While I’m not as voracious as Donna when it comes to plowing through books, I’ve still managed to read a number of Stephen King’s works over the years. And as great as the stories are (I think I’ve been lucky to read only really, really good ones), it’s disappointing how often they become subpar movies. Sometimes they’re horrible throughout, sometimes just too campy, and sometimes they are just spoiled by a lame ending. His movies also have a knack for being ruined by being produced as network TV miniseries.
But that’s not to say there aren’t gems among them. There is the iconic classic “The Shining”. Of course “Carrie” ranks up there even though the acting wasn’t top notch. And who can forget Kathy Bates in “Misery”? More recently there have actually been a few great movies as well, and it turns out a couple have a screenwriter/director in common, Frank Darabont.
Darabont directed both “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) and “The Green Mile” (1999), likely King’s most successful big-screen conversions. Now, Darabont is finishing up work on “The Mist”, which is a short story/novella from King’s 1985 book “Skeleton Crew”. I think “Skeleton Crew” was the first Stephen King book I ever read and I vividly remember being glued to the pages. but fearful of turning them.
From what I’ve seen the casting hasn’t pulled in any heavyweights like Hanks or Robbins in the other flicks, but I’m still very optimistic. I suspect the quality of the movie will actually hinge a lot more on the drama of being trapped and the mystery of what’s in the mist and not showing what’s in the mist. “The Mist” is scheduled to be released on November 21st, and I can’t wait! I also hope to have finally finished King’s Dark Tower series and have a chance to re-read the story before then.
Tags: Movies
