Review: IT (2017)

 

2017 Theatrical Release Poster

Review Rating: 4.8 out of 5

 

IT was released September 8, 2017 and is directed by Andy Muschietti. To say that the buzz about this movie was high is a massive understatement as it previously held the record of the most watched trailer on the internet. The question loomed large, would it live up to the hype?

1990 TV Mini-Series Release Poster

 IT was originally released in 1986 as a novel written by legendary horror writer Stephen King in 1986. It was then released as a made-for-TV mini series in 1990 on ABC. Besides the great performance from the legendary actor Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the TV adaptation falls rather flat and is disappointing.

Like the book and the 1990 made-for-TV version, this 2017 theatrical release is a story takes place in a fictional town called Derry in Maine. It follows a group of kids in their early teens known as The Losers Club. They are the outsiders in Derry that are dealing with their own issues and end up finding validation, acceptance and a great camaraderie. This ends up being exactly what they need to fight the terrifying antagonist known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. An entity from another dimension that has existed for billions of years. This being is able to present itself in any form it wishes, it knows what it's target fears. Worse yet, it's favorite target is children as they are the most vulnerable and easy to scare. It's favorite form is the twisted clown, Pennywise.

The cast is so strong in this movie it's incredible. Especially the children that make up The Losers Club. I found each character to be well written and performed perfectly. Even more impressive, the movie does a great job in properly showing you each character's personality traits and fears. I found myself caring about each character as they weren't simply "meat" to be killed off. As the movie moves along your care for each Losers Club member grows. In order for a horror movie to be effective, the audience needs to care about the protagonists and this movie gives you that. They bring such "heart" to this film. To say that about a cast in a horror is beyond rare. An honorable mention for me goes to the young actress Sophia Lillis, who plays Beverly. Her performance is full of nuance & shows a true maturity far beyond her years.

Pennywise The Dancing Down (played by Bill Skarsgard)

 One of the many questions that were "floating" around the internet about this movie before it was released was, "Who is playing Pennywise?" "What is he going to look like?" Immediately after we finally got the news and pictures of the shape shifting clown, reactions were strong. My reaction was strong. I was thrilled. I thought the look of him was perfect. I believed the worst thing that could've been done was to rehash the look of Tim Curry's version of the evil entity. I felt that Curry's version is untouchable and should remain that way. I found people (which was bound to happen) comparing everything about this new Pennywise to the mini-series version ridiculous. Nothing will take away from what Curry was able to do with the character, so leave it alone.
Bill Skarsgard's portrayal of Pennywise is haunting, humorous at times & downright horrifying. He's able to show the complexity of the character & puts his all in this performance. Like the rest of the cast, you see a character development even with Pennywise. He's not a one dimensional villain and Skarsgard creates a monster truly worthy of your attention and fright.


Summary:
After such a long wait for a theatrical release this movie is truly worth it and more. A classic to be sure.  It delivers on so many fronts. To have a horror movie that offers so many different things is something to behold and will have folks "floating" for years to come.

Review: Black Mass (2015)

Black Mass is a movie directed by Scott Cooper that is based on actual events involving the Winter Hill Gang. A tough Irish gang that controlled South Boston, MA in the late 70's into the mid 90's. The leader of this gang was James "Whitey" Bulger (played by Johnny Depp) who is the brother of the State Senator Billy Bulger (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). FBI agent and childhood friend, John Connolly (played by Joel Edgerton) approaches him to form an "alliance" of sorts. John Connolly is eager to wipe out the Italian mob in Boston to further his career and wants to have Whitey help him. In return, he'll feed Bulger information and protect him from being charged for crimes as he'll do what he can to protect Whitey. Connolly's boss, FBI Agent Charles McGuire (played by Kevin Bacon) is suspicious and confrontational about the arrangement with Bulger the entire time.

This movie often feels more like a series of re-enactments than a cohesive film. There's character interaction of course, but it felt to me like it was done just to finish that particular scene and not for the overall story and character relationships as the movie progresses. However, maybe this was intentional. Maybe director Scott Cooper wants you to be submerged in a world of criminals, corruption, lies and deceit. A world where people were actually emotionally distant and kept up their guard. Maybe he wants the film to reflect this world that you are in for 2 hours and 3 minutes.

There is a scene however, which is wonderful and speaks to what I felt is missing in the rest of the film. The dinner scene with Bulger, Connolly, Agent John Morris (played by the awesome David Harbour, who also plays Hopper in the amazing Stranger Things series on Netflix) and Steve Flemmi, Bulger's right hand man (played by Rory Cochrane). In this awesome well shot, well timed scene you understand what the rest of this film could've been. You feel the chemistry, the connection & the tension of the characters as they talk over dinner. It is the gem of the film.

What carries this movie through are the individual performances. There isn't a single character in this movie that I felt wasn't played to perfection. Johnny Depp truly delivers as Whitey Bulger. His menacing stare and creepy intimidation tactics make your skin crawl. With Depp being arguably one the best character actors of our time, it's especially nice to see him in a more subdued role to really show again that he has the chops.

Actor Joel Edgerton's portrayal of Agent Connolly is another standout performance. He truly is a character I loved to hate. Even more than Bulger because at least with Whitey, you know he's a criminal and expect as much. With Connolly being an FBI Agent, his manipulation and lies just made me disgusted with him and I enjoyed it very much. With his portrayal of this corrupt FBI Agent, it was Edgerton's subtle mannerisms and well placed inflections in his voice that delivered for me.

Summary: I can't help but feel this movie somehow falls short from its full potential. With the strong performances and the great cinematography, I never get a sense of true character relationships or meaningful interactions (with the exception of the dinner scene). I walk away with a nagging feeling that there was so much more to give but it just didn't happen, leaving a sort of hollow feeling. With that being said, the movie is certainly not a waste of time and is an overall enjoyable watch.

Insidious: The Last Key (2018) Lets hope it's the last

Insidious: The Last Key is the 4th installment in the series. This film is a prequel that tells the background story of the Elise Rainier (played by Lin Shaye), as she has played a crucial role in the previous films in helping families that are plagued by dangerous paranormal activity. We are shown Elise's childhood, growing up during the 1950's in New Mexico & the struggles of her coming to terms with her abilities. As the movie progresses, you gain more insight into her past in flashbacks while she winds up investigating the very home in which she grew up. Discoveries are made which connects what is currently happening to Elise's past.

While the series has never been anything historic in the annals of horror, I felt it was fairly solid as a series. By far the first film is the best of them all, as is common with most movie series. This has not changed after watching this latest (and hopefully final) film. This latest installment simply doesn't have much going for it.

Lets cover the positive first, it won't take long.....

By far, the only positive of this film is Lin Shaye's performance. As she has done in the previous films, her performance as the brave and kind psychic Elise Rainier is great. What was loved about her before is still very much present in this movie. Unfortunately that's the only thing Insidious: The Last Key has going for it. See? I told you that wouldn't take long.

When you have a movie in which the official trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acQyrwQyCOk is more interesting than the actual film, there is an obvious issue. Besides this, there is plenty in the trailer that IS NOT in the film. While I understand this isn't an uncommon thing to happen, this one seems to be particularly excessive and downright misleading.

The run time is 1 hour 43 minutes for this movie and I felt every second of it. It feels so much longer. The pacing of the movie just dragged for me and any of the reveals in the movie weren't worth the wait. Nothing felt original to this film as it's nothing you haven't seen before in the previous films. Everything just fell flat.

Elise's paranormal partners, Tucker (played by Angus Sampson) and Specs (played by Leigh Whannel) are back and I just found them annoying. More in this film than any of the other movies. Maybe that's because I just found the overall story weak in it's attempt to scare, shock or generate any real character development. Even the reveal of the main antagonist in the film fails to generate any scares or creep factor.

The rest of the characters in the movie are forgettable. While I didn't find the acting horrible nothing stood out to me with their performances. Since the overall story failed to intrigue me from the beginning, I think I simply gave up on taking the characters seriously.

To add to the tortuously slow pace, lack of originality and draining almost 2 hours from my life, there are things in the film that do not make sense. Like a head wound showing up on a character that has no reason to be there. The investigators looking for a bible that was obviously placed in a particular spot that has no reason not to still be there and it actually had no relevance to what was happening. Ugh, enough of this!


Summary: Even if you are a fan of the previous films, don't waste your time this movie. It is more or less a rehash of what you've seen before, just poorly done. I only hope it is truly The Last Key, and that key is lost forever.