IT (1990): Part 2

Cheating? Yes. But it was split with one part on the 18th of November, and the second part on the 20th so my timing works! (Except for the month obviously.)

I know a lot of people say the second half is the weaker part of the mini-series, but honestly I enjoyed it a lot more and felt it told a better story. So finally we get all our grown up kids to Derry, and though they don't really plan on facing Pennywise from the start I don't mind. This half had a lot to enjoy and I noticed something that I hope the new movie captures, a lot of it is focused on the grown ups spending a lot of time with each other, reminiscing, and just enjoying each other's company, it really does seem like these actors have known each other for years and they just got the band back together. I like that nostalgia angle they play, and I'm sure Stephen King wrote those interactions wonderfully in the book. I can fully accept that these characters are what the kids would grow up to be, they play their parts very well! We get a tiny touch more of Pennywise and he is way more funny in this one. I love the way Tim plays It, but he made me more laugh than freak out whereas Bill Skarsgard can make me laugh but also creep me right the hell out sometimes accomplishing both att the same time. However, I love the evocative Lovecraftian vibes it gives with this entity, this creature being the eater of worlds and of children, this whole cosmic horror thing is played well...until the end. The problem with cosmic horror is these entities cannot be comprehended by human minds, so what do they look like? Pennywise says that their tiny minds can't fully see him and are only seeing what they can, so how does the giant spider thing work? It can't be it's true form cause that goes against the Outer God view that they have of It, and you can't deceat such a creature even if you do cowtip the thing and rip it's heart out. I simultaneously love that idea but also hate it, I love it cause I dig that Cthulu standpoint on the character but I hate it because it just doesn't add up to how it appears and is defeated. Even lesser beings in the echelon of Outer Gods can't really die by mortal hands, but Stephen King has made his own intricately woven web of lore so it is entirely possible that this is the end for Pennywise. So yeah, this is a definite improvement on the first part for me and I'm infinitely intrigued by how the new movie will handle this. It's funny, for the mini-series the first part was eh but the second part was pretty good, but with the movie the first part was excellent so how will the second part hold up? Well if it has that good character interaction, the proper buildup for the fight, and ties the loose ends up in a satisfying and well executed way, not to mention just tell the story in an intriguing and entertaining way like this part of the mini-series, then we'll have a great horror duology. But that comes for a later time. If you actually enjoyed the first part then no doubt you'll want to see how it ends, so all I can do is give a thumbs up to this second half of a pretty out there but fun story.

And so we wait for the new movie. Don't you want it?

IT (1990): Part 1

Well how else are we supposed to start September?

Now I will freely admit I've never seen this mini-series before, so I have no nostalgia or childhood fears from it, so how does the beginning chapter of this story hold up? It's okay, it's not amazing nor is it horrible, I mean it's a difficult task to adapt any body of fiction but Christ I would hate to be the director to bring a 1,000 page book to life. And I think because of that and plus the barely hour and a half runtime makes the story a little choppy and rushed throughout. Flashback is our main way of story telling cause we begin in Derry when all our protagonists are grown up and a slew of child murders has been going on leading Mike, the newest kid to the town start ringing up his old friends to tell them that a figure they've met before has returned. And I can safely I like all the performances from our adult and child actors, though I did notice the adult versions act more like kids than the actual kids, with Ben and Bill still being my favorite characters. True the flashbacks gets old but I understand the reason why they had to do it, and it gives the adult actors some real moments to shine as these memories they would sooner forget start creeping back into their minds. It's mostly just getting to know these characters in their daily lives dealing with this horrific stuff, and I can appreciate that character development but what you see is really what you get. But let's face it and just be real for a second, you watch this movie for Tim Curry. Don't lie to yourself, unless you are a hardcore Stephen King fan you pretty much come to see Tim Curry. And I hate to say it but he's not in it very much, to the point where I completely forgot there was a child eating clown in this movie which you would think would be highly difficult to forget, but it's true! He's barely in the first half, but I relished the time he had on screen. I know this is pretty much the single handed reason why people don't like clowns today, and I kinda hate this movie for that reason. I quite like clowns! They are entertainers and good company to be around, stop it. I'm sure Tim Curry would have scared me off my rocker when I was younger, but really anything could have scared me back then that was even just a tiny bit intimidating, so he doesn't freak me out. I found him funny in places but I can still see him as a threat, you can see the dread these kids feel at times and the scene where they resolve to deal with this entity is easily the best scene in I'm almost willing to say the whole mini-series. I think it's just the lack of music, the emotion Bill has which then gets supported by his friends is really damn good! I almost say watch it just for that scene. The music is nice, the direction has some nice shots here and there, the editing is a bit hokey but you can roll with it. I just kinda give it an average 6/10 for the first part, maybe the second will bring me more enjoyment since it'll be more payoff than build up so we shall see. I didn't go out to hate on the movie so don't wring my neck if you don't like the rating, I know this mini-series holds good ground with other people but it was just adequate to me and I say you should see it (ha ha ha....) at least once. Oh God please don't let the second part suck.....

In Retrospect: IT (2017)

It has gotten better on a second viewing, I will give IT that. (Ha, ha, ha......)

Yes, IT has grown on me since the first go around. The tonal issues I had have subsided and now that I think about it, I have never seen a straight up horror movie with comic relief throughout. That jarred me a bit but now I can roll with it. The characters are all memorable and the actors have done an amazing job with them, the Losers Club being some of the best acting I've seen in awhile, especially from kids. The whole film was just so well made, and yeah maybe they made it the 80s because of it's resurgence in popular media because of Stranger Things but truthfully, it was bound to happen soon. Same stuff happened in the 80s with the 50s, every roughly 30 years a decade has great fondness for a past decade, which brought up a really good point from one of my friends. He said something to the extent of, everyone who is making movies now has fond memories of the 80s, they grew up during that time and have become nostalgic of it so that's why it's cropping up so much now. That generation is grown up and making stuff now. Which is really awesome to me, for various reasons. I am a highly nostalgic person, I love the things from my youth and share my opinions and views about them. So does that mean in say...2025 the 90s are gonna strike back and everyone will be wearing Jinco jeans, and drinking Zima and Crystal Pepsi while listening to N*Sync and movies will reflect that era of history? That seems to be the trend so I'm curious as to what the future holds. I do love the 80s and seeing that time frame be so prevalent now is a real treat, regardless of if it's a popular trend or not (It is, don't tell anybody. Shh.). But yeah, the movie really did get better, I still cannot contain my laughter at Bill Skarsgard, I am so sorry to all those people afraid of clowns but he just cracks me up. I mean he's weird, but god dang it is he entertaining and makes me laugh. I cannot hate things that make me happy! I like clowns! They are wonderful people and really due to the 90s IT movie is why people have this stigma against them. But I see the humor in his performance as Pennywise and it is a great performance, he is what made this movie for me. Granted I have no idea how this next movie will go down set in the modern day, though thinking about it now Maine probably hasn't changed terribly since the 80s, just saying. No idea if they're doing the spider thing, most likely are, it's more a matter of how the design looks for me to be on board with that element. Really the book is notoriously long, spanning over 1000 pages, War And Peace is over a 1000 pages but for a book like War And Peace it makes sense, and many people have said it reads pretty much like a cocaine bender with tons of oddities and thankfully cut scenes in the adaptations, so really anything can go. I doubt it will be better than the first but here's hoping. So yeah, it is well worth your money to own it, it is a great movie that is done almost pitch perfect, so buy it, rent it, watch it, and you'll float like the rest of us. Now I'm off to listen to New Kids On The Block. Pray for me.

Top 10 Films Of 2017

Woah what a year right? I actually saw some stuff! I saw what, 30 new movies this year? Damn. But what were the best? I'm glad you asked....

10. Justice League. The DC universe is off to a good start and I cannot wait for more!

9. Blade Runner 2049. For a sequel to a movie that I desperately need to watch again, Blade Runner 2049 was an excellent film, visually striking and a cerebral plot. One of a kind.

8. IT. God bless it Bill Skarsgard, why must you be so awesome? I was hesitant at first, but this was a great movie. A lot of awesome talent, decent scares, and continuing in the not too distant future.

7. Baby Driver. Awesome. That is the one word I would describe this movie.

6. Kong Skull Island. Kickass monster movie leading to the greatest rematch in cinematic history!

5. Logan. Hopefully not Hugh's last stand, because lord knows I love the guy and this is a phenomenal movie, and will no doubt be one of the greatest comic book movies ever made.

4. Wonder Woman. Damn girl. Just damn. Everybody loved it, I love it, you love it, what more is there to say?

3. The Shape Of Water. Odd? Yes. Lovely? Yes. Sally Hawkins? How do I ever even think to say no?

2. The Last Jedi. Jesus, that was a polarizing movie. Still really liked it, not the greatest, not the worst, definitely will buy it. I can't complain.

1. War For The Planet Of The Apes. Apes together.....strong. This is the strongest trilogy I've ever seen. More than Star Wars! Because every sequel kept getting better and better, it had a beginning and an end, with a great story, an Oscar worthy performance by Andy Serkis, and really I knew when I saw it that the only competition for best film of the year would be The Last Jedi. It was the only movie that could top this movie, and as we can see it did not.

So let it be written, so let it be done. The best films of 2017. Hopefully this year will be just as great as last year at the movies. See you then.

IT (2017)

Okay, new movie! New horror movie even! Was it good? Eh...

Okay so I have not read the novel, and haven't even really sat and watched the whole TV miniseries because I...favor my sanity, so how did this movie stack up? Well, it was really good. Had it's faults mind you, but most could be overlooked. So for the people who are wondering what's the deal with the clown I shall try and tell the story without sounding like I forgot to take my medication. So basically a town is plagued by a supernatural being, able to shift into your worst nightmares, and a small group of kids are being hunted by this thing and they have to try and save themselves and their town from It. Now, onto the bad things! This movie aggravated me. Not because it was bad, but certain elements rubbed me the wrong way. A lot. I pose a question, why does every horror movie rely on jumpscares? Every...single...time a legit scare happens BANG! Loud noise. You're killing me Smalls. You just can't be properly scared anymore, gone are the days of atmosphere and suspense. And the worse part is, the movie tries to build atmosphere through set design, music, lighting, and pacing. But then it gets ruined by the friggin' jumpscares! God give me strength. I'd dare you to take a shot everytime a loud noise happened but you would be comatose, if not dead before half of the movie was over. You can scare people with silence, I assure you. And the other problem, the biggest problem is mood. My sweet baby Moses, this movie has such tone issues. If you want to scare people silly, do it. Do not, I repeat DO NOT make endless jokes. Now granted the comedy in this is funny. But that's the problem! It shouldn't be funny!! When you go from, child being murdered in the sewers to talking about how big someone's johnson is, this is what we call 'ruining atmosphere' or as I like to call it, bipolar. Stop it! But...the movie has good parts in it. The kids are great, so great that this movie passes supernatural horror and could be a really thoughtful and realistic look in pre-teen years. The human element was believable, you can empathize with these kids, and they are all very likable! I hate to say this but, IT would have been a better movie without the clown! Now don't get me wrong Bill Skarsgard was, phenomenal. He made me terrified and laugh at the same time! Loved his performance in this movie! God, he's awesome! But I kinda just wanted a movie about these kids and their problems because they were that great. And you do get this Stranger Things vibe, the movie is set in the late 80s, supernatural things are occuring, and it focuses on kids but it does not distract from the movie. This was leaps and bounds better than the miniseries, the only thing that had going for it was Tim Curry and I laughed at him more than be scared of him. This movie allowed for more creative things because of it's budget. There is cgi in this movie, and it's only noticeable near the end, but it does more than the miniseries. In fact, it takes scenes and scares from the miniseries but add it's own twist to it. So like, I knew what was coming but was thrown a curveball. So that helped out a lot. So all in all, it was a good movie, I do think I would recommend it for the actors in it but not so much the scares. Oh, and while I'm here why do people hate clowns? Everyone says IT made people afraid of clowns, and I don't get it. I like clowns, they are funny people whose sole goal in life is to make people smile. So what's the stigma against clowns? They get a bad rep man. But anyway, it's good to be back at this time of the year and I will be back next week with more things to talk about. See you then!

Fall Is In The Air....

I can sense it, I can feel it in my bones. Fall is finally here. All is right in my world! Much to talk about in the coming months. Killer clowns, a look at some of the best (and worst) horror remakes, spy agencies, critically acclaimed films, Christmas movies, and the last Jedi in the galaxy. All this and more to be featured on my (second) favorite website in the entirety of the interwebs, this is What The Dude Says. And the Dude abides.

Here We Go Again.

Another year, another break. Not quite for a month this time around. In fact, this year couldn't be described as anything but usual as the previous. So only two weeks this time, I'll be back in time to review IT with a criminal lack of Tim Curry, so hopefully it will excel beyond the first which is....something. So it won't be long. Plenty of time to plan ahead for October, catch up on some shows, it will do me much good both in terms of reviews and personal life. Ah, October how do I miss thee? The month that has been solely devoted to monsters, aliens, and horror most foul will be taking a different turn this year. But it will still hold the love and excitement of the fall season from me. Until next time, just remember....40 more days until October!