X (formerly known as Twitter). Cheekily, he prefaced the list by noting that his picks excluded films based on his own novels, name-checking “Misery” and “The Shawshank Redemption” as examples, among a few others. (Unsurprisingly, though, he didn’t mention Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.”) For the most part, King’s choices are time-honored classics that reflect his passion for spinning a good yarn, including the likes of “Casablanca,” “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Double Indemnity,” “The Godfather Part II,” and “Jaws.” Martin Scorsese’s semi-autobiographical “Mean Streets” also made the cut over the director’s big-hitters like “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” and “Goodfellas,” which makes sense since King has also channeled a lot of his own life experiences into his work.
Meanwhile, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is his second Spielberg pick, which similarly checks out: It’s a little light on narrative but more than makes up for that with its wondrous spectacle, with King having put his own darker spin on the idea of alien visitors in novels like “The Tommyknockers” and “Under the Dome.” “Groundhog Day,” however, is his only comedy choice, which is fair enough: Not only is it a great movie, but you can also see how the time loop scenario might appeal to a writer who regularly delves into the mysterious and the fantastical. Finally, the list is rounded out by two more surprising choices: Sam Peckinpah’s “The Getaway” and William Friedkin’s “Sorcerer.” The latter is one of the most underrated thrillers of all time, but it was first on King’s list, indicating he holds it in the highest regard. Let’s take a closer look at why “Sorcerer” doesn’t get the credit it deserves and why it is so special.
