Dolores Claiborne (1995)

4 / 5 May '10
Tagline: Sometimes, an accident can be an unhappy woman's best friend
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Written by: Stephen King, Tony Gilroy
Actors include: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Horror
Length: 132 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well finally, another successful King adaptation, so few pay off but I think this one was quite effective. I think I read the book many years ago but my memory is quite hazy, the story is quite wonderful. Kathy Bates is brilliant as Dolores Claiborne, a Woman who is accused of murdering Vera the elderly Woman she has spent years caring for. The thing is when Dolores' husband Joe was found dead under mysterious circumstances years before. Some folks thought she was guilty including the Detective in charge of the Vera case and even her own daughter Selena blamed her. Selena returns home to aid her Mother during this time after not seeing her for 15 years I think it was, so their relationship is rather strained. Of course as the story unfolds we learn more and more that things aren't quite what they think they are. It really does teach that one shouldn't make assumptions and so forth. Although it's a very long movie the story is gripping enough that it should keep anyone's attention. The continual flipping between the past and reality was a bit much at times but I still thought it was easy to follow. Recommended for those who enjoy a good story and a good King adaptation.

Availability:  On DVD

Silver Bullet (1985) aka Stephen King's Silver Bullet

2.5 / 5 Jan '10
Tagline: It started in May in a small town and every month after that whenever the moon is full... It came back.
Directed by: Daniel Attias
Written by: Stephen King
Actors include: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim
Genre: Horror, Drama, Adventure
Length: 95 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Definitely one of my least favorite werewolf tales and one of my least favorite King adaptations. It's just plainly cheesy and filled with drama that I couldn't care less about (family stuff). We follow around wheelchaired kid Marty (Corey Haim) and his sister Jane (Megan Follows aka Anne of Green Gables) and their family. See Jane is jealous of her brother Marty because she feels her folks blame her for everything. The overly nice (fake seeming) Marty is best buds with his Uncle Red (Gary Busey) who builds him a super wheelchair (silver bullet). As we follow all of that stuff Marty finds out that there is a werewolf about town. The effects are meh, the story isn't very interesting and really it doesn't have much to offer anyone. It's a shame that this didn't work out better (as I've heard the book was rather imaginative in the way it's displayed) but none of that translates here. This just feels like a very cheap werewolf movie that has a higher budget than it seems like it's used.

Availability:  On DVD

Salem's Lot (1979)

4.5 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: The ultimate in terror!
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Written by: Stephen King, Paul Monash
Actors include: David Soul, James Mason, Bonnie Bedelia
Genre: Horror
Length: 183 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Definitely one of the better King adaptations, this one manages to actually be creepy, have an interesting story and keep quite true to the novel so just about anyone should be able to enjoy this. As the story goes the creepy Renfield appears in a small little town opening an antique shop in a haunted house. Also former inhabitant (an now famous author) Ben Mears returns home to write a book but is fascinated with the haunted house being taken over by Renfield. Our other main character is teenager Mark who just happens to know be a horror addict with extensive knowledge about monsters (convenient). Of course the two skeptics must come together to solve the Renfield mystery before the town is doomed! The atmosphere is great, the fact that it is 183 minutes long (the DVD version anyhow) and it never slows or becomes dull speaks volumes about how great this film is. It even has some rather surprising parts considering this was a made-for-tv movie! Extremely effective and one of the best vampire films I've encountered, I wish there were more like this 'un!

Availability:  On DVD

1408 (2007)

3.5 / 5

Tagline: The Dolphin Hotel invites you to stay in any of its stunning rooms. Except one.

Directed By: Mikael Håfström

Written By: Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, Stephen King, Larry Karaszewski

Actors Include: John Cusack, Paul Birchard, Margot Leicester

Genre: Drama, Horror
Length: 112 minutes

Banned:  Nope

 

Review:

I like Stephen King and I like the actors involved in this film, so I went to see this 'un in the theatre. It's not terribly clever (the resolve was a bit disappointing...I'd expected more) actually considering it's based upon a Stephen King thing, but still it manages to be better than so many other modern horror tales. The story is about a man has lost his faith and his Daughter and now works as a disillusioned haunting inspector going from hotel to hotel looking for hauntings. Well he doesn't really believe in ghosts until he winds up at the Dolphin hotel room 1408. Not a bad premise really, sort of an interesting idea only parts of it could/should have been a bit better explained I think. Parts of the evil that attack him seem a bit cliche but I'm sure it's hard to be entirely inventive when dealing with ghosts. It's relatively intense, not much gore but still a few jumpy type moments. Not as good as it could have been, but worth watching none the less.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray