Although Darabont's adaptation doesn't exactly follow the book, what he did and how he did it, is, I think, unmatchable. Robbins' chemistry with Freeman is such that you're right there with them. You see their friendship slowly build. When Robbins Dufresne approaches Red for the rock hammer and is warned about the item's misuse you think things are going south quickly.

But Red's smirk when he sees the hammer marks the beginning of true friendship and trust.

The other characters are vital to the story as they make prison life what it is: brutal, frightening and claustrophobic.

Clancy Brown's head guard, Hadley, is truly menacing. Warden Norton is threateningly cold despite his reliance on "the good book."

All in all, Frank Darabont's direction, deviation from the book, decision to add voiceover along with a really believable cast makes "Shawshank" a masterpiece. It should be left as is. It can't be improved - only made worse.

Attempting to redo "Shawshank" would be just plain silly.

It's in my top 5 movies ever made.

I've read all of them. The Holly ones are decent with the requisite tension. The 'villains' in them are similar to some horror characters. Just evil enough.

I recently loaned a granddaughter "Thinner" and she loved it! The twist really got her. Excellent story.

I wasn't that taken by "Fairy Tale." The phrasing was good but the premise, to me, wasn't all that good. I liked the interaction between the old man & the kid but otherwise it didn't do much for me.

My favorite has to be "The Dark Tower" series, with "Wolves of Calla," Song of Susannah," and "The Wind Through the Keyhole," the best of the lot. Roland Deschain is an interesting character and how he came to be a gunslinger is really good. The juxtaposition of a gunslinger in what seems to be medieval setting is something so odd but somehow right that it makes sense.

Movie adaptations were hit and miss with the worst being the trucks coming alive. The best? Has to be "Shawshank Redemption." BTW, go see the prison in Mansfield, Ohio, where some scenes were filled and Mansfield itself.

King peppers his books with allusions to Mid-World, the Dark Tower, Roland Deschain and Randall Flagg. So much so that it's sometimes difficult to say they're not intertwined.

Aside from his short story collections, and perhaps we can't count all of those out, his connections to those characters/places is causes my head to spin.

If I had to pick one group it would be The Dark Tower as his towering (pun intended) 'one' book. I could barely wait for each release.

I must say, too, that some of his shorter stories are nothing short of brilliant. The Body. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. The Green Mile. Those among my all time faves.

I was discussing this very topic with my son yesterday. Have Hollywood & studios run out of ideas? I believe remaking movies is a mistake, especially when it comes to classics. I thought The Wiz (sort of a remake of The Wizard of Oz) was a bad idea even though Wiz was a musical.

Twisters? Really? The Magnificent Seven ?Now they're attempting Backdraft, which isn't a classic but an excellent movie. And we have all the iterations of Batman with different leads leaving a sour taste to me.

What's next? The Godfather? The African Queen? How Green Was My Valley?

Leave well enough alone. There are enough stinkers. Why botch timeless offerings?

I'm eager to see Horizon. In this era of copycat whodunits, another super hero exhibiting heretofore unknown (and, frankly, unnecessary) super powers, sloppy horror knockoffs and humorless comedies it's a welcome change to see a Western offering.

I know the MCU is popular but c'mon man. Enough is enough IMHO.

And the death of remakes? Dune. A Star is Born. 12 Angry Men. Superman. Batman iterations. What's next? A Godfather remake? God save me from it.

There simply doesn't seem to be much thought going into movies anymore.

How many times have we seen a project go straight to video or streaming?

ittedly Costner's vision is lengthy as was his Dances With Wolves. DWW eventually became something of a classic. Though it, too, was long and, at times, meandering. DWW is one of.my favorites.

At any rate, time will either be kind to it or it won't.