Video / DVD: Rewind

Worthy of a King

If Stephen King fans feel underwhelmed by Dreamcatcher's formulaic gore, another look at earlier flicks inspired by his tales may be just the ticket.

By PHILIP BOOTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 27, 2003

[Photo: Castle Rock Entertainment] Michael Clarke Duncan portrays a wrongly convicted prisoner who possesses unusual powers in The Green Mile, a 1999 film based on a Stephen King novel.

Dreamcatcher, an awful, incomprehensible mess and perhaps the worst adaptation of a Stephen King novel, may stick around theaters for several weeks, maybe to the start of the summer movie season.

That's because the thing is practically critic proof. Audiences don't seem to tire easily of supernatural goings-on, special-effects monsters and buckets of blood, all of which fight for screen time in Dreamcatcher.

Still, King fans may take the high road, ignore this one and revisit earlier movie versions of his work, available on home video and not limited to horror stories. Here's a selected list:

The Shining (1980) -- Stanley Kubrick, the overachiever, offers stunning visuals and truly chilling moments -- "red rum," anyone? -- in this tale of a writer (Jack Nicholson) going mad while snowbound with his family in an old, possibly haunted hotel. Also stars Shelley Duvall and Scatman Crothers.

Carrie (1976) -- Sissy Spacek is affecting as a tormented high school girl driven to use her powers of telekinesis as a weapon against enemies. The once-controversial shocker, directed by Brian De Palma, features performances by John Travolta, Nancy Allen and Amy Irving.

Misery (1990) -- A nightmare comes true for a celebrity author (James Caan) when he's rescued and then imprisoned by a "fan" (Kathy Bates) who uses creative torture to force the writer to revive her favorite character from his books.

The Green Mile (1999) -- Frank Darabont, who also directed a successful adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption, emphasizes the elements of magic and redemption in this story of the experiences of a death-row prison guard (Tom Hanks) and a wrongly convicted man (Michael Clarke Duncan), the latter blessed with special gifts. With David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter and Graham Greene.

Stand By Me (1986) -- Four preteen boys discover a body in a reminiscence related in part by narrator Richard Dreyfuss. Stars River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko and John Cusack.

Apt Pupil (1998) -- Bryan Singer (The X-Men movies, The Usual Suspects) directs this drama about a high school student (Brad Renfro) and his neighbor (Ian McKellen), a suspected Nazi war criminal. Also stars David Schwimmer, Elias Koteas and Bruce Davison.

Christine (1983) -- That bright red 1958 Plymouth Fury -- it's evil! Horror veteran John Carpenter directs, and the cast includes Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Robert Prosky and Harry Dean Stanton.

Cujo (1983) -- That formerly friendly, once cute St. Bernard -- it's evil! With Dee Wallace-Stone.

Children of the Corn (1984) -- Those young farm kids with the freaky eyes -- they're evil!

Pet Sematary (1989) -- The truth about dead cats and dogs -- they're evil! King wrote the screenplay, and the cast includes Fred Gwynne, a.k.a. Herman Munster.

The Dead Zone (1983) -- A comatose man (Christopher Walken, at his creepiest) awakens to discover that he has psychic powers. David Cronenberg directs one of the best, most unsettling King screen adaptations, and the cast includes Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt and, as the president, Martin Sheen.

Needful Things (1993) -- Something's not quite right in a picturesque New England small town, beginning with the titular curiosity shop, just opened by the death merchant formerly known as Satan (Max von Sydow). Also stars Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer and J.T. Walsh.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) -- King does that triumph-of-the-human-spirit thing, as convicts played by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman form a friendship in the big house.

Dolores Claiborne (1995) -- Taylor Hackford details the relationship between a New York City reporter (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her mother (Kathy Bates), the latter a maid arrested for the murder of her wealthy employer.

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