When one hears the genre “horror” they automatically think of blood,
guts, slasher, vampire, or ghosts. Misery
was directed by Rob Reiner in 1990, and is what I consider a classic horror. It
involves the feeling of helplessness on one end, while the other character is
suffering psychologically and adds in some violence and struggle to make one of
the most memorable horror movies to date.
Paul Sheldon (played by James Caan) is a best selling novelist. He is
on his way home when he crashes his car because of a blizzard. Annie Wilkes
(played by Kathy Bates), who happens to be on of Paul's biggest fans, rescues
him from his car after he is injured. Annie takes Paul back to her home in the
woods where she takes care of him. In the beginning she basically waits on him
hand and foot but after realizing Paul is going to kill off her favorite
character “Misery” in his novel, she has other plans for Paul.
There are many memorable moments in the movie. I found myself
captivated, on the edge of my seat, cringing, and fighting the urge to close my
eyes. This movie is an emotional rollercoaster, where one minute is brutal and
the next is calm and collected.
The acting in this movie is superb. You can never really go wrong with
Kathy Bates, but this masterpiece is definitely a documentation of her finest
work. James Caan’s acting abilities are also note worthy. You can see the fear
and desperation in his eyes.
I have to note that this Movie is a screen adaptation from a Stephen
King Novel; therefore, we know to expect violence, and suspense. This movie
definitely delivers. One thing I noticed about the filming of the movie is a
lot of the time the camera is angled on Annie when she is talking instead of
the big picture. This allows the audience to examine Annie. This effect
definitely adds to the movie.
I would recommend this movie to a variety of people.Anyone who loves a quirky, unusual film would enjoy this movie. Horror film fanatics would appreciate the gruesomeness, and it is a must see for all Kathy Bates fans.
4 comments:
You described the performances of Bates and Caan perfectly--I personally found this movie scary. It really shows that it doesn't take blood/gore to make a film frightening; in your review, you pick up on this well.
Great review. It was simplistic and easy to follow. However, there was no mention of the most memorable scene in the film (When she tied him to the bed and hit him with the sledgehammer so he could not leave. Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!
When I wrote my first draft of this review I had put that scene in there, along with other details, but then edited them out because I felt it was giving away too much info. Perhaps, I should have left that part in, because I agree it is the most memorable scene. I still can't watch it without cringing!!
Good one... It's psychologically impossible to write such a good review...
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