Misery | Lauren Bacall, Kathy Bates | If The Shining and Jack Nicholson are the King of King...

Misery | Lauren Bacall, Kathy Bates | "It's more than great. It's perfect."

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Misery

	Misery Lauren Bacall, Kathy Bates MGM (Video & DVD), 2000 average customer review:based on 174 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

If The Shining and Jack Nicholson are the King of King films then Misery and Kathy Bates are the Queen. Dvd features below

In my opinion The Shining is the greatest of all Stephen King adaptations and then Misery. There are actually a lot of similarities between Misery and The Shining. There both about writers, in secluded locations, who are deserted at some point due to a snow storm. They both have characters that aren't all there mentally and we are witness to their descent into madness and loss of reality. Both Bates and Nicholson have a way with tools, whether it be an axe or a sledge hammer, and with these tools they have cut and hobbled their way into our memories and into film history.

Kathy Bates is the star of this film and deserves her Oscar win as the at times lovable Annie Wilkes, the obsessed fan of author Paul Sheldon played by James Caan. Annie goes from saving Paul to keeping him hostage for her own agenda. The "shining" beacon of this film is without a doubt Kathy Bates who for me is one of the most memorable and witty villains of modern horror film up there with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. With that said Caan is there like a dance partner for Bates every step of the way, he is like John Stockton to her Karl Malone always ready to assist her in enhancing the dark comedy throughout with his reactions by facial expression or perfect delivery of his lines. Caan's non verbal reactions to Annie's tirades are priceless and only enhance her dialouge. Pay attention to Caan's facial expressions during the scene when Annie explains about "chapter plays" and don't call them cliffhangers.

So getting back to the king and queen of horror, I had an idea, what if Bate's character Annie Wilkes had rescued/kidnapped Jack Nicholson's character Jack Torrance and what would that dialouge be like. I think it would go something like this:

JACK: "Annie, let me explain something to you. Whenever you come in here and interrupt me, you're breaking my concentration. You're distracting me. And it will then take me time to get back to where I was. You understand?"
ANNIE: "Understand? UNDERSTAND? I will tell you "what I understand!" I go out of my way for you! I do everything to try and make you happy. I feed you, I clean you, I dress you, and what thanks do I get? "Oh, you bought the wrong paper, Annie, I can't write on this paper, Annie!" Well, I'll get your stupid paper but you just better start showing me a little appreciation around here, Mr. MAN!"
JACK: "Now, we're going to make a new rule. When you come in here and you hear me typing
[types]
or whether you DON'T hear me typing, or whatever the F you hear me doing; when I'm in here, it means that I am working, THAT means don't come in. Now, do you think you can handle that?"
ANNIE: "I thought you were good Jack... but you're not good. You're just another lying ol' dirty birdy."

Just a thought, forgive me for prattling away and making everything all oogy, here's the dvd features.

COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD FEATURES:
(A reviewer listed them above but in case they got lost in the review shuffle here they are again)
First if your like me and like a nice pristine transfer and good sound the dvd is a definite and worthwhile upgrade. The picture quality far surpassed the older version on dvd and I own both. Also on the sound there was no Dolby Digital 5.1 on the old version and on the Collector's edition there is.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Audio Commnt by Rob Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman
Misery loves company featurette, Marc Shaiman's musical Misery tour featurette
Diagnosing Annie Wilkes featurette, Advice for stalked feature, profile of a stalker feature, celebrity stalker feature and anti stalking laws feature.

This is a must for any horror fan to add to their collection. It is already a classic and is the type of horror that gives you that warm, glad to be inside, tucked into bed feeling if you can avoid getting hobbled.
A great watch for Halloween. Enjoy!

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"It's more than great. It's perfect."

Finally a special edition of Misery! This has been previously released on Region 2 DVD but this is the first official Region 1 release. Kathy Bates won a much deserved Best Actress Oscar for her performance. This is one of Stephen King's best and while there are a few humorous moments most notably through Kathy's dialogue, the horror and suspense never fizzle in any way. This is one of the best horror/suspense pictures out there and should be in any fans collection for multiple viewings. Here are the special features:

DVD Features:

Region 1

Keep Case

Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

Dolby Digital Surround - Spanish

Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French

Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

Audio Commentaries - 1. Rob Reiner - Director

2. William Goldman - Screenwriter

Featurettes - 1. "Misery Loves Company"

2. "Marc Shaiman's Musical Misery Tour"

3. "Diagnosing Annie Wilkes"

4. "Advice for the Stalked"

5. "Profile of a Stalker"

6. "Celebrity Stalkers"

7. "Anti-Stalking Laws"

Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer

2. Original Theatrical Teaser

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A Real Thriller

Misery is one of the best in the horror/suspense genre. I have to say I don't think I've seen a better movie that was based off of a book. Usually the book is so good and the movie is sub par, but this one is the exception.

The story begins as writer Paul Sheldon(James Cann)crashes in car while driving in a blizzard. He awakes from being unconscious to find himself in the home and care of a very obsessed fan(Kathy Bates). As he gets better he begins to realize his caretaker has no intention on letting him go anywhere.

Exceptional thriller which anyone would enjoy. I completely recommend Misery especially if you are a Steven King fan.

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Misery - Collector's Edition

On October 2nd, 2007, MGM released Misery - Collector's Edition on DVD. This DVD edition features a newly remastered video and audio. It has been said that this is a brand new never before released on DVD print of the film. The film is presented in its orignal aspect ratio of 1.85:1, a fullscreen version is not offered on this edition. This edition features 2 audio commentaries, both are bland and don't offer much in the way of info. There are many silent spots and isn't really worth the listen. It also features 7 featurettes, only one worth actully checking out. The 'Misery Loves Company' featurette talks to the actors and filmmakers about how this film came to be. Other features on this disc are 2 theatrical trailers. Personally I feel they skimped on the bonus material and had they given this release a little more time then it would have been a much better release. But I would recommend picking this up if you own the previous edition based on the updated video & audio alone.

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All time favorite

This movie has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I can't really put my finger on what it is about this film that I like so much because I am not much of a horror person. It has a dark theme but I found myself laughing out loud throughout the movie due to the corny lines. Kathy Bates performance is ofcourse exceptional everything about her character is comical to me especially her impression of Misery her sow.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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