7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not for those with short attention span, August 27, 2009
This review is from: Kingdom Hospital: The Complete Series (Four-Pack + Tin Packaging) (DVD)
This is one of those things that will totally confuse you, if you don't pay close attention. The visuals tell at least half of the story, very much like "Twin Peaks". The pace for the first couple of disks is markedly slow. Too much abstract cinematography and dialog, but not enough character development. Bruce Davison plays the slimiest character I've ever seen him portray; who knew he had that kind of nastiness in him?! Someone else here mentioned that some of the story mimics King's own experiences. Well, the shot of Coleman's character ("Rickman") being struck by a van on a Maine country road, is clearly and unequivocally drawn from King's having been struck by a van on a Maine country road. The thoughts that are running through the victim's mind were no doubt very close to the things King himself was thinking at the time. Also, when Rickman is being brought into the emergency department, he can hear the staff recognizing that he's a celebrity (artist) - no doubt that happened to King as well. King has always drawn his work from real-life experiences, be they his or someone else's, which I think is his greatest storytelling gift. A radio-announcer even says "a Stephen King-like horror story" - can you say obvious ringer? Some of the kooky scenes in this show are certainly very reminiscent of "Twin Peaks", but this feels much heavier, nearly suffocating at times. The always-dark hospital was especially unrealistic to me, as I'm a nurse; there is no way you could function effectively if *that* much of the hospital had dim lighting. Another medical nit is that the nurse who keeps fainting at the sight of blood, would *never* have made it through nursing school! The sexually harassing morgue attendant (or whatever his job is) would have been booted from the staff immediately, the very *first* time he made sexual advances - especially with a *doctor*! Though, she seemed to encourage the attention, which was rather nauseating; she manipulated the perve for her own ends. Those nits aside, it is a very engrossing piece, that, if you can watch it *carefully*, will keep you riveted.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once.", January 17, 2011
This review is from: Kingdom Hospital: The Complete Series (Four-Pack + Tin Packaging) (DVD)
Co-producer Stephen King and his daughter Tabitha are contributing writers to this thirteen chapter TV series about a spook-infested hospital that was built on the ruins of a mill fire disaster. KINGDOM HOSPITAL's great cast elevates a creepy ghost story that fails only in a final recap-driven, pull-it-all-together episode. Otherwise, it's a fine way to lose youself for many hours in the suprernatural, the comic and the tragic.
Recommended to all!
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.
(6.5) Kingdom Hospital (TV-2004) - Jamie Harrold/Andrew McCarthy/Bruce Davison/Diane Ladd/Ed Begley Jr./Benjamin Ratner/Alan Scarfe/Antony Holland/Michael Lerner
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7 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
classic King overtones, June 20, 2009
This review is from: Kingdom Hospital: The Complete Series (Four-Pack + Tin Packaging) (DVD)
Good series from Steven King, just wish they would have made more then just one season. If you like Kings style of horror and humor this is a good dvd to get.
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