I've always loved this movie but I have never read the original Stephen King book (The Body/Different Seasons). Has anyb
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twofacetoo — 9 years ago(December 08, 2016 04:22 AM)
I read the book before I saw the movie, but I have to confess, I prefer the movie. The book meandered a fair bit, going in different directions a few too many times. One in particular I remember is, you know how in the movie we get the story of Lardass Hogan? Well in the book not only do we get that, but we get another story too about a family dispute. And it's a good short story, too good, to the point that as I was reading it I completely forgot about the four kids on their journey, and when I turned the page and it went back to them, I realised how pointless that excerpt was. And it was good, don't get me wrong, but it didn't serve the story in any way. It felt like King was either padding the book's length, or just wanted to say 'look, I can do this'. Congrats King, you can do it can we get back to the point of the plot?
So the book is good, but the movie is just a more streamlined version, which in turn is better. It's like trimming the fat from the overall product. The book is fine, but the movie is the superior cut. -
Geeky Randy — 9 years ago(January 08, 2017 02:04 PM)
So did you ever read it yet, OP?
Book:
http://geeksteronmovies.blogspot.com/p/the-geekster-guide.html
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IsraHell — 3 months ago(December 15, 2025 04:44 AM)
It's a good short story, but it's one of the few times I preferred the adaptation.
I didn't really care for some of the stories Gordy wrote that weren't in the movie. In the book, it's not just the Lardass story. -
sheetsadam1 — 3 months ago(December 15, 2025 04:48 AM)
Yeah, there's one that I think is just a pretentious literary story iirc. These were all King throwaways from early in his career. But I'll stand by my statement that Different Seasons as a whole is peak Stephen King.
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IsraHell — 3 months ago(December 15, 2025 04:59 AM)
I don't think I knew that.
I get why they might not all be that good. I think it's supposed to show Gordy maturing as a writer, but it's just a slog to read, and I can usually indulge with King's indulgence. Like as much as IT kind goes into things that could probably be cut, I enjoy it. But yeah, those parts of The Body didn't grab me.
I do agree it's a good collection. I love both forms of Shawshank, but I think the short story narrowly wins. I prefer the passage of time with different wardebs in charge of the prison over the composite character. I think it really emphasizes the passage of time.
Speaking of ahort stories, I hope Langoliers gets another remake. I love the story in Four Past Midnight, and I have a soft spot for the corny TV miniseries, but it deserves a proper adaptation. It would fit the cultural zeitgeist perfectly, with all the interest for liminal spaces.