Cameron H.

Don't give up, Ellen--we'll get you through this. It's a valuable skill and you are a valued member of our little family. 1) Go to Giphy and find your image. 2) Choose the image you want and then right click it. Choose "Copy image URL." 3) In your post, paste the URL and remove the "s" in "https" 4) Bookend the pasted URL with [IMG] and [/IMG]. It should look something like this: [IMG]http://media.giphy....jIW2c/giphy.gif[/IMG] (NOTE--I'm using a different font for the "IMG's" so you can see exactly what I'm doing.) 5) Ta-da! Gif magic!

First of all--Congratulations, Lando! Secondly, I would like to propose a plan that any regular HDTGM forum poster that reaches a posting milestone should be allowed to pick a movie for the gang to cover. Of course, there would have to be some stipulations in place to prevent people from posting nonsense just to get their movie picked, but I feel like it would be a fun thing to do. Lastly, in regard to Dreamcatcher itself and the earlier discussion about film adaptations sticking to the source material, I believe Dreamcatcher was the last Stephen King book I've read. The reason for that was after I saw the movie, I thought that it had to be just another case of a book poorly adapted for film. I figured it had to be better than what I had just seen. I was dead wrong. It is one of the most faithful adaptations I've ever seen--which is really, really sad.

Yes, but don't be mistook. In this instance, the Bible Salesman, as a corrupter of God's Word, is clearly an analog for Lucifer. He even shares Satan's penchant for ridiculous facial hair. Look guys, I'm not going to just let go of the fact that this movie is basically a very deep religious allegory.

That is insane that they are both in the same collection! Man, he must have been going through a period of real techno-phobia...

I'm listening... Also, since you brought up the island of Haven (which I could not find a record of actually existing, but I have heard of places like it), Billy tells Brett that ."..there aren't any motor vehicles allowed on the place. None whatsoever." The way he describes it though, it doesn't sound like the island is uninhabited. It just sounds like one of those small, isolated island communities where you ferry in from the coast. So my question is, "Yes, there might not be any motor vehicles on the island, but what about walkmen and turkey carvers?" There is still a whole world of mechanical objects out to kill them after all...

Copy the image's URL and paste it in your post in this format: [IMG] the url [/IMG]. When you paste it, take the "s" out of "https." You're doing the Lord's work!

No joke, thank you! That just made my day! You're the best!

I had to delete a post I was going to write earlier regarding SFC's, and while my intentions were pure, I realized I was treading dangerously close to what might be construed as "mansplaining." Who the fuck am I? Matt Damon??? Suffice it to say, I agree with everything Auden and Taylor Anne have said and would happily double down on all of their points regarding Strong Female Characters. This is pretty much my take on Stephen King. I suspect he was an introverted, "geeky" kind of kid, but nobody wants to read stories about "geeky" people. I think that he thinks people want to read stories about people who didn't necessarily grow up on the periphery of normal human interaction. Because of this, I find most of his characters tend to be his weirdo interpretation of what "normal" people are like. And, by God, is he wrong a lot of the time. Edited: I realized, "Who am I, Matt Damon?" came off like I was asking Matt Damon to tell me who I am. Although I'm relatively confident he'd absolutely have no problem telling me exactly who I am...

You're right! Thanks for the head's up! Somehow PFT must have "brain wormed" me that day. I fixed my original post--not that it matters at this point. I just like things to be accurate.

Thanks for catching that! I actually meant to write "Stefon."

Y'know something, I am a bit tired of that refrain--at least as far as this movie is concerned. Look, I'm not trying to diminish that he may have had a serious drug problem in the 80's (nor am I trying to diminish drug addiction in general), but if you read Blake Harris' article, everyone seemed relatively shocked that he said he was so coked out he couldn't remember filming this movie. At worst, one of the people involved kind of said, "I guess so, but it was the eighties, everyone was doing coke..." Considering the breadth and scope of artistic accomplishments people throughout history have achieved while high as fuck,* I think it's a pretty lame excuse. Isn't it more likely that the movie sucked because Stephen King is a novelist, had no real filmmaking experience, and had no business directing a major motion picture? And I'm not trying to say he didn't have a problem. I'm just saying, if you're trying to protect your ego, what's a better excuse when you want to disavow a piece of work that was critically despised: "Yeah, just because I'm a successful novelist doesn't mean I had any business behind that camera" or "You know, had I not been so gosh darned high on the coke, it would have been a better movie. Gee, I don't even remember making it. Isn't that crazy?" I just find the whole "coke" excuse to be highly suspect. I mean, he's been sober for how long? Why hasn't he tried again? Oh, he has no interest in that now? Oh, okay--I get you. *wink* *I'm not advocating, just stating a fact.

First of all, awesome segue from Maximum Overdrive's bathroom scene to talking about The Shining. That's some high-caliber forum posting right there. Bravo! Also, I am in total agreement with you regarding Wendy in The Shining--gender be damned. That's how I would act in a similar situation. It kind of goes into something that I feel is a problem with Stephen King's writing--and, yes, I know he has a lot of fans out there (deservedly so). My problem with Stephen King has always been he has never really been all that great at writing believable or relatable characters. Sometimes it's like he's an alien trying to mimic human emotions and behavior. In some way or another, his characters have always came off to me as more rough caricatures of how he thinks "The Everyman" speaks and acts--with no basis on how people actually speak and act in real life (see: road twitch). It's a big reason why I stopped reading his books ages ago. I mean, when he's on, he's on--he tells some fantastic yarns--but oof!, when he's off, it's some next level bad. The other reason I had to stop reading his books is--for a good stretch--all his books seemed to be extremely formulaic. They usually centered around an Author recovering from some form of addiction who harbors deep regrets about his past. More often than not, a child would come along--sometimes the protagonist's own, but often just some random kid--to represent innocence or the loss of innocence. Then he'd just wrap that outline around some weird happening and voila! we would get this year's second Stephan King bestseller. I'm just saying, it all got really boring for me. But, that's not to say he hasn't written some great books, and from what I understand, some of his recent novels have been quite good. I just lost interest a long time ago.

I feel like the real crime presented in this scene is Emilio flouting the cardinal "no talking in the restroom" rule. Any and all persons frequenting a public restroom should be strictly regarded as phantasmal, non-people for the duration of their visit and all actions that occur therein should never be interrupted, commented upon, or espied. Dude, Emilio--you are talking to one of the two people at the truck stop who knows how to gets his hands on some pretty heavy ordnance, do you really want to have this conversation now or would you rather wait until the Chipotle has had a chance to clear his colon? Also, at one point, Brett stands barefoot on the floor of the bathroom which is equally inadvisable.

lol-Gross.

As long as neither of them is Dane Dehaan--I'm good.

I don't know--I guess just close your eyes and imagine. After all, "a hero ain't nothing but a sandwich."

Also, for no particular reason...

Technically, anything on the graphic below was up for grabs. I would have loved it if Emilio had been killed by an inclined plane...

I feel a genuine sense of...pride?...affection?...that PFT shares my fear of the ocean. Like him, I enjoy the beach, but getting into that water...there's a whole lot of "I don't want to know what's going on down there, do I?" going on. Of all the teachers I had in High School, I can maybe remember five of them by name (let's not even get into the actual content of their classes), but I still quote some of the facts Ms. Loehr, my 10th grade Marine Biology teacher, taught me about the horrors lurking in the deep. They're out there people--just waiting to get us!

Here are a few things that came to mind watching the movie, nothing Earth shattering, but things that bugged me nonetheless. 1) Brett: "You sure make love like a hero." In general, is anyone else grossed out by the term “make love?” I think the only people who can pull this off are people with super sexy accents. For some reason, coming from an American mouth, that term has always given me the creeps. I honestly prefer the terms “fuck,” “sex,” or simply “do it.” “Make love” has always sounded so skeezy to me… like something a high school boy will say to his girlfriend when he’s trying to convince her “it will make our love stronger.” 2) I’m throwing up a gif on this one even though it’s not the greatest quality (shocker!), but Yeardley Smith’s reaction upon arriving to the truck stop and finding it surrounded by a school of semi-trucks bugged the shit out of me. Sure, maybe going to the Dixie Boy might not have been the soundest of plans (and trying to get in to once you see it’s surrounded even less sound), but she seems to take particular delight in the fact that it is currently being swarmed by a school of killer, sentient trucks. Does she really need to “Ha Ha Ha” him? Maybe don’t give your husband shit because his plan of finding safety for you turned out to be a bust? He’s doing his best. What do you want him to say, “Congratulations, you were right--I guess we’re both going to die now?” 3) Lastly, when the Little League coach offers to buy the entire team sodas, I had a real problem that he only puts two coins in the vending machine. Look, I’m not sure how much sodas were in the mid-eighties, but I’m willing to bet it was more than the amount he put in the machine. What a cheap fuck. “Way to go with the win, fellas. Here--you guys can share A coke.” And yes, I get how pockets work and coins are small. I’m just saying that anytime I’ve gone to a vending machine with the intent of buying multiple items, I usually carry all of the money in my hands ready to go. In a film full of questionable acting, I’m just saying that, in my opinion, that the nameless Little League coach didn’t really seem to be owning his role as “Man Who Buys Soda for a Little League Team.”

Lol! I thought you were just in a philosophical mood this morning. Honestly, I didn't make this one. I did have a Lhasa Apso that kind of looked like this guy though. So that would be my best guess.

Kind of wishing I hadn't made that above gif now...Watching it on repeat is a reeeeeeeal bummer. Hopefully, this makes up for it.

You got it! (Sorry, I just couldn't watch that anymore. If you want to see the gif, please follow this link.)

Sorry, it's taken me a minute to respond to this one. Yeah, I get what you're saying too, but...let's assume there are only seven trucks surrounding them at this point in the film, and let us further assume they have an infinite amount of ammo at the Dixie Boy (why the fuck not?), they blow up all of the trucks surrounding them...and then what? They know machines are coming to life with, seemingly, no rhyme or reason, and they don't know what they'll run into in the wide world. What do they do then, Pete??? What. Do They Do. Then. Sure, they can leave the Truck Stop, maybe even get a sailboat, as they eventually do (out of necessity, not choice), but they still can't trust vehicles or electronics and they can only carry so much ammunition. Honestly, stuck in the Dixie Boy is probably the safest place they can be. No, they can't leave, but the trucks aren't really coming for them either. They are almost in a state of mutual assured destruction--another Cold War analogy. If they leave, the trucks kill them. If the trucks attack, they blow up the trucks. In the Truck Stop they have food, shelter, tons of weapons, and a modicum of safety. They are under the threat of danger, not immediate danger. Look, guys--this movie is fucking deep. You just have to open your minds a little and let it permeate your grey matter. Let it in. It all makes sense. All of it!