The Green Mile
Carrie
Misery
Dolores Claiborne
The Dead Zone
Different Seasons
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Tom Hanks goes that Green Mile
REVIEW BY PAT H. BROESKE Nominations for the Academy Awards won't be announced until February 15, but Tom Hanks is already being talked about as a contender for his performance as a soul-searching death row prison guard in the movie adaptation of The Green Mile. Sure, it could be argued that the two-time Oscar winner (Philadelphia, Forrest Gump) and all-around favorite actor is always a contender. But some of the credit for the thumbs-up early buzz must go to the man whose ever-vivid and always churning imagination gave impetus to the project: Stephen King. There's a tendency to dismiss movies based upon works from King's zillion-title collection. After all, there's been a lot of King screen schlock. Think Firestarter, Cujo, and Pet Sematary, to name but a few. But a number of major performers have also done some of their finest work -- generating their signature roles -- in movies based on King writings. Sissy Spacek may have won her Oscar for Coal Miner's Daughter, but she rose to fame as the blood-drenched teen outcast of Carrie. As the maniacal number one fan of a successful novelist in Misery, Kathy Bates won an Oscar and established her stardom. She went on to star in another King adaptation, playing the misunderstood wife and mother in Dolores Claiborne. Though not a box office smash, the movie remains a terrific video discovery. As does The Dead Zone, which proved a perfect vehicle for Christopher Walken and his decidedly weird (some would say off-putting) screen persona. Based upon the King novella, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, which is included in the collection Different Seasons, The Shawshank Redemption remains the most fully-realized King adaptation. (Interestingly, it's a non-horror piece.) As a man who will not waiver from his personal moral code despite the brutalities of prison life, Tim Robbins has never been more affecting. Also included in this collection is The Body -- which became the coming-of-age saga Stand By Me, which remains notable for the performances of a quartet of young actors, including the late River Phoenix. And for a memorable role, how about Jack Nicholson's over-the-top, ax-wielding, scenery-chewing turn as an author suffering the ultimate case of writer's block in The Shining. Little wonder that performers are drawn to projects based on King's writings (TV movies and mini-series included), or that The Green Mile, is already generating heat. Scares may be his specialty, but King is also a master at conjuring up something that Hollywood fare too often lacks: compelling characters. Pat H. Broeske has co-authored biographies of Howard Hughes and Elvis Presley.
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