When Good Directors Go Bad: DREAMCATCHER
When Good Directors Go Bad: DREAMCATCHER
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#1When Good Directors Go Bad: DREAMCATCHER
Posted: 10/17/07 at 1:25pm
One of the best things on nerve.com is their Screengrab section...and one of the best things about their Screengrab section is the "When Good Directors Go Bad" articles...they've already taken on Speilberg (1941), Coppola (THE COTTON CLUB), and others, now they take on Lawrence Kasdan's DREAMCATCHER, one of my favorite bad movies.
When Good Directors Go Bad: DREAMCATCHER
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
#2re: When Good Directors Go Bad: DREAMCATCHER
Posted: 10/17/07 at 1:27pm
that's a great column borstal, thanks for sharing.
I too love Dreamcatcher as a guilty pleasure. That toilet scene in the cabin simply can not be beat.
....but the world goes 'round
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#2re: When Good Directors Go Bad: DREAMCATCHER
Posted: 10/17/07 at 1:48pm
Here's more When Good Directors Go Bad, featuring EXORCIST II, THE DOORS, ZABRISKIE POINT, I CONFESS and others...
When Good Directors Go Bad Archive
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
#3when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/17/07 at 2:01pm
me and the mrs. love this movie. god, we watched it a hundred times.
i remember after seeing it in the theatre i read stephen hunter's review in the washington post and came away with this line:
it's the craziest thing you ever saw
r.i.p. marco, my guardian angel.
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#4when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/17/07 at 3:16pm
Good God, I love that review. I never saw the film (but sure as hell will now) but inexplicably read the book. Sounds like it made a seamless translation to the screen.
WindyCityActor
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/13/03
#5when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/17/07 at 3:28pm
But is has Thomas Jane in it!
Sigh!!
He's also in the upcoming Stephen King movie, "The Mist" which looks just as crazy!
http://movies.aol.com/movie/stephen-kings-the-mist/27990/synopsis
"Frequent Stephen King collaborator Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) teams with the celebrated horror author once again for this tale of a terror concerning a small town engulfed by a malevolent mist, and based on a story originally published in King's 1985 horror anthology Skeleton Crew. When a thick fog descends upon a typical suburban community and claims the lives of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught outside, a small band of survivors seeks refuge in a local grocery store. Now trapped in a darkened cloud of pure horror, the frightened denizens of the town are forced to fend off an advancing horde of murderous monsters. Punisher star Thomas Jane heads up an ensemble cast that includes Andre Braugher and Laurie Holden. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide"
The Trailer:
http://movies.aol.com/movie/stephen-kings-the-mist/27990/video/trailer-no-1/1969562
Updated On: 10/17/07 at 03:28 PM
#6when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/17/07 at 3:32pm
Who was he? He wasn't one of the 4 was he?
....but the world goes 'round
WindyCityActor
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/13/03
#8when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/17/07 at 3:47pm
The Mist is one of Stephen King's bleakest and creepiest stories. I hope they don't change the ending. There is also a radio dramatization of it on CD.
I wasn't a big fan of Dreamcatcher as a novel, but I actually liked the film better. It was a bit less nauseating and there were some interesting visual effects. Simple, but effective.
Unfortunately, most Stephen King stories are either drastically altered or simply don't translate to the screen. The Mist could be fantastic, but I'm keeping my expectations low.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#9when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/17/07 at 4:26pm
i tend to hate most of the Stephen King adaptations 
maybe my mind makes it all scarier than it really is on screen but they've usually bothered me.
erikaamato
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/12/04
#10when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/17/07 at 5:13pmI'm with you, folkyboy. I adore King's work on the page, but it almost always comes off goofy on screen. (There are exceptions, of course. Kubrick's The Shining - while not an entirely faithful adaptation - is one of my favorite scary movies of all time. And Carrie is pure genius.)
#11when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/17/07 at 8:15pm
Mister Matt, they ran a bunch of very positive early reviews for The Mist on AICN this week.
Everyone says the ending is actaully must darker than in the story.
"Now for the ending. I will not give a way anything just a little commentary. I thought it was appropriate for what this movie was building up to, and I loved it. There are a lot of people out there that like to complain about the typical Hollywood endings, well this is not it. The end of this movie punches you in the gut hard and you feel it. It is dark and uncomfortable. A friend of mine who was with me hated the ending. He even told me that as much as he hated the typical Hollywood ending, he wished this would have been one. I don't think a lot of people are going to like it including those that would complain if it ended in typical Hollywood fashion."
whole review, spoilers.
....but the world goes 'round
#12when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/18/07 at 8:12amHow odd about the ending. It sounds like it was darkened, but does not indicate if it is similar to the original story. Very intriguing. Sounds like something to look forward to, nevertheless.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#13when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/18/07 at 12:17pmIf memory serves, the end of "The Mist" King all but recreates the end of THE BIRDS. Right?
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
#14when good directors go bad: dreamcatcher
Posted: 10/18/07 at 12:22pmYes and no.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Videos