Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Doomsday on May 1, 2018 18:56:10 GMT -5
It (2017)
I have never read any Stephen King but I am well aware that his film adaptations cover a long range of quality. From the well-known classics (The Shining) and Oscar winners (Misery) to the cult movies (Pet Sematary, Cujo) to the forgettable 90s stuff whose commercials I remember seeing when I was a kid (Needful Things, Thinner). I also remember seeing the original It advertised on USA but never sat down to watch it. Despite being criminally long, It is one of Stephen King's most well-known works so naturally in a time where horror movies are insanely popular it makes sense to get another cinematic rendition of it. It also makes sense to split it into two films so as to dedicate enough time to each of the segments, one with the children and one when they're adults.
'It' famously starts with Georgie, the younger brother of main character Bill, racing his paper boat in the gutter in the middle of a big rain in his small town of Derry, Maine. As it slips into the storm drain Georgie sees a clown who introduces himself as Pennywise and offers him his boat back before biting off his arm and dragging him into the sewer. Months later Bill and his friends are getting out of school for summer vacation when each of them experiences an apparition of something that they fear the most. What makes it more shocking is that it's happening among a rash of child disappearances. In the meantime the gang meets a new kid Ben who has been doing research into the history of Derry and notices a trend of disappearing kids every 27 years. They soon discover that there's an evil among them and 'it' has started to target them. The kids quickly band together and try to discover how they can stop it and put an end to the evil that has plagued Derry for generations.
What makes It so compelling is that the focus isn't on 'It.' He's there and he's hungry but the movie spends a lot of time showing how the gang of Losers are all going through their own challenges and ordeals. One of the common threads is the ultra-bully Henry, a kid who enjoys cutting his initials into peoples' bellies. I'm not sure if a guy like Henry could really exist with impunity but he becomes a guy we like to hate. In fact you could easily say that the real horror in the movie comes from the fact that the true evil sits among the Losers and everyone in Derry, not just with It. Child abuse, neglect, trauma, it all envelops the Losers. When the final confrontation with It finally happens, they don't overcome their fear of being eaten, they overcome the fears that each of them has within themselves. Sure it sounds corny but it works. I never had any real interest in this movie or upcoming sequel but I'm really looking forward to Chapter 2 now.
A- so says Doomsday
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on May 1, 2018 22:14:55 GMT -5
Awesome.
People like to say that Henry is over the top, but that's kind of the point. The TOWN is evil, kind of.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on May 3, 2018 15:23:14 GMT -5
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
I avoided The Perks of Being a Wallflower like the plague back in 2012. The film seemed to come amidst a wave of coming-of-age movies about pretentious high schools pontificating on how hard life is, man, and Perks seemed particularly insufferable. Everything about the marketing just seemed like annoying hipsterdom and the one line I repeatedly heard, "In that moment, I knew we were infinite" made me roll my eyes so far back I could see my brain. Having finally seen the film though, I do admit that my initial suspicions were a bit off base. For one thing, the main character here isn't some whiny teen, but a kid whose suffered some genuine hardship as such the film's rather bleak view of high school appropriate. Put simply, the film actually foregrounds real problems, rather than a general teen angst that the filmmakers try to present as deep. I still found some of the scenes of jocks pushing around the nerdy kids a bit unrealistic (in my experience high school bullying isn't so overt), but that isn't really the focus.
So while the film is smarter and less annoying than I would have thought, it does unfortunately stumble in a few major areas. The main aspect is the main character, who is just kind of a bore. While the film does a good job emphasizing Charlie's social isolation and struggles, who Charlie actually is is a bit unclear. I suspect he is somewhat meant to be a surrogate for the audience, but Perks is also trying to be something of a character study so I don't think that works. Furthermore, the film uses a device wherein Charlie is writing letters to an unknown stranger with the implication being the viewer is this stranger, so we aren't necessarily meant to embody Charlie. I should also point out that I don't think this letter device, which is lifted from the book, really works on film. I think I would have liked the narration dropped entirely.
What largely saves the film are the supporting cast. Ezra Miller and Emma Watson are both wonderful here and do a great job crafting distinct and memorable characters. Miller in particular has some very strong scenes. Overall, I did like The Perks of Being a Wallflower more than I expected, but it doesn't really excel for me. The movie sits in sort of a weird place where it focuses too much on lighthearted coming of age moments while not delving into the darker mental health issues at hand, yet the movie is also too dark in stops to really work as a fun movie about high school. I am glad I saw the movie though so kudos.
B-
P.S. I don't know if I've ever felt such a disconnect from a character in a coming of age movie. At one point, Charlie gets himself a girlfriend who seems really cool, is gorgeous, and excitedly takes him to see The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari? I'd have KILLED for a girlfriend like that in high school. And yet Charlie spends the whole relationship being miserable. What the fuck, man?
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Doomsday on May 3, 2018 16:21:07 GMT -5
I remember watching Perks of Being A Wallflower back in the days of the old boards. I checked Letterboxd and my review never made it there so I'm afraid it's lost to the sands of time. I remember not being a fan though, just another very generic coming of age movie.
|
|
Nilade
Director
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,687
Likes: 426
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 16:11:13 GMT -5
|
Post by Nilade on May 3, 2018 22:48:47 GMT -5
Haven't done this in awhile. Count me in for the next round when it gets rolling.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on May 4, 2018 8:21:27 GMT -5
I'll throw down next round.
|
|
Deexan
CS! Silver
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 18,196
Likes: 2,995
Location:
Last Online Nov 13, 2021 19:23:59 GMT -5
|
Post by Deexan on May 4, 2018 11:01:18 GMT -5
Will watch mine over the weekend. PG Cooper, I'll be going with Anomalisa as The Last Detail is proving difficult to locate.
|
|
Dracula
CS! Gold
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 26,028
Likes: 5,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 21:48:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Dracula on May 5, 2018 10:47:44 GMT -5
Frankenhooker (1990)
Alright, so I know what this looks like. I’m sure that the title “Frankenhooker” makes this sound like some kind of softcore porn that Neverending posts about to sound shocking, but this is a movie I’d heard about previously and know it is actually somewhat respected amongst exploitation aficionados. The film was directed by a guy named Frank Henenlotter, who specialized in making “shocking” movies like Basket Case and Brain Damage. Henenlotter was perhaps a victim of his generation. Had he come along a decade earlier he would have fit in well with people like Abel Ferrera or John Waters and if he had come around later he might have found a way to fit his B-movie sensibilities into the mainstream the way Quentin Tarantino or Rob Zombie did. Instead he mostly worked during the 80s, a decade when people very much were not indulging in their inner sleaze and when exploitation wasn’t retro yet. Frankenhooker is probably the clearest example of Henenlotter being knowingly outrageous what with its title and premise.
The movie focuses on a wacky New Jersey inventor whose fiancé is killed in a bizarre lawnmower accident, forcing him to try to put her mind into a body he stitches together from the parts of prostitutes (who all conveniently blow up after they smoke some super crack that they steal from the inventor). The highlight of the film is almost certainly the performance of Patty Mullen, a Penthouse model who occasionally moonlit in movies of dubious quality like this. As the titular undead prostitute Mullen finds herself doing the shuffling pantomime one associates with the Frankenstein monster with a sort of banter you’d see from streetwalkers in something like HBO’s “The Deuce.” That’s interesting to watch and the whole movie is just generally enjoyable in its excesses and willful embrace of bad taste. There is only so far I’m inclined to go with this one because at the end of the day there’s only so much credit I’m going to give something for being dumb on purpose, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t mostly entertained by this thing during its 85 minute runtime and I never got the sense that it didn’t know exactly what it was doing.
*** out of Five
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on May 5, 2018 12:45:43 GMT -5
My movie arrives Monday.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on May 7, 2018 19:38:21 GMT -5
Thief (1981)
Thief is Michael Mann's theatrical directorial debut. It stars James Caan as Frank, the diamond thief.
Eh, I'm not sure what to say about this one. It didn't really resonate with me. It seemed to be about a lot of things, none of them very interesting. Frank himself is an anti-hero, but at least you kind of like most anti-heroes. Frank is just kind of a dick. This movie did teach me that Willie Nelson and James Belushi can't act, and their appearance in this film was awkward, at best. There were some parts I liked here and there, but mostly I didn't enjoy it.
**/****
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Doomsday on May 7, 2018 20:28:29 GMT -5
Well that's it for me everybody.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on May 7, 2018 23:20:41 GMT -5
We agree on ALMOST every movie.
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Doomsday on May 8, 2018 9:21:41 GMT -5
We just about made it, thanks guys. Deexan, how we looking? Anyone else in for next round?
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on May 8, 2018 11:15:26 GMT -5
Reaffirming my commitment for next round.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on May 8, 2018 18:03:58 GMT -5
I'm in.
|
|
Deexan
CS! Silver
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 18,196
Likes: 2,995
Location:
Last Online Nov 13, 2021 19:23:59 GMT -5
|
Post by Deexan on May 8, 2018 20:38:43 GMT -5
Sorry guys, unforseen family incident so I'll need a few more days. In for next round tho.
|
|
Nilade
Director
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,687
Likes: 426
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 16:11:13 GMT -5
|
Post by Nilade on May 9, 2018 1:52:59 GMT -5
I'm good for a round.
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Doomsday on May 9, 2018 17:22:35 GMT -5
Dracula is pretty on point with the film club so I threw him in. Drac, if you can't make this round just let me know and we can do some partner adjusting. ROUND 175 Doomsday - PG Cooper Deexan - Nilade Dracula - Jibbs
Let's try to get these done by May 28th. Deexan, can you do both of your movies by then? Like I said it would be awesome if we could keep this going on a regular 2-3 week cycle.
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Doomsday on May 9, 2018 17:42:11 GMT -5
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on May 9, 2018 17:55:27 GMT -5
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 22:54:45 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on May 9, 2018 17:56:41 GMT -5
Haven't seen Duck, You Sucker or The Informer. I'll probably watch the former (that is to say, the first film listed, not "the former" as slang for "The Informer).
|
|
Dracula
CS! Gold
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 26,028
Likes: 5,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 21:48:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Dracula on May 9, 2018 21:12:15 GMT -5
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 6,686
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Doomsday on May 10, 2018 17:05:41 GMT -5
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on May 11, 2018 18:11:25 GMT -5
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-this is my nightmare. Part 43. Let's talk abut YOU, Dracula? What would YOU like to see? Name a sci-fi film, I've probably seen it. Seen Passengers yet? That's a bit better than it looks! How about Alphaville, that's obscure and pretty good.
|
|
Neverending
CS! Platinum
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,260
Likes: 8,555
Location:
Last Online Oct 6, 2024 17:47:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Neverending on May 11, 2018 20:09:59 GMT -5
Jenny Agutter this time. Brooke Shields next time.
|
|