11.22.63 (2016)

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Based on Stephen King's novel, the 11.22.63 8-episode mini-series may be a sci-fi thriller, but it still has a lot of that King darkness. The idea is that there's a time portal to 1960, and Jake wants to use it to stop JFK's assassination, with three years to figure out the puzzle surrounding the event so he can act properly. That's if he doesn't get mired in the past after he falls in love with a local. AND if the past doesn't push him off. That's where much of the horror elements come from. The past is a force that tries to interfere, often violently, whenever a traveler comes too close to their goal. James Franco is only okay in the role, but he's well supported by the cast, and there's a nice nostalgic feeling achieved through the music and cinematography, though it's not blind to the sins of the era. I do think it drops the ball in the final moments by choosing the wrong self-sacrifice, or by over-egging the pudding so as to take away Jake's choices, but that's straight from the book. The final FINAL moment does work however. I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying! 1 year 5 months ago