Doctor Sleep (Mike Flanagan, November 8, 2019) • Page 8

Yeah, I was RIVETED the entire runtime but also surprisingly emotional by the end, and I didn't see that coming really. I've never read Doctor Sleep and I believe I only read The Shining once as a kid. I've probably had the most exposure to Kubrick's The Shining just being a big Kubrick fan.

I went back and looked up the differences between the theatrical version and the director's cut, and honestly a lot of my favorite / the most powerful & effecting scenes are additions for the director's cut.

 

I really hope this becomes popular like The Shining, it didnt get all the love it should have. Also I agree the director's cut elevates the film even more.

 

haha I read the first 100 pages of Doctor Sleep and honestly, it was awful. King is one of my favourites but it's definitely on the bad side of his hit ratio (on that note, Revival is a really underrated little chiller and I'm excited for that adaptation)

it was probably good for the movie in the end because it gave Flanagan more freedom to change things around in his version, whereas if the book was better he would have felt more beholden to it. King even said Flanagan's ending made him retrospectively appreciate The Shining more, which is some high fuckin praise

I can't remember exactly what was in the director's cut and what wasn't, but I'm fairly sure Dick Hallorann referencing The Dark Tower wasn't in the theatrical and that's my favourite moment in the film hands down

 

:O I loved Doctor Sleep (the book) it might be my favorite King book

 

damn, maybe it got better after I gave up? or maybe just different strokes etc

 

“You can put things from the Overlook away in boxes, but not memories. Never those. They’re the real ghosts. You take them with you.“

 

Finally got around to watching this for the first time, but I honestly felt like it was waaaaaaay too long. I really felt kind of bored through out. 3 hours was a lot lol. I did really like the very ending in regards to Danny and the way the Shining (book) ends. That was pretty cool!

To be fair this ranks as maybe my least favorite Stephen King book I’ve read so I didn’t expect to love the movie. I’m glad y’all seemed to really enjoy it!

 

What's different about the director's cut? I watched Doctor Sleep in theaters and I've watched it in parts now on HBO but I haven't noticed anything different.

 

The Director's Cut is listed under Extras on HBO Max.

 

Thought this was good. Flanagan is on a tear

 

Finally ended up seeing this and thought it was a turd.

 

lol ok

 

Watched this for the first time recently. Thought it was really damn good.

Agree with the above about Flanagan. I’m at the point where I’m invested in whatever he wants to do.

 

I'm surprised to hear that. I recently watched the director's cut and I thought it was fucking phenomenal. Great throughout it's runtime and then just absolutely reaching another level by the climax / end of the movie.

 

director's cut improved an already great movie

 

I would’ve watched the directors cut if I knew it existed, anything in particular interesting in it?

I think most the stuff with Danny was good but The Knot was just cheesy and boring to me. If it focused on his alcoholism and trying to restart his life then it would’ve been much better.

 

Honestly, I don't know the exact differences - but one example of something that was absolutely RIVETING to me was Danny's conversation with his father / the caretaker in the ballroom and then bathroom. In hindsight that felt like a long, slow scene with a lot of dialogue but there was SO MUCH going on in that scene.

I feel like that scene went on long enough in the director's cut that it was probably extended at least a little bit, but I don't know for sure.

I can see some parts of The Knot stuff coming off as pretty cheesy, although I enjoyed it. I am a huge Rebecca Ferguson fan though, and I feel like there were enough cool touches like the way they fly around through the air at night that were done in a unique and interesting way.

I think the alcoholism / addiction part of the story and him kinda literally confronting the ghost of his father really hooked me in.

 

I liked the scene with Jack as the bartender but I don’t believe the bathroom conversation was in the original cut.

And yeah, I like Rebecca Ferguson a lot in general but her character and that whole crew just didn’t work for me at all.

 

A big part of my negative reaction to this movie is that it wasn’t scary. Like, at all. Most scenes trying to be creepy were directly lifted from the original anyways. I’m having a hard time remembering any successful scary moments in general.

 

If the bathroom part of that scene was cut, I would say honestly that the directors cut is worth it for that scene alone. That interaction between Danny and the ghost of his father (?) for me was easily the best part of the entire movie.

I didn't find the film scary at all either, but I don't really think I was expecting it to be scary to be honest. I don't really find the original Shining very scary either even though I love it. I was surprised they showed the killing of the baseball kid in the manner that they did, but again I didn't think it was scary so much as brutal and grueling and not something I would ever want to see.

I guess for me it worked as a drama about alcoholism / addiction and confronting your ghosts but with horror trappings.

 

Killing Jacob Tremblay scene definitely stood out to me.

 

It was brutal but I wouldn’t say it’s scary though.

 

Talking about the movie has just made me want to watch the director's cut again.