Riding the Bullet

I am actually surprised to see this movie has gotten as high a rating as it has, as honestly it doesn't deserve it. Unless you are a die hard King fan this probably won't hold much appeal to you. The almost-horror premise involves a young man's trip to visit his mother who has been hospitalized from a stroke. Along the way he comes to terms with his past and current fears involving death in an almost 'Chistmas Carol' like way. The main flaw with the movie is that it may have a good theme about the value of life, but the 'fantasies' that the lead lives in lend a horror aspect that is mostly conveyed as trite and forced. The acting and effects were convincing enough for what it is (though much of the effects that are supposed to scare us involve menacing conversation), but overall it was too uneven to really deliver either a decent horror or a good coming to terms movie. A good choice for a Sunday night when nothing else is on.

This is not one of the worse adaptations of Stephen King's work, but it's another one that makes the successful ones (De Palma's "Carrie," Reiner's "Stand by Me," and Kubrick's "The Shining" come immediately to mind) seem all the more remarkable. Jonathan Jackson does a fine job of playing a self-absorbed and death-fixated jerk. David Arquette does a fine job of playing a weirdo, which I know comes as a shock, but this one is threatening. It's nice to see Barbara Hershey and Cliff Robertson working, but the film is an incoherent, drug-trippy, red-herring-loaded road movie in which each succeeding segment and flashback builds to a huge.... mind-numbing yawn. If you fast-forward to long segments you may miss some details but in the end, you won't care.

I was quite impressed with this film. It obviously wasn't a big-budget or big-marketing film. On my TV, the guide rated this as one-star. But I liked the story, I'm a Stephen King nut, and I enjoy watching films that aren't very well known. Basically, I didn't expect much so I was pleasantly surprised to find a decent movie that had wonderful atmosphere, as well as a strong performance from David Arquette. The movie is a bit random, and yes, it is filled with some cheap, cliché' scares. Basically, this is an exciting horror film that also contains plenty of late 60's music and lifestyle. While it's not perfect, it offers some excellent atmosphere and deserves at least one watch. Definitely recommended for a good Halloween movie.

MickGarris, director of Riding The Bullet, is no stranger to adapting the work of Stephen King for the screen, having previously tackled TV versions of Quicksilver Highway, The Stand, and The Shining, and the big screen adaptation of Sleepwalkers. Of all the directors that have turned King's blockbuster books into movies, Garris seems to be the one of those best able to capture King's literary style on film. This is great news for fans of King's work, but not so great for me; I've always struggled with his books, finding them something of a chore to work through. Naturally, this is also how I felt about Garris's adaptation of Riding The Bullet.

Troubled teen Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) is hitch-hiking to see his mother in hospital. On the way, he encounters many strange people and before his journey is through, he is forced to confront his demons and make some life-changing decisions.

I must stress that this is not a horror film; there are spooky moments, but these are not necessarily supernatural, and are more likely the result of the lead character's fertile imagination. To me, the film was more about not wasting the gift of life, dealing with guilt, and the importance of making good choices.

Garris attempts some particularly strange visual gimmickry during the telling of this tale, but I personally found his quirky directorial style to be annoying, and a truly awful performance from David Arquette certainly didn't help matters; only one or two genuinely creepy moments manage to stop this from being a complete waste of time. It is ironic that, for a film about 'making good choices', the makers of this movie sure seem to have made some bad ones.

A young hitchiking, Jonathan Jackson, leaves his College girlfriend, Erika Christiensen, and back home on his way to the hospital to visit his mummy, Barbara Hershey, who is dying by a sickness. Along the way he is picked up by a mysterious stranger, David Arquette .As while the rides continues, the young man finds out an awful secret and he has to take a creepy choice. The dead travel fast.

A surprising and twisted movie about an eerie choice that is given to a young man and it can mean life or death. Based on a story of the same title by Stephen King, containing some self-biographic elements which was exclusively written for the internet. It displays thills, chills, fantasy and horrifying events . An engaging and provoking story written/produced/directed by Mick Garris in which our starring has to contend weird appearances , while his doppleganger advises him fateful decision. Starts Jonathan Jackson who is assisted by a fine support cast, such as David Arquette, Barbara Hershey , Cris Gauthier, Matt Frewer, Barry Levy , Nicky Katt and the veteran Clift Robertson in one of his last films.

It packs a thriling and terrifying musical score by Nikolas Pike. As well as atmospheric and adequate cinematography by Robert New. The motion picture was professionally directed by Mick Garris, but being inferior than other Stephen King entries .Garris is an expert on terror movies writing, producing and directing several films and TV episodes , Television miniseries of this genre , such as : Sleepwalkers, Tales From the crypt, Quicksilver Highway, Masters of horro, Ravenswood, Bag of bones, Nightmare cinema, The Shining, Psycho IV, Witches of East End, Amazing stories, Freddy's nightmares, Desperation, Sleepwalkers, among others. Rating : Passable and acceptable 5.5/10. The picture will appeal to Stephen King aficionados and completists.