We traversed the nine circles of Hell and signed up for CBS All Access with the purpose of seeing the new miniseries made from Stephen King's The Stand. Last night we watched the opening episode.
First the bad:
I don't mind nonlinear storytelling, but the whole thing is a disjointed mess. If I wasn't familiar with the story I feel like I'd be lost.
Odessa Young is absolutely awful as Frannie. Her performance, so far at least, ranges from vacant to irritating. I see none of the strength, humor, or character from the Frannie in the book. Molly Ringwald wasn't great, but she is about a million times better than Young.
Whoopi Goldberg sticks out like a sore thumb. She has none of the dignity or force Ruby Dee brought to the role. Goldberg was good in things like Comic Relief, but I always detected a nod and a wink from her acting performances. She wasn't in the first episode much and hopefully she will get better.
The good:
James Marsden, while no Gary Sinise, isn't bad as Stu.
Some of the scenes are incredibly effective.
It's always good to see J.K. Simmons in anything.
The Cemetery Dance cameo. Director Josh Boone also put CD in his drama, Stuck In Love, in the form of the deluxe edition of It.
All in all:
Changes have been made to the narrative, and I'm all right with that. I never felt that an adaptation had to be slavishly faithful to the source material.
I look forward to see the rest of the cast. Especially Ezra Miller as Trashcan Man and Greg Kinnear as Glen Bateman.
Timing couldn't be better. We are still in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic and everyone has been anxious about it.
The 1994 miniseries adapted by Mick Garris wasn't perfect, but I like the cast and the overall look of the production more than this one. It isn't all bad, though. We are in for the duration, even if we are not exactly cheering on the sidelines.
Written by Mark Sieber
First the bad:
I don't mind nonlinear storytelling, but the whole thing is a disjointed mess. If I wasn't familiar with the story I feel like I'd be lost.
Odessa Young is absolutely awful as Frannie. Her performance, so far at least, ranges from vacant to irritating. I see none of the strength, humor, or character from the Frannie in the book. Molly Ringwald wasn't great, but she is about a million times better than Young.
Whoopi Goldberg sticks out like a sore thumb. She has none of the dignity or force Ruby Dee brought to the role. Goldberg was good in things like Comic Relief, but I always detected a nod and a wink from her acting performances. She wasn't in the first episode much and hopefully she will get better.
The good:James Marsden, while no Gary Sinise, isn't bad as Stu.
Some of the scenes are incredibly effective.
It's always good to see J.K. Simmons in anything.
The Cemetery Dance cameo. Director Josh Boone also put CD in his drama, Stuck In Love, in the form of the deluxe edition of It.
All in all:
Changes have been made to the narrative, and I'm all right with that. I never felt that an adaptation had to be slavishly faithful to the source material.
I look forward to see the rest of the cast. Especially Ezra Miller as Trashcan Man and Greg Kinnear as Glen Bateman.
Timing couldn't be better. We are still in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic and everyone has been anxious about it.
The 1994 miniseries adapted by Mick Garris wasn't perfect, but I like the cast and the overall look of the production more than this one. It isn't all bad, though. We are in for the duration, even if we are not exactly cheering on the sidelines.
Written by Mark Sieber
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