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Stephen Kingcast

Constant Reader

One man's musings on the works of Stephen King

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#400
Yesterday · 22 min
Mike Flanagan's Carrie, Episode 3
Let's continue to examine Mike Flanagan's Carrie. Featuring a scene new to Carrie's story, we see what it would be like for our telekenetic teenager to go to a party. And Flanagan plays against expectation. Rather than giving us a girl who is out of her depth in a social setting for more bullying to occur, we see Carrie have the time of her life, a life raft amidst the turbulent see of pain. And with this, we see just how different this incarnation of Carrie is compared to other versions, one who, if events hadn't transpired the way they will, would have have a chance to find herself and happiness with others.
#399
Saturday · 28 min
Mike Flanagan's Carrie, Episode 2
When adapting a 50 year story so ingrained into our shared pop cultural consciousness, you have to begin with "Why?" This is the question that Mike Flanagan asked himself and answered with an exploration of the dangers facing our children in a modern world. Updating the threat of bullying to a 2026 reality, Mike Flanagan creates a new spin on Carrie, presenting the titular character not as a social outcast, but a sheltered, homeschool girl whose innocence leaves her woefully unprepared for the horrors of high school and the technological terrors that will soon set the community onto a destructive path of fire and blood. Plus, we have some seeds that will grow into a rose one day, one that may just be a tower. . .A Dark Tower if you will.
#398
October 18 · 1 hr 15 min
Mike Flanagan's Carrie, Episode 1
When adapting a 50 year story so ingrained into our shared pop cultural consciousness, you have to begin with "Why?" This is the question that Mike Flanagan asked himself and answered with an exploration of the dangers facing our children in a modern world. Updating the threat of bullying to a 2026 reality, Mike Flanagan creates a new spin on Carrie, presenting the titular character not as a social outcast, but a sheltered, homeschool girl whose innocence leaves her woefully unprepared for the horrors of high school and the technological terrors that will soon set the community onto a destructive path of fire and blood. Plus, we have some seeds that will grow into a rose one day, one that may just be a tower. . .A Dark Tower if you will.
#396
October 6 · 19 min
New Episode-Lisey's Story (Episodes 5-8)
Welp. That was something. I wanted to love it, I really did. And unfortunately, I found myself falling into the same frustrations that plagued me while reading it. With all of that being said, one thing you can't take away from this show is how beautiful it looks. Truly. For all of my criticisms, concerns and questions, tune in as a I say goodbye to Lisey's Story.
#397
October 3 · 30 min
Carrie, Other Worlds Than These, Oh My!
What a time to be a Stephen King fan! In a few days, we will celebrate our fandom with the one, two punch of Mike Flanagan's updated retelling of Carrie followed immediately by the final chapter of King and Straub's Talisman trilogy, Other Worlds Than These, which is not only a goodbye to Jack Sawyer, but of Mid-World, home to The Dark Tower. And sadly, it's King's goodbye to his longtime friend and collaborator, who had passed away before they could finish the book together. In this episode, I prepare us for what to expect for these two properties, what it means for this show and provide a breakdown of all of the goodies over on the Patreon page, which include exclusive episodes dedicated to the legacy of Carrie, the review of the 2002 TV movie, as well as retrospectives on The Dark Tower including an examination on King's version of the multiverse. It's a great time to be a Stephen King fan, and I hope to share in the upcoming celebrations of that fandom with you all right here at the Stephen Kingcast, one man's musings on the works of Stephen King. As always, write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow me on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook and Bluesky. Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com Check out bonus material, early episodes and reviews of all things pop culture over at patreon.com/stephenkingcast
#395
September 29 · 40 min
New Episode-Lisey's Story (Episodes 1-4)
Here, I examine the first four episodes of the Apple's adaptation of King's most personal work. Longtime listeners will remember that this is a novel I could never connect with, so I was very curious to see if an adaptation would do the same thing for the story what the Mr. Mercedes adaptation had done. Is this show successful? Does it unlock a deeper understanding of what makes this story tick? Find out as I tackle the first four episodes of Lisey's Story.
#394
September 22 · 19 min
New Episode-The Outsider (The Finale, Revisited)
In 2020, when The Outsider first premiered, I recorded a review of the conclusion of The Outsider. In the years that have past, I have a different perspective on its ending. In this episode, I challenge my previous self's criticisms and praise the way the story wrapped up and the series as a whole.
#393
September 15 · 27 min
New Episode-The Outsider (Episodes 8-9)
I continue my analysis of HBO's masterpiece, this time focusing my attention on the brilliance of Ben Mendelsohn's performance as Ralph Anderson.
#392
September 8 · 43 min
New Episode-The Outsider (Episodes 5-7)
In 2020, HBO gave us one of King's adaptations and one of television's most gripping mini series. Stacked with talent and a story woven with delicious writing, we were treated to deeply human story that showed our characters struggle with the unbelievable qualities of the case they're tasked with investigating. What results is a stunning examination of normal people who want to do right, everyday men and woman who must confront an alternate reality from the one they've known their entire lives. In this episode, I celebrate the accomplishments of episodes 5-7 of Richard Price's The Outsider and discuss the rise in pop cultural fame of Cynthia Erivo in the years following her depiction of Holly Gibney.
#391
September 1 · 1 hr 6 min
The Mist (Season 1, Episodes 4-10)
Ahhh, The Mist. It's no surprise that they decided to make a television show considering the impact from the movie, which is still considered to have one of the most divisive and gut punching endings from any movie in history. On paper, there's a lot to squeeze from an expanded television show based off of King's work. And though I may not have liked it at the time, the choice to make the the mist itself, and not the creatures within, the source of the horror is a distinctive choice that separates it from its more famous movie counterpart. With all of that being said, at its heart lies an incredibly flawed and quite frankly dangerous storyline involving rape, homosexuality, and victim-blaming that is so tone deaf I can't believe it made it to the screen. For all my thoughts on episodes 4-10 of The Mist, just press play!
#390
August 25 · 34 min
New Episode-Mr. Mercedes (Season 3, Episodes 6-10)
In this episode, we say goodbye the Finders Keepers crew. Does the John Rothstein plot wrap up nicely? Does it feel like a fitting ending for our characters? Join me in saying goodbye to this criminally underdiscussed adaptation.
#389
August 18 · 34 min
New Episode-Mr. Mercedes (Season 3, Episodes 1-5)
Pulling from the second novel, Finder's Keepers, as the source material for this season, we pick up with Bill and company as they explore the legal and emotional fallout from Lou's execution of Brady Hartsfield while simultaneously dealing with the investigation of the murder of famed local author, John Rothstein. The big question for this season is if it will be able to hold audience's attention now that the villain of the show has been written out, especially coming off of a wild, sci-fi/supernatural twist. Does the show still have gas in its tank? Or has it stalled out? Find out!
#388
August 13 · 32 min
New Episode-Mr. Mercedes-Season 2 (Episodes 6-10)
Welcome back to another episode breaking down the final 5 episodes of the second season of Mr. Mercedes. We start to deviate from the text as it barrels towards a true conclusion for the conflicts that have been bubbling for two seasons. Does it land? How does it compare to the books? Find out this week!
#387
July 30 · 38 min
New Episode-Mr. Mercedes, Season 2 (Episodes 1-5)
In this episode, I dive back into David E. Kelly's wonderful adaptation of a book series that I had struggled with. But watching this show continues to blow me away. The steady hands on the wheel, one hand by Kelly and the other by legendary TV director, Jack Bender, keep this show on the road. And it's one centered by an exceptional performance by Brendan Gleason, who not only brings Bill Hodges to life, but improves upon his character in ways that I am grateful for. It's a lesser talked about King adaptation, but it's truly one of the better ones. So I'm thrilled to continue to spend time with these characters and explore the world of Mr. Mercedes. Write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com For early access to Stephen Kingcast episodes and even more reviews, head over to http://www.patreon.com/stephenkingcast
#386
July 25 · 53 min
New Episode-Big Driver (2011)
In this episode, I read some listener e-mails, address some feedback and discuss why you've been hearing ads on the podcast and the promotion of the Patreon feed. I thought that you should all get a peek behind the curtain, and I wanted to be as transparent as possible. With all of that out of the way, I dive into the adaptation of Stephen King's Big Driver, a Lifetime movie starring Maria Bello. Please note that this review discusses sexual assault, and violence towards women. It's the reason why I never reviewed the movie before now, and if you don't want to spend your time in this headspace, I completely understand. But at the very least, I wanted everyone to be prepared for the subject matter.
#385
June 29 · 1 hr 10 min
Bonus Episode: Westeros, Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Hello, everyone! I know that I didn't put out a new episode last week, but I still wanted to make sure that you had something from me, so in this episode, you get a full, free episode that I recorded earlier this year. With HBO's House of the Dragon having just returned, I thought it was appropriate to publish my original review on the first four episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. More importantly, I examine my relationship with this world, its books, and even wade into the raging waters of the finale of A Game of Thrones. If you have any thoughts, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Find more episodes at patreon.com/stephenkingcast
#381
June 17 · 58 min
Mick Garris' Bag of Bones (2011)
Mick Garris is back with another Stephen King adaptation. Starring James Bond himself as the chambray-shirt wearing best selling novelist who investigates a 100 year old mystery while grieving the recent death of his wife. The novel is a slow burn rumination on loss, heartbreak and the ghosts we carry with us. Is the movie the same? Find out this week! As always, write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow me on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook and Bluesky. Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com Check out bonus material, early episodes and reviews of all things pop culture over atpatreon.com/stephenkingcast
#384
June 7 · 21 min
Let's Get Ready For Interview With The Vampire!
In 1976, Anne Rice forever changed the vampire with the publication of Interview With The Vampire. Injected with romanticism, passion, sexuality, queer relationships and religious existentialism, this novel kicked off a franchise that is still going today. And of course, it introduced one of modern fiction's most impactful characters, the Vampire Lestat. Let's get ready for tonight's premeire of AMC's newest season of Interview with the Vampire by celebrating the book that started it all. You can find the full review, and much much more, over on Patreon. Please write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com
#383
June 3 · 25 min
Sample Episode-Dean Koontz's Winter Moon
This episode is an introduction to a larger exploration occurring over on Patreon. "Ladies and gentlemen, at long last I am diving into the bibliography of one of Stephen King's most prolific contemporaries, the legendary Dean Koontz. In the horror heyday of the 80s and 90s, you could count on two things in the horror section of any bookstore: massive quantities of King books taking up one section and massive quantities of taking up a complete other section just a few feet over. Their creative output and their books' close proximity from the beginning of their last names caused a generation to compare and contrast these two authors, and created a conjured, imagined war between the two: you were either a King fan or a Koontz fan. Clearly, King won the larger pop culture war, but let's not count out Koontz. With over 100 books under his belt, he has been a reliable source of entertainment for decades, and for many of us growing up in the 80s and 90s, it was a treat to have such a vast treasure trove of riches to choose from. Though I grew up reading nearly all of his books, over the last twenty years, I'd fallen off. And when I needed a book to read, I found myself pulling out Winter Moon from a box of old books in my basement. It was one of the books I don't remember clearly, and therefore, it was a perfect book to read again for the first time. I have a lot of thoughts, and I'm happy to share them here on the Dean Koontzcast, one man's musings on the works of Dean Koontz!" For the full episode, head over to the Stephen Kingcast Patreon page for this review, and much, much more!
#382
May 30 · 23 min
Sample Episode-The Mandalorian and Grogu
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars crashed and burned its sequel trilogy with a final installment that created doubt for the future of the franchise. However, at that same time, a little show called The Mandalorian had taken the pop cultural world by storm, and the inclusion of Star Wars' newest character, Baby Yoda, breathed new life into a franchise that, at least on the big screen, seemed on life support. Flash forward seven years later, and Disney finally releases its next Star Wars movie, one based on that smash hit television show. However, we have to ask the question is, did they wait too long? Have audiences tired of this lone wolf and his cub? Is there enough substance in this movie to warrant its place in theaters? In this episode, I contextualize the character, his television show and his movie in the greater landscape of Star Wars before breaking down the elements of the film into the categories of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Strap on your jet packs and launch into my my review of The Mandalorian and Grogu. This is the way. Subscribe for more episodes at patreon.com/stephenkingcast Write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com

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