"I Am Your Number One Fan"
In celebration of earlier this week being the 30th anniversary of the 1990 classic film "Misery", I decided to rewatch it and share some of my thoughts on it. First of all, I often forget that it was directed by Rob Reiner, the same guy who did "The Princess Bride" and "Spinal Tap", both of which are some of my favorites. This film is absolutely phenomenal. The casting, the acting, the soundtrack, everything was so well done. This one is also, despite a few minor deviations, such as the sledgehammer, one of the King adaptations that most closely follows the book. The book is also much more horror, while I'd describe the film as more of a psychological thriller. Other than that though, the biggest plot differences were likely done in an attempt to make the film more viewer friendly, which is totally understandable. I think the scariest thing about "Misery" is how real it is. While Stephen King usually focuses on supernatural creatures and hauntings and such, there is none in this story, just a crazy lady who kidnaps her favorite author. Kind of makes me wonder in a way if that story is a telling of one of his own worst fears.
The way the movie is shot is beautiful. It has some wonderful lighting and scenery choices that really impact how memorable the film is. The snowy hills and farm scene are stunning. The lighting when Paul wakes up and sees Annie standing over him really make that scene terrifying. Also the well placed thunderstorms among other things are really wonderful details that helped bring the characters of Annie and Paul to life. I definitely commend the actors on their ability to make their characters so realistic. It must be difficult playing someone with severe injuries, as much as it must be difficult to play a character whose incredibly unstable and whose mood changes on a dime.
The hobbling scene makes me cringe and turn away every time. The healing of Pauls bruising. How much he fumbles with hand movements. Everything in the special effects and everything is so well done.
This is without a doubt my favorite King movie adaptation, and I think it is a great example of a cockadoodie book to screen done right. If you haven't seen this one I definitely think you should. ~Gangis
