Movies
[Book Review] Stephen King’s ‘Joyland’
Although he generally works with big time publishers, author Stephen King released his newest novel Joyland (June 4) through boutique publisher Hard Case Crime, and reading the book, it’s easy to see why. Far from the epic, time-jumping scope of 11/22/63, Joyland is a “boutique” sort of novel––quaint and nostalgic and unapologetically trite, like a knick-knack on your gramma’s mantle.
It’s the summer of 1973. After 21-year-old Devlin Jones is dumped by his girlfriend, he finds a strange solace in his new employment at Joyland, a North Carolina amusement park. After a strange premonition inspires him to stay on through the autumn, he unravels a cold case carnival murder mystery and bags a foxy single mom. And that’s about it. It’s very basic stuff by King standards, but the prolific author expertly employs carnival lingo and a “gather ‘round the campfire fire” tone to keep the pages cranking. At this stage in his career, it’s almost wicked how effortlessly the veteran can roll out a story.
From the opening pages, the first person voice is unmistakably King’s. Relying on old tropes like precognitive tweeners and repeated mantras (“I wore the fur”), he’s the same old cat he’s always been, but with even more ‘70s references. In fact, Joyland may serve as a more interesting novel to those readers familiar with King’s entire body of work, and can compare it to early stuff, like, say Rage (written when King was in his early 20s and now out of print). There’s a vast difference between the manic, angry fervor of King writing as a 21-year-old and the doe-eyed nostalgia he exudes as an old man reflecting on being 21. In more ways than one, King is an author who has come full circle.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Skulls
Movies
‘Boorman and the Devil’ Documentary Trailer Chronicles Complicated Relationship with ‘Exorcist II’
Critically acclaimed documentary Boorman and the Devil chronicles how one of the world’s greatest filmmakers made one of the most hated movies ever: Exorcist II: The Heretic. A new trailer highlighting some of the troubled production woes has arrived.
Boorman and the Devil opens at The Quad in NYC on August 28 before opening wider in various cities on September 4, including: Los Angeles, Columbus, Houston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and more.
After the success of Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to direct a sequel to their smash hit, The Exorcist. The result was one of the biggest disasters in movie history. A critical and financial failure that not only changed how Hollywood did business, but nearly ended Boorman’s filmmaking career… but to be an artist is to be a risk-taker.
Now, John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, and more reflect back on the ambition of the film, the artistry and craft, and the value of big creative swings.
“I am beyond thrilled that Yellow Veil has come on board to help us share this story with a larger audience,” said director David Kittredge. “Like myself and the rest of our team, they’re huge cinema-lovers. It’s so exciting that a film which is not only a love letter to John Boorman, but also to ambitious filmmaking, will be handled by people who share the same passions that our team shares.”
“I first saw the film at an early festival screening and the post-screening buzz was just electric. Everyone was loving Boorman and the Devil,” added Yellow Veil co-founder Justin Timms. “To be able to team up with David and the filmmaking team on this release is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to spread that post-screening electricity with audiences across the country.”
Boorman and the Devil is produced by Kittredge’s Triple Fire Productions, Travis Stevens (Jodorowsky’s Dune, Starry Eyes) of Snowfort Pictures, and Jim Fall (The Lizzie McGuire Movie), with Alan Koenigsberg of Milton Ventures Media serving as co-producer.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “Boorman and the Devil goes above and beyond to be the definitive text on Exorcist II. This documentary will delight horror and Exorcist fans alike, but it also provides incredible insight for anyone who is just marginally interested in film production.”
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