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jthomp6
Reviews
Joysticks (1983)
The Only Movie I Ever Walked Out On.
It was that bad. I've occasionally rented a video that I fell asleep during and didn't bother to rewatch, or just didn't finish watching--period. But this was the only movie I ever paid admission to see that I didn't finish watching--and that's saying a lot for me. Joe Don Baker must have really needed some quick money to star in this stinker.
The Shining (1997)
More faithful to the book than Kubrick's
I thoroughly enjoyed this version of THE SHINING. The characters are touching and easy to identify with. Jack Torrance's interest in the Overlook becoming obsession, and finally falling into possession by the spirits in the hotel is as sad to see as it is frightening. You see the character as Stephen King wrote him--a recovering alcoholic trying to make a comeback in his career and with his family only to hit the ultimate setback--a haunted hotel. If you have waited for a film version that was faithful to the original (yes, there is a little tweaking, but not much), this is it.
Don't get me wrong--Stanley Kubrick's cinematic version is a good, scary movie. However, the characters in the 1997 version are more human and the decline into terror and possession is more tragic and believable as a result.