by Josh Sewell
The Long Walk
(Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, suicide, pervasive language and sexual references. Opens in theaters on September 12.)
Stephen King is one of the most beloved and successful writers of all time, but cinematic adaptations of his work have a notoriously rough track record. For every Misery, The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me, there’s Dreamcatcher, a dozen direct-to-video Children of the Corn sequels and (perhaps most painful of all) The Dark Tower.
Fortunately, 2025 has seen a rehabilitation of King’s cinematic reputation thanks to Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey (nasty fun), Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck (beautiful but overlooked) and hopefully Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, set for release in November. This weekend, one of King’s most disturbing tales finally arrives in theaters after decades of failed attempts.
Francis Lawrence, who directed all the Hunger Games movies except the first one, returns to the theme of dystopian televised murder – albeit a far more disturbing version – with the nihilistic The Long Walk. It’s not an easy watch whatsoever, but those with the strength to endure it will find a surprising amount of heart and gallows humor beneath the graphic violence.
(Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, suicide, pervasive language and sexual references. Opens in theaters on September 12.)
Stephen King is one of the most beloved and successful writers of all time, but cinematic adaptations of his work have a notoriously rough track record. For every Misery, The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me, there’s Dreamcatcher, a dozen direct-to-video Children of the Corn sequels and (perhaps most painful of all) The Dark Tower.
Fortunately, 2025 has seen a rehabilitation of King’s cinematic reputation thanks to Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey (nasty fun), Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck (beautiful but overlooked) and hopefully Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, set for release in November. This weekend, one of King’s most disturbing tales finally arrives in theaters after decades of failed attempts.
Francis Lawrence, who directed all the Hunger Games movies except the first one, returns to the theme of dystopian televised murder – albeit a far more disturbing version – with the nihilistic The Long Walk. It’s not an easy watch whatsoever, but those with the strength to endure it will find a surprising amount of heart and gallows humor beneath the graphic violence.
Based on the first novel King ever wrote (although not the first he published – that was Carrie), the bleak tale is set in an apocalyptic, post-war America. Most of the population is so poverty-stricken that all young men register for the titular challenge, in which 50 contestants must maintain a consistent pace of three miles per hour.
Fall below the speed, they’re given a warning. After three warnings, they’re executed on the spot. There’s only one winner, no breaks and no finish line. The prize is untold riches and a single wish.
Although it’s not a film I see myself returning to often – I can’t express enough what a tough watch it is – The Long Walk joins the ranks of the classic King adaptations I mentioned earlier. That’s because it nails the novel’s tone and themes, as well as Lawrence’s and screenwriter JT Mollner’s ability to prove the Vietnam War allegory can easily be applied to our modern political upheavals with practically no alterations.
Fall below the speed, they’re given a warning. After three warnings, they’re executed on the spot. There’s only one winner, no breaks and no finish line. The prize is untold riches and a single wish.
Although it’s not a film I see myself returning to often – I can’t express enough what a tough watch it is – The Long Walk joins the ranks of the classic King adaptations I mentioned earlier. That’s because it nails the novel’s tone and themes, as well as Lawrence’s and screenwriter JT Mollner’s ability to prove the Vietnam War allegory can easily be applied to our modern political upheavals with practically no alterations.
King wrote the story as a 1960s college student watching a lot of guys around him get drafted (it was eventually published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman). However, the premise still makes sense in the current era, as young adults realize there’s not much of an American Dream left for them to work toward.
Fortunately, despite the ultra-dark tone, the excellent cast makes the characters engaging from the start. That’s especially true for Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson as the film’s co-leads. Ben Wang is endearing as the snarky guy who delivers much-needed comic relief (what little there is), while Charlie Plummer and Garrett Wareing are chilling as the group’s complex antagonists. Sadly, Mark Hamill doesn’t get a lot to do as the game’s “host,” although it’s hard to craft a realistic performance when your role is more of a metaphor than a person.
It doesn’t always work out well for movies in development for decades. However, in the case of The Long Walk, the difficult journey of adaptation has resulted in a profoundly moving piece of art. Lawrence and Mollner pulled off a feat many considered impossible.
Grade: A-
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
(Rated R for language including some sexual references. Opens in theaters on September 12.)
Fortunately, despite the ultra-dark tone, the excellent cast makes the characters engaging from the start. That’s especially true for Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson as the film’s co-leads. Ben Wang is endearing as the snarky guy who delivers much-needed comic relief (what little there is), while Charlie Plummer and Garrett Wareing are chilling as the group’s complex antagonists. Sadly, Mark Hamill doesn’t get a lot to do as the game’s “host,” although it’s hard to craft a realistic performance when your role is more of a metaphor than a person.
It doesn’t always work out well for movies in development for decades. However, in the case of The Long Walk, the difficult journey of adaptation has resulted in a profoundly moving piece of art. Lawrence and Mollner pulled off a feat many considered impossible.
Grade: A-
(Rated R for language including some sexual references. Opens in theaters on September 12.)
This is Spinal Tap, the iconic mockumentary about a ridiculous heavy metal group, became a comedy classic shortly after its release in 1984. The sharp improvisational comedy skills of director/co-writer Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer – along with the central trio’s legitimate musical talent – became the favorite movie of a lot of comedians and rock stars. Not to mention it inspired countless other classics of the form, including the British and American versions of The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, several of Guest’s other films and the criminally underseen Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
An astonishing 41 years later, the gang is back together with Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, in which estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins (McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Guest) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) are forced to reunited for one last concert. Also returning is documentarian Marty Di Bergi (Reiner), who tries to get the wounded, sullen bandmates to open up and hash out their differences.
While the sequel isn’t as hilarious as the original, I don’t think anyone expected it to be. Instead, it’s an enjoyable hang out movie that allows fans to catch up with some great comedians playing beloved characters one more time. In addition, there are some endearing appearances from real-life rockers Paul McCartney and Elton John, both good sports for poking a little fun at themselves. Valerie Franco is also quite good as (uh oh…) Spinal Tap’s latest drummer.
While the sequel isn’t as hilarious as the original, I don’t think anyone expected it to be. Instead, it’s an enjoyable hang out movie that allows fans to catch up with some great comedians playing beloved characters one more time. In addition, there are some endearing appearances from real-life rockers Paul McCartney and Elton John, both good sports for poking a little fun at themselves. Valerie Franco is also quite good as (uh oh…) Spinal Tap’s latest drummer.
Granted, none of the jokes hit as hard as “These go to eleven” or “There’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.” But a running gag about Nigel’s obsession with cheese made me laugh every time and a “Stonehenge” callback allows the movie to end in amusing chaos.
I was surprised, but not at all upset, that such a large amount of the movie’s brief running time is devoted to simply watching the characters play music. However, when the actors are as talented as these guys, it’s tough to complain about a nostalgic mini concert.
Grade: B-
I was surprised, but not at all upset, that such a large amount of the movie’s brief running time is devoted to simply watching the characters play music. However, when the actors are as talented as these guys, it’s tough to complain about a nostalgic mini concert.
Grade: B-
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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