Misery - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]

In my opinion The Shining is the greatest of all Stephen King adaptations and then Misery. There are actually a lot of similarities between Misery and The Shining. There both about writers, in secluded locations, who are deserted at some point due to a snow storm. They both have characters that aren't all there mentally and we are witness to their descent into madness and loss of reality. Both Bates and Nicholson have a way with tools, whether it be an axe or a sledge hammer, and with these tools they have cut and hobbled their way into our memories and into film history.Kathy Bates is the star of this film and deserves her Oscar win as the at times lovable Annie Wilkes, the obsessed fan of author Paul Sheldon played by James Caan. Annie goes from saving Paul to keeping him hostage for her own agenda. The "shining" beacon of this film is without a doubt Kathy Bates who for me is one of the most memorable and witty villains of modern horror film up there with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. With that said Caan is there like a dance partner for Bates every step of the way, he is like John Stockton to her Karl Malone always ready to assist her in enhancing the dark comedy throughout with his reactions by facial expression or perfect delivery of his lines. Caan's non verbal reactions to Annie's tirades are priceless and only enhance her dialouge. Pay attention to Caan's facial expressions during the scene when Annie explains about "chapter plays" and don't call them cliffhangers.So getting back to the king and queen of horror, I had an idea, what if Bate's character Annie Wilkes had rescued/kidnapped Jack Nicholson's character Jack Torrance and what would that dialouge be like. I think it would go something like this:JACK: "Annie, let me explain something to you. Whenever you come in here and interrupt me, you're breaking my concentration. You're distracting me. And it will then take me time to get back to where I was. You understand?"ANNIE: "Understand? UNDERSTAND? I will tell you "what I understand!" I go out of my way for you! I do everything to try and make you happy. I feed you, I clean you, I dress you, and what thanks do I get? "Oh, you bought the wrong paper, Annie, I can't write on this paper, Annie!" Well, I'll get your stupid paper but you just better start showing me a little appreciation around here, Mr. MAN!"JACK: "Now, we're going to make a new rule. When you come in here and you hear me typing[types]or whether you DON'T hear me typing, or whatever the F you hear me doing; when I'm in here, it means that I am working, THAT means don't come in. Now, do you think you can handle that?"ANNIE: "I thought you were good Jack... but you're not good. You're just another lying ol' dirty birdy."Just a thought, forgive me for prattling away and making everything all oogy, here's the dvd features.COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD FEATURES:(A reviewer listed them above but in case they got lost in the review shuffle here they are again)First if your like me and like a nice pristine transfer and good sound the dvd is a definite and worthwhile upgrade. The picture quality far surpassed the older version on dvd and I own both. Also on the sound there was no Dolby Digital 5.1 on the old version and on the Collector's edition there is.SPECIAL FEATURES:Audio Commnt by Rob Reiner and screenwriter William GoldmanMisery loves company featurette, Marc Shaiman's musical Misery tour featuretteDiagnosing Annie Wilkes featurette, Advice for stalked feature, profile of a stalker feature, celebrity stalker feature and anti stalking laws feature.This is a must for any horror fan to add to their collection. It is already a classic and is the type of horror that gives you that warm, glad to be inside, tucked into bed feeling if you can avoid getting hobbled.A great watch for Halloween. Enjoy!

Bought as a gift. It was appreciated.

The Misery Special Edition arrived more or less on time, and the DVD was in perfect condition. A treat (albeit a scary treat) to watch. I imagine there really are avid fans of everything and everybody out there that are just this mentally ill. Kathy Bates does an excellent job portraying Annie Wilkes. James Caan was a surprising choice, but he fits the part perfectly. The local sheriff and his wife add a funny, sassy lightness to the story, breaking up the tension. It was great to see the late Lauren Bacall on the big screen again, even though her role was small. She's elegant as always, and really believable as Caan's big city book agent. Overall, a wonderful, frightening watch for us psychological horror fans. Plus, the story is a Stephen King creation. What more could you want?

Great movie. worth the price.

Classic horror film based on Stephen King novel. Kathy Bates was excellent as the maniac nurse, a performance to be remembered. This horror film is more suspense and not grotesque.

Used dvd. It played just fine. The condition was listed as very good but it did have a few smudges on the disc. Played without skipping though and the seller was quick to ship with no issues

Great old movies. Perfect to watch in a blizzard.

Misery is one of my favorite novels from Stephen King. I wanted to see the film for a long time but being a MGM release, I did not know what to expect. MGM is not very reliable on relesing good-quality blu-rays and they do not have the resources to do appropiate restorations like other studios. Then, I read a review of the BD on Bluray.com and the reviewer gave high marks to picture and audio quality and Amazon lowered the price to $6.00. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.Misery is a great film adaptation thanks to the source material, Rob Reiner's direction and the fantastic performances of Kathy Bates and James Caan. Bates is perfect as the psycothic Annie Wilkes and is a pleasure to watch her transform from a nursing lady into a maniacal person. She really earned her Oscar. James Caan is equally impressive in a role that demanded him to be in bed long periods of time. The movie is tense, scary, dramatic and also funny and that's what make it a classic thriller.Picture and Audio:Misery comes to Blu-Ray looking great. Textures, skin-tones and detail is clean and sharp. There some flickering in some scenes but nothing distracting. A great transfer through and through.The 5.1 Dts-HD MA is not that spectacular but serves the film right. Being a dialogue heavy film, don't expect this to bang the house but the mix serves the film right. Every sound is crisp and crystal clear.Extras:The bad news is that all the extras are on the DVD disc. The BD has none. While that may improve picture and audio quality, at least they should've include the audiocomentaries to go along with the picture.Anyway, the DVD has some good amount of bonus features: Two audiomentaries, a making-of feauterette, a conversation with composer Marc Shaiman, stalkers profiles, advice to stalked people, a diagnosis on Annie Wilkes and two theatrical trailers.Closing Thoughts:Misery remains a classic of horror thanks to the amazing novel that comes from and the excellent cast and crew that went to make the picture. Unlike many MGM titles, the Blu-Ray features excellent picture & sound. The only downside is that all the extras are on the DVD but at least they gave us bonus material. Minor issues aside, Misey on blu-ray comes very highly recommended!!