Misery Review - Off The Shelf Reviews

This week Gary and Iain review and discuss, Misery (1990) by Director, Rob Reiner. Starring, James Caan, Kathy Bates and Richard Farnsworth.
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[@paulhirst7602]

It doesn't matter how often you watch this movie, the scene were Kathy Bates character snaps James Caan's ankles is shocking , truly the stuff of nightmares. Unquestionably one of King's finest film adaptations.

[@actionjackson7434]

Hobbling 😮😖

[@IainHamilton]

Never thought much of the film tbh but that scene, as you said is just jaw dropping.

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

You think that's bad the book is even more horrific

[@darkdemonqueen]

@@MrLorenzovanmatterho the book is great. Highly recommend if you love the movie!

[@davedennison7386]

She does it worse in the book...

[@crunky565677]

Love every video you guys make!!

[@twistedspike69]

I thought you didn’t like the tommyknockers?

[@volusize]

I wince everytime at the ankle scene 🤮

[@horroroffab]

castle rock season 2

[@gnc623]

One of the things I love about this movie is how intelligently the characters are written, both Paul and Annie. In most movies, someone in Paul's position would be insulting and yelling at Annie: "You're crazy!" "You'll never get away with this!" "I'll never do what you want!" etc. But Paul is SMART. He KNOWS she's crazy so to her face he does everything he can to appease her and be nice to her while secretly plotting behind her back. Also, about the scene where Annie spills the poisoned wine. She definitely knew, or at least suspected it was poisoned. Because when she picks the glass back up, she holds it still upside down for just a tad bit in order to ensure that all of the wine came out of the glass. Because when you spill something, your natural reactionary instinct is to get it set upright as quickly as possible, even though there may still be nothing in the glass. After she picks it up, she holds it upside-down just briefly enough to make sure every last drop has trickled out.

[@edisonlima4647]

Kathy Bates is such an outstanding actor. And during their "date" she looks absolutely adorable. It is kinda amazing. Love her in Misery, but I might love her even more in another Stephen King adaptation, "Dolores Clayborne". There she is just perfect!

[@aleaanderson6600]

Yeah. It's a shame that "Dolores Claiborne" doesn't get talked about much whenever good Stephen King adaptations are concerned.

[@fluffiedoom]

@@aleaanderson6600 I LOVE Dolores Claiborne! One of my favorites

[@dominick253]

They are up there with red letter media. That's the best praise I can give.

[@eriktruchinskas3747]

To me they're better, the blond guy always bugged me. In terms of letting you know the plot these guys and foundflix are the best

[@ShimaS-0079]

Red letter media is okay but really annoying. These guys are awesome been watching for years, they have way better delivery and banter. They also have energy

[@CanImakeamilliondollars]

Please they are better, no annoying high pitched rich laughter

[@UnCreativeDeconstructionism]

Red letter media is an acquired taste but once enjoyed you can binge their videos. They're so good. Especially with their ironic videos.

[@Grandmastergav86]

Can't stand RLM.

[@Lilwaltify]

Who else was waiting on these guys to review this movie? Best on KZbin period 💯

[@johnashley327]

I still remember the breaking of the ankles. Kathy was scary as hell in this. I hope she is in next season of AHS.

[@donna25871]

William Goldman and Rob Reiner also did The Princess Bride (it may have been the one directly before Misery). Nothing better than a Stephen King adaptation done well and this was one of the best.

[@Jay-mu4xl]

You know its Thursday because it's the best day thanks to otsr! Have a good one shelfers!

[@Optics2024]

Fair to say your review about the film Misery...... Did not cause me any..... Misery!! I’m here all week

[@eightykakes15]

Wow, started rewatching this a few days ago. Classic. King also fascinated me as he's good with horror and the such, but I think he really shines with thrillers.

[@shallendor]

This reminded me of the movie "Play Misty for Me"!

[@aleaanderson6600]

I love that movie. Many say the world would have never got films like "Fatal Attraction" if "Play Misty for Me" hadn't come first.

[@actionjackson7434]

I think of the opening to this film whenever I hear Shotgun by Jr. Walker and The All-Stars.

[@brihiggins]

I love it when the Sheriff puts the missing person alert through the system.

[@chadatchison145]

Oh hell yeah boys it must be Thursday morning cos we got some OTSR right here!

[@avalangrin4904]

I hated that scene when Annie kills Buster. I really hated Annie, and wanted Paul to kick her ass after that. 😔😔😔

[@TrocaTheNero]

Buster is such a great character, so sad when he dies JUST as he's found Paul, which he's tried to do through the whole movie.

[@G_Elektrik]

One the best king adaptations, great direction, writing and cinematography but the casting was what made the film great with Caan as the high class writer turn survivor and Bates as the caring savior turn psycho maniac, and those two carry and elevate the movie Still an impresive film after all this years, a must see

[@jasonmorgan1543]

Love the review guys also if u pause the movie during the scene where paul is looking through the scrapbook and read it u will see actually that Mr wilkes is not annie's husband its actually her father. It says he fell down the stairs mysteriously and his 11 yr old daughter annie found him.

[@theghost3061]

OMG !!! I knew one day you guys would do this movie. Just need a cup of joe and I’ll be watching

[@quinceorchard]

Have you both seen the film " The Grey" starring Liam neeson? It's a great survival film about a bunch of passengers plane crashes in the artic and the survivors have to survive being picked off by wolves and try to make it to safely.

[@tjenahoj]

A great survival wilderness movie in my book!

[@lotrgirl275]

Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I'll ever know!

[@GeoffreyWare]

I really like James Caan... the very 1st thing I saw him in he did not play a bad guy... he was John Wayne's little buddy Mississippi in El Dorado

[@AubreyTheKing]

I can't believe you guys finally reviewed Misery!!! I LOVE THIS FILM SO MUCH! Definitely one of Stephan King's BEST on screen films to date! You can't go wrong with this masterpiece! Thanks for reviewing it! You guys rock!

[@Luvie1980]

Would this be considered a Christmas 🎄 movie?

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

Would The Battle of the Bulge be?

[@Madbandit77]

There's a lot of snow...

[@anthonydebenedictis5625]

I want to say that as a person who has always lived in Western Massachusetts, which is snowy and mountainous, the Ford mustang is a notoriously bad vehicle to drive in the snow. His drive through the mountains is something I would be terrified to doing that car. I wonder if they deliberately had him use that car in the movie to make it make more sense that he would have a car accident in such conditions.

[@GamerWho]

Do you remember the French and Saunders parody?

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

You sure that wasn't 'Whatever happened to Baby Jane?'.

[@GamerWho]

@@MrLorenzovanmatterho no because they make a joke about how Annie keeps coming back from the dead during the fight scene, with Paul eventually firing a rocket launcher at her. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5fXgoR3aM2Be7M

[@mehvil5620]

With All the lockdowns in 2020 I'm feeling like James caan any my government is Cathy bates

[@promnightdumpsterbaby9553]

You have to follow our cockadoody rules!!! Or we'll give you the sledge hammer,because we care.....

[@fallingpetunias9046]

I enjoy that Stephen King movies always seem to have that slightly comical daily life to break up the dread and horror of the main plot as it really helps cleanse the palate for the next terrifying scene. And I really liked the ending scene for showing the scars. Normally these films end when the antagonist is defeated and the protagonists saying it'll be alright forever now (then final jump-scare for sequelitis). To show James succeeding and enjoying life yet still hobbled and hallucinating - and to actually have a triggering phrase like "I'm your biggest fan" - hits you with a sense of closure and dread I find rare.

[@melissaherndon3211]

Buster's wife is Bunny from Sex and the City

[@poweramulets1725]

Where is the "...and I'm Gary!" shirt 👕

[@DJPaulFreeman]

What if it wasn’t James Caan starring, instead it was Jürgen Prochnow. I wonder if she reads Sutter Cain? (He sees you).

[@CodGodess]

That comment “ and he clocks her in the fucking head “ had me in stitches

[@CreepyBoris]

Have you guys watched Castle Rock? Season 2 focuses on a young Annie Wilkes, its pretty cool.

[@ShimaS-0079]

Great film. I'm strangely attracted to Kathy Bates from this film.

[@gowkie3940]

I love shelf day

[@art-of-techno]

Just incase you guys haven't seen it yet, may i recommend "Play Misty for me" 1971 with Clint Eastwood. ;)

[@teacherrussell5206]

First off, I'm guessing that's a Slaughtered Lamb shirt you're wearing. Brilliant. Great review. Brought a couple of things to my attention I hadn't noticed before. I read this book as a kid and loved it. Was very disappointed in the movie then, but have watched it about 300 times as an adult. I then lived through a less gruesome but very similar experience with a much more attractive and intelligent girl. Bi-polar and riddled with personality disorders. Terrifying. Less gruesome but gruesome nonetheless. Thought I'd never date again, but happily married now😄 Single folks, be careful out there!

[@lindaquemasda5927]

Why haven't you reviewed all the freddys??? Come on.. You know it makes sense. 😉

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

F13th first!

[@johndenver3002]

NICE REVIEW......................I AM YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN !!!!

[@GhoulQueen91]

Sleepwalkers is one most claimed to be really bad if not worst or not remember it. But I'm a weirdo and it stuck with me since childhood and is one of if not my favorite tho I can admit it's not that great. That's one I wish would get a remake just to see what they would do with it.

[@nzneo643]

I can agree fully to that and relate as I saw that film when I was quite young aswell.

[@fluffiedoom]

One of my absolute favorite films. Great review!

[@teacherrussell5206]

One of the more underrated King adaptions: Thinner! Silver Bullet is also fantastic.

[@jeffmartin9753]

Off The Shelf Reviews!

[@pam7022]

Brilliant review! Thrilled that both of you recognized the very underrated performance of James Caan. Caan was indeed an integral part of this movie being great.

[@horrorfanandy4647]

Caan was an incredible actor. While Bates deserves no end of praise, Caan spends most of the film bed-bound or in a wheelchair and has to act as Paul who has to put on a constant act to keep Annie from taking the sledgehammer to his skull instead. He is absolutely brilliant and every time I reread the novel, it’s Caan I picture as Paul Sheldon.

[@eightykakes15]

And wow... I was 10 when this was released/I first saw this... Obviously I'm 40 now.😐 30 years... 🤔... I need a drink.

[@TomTom.o.]

I put the laughter in slaughter but I don't put the thing in therapist

[@FrankNFurter1000]

Off the Shelf Reviews are among the only KZbin reviewers I can tolerate. You guys are brilliant.

[@FrankNFurter1000]

@@justindenney-hall5875 in retrospect that’s probably not the word I wanted to use, but you get the point.

[@gnc623]

I'm the one who requested this film. Thanks guys! This is my favorite Stephen King film!

[@alexjacobsen8487]

26:10 that went right through me. Horrific

[@juniorlopez7410]

F!!!! Yes! You guys reviewing one of my favorite books! Thanks and happy holidays.. even though it's 3.20am over here.. f-all I'm watching this :]

[@edisonlima4647]

One thing I looove in the book that would have probably not worked much in the movie is that the novel intercalates its story with chapters from the in book "Misery Returns" novel, and those bits are so fancy, dark and warped (like a mix of Jane Austen and Stephen King) that it is a shame we don't get to read it! Had the book come out today, there would be probably tie in Misery Chastain novels.

[@robertmarginean164]

This is absolutely a horror film

[@johanprx7985]

This is a great movie. I totally understand why you see nothing anymore about the storyline of the Sheriff after he got killed. The James Caan character needed to be all alone. If there was any investigation about the Sheriff you still would have had a feeling the James Caan character would have been saved. It would have reduced the tension.

[@ryancannon4110]

You guys are two of the greatest movie reviewers ever, like the Siskel & Ebert of KZbin! Can you guys do reviews on the 1974 rape & revenge action & adventure thriller "Death Wish," the 2005 South Korean action & adventure thriller "Lady Vengeance," & the 2010 Serbian mystery & suspense psychological horror film "A Serbian Film?"

[@legendsoffear1]

One of my favorite films by the great King, and i get the feeling it makes a lot of peoples top tens. I like how you pointed out how Stephen tried to branch out and do other novels other than horror, and some of his best work isn't even horror related. I would call this movie dark with elements of horror, but its not a full blown scary movie. It ranks closer to a thriller/suspenseful movie which it does very well. As evil as Annie is in this movie (And even worse in the novel), i always wondered if Paul would of survived if she didn't rescue him. In a creepy and terrifying way, its kind of a good thing she stalked him that day because i think Paul would of been long gone by the police found him. You see in a later scene, and you show it in this review were the sheriff can't see Paul's car because it is buried in snow, and gives up looking there.

[@curtlindberg712]

Love this film. Maybe the best adaptation.

[@promnightdumpsterbaby9553]

I'd always seen james caan as a kid in shitloads of movies and waa just what ever. I appreciate him now in my older years. Roller ball ,Godfather, misery. So many more. Guy was great.

[@anthonyhiggins9799]

An old favourite of mine. Delighted to see this in my notifications.

[@stevenguitink5947]

The thing about that scene where the sheriff got shot.... Originally they were going to stick to book and have Annie run the cop (because it was a cop) run over with a lawnmower, but they decided it was too silly. Which saddened Kathy Bates, because she was looking forward to that scene. Kathy Bates is awesome. xD

[@Rakerong]

I never read the book but that DOES sound too silly lol. I think it was a good change, it would have taken me right out of the movie. The surprise shotgun to the chest was more than enough, that wound looked brutal and I got even more scared of Annie.

[@horrorfanandy4647]

⁠@@Rakerong It’s horrific in the book, but it’s mainly all from Paul’s perspective and imagining how that would look on screen is quite funny really. I’m picturing it now: James Caan sees the young state trooper out of the window, then we see his eyes widen as Kathy Bates storms towards the trooper with a cross. The trooper is so shocked that Paul is alive that he doesn’t even notice Annie until the last second. She stabs him repeatedly with the cross, then leaves him for dead. He isn’t, he starts crawling away desperately. Paul can do nothing but watch. Now this actually sounds reasonably effective and is essentially what happens in the film but with the shotgun instead. However, we now hear the lawnmower and Annie comes back. Cut to horrified James Caan face. Annie revs the mower and drives it over the troopers head. Cut to a wide shot of this utterly bizarre image. Cut away again. Annie comes into Paul’s room, covered in blood, casually talking about how she had to spend ages getting the bits of the trooper off the blades so the mower wouldn’t clog up and break. She leaves. Horrified James Caan face again. It would have been simultaneously disgusting and absolutely hilarious! 🤣

[@birtangooner4730]

👍🎬🎥👊 love this film 👍

[@jimlunn]

You guys absolutely fucking know your shit. And you make it funny as well. Amazing review

[@manwiththeplan4130]

Yeeesssss Lads. Smashed it with this. Thank you so much for doing this classic. great review as always lads. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@rafaelvargas8891]

Y'all should do a review on stephen king's sleepwalkers now that movie is maximum overdrive hilarious

[@Grandmastergav86]

Hi Gary and Iain, I'm your number one fan...😁😁😁

[@kristennelson3190]

"The Dark Tower" is a pretty terrible big budget adaptation!👎😝

[@BrookeWinter82]

Question: How do all these psychos in movies end up with shit loads of narcotics? i see this all the time...wtf.

[@mtsnoop]

A lot of Stephen King adaptations shine by the basic themes from the books they covered, but not so much from the filming material. There are few parts, where they get it right, but mostly the movies thrive from the source ideas, but lack SOMETHING compared to the novels. So I tend to think, that there could have been better films when given to the right directors. This is a better one of Stephen King films, though!

[@AdrianMendoza23]

Great review, Great movie. You guys should watch Dolores Claiborne, great film.

[@thefractalcurve5462]

Speaking of stalker movies, I think you guys would like 'Enduring Love', with Daniel Craig. It's creepy in the vein of Misery.

[@markbarrett4440]

Good call! 'Enduring Love' is an incredible film, has the same sense of foreboding and crazy obsession. Rhys Ifans is outstanding as Jed.

[@jollyjakelovell4787]

While reading IT a quarter century ago a dime bag of coke fell out of it. I wonder if there is any correlation in how little King is involved in a movie adaptation of one of his books to how successful said film is at the box office.

[@talknewz7617]

Love Misery 🧡

[@alexjacobsen8487]

Could you imagine if he went to strike the match and it snapped 😂😱😱

[@TheUballe]

Thanks, guys. These awesome reviews are perfect for long, shitty commutes.

[@Protoman85]

My mother was abusive and Kathy Bates bears a resemblance to my mother... I haven't seen this movie yet. This and "Mommie Dearest" are hard ones for me

[@jennifermoriarty2188]

Wish they did the book ending..with him publishing tge book

[@jeffn4836]

I think Iain has a second job as the drummer for Unleash the Archers.

[@The6sixx6]

Triple H! Love you guys my favourite KZbinrs by a mile. Keep up the great work and Merry Christmas

[@samfischer3997]

I live in the state of Missouri, oh sorry my spelling needs attention.

[@tjenahoj]

Awesome guys! For some reason I think of Metallica... James Caan is fantastic in this (and makes me want to see Godfather, A bridge too far and Thief! ... I really like the sheriff in this.too! :) I wonder if theres any relations to "The bone collector" an "Rear window" in term of bedridden disabled hero?

[@actionjackson7434]

Which song by Metalica?

[@tjenahoj]

@@actionjackson7434 Nothing more complicated than "my friend in misery"

[@actionjackson7434]

Of course, well said, I thoroughly enjoyed the Black Album.

[@Grandmastergav86]

Ahh yes Metallica, that'd be the corporate tribute act who've yet to release a decent album... here's hoping.

[@samfischer3997]

If someone ever says they're your #1 fan, RUN far away as fast as you can.

[@Intruder84]

You guys rock!

[@123rockfan]

You guys described the suspense and creepiness of Misery so well that I actually started looking over my shoulder in my darkened house lol

[@Diamondelle84]

15:17 I thought marriage was supposed to cure that 😏

[@Ski-bd1rq]

You didn’t mention Steven kings “Christine”.

[@jamesweber4390]

Rose red ♥

[@jmc8602]

awesome review guys , top shelf indeed

[@danielwilliamson275]

When are you guys gonna do the shining????????

[@kevindobson6568]

Will u cover the Species franchise?

[@AbrasiousProductions]

this film is why I don't wanna be famous.

[@THAT-PREACHY-DUDE]

Can you guys do "What Lies Beneath"

[@philipchildukvhs4767]

Have you seen the film called Dolores Claiborne

[@87g4g3]

That was a kakadoodi good review.

[@nzneo643]

Hello lads hope all is well over there in the UK.

[@talknewz7617]

Stephen King is brilliant!

[@dennisalvarado5134]

Man you both have awesome shirts on

[@UnCreativeDeconstructionism]

*Turn Up*

[@flerbus]

the sheriff got scatmanned

[@bonniescott6470]

Love this movie 👍 Good video 👍