'In the Tall Grass' Movie Review

 

This had been sitting on my Netflix list for some time now.  I figured it was time to start cleaning house and finally knock it out.  I read the original novella back when it was originally published in Esquire, but that was some time ago.  I did write about it, but those articles were lost when Examiner shut down.  I do remember not being particularly blown away by it.  That was probably one of the reasons why I kept this one on the backburner for as long as I did.

To the movie's credit, it actually is a stronger work than the source material.  Where the story felt pretty thin, the movie has time to flesh out certain elements and give the characters more time to shine.  While the characters are still daft for never thinking to use their car horns as a way try to help get others out, they do act more intelligently here than they did in the story.  One character attempts to leave himself a trail by tying some of the grass stems in knots and he later uses a child as a sort of periscope to try to keep them oriented while they try to make their way back to the main road.  Neither effort works, but still, credit for clever thinking.  Surprisingly, nobody tries to set the field ablaze.  We see one character smoking early on, I thought for sure that it was going to be a "Chekhov's Gun" situation, but nope.  Even when they're convinced that they're not getting out, nobody suggests taking the field with them.

Speaking of, the field itself gets more to do.  The disorientation and relocation are still present, but we see that the field can even distort time itself.  It adds to the eerie, alien element of the field and gives the movie some interesting "timey wimey ball" elements that end up playing a pretty critical role in the plot.  The rock also gets more detail and focus brought to it.  We're never told what it is exactly, but we get a lot more detail as to how it works and what its attempting to accomplish.

That being said, despite the movie being well under 2 hours (an hour, 40) it still drags quite a bit.  The director does get a little over-indulgent at certain points, especially as the movie gets closer to the climax.  It also gets tough to care when you see characters die repeatedly only to pop back in later.  It makes sense, as it's shown that the characters have gone through several loops and they're all intersecting at various points, but it does undercut the tension quite a bit.

The cast all do a good job.  Patrick Wilson is probably the stand out, as he gets to play both friendly and menacing, sometimes at the same time.

As far as King adaptations go, this one's solid.  It's faithful enough, but it also goes in its own direction.  It does have problems, so I don't know if I'd call it a must watch, but there's enough good stuff here to say that it doesn't warrant a hard pass either.

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Site Update: 2018 Docket

It's a new year, which means that, like last year, it's time to lay out the itinerary for what's to come.  Oh man, remember me saying that I would have a new post up every day of the year? Ha, I wasn't even close.  I won't be making that promise this year, though I would like to attempt it (and maybe even succeed) at some point down the line, maybe 2020?  We'll see.  At the very least, I would like to try and at least surpass the content bar that I set in the previous year.  Will I follow through?  That remains to be seen, as of now, though.  These are the things that I plan on covering in the next 365 days.


Stephen King

As of the writing of this post, I am working my way through "Hearts in Atlantis".  I also still have to discuss Stephen King's recent collaboration with his son, Owen, "Sleeping Beauties".  Speaking of Stephen King's sons, Joe Hill released a collection of novellas, "Strange Weather" that bears examination, so look forward to that.  Papa King also has a new book coming out called "The Outsiders" later on in the year. 

Progressing through the bibliography, I'm hoping to cover "On Writing", "Secret Windows", "The Plant", "Dreamcatcher", and "Black House".

On the movie front, "Cell" still sits in my Netflix queue.  I also have the first part of "It" as well as "The Dark Tower" to watch and review.  I recently read that the latter might also have a TV series attached, so hopefully that comes to light. 

I still need to watch "Mr. Mercedes".  Hopefully, that hits Netflix, Hulu, or DVD at some point in the near future.  If there is a second season, it will likely be delayed like its predecessor.  It's a shame that they aren't making it more widely available.

Speaking of Hulu, "Castle Rock" is slated to land in the next year.  I haven't followed the development too closely, but that should be an interesting watch. 




Brad Thor


I recently added another author to the site's content review roster.  I dove into Brad Thor's library with his debut, "Lions of Lucerne".  It should come as no surprise, then, that I aim to continue to progress onward through his library as well. 

Following "Lions", we have "Path of the Assassin", "State of the Union", "Blowback", and "Takedown". 

Thor is releasing a new book, "Spymaster" in the summer, but I will likely wait until I hit that point in the chronology before reading it.  I should (hopefully anyway) be up to speed by the time his 2019 book comes out, so it's a minor setback in the grand scheme of things.


Netflix


Continuing the tradition, my write ups for Marvel's "The Punisher" have succumbed to schedule slip.  Naturally, I will try to finish it as soon as possible, though.  Also in the MCU realm, the third season of "Daredevil is set to land, as is the second season of "Jessica Jones". 

Yes, much like "Daredevil", the write ups for that show will start with season 2.  On the plus side, all 4 defenders will be represented in the label list, so that will be good; especially if "The Defenders" does end up getting a second season. 




Anime


"Dragon Ball Super" continues.  I've been doing a decent job of keeping up with it and that won't be stopping any time soon.

The third season of "Attack on Titan" is set to air in the middle of this year.  I was hoping to cover the second season as it aired, but the schedule didn't permit it.  As I'm all caught up now, it should be a lot easier this time around.

I'd also like to dive back into "Rurouni Kenshin".  Alas, I'll likely have to start over.  Not only do I not remember what was happening, but there were a lot of articles lost in the Examiner shut down that I will have to re-do in order to keep everything complete.  It'll be a pain to go through, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.  It'll also eventually give me something to write about consistently to help fill in the gaps.

I could potentially add another series to the roster, though I'd have to browse around a bit.  I said that I would do this last year and nothing came of it, so I'd understand if you're skeptical, but hope springs eternal, right? 



Legends of Tomorrow


I discussed this in one of my Patreon updates, but I might as well say again that I have been unable to keep up with the CW shows as of late due to changing circumstances.  As such, I will be waiting for this year's batch of episodes to hit Netflix.  When that day does come, I will continue my write ups on that show.  It's a bit of a pain, but we do what we can with what we have. 



Archive Restoration


As it is, the site's backlog is mostly full of dead links.  I'm hoping to begin remedying that in the months to come.  It does mean doing a lot of work that was already done, but there it is.  I started doing re-writes for "Death Note", and you can see the articles for the first half of the show in my "mega-post", though I still have quite a bit to go through. 

The backlog covers all manner of things: movies, comics, anime.  It should give me a good variety.  I do try to put more emphasis on new content, but I think filling in the archive will be good overall.  Doing this will also facilitate more new content like episodes of "Rurouni Kenshin" that went unwatched and diving back into the "Dark Tower" comics.




Reviewstream

Normally, I've shied away from going into too much detail on upcoming content for this particular site as it was always more spur of the moment.  I'd see a movie and decide to write a review for it.  Some times, I saw a movie that I thought I would review, but found that it didn't give me a whole lot on which to comment.  It makes it difficult to lay down a projected list of what's to come.

This time around, though, I'm taking a different approach and have come up with some things that I plan on writing about. 

You might recall that I had written reviews for the first two JLA trade paperback collections.  My original intent was to go through the whole run, but it got pushed to the back burner.  While I won't go so far as to say that I'll finish, I do want to cover what I can and at least knock a few more trades out.

I'm also diving into the fifth edition of "Dungeons and Dragons".  I had written some articles on the "Essentials" material, but talking about the newer and more relevant content will be beneficial.  I did rather enjoy doing those articles, so it should be a good bit of fun.  I am kind of curious to look at the newest edition in more detail. 




So, there you go.  That's the 2018 plan.  It's definitely more in depth than last year's, but I think that's a good thing.  Oddly enough, I also think that this is more doable than the "post every day of the year" idea I threw out before.  We'll see how things go though.  Maybe on December 31, I can start doing retrospectives that assess what I thought I was going to do and what I did do.  We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 






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'The Fireman' by Joe Hill novel review

As far as books go, Joe Hill has had a pretty solid track record.  He came out of the gate strong with "Heart Shaped Box", "Horns" was a solid follow up, and the third time proved to be the charm as "NOS4A2" seemed to hit on all fronts and bring Hill's author cred to new heights.

Thus, I was looking forward to his latest tome, a tale of a post apocalyptic world ravaged by a strange spore that causes spontaneous combustion.  Sadly, this one fell flat for me.   It seemed like all of the pieces were there, but it never really came together the way the other books did.

While the book clocks in at over 700 pages, the plot doesn't really have a lot of momentum.  It never centers on any one aspect long enough for that.  As such, we have a myriad of mini sub-plots that ultimately fall flat.  The book would set up some mysterious aspect, and then, when the true nature is revealed, you just kind of shrug and move on with it. It never felt like there was much of a "whoa" factor.

There are moments here and there.  The section of the book detailing Harper being ostracized from the community of infected for breaking one of their decrees is harrowing and comes to a head with an attempted execution that is appropriately intense.  It's the part of the book where you feel most connected, as you sympathize with the protagonist and develop something of a loathing for those who are antagonizing her.  

Amid that, there's a supply stealing thief, a community member being attacked, a ghost, a possible new society of infected, a vengeful ex-husband (ugh, we'll get to him in a second), revelations about the nature of the spore, and a power hungry leader who rules with an iron fist.  It's a lot, even for a door stopper.

Some of these don't even go anywhere.  The book spends a lot of time detailing the potential threat of "the bright".  We see it, but it never resolves itself in any real fashion.  At no point do the characters address how they're supposed to change moving forward to avoid a repeat of what happened, they just sort of go and that's it.

The characters themselves are...OK at best.  Harper's fine, but the rest of the cast are hit or miss.  Even the titular fireman doesn't really shine the way you'd hope he would.  Aside from Harper, I think that Father Storey is probably the only standout, mostly due to how benevolent and avuncular he is.

The rest suffer from inconsistent writing.  Allie, a young girl who lives at the camp, can be malicious and spiteful one chapter and than be depicted as one of the more compassionate members of the camp.  She's even directly involved in a rather brutal assault on Harper at one point (under the influence of the bright) and the whole thing gets brushed aside.  She apologizes, but you'd think that there would be more repercussions than there were.

Jacob, Harper's husband is probably the biggest victim of this.  When the book opens, he's a pretty stand up husband.  He clearly cares for her and the two have some rather tender scenes together.  It isn't quite as dynamic as the romance in "NOS4A2", but it was alright.  Once Harper gets infected (and he thinks that he's been infected,) he pulls a 180 and becomes something out of a stereotypical Lifetime movie.

It's a pretty jarring shift, but you could try and explain it as a result of fear; even when he tries to make good on a murder/suicide pact that the two had for this scenario.  It only goes downhill, though, as the book tries to pull a half-hearted retcon to make it seem like this latter characterization was how he always was and the entire relationship was a sham. It wasn't done well.  It also results in a lot of eye-roll and groan inducing comments and "insight".  It makes for a weak, two dimensional character, and an incredibly lackluster villain.

Due to the aforementioned lackluster characterization, Harper's subsequent romance with the fireman also falls flat.  The two didn't really have much in the way of chemistry, despite the book's insistence that they were OTP.

This book makes multiple references to "The Stand".  Surprisingly, none for "Firestarter".  They're amusing.   I think my favorite was a character alluding to the appearance of "the hand of God".  This book provides a stronger context and explanation for why it's appearing, which is nice, but it was still a cute nod.  Having characters talk about forgetting the face of their fathers was also a nice nod.

Oddly enough, Hill doesn't reference his own works all that much.  I guess after "NOS4A2" did it, he didn't want to fall into habit.  Christmasland gets a mention, though the context is entirely different than the one we saw in Hill's previous entry.

It's a pity that this one didn't work, but in the long run, it could work out for the better.  I remember hearing Will Smith express relief that "Wild Wild West" bombed the way it did.  It keeps the ego in check and relieves some of the pressure of heightened expectations, like how sports teams will occasionally express happiness to lose once or twice over the course of the season.

Hill's next release will be a collection of novellas set to release later this year.  We'll see how those entries fare when that comes out.

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'Locke and Key' Audio Drama Review

You can read my review here.

Pros

- Fantastic voice acting across the board.  

- Strong score that really added to the tension and atmosphere.  It also succeeds in making the more emotional moments resonate.

Cons

- With no visual frame of reference and little to no narration, there are parts where it's hard to tell what is going on. 

Overall

Even if you haven't read the comics themselves, this is very much worth a listen.  The characters are great, brought to life by strong vocal performances.  The story is intriguing and contains a nice balance of horror, heart, and humor.  Some more narration might have helped the mind's eye create a better picture of certain scenes, but this still pulls you in rather effectively.  The solid musical score also helps on that front.  If you're a fan of the comic, Joe Hill's work, or audio dramas in general, I recommend checking this out, especially since it's free right now.

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Stephen King Examiner Docket 2015

You can read my article here.


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Short Story Review: Twittering From the Circus of the Dead

You can read my review here.

'Horns' Movie Review

You can read my article here.

Pros

- Very faithful adaptation that retains many plot elements from the book. The script was very well put together

- Strong performances from both main and supporting characters. 

- Movie does a great job of building up tension and atmosphere.



Cons

- Some of the supporting characters aren't given as much room to develop as they did in the book.  This becomes somewhat detrimental with certain plot elements.

- The mystical elements are downplayed, which is great for a gritty thriller, but the nature of the horns is under-developed.



Overall

This was a strong outing.  It had some setbacks, but it got a lot more right than it did wrong.  It kept me engaged and entertained for the full two hour run time.  I was quite satisfied with the results here.










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Wolverton Station by Joe Hill

You can read my review here.

Wraith

Issue 1

Issue 2

Issue 3

Issue 4

Issue 5

Issue 6

Issue 7

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Pros

- Amazing artwork

- Collected in a really nice hardcover that will look great on your bookshelf

- Fleshes out the back story of who I consider to be Hill's greatest villain

- Evil is pit against evil as Manx goes after a group of depraved convicts

Cons

- The story works, but is fairly simple.

- The characters weren't as engaging as they potentially could have been

- Frequently replaces tension and dread with excessive gore.  

Overall

This was a good read, but it wasn't mind blowing for me.  It especially pales in comparison to the fun, gripping read that was the original novel.  It's hardly a bust, by any stretch.  There's a lot to like here, but it seems like it still could have been even more with some minor tweaks.

Thumbprint by Joe Hill

You can read my review of the story here.

'In The Tall Grass' by Stephen King and Joe Hill

Part 1

Part 2

'Throttle' by Stephen King and Joe Hill

You can read my review here.

NOS4A2

You can read my review here.

Horns

You can read my review here.

Heart Shaped Box

For the past ten months or so, I've written about all things Stephen King.  From random ramblings and musings to discussing the comics, movies, short stories, and novels; as well as covering any breaking news stories I come across.  I think it's about time we took a little break.  Let's talk about something that wasn't written by (or based on the work of) Stephen King.

Egad! He's jumping the shark! He's nuking the fridge! This isn't the sort of behavior we expect from the Stephen King examiner!

Relax, I'm not going to veer completely off topic and talk about something like football (go Ravens!)  I mean come on, the playoffs?  I'm not gonna talk about the playoffs. Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs?

No, we're going to discuss a novel written by one Joe Hill.  Who in Sam Hill is Joe Hill, you ask?  Joe Hill is actually Stephen King's son.  Much like his father did, Joe decided to operate under a pen name.  He did this so that he could make it on his own and not ride his father's coat tails.  

On the one hand I do have to commend him for wanting to make it on his own merits as opposed to piggybacking on his father's success.  However, I can't help but wonder why he changed his name.  I mean, King isn't an uncommon last name, so it's not like a relation would be immediately implied.  More importantly, if you saw a book on a shelf by a Joe King, wouldn't you just assume that that was the pseudonym?  Maybe it's just me.

The novel is called Heart Shaped Box, and it is actually Hill's first published novel.  He had published a collection of short stories prior to this, but this is his debut into the world of mainstream book publishing.

The story follows Judas Coyne, a retired rock star with a penchant for the macabre.  He collects serial killer memorabilia and even owns a bona fide snuff film.  When he comes across someone actually selling the ghost of their step father online, he can't refuse such an opportunity and buys it.  He receives a suit that belonged to the dead man and it arrives in a heart shaped box.

The ghost turns out to be legit and it's none too happy.

It seems like a simple haunting story but Hill makes it stand out by throwing a few turns in to the plot.  It's revealed to be a surprisingly elaborate revenge plot by the sister of one of his ex-girlfriends who he believes killed herself shortly after their relationship collapsed.  Even that turns out to be half of the story as later reveals show.  While there are things that alter their perception of what's going on, nothing comes out of left field and everything flows naturally.

When I started reading the book, it seemed like the story was better suited as a short story or novella.  Hill actually manages to expand the plot without really throwing in any padding.  

The simple solution when dealing with ghosts is to use salt and fire.  Seeing as proton packs aren't available yet, that is your standard mode of combating a ghost.  Hill touches on this and kind of subverts it.  Judas' girlfriend Mary Beth (who Judas calls Georgia) tries burning the suit that the spirit is linked to.  Suffice to say, it doesn't work.  Whether that's because she forgot to add salt or because these ghosts are different is up for debate.  Whatever the explanation, the tactic doesn't work and Coyne is left forever in debt to her priceless advice.

Most books take a while to get going.  Even great ones like Black House or Ender's Game needed a little while to gain momentum when I was reading them.  This book had me hooked, pretty much from the get go.  The book slowed down slightly after the first hundred pages or so, but not so much that I would count it as a detriment.

I wasn't sure how well Jude would work as a protagonist, but he is fully fleshed out and has a sort of "jerk with a heart of gold thing" going for him.  Georgia was cool though, she was my favorite of the two characters, she came off as good people.  The relationship between them is handled really well and it acts as the backbone for the story.

While she doesn't have a lot of page time, Bammy rules as well. 

One of my favorite parts is when Jude flashes back to when he met her.  She used to be an exotic dancer and when Jude first saw her perform he noticed that she was lip synching along with the AC/DC song that was playing as she danced.  Jude says it was the sexiest thing about her and I have to admit, that's freakin' awesome.  

Hey wait, I've got a new complaint; you have a man in love with a woman he calls Georgia, and yet at no point does he state that he has Georgia on his mind.  It's not a huge flaw, and it probably is an obvious joke, but still.

You probably guessed it from the title, but Hill is a music/rock and roll aficionado as well.  The title of the novel shares the name of a song by Nirvana.  There are also several musical references peppered throughout the book.  Music also manages to play a small role in helping Coyne get the upper hand in the final confrontation.  I won't spoil it, but Batman used a similar trick in an episode of Justice League.

The ghost, named Craddock, is an interesting and rather reprehensible villain.  He forgoes most of the usual haunting activity and develops his own style of terrorizing the main characters.  He also proves himself to be a formidable psychological villain.  Being a hypnotist, he doesn't really possess you (though he does possess a character at one point) and chooses to make you submit to his will and turn you against others. 

I could make a point and say that most people, even hypnotized ones won't do something that they are morally opposed to.  However, that ruins a good chunk of tension in the story and given the supernatural aspects, you could say that it augmented his influence and that he became powerful enough to overpower whatever moral qualms you have.  

Definitely a novel I recommend picking up.  It's only 350 or so pages so it won't take you too long to get through it and Hill shows that a penchant for writing runs in the family.  Given the fact that this is his first novel, the quality is even more impressive.  I'm pretty excited to see what he writes in the future.  I wouldn't mind seeing Hill collaborate on a book with his dad, that would be quite awesome

20th Century Ghosts

Best New Horror

20th Century Ghost

Pop Art

You Will Hear the Locust Sing

Abraham's Boys

Better Than Home

The Black Phone

In the Rundown

The Cape

Last Breath

Dead-Wood

The Widow's Breakfast

Bobby Conroy Comes Back From the Dead

My Father's Mask

Voluntary Committal

Short story review: "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain" by Joe Hill

Short story review: