Pierce Brosnan excels in A&E miniseries “Bag of Bones”
From the title, you know that “Stephen King’s Bag of Bones” is going to be a horror story, but you’re not sure if it’s going to hit or miss the mark of gelling as a television miniseries translated from a book.
Although I haven’t read the book, I found the movie to be satisfactory viewing, mostly thanks to Pierce Brosnan’s performance.
Brosnan plays best-selling novelist Mike Noonan who, while dealing with the grief of losing his wife in an accident as well as writer’s block, returns to the couple’s lakeside retreat in western Maine.
Between the haunting secrets of Dark Score Lake’s past, his new relationship with a young widow and her daughter, doubts about what he really knew about his wife, nightmares and ghostly appearances from a blues singer named Sara Tidwell (Anika Noni Rose), Noonan has his hands full trying to figure out if there’s a connection between any or all of these elements.
The story leans toward the far-fetched at times, but Brosnan keeps the movie anchored with his credible performance as a man searching for answers and coping with loss.
Annabeth Gish is also solid in her role as Brosnan’s wife Jo, and does a terrific job with Brosnan of laying the groundwork for the story by showing the couple’s genuine connection.
Rose is strong in her poignant performance as Sara, while veteran actor William Schallert as Max Devore and Deborah Grover as his accomplice Rogette Whitmore are beyond creepy.
Mick Garris displays his experience with Stephen King material, having previously directed both “The Shining” and “The Stand” TV miniseries, by keeping the viewer guessing what’s going to happen next as the tale nicely flows along with finely-done flashback scenes and some spooky moments sprinkled in at just the right time.
“Bag of Bones” is a two-night movie event, airing at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11 and Monday, Dec. 12 on the A&E Network.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
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