Top 5 Stephen King Movies

There are way too many movies based on Stephen King novels and short stories. Some are absolute gems, some are plain watchable and a few are total freak shows. Want the best of the lot? Here’s our two cents:

The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd

A frustrated writer (Jack) takes up a winter caretaker job at an isolated hotel. Before he moves to the hotel with his family, the manager warns him about the terrible history of the place. Jack’s psychic son also has scary visions, and eventually all the nightmares come true as an evil presence starts having its way.

“The Shining is like a near-miss auto accident: You don’t know how scared you really were until you start shaking a few hours later.” — People Magazine

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Director: Frank Darabont
Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman

An innocent fellow gets arrested and ends up being surrounded by the corruptions of the legal system. He bonds with a prison inmate and finds solace through acts of common decency. Based on Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.

“If you don’t love Shawshank, chances are you’re beyond redemption.” — Empire Magazine

Carrie (1976)

Director: Brian De Palma
Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, John Travolta

Carrie White, a teenage girl who gets abused by bullies, finds out that she has telekinesis. When humiliated on the night of her school’s prom, she uses her telekinetic fury on the smartass tormentors.

“An exercise in high style that even the most unredeemably rational among moviegoers should find enormously enjoyable” – Time Magazine

The Dead Zone (1983)

Director: David Cronenberg
Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Martin Sheen

Johnny Smith awakens from a five year coma to discover that he has developed an ability to see a person’s future by touching him. He realizes that he can also change the future, but this proves to be a curse as he meets Greg Stillson — a ruthless politician.

“Mr. Cronenberg’s direction is vivid and effective; his pacing is a little unemphatic at times, but the film’s individual scenes are very well staged.” — New York Times

The Mist (2007)

Director: Frank Darabont
Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden

An unnatural mist envelops a town and unleashes nightmarish, otherworldly creatures. Survivors hide in a supermarket and tensions rise among them as things become worse with every passing moment.

“[This] grocery-store survival drama, dominated by Marcia Gay Harden as a shrill fundamentalist, serves as a crude but effective allegory for post-9/11 America.”  — Chicago Reader

Continue reading →

Cover of the Week: Those About To Die by Daniel P. Mannix (Mayflower, 1972)

“Hail Caesar! We who are about to die salute you!”

Mannix’ “Those About to Die” probes deep into the bloody games of imperial Rome. A  provocative work of historical fiction, Those About to Die provides a disturbing account of the lives of the Gladiators. The sadism and torture which ancient Rome forced on its Gladiators have been described with minute detail.

5000 men fought to death, women fed to crocodiles, leopards taught to rape girls. Intensely shocking, yet a true story of savage Rome. May be the Nazis aren’t qualified to make it to the top of “Most Disgusting People Ever” list.

Continue reading →

Vintage Magazine Cover Art

Continue reading →

Top 5 Charles Dickens Novels

Charles Dickens wrote more than a dozen novels; if you love classics, you should read them all. But it’s a short life, so here’s our pick if you are running out of time:

David Copperfield

This was Dickens’ personal favourite. David Copperfield is partly autobiographical and many incidents in the book echo those from the author’s own life. The title of the book has the same initials as that of its author (in reverse order though). David Copperfield is the story of a boy who fights against incredible odds and manages to turn his luck. This is arguably Dickens’ masterpiece; strong character development, brilliant imaginative quality and an emotional touch that can make you weep.

Great Expectations

Dickens’ 13^th novel is a compelling rags-to-riches story and is unusually slim compared to his other works. It’s a tale of a young orphan boy called Pip, who tries to get accepted into society by being rich and gaining status. Dickens poses a question to the readers: does the society accept immoral sources of wealth? In Great Expectations you come across a seasoned writer with a dark perspective. Check out the great film adaptation by David lean.

Bleak House

Bleak house can be read as a social commentary, a love story, and a detective novel. It is certainly not Dickens’ most popular novel, but is widely regarded as one of his most mature works. The highly complex plot, the curious use of both first person and third person narrative, the gripping melodrama works together to produce what Time magazine describes as Dickens’ “…grandest, most virtuosic achievement.”

A Tale of Two Cities

A timeless classic that delineates an intriguing drama set in Paris and London during French Revolution. A Tale of Two Cities is a love triangle and a historical novel that sold more than 200 million copies and became one of the most well known novels ever written. And yes, who could forget the remarkable opening paragraph: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Oliver Twist

Dickens’ second novel and a grand successor to the popular classic — The Pickwick Papers. Oliver Twist is a gloomy book depicting endless villainies of Fagin, who uses orphan kids for criminal purposes. Dickens highlights social injustices in Victorian London through unforgettable characters. If you are new to Dickens, start with Oliver Twist. And don’t miss the Roman Polanski film based on the book.

 

What is your favorite Charles Dickens novel?

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

This review is a bit out of place since The Book Haven covers vintage books only. However, Helene Wecker’s debut novel is an extraordinary piece of fantasy/historical work that deserves a place in every book hub.

The story

A rabbi (kind of spiritual teacher), who is an expert in Kabbalistic black magic, brings a golem (Chava) to life. When the golem’s master dies, she becomes a free creature.

A djinni called Ahmad was trapped inside a copper flask for centuries. He gets released accidentally in a Lower Manhattan shop.

The mythical beings meet by sheer chance and together they face a threat that challenges their existence. Set in late 19^th century New York, this is a remarkable story that blends history with fantasy and offers the readers an amazing voyage.

What’s so good?

On a superficial level, The Golem and the Djinni seems to be an enjoyable magical tale with some truly inventive touches. However, it is also a piece of serious literary work that takes a closer look at immigrant experience and raises philosophical questions about “feeling lost” in a new, strange world.

Helene Wecker’s storytelling skills are impressive. The Golem and the Djinni succeeds in being an intellectual read without being boring. The story flows with a natural ease; the romantic moments come without being melodramatic. You can easily visualize the immigrant Arab and Jewish folks at the turn of the century through the golem and the djinni.

The author exhibits use of parallel storylines with surprising effectiveness. All in all, it doesn’t feel like a debut novel.

P.S. The idea of a golem pairing up with a jinni is at once ridiculous and fantastic. A creature trained to bow becomes friends with a fiery spirit infuriated by chains. Jewish folklore shakes hands with Arabian mythology — Mrs. Wecker should ask for a patent on the subject.

A few hiccups

The plot looks forcefully engineered in a few places. Also, Ahmad‘s (the djinni) character seems less convincing than the perfectly crafted golem. The Golem and the Djinni is perhaps too long (almost 500 pages) for an adult fairy tale, but the author manages to keep the readers interested with an engaging writing style. Mrs. Wecker succeeds in evoking an exotic feel that falls upon the readers like a spell.

About the author

Helene Wecker is an American writer with a Master’s degree in fiction. The Golem and the Djinni is her debut novel. It was published in April 2013 by HarperCollins. Mrs. Wecker was nominated for the 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards in two categories: Fantasy and Goodreads Debut Author. She lives near San Francisco with her husband and daughter.

 
Continue reading →