The Works of Stephen King

[india7]

underjoyed said:

I'd thought, for some reason, that they were doing "Dolan's Cadillac" as well.

Don't I wish!

And I've mentioned it elsewhere in this thread, but The Last Rung On the Ladder is just so beautifully written, so heartbreaking - I really loved it.

I guess I'm in the minority here about You Know They've Got a Hell of A Band, because dear Lord, do I love that story! That's one of my favorites! I squeeed out loud when I heard they were going to do it - now I just hope I'm not disappointed, as I can very often be when they don't handle his stories with care in the translation from book to screen.

[Deleted]

petals said:

I didn't really like You Know They Got a Hell of a Band, either.

Didn't mean to imply that I liked it, only that I had read it before somewhere because it was familiar to me.

I liked the idea of it, but the story in and of itself was just meh. As have most of the stories in N&D that I've read so far.

I haven't read Everything's Eventual yet either. It's been sitting on my bookshelf tormenting me for awhile, so once I finish N&D, I'll probably read that one next.

But, like I said earlier, I much prefer the novellas to his short stories. I've liked all the novella books he's done - Different Seasons, Four Past Midnight, Hearts in Atlantis, Bachman Books, but really haven't liked the short story books he's done.

[india7]

Tonight at 9 PM is Umney's Last Case with William H. Macy (who, in my opinion, I think would have been fabulous as the vengeance seeking widower if they'd chosen to do Dolan's Cadillac), and The End of the Whole Mess with Ron Livingston and Henry Thomas - YAAAY!!! I have high hopes for that one!

[madrugada]

bonsai said:

I like his older stuff, like The Shining and Salem's Lot. Then all his books became bloated -- I don't think anyone dares to edit him these days so he can freely ramble on and on. I recall, for instance, in the book It, there were quite a few pages towards the beginning devoted to a character who, it turned out, you never saw again in the book. It was going into her high school experiences and her thoughts about her life. I was carefully absorbing all this, assuming it would become important somewhere along the line. But, no, there really was no point to it at all.

i'm coming late to this discussion, but, Bonsai, I couldn't agree more.

Salem's Lot was one of the most memorable books I've ever read - for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it scared the living shit out of me. It was just so well-done - 30 years later, I still remember some of his descriptions, quotes and even little details about Susan, Ben and Mark. Loved it, still love it, and unlike so many books, it holds up to rereading as an adult, after you've first read it as a child.

The Dead Zone was another one I enjoyed but it was so damn bleak and depressing. I'd like to re-read it at some point.

The Shining also scared the bejesus out of me. The movie, as scary as it was, didn't live up to the book for me.

Could not agree more about "It" and just about everything he wrote from then on. I remember being so excited to have such a long book to dig into from Stephen King! I couldn't wait to start. and then it dragged on and on with lots of stuff that, as you said, went nowhere. What a disappointment.

I tried to read "The Stand" but same deal. THat was it for me. His earlier stuff so far outdoes anything that came after.

I never knew SK was a FUBAR supporter. Ew. Just ew.

[whatever]

Loved It, the Stand (the original), Salem's Lot, The Shining, Dead Zone, Carrie.

Most of the rest I could take or leave. Once he stopped doing monsters and started doing psychological horror I lost interest.

And he needs to shut up about getting hit by a car. I was one of 10 people nationwide that watched "Kingdom Hospital" last year, I thought I'd give him another chance. And he managed to work that into the storyline. So, I'm done with him now.

I love the USA Network version of Dead Zone.

[india7]

Well, my thoughts on last night....

Umney's Last Case was good. The story itself didn't interest me all that much, but I could watch William H. Macy for hours - he was awesome.

I LOVED The End of the Whole Mess! I knew Henry Thomas and Ron Livingston would rock! And I love that story, it's one of my favorites, and they did a really good job staying faithful to it.

Next week looks like The Fifth Quarter and The Road Virus Heads North. Which means my favorite, You Know They've Got a Hell of a Band is going to be in the last installments, along with Autopsy Room Four. Hopefully this means the best is being saved for last, although Battleground was completely awesome and was shown first.

[marywebgirl]

Ron Livingston was so good in TEofWM! Every time they'd switch to the story rather than his talking heads I'd just get itchy for them to switch back. I remember getting a feeling of "Oh FUCK!" much more from reading the story than I think they communicated on screen, but still good.

[deelight]

I'm re-reading IT right now. It was always one of my favorite Stephen King movies, and the book is 10x better, IMO. The only thing that bother me is that there are SO MANY death scenes with young children. I know its one of the basic premises of the story, but now that I have a 1-year old, I can't quite handle it as well.

[Deleted]

Well, shit. Guess who forgot again last night.

I swear, one of you guys is going to have to call me to remind me.

I'll have to try and catch the reruns tonight.

[petals]

I really liked The End of the Whole Mess. The graphics they used gave it a creepy-happy feeling. And the way the story was told--with the brother talking to the camera and getting sicker--really gave the whole thing an ominous edge.

I can't believe I'm going to say this about something that starred William H. Macy, but Umney's Last Case bored the hell out of me. It seemed to stretch out in places that it shouldn't have stretched out in, if that makes any sense at all.

But next week? The Road Virus Head North? I'm prepared to be creeped out.