On this day in movie history - The Dark Half (1993):

The Dark Half

directed and written by George A. Romero,

based on the novel by Stephen King,

was released in the United States on April 23, 1993.
Music by Christopher Young.

Cast:

Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker, Julie Harris, Robert Joy, Chelsea Field, Royal Dano, Rutanya Alda, Beth Grant, Kent Broadhurst, Tom Mardirosian, Glenn Colerider, Larry John Meyers, Patrick Brannan, Sarah Parker, Elizabeth Parker, John Ponzio, William Cameron, Rohn Thomas, Molly Renfroe, Judy Grafe, John Machione, Erik Jensen, Christine Forrest, Nardi Novak, Zachary Mott, David W. Butler, Curt DeBor, Drinda Lalumia, Lamont Arnold, Lee Hayes, Jack Skelly, Marc Field, Rik Billock, Bruce Kirkpatrick, David Early, Jeff Monahan, Jeff Howell, Melissa Papp, J. Michael Hunter, Therese Courtney, Marty Roppelt, John Amplas, Donna Lynne Champlin, George C. Romero.

On this day in movie history - Dolan’s Cadillac (2009 movie & book):

Dolan’s Cadillac

directed by Jeff Beesley,

written by Richard Dooling,

based on the novella by Stephen King,

was released in the United States on April 6, 2010.
Music by James Mark Stewart.

Cast:

Christian Slater, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Wes Bentley, Greg Bryk, Aidan Devine, Al Sapienza, Karen LeBlanc, Cory Generoux, Vivian Ng, Patrick Bird, Eugene Clark, Max Keene, Robert Benz, Tim Allen, Amy Matysio, Tony Munch, Darla Biccum, Simon Chin, Sharmaine Yeoh, Amy Martin, Steven P. Park, Jonathan Lim, Melany Burant, Kevin Deon, Rob Hoskins.

Recommended reading:

Nightmares & Dreamscapes

By Stephen King.

Published by Scribner.

First published 1993.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1501192035

ISBN-13: 978-1501192036

Description:

Includes the story “It Grows on You” – set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine.

The classic short story collection from #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King.

A wrong turn on a lonely road lands a wayward couple in Rock and Roll Heaven, Oregon, where there’s no escaping the free nightly concert…. A novelty toy becomes an unexpected and terrifying instrument of self-defense…. An ex-con pieces together a map to unearth a stolen million dollars – but at what price?... A private investigator in Depression-era Los Angeles is finding his life unraveling as he discovers the shocking truth of who he really is…. A third-grade teacher is willing to dig deep in order to exact revenge for his murdered wife.... These are just some of the haunting scenarios to be found in this classic collection – spellbinding tales from the darkest places and the unparalleled imagination of fiction’s master storyteller. Stories include: Dolan's Cadillac; The End of the Whole Mess; Suffer the Little Children; The Night Flier; Popsy; It Grows on You; Chattery Teeth; Dedication; The Moving Finger; Sneakers; You Know They Got a Hell of a Band; Home Delivery; Rainy Season; My Pretty Pony; Sorry, Right Number; The Ten O'Clock People; Crouch End; The House on Maple Street; The Fifth Quarter; The Doctor's Case; Umney's Last Case; Head Down; Brooklyn August.

Stephen King, on writing:

When you sit down to write, write.

Don't do anything else except go to the bathroom,

and only do that if it absolutely cannot be put off.

- Stephen King.

Stephen King, on books:

Books are a uniquely portable magic.

- Stephen King.

Stephen King, on writing:

Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about.

It is this genuine caring,

not your games with language,

which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.

- Stephen King.

On this day in television history - The Stand (2020 TV mini-series & novel):

The Stand

9-episode mini-series.

Directed by Josh Boone, Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy, Chris Fisher, Vincenzo Natali and Tucker Gates.

Written by Stephen King, Josh Boone, Benjamin Cavell, Jill Killington, Owen King, Knate Lee, Eric Dickinson, Taylor Elmore.

Based on the novel by Stephen King.

Released in the United States on December 17, 2020 – February 11, 2021.

Music by Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott.

Cast:

James Marsden, Odessa Young, Alexander Skarsgård, Whoopi Goldberg, Gordon Cormier, Amber Heard, Jovan Adepo, Owen Teague, Irene Bedard, Brad William Henke, Nat Wolff, Henrique Zaga, Greg Kinnear, Nicholas Lea, Eion Bailey, Katherine McNamara, Olivia Cheng, Fiona Dourif, Tarun Keram, Ezra Miller, Gabrielle Rose, Natalie Martinez, Jason Burkart, Paul Jarrett, Mark Gibbon, Sunita Prasad, Seth Whittaker, Hamish Linklater, Kendall Joy Hall, Daniel Sunjata, Cameron McDonald, Luis Javier, J.K. Simmons, Kristy Dawn Dinsmore, Jennifer-Juniper Angeli, Curtiss Cook Jr., Angus Sampson, Heather Graham, Spencer Drever, Reese Alexander, M.J. Kokolis, Primo Allon, Harrison MacDonald, Nyla Alleyne, Clifton Collins Jr., Ariana Nica, Todd Matthews, Isla Crerar, Peter Anderson, Rob McEachern, Troy Mundle, Jagua Arneja, Briar Diallo, Tim Carlson, Tebo Nzeku, Alexis Paige Dixon, Shadi Janho, Bruce Blain, David Parent, Miles Chalmers, Brandyn Eddy, Lisa Chandler, Arkie Kandola, Darren Dolynski, TJ Kayama, Mariessa Portelance, Angela Moore, Joe Costa, Fletcher Donovan, Donald Sales, Liza Huget, Lissa Neptuno, Veena Sood, Kim Kondrashoff, Eddie Flake, Hugo Raymundo, Jesse Stanley, Camden Filtness, Jasmine Lukuku, Mike Wasko, J. Douglas Stewart, Shishy Gebru, Myles McCarthy, Leah Hennessey, Jeremy Jones, Richard Meen, Sean Millington, Jenny Mitchell, Iris Paluly, Luvia Petersen, Lisa Renee Pitts, Michel Issa Rubio, Eric Ruggieri, Carolyn Tinglin, Danny Wattley, Bryan Cranston, Steve Ellis, Stephen King, Mick Garris, Jeremy Angel.

Recommended reading:

The Stand

By Stephen King.

First published 1978.

Published by Doubleday.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0385199570

ISBN-13: 978-0385199575

Description:

Stephen King’s apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by plague and tangled in an elemental struggle between good and evil remains as riveting – and eerily plausible – as when it was first published.

One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years! This edition includes all of the new and restored material first published in The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition.

A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world’s population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge – Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious “Dark Man,” who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them – and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.

The Telephone Box (1972) - it’s enough to give you phone phobia!

La Cabina / The Telephone Box (1972)

Shortly before New Year, we watched Phone Booth (2002) again, a great thriller starring Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell, and Kiefer Sutherland.

Farrell plays an unscrupulous New York publicist who answers a ringing phone in a booth he’s standing next to.

The caller warns him he’ll be killed if he attempts to leave the booth … and … the story develops from there.

The claustrophobic atmosphere of Phone Booth reminded me of a 1972 Spanish short movie I saw on TV during the mid-‘80’s called La Cabina (aka The Telephone Box).

A unfortunate guy (José Luis López Vázquez), in a world long before the invention of the cell phone, attempts to make a call in a street booth.

The door closes on him as he discovers the phone doesn’t work.

He tries to leave, but the door is locked tight.

He’s trapped in there a long time as a crowd of onlookers gather … and … the story develops from there.

La Cabina is quirky and dated, but still worth the half-hour to watch, with an original story that delivers a surreal and scary twist.

Although street booths have mostly disappeared, La Cabina is a great reason to own a cell phone … but then you have to consider what happened in Stephen King’s novel: Cell.

Yikes!

I read that folks in Spain, shortly after La Cabina was released on December 13, 1972, took to preventing the door in phone booths from shutting completely by keeping their foot in the gap.

I can’t imagine why.