Directed by - Rob Reiner
Written by - William Goldman
Based on the novel of the same name by - Stephen King
Starring - Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall and Frances Sternhagen

Allow me to begin with a bit of background; as a teenager I absolutely loved Stephen King. During my high school years I must have read at least fifteen of his novels, not to mention the countless number of short stories and essays he’s also written, and I always used to take his books with me for some, erm, “light poolside reading” whenever I went on holiday. I’ve never been under the misapprehension that his books were the apex of great literature but I’ve always…

If there is one thing King does like no other it is finding horror in the mundane. These stories are often my favourite and Misery certainly ranks among the best of them.

Misery is also a story that is easily transported to film because it is a very simple one and those are often very suitable for an adaptation. While it is easy to criticise this story's and subsequently the film's straightforward nature, I actually feel it is its strength.

This is a no frills, no holds barred, claustrophobic thriller that is submerged in a growing sense of unease that just won't ease off. It is amazing when looking at Reiner's filmography before this that he managed to pull this…

In general it is advised to be wary about Stephen King adaptations, considering how many of them are lackluster or straight-up poor in every regard. There are, however, exceptions to that as every once in a while we are given a proper film adaptation that rivals the quality of the book and in the case of The Shining outclasses it. Misery is one of those exceptions, almost effortlessly managing to find the right balance of horror and dark humour, it's as if Rob Reiner was born to do these types of films. Known previously only for his successful comedies and the deeply affecting drama Stand by Me, it was probably a very odd sight back in 1990 to see his…

I'm yet to find a reasonable explanation for why I have never read a Stephen King book, especially since I'm such an avid fan of horror and very interested in literature. Even though my knowledge of his books is zero, I have seen most of the movies based on his novels, what give me a superficial sense of knowing his "style", being easy to spot the misterious atmosphere so characteristic, even when it doesn't really have a mistery.

Right at the beggining, Misery made me feel that way, so my only concern was if in the end it was going to have aliens or not, because that's the other thing that come along with Stephen King's name. Thankfully, it doesn't…

I'm yet to find a reasonable explanation for why I have never read a Stephen King book, especially since I'm such an avid fan of horror and very interested in literature. Even though my knowledge of his books is zero, I have seen most of the movies based on his novels, what give me a superficial sense of knowing his "style", being easy to spot the misterious atmosphere so characteristic, even when it doesn't really have a mistery.

Right at the beggining, Misery made me feel that way, so my only concern was if in the end it was going to have aliens or not, because that's the other thing that come along with Stephen King's name. Thankfully, it doesn't…

"You dirty bird! How could you!"

There are a lot of bad Stephen King adaptations out there so for one director to have two of the successful ones, Rob Reiner should feel pretty good about himself (Frank Darabont can arguably make the same claim). Misery is a simple story, a horror film built around mounting suspense rather than buckets of blood and gore, though it has its moments. James Caan plays Paul Sheldon, a successful author of a series of books he'd like to get away from so he can move in a different direction and not be tied down (ironic). But when he makes the mistake of completing his newest novel on the same night as a blizzard, as…

Directed by - Rob Reiner
Written by - William Goldman
Based on the novel of the same name by - Stephen King
Starring - Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall and Frances Sternhagen

Allow me to begin with a bit of background; as a teenager I absolutely loved Stephen King. During my high school years I must have read at least fifteen of his novels, not to mention the countless number of short stories and essays he’s also written, and I always used to take his books with me for some, erm, “light poolside reading” whenever I went on holiday. I’ve never been under the misapprehension that his books were the apex of great literature but I’ve always…

In general it is advised to be wary about Stephen King adaptations, considering how many of them are lackluster or straight-up poor in every regard. There are, however, exceptions to that as every once in a while we are given a proper film adaptation that rivals the quality of the book and in the case of The Shining outclasses it. Misery is one of those exceptions, almost effortlessly managing to find the right balance of horror and dark humour, it's as if Rob Reiner was born to do these types of films. Known previously only for his successful comedies and the deeply affecting drama Stand by Me, it was probably a very odd sight back in 1990 to see his…