For Ken - Mr Harrington's Phone - Potential Spoiler

[naomi24]

We talked briefly about this the other say. I'll add my thoughts below.

[naomi24]

I watched it and Donald Sutherland, as always, gave a faultless performance. However, it was quite slow, and the 'horror' didn't fulfil what I regard as the promise of a Stephen King story. All in all, it was okay, and that's about as far as it went. Quite weak really.

[Ken4155]

I watched it on Monday night, Naomi, and thought exactly the same as you. Just didn't want to come on here and say so until you had watched it :-)
It's a while since i read the short story upon which it is based, but the suspense and the implausibility were front and centre, as i recall. This adaptation was a bit of a let down.
I don't know why it is, but some of SK's work comes across well on screen - think Carrie, The Shining, The Dead Zone, etc) - and sometimes it doesn't - Under The Dome is the first that entered my head as i typed. I suppose it may be down to the fact that our imaginations are more powerful than an image on screen

[naomi24]

//Under The Dome //

We watched that ... but I can't remember it ever ending and if it did we must have missed the final series. Did it end?

[Deskdiary]

I watched this recently and was left a little underwhelmed, but I agree, Sutherland is always very watchable no matter what he's in.

The Shining is, I think, the best adaptation, although interestingly, King didn't like it.

I've always been a big SK fan, but my favourite of all time is 11/22/63, and there's a really good, true to the story, mini-series adaptation with James Franco.

[naomi24]

DD, I don't know that book - but a quick check reveals that the mini series is available on Amazon Prime, so one to watch. Thanks.

[Ken4155]

Re 11/22/63; again, i find the book much better than the actual miniseries. That's not to say the series isn't worth the watch, it certainly is and if you've researched it Naomi, you'll know that it's about someone travelling back in time to thwart the assassination of JFK.
As for Under The Dome, the first series more or less followed the novel until near the end, but the 2nd series went beyond the book and got a tad silly, imho.

[Ken4155]

DD, i have read that King and Kubrick had a slight difference of opinion as to the director's interpretation of the story. In the book, the story is about young Danny Torrance, who has the gift - The Shining - but Kubrick made the film around his father's apparent decent into madness.
To be totally honest, i love the film and didn't read the book until years later, which is why i understand King's POV. So how on this planet Earth he ever gave the nod to The Dark Tower film is totally beyond me. I read the 7 books of the series over a period of 20+ years (first book 1982, book 7 2004), then watched them trashed in 95 mins!