1408

Firstly, MINOR SPOILER ALERT AT END OF THIS REVIEW! Ok,I loved this movie, and am surprised that it didn't do better at the box office; I had never even heard of it until I saw it on Amazon. With Stephen King movies, you pay your money and you take a gamble (I remember all these years later, sitting in the theatre and watching CUJO, Hmm, somebody owed a pretty hefty downpayment on the newest house). But 1408 earns its' five star rating, and, having the double disc with both endings included, I have watched both versions a couple of times, and I intend to watch it again, soon. The plot is discussed in the many other reviews listed, and so I am going to pretty much stick to my personal view of the acting, for the most part - obviously, the writing, direction and production can be flawless, but if the acting isn't up to par, it's a complete waste of time, effort and money. John Cusack really surprised me with his portrayal of a burned out, grieving writer, Mike Enslin, who churns out books about hauntings/ghosts/the paranormal not because he has any belief in them (he specializes in debunking such things, but there is an underlying and unspoken suggestion that he may have at one time believed, or hoped to find proof that he could believe), but because it pays the bills. After he receives a mysterious postcard telling him to check out Room 1408 of The Dolphin Hotel in NYC, Mike demands to be allowed to stay in 1408, despite the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson) telling him that the room is not available. This is where the movie pretty much turns into a one man showcase for John Cusack, who gets his way, gets into the room, and then can't get out. Watching John change the character of Enslin from a bored, cold-as-ice-what-do-I-do-today-to-keep-from-driving-off-a-bridge individual whose only child has died to a man who realizes that the bizarre events going on inside that room simply have no explanation (trickery, him being drugged and delusional, etc.) is fascinating, and again, I can't figure out why this movie, and John's acting, didn't make more of a critical splash. Whether he's taken aback at the sudden appearance of pillow mints on the bed or watching a ghostly and long ago suicide victim cross the room and climb onto the open window's ledge, Cusack shows just the right amount of shock, then cracks in the shell, then near hysteria and back to the sudden, sickening recognition that he might not being getting out of there alive. The other actors and actresses in the film are pretty much relegated to glorified extras, all there to advance the plotline, but that acting as well is good, and Samuel L. Jackson, as the manager Gerald Olin, could have delivered his few scenes in too heavy a hand, and it would have come off more camp than frightening...instead, he hits the mark perfectly, and the viewer realizes that Olin is just as afraid of 1408 as he tells everybody else to be. I really, really enjoyed this film, although I strongly disliked the version with the alternate ending: whether it is because you end up liking Mike Enslin, and pulling for him to make it out and not only write a great book but see Life through renewed eyes (there's a few seconds' scene at the beginning of the movie where, when sorting through the mail that holds the 1408 postcard in the first place, Enslin receives a birthday card - Cusack does a wonderful little weary, "So what?" glance at the card and flips it away, saying more right there about what this character feels since his child died than had he spoken three pages of dialogue), I just didn't really want the film to end (SPOILER!) with the hotel room winning. If you want to see Mike not go down as yet another victim to that 'evil f@#!@#@ room', as Gerald Olin puts it, watch the version that was widely circulated. If you want to see how Room 1408 adds another notch to its doorpost, the director's cut is for you. And if you want to be just a little more cautious when traveling from now on, when you check into your next motel/hotel room, do some quick arithmitic of the room number. If it adds up to '13', well....

One of my favorite SK adaptationsTop Shelf pg-13 horror

This movie has phenomenal writing, along with great acting by John Cusack and Samuel Jackson. Definently sticks with you especially if you travel alot or are into ghost stories. This movie is unpredictable in a good way to where you have to pay attention to not miss certain things. Underrated for it's time but way better than anything bejng put out by Hollywood lately.

The number of films adapted from a work by Stephen King are too numerous to list here; but, the number of excellent movies based on a story or novel by the horror maestro is a lot shorter--The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, Misery, The Dead Zone, Hearts of Atlantis, Delores Clairborn, The Mist, Cujo, and now, 1408. This movie, starring John Cusack, was one of the best films that I saw last year, and the Director's Cut with an alternate ending on the special two-disc DVD collection is just as good, if not better in my opinion.For those of you not familiar with either the story or film, John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a man who travels around the country and debunks the myth of haunted houses and rooms, publishing the results in his "occult travel guides." He simply doesn't believe in the afterlife or the supernatural, or anything for that matter, especially since the death of his young daughter from an illness. Everything changes, however, when he visits the Dolphin Hotel in New York City and stays in the infamous Room 1408. Though the manager of the hotel (played wonderfully by Samuel L. Jackson) warns him about the dangers of the room and the large number of people who have died there, Cusack's character thinks it's all a bunch of hot air, designed to attract people to the hotel and increase the business's revenue. Once Cusack gets settled into the room, things start happening to slowly change his mind and by the last quarter of the film, he's struggling just to stay alive. That's when he decides to fight back and to figure out a way to destroy the room and its evil.For me, this was one of John Cusack's best roles. He carried ninety percent of the film on his shoulders and did so brilliantly. I believed in him and his character, and I desperately wanted Mike Enslin to make it out of the room alive. Samuel L. Jackson also did a great job as the smooth talking manager who knows the truth about Room 1408 and decides to let John Cusack do what he has to do. The special effects of the film are believable and extremely intense and will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, spilling the popcorn on the floor. I also have to say that though I really enjoyed the theatrical version of the movie, I think the Director's Cut on the two-disc set was even better. It was longer with an additional seventeen minutes added to the last third of the film, and the alternate ending was more realistic. If you're a fan of Stephen King's writing, or an avid viewer of horror flicks, I would highly recommend this movie. It's one of the better films to be done from the horror writer's stories and definitely one of the best horror movies I've seen in the last few years.