AUTOPSY ROOM FOUR 4/10 - another King adaptation ruined by Richard Thomas! YOU KNOW THEY GOT A HELL OF A BAND 4/10 - I remember reading this as a youngster and finding it REALLY eerie. THE FIFTH QUARTER 7/10 - This one's sort of a heist story with great performances (Sisto, Samantha Mathis) and a surprising homoerotic subplot. THE END OF THE WHOLE MESS 6/10 - eh, this didn't translate too well, but it's watchable. UMNEY'S LAST CASE 7/10 - It has a neat noir-ish feel, mostly created by the inimitable character acting of William H. It's good to see Tom Berenger and Marsha Mason working again. CROUCH'S END 5/10 - this is pretty awful and Claire Forlani has got to be the worst working "name" actress, but there's something eerie in it's Lovecraft-ness that I appreciated for a bit. Unfortunately, it's mostly downhill from here. This fares better than much of Stephen King made-for-TV adaptations, though the episodes are hit or miss: BATTLEGROUND 8/10 - easily the best episode AND an homage to the greatest made-for-TV horror ever, "Trilogy of Terror." There's even a cameo by our friend the Zuni Doll! It goes the "no dialogue" route, and William Hurt pulls it off well. I think director Mark Haber, just couldn't put his finger on what the point of that story was. The performances were OK, and it started off on the right foot, but things quickly went south after they started wandering around the empty streets. 8.] "Crouch End" - This was a good story, but the adaptation did not capture the creepy feel King brought out in the narrative. Everything else, including Berringer's performance, was cheesy. 7.] "The Road Virus Heads North" - The only thing they got right was the painting. 6.] "The Fifth Quarter" - Good performance from Sisto, but again, why do this story over something like "Grandma" or "The Jaunte". 5.] "Autopsy Room Four" - Again, great story, but the adaptation leaves a lot to be desired, and only because of the hokey performances, especially from Richard Thomas and Greta Scacchi. I always wondered why the chose to adapt this one though, especially over some of Kings other classics. 4.] "Umney's Last Case" - Not bad story, Macy's performance pulled it off. This was a good short story, one I always try to read when I pick up Nightmares & Dreamscapes. 3.] "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band" - Not bad adaptation. This was a pretty good effort though, and I loved the lack of dialog.
#Stephen king crouch end movie#
2.] "Battleground" - When I first read this story (about 15 years ago) I thought it would make a great TV movie - not a feature film - but at the time, I didn't think the SFX of the day could pull it off. Livingston's performance is perfect - heartfelt and desperate. Spot on adaptation of a neat little story. I hope that ALL of his stories are likewise adapted as such, although I would indeed love seeing more adaptations of his short stories done this way (Especially "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away" and "In the Death Room").ġ.] "The End of the Whole Mess" - Very well done. At any rate, they were all well chosen, and I hope that more adaptations of King's work fall under this level of care and craftsmanship. I find it ironic that some of the upcoming episodes don't feature stories from the actual collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes, although I suppose that they mean the title as a general one, as opposed to a specific one. Each episode perfectly embodies the story from which it was based off of, and I cannot find any flaws in their translation into this mini-series. The direction is smart and clean the set designs stunning the animation (Battleground) superb, and the adaptations flawless. Each is casted perfectly for their role, from the well-known stars to the little known gems. Macy, William Hurt and the majority of the other actors and actresses that they did manage to get for the project. I can hardly believe that they were able to get William H.
This mini-series, however, does justice to King's works, and treats them with the respect that they deserve. The Lawnmower Man (Which King sued to be disassociated from).
the sequel that has nothing to do with King's novel. Needful Things and The Runningman are the worst of these atrocities, although they are far from the only ones. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen Hollywood completely decimate and almost sacrilegiously destroy King's brilliant writing. Just to avoid any possible confusion, the above summary of Nightmares and Dreamscapes is a compliment.
0 kommentar(er)
