It took almost twenty years for the author of The Hobbit to pen a sequel - time enough for the children who grew up on the story to mature into readers capable of tackling a darker, denser saga spanning three separate novels. Fellowship of the Ring begins the adventure with aged journeyman Bilbo Baggins giving nephew Frodo a magic ring he won from monstrous Gollum. Wizard Gandalf can see the treasure is a conduit for dark magic, and sends the new ringbearer and his three Hobbit friends Sam, Merr...
Sep 04, 2014•45 min
It's hard to believe there was a time when the world didn't know of Hobbits, those hairy-toed homebodies who prefer a good pipe and cozy hole in the ground to the promise of fame and fortune. But their secret subterranean lifestyle was exposed in 1937 when author J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit. Intended for children, but serving as the basis for his more sophisticated later Lord of the Rings trilogy, this introductory Middle Earth novel offers a delightful account of how paternalistic wizar...
Aug 28, 2014•42 min
Of all the stories in Stephen King's Night Shift none have the name recognition, or the notoriety, of "Children of the Corn." Originally published in a 1977 issue of Penthouse, this story has spawned one of the longest-running horror franchises in film history! Now hear Arnie's review of the short story, then join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob at nowplayingpodcast.com to hear their reviews of all nine Children of the Corn films, as well as the "Dollar Baby" adaptation Disciples of the Crow!
Aug 19, 2014•38 min
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco where an uneasy truce is being negotiated between distrustful apes and paranoid human survivors. How did things get so bad between man and his closest genetic match to make war such an inevitable outcome? And what was life like in the initial days after apes broke free of their cages and stormed across the Golden Gate bridge to take refuge in the Redwoods? In the prequel novel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm auth...
Jul 17, 2014•15 min
Planet of the Apes might have begun in literature, but it reached mass popularity and commercial success with the 1968 Charlton Heston movie. That cinema classic, and its four sequels, presents a stark future Earth where Mankind has slipped back into savagery and become slaves to our evolutionary brethren. In 2011 - the same year Twentieth Century Fox released blockbuster reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Archaia Entertainment, author Andrew Gaska, and over a dozen celebrated illustrators ...
Jul 10, 2014•20 min
In Tim Burton's 2001 film Planet of the Apes Leo Davidson (played by Mark Wahlberg) is sent to the alien world Ashlar in the far future where humans and smart apes wage war upon each other. But how did humans get to Ashlar and what role did Davidson's space station Oberon play? The movie never answered those questions, but two novels by author William T. Quick did! Now Stuart in LA is here to bring you up to speed with his summaries and reviews of Planet of the Apes: The Fall and Planet of the A...
Jul 03, 2014•24 min
The story of the monolith and man's exploration of space concludes in Arthur C. Clarke's ultimate Odyssey novel 3001: The Final Odyssey. Set a thousand years after Dave, Frank and HAL journeyed into space to investigate the strange lunar monolith, this concluding chapter reveals the true motivations of the mysterious alien race, with some familiar faces returning to guide readers. Now join Stuart as his voyage through the years concludes and he reviews this 31st Century adventure. Then head to N...
Jun 23, 2014•29 min
The movies ended in 2010 but the story of humanity's Space Odyssey continued in novels by original 2001 co-creator Arthur C. Clarke. In this third installment of the series Heywood Floyd is on a mission to land on Haley's comet but unexpected events lead him to Europa--the one place in the galaxy the monolith forbade man to tread. Are there answers about the mysterious monolith at last? Join Stuart in this gala 100th episode of Books & Nachos to find out! Then head to Now Playing Podcast to ...
Jun 16, 2014•25 min
Fourteen years after Arthur C. Clarke co-created the multimedia experience 2001, the author returns to Jupiter alone in the follow-up novel 2010: Odyssey Two. Now with the freedom to tell whatever story he wants, free of cinematic considerations or partnership with a film director, does Clarke's novel reach the same heights as the original? Listen to Stuart in LA's review to find out! Then head to Now Playing Podcast to hear Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob review the film version of 2001 and 2010!
Jun 09, 2014•27 min
Many times movies are made based on popular novels. Other times marketing companies see easy money in releasing cheap novelizations of upcoming films. 200: A Space Odyssey is one case where neither is true. The classic film and novel resulted as a collaboration between Dr. Strangelove director Stanley Kubrick and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. Together they created a story that spans great distances in time and space. However, while the two men consulted each other they worked independ...
Jun 02, 2014•32 min
Everyone knows Planet of the Apes, the movie. With Charlton Heston's oft-quoted lines and the famously spoiled twist ending, the film has entered the American lexicon. Less known, however, is the original novel that inspired the 1968 motion picture. This original telling, published in 1963 and written by French author Pierre Boulle, created a vision that inspired Hollywood to film it, but the novel also differs from its cinematic counterpart in key ways. Join Stuart in this episode of Books and ...
May 27, 2014•19 min
Ed is the perfect boyfriend. He takes Elizabeth to the movies she wants to see, cheers her up when she's feeling down, and always seems to know what she wants before she wants it. Has Elizabeth found true love, or is Ed's uncanny empathy the result of something darker? Stephen King reveals the answer in his short story "I Know What You Need" from the Night Shift collection. Now join Arnie, the podcast host who knows what you need--a review and analysis of this Stephen King work!
May 16, 2014•23 min
A man has let his lawn grow too long and needs expert help to cut it down. Unknowing he calls a lawn service run by the Pan, the Greek god of fertility, and the result is a gorgeous lawn...and death. What is going on in this story, and how does it tie to the movie about cyberspace? Arnie explains it all in his review of this original Stephen King story, as well as the Marvel Comics adaptation!Hear Arnie's review of the short story now, then join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob at nowplayingpodcast.com ...
May 09, 2014•25 min
Under the cover of an unseasonable night fog a killer has started preying on the female students at the usually quiet New Sharon Community College. Police, curfews, and student awareness fail to stop the nightly dismemberings. Who is this murderer? Find out in "Strawberry Spring", Stephen King's 1968 short story that was collected in the Night Shift collection. Now join Arnie as he reviews this story.
May 02, 2014•13 min
Five strangers are stranded at a truck stop--the last place they want to be now that all the sixteen wheelers outside have come to life and started driving themselves! How can man survive in a world of machines? Find out in "Trucks", Stephen King's short story from the Night Shift collection which the author later made into the film Maximum Overdrive! Now join Arnie as he reviews this story.
Apr 25, 2014•14 min
It's not fun and games when army men come to life to avenge the murder of their maker! This war of toy versus man is the plot of "Battleground", Stephen King's short story from the Night Shift collection. Now join Arnie as he reviews this story, as well as it's television and Russian animated adaptations!Watch the animated Russian adaptation now on YouTube!
Apr 18, 2014•25 min
In the 1950s some teenagers killed Jim Norman's older brother. Now, sixteen years later, Jim is an adult teaching English at a new school. When some of Jim's good students start dying they are replaced by the ghosts of the murderous boys. "Sometimes They Come Back", and they want Jim to join them in the grave. It's a story full of Stephen King connections, from The Shining to It to "The Body. Listen to Arnie as he reviews this short story from the Night Shift collection! Then head to NowPlayingP...
Apr 11, 2014•23 min
There are some who think no beer is a bad beer, but they haven't read Stephen King's short story "Gray Matter." From the Night Shift collection this tale tells of a man who's bacteria-laden brewski changes him from a a repulsive human being into a repulsive, slime monster. The premise may be crazy, but is the story fun? Arnie lets you know as he continues reading and reviewing all of Stephen King's fiction!
Apr 04, 2014•12 min
An astronaut returned from Venus believes he has been inhabited by homicidal aliens. These aliens have sprouted eyes on the man's hands, and forced him to kill a local boy. Is the man insane, or is he the doorway for an alien invasion? Find out in "I Am the Doorway", a short story King originally published in 1971 that was collected and reprinted in the Night Shift anthology. Join Arnie now as he reads and reviews this story, continuing his look at all the Night Shift works!
Mar 27, 2014•20 min
A superflu nicknamed "Captain Tripps" kills most of the people on Earth. This story tells the tale of a small group of survivors. No, this is not Stephen King's The Stand, but rather "Night Surf", a short story King first wrote a decade before that seminal novel. Listen now to find out how the two stories connect, what other Stephen King connections are found, and if "Night Surf" is a story worth reading as Arnie continues his reviews of all the tales from King's Night Shift anthology.
Mar 20, 2014•15 min
Have you ever worked on your computer, your lawnmower, or your car and felt that the damned machine is out to get you? That perhaps a demonic spirit has taken hold of the device, giving it an evil intent? Put that feeling towards a 30-foot industrial laundry press and the result is "The Mangler", Stephen King's short story about such a machine that "tasted blood and found it liked it." In this Books & Nachos podcast Arnie reviews this short story from King's Night Shift collection. Then hear...
Mar 13, 2014•20 min
Hall is a drifter who has taken a night job at the Gates Falls mill for the summer. It seems like an easy gig, but with the numerous rats and the annoying foreman it may push Hall too far. Monsters, both human and not, await in Stephen King's 1970 short story "Graveyard Shift", collected in King's Night Shift anthology. Arnie reviews the original short story on this episode of Books & Nachos. Then hear his, Stuart's, and Jakob's review of the "Graveyard Shift" movie adaptation at NowPlayingP...
Mar 06, 2014•15 min
Dick Morrison has to quit smoking. He may not want to quit smoking, but after signing up for the cessation program run by a group of mobsters under the name Quitters, Inc. Dick knows that another cigarette means physical torture for his wife and son. Adapted to film as a memorable part of the Cat's Eye anthology, Arnie reviews the original short story on this episode of Books & Nachos. Then hear his, Stuart's, and Jakob's review of Cat's Eye anthology film, at NowPlayingPodcast.com!
Feb 27, 2014•15 min
Would you rather go to jail and never again see the woman you love, or walk along a 42nd story ledge that is only five inches wide? That is the choice tennis pro Stan Norris must make in "The Ledge." This Stephen King short story was first published in 1973 and collected in 1978's Night Shift. Join Arnie on this Books & Nachos analysis of the short, then hear his, Stuart's, and Jakob's review of the film adaptation, part of the Cat's Eye anthology film, at NowPlayingPodcast.com!
Feb 20, 2014•9 min
A man goes to a psychiatrist claiming he killed all three of his children, but not through direct action but rather inaction--failure to stop The Boogeyman. Is the man insane, or is there a monster waiting for him in the closet? This Stephen King short story was first published in 1973 and collected in 1978's Night Shift. Join Arnie on this Books & Nachos analysis of the short, then hear his, Stuart's, and Jakob's review of the "Dollar Baby" film adaptation at NowPlayingPodcast.com
Feb 13, 2014•15 min
A woman lays in her hospital bed, dying of cancer. Her son, John, sits next to her, a bottle of painkillers in his pocket, thinking of ending her suffering forever. "The Woman in the Room" is a very different type of story than Stephen King's fans would have come to expect when first printed in the 1978 short story collection Night Shift, and it is the tale Arnie is reviewing on this episode of Books & Nachos. Listen to find out if this change of pace is a welcome one, then join Arnie, Stuar...
Feb 06, 2014•28 min
Author Stephen King, feeling stifled by Doubleday's mandate that he not publish more than one novel per year, made an agreement where he could publish novels under a pseudonym--Richard Bachman. In 1977 the first book under that assumed name was released -- Rage. Started by King while still in high school, this tale of a teenage gunman taking his class hostage has inspired at least four real-life shooting situations and has been pulled from print. Now Arnie continues his look back at all of King'...
Jan 31, 2014•1 hr 8 min
Jordan Belfort made headlines in the 1990s, first for his unusual start-up stock trading firm, then for his illegal stock manipulation practices. But that media attention is nothing compared to the spotlight being shone on this white-collar criminal with the release of Martin Scorsese's film The Wolf of Wall Street. Now Stuart in LA has read Belfort's two autobiographies, The Wolf of Wall Street and Catching the Wolf of Wall Street to read the story in the salesman's own words. Hear Stuart's tho...
Jan 07, 2014•19 min
Dan Torrance was just five years old when he survived the ghostly attacks of his drunken father at The Overlook Hotel. But for 36 years fans have wondered what happened to Dan, a powerful psychic, after The Shining ended. Now Stephen King answers that question with Doctor Sleep, a book that tells of Dan as a 40 year old recovered alcoholic. When a group of psychic vampires go after a young girl with mental powers Dan has to once again stand up to the powers of darkness.Could any novel live up to...
Dec 13, 2013•1 hr 15 min
Do you know Stephen King's The Shining? You may think you do--iconography from King's third book litters American pop culture. The Overlook Hotel. Redrum. Jack Torrance, who's always been the caretaker of the hotel. It was King's first bestselling hardcover novel and famously adapted by Stanley Kubrick to film--but if you only know The Shining from the movie you are missing out! King's book is a study of paternal relationships, alcoholism, and the nature of fatherhood. Plus there's also ghosts, ...
Dec 09, 2013•1 hr 44 min
