If I’m going to be taking advice from anyone about what to add to my watchlist (even though I rarely get around to the actual “watching” part), it’s from Stephen King, the author of multiple beloved horror books and as many movie adaptations.
When he’s not offering his candid and oftentimes searing thoughts about former President Donald Trump, the Carrie author is taking to his least favorite platform, X, to sift through all his must-see flicks, TV shows and books.
Even when he is busy promoting his own work on The Life of Chuck — the upcoming, Tom Hiddleston-starring adaptation of his 2020 novella — King still finds time to satiate his movie diet, this time coming in hot with a crime action thriller helmed by Green Room director Jeremy Saulnier.
Titled Rebel Ridge, the Netflix original film was released on September 6, and stars Aaron Pierre as a former Marine who confronts corruption in a small town when local law enforcement unjustly seizes the bag of cash he needs to post his cousin’s bail. Rebel Ridge also stars Knives Out’s Don Johnson, The Office’s David Denman and Anna Sophia Robb of Bridge to Terabithia.
Speaking of the film, which reportedly amassed 31.2 million views in the first three days of its release, King said “it’s one of the best” Netflix originals he has seen, and described it as a “thinking man’s RAMBO.” While any praise sung by King would be considered a win, the author clarified to David Morrell — who authored the Rambo novel upon which the film was based — that there was “no diss” intended by the comparison with Rebel Ridge.
King’s praise of the film appears to be well-placed, since Rebel Ridge currently boasts a 95% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a complimentary consensus that describes it as an “intelligent and gripping vehicle for Aaron Pierre’s star-making performance.” It seems crime thrillers offer a perfect slice of fast-paced escapism amid King’s ever-growing frustration with the presidential race, but it’s hardly the first time he’s offered his two cents on what to watch, read or binge.
In 2013, he said he felt no urge to continue reading both Twilight and The Hunger Games, but did recommend a book which offered a glimpse into the real-life towns that inspired some of fictional settings in his own work. Elsewhere, he recently praised the action reboot Bad Boys: Ride or Die, defended Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga, and said he was “pleasantly surprised” by Sharknado — something this writer also thinks is pleasantly surprising.
He has also weighed in on films like In A Violent Nature and The Fall Guy, as well as Netflix’s smash hit series, Baby Reindeer. Word is still out on whether his own The Life of Chuck will be subject to a King-style review, but we have full trust that the author will be nothing if not honest.
Published: Sep 17, 2024 01:55 am