In the latest film adaptation of one of his works, Stephen King has once again demonstrated his uncanny knack for drawing tension from the most unlikely sources. In this case, it was technology, especially cell phones, one of which proved to be a tool for communication between the living and the dead. Unfortunately, as interesting as its premise is, mr. Harrigan’s Phone lacks the necessary ingredients to make it truly memorable; it’s not terrible at all.
Based on The King’s Novella 2021 Collection If It Bleeds , which premiered on Netflix and takes place in a seemingly idyllic New England town, it serves so much of his work. In the prologue of we are introduced to the little boy Craig (Colin O’Brien) , he was raised alone by his loving working-class father (Joe Tippett) following the death of his mother. Soon after, the reclusive Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland), the richest man in town, was impressed after Craig offered a Bible reading at church . He pays him $5 an hour to read books aloud in his grand mansion, including things like Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Child unfriendly title Heart of Darkness .
Mr. Harrigan’s phone number
Bottom line
Missed call.
Release Date : Wednesday, October 5 (Netflix)
Throw
: Donald Sutherland, Jaden Martell, Joe Tippet, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Cyrus Arnold, Colin O’Brien, Thomas Francis Murphy, Peggy J. Scott
Director and screenwriter:
John Lee Hancock
Rated PG-, 1 hour44 minute
Cut to a few years later, when now teenage Craig (Jaeden Martell, veteran of the former King adaptation) it and its sequels) and his Aged employers develop a friendly, if not downright warm relationship. Mr. Harrigan even regularly gave him the standard gift of a lottery ticket, one of which turned out to be $3, winner. A grateful Craig in turn gave Mr. Harrigan an iPhone, which the confirmed Luddite claimed was not interested in. But when Craig proved the device could deliver the latest stock report, the billionaire investor was an instant investor. They even share a ringtone, Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man,” whose title finally carries a grotesque connotation.
Mr. Harrigan did have the foresight to see the dangers of an Internet with unlimited potential. He gave a lengthy speech about its potentially harmful consequences for the media and politics, including incredibly prescient (in hindsight, of course). You could say it was the theme that inspired Kim to write the story in the first place, and adding horror elements made it narratively palatable.
The problem is that director/writer John Lee Hancock (blind spot). Mr. Harrigan’s sudden death left Craig a large sum of money to educate and pursue his dream of becoming a screenwriter (you don’t have to imagine what Mr. Harrigan thinks that idea). Grateful young men secretly put their employer’s mobile phone in the coffin along with their own body as the last token of their friendship.
Craig was sometimes easy to get along with deceased friends or relatives, Craig would impulsively call Mr. Harrigan and leave a message when he was in distress, Such as when he falls victim to a creepy bully at school (Cyrus Arnold). When he started getting text messages back and soon found out that the bully had died mysteriously, he became concerned that his former employer might be helping him in malicious ways from beyond the grave.
The latest horror movie hit2020 Black Phone is sold with similar ideas, but in a more horrific way. Hancock doesn’t seem too interested in digging into the creepy aspects of the concept, and to be fair, isn’t particularly well developed in King’s novella. Instead, the film is mostly a brooding portrayal of an unlikely friendship and the coming-of-age story of a young man who understands the dangers of getting what you want.
The movie still has some impact as Sutherland uses his veteran skills to cast his grumpy Mr. Harrigan as a character in a Dickens novel, as well as in Martell, which has always been great in movies like St. Petersburg. Vincent , Midnight Special and The Book of Henry We Really of concern for his sensitive, troubled teenager. This is the rare King adaptation, and the scarier the story, the less interesting it is.
2021 Full Credits 2021
Production Companies: Blumhouse Productions, Ryan Murphy Productions
2021Publisher: Netflix Cast: Donald Sutherland, Jayden Martell, Joe Tippet, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Cyrus Arnold, Colin O’Brien, Thomas Francis Murphy, Peggy J. Scott
Director and screenwriter: John Lee Hancock
2021Producers: Ryan Murphy, Jason Bloom, Kara Harken
2021Executive Producers: Stephen King, Amy Sellers, Chris Macomber, Jeremy Gold, Scott Greenberg, Alexis Woodhall, Eric Coffton, Scott Robertson
Director of Photography: John Schwartzman
Production Designer: Michael Corenblith
Edited by: Robert Franzen 2021 Costume Designer: Daniel Orlandi
Composer: Javier Navarrete
Casting: Terri Taylor, Sarah Dormer Lindo
Rated PG-13, 1 hour44 minute 2021 THR Newsletter
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