Originally posted by: DefDC
QFT.
So far,
Book 1: Slow...
Book 2: Fastastic. One of the best books I've ever read. GREAT characters and suspense.
Book 3: Just as good as two.
Book 4: Yawn. Actually, pretty bad...
Book 5: Not bad
Book 6: Just started
Book 7: (Profit?)
I used to reread book 2 and 3 fairly frequently. Great stuff.
I used to think books two and three would make good movies. But I'd be heartbroken if they were crap...
Am I the only one that thought "The Stand" was done fairly well, for a TV movie anyways?
I always wished "It" would be done as a year long mini-series on HBO with full blood, gore and sex...
I have no problems telling people to watch "It" and THEN read the book. At least you'll get the characters right away, and hardly get any of the plot of the book...
pro tip: there's a point in book 7 where you're given a warning about continuing on.
don't ignore it. summon the willpower to put the book down and not continue on.
phoenix79
Golden Member
- Jan 17, 2000
- 1,598
- 0
- 0
I always wished "It" would be done as a year long mini-series on HBO with full blood, gore and sex...
I have no problems telling people to watch "It" and THEN read the book. At least you'll get the characters right away, and hardly get any of the plot of the book...
They have just announced a remake of IT. but it's going to be a feature length movie so it's prolly going to be horribly butchered...
Sheik Yerbouti
Lifer
- Feb 16, 2005
- 14,080
- 5,453
- 136
The Gunslinger/Dark Tower Series was one of the best series of books I've ever read, and it needs to be more of a Band of Brothers type of thing. A movie could not do 7 novels on 1 story justice.
Deeko
Lifer
- Jun 16, 2000
- 30,213
- 12
- 81
Originally posted by: DefDC
QFT.
So far,
Book 1: Slow...
Book 2: Fastastic. One of the best books I've ever read. GREAT characters and suspense.
Book 3: Just as good as two.
Book 4: Yawn. Actually, pretty bad...
Book 5: Not bad
Book 6: Just started
Book 7: (Profit?)
I used to reread book 2 and 3 fairly frequently. Great stuff.
I used to think books two and three would make good movies. But I'd be heartbroken if they were crap...
Am I the only one that thought "The Stand" was done fairly well, for a TV movie anyways?
I always wished "It" would be done as a year long mini-series on HBO with full blood, gore and sex...
I have no problems telling people to watch "It" and THEN read the book. At least you'll get the characters right away, and hardly get any of the plot of the book...
Really? You thought 1 was slow and 2 was fantastic? I thought 2 was very boring - but necessary for the story.
Deeko
Lifer
- Jun 16, 2000
- 30,213
- 12
- 81
I liked Wizard and Glass because it explained so much of the back story. The world of the dark tower is so expansive with such an in-depth history, Wizard and Glass covered a lot of it. I was a little frustrated that the story advanced so little, but all in all I enjoyed the book.
lokiju
Lifer
- May 29, 2003
- 18,526
- 5
- 0
Originally posted by: DefDC
QFT.
So far,
Book 1: Slow...
Book 2: Fastastic. One of the best books I've ever read. GREAT characters and suspense.
Book 3: Just as good as two.
Book 4: Yawn. Actually, pretty bad...
Book 5: Not bad
Book 6: Just started
Book 7: (Profit?)
I used to reread book 2 and 3 fairly frequently. Great stuff.
I used to think books two and three would make good movies. But I'd be heartbroken if they were crap...
Am I the only one that thought "The Stand" was done fairly well, for a TV movie anyways?
I always wished "It" would be done as a year long mini-series on HBO with full blood, gore and sex...
I have no problems telling people to watch "It" and THEN read the book. At least you'll get the characters right away, and hardly get any of the plot of the book...
Maybe that's why I gave up on it after giving it a try with the first one.
Maybe I'll give the second one a try.
zinfamous
No Lifer
- Jul 12, 2006
- 111,887
- 31,404
- 146
Well, as long as King isn't involved, they tend to be pretty good.
Was The Shining a bad movie? The way I see it, if the adaptation pisses off King, then it's generally a good film. film /= book. Too many fans think that the adaptation fails if every little element doesn't make it to the film. A lot of times, though, they fail to see that many of those elements are included in the subtext, or in amalgamated characters.
direct adaptations of novels would lead to 5-10 hour movies...
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!! We have a winner!! :thumbsup:
You thought the LOTR films were long? To do any sort of good job, each book would have to be it's own movie, at a minimum!
Ok I finished book 4 "The Wastelands" I am half way thru book 5 "The Wolves of the Calla". Yes it is very detailed. Yes it is very long. I still say it can be brought to the screen. Look how many movies Star Wars was with the prequels. If not the big screen, how about Showtime or HBO. The Sopranos ran about eight seasons. Yes I realize the Sopranos had no predetermined end and Dark Tower does. There is just too much quality material here to not make some kind of attempt at a visual production. I think the Billy Bumbler is a great character. Would love to have one, Oy.
King really screwed the pooch on the last book... made me want to cry it was so bad. I loved the rest of the series though.
cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
No - no decent movie could really be made from these books. Too many fans with too high expectations - they will do nothing but disappoint.
OTOH, I think that a talented staff could pull off a mature, "artsy" anime-esque movie loosely based on the series.
OTOH, I think that a talented staff could pull off a mature, "artsy" anime-esque movie loosely based on the series.
cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
I was unsure of Book 4 the first time through - but after reading the complete series 6-7 times or so now, I think WaG may be the best story, and certainly the best-written. The Wastelands is a close second, just because of the settings and situations - lots of action.
Wolves was such a disappointmnet. King basically said, "Hey, remember that cool story of a few young 'slingers taking out the bad guys that I *just* wrote about in Book 4? Well, let's tell the same basic story again, but with the current cast of characters! Weeee! $$$"
I've also grown to sort of like the final ending. It was kind of fitting. Ka truly is a wheel. The events that led up tot he ending (Books 5-7) were pretty weak, however. Mordred was a wasted character, and getting rid of Flagg in such a silly way seemed a waste. He's the Walkin' Dude, FFS!
cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
His short stores tend to make better films, especially with big actors. Shawshank and Stand By Me, for example.
Gunslinger08
Lifer
- Nov 18, 2001
- 13,234
- 2
- 81
cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
The book was pretty bad (not Dreamcatcher bad, but still.) I hope they take some artistic licenses with the movie - it can only help, really.
CKent
Diamond Member
- Aug 17, 2005
- 9,020
- 0
- 0
Same. 1-4 were amazing, after that it was sharply downhill. Having read some of his other new work, I don't think he's lost his touch -- but he's gone in a direction which doesn't go well with his DT series.
As for his other film adaptations, horror writing naturally relies on the reader's imagination, something film deprives us of. It isn't surprising his other stuff has been (mostly) badly adapted, especially considering the deficiencies of TV actors (It, The Stand). The Shining was directed by Kubrick, and despite even Kubrick's (same initials - SK) greatness, it didn't hold a candle to the book, and King agreed. Shawshank, ask I recall, was written specifically for the big screen, and the Green Mile was the exception.
I'm actually in the middle of Wovles of Calla right now; The prior 4 books were page turners, but this one is just boring the crap out of me.
phoenix79
Golden Member
- Jan 17, 2000
- 1,598
- 0
- 0
I have been reading Stephen King novels since I was 14 in 1994. Started with the Gunslinger and have read almost everything he has written. It seems to me that anything written, not published, after his accident has been utter garbage about himself and his life. Read Lisey's Story, Duma Key, the last 3 DT books. I just don't like how his writing has become an ego boost for him and nothing else now.
There's so many problems with this:
#1. Books 5-7 are complete and utter shit. Not a single redeeming feature about them. Remember early on, when Roland was kind of a knight, but also kind of soulless bad ass killing machine? It's like King forgot who he was writing about. And it's really clear it wasn't a purposeful change, King just changed his mind and decided he didn't like the bad-ass robot Roland. Check out his re-write of the first book if you need proof.
#2. You'd need 1 movie per book, at minimum. You'd need to actually not cut out all the gore and violence and sex. It'd have to be weirdly paced and challenging to watch.
#3. People aren't going to accept a movie with so many unanswered questions. There's no less than 6 really interesting parts of the Gunslinger mythology that King didn't bother to answer. Once he got hurt (and more importantly, got sober) he lost his connection to that world and never got it back. He still wrote the books, to collect a check, but anyone who read Book 7 and didn't realize the poor guy had no idea what he was doing anymore, they weren't really paying attention.
#1. Books 5-7 are complete and utter shit. Not a single redeeming feature about them. Remember early on, when Roland was kind of a knight, but also kind of soulless bad ass killing machine? It's like King forgot who he was writing about. And it's really clear it wasn't a purposeful change, King just changed his mind and decided he didn't like the bad-ass robot Roland. Check out his re-write of the first book if you need proof.
#2. You'd need 1 movie per book, at minimum. You'd need to actually not cut out all the gore and violence and sex. It'd have to be weirdly paced and challenging to watch.
#3. People aren't going to accept a movie with so many unanswered questions. There's no less than 6 really interesting parts of the Gunslinger mythology that King didn't bother to answer. Once he got hurt (and more importantly, got sober) he lost his connection to that world and never got it back. He still wrote the books, to collect a check, but anyone who read Book 7 and didn't realize the poor guy had no idea what he was doing anymore, they weren't really paying attention.
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