SK Goes To The Movies

[scarywriter]

I am hugely disappointed with the latest release from SK. I have been a fan for 35 years and enjoy nearly everything he puts out. This book, however, was falsely marketed as new material. It is simply old comments on a few of his movies. I was hoping for something akin to John Irving's "My Movie Business," but got rehash from past interviews. Short pieces at that, one page comments and nothing new. Booooo!

[Cowboy]

Howdy and welcome to the board. I have not had a chance to review or purchase this book yet so I have no input at this time.

[Goodlovin]

I picked it up the other day. Its only paperback so it doesnt cost much so Ill still give it a read.

I really wasnt sure what to expect to begin with though.

[Cognac]

i own it but havent got to it yet

[Ubasti]

I had a hard time finding it in the store and then found it on the back and at the bottom of a rack, :eek2: not appropriate placement for a Stephen King new release. I was disapointed in the book's size, I was picturing something the size of the Gunslinger paperback. I haven't started reading it yet, but I'm not hearing a lot of positive feed back.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Welcome to the MB, and keep posting!

I haven't read it yet either (though I've read all the stories therein multiple times), but your's is not the first disappointment I've encountered.

Long days and pleasant nights

[rjt65]

I think I am awaiting for under the dome... --i have these stories

[Kim L.]

I already have all the stories in the book; the only thing new is the commentary provided on the movies made from these stories.

[BeepBeepJenny]

Dear Friend,

I too was pretty ticked. It was cheap- sure but so was the book if you get my double meaning. I expected more than one page about the short story movie adaptations. I expected some insight on SK's feelings about the movie- not just, "people liked these one's and hey, by the way, here is the short story that you undoubtedly already have read and own in my other books!"
Not what I expected

[staropeace]

Saw it today.........put it back on the shelf.

[bopropadop]

Hi and welcome to the board!

I've heard the same thing from several people. I saw it two days ago and didn't buy it.

[cwalrus]

Saw it the other day and read all the commentaries in a couple of minutes. Two of the stories are from Nightshift, which i already have and read. I would rather get to these stories from the original books that they are in, but for someone who doesn
t already own these stories and hasn't read them, it might be worth it for the cheap price. I'm considering getting it as a gift.

I do agree that i was expecting more insights into the films themselves instead of short reflections. The way the book is advertised, I thought he was really going to examine these films instead of just reprinting the original stories.

[sueb84]

we picked it up. I'll read it and if I don't like it oh well. It won't be the 1st thing he's written that I didn't like. when we picked it up I told John that it was like a greatest hits album. nothing new, just some stuff that fit into a convenient one hit wonder package.

[Mr Nobody]

Well, I usually have a riffle through any book in store and decide then. It's helped me to get a lot of the better (at least IMO) stuff from many authors, while other books have gone on the back burner (so to speak; I'm not an arsonist!).

[pixiedaark]

I am wondering if the limited edition being released by Cemetery Dance will sell. From what I have heard about the paperback, I have my doubts. The price of the limited edition is $75! I was thinking about ordering it, now I am not so sure.

[Necaur]

havnt gotten it, but when and where were these stories published? Been a fan for a long time but i guess it could still be good as a new read since I havnt read them before

[LeeAlexander]

I saw it at Walgreen's today while filling prescriptions. Took one look and thought hmmm seems like SK wanted some cash while he was finishing Under the Dome. I didn't even consider it.

[Wylde06]

I almost bought it mainly because I don't have half of the stories in the book. But then I figured I am going to get those books anyways so I didn't buy it. Should get it anyways just to add to the collection.

[jastiles]

I bought it, not realizing what it was, and exchanged it for a different book the next day.

[Moderator]

I am wondering if the limited edition being released by Cemetery Dance will sell. From what I have heard about the paperback, I have my doubts. The price of the limited edition is $75! I was thinking about ordering it, now I am not so sure.


Do you have this confused with another title? I didn't remember there being any limited edition and I just went to Cemetery Dance's website to check and their search doesn't come up with that title. You might be thinking of the one that's titled Stephen King: The Non-Fiction by Rocky Wood & Justin Brooks. That one is selling for $75.

[Mr Nobody]

... seems like SK wanted some cash while he was finishing Under the Dome.

lmao!! Seems more likely to me that the publisher wanted some easy cash while he finished Under the Dome! :biggrin2:

[Bev Vincent]

The limited edition of Stephen King Goes to the Movies is from Subterranean Press. People who ordered early got the chance to be "extras" in the movie credits at the end.

Subterranean Press (http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=king02&Category_Code=PRE&Product_Count=14)

[Moderator]

Thanks, Bev.

[pixiedaark]

Maybe it is the Artist Edition or something like that. I got an Insider Cemetery Dance Newsletter and it mentioned a hardcover edition being released. Maybe Cemetery Dance is not releasing this information to the general public yet. Cemetery Dance could only be making this offer to their "valued customers" only.

[Necaur]

oh now i get what this collection is. This is kind of lame! i thought he was just gunna talk about the movies themselves, not have the stories...damn

[ComeUntoSweetDeath]

saw it at a store.. Read the one or two pages between stories (ignoring the people giving me funny looks) and then put it back since i have the stories already

[Matthew.Degnan]

It isn't out in England yet so i wouldn't know but the english edition is over 500 pages and if you add up how long the stories are then theres a fair bit of new material there (over 200 pages in fact) but i'll see when it comes out in March.

Matthew.

[psj77]

I liked the comments before each story. I did not expect the stories to be included. I figured it would be more like Danse Macabre. I can't say I was disappointed though.

[Drawn to Ka-tet]

I had a very hard time finding this book in the bookstore. I expected it to be folio sized. But I'm happy I got it. I never read Children of the Corn before or the Mangler.

The Mangler was a lot of FUN.
Was this in an earlier collection of short stories?

Sai King seems critical of himself in the intro for Low Men in Yellow coats. I would read it again and again, frankly- I like Ted's character a lot.
Long days and pleaasnt nights.

[LucrativeAngst]

Hey all...

Longtime reader... first-time fan...

Surprised there are no threads about "Goes To The Movies", but considering the controversy, I have to think it's either interference by the moderators or reluctance on the part of SK fans to say anything negative. I searched the message boards for "goes to the movies" but nothing relevant came up. The book isn't THAT new, is it?

Or has this all been addressed elsewhere on this site... if so, I haven't found it, so please re-direct me.

I'm not going to dredge up what others have posted on sites like Amazon, I'm sure you're all aware... just wondering what everyone's thoughts are, particularly the way the book's blurbs tell a different story than what's inside.

Was this simply a way to extend the copyright on these stories?

Considering King's love of reminiscence about his books, and that he goes above and beyond to share these with fans (new intros to all his re-printed books, "On Writing", "Danse Macabre", etc...), it seems strange that he would drop the ball on this one. Or is it the publishers, and King has no control over it?

I guess for new readers, it's an interesting book, but why the need to mislead the longtime fans? Everyone (especially the publishers) know King fans often buy his books site-unseen. Did this go into their marketing strategy and how they worded the book's cover blurbs.

Not trying to lay this at King's feet... I never read the 1408 short, so it's not a total loss, and I'm not asking for my money back. Revisiting his stories is a pleasure. I'm just interested in what King Super-fans think about it. :smile2:

[Moderator]

The book wasn't Steve's idea.

[Sterling]

It wasn't that big of a dissapointment due to the fact that I had yet to read the Mangler and I loved the little excerpts about the films. I just wish they could have been elongated.

[rjt65]

Hey LA Welcome to the SKMB..

FYI this thread has been up a long time guess u missed it and your post was redirected by Ms Mod here...

FYI Ms never to my knowledge has edited out any negative SK posts unless there was foul language lies (not opinions) as there is a lot of anti-King stuff on here..

Obviously us constant readers are fans so most is going to be positive on the sight but a lot of I don't like this book or hated the ending etc exist on here. Good debates to each their own.. none is censcored for negative opinion.

the site got inundated when SK made comments about twilight author, made comments on soldiers etc... all those posts went thru...

So fear not the moderators they do a gr8 job and weed out trolls for us!..


PS- I read the description on the book and saw it was a re-release of these stories and decided not to buy--what mislead you?





Hey all...

Longtime reader... first-time fan...

Surprised there are no threads about "Goes To The Movies", but considering the controversy, I have to think it's either interference by the moderators or reluctance on the part of SK fans to say anything negative. I searched the message boards for "goes to the movies" but nothing relevant came up. The book isn't THAT new, is it?

Or has this all been addressed elsewhere on this site... if so, I haven't found it, so please re-direct me.

I'm not going to dredge up what others have posted on sites like Amazon, I'm sure you're all aware... just wondering what everyone's thoughts are, particularly the way the book's blurbs tell a different story than what's inside.

Was this simply a way to extend the copyright on these stories?

Considering King's love of reminiscence about his books, and that he goes above and beyond to share these with fans (new intros to all his re-printed books, "On Writing", "Danse Macabre", etc...), it seems strange that he would drop the ball on this one. Or is it the publishers, and King has no control over it?

I guess for new readers, it's an interesting book, but why the need to mislead the longtime fans? Everyone (especially the publishers) know King fans often buy his books site-unseen. Did this go into their marketing strategy and how they worded the book's cover blurbs.

Not trying to lay this at King's feet... I never read the 1408 short, so it's not a total loss, and I'm not asking for my money back. Revisiting his stories is a pleasure. I'm just interested in what King Super-fans think about it. :smile2:

[belladonna]

I also bought the book and was disappointed when it arrived in the mail. I have read all these stories already and the extra commentary by King was sparse. I expected more of a Danse Macabre. The only reason I could think of for publishing this book was to get people who saw the movies a chance to actually read the stories. Sorry!

[staropeace]

But this IS a thread about .....Goes To The Movies.....what more do yah want...jam on it???? Just joking lol...I didnt buy the book....dont need hash for supper.

[vivazebool]

i haven't purchased it yet, but I've read thru the intros at the beginning of each story. Even if it's nothing special, I thought of it as a tool that could be used to get friends into SK. Most people have seen movies based on his books, but have never actually checked his writing out. This is a good way to create an even bigger fan base.

[Spooky]

So does Stephen King actually give his own opinions about what he thinks of his movies in this?

If not, is there some place to read what his thoughts are about all the adaptations of his stories? I've been very interested in reading what he has to say about them, but I haven't been able to find anything really (maybe I'm not looking hard enough?).

[Moderator]

We don't have his opinions for each movie on the site so you haven't missed it. The book gives his opinions on the ones covered there and he has expressed opinions in various interviews over the years but we've never compiled them as one source. Trying to do so would require quite a lot of time to research and he's not at a point now where he could write an opinion for each movie.

[JohnDalglish]

I had a very hard time finding this book in the bookstore. I expected it to be folio sized. But I'm happy I got it. I never read Children of the Corn before or the Mangler.

The Mangler was a lot of FUN.
Was this in an earlier collection of short stories?


Hi,

Both The Mangler and Children of the Corn are in Night Shift, DTKT.

Personally, I view SK goes to the Movies a bit like a Greatest Hits album, I don't think the publishers intended market was the CR's, I think it was intended largely as a sampler to bring non-Sai King readers into the fold.

And I hope it succeeds beyond their wildest dreams.

And thankee, Ms Mod.

Long days and pleasant nights

[tillyn]

I'm not going to buy it unless it's previously used as i have all these stories in other books, the comments might be great to read but i would rather use the money for another book i don't have.

[crazycrashink]

I saw this at the grocery store, and having misplaced my copies of Everything's Eventual and Hearts in Atlantis I decided to pick it up until I could find those. I have never had the opportunity to read Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption either so it will allow me to do that. The thing I found to be confusing was the wording on the cover. I'm at work and don't have it in front of me, but it seemed to suggest there would be in-depth commentary. The 1-2 pages offer nice perspective, but the way it was worded seem to suggest more info then actually appeared. When I get home I'll quote it word for word. Still, not a bad buy for 6 bucks :biggrin2:

[wilhem spihntingle]

Total ripoff and falsley advertised. I got the paperback for like $8.00, so no big deal, but still wasted money. W.S.

[Spooky]

We don't have his opinions for each movie on the site so you haven't missed it. The book gives his opinions on the ones covered there and he has expressed opinions in various interviews over the years but we've never compiled them as one source. Trying to do so would require quite a lot of time to research and he's not at a point now where he could write an opinion for each movie.

Ah, I see. Thanks! I was just curious to know which ones he liked and which he didn't.

[linkinjen2001]

i bought it the other day not realizing that it was all previously released material. i was a bit disapointed that i had already read all the stories in it, but oh well, it's still a sk book so i will add it to the collection.

[robdraggoo]

Im not sure why everyone is so upset by this. its got some little excerpts for the old fans and something old and hard to find for the new ones. If anything it can help grow the fan base. I am 27 years old and never had the opurtunity to read the children of the corn or the mangler. My public library doesnt have night shift or Four Seasons. So this was the 1st opurtunity to read Shawshank as well. These are based on some farely well know movies that I didnt even know (children of the corn) was originally written by Stephen King. Also some more casual fans who say really liked 1408 the movie and wants to read the book, but doesnt want to pay for the other stories in Everything's eventual. What im trying to say is, Thank you for publishing this book.

signed,

A new fan

[Showtimecircus]

I read it and was like 'ok i see the stories but wheres the friggin commentary!' I had all of the short stories and was a bit miffed that there wasn't much in it new. But hey, i'm sure that 'Under the dome' will make up for all that dissapointment eh?

[Avelyne]

Was hoping for a bit more on the commentary but it was a good buy considering I have not had the chance to buy all his other short stories yet.

[sgmonje]

I bought it for the sole purpose of my collection, If I were just wanting to read new stories I wouldn't have bought it. I think it's silly to recollect some of his stories because they were made into movies, he has dozens made into movies!

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

But I well understand the nature of the publishers's marketing exercise.

Believe it or not, there are still many people capable of reading and passing through airports who haven't read Sai King yet (I know, I know!), and I think we've all met people who don't believe that he wrote Shawshank (etc).

I think it's aimed at the itinerant non-King reader and as such I hope it brings many to the fold.

And you've got to admit it's a collection of really great stories!

Long days and pleasant nights

[Matthew.Degnan]

I actually want to thank people on here for saying how rubbish this was, because of you i didn't waste £8 buying it.

[Bryan James]

I read the back cover and the "new" blurb. Reshelved it. If I hadn't read the stories a few times I would have purchased it. But I have, so I didn't.

I'm sure they're having a hard time keeping them stocked in Airports around the world.

BJS

[Komia Jorma]

I actually want to thank people on here for saying how rubbish this was, because of you i didn't waste £8 buying it.

Boy, that's expensive, I paid 8.95 in Euroes. Still, the book is kind of a dissapointment, since I really thought it was going to be "nonfiction", like Danse Macabre, rather than a compilation of (old) short stories.

It made me re-read "The Mangler" though, and after all these years I find that story much better than before.

[Bluey Lunger]

i imagine there's a new sk fan (or two?) who started out w/this collection, maybe they've read it to tatters by now and who can say where it goes from there?