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| 3 MAY 2010 at 4:18pm | |
ArkadiaPrivate Detective![]() ![]() Posts : 558 Joined: 1 JUN 2008 Status : Online | Originally Posted By AShadowWalker (3 MAY 2010 2:31pm)Originally Posted By Arkadia (3 MAY 2010 1:13pm) I respectfully disagree with your disagreement, ShadowWalker I believe your example of Harry Potter is far off the mark of the kind of 'ridiculous' plot I mentioned - my fault for not being more clear. When I made my comment I was thinking specifically of ideas I've had when writing horror novels - things like nightmares I've had that were terrifying, but when put down on paper would seem not only confusing but blankly nonscary. Creating a universe for a particular tale is one thing - something that all good authors should do at least once - but trying to genuinely scare someone with a fluffy, cute evil dog wearing yellow flippers as the antagonist is quite another. I didn't actually have a nightmare about a fluffy, cute evil dog wearing yellow flippers, just for the record. :-X |
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| 3 MAY 2010 at 7:46pm | |
AShadowWalkerPrivate Detective![]() ![]() Posts : 776 Joined: 6 AUG 2009 Status : Online | Originally Posted By Arkadia (3 MAY 2010 4:18pm) Whether you respectfully agree or disagree, that is how good dialogs, marriages, relationships, businesses are run. When I made my comment I was thinking specifically of ideas I've had when writing horror novels - things like nightmares I've had that were terrifying, but when put down on paper would seem not only confusing but blankly nonscary. Depends on how you pen it and how good is your story in developing the backstory. Usually good novels are a bunch of ideas put together from a bundle of thoughts, given connection by the writer in a coherent manner. but trying to genuinely scare someone with a fluffy, cute evil dog wearing yellow flippers as the antagonist is quite another. ..she always walked the same route from the 24/7 coffee shop to her real estate office at about the same time….it was a daily ritual that gave her the momentum to start the day. A cup of Java with familiar surroundings, made the rest of the day go better; especially now that the bad economy and the uncertainties of the real estate market lately made selling real estate more difficult. Furthermore, the few clients that were still buying homes, were now more demanding for her time and services. Knowing that it was a buyers market gave the prospective buyers a feeling of entitlement to press her for more of her time and make her spend more effort to please them. Not that she minded, but it made her spend more time on the sales pitches, cajoling the buyers and likewise squeezed more smiles from her than she was used to display. She got to the door of her office at exactly the same time she always did. 6:00 a.m. This would give her another 3 hours to set up the office and start fielding calls to the homeowners she represented in selling their homes. Just as she was about to put the key in the lock…the hairs on the back of her neck started prickling for no reason whatsoever. She turned around, and saw no one behind her. The street was bare of people. Most of the other businesses opened up later than her and no one would come to this commercial section of the small town so early if the businesses were still close. Just the rush of cold wind she thought, she turned again to put the key in the lock….goose bumps and a cold child running down her back startled her again. More pronounced this time. Again, she slowly turned around and still the street was deserted….no businesses were open….no cars on the street had arrived yet, and still….something bothered her now more so. She slowly walked to the center of the street, and carefully looked up and down the street for anything that was different ….she stood there for about a minute in silent expectation, and just as she was about to consider her concerns a simple emotional jitter….she saw it. Just off the end of the block, just hiding behind the turn of the building…it stood….silent….still….looking at her. It was a dog, simple and true….it was mid size, about 20 inches high at the shoulder, a long tail, its fur was light brown with gold freckles in it and its was clean and sleek. Meaning that it had a home or otherwise its fur would be matted and dirty. Probably it had become a stray from its home. She remembered however never having seen such a dog before during her stay in the small town she had now lived in for over 7 years. Its ears were pricked up and its jaw though shut, had some teeth showing at the sides, as though the dog was grinning in a weird way. Strangest of all even….it had fluffy yellow slippers on all four of its paws. She could not help but stare at such a ridiculous sight. A dog with fluffy yellow flippers on all its paws. She turned a smile, and started slowly walking towards the cute dog. As she approached, the dog stood its ground…it did not act in the manner usually expected from a dog. It continued to stare at her without dropping its gaze like most dogs would if a human stared at them. It did not bark, turn its head or sway. It remained as though rooted to the spot it was at, with its strange smile and partially displayed teeth on the side of its jaw. As she finally came nearer to the dog, the dog slowly raised his head….still staring at her. Not barking….not moving from the spot….and strangest of all, unflinching in its facial expression. She finally came within ten feet of the dog….hoping to pet it … Suddenly she stopped and got a nervous feeling about this scene. She stood up slowly from the half bent head she had towards the dog. She suddenly got nervous and very concerned. The dog still stood its ground….still stared at her…still held the strange grin on his jaw…and his tail did not wag back and forth…it was as still as the rest of him. She realized then that it was not a figment of her imagination. With its jaws still shut and its non-blinking eyes, still not moving and apparently un-afraid of her….she heard it. A low, almost imperceptible sound played on her ears. The wafting wind did not mask the low distinct sound the dog emitted. It was a long and subtle growl that the dog was emitting. And it was directed at her. |
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| 4 MAY 2010 at 5:48am | |
karlaAdministrator![]() ![]() Posts : 2590 Joined: 27 JUL 2003 Location: US, Close to the Edge Status : Offline | Off topic! No, wait. Traveller graciously moved the proceedings to the Off-Topic forum (thank you, Traveller). So... On topic! I think this is a great discussion... I used to like Stephen King quite a bit until he started turning out garbage. I kept giving him second chances but by the time I'd finished reading Cell -- which was such a stinker -- I'd had it. I haven't read another King book since. Concerning The Shining: For me, the book, the Kubrick version and the miniseries all have merit. The Shining is the first King book I ever read. I really enjoyed it. One of my favorite pieces of imagery is when Danny sees blood and chunks of brain matter on the walls. [smiley=devil_smiley_grintail.gif] The Kubrick version deviated considerably from the book and this apparently put a lot of people off. But after 2001: A Space Odyssey -- which I've loved since I first saw it, in Cinerama no less -- I expected Kubrick's version to be weird, and I wasn't disappointed. But I liked it. (Let's hear it for that steadicam!) I've always wondered something about Kubrick's version. At the very beginning of the movie, there's a shot of the Overlook that's taken from a helicopter. The hedge maze seems to be missing. Hmmm...I wonder where it went? [smiley=rolleyes.gif] The miniseries, which I also liked, was indeed faithful to the book. I actually thought they'd done a pretty good job with the topiary, which I'd missed in Kubrick's version. But then I watched the DVD, where it looks absolutely dreadful. In one scene, you can even see a part of a yellow Hertz truck parked in the background. Just thought I'd throw that in for no particular reason. As I see it, one of the major differences between the theatrical version of The Shining and the miniseries, aside from changes in the plot, is that in the movie Jack Torrence is rather unhinged from the get-go. (Jack Nicholson does unhinged so well...). In the miniseries, Torrence starts out relatively sane (alcoholism notwithstanding) and doesn't go off the deep end until the hotel pushes him off. Dreamcatcher is the first book King wrote after being hit by a car and sustaining serious injuries. I believe he was in a lot of pain when he wrote it. For me, this came through the narrative so strongly it was almost palpable in spots. The book was okay, but it marked the beginning of a nosedive that King hasn't pulled out of yet. Maybe he will, eventually. Or maybe he'll just retire for the second time (the first time he retired, he should have stayed there). The movie version of Dremcatcher stunk, stunk, stunk. For me, watching it was an exercise in masochism. Ugh. It was just awful. I think the best adaptation of a King book is Misery. It doesn't follow the book exactly and even has a couple of new characters, but I feel it captures the tone of the book very well. The screenplay was written by William Goldman (Marathon Man, Butch Cassidy, a bunch of other stuff), who's a favorite of mine. In my opinion, James Caan and especially Kathy Bates turn in wonderful performances. The scene in which Bates hobbles Caan by breaking his ankles with a sledge hammer looks so real to me that just thinking about it makes me cringe. Side note: Maybe a year after I read Bag of Bones, I woke up one morning to find all of my refrigerator magnets on the kitchen floor (folks who have read the book will understand the tie-in). I've never discovered why/how this happened. Oooooooooh. Another side note: Quite some time ago, King wrote a non-fiction book concerning the nature of horror called Danse Macabre. I found it quite interesting. At this point, it would take a lot to induce me to read another King novel. I think he should just cut his losses and stop writing books before he loses any more of his fan base. Meanwhile, just try to stay away from those Low Men in Yellow Coats. See my portfolio of original artwork at http://home1.gte.net/res0b8zk/portfolio/resources/portfolio.htm I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. - Vincent van Gogh |
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| 4 MAY 2010 at 8:17am | |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By LadyKestrel (2 MAY 2010 9:45pm) /Me consults the dictionary... Ah, ok, well... Oh, pulchritudinous ornithologically wondrous perspicacious one; this peripatetic one travels not by foot alone.. Posted by: TechnoSpikeSome of us read comic books/ cheap love stories/thrillers/ fantasy/horror even though we know it is not good literature. My dear Fnord and Technospike, I would not dream of uttering that as a blanket statement! Note that I also included fantasy and horror, some of which can indeed be good literature in my book, anyway. You merely need to read Gene Wolfe's "The Shadow of the Torturer" and its sequels to know that.... ..and anyway was not Batman first conceived in a comic? ..and is and Prince Valiant not.. well, I liked those, anyway. What would the world have been without Spiderman, and Batman, and Superman and Hulk and the X-men, and... (Spooky and Wendy the Witch and... Dragonball Z/GT and Pokemon and Astroboy and Teenage Mutant Turtles... ) ...I ask you? : Ok, ok, I know there are quite good quality comics around, but I associate them with fun characters... In any case, the well-known comic book heroes did influence pop culture, so.. I've started a new thread for comics - let's take it there! http://justadventure.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1272962378/1#1 & & & |
| 4 MAY 2010 at 8:31am | |
alkis21Schattenjger![]() ![]() Posts : 2112 Joined: 23 OCT 2002 Location: GR Status : Offline | I find it weird that some people claim that SK's films are better than his books, considering I've been discussing his work since the mid-90s (one of the first "social groups" I've ever entered on the Internet was a Stephen King newsgroup) and it's usually his movies that I need to defend. Some people catch, say, The Mangler on TV and think that it pretty much sums up his movies. Before I forget: Karla, do yourself a favor and give him one final chance. If you followed his work all the way to The Cell (awful), it would be a real shame if you gave up before reading Under the Dome. It's a masterpiece. If you don't like it I accept to be beaten to death by it, and it's a very big hard cover. Originally Posted By AShadowWalker (2 MAY 2010 7:39pm) And that, in my opinion, is his biggest "crime" according to some. You see, popularity is unacceptable when it comes to art. If something appeals to millions, then it cannot be good as everyone knows that real art only appeals to the fortunate few that can appreciate it. So, King writes too many books and most of them sell well; he must be the Lady Gaga equivalent of authors (although no Gaga lasted 35 years). According to the 'experts', real art is to write very few books that appeal to very few people. Therefore, the best writer ever will be the one who manages to write zero books that everyone hates. But as TechnoSpike said, Originally Posted By TechnoSpike (2 MAY 2010 9:45pm) I totally agree with you. Do you like classic adventure games? Check out Diamonds in the Rough! |
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| 4 MAY 2010 at 7:33pm | |
karlaAdministrator![]() ![]() Posts : 2590 Joined: 27 JUL 2003 Location: US, Close to the Edge Status : Offline | Originally Posted By alkis21 (4 MAY 2010 8:31am) Thanks for the input. I actually looked at Under the Dome when it was first released and for a few brief moments considered buying it, but it just didn't seem worth the trouble. In view of your comments, though, I might reconsider. I'll have to wait for the paperback, though. According to Amazon, it'll be released in July. If I end up reading it and don't like it, I'll forgo throttling you with the book. Paperbacks take too long to do any appreciable cranial damage. [smiley=devil_smiley_grintail.gif] See my portfolio of original artwork at http://home1.gte.net/res0b8zk/portfolio/resources/portfolio.htm I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. - Vincent van Gogh |
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| 4 MAY 2010 at 8:01pm | |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By karla (4 MAY 2010 7:32pm)Originally Posted By alkis21 (4 MAY 2010 8:31am) |
| 4 MAY 2010 at 8:25pm | |
AShadowWalkerPrivate Detective![]() ![]() Posts : 776 Joined: 6 AUG 2009 Status : Online | Originally Posted By Rael (3 MAY 2010 4:17pm)Originally Posted By TheTraveler (3 MAY 2010 4:09pm) ...you two are "drinking" buddies then? : |
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| 4 MAY 2010 at 9:42pm | |
Agustín CordesGuild Master![]() Posts : 5696 Joined: 23 OCT 2002 Location: AR, Buenos Aires Status : Offline | Originally Posted By AShadowWalker (4 MAY 2010 8:24pm) Apparently we're nothing. First she calls me sexy, then she ignores me. My heart is broken. Illusions are shattered. Life is meaningless. And Stephen King still sucks. Slightly Deranged - Cult Cinema And Games! |
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| 4 MAY 2010 at 10:05pm | |
anthonyJourneyman![]() ![]() Posts : 1270 Joined: 11 JUN 2003 Status : Offline | Originally Posted By alkis21 (2 MAY 2010 11:25am) That's because people like the scenes where Andy Dufresne gets abused by "the sisters". The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia and Citizen Kane can't compete without a good male prison rape scene. |
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| 5 MAY 2010 at 12:03am | |
Lady KestrelGuild Master![]() Posts : 4038 Joined: 27 SEP 2004 Location: US, NJ Status : Offline | Karla, Your artistic side might really enjoy Duma Key. It should be out in paperback now. I have Cell sitting in my bookcase. I think I'll put in lower down in my to-be-read heap. "Where is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of ecstasy?" -Rabindranath Tagore |
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| 5 MAY 2010 at 1:10am | |
karlaAdministrator![]() ![]() Posts : 2590 Joined: 27 JUL 2003 Location: US, Close to the Edge Status : Offline | Originally Posted By LadyKestrel (5 MAY 2010 12:02am) Thanks, Lady K. I checked, and it's out in paperback. I'll definitely keep it in mind. Rather than moving Cell down in the stack of books you're going to read, you might want to save time and put it directly into the garbage. I'm so bad. [smiley=rolleyes.gif] See my portfolio of original artwork at http://home1.gte.net/res0b8zk/portfolio/resources/portfolio.htm I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. - Vincent van Gogh |
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| 6 MAY 2010 at 8:22pm | |
Lucien21Guild Master![]() Posts : 4876 Joined: 9 JUL 2003 Location: 0 Status : Offline | [smiley=furious.gif] [smiley=furious.gif] [smiley=furious.gif] Stephen King is brilliant. I'm going to hunt everyone down who said otherwise Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullsh*t now has a bodycount. |
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| 6 MAY 2010 at 9:13pm | |
AShadowWalkerPrivate Detective![]() ![]() Posts : 776 Joined: 6 AUG 2009 Status : Online | Originally Posted By Lucien21 (6 MAY 2010 8:21pm) Originally Posted By Lucien21 (6 MAY 2010 8:21pm) ...........really! Ok..... [size=20]BRING IT ON HOMEBOY!! Spoiler Alert[img]http://www.efavata.com/CBM/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/punisher21.jpg[/img] |
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| 6 MAY 2010 at 10:15pm | |
Lucien21Guild Master![]() Posts : 4876 Joined: 9 JUL 2003 Location: 0 Status : Offline | Spoiler Alert[img]http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/2659/1090156dakenkillspunish.jpg[/img] Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullsh*t now has a bodycount. |
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| 6 MAY 2010 at 10:38pm | |
AShadowWalkerPrivate Detective![]() ![]() Posts : 776 Joined: 6 AUG 2009 Status : Online | Originally Posted By Lucien21 (6 MAY 2010 10:14pm) ......heeeeeerrrrrrrrreeeeeeeee kitttttttyyyyyyyyy! ............where are youuuuuuuu! ....i'm going to rip your claws off and use them for toothpicks!!! .......and then...........[size=24]I"M GOING TO HURT YOU! [smiley=devil_smiley_grintail.gif] .......so come out wherever you are kitty! Spoiler Alert[img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pK5oACTgcP0/S1TCVs6NSbI/AAAAAAAAAm8/JfHbKfxCyEc/s1600/punisher%2B%2312%2Bfrankencastle%2Bcover.jpg[/img] Spoiler Alert[img]http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/7949/1271245109652.jpg[/img] |
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| 7 MAY 2010 at 9:56am | |
CarolineJA+ Overseer![]() ![]() Posts : 16540 Joined: 28 JAN 2007 Location: AU Status : Offline | oh my goodness..... the boys are slugging it out with superheroes..... [IMG]http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3778/avatarlaughingpuppy.gif[/IMG] |
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| 8 MAY 2010 at 7:15am | |
HelenGuild Master![]() Posts : 3436 Joined: 12 OCT 2002 Location: US Status : Offline | The problem for me with Stepehn King is that he can go on and on and on.....and on. He can drag the hell out of a story. : When he fiirst came out with Salems lot I read it and became a big fan, loved reading the Shining and The Stand, but as much as I enjoyed the Stand it dragged on forever. : Like Augustin, I kept trying to read more of his stuff and hope it got better but the final straw was "reamcatcher" It started out good for me but took everything I had to finish it and I agree with Karla, the movie was awful. Some of his stuff Ive loved and some of it bores me to death. I havent tried to read anything by him in a long time and actually Dreamcatcher was a "give him another chance" read. Didnt turn out well. :-/ BUT, thats not to say I wouldnt try to read him again, I seem to either love or hate what he writes. [smiley=shrug.gif] |
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| 8 MAY 2010 at 3:11pm | |
ArkadiaPrivate Detective![]() ![]() Posts : 558 Joined: 1 JUN 2008 Status : Online | While a nice bit of prose, you could take out 'fluffy dog with flippers' and substitute any noun+adjective in there and come out with the same effect. I don't believe for the situations I'm describing you can create an accurate 'hook' for said story. and even if you could, at the end of the day - solely in my own case - I would come away from the story thinking "Wow, I just read a story about a dog wearing flippers :\". Perhaps my imagination simply isn't expandable or accommodating enough, but for me, in a horror story particularly, the quality of the story lies in the feelings I come away with. Others surely have different temperaments when it comes to this kind of thing, but I know there's at least one kind of reader - the type that I fall into - that wouldn't go for that sort of thing, and certainly I only write to appeal to myself. Another example I should have used - if you read Stephen King's IT - was the buildup of the book and then the let down of the '(semi) true form' of the monster. Almost everyone I've spoken to found it ridiculous, and I feel that it is akin to the 'fluffy dog wearing flippers' situation. |
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| 10 MAY 2010 at 1:50pm | |
AShadowWalkerPrivate Detective![]() ![]() Posts : 776 Joined: 6 AUG 2009 Status : Online | Originally Posted By Arkadia (8 MAY 2010 3:11pm) Dont say that Arkadia, please don't put yourself down. Everyone has a different set of reactions to stories. Maybe Stephen King is not the one who turns your literary enthusiasm on. So...you go on a quest to find one writer who may, that's all. , but for me, in a horror story particularly, the quality of the story lies in the feelings I come away with. ......that is more like it! [smiley=thumbsup.gif] Others surely have different temperaments when it comes to this kind of thing, but I know there's at least one kind of reader - the type that I fall into - that wouldn't go for that sort of thing, and certainly I only write to appeal to myself. ....there you go!! Another example I should have used - if you read Stephen King's IT - was the buildup of the book and then the let down of the '(semi) true form' of the monster. Almost everyone I've spoken to found it ridiculous ....totally agree! That was a really lame ending. Stephen King said that it was done because the readers and tv show watchers would not have comprehended what they saw...yeah! [smiley=bullcrap.gif] He dropped the ball!! |
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| 6 JUL 2010 at 2:36am | |
Lady KestrelGuild Master![]() Posts : 4038 Joined: 27 SEP 2004 Location: US, NJ Status : Offline | I'm reviving this old book vs. movie thread just to post this cartoon. It gave me a chuckle: [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Lady_Kestrel/MF.jpg[/IMG] "Where is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of ecstasy?" -Rabindranath Tagore |
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