This Week: IT

Whelp, back to being afraid of drains.

As someone who had the shit scared out of him from the original TV movie, I didn’t have any real intentions of seeing this movie with the Network Censors taking out of the equation. However after getting into the Dark Tower, and basically starting to reevaluate my stance on Stephen King in general, I was coming dangerously close to wanting to watch this movie.

Then people started talking about how great of a movie It was, I decided to give It a chance.

Before I start my review, I need to preface my history of IT.

I never sat down and watched the Original TV movie beginning to end. I just managed to catch several scenes of the movie as it was on tv when I was younger(probably while my dad was watching). If I did watch the whole thing, I don’t remember it well enough. I have watched the Nostalgia Critic review, which covers most of it, but it is watered down for humor. I tried reading the book once back in the late 90’s, but I didn’t make it very far because I am pretty sure I mentally psyched myself out.

So with all that in mind, I thought this movie was freaking great!

Acting all around was just phenomenal. Best child actors I’ve ever seen in film. They are witty and charismatic and have some of the best line deliveries ever.

I especially love the Badass Boast delivered by Mike from Stranger Things in the climax.

Sharing in the brilliant casting choices is Bill Skarsgard who plays Pennywise and does it amazingly.

Now, the biggest hinderance for me with most horror films is usually the jump scares. Can’t stand them. However, this movie pulls its punches.

With a few tweaks, this movie could have been unbearable. However, instead of jumping out at you, IT goes for creeping inevitably. The jump scares are telegraphed just enough that it is tolerable and makes it so I’m not looking away and keep my eyes riveted on each frame.

Except the projector scene. God damn Fuck that scene!

So yeah, great movie, I highly recommend it, not unbearably scary.

Now let’s see if I can sleep tonight.

Next Week: Kingsman: The Golden Circle

This Week: Power⚡️Rangers

Actually pretty damn good.

If you want to hate it, you can. There are certainly things to dislike about it. It’s a “dark and gritty” take on a show that originally involved heroes in spandex fighting rubber monsters.

Honestly, it is a lot of character building. It is kind of like the Breakfast Club to a degree. All these teenagers who really have no business being together all slowly form bonds over the course of the movie. Whereas in the original show they were just plucked out of nowhere and handed power, they come across the power by chance, but before they can fully use it, they have to earn it.

There are about 4 instances in the movie that made me just shake my head. One of which is in the first five minutes.

Nothing that destroys the film, but just a few “could we please not?”

There are of course, plenty of nods to the original series. Any time there are reboots, they can’t help, but throw in references to the original series. Honestly, they handled them fairly well.

The CGI fights at the end are kind of meh, but not god awful.

There is a pretty neat mid credits scene at the end.

I recommend it.

Next Week: Working at Dominos, most likely.

This Week: Tomorrowland.

This movie needed more cursing.

Honestly, I kept thinking “This would be so much more fun if they dropped a “WHAT THE F***!?” Or “oh s***. . .” Would have just made the movie so much funnier and more fun.

But as it stands, this movie was a lot of fun. I’m glad they didn’t go where I thought they might be going towards the end, but it thankfully didn’t pull that.

I recommend it, though strictly on the basis of there was nothing else I wanted to see this week. If the only other option wasn’t Poltergeist, then I would be seeing that. The trailers did NOT do it for me. It was a lot better than the trailers made it seem, but both movies that came out last week were far more worth it.

If you want a fun family movie, check this one out.

Next Week: Aloha San Andreas! Chris Kyle meets Gwen Stacy or The Rock VS CGI Disaster Movie?

2 Weeks Ago: Hot Pursuit

It was raining and I didn’t wanna go out in that nonsense. And never ended up seeing it. Oh well

Last Week: Pitch Perfect 2

I should have watched Mad Max: Fury Road first.

If you are interested in both movies, and are trying to decide which to see first, see Mad Max first.

For the first 10-15 minutes I was disappointed I wasn’t watching Mad Max. To quote someone who also does midnight movie reviews and was forced to see Pitch Perfect 2 instead of Mad Max “While this is all fine and good, but nothing’s on fire, nothing’s exploding.”

So see Mad Max first.

Then go see this. If you liked the first one, you will like this. The German Team is fantastic. The Bella’s are fantastic. The treble makers get one song and then are relegated to the back because they chose NOT to take on the world. The songs(except for the Treblemakers) are all good and enjoyable. Very funny moments throughout and actually enjoyed Fat Amy more in this than the last movie, but your mileage may vary.

Go enjoy it.

But see Mad Max first and scratch that metal itch.

Next(This) Week: Tomorrowland Poltergeists.

This Week: The Age of Adaline

This is a decent movie just as long as you don’t look too closely at it and just enjoy it for what it is. The “lightning grants super powers through science” explanation it gives is fairly silly, but unlike Lucy, it is not harped on the entire movie, it’s just “she is eternally unaging” and leaves it at that.

When she tells people about her “gift” they just kind of accept it and not go into sort of the widespread implications involved. Especially when it comes to have had a sexual relationship with a father and son 40 years apart.

Anywho.

Next Week: Avengers: Age of Ultron or Far From The Madding Crowd. GEE! I WONDER WHICH ONE I’M GONNA SEE? The one where a woman chooses between three guys while fighting an army of robots or the one where a woman chooses between three guys while fighting social norms of the time?

This Week: True Story

Boooooooooooring.

I was on my phone most of the movie just fact checking. The most interesting bit is the last 20 minutes or so starting from when the Jonah Hill’s wife decides to go visit James Franco in jail and just tears into him. Jonah Hill acts like he thinks James Franco’s character is innocent, but there is NO evidence for that. James Franco gives Jonah Hill a memoir of writing that just looks disturbing as hell and Jonah thinks “This guy was FRAMED!”

I do concede that James Franco makes a GREAT sociopath.

Next Week: The Age Of Adeline or The Little Boy. I could of sworn there were more movies coming out. Oh well.

This Week: Get Hard(because I didn’t realize I could have seen Home)

I enjoyed this one.

It was funny. And the best part was the whole theater flinching when they suddenly cut to a penis on the screen.

See in a crowded room.

Next Week: Furious 7 and GOD DAMNIT NOTHING ELSE!

I got fucking homework to do now.

This Week: Focus

Okay, so the trailers didn’t lie. This movie had a fair amount of tension. However it also tended to break the tension a lot. Witty banter was the play of the day. What you are always looking for is some of the long plays that some you see coming, some you miss, and then some that just don’t exist.

Everyone does a fantastic job acting wise and it is well written enough that when they make the reveals, you can think back and see how it all built up to the long play.

There are a couple holes and an instance in the film where once it is revealed what a certain object actually was, it becomes confusing what it was supposed to be portrayed as in the misdirection.

All in all, very enjoyable.

Next Week: Chappie’s Unfinished Business with The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

This week: McFarland USA

Did Kevin Costner do something REALLY racist recently? First Black and White where he is trying to show how not Racist he is (while saying the N word in the middle of the street. . . And in a court of law) and then in this movie where he adopts a Mexican lifestyle and sense of culture.

I’m just curious what’s next? This would be a great spot for a cut away to his next film which ALSO has a white guy learning about a different culture starring Kevin Costner, but sadly, I am not willing to do the research.

Anywho, it’s largely a movie about cross country running and Mexican culture(they are from California, so they descend from Mexico, get off me). So if you can watch that for over two hours, you may like this movie. If you find that incredibly boring, skip it.

I enjoyed it, but probably won’t be seeing it again.

Next Week: Focus or The Lazarus Effect. The witty banter movie with super serious trailer music, or the horror movie that decided to go the extra mile and kill the black guy in the trailer.