with IT? Did you post about this before? Genuinely curious because I think Chapter 1 is easily one of the best King films ever. I'd say other than Misery, and then the drama stuff like Shawshank, Green Mile and Hearts in Atlantis. I get the split on Chapter 2. That film struggles with pacing and tries to inject almost too much into one sitting, but I thought the first Chapter was pretty incredible. Just a preference to the 90's adaption?
The new Pet Semetary is almost unwatchable. I almost turned it off at the truck scene and then just powered through it. The original is by no means my favorite adaption but it's quite a bit better. It's a shame too. I think there was room to bring that book more to life and it was just a swing and miss.
As far as the Kubrick film, he just doesn't do what I like. I think his post Dr. Strangelove career is mostly hit or miss. The first half of Full Metal Jacket is off the charts, and then the film falls on its face for me. That said, I think what he does well is let striking visual shots sit with you as an audience. And that works in the Shining, specifically at the beginning and then again at the end. He gets some amazing shots of Jack writing and Jack in the bar, too. His eye was incredible. My issue is with his ability to convey a story, or lack thereof.
It's really not about being mad that the book and the film are different. Rather, Kubrick from a story structure presented a one-dimensional journey where literally none of the characters experience any kind of growth. Which is totally fine for traditional Slasher flicks, although I think you could argue we saw Nancy, Laurie and even Kirsty all show some growth by the end of their first installments, definitely Ripley, but The Shining is talked about like it's a masterpiece. So it begs the question why, outside of the visuals, is it a masterpiece? It's not a great script imo, and I think it's pretty low on scares, honestly. The second act nearly puts me to sleep. It's all subjective. I'm not looking for answers from people, but I just don't think it ranks high on either the King scale or the Horror classics scale.
I think it's also fair to point out I'm primarily a story guy and not everyone needs that out of movies/films/games. I want to be taken on a compelling journey, and most of the time I want depth, great dialogue, character connections and bonds, and twists in the road. I think the Shining kind of stays too much on the rails of Jack's crazy, watch him go crazy, get away from the crazy, the end. I guess I'm not arguing that it's a good film, because I think Kubrick was in a class of directors who stood above a genre in the way Cameron was with Aliens, but he was great in what I refer to as a Dances with Wolves kind of way and that's not for me.
Didn't mean to turn this into a Kubrick debate, but I think the Shining is really polarizing because it stirs up film fans and novel fans alike.
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taker
Mid-Carder
Hector, are you going to behave yourself hector
Joined on: Jul 19, 2019 13:28:49 GMT -5
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Post by taker on Oct 11, 2019 13:43:33 GMT -5
My favourite films from stepen king in that order 1 salem's. lot as a kid 2 shawshank redemption. in top 3 of all time 3 the green mile 4 carrie 5 misery the shining is boring My favourite from carpenter 1 escape from new york. in my top 20 2 The thing. top 20 3 Assauly on prcinct 13. top 20 4 The fog My favourite kubrick 1 spartacus. top 20 2 Barry lyndon 3 Full metal jacket. Platoon blows it out the water as for stragelove/clockwork orange/ 2001 would sooner sit and watch the fire go out
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Post by JokerFC on Oct 11, 2019 13:59:01 GMT -5
I forgot the Mist....Both movie & Tv series
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Post by CM Poor on Oct 11, 2019 14:21:21 GMT -5
Was anyone debating? Hahahaha. I don't care if anyone thinks less of me because I like Steven Weber's Jack Torrance more than Jack Nicholson's. It's not something I even care enough about to argue. I also liked the book more than either adaptation, and I feel like it's one of the rare, rare occasions where King actually knew how to end a damn story.
I also liked Van Peebles' Halloran more than Scatman's. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Post by Artie Kendall on Oct 11, 2019 15:09:39 GMT -5
There's still a lot of adaptations that I haven't seen. Mostly anything past the 90s I haven't seen. I've read almost everything King has put out, but wouldn't say he is one of my favorite authors. I used to work for a book company and had access to pretty much any book, so what I would do is pick an author and try to just read from the beginning to whatever year it was and see what I liked and didn't like. I liked King enough to make it to whatever was released at the time (I think it was Finders Keepers) but someone like James Patterson I didn't make it that far into their work. Looking over the list of adaptations the only ones I've seen that were released after the 90's that I have seen are Heart in Atlantis, Secret Window, and 1408. I didn't like those first two but remember being surprised that 1408 wasn't as bad as I was anticipating.
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The Real Chillary
Main Eventer
Chillary since day one ish
Joined on: Aug 23, 2016 15:32:38 GMT -5
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Post by The Real Chillary on Oct 11, 2019 18:36:39 GMT -5
While it doesn't technically count, I have a big soft spot for Kingdom Hospital.
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Post by punksnotdead on Oct 12, 2019 7:53:27 GMT -5
While it doesn't technically count, I have a big soft spot for Kingdom Hospital. I’m going to have to check this one out.
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Post by JC Motors on Nov 1, 2019 6:15:33 GMT -5
Christine since it's about a car.
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