Stephen King's The Shining

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Summary: The Way It Was Meant To Be!
Review: I have been waiting for this one. This mini-series is, by far, the best of the King epics. A great story woven around very interesting, and very human, characters. Slick Steven Webber proves to be much more than just cocky Brian Hackett from Wings, and really delivers the goods. Whereas Nicholson was crazy from the get go (King's major objection to the Kubrick film version), Webber's incarnation of Jack Torrance runs the gambit of human emotions throughout. Even in the depths of his psychosis, he is is a tragically compassionate figure, fighting evil and himself as best he can. Also, the Overlook hotel never looked better. This mini-series was actually filmed at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, the much fabled place where King stayed one weekend with his family that inspired him to pen the Shining in the first place. This is the Shining the way Stephen King wanted it made and, frankly, it puts the Nicholson version in it's place.

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Summary: Stephen King's The Shinning
Review: This mini series was true to the book, which I loved. I think it is way better than the movie on from the 70's. If you read the book, you will love this one

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Summary: Mick Garris and Stephen King's The Shining
Review: This version was almost as good as the original. It stars Steven Weber, Rebecca De Mornay, and Courtland Mead. It is about a recovering alchoholic writer named Jack Torrance(Steven Weber) who applys for a job as a Winter caretaker for the isolated Overlook Hotel. He hears from the manager Mr. Ullman(Elliot Gould) that a man named Grady murdered his wife and two daughters with an ax and a shotgun. Jack takes his wife Wendy(Rebecca De Mornay) and his psychic son Danny(Courtland Mead) up to stay with him. When they get up there, Danny and the cook Dick Hallorann(Melvin Van Peebles) have a talk about a psychic ability called "the shining". He tells Danny that if danger strikes, call for help by using the shining. After everyone leaves, the family seems to get along great. Until, weird things start to happen to Jack and Danny. Jack runs into Delbert Grady(Stanley Anderson) and hotel legend Harry Derwent(John Durbin)! Danny, with the help of his psychic friend Tony(Wil Horneff), deciedes to shine Hallorann for help and that makes Hallorann is the only one who can help Danny and Wendy.
It is hard to compare this version to the Stanley Kubrick version. Jack Nicholson IS Jack Torrance, you can't argue with that, but I liked Steven Weber okay. Rebecca De Mornay was as good as Shelley Duvall, although I don't know how she could put up with all of Jack's nonsense. Courtland Mead was not as good as Danny Lloyd. It's too bad that he quit acting, I thought that he was pretty good for a little kid. Melvin Van Peebles was not as good as Scatman Crothers, although in the miniseries it is good to see more of Hallorann. They also change from the Hedge Maze to Hedge Animals.
Not a bad supporting cast: Melvin Van Peebles, Wil Horneff, Elliot Gould, Stanley Anderson, and John Durbin. This miniseries follows the book more. This is one of the best Stephen King miniseries!

Rating:
Summary: Joshlinc
Review: This is a ABC (I think) miniseries based on the shining. It really does a great job of following the book, much better than the old Jack Nicholson movie (but then they also had 3-4 more hours to play with).
Basically, if you've seen the Nicholson film, forget it! There are obviously a lot of similarities, but a different feel, in the old movie the villian mostly seems to be the father, in the book and this version it is obviously the hotel that is evil.
This is the story of a truly loving family with problems. A father who was a raving alcoholic, but who after losing his job and a family 'incident' gave up drinking, a wife who loves her husband enough to forgive, but can't forget, and a little boy, Danny, who is very physic, who knows where lost things are and what Daddy is doing miles away, while struggling to appear 'normal.' They have a LOT of issues, but they love each other deeply.
In an attempt to turn their life around, the father takes a job at the Overlook, a hotel that is so remote, that it has to be shut down in the winter. They will be snowed in with no contact with the outside world for most of winter, and Dad will have a chance to write a Play that will put his career back on track. The only problem is the hotel has a long past....and a consciousness. Over the years every accidental ...or not so accidental death that has occurred in the Overlook has fed that consciousness. And Danny's gift would give it unbelievable power, but how to get him?
You watch in tense anticipation as the hotel tries to seduce a loving father into become the tool to get his son. It will be a long process, but it has all winter....
An awesome movie based on an even better book.

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Summary: This is the film version closest to King's novel.
Review: It isn't fair for critics to compare this version of Stephen King's "The Shining" to the Jack Nicholson film, because they're two completely different versions that are brilliant in their own ways. This version of the movie is much longer than the Nicholson version, and for fans of King's novel, this will probably be the film adaptation that you prefer simply because it follows the book so closely. Steven Weber plays the role of Jack much differently than Nicholson did: like in the novel, the character's maddness is slow to build, but when the film reaches its climax, Weber is absolutely terrifying. Rebecca De Mornay gives the performance of her career as Wendy, a woman who is desperately trying to keep her family together and is slowly coming to realize the horror that has possessed her husband. They young actor who plays Danny gives a chilling performance, and he always gives me the creeps when I watch the film (I can only assume that's because the kid's a great actor, hopefully not because he's a freak in real life). The film builds and builds, and there are a lot of suspenseful moments. The scene with Danny in the snow where the bushes come to life is probably my favorite scene in the film, and it's especially enjoyable because it was omitted from the Nicholson version entirely. (Also, like in many of his films, Stephen King makes a cameo appearance in "The Shining," so keep your eye on the ghostly bandstand.)

Rating:
Summary: Just as Good as the Original if not Better!
Review: I like both versions a whole lot. Steven Weber really surprised me with his performance here and Rebecca D. was much better than that annoying Shelley Duvall from Kubrick's version. I like how Jack Torrance slowly became obsessed and crazy due to the hotel, whereas, Nicholson was going crazy from almost the start. This version also follows the book nearly perfectly, by having the ghosts more interested in Danny and his powers than just making his father a murderous psycho. I own both versions on DVD, and while the 1980 version is a horror classic, this is the version I prefer to watch to get the meaty story that Kubrick left out.

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Summary: A good Steven King movie
Review: The third best translation of a Steven King novel into a movie. You won't forget this one.

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Summary: An All Around Decent Miniseries
Review: 1980, Stanley Kubrick adapts Stephen King's novel "The Shining" and makes movie history. Although he changed it drastically, it was well recieved and remebered for it's slow and creepy pacing. Now, in 1997 we got an updated miniseries version of the same novel, this time screen-written by King himself and made for TV. The result, a different movie experience entirely. This version follows King's original story I am told to a hair. Its several hours longer providing enough time to cover every aspect of the book unlike Kubrick's version. It is strange watching the series and not seeing Nicholson as Jack but the new updated actor filled the part suprisingly well. By the third part he had truly grown into the part and was fully developed and dimensional unlike Nicholson who was just plain out crazy with no simpathy or remorse shown. The part in the miniseries when Jack tells Danny to run away from him always gives me chills. A few thigns however that brutally hurt the miniseries include the actor of Danny (who is a joke) and the poorly animated animal shrubs (it sounds stupid already.) Aside from those two flaws, the updated miniseries is an entertaining watch and should be viewed by any fan of the 1980 version. An intersting side note, writer Stephen King makes a small (and corny appearance) as an orchestra conductor and infamous writer/director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead trilogy, Spider-Man) makes a small cameo as a man who gives the cook directions to the Overlook Hotel in part 3. Well, thats it for now. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Truly Awful
Review: Stephen Weber and Courtland Mead are truly awful, although it's tough to be so critical of a child actor.

The biggest problem with this miniseries is that, like most King tv movies, the film lacks atmosphere. In particular, the scenes are overlit. In addition, like most King production on which he's a part, the scenes jump to much. The film lack continuity. Just when it builds up, it quickly cuts to another scene.

The only redeeming quaility is Rebecca De Mornay, although it's hard to imagine how such a lovely wife would stick with such a loser husband.

Kubric might not have adapted King's book acurately, but it was a brilliant film nonetheless. Stephen Kind should have just accepted it and forgone this movie, for it's truly awful.

Rating:
Summary: Notice the common tie
Review: If you read the very low ratings for this movie you will notice a common theme.All or very nearly, make reference to the original. They call it brilliant, a work of art, Jack Nicholson is referred to as thespian,perfect,a lesson in filmmaking, etc.Don't get me wrong, I love the original.It's a great movie but it's flawed too.Jack Nicholson did not give a lesson in acting.He was fun to watch but he also took it too far. The film got so adrift in a land of fantasy and symbolism that it forgot any of the reality or humanity in the characters.This movie however focuses solely on that.It rarely goes for big scares much like the original, and decides to take a more dramatic turn.It,in turn,has flaws as well.The special effects are all the can be expected from a 1997 miniseries.THe acting(with the notable exception of a surprisingly good performance from Steven Weber as Jack)is terrible. Danny will get far up on your nerves and not let go.However it gets to a more effective point of characters.They're relatable, sometimes likable, for the most part believable. This story sets roots in regrets,which were the very cause of the miniseries ironically.Meanwhile the original sets in sheer over the toppedness.I had to make up a word to describe it.