📚 Hail to the King, baby 😈
📚 Hail to the King, baby 😈
Chances of a Stephen King book being great? Pretty good! Chances of a Stephen King movie being great? A bit dicier.
King's horror prose and other writing has kept Hollywood busy doing adaptations for nearly 50 years, and it's been a mixed bag, honestly. Which is why when we get a movie like "The Monkey," we celebrate. A cursed monkey toy brings about a whole bunch of bloody death in the latest King film, though you might prefer righteous justice doled out by a really ripped dude. Alan Ritchson is back for another season as the hard-hitting, bone-crushing title hero of "Reacher," and we're also excited about the streaming return of dark comedy travelogue "The White Lotus." (Pro tip: Staycations are the best.)
Now on to the good stuff:
Witness a whole bunch of cartoonish carnage in 'The Monkey'
Director Osgood Perkins (son of legendary "Psycho" star Anthony) adapts King's short story for this horror comedy starring Theo James in a dual role as twin brothers who can't escape a cursed monkey toy with drum sticks and a penchant for causing death "Final Destination" style when it gets wound up. There's a lot explored about how we deal with mortality and dying, and it also boasts a litany of enjoyably nasty like a guy getting disemboweled via harpoon and a woman accidentally setting her head on fire before her face meets the sharp business end of a real estate sign.
The movie's release is also cause to update my best Stephen King movie rankings, where classics like "The Shining" and "Carrie" make the list alongside recent adaptations such as "It" and "Gerald's Game."
See Alan Ritchson punch evil in its fat face with new 'Reacher'
Even when the world's kind of in flames, it's nice to see Jack Reacher settling into a new case and saving the day with his brain and his brawn. Based on the Lee Child novels, "Reacher" is now streaming the first trio of episodes from its third season, which finds Alan Ritchson's buff former Army special investigator working undercover for the DEA to find a confidential informant.
Reacher also runs right into a 7-foot-2 henchman played by Olivier Richters, and they give each other fits. Offscreen, the pair got along great, though Ritchson told me for a "Reacher" preview that their fights took a physical toll because his new co-star is "a monster," he says. "Your body's getting tossed around into walls and floor and ceiling and it starts to hurt after a while. But I think audiences are going to love this and it really makes for a great season."
Stream 'The White Lotus' for all-star travel shenanigans
HBO's anthology series "The White Lotus" tackles wealth and people behaving badly with a satirical edge, a fictional luxury hotel chain and an impressive supporting cast. Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey and national treasure Walton Goggins are among the stars of the third season, which takes place at a swank resort in Thailand. While it's not sharp as previous seasons, TV critic Kelly Lawler writes in her ★★★ review that it's still "deliciously twisty" and "pretty anxiety-inducing to watch, even when you've been on this particular vacation two times before."
But wait, there's more: Check out more "White Lotus" coverage, including why Patrick Schwarzenegger is the Season 3 breakout, the return of a surprise past character (spoilers ahoy!) and how people are already trying to figure out Season 4.
Even more goodness to check out!
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
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