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Tag Archives: Rob Reiner

Misery

19 Thursday May 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 57 Comments

Tags

1990's, Frances Sternhagen, James Caan, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Misery, Psychological Thriller, Richard Farnsworth, Rob Reiner, Stephen King

Film Title

Misery

Director

Rob Reiner

Starring

  • James Caan as Paul Sheldon
  • Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes
  • Richard Farnsworth as Buster
  • Frances Sternhagen as Virginia
  • Lauren Bacall as Marcia Sindell

A sterling and very unsettling adaptation of the Stephen King novel, Misery, as directed by the versatile Rob Reiner, gains great suspense and uneasiness from confident direction, a sinister score and an Oscar-winning performance from Kathy Bates.

Paul Sheldon is a successful author, most famous for his romance novels containing the character of Misery Chastain.Misery Poster Yet after writing so many books about the character, Paul has grown restless and wants to try other things in the more serious genres. He has just finished writing the manuscript for a new novel of a different vein while in the retreat of a Colorado lodge and plans to journey back to his New York home. As he drives though a fierce blizzard halts these plans and he crashes his car violently off the road knocking him unconscious. Trapped in his car as the blizzard rages on, Paul is rescued by Annie Wilkes, a former nurse who takes him to her house and tends to his injuries. When he wakes up, the seemingly friendly Annie makes him as comfortable as possible, while telling him that she is his number one fan. Annie is a homely and lonely woman who is slightly odd but spears to be relatively harmless in Paul’s eyes and he’s extremely grateful to her for saving his life. Annie promises that once the phone lines are back up,and working and the road is safe, she’ll take him to a hospital. Yet things turn very creepy very fast once Annie reads Paul’s latest Misery novel and finds out her favourite character has been killed off. Flying off the handle she shows her true frightening colours. She then reveals that she never called the hospital, so no one knows where Paul is and many presume him to be dead. Still bedridden and now completely terrified, he is for forced to comply with her demands of writing a new novel bringing the character of Misery back to life. Paul SheldonFrightened for his life, he begins writing, all the while planning some form of escape from the disturbed Annie, who never wants to let Paul go and is so intensely obsessed by him and his work, that she will resort to the most brutal tactics to make sure he completes the novel she is forcing him to write. Meanwhile, the local Sherrif Buster, an old, seasoned pro begins searching for the missing Paul, convinced that he isn’t dead as everyone else seems to believe. Before, writing was just a way of making a living for Paul, but now in the desperate situation of prisoner under the obsessed and deranged eye of Annie, he is writing to save his very life.

The ever versatile Rob Reiner shoes flair for the psychological thriller genre buy focusing on events with the confined setting of Annie’s house, that becomes claustrophobic once her mania comes out. Reiner taps into the fear of entrapment and fanatical devotion that both palpably leap from the screen and increase the terror. Tension and chills are provided through zooming close-ups, particularly of a fearful Paul and a crazed Annie. These are used most effectively in the iconic scene of Annie hobbling Paul after finding out he has tried to escape, just thinking about that scene gives me chills. Misery Paul and AnnieJust as entertaining as watching the terrified Paul attempting to escape is the battle of wills between him and Annie. He tries to reason with her, but is ultimately forced to give in to her demands for fear of his life. Annie basically becomes the role of a disapproving and demanding(plus very menacing) editor of Paul’s work, adding to a gleefully dark undercurrent of Misery. There are some impressive jolts of black humour and irony thrown into the mix that give Misery yet more of a twisted scope to work within and coil around with mounting intensity. While the film is filled with shots of snowy hills and landscapes almost from the off, the suspense-building score from Marc Shaiman lets the audience now that we are not in for a cosy ride with strings and brass mixing to chilling effect as Paul becomes at the mercy of the unhinged and devoted Annie.

James Caan, who from the roles I’ve seen him in often plays the hell raiser of the menacing type, flips it here successfully portraying the imprisoned Paul. He convincingly conveys the feelings of entrapment and terror that soon arise when Annie’s niceness vanishes. The main draw of the film is the super impressive and award-winning performance from Kathy Bates as the psychopathic Annie Wilkes. Essaying the mood swings of the character, from calm and homely nurse to enraged torturer who will stop at nothing to keep Paul with her, Bates registers on every level so well it is frightening to behold. Annie WilkesThere is simply no other actress who could have played the part of Annie with the creepy intensity of Kathy Bates and the Oscar she won for the role was well-merited indeed. Richard Farnsworth breathes intelligence and humour into the part of the searching sheriff who won’t give up and his performance is complimented by that of Frances Sternhagen as his sarcastic but helpful wife. Lauren Bacall appears in a small but memorable role as the concerned publisher of Paul’s work.

A chilling psychological thriller of shocks and squirms, Misery will have you most uncomfortable by the end due to the creepy factor that is built throughout it and the excellent work of the cast, in particular an unforgettable Kathy Bates as the devoted but extremely dangerous number one fan.

Stand by Me

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 47 Comments

Tags

1980's, Coming-of-Age, Corey Feldman, Drama, Jerry O'Connell, John Cusack, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, River Phoenix, Rob Reiner, Stand by Me, Stephen King, Wil Wheaton

Film Title

Stand by Me

Director

Rob Reiner

Starring

  • Wil Wheaton as Gordie Lachance
  • River Phoenix as Chris Chambers
  • Corey Feldman as Teddy Duchamp
  • Jerry O’Connell as Vern Tessio
  • Kiefer Sutherland as Ace
  • Richard Dreyfuss as Adult Gordie
  • John Cusack as Denny Lachance

Based on a Stephen King novella, Stand by Me is a seminal coming-of-age tale that is filled with humour, pathos and the nostalgic longing for the adventures of childhood.

After reading of the death of a childhood friend, a writer named Gordie Lachance begins to recall an eventful summer adventure with his friends back in 1959 Oregon. We flashback to this time and are introduced to the main characters, four twelve-year old boys. Gordie is a quiet and sensitive young boy who is struggling to cope following the death of his older brother. He has a gift for writing but his strict father who always preferred his older brother berates him for it and neglects him constantly. Gordie finds solace in the company of his friends. Stand By Me groupThe rest of the group comprises of Chris Chambers, a natural leader who is from a family of criminals and often suffers the stigma surrounding this; Teddy Duchamp, a funny but internally troubled boy who is scarred from an incident when his father held his ear to the stove and Vern Tessio, a chubby tag along who is often picked on for his appearance and scared personality. Vern overhears his brother revealing the location of the dead body of a local kid who has been missing for a while. Curious about this, Vern informs his friends and they decide to search for the body, hoping they will get money and fame if they discover it. Hiking through the woods, the four friends go through a journey of self-discovery all while trying to find the body before Ace, the vicious local bully can find it and claim a reward.

Rob Reiner directs with a lyrical eye for detail, capturing the wildlife beauty of the Oregon woods and the boyhood exuberance of going on an adventure with your friends. He also creates fully rounded characters who we can all relate to in one way or another. The four boys could be any group of friends and this quality gives the film a touching sensitivity. Stand by me SwampThe childlike sense of adventure is both funny and poignant as we watch them laugh, go through mishaps such as dodging an oncoming train and falling into a swamp infested with leeches and begin to grapple with mature issues of adulthood. A well-chosen soundtrack of 50’s classics gives the film a brisk edge and the fleeting sense of innocence beginning to be lost as the boys journey deeper into the woods by following train tracks. For me, it is the little things that make Stand by Me such a nostalgic and bittersweet watch. Gordie observing a young deer and deciding to keep the memory to himself, Vern and Teddy singing along to ‘Lollipop’, the campfire debate surrounding what animal Goofy is and the boys running away from Chopper, supposedly the most feared dog around who is far from it. I don’t think I’ve seen a film that evokes the feelings of growing up and the various issues surrounding quite as well as Stand by Me. And it does it all without being sentimental, it instead gives us many life lessons and captures the innocence of childhood in all its awkward and strange glory.

Stand By Me coinThe four leads in Stand by Me all contribute believable and relatable performances. Wil Wheaton combines maturity with vulnerability to get to the heart of Gordie, who feels as if he’s in the shadow of his deceased brother. River Phoenix is particularly touching, soulful and intense as Chris, who fears he won’t succeed in life because of the prejudice aimed towards him as a result of his familial ties. Corey Feldman is funny and manic as the scarred Teddy, whose often smiley demeanor hides the pain of his experiences with his father. Rounding out the quartet is Jerry O’Connell as the lovable and timid Vern, who often says things that cause his friends to roll their eyes but who has an earnest and caring heart when it comes to his friends. In other roles, Kiefer Sutherland is menacing as the town bully who delights in tormenting those who aren’t as strong as he is. Richard Dreyfuss utilises his commanding voice as he narrates the adventures of his youth with maturity and wisdom. John Cusack, in flashback, portrays Gordie’s deceased brother whose death has left a void in his life.

Nostalgic, poignant and filled with charm, the joys of Stand by Me still resonate to this day and will probably live on for a long time because of its moving story and wonderful performances.

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