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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Love Stuff by Elle King in Music
Dec 9, 2018
colin... (64 KP) rated The Kissing Booth 2 (2020) in Movies
Sep 30, 2020
Every single character in this film, aside from our absolute king Marco, deserved to fucking die.
Noah is a sociopath, Elle is a manipulator, Lee is a spineless prick and Rachel is just sad.
Two hours that can never be replenished.
Noah is a sociopath, Elle is a manipulator, Lee is a spineless prick and Rachel is just sad.
Two hours that can never be replenished.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Maleficent (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
I was quite apprehensive headed into the new Disney movie âMaleficentâ
(Starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, and Sam Riley), because all the âofficialâ reviews said it wasnât any good.
I thoroughly disagree.
Maleficent made me laugh, it made me cry and it had me holding my breath in anticipation in some parts.
It takes a âWickedâ type look at the age old story of Sleeping Beauty.
While the narration is from the point of view of a much older Aurora, the story focuses on the point of view of Maleficent.
The young Maleficent (played by Isobelle Molloy) meets a young orphaned peasant boy with aspirations to live in the neighboring kingdoms castle.
Through the years they bond and grow close and share what is supposed to be âtrue loves kissâ.
Time moves on. The king in the adjoining kingdom is greedy and wants the lands that are ruled over by Maleficent. There is a battle, he is soundly defeated, and the King is injured mortally in battle. He pronounces that he will make whoever avenges him and kills Maleficent the next ruler.
Stefan, still being ambitious, finds Maleficent, and while pretending to still be her friend, drugs her. He canât bring himself to actually kill her and steals her wings instead, to present to the king as proof of her demise.
Stefan is crowned king. Time passes.
Maleficentâs pain and anger and betrayal do not dissipate. They grow and coalesce to the point that at the celebration to celebrate the birth of King Stefanâs daughter Aurora, she curses the child, sealing her fate that naught but âtrue loves kissâ will break the curse.
The story follows the childâs growth, with Maleficent watching her every move, and getting closer and closer to her with every passing year.
Maleficent dubs Aurora âBeastieâ, and Aurora calls Maleficent âGodmotherâ.
As Auroraâs 16th birthday draws near, Maleficent grows desperate to break the very curse that she had cast many years before.
It does not work.
I wonât ruin it by telling the ending, but it was action packed, and heart wrenching, and (at least to me) marginally unpredictableâŠ. (I thought one person would break it, but another didâŠ. I did figure it out before it happened, but mostly because Iâve been watching Once Upon A Time).
I really enjoyed the film, I loved the 3D of it, and I would most assuredly see it again. I wouldnât recommend it for very young children, and I donât feel like I can bring my almost 6 year old to it, but I would consider letting him see it by age 8 or 9.
(Starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, and Sam Riley), because all the âofficialâ reviews said it wasnât any good.
I thoroughly disagree.
Maleficent made me laugh, it made me cry and it had me holding my breath in anticipation in some parts.
It takes a âWickedâ type look at the age old story of Sleeping Beauty.
While the narration is from the point of view of a much older Aurora, the story focuses on the point of view of Maleficent.
The young Maleficent (played by Isobelle Molloy) meets a young orphaned peasant boy with aspirations to live in the neighboring kingdoms castle.
Through the years they bond and grow close and share what is supposed to be âtrue loves kissâ.
Time moves on. The king in the adjoining kingdom is greedy and wants the lands that are ruled over by Maleficent. There is a battle, he is soundly defeated, and the King is injured mortally in battle. He pronounces that he will make whoever avenges him and kills Maleficent the next ruler.
Stefan, still being ambitious, finds Maleficent, and while pretending to still be her friend, drugs her. He canât bring himself to actually kill her and steals her wings instead, to present to the king as proof of her demise.
Stefan is crowned king. Time passes.
Maleficentâs pain and anger and betrayal do not dissipate. They grow and coalesce to the point that at the celebration to celebrate the birth of King Stefanâs daughter Aurora, she curses the child, sealing her fate that naught but âtrue loves kissâ will break the curse.
The story follows the childâs growth, with Maleficent watching her every move, and getting closer and closer to her with every passing year.
Maleficent dubs Aurora âBeastieâ, and Aurora calls Maleficent âGodmotherâ.
As Auroraâs 16th birthday draws near, Maleficent grows desperate to break the very curse that she had cast many years before.
It does not work.
I wonât ruin it by telling the ending, but it was action packed, and heart wrenching, and (at least to me) marginally unpredictableâŠ. (I thought one person would break it, but another didâŠ. I did figure it out before it happened, but mostly because Iâve been watching Once Upon A Time).
I really enjoyed the film, I loved the 3D of it, and I would most assuredly see it again. I wouldnât recommend it for very young children, and I donât feel like I can bring my almost 6 year old to it, but I would consider letting him see it by age 8 or 9.
ClareR (5561 KP) rated Afraid of the Christmas Lights in Books
Dec 1, 2020
I donât like Christmas books. Usually. I like A Christmas Carol, but I tend not to read many modern Christmas books - unless theyâre childrenâs ones at work, or when I used to read them for my own children when they were little. Which is probably why I liked this so much. Usually in anthologies, there will be a few standout stories that make reading the collection as a whole worthwhile, but Iâve really struggled to single out one or two - I enjoyed them all far too much for that.
Most of the stories are set around Christmas with only a couple of exceptions. That didnât cause me to like them any less though. The real standouts for me (if I absolutely HAVE to choose!) were: Phoebe Morganâs Unexpected Present - the gift wrapped so nicely in expensive M&S paper being the main protagonists husband; The Switch by James Delargy had a Stephen King vibe to it (and I should add that it wasnât because of The Green Mile!); Fresh Meat by Elle Croft gives new meaning to a raw meat diet for your cat; and The Vigilante by Clare Empson was a sad story of a Charles Dickens look-a-like who tries to save victims of crime in the dead of night.
If you need an excuse to buy this, then the proceeds go to ESDAS and Rights of Women, both domestic abuse charities.
Many thanks to The PIgeonhole for serialising this book, and to the authors who joined in. As always, it was a great experience!!
Most of the stories are set around Christmas with only a couple of exceptions. That didnât cause me to like them any less though. The real standouts for me (if I absolutely HAVE to choose!) were: Phoebe Morganâs Unexpected Present - the gift wrapped so nicely in expensive M&S paper being the main protagonists husband; The Switch by James Delargy had a Stephen King vibe to it (and I should add that it wasnât because of The Green Mile!); Fresh Meat by Elle Croft gives new meaning to a raw meat diet for your cat; and The Vigilante by Clare Empson was a sad story of a Charles Dickens look-a-like who tries to save victims of crime in the dead of night.
If you need an excuse to buy this, then the proceeds go to ESDAS and Rights of Women, both domestic abuse charities.
Many thanks to The PIgeonhole for serialising this book, and to the authors who joined in. As always, it was a great experience!!
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) in Movies
Oct 15, 2019
In âMaleficent: Mistress of Evilâ; Angelina Jolie returns as the title character to the smash Live-Action film based on the classic Fairy Tale and Animated film.
In the years since the last film ended; Aurora (Elle Fanning) has relished in her role as Princess over the Moors and all of the enchanted creatures that live within it. When she accepts a proposal from Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson), this sets off a chain of celebratory events as they all prepare for the big day which will unite the two lands.
Phillipâs parents King John (Robert Lindsay) and Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) are eager for the union while Maleficent strongly opposes it and tells Aurora that there will be no wedding. When Aurora persists; Maleficent reluctantly accepts an invitation to dinner at the Castle where things soon go horribly wrong and Maleficent is accused of putting a curse on the King.
Injured while fleeing, Maleficent is wounded and takin in by others of her kind who are preparing for war against the humans as a dark and dangerous plan is underway and the survival of the enchanted creatures is threatened.
The film then becomes a tense adventure with plenty of action, magic, and fantasy which is a nice framework for the great visual effects of the film.
I had been concerned that the film might be too dark for the usual audience for this type of film and there are moments where my concerns are validated. However there is much more charm, fantasy and wonder in the film and if anyone has ever read the original Grimm Fairy Tales; they will know that this is considerably toned down compared to what they offered.
The film has some great visuals to it but they never overshadow the characters in the film as Jolie seems to be taking gleeful delight in playing the title character but allows herself to have some fun with the character at times which helps her emerge as a well-rounded character versus being a staple Fairy Tale Villain.
The film may take a bit of time getting up to the main events but it does so to give more time for the characters to develop which helps them stand out from the usual good/bad monikers given to many fantasy characters.
The supporting cast is solid especially the performances by Pfeiffer and Chiwetel Ejiofor who add much to the complexity of the film and also invoke many themes of discussion that mirrors what is happening in much of society today.
In the end the film delivers a strong performance by Jolie and plenty of magic to make this a modern Fairy Tale Disney classic in the making.
3.5 stars out of 5.
In the years since the last film ended; Aurora (Elle Fanning) has relished in her role as Princess over the Moors and all of the enchanted creatures that live within it. When she accepts a proposal from Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson), this sets off a chain of celebratory events as they all prepare for the big day which will unite the two lands.
Phillipâs parents King John (Robert Lindsay) and Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) are eager for the union while Maleficent strongly opposes it and tells Aurora that there will be no wedding. When Aurora persists; Maleficent reluctantly accepts an invitation to dinner at the Castle where things soon go horribly wrong and Maleficent is accused of putting a curse on the King.
Injured while fleeing, Maleficent is wounded and takin in by others of her kind who are preparing for war against the humans as a dark and dangerous plan is underway and the survival of the enchanted creatures is threatened.
The film then becomes a tense adventure with plenty of action, magic, and fantasy which is a nice framework for the great visual effects of the film.
I had been concerned that the film might be too dark for the usual audience for this type of film and there are moments where my concerns are validated. However there is much more charm, fantasy and wonder in the film and if anyone has ever read the original Grimm Fairy Tales; they will know that this is considerably toned down compared to what they offered.
The film has some great visuals to it but they never overshadow the characters in the film as Jolie seems to be taking gleeful delight in playing the title character but allows herself to have some fun with the character at times which helps her emerge as a well-rounded character versus being a staple Fairy Tale Villain.
The film may take a bit of time getting up to the main events but it does so to give more time for the characters to develop which helps them stand out from the usual good/bad monikers given to many fantasy characters.
The supporting cast is solid especially the performances by Pfeiffer and Chiwetel Ejiofor who add much to the complexity of the film and also invoke many themes of discussion that mirrors what is happening in much of society today.
In the end the film delivers a strong performance by Jolie and plenty of magic to make this a modern Fairy Tale Disney classic in the making.
3.5 stars out of 5.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Maleficent (2014) in Movies
Oct 19, 2019 (Updated Oct 25, 2019)
A refreshing take on a beloved classic
Sleeping Beauty is one of the most famous classic animated Disney features of all time, and that is partly thanks to the villain of the piece - Maleficent.
When I think back to watching Sleeping Beauty as a child, Maleficent is the main aspect that sticks out.
A being of seemingly pure evil, who would curse a baby just because.
This live action re telling of Sleeping Beauty shifts the focus to Maleficent almost exclusively, and explores an untold backstory that gives the character a whole different aspect.
And I reckon it's done pretty well.
Angelina Jolie is obviously having fun playing the strong fairy Queen, who turns to the dark side after she's done over by King Stefan, and she plays both the sympathetic and evil parts of Maleficent with style, with sprinkles of dark humour here and there for good measure.
Stefan is played by Sharlto Copley, who I loved im both District 9, and Elysium, so it's interesting to see him do something different here.
Aurora is more of a side character this time around, but Elle Fanning does a good job of fitting in when the narrative calls for it.
The film looks great for the most part. The more colourful palette of The Moors is lovely and feels suitably magical, and the darkness of the thorned forest plays well with a more gothic athstetic, and it's all backed up by a terrific score (courtesy of James Newton Howard).
The CGI is still pretty passable considering the film is now 5 years old, only becoming more obvious in the flying scenes.
The only things I didn't like about Maleficent, was mainly the three fairy godmothers. I know that Disney need to fill a certain quota of silly humour, but they became quickly annoying and actually quite out of place with the rest of the film.
Some of the dialogue is quite cheesy (especially when Maleficent performs the curse on Aurora) but little things like this are to be expected from a Disney fairytale.
All in all, Maleficent is great fun, and pretty good twist to a well established classic story.
When I think back to watching Sleeping Beauty as a child, Maleficent is the main aspect that sticks out.
A being of seemingly pure evil, who would curse a baby just because.
This live action re telling of Sleeping Beauty shifts the focus to Maleficent almost exclusively, and explores an untold backstory that gives the character a whole different aspect.
And I reckon it's done pretty well.
Angelina Jolie is obviously having fun playing the strong fairy Queen, who turns to the dark side after she's done over by King Stefan, and she plays both the sympathetic and evil parts of Maleficent with style, with sprinkles of dark humour here and there for good measure.
Stefan is played by Sharlto Copley, who I loved im both District 9, and Elysium, so it's interesting to see him do something different here.
Aurora is more of a side character this time around, but Elle Fanning does a good job of fitting in when the narrative calls for it.
The film looks great for the most part. The more colourful palette of The Moors is lovely and feels suitably magical, and the darkness of the thorned forest plays well with a more gothic athstetic, and it's all backed up by a terrific score (courtesy of James Newton Howard).
The CGI is still pretty passable considering the film is now 5 years old, only becoming more obvious in the flying scenes.
The only things I didn't like about Maleficent, was mainly the three fairy godmothers. I know that Disney need to fill a certain quota of silly humour, but they became quickly annoying and actually quite out of place with the rest of the film.
Some of the dialogue is quite cheesy (especially when Maleficent performs the curse on Aurora) but little things like this are to be expected from a Disney fairytale.
All in all, Maleficent is great fun, and pretty good twist to a well established classic story.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) in Movies
Dec 8, 2019
I questioned the need for a second film, much like other Disney properties furthering this franchise over producing new content didn't seem all that sensible, but the effects in the trailer had me intrigued enough to want to see it.
Aurora has settled into her life on the Moors, life is a fairy tale and soon it will become even more so. Everyone is elated when Prince Philip proposes to her, everyone but Maleficent.
As she tries to come to terms with the news and be happy for the couple it becomes evident that something more sinister is afoot and that those seeking power will do anything to get it.
Angelina Jolie never seems to disappoint. Here she summons the peak anti-social qualities and refines them into something elegant. All her little reactions and the way she tries to smile create a magnificent second outing for Maleficent and thankfully the story that they wove for her was strong enough to be a worthy sequel.
I am still not a great fan of Elle Fanning, I find her acting style to be rather eerie and on occasion bland. I didn't entirely believe the way her character had been written, and her acting didn't help, even if you take into account the "stroppy child" moments I found the choices that Aurora made to be dubious.
There are a lot of other faces to recognise. Michelle Pfeiffer makes for a formidable foe and she's strong throughout as the Queen. Robert Lindsay's brief reprise of the King is suitably amusing. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein are good additions to the line up and Sam Riley back as Diaval is as entertaining as ever.
The effects that pulled me to the film weren't a disappointment, seeing the way they crafted the different kingdoms and the overall look of everything was stunning. The only thing that really sticks out is the animation on the three fairy godmothers, I didn't like it in the first film and it doesn't change in this one either.
I was entertained through the whole film but since seeing it I don't have much of an urge to see it again or to see a third instalment. It didn't make much of an impression on me but it wasn't boring, on the scale of things I guess that's not bad.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/11/maleficent-mistress-of-evil-movie-review.html
Aurora has settled into her life on the Moors, life is a fairy tale and soon it will become even more so. Everyone is elated when Prince Philip proposes to her, everyone but Maleficent.
As she tries to come to terms with the news and be happy for the couple it becomes evident that something more sinister is afoot and that those seeking power will do anything to get it.
Angelina Jolie never seems to disappoint. Here she summons the peak anti-social qualities and refines them into something elegant. All her little reactions and the way she tries to smile create a magnificent second outing for Maleficent and thankfully the story that they wove for her was strong enough to be a worthy sequel.
I am still not a great fan of Elle Fanning, I find her acting style to be rather eerie and on occasion bland. I didn't entirely believe the way her character had been written, and her acting didn't help, even if you take into account the "stroppy child" moments I found the choices that Aurora made to be dubious.
There are a lot of other faces to recognise. Michelle Pfeiffer makes for a formidable foe and she's strong throughout as the Queen. Robert Lindsay's brief reprise of the King is suitably amusing. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein are good additions to the line up and Sam Riley back as Diaval is as entertaining as ever.
The effects that pulled me to the film weren't a disappointment, seeing the way they crafted the different kingdoms and the overall look of everything was stunning. The only thing that really sticks out is the animation on the three fairy godmothers, I didn't like it in the first film and it doesn't change in this one either.
I was entertained through the whole film but since seeing it I don't have much of an urge to see it again or to see a third instalment. It didn't make much of an impression on me but it wasn't boring, on the scale of things I guess that's not bad.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/11/maleficent-mistress-of-evil-movie-review.html
IT⊠didnât really float my boat.
IT is based on the Stephen King novel, and tells the disturbing recurring events that happen within the town of Derry in Maine. Kids keep disappearing and sightings of a spooky clown, other visitations and red balloons occur. A group of bullied high school kids â one directly impacted by the disappearances â work to get to the bottom of the supernatural goings on. (Fortunately they donât have a dog called Scooby).
I had in mind that with the disturbing and dangerous âclowning aroundâ that happened in the summer of 2016 that this film had been shot a while ago and the release delayed until now for fear of adding âclown-flavoured fuelâ to the fire. But it appears that filming only completed in September of last year, so that appears not to be the case.
The film starts memorably and brutally with the âdrain sceneâ from the trailer. And very effective it is too. âGreat!â you think⊠this is a spookfest that has legs! Unfortunately, for me at least, it all went downhill from there. The film really doesnât seem to know WHAT itâs trying to be. There are elements of âStand By Meâ; elements of âAlienâ; elements of âThe Conjuringâ, all thrown into a cinematic blender and pulsed well.
The most endearing aspects of the movie are the interactions of the small-town kids, with this aspect of the film bearing the closest comparison with J.J. Abramsâ âSuper 8â. This is carried by the great performances of the young actors involved, with Jaeden Lieberher (so memorable in âMidnight Specialâ) as Bill; Jeremy Ray Taylor (âAnt Manâ) as Ben (âthe chubby oneâ); and Finn Wolfhard, in his big-screen premiere and sporting an absurd set of glasses, as the wise-cracking Ritchie.
Standout for my though was the then 14-year old Sophia Lillis as Beverly (the nearest equivalent to the Elle Fanning role in âSuper 8â). This young lady has SUCH screen presence, reminiscent of Emma Watson in the Harry Potter films. I think she is a name to watch!
While commenting on the acting I do need to acknowledge Bill SkarsgĂ„rd (âAtomic Blondeâ and son of Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd) who is creepily effective as Pennywise the clown.
Having a film that just centred on the pubescent interplay between the youngsters and their battles against the near-psychopathic school bully Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton, âCaptain Fantasticâ) would have kept me well-entertained for two hours. However, in the same way that the hugely over-inflated Sci-Fi ending of âSuper 8â rather detracted from that film, so the clown-related story popping up all the time just irritated me to distraction. (âWILL YOU JUST FECK OFF AND LEAVE US TO FIND OUT WHO BEVERLY GETS OFF WITH???!!â)
While the film has a number of good jump-scares, a lot of them â especially those with excessive use of CGI â just donât really work. There are normally no âoutcomesâ from the scares. Itâs all a bit like a ghost train where the carriage rounds a corner, something jumps out, and then the carriage moves on round the corner again! What makes a great horror film is where the âscienceâ of the horror is well thought through. âAlienâ was an exceptional example of that, where the science wasnât just âphysicsâ but also âbiologyâ. Here (and Iâm not sure whether this is true to the book⊠this is one of Stephen Kingâs I havenât read) there seems to be no rules involved at all. Things happen fairly randomly: shape-shifting and effects on physical objects happen with no rational explanation; the kids can see things adults canât see. (Why?). In fact the âadultsâ â the usual mix of Stephen King dysfunctional small-town crazies â seem to have no significant part in the story at all. Itâs all like some lame teenage fantasy where actions (a number of individuals in the story meet their demise) seem to carry no legal consequences whatsoever. I half expected Bill to wake up â Dallas style â at the end and realise it had all been an âawful dreamâ!
In particular, the denouement is highly dissatisfying. An opportunity for a (very black) twist in the plot is discarded. Pennywise the clownâs departure is both lame and unconvincing. And there are numerous loose ends that are never properly tied down (what was that âfloaters descendingâ dialogue about?âŠ. it was just never followed through!).
Itâs not all bad though. The location shoots in Bangor, Maine and the Ontario countryside are all beautifully rendered by cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (âStokerâ) and where the film clicks with the young cast it clicks well and enjoyably. I just wish that the overall film wasnât just such a jumbled-up mess. Blame for that must lie with the screenwriting team and director Andy Muschietti (âMamaâ). Iâm going to give it a kicking in my rating, since with all the marketing build-up it was certainly a disappointment. I see though that at the time of writing that this film sports an unfathomably high imdb rating of 8.0/10 so Iâll acknowledge that somebody must have seen something more in this than I did!!
I had in mind that with the disturbing and dangerous âclowning aroundâ that happened in the summer of 2016 that this film had been shot a while ago and the release delayed until now for fear of adding âclown-flavoured fuelâ to the fire. But it appears that filming only completed in September of last year, so that appears not to be the case.
The film starts memorably and brutally with the âdrain sceneâ from the trailer. And very effective it is too. âGreat!â you think⊠this is a spookfest that has legs! Unfortunately, for me at least, it all went downhill from there. The film really doesnât seem to know WHAT itâs trying to be. There are elements of âStand By Meâ; elements of âAlienâ; elements of âThe Conjuringâ, all thrown into a cinematic blender and pulsed well.
The most endearing aspects of the movie are the interactions of the small-town kids, with this aspect of the film bearing the closest comparison with J.J. Abramsâ âSuper 8â. This is carried by the great performances of the young actors involved, with Jaeden Lieberher (so memorable in âMidnight Specialâ) as Bill; Jeremy Ray Taylor (âAnt Manâ) as Ben (âthe chubby oneâ); and Finn Wolfhard, in his big-screen premiere and sporting an absurd set of glasses, as the wise-cracking Ritchie.
Standout for my though was the then 14-year old Sophia Lillis as Beverly (the nearest equivalent to the Elle Fanning role in âSuper 8â). This young lady has SUCH screen presence, reminiscent of Emma Watson in the Harry Potter films. I think she is a name to watch!
While commenting on the acting I do need to acknowledge Bill SkarsgĂ„rd (âAtomic Blondeâ and son of Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd) who is creepily effective as Pennywise the clown.
Having a film that just centred on the pubescent interplay between the youngsters and their battles against the near-psychopathic school bully Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton, âCaptain Fantasticâ) would have kept me well-entertained for two hours. However, in the same way that the hugely over-inflated Sci-Fi ending of âSuper 8â rather detracted from that film, so the clown-related story popping up all the time just irritated me to distraction. (âWILL YOU JUST FECK OFF AND LEAVE US TO FIND OUT WHO BEVERLY GETS OFF WITH???!!â)
While the film has a number of good jump-scares, a lot of them â especially those with excessive use of CGI â just donât really work. There are normally no âoutcomesâ from the scares. Itâs all a bit like a ghost train where the carriage rounds a corner, something jumps out, and then the carriage moves on round the corner again! What makes a great horror film is where the âscienceâ of the horror is well thought through. âAlienâ was an exceptional example of that, where the science wasnât just âphysicsâ but also âbiologyâ. Here (and Iâm not sure whether this is true to the book⊠this is one of Stephen Kingâs I havenât read) there seems to be no rules involved at all. Things happen fairly randomly: shape-shifting and effects on physical objects happen with no rational explanation; the kids can see things adults canât see. (Why?). In fact the âadultsâ â the usual mix of Stephen King dysfunctional small-town crazies â seem to have no significant part in the story at all. Itâs all like some lame teenage fantasy where actions (a number of individuals in the story meet their demise) seem to carry no legal consequences whatsoever. I half expected Bill to wake up â Dallas style â at the end and realise it had all been an âawful dreamâ!
In particular, the denouement is highly dissatisfying. An opportunity for a (very black) twist in the plot is discarded. Pennywise the clownâs departure is both lame and unconvincing. And there are numerous loose ends that are never properly tied down (what was that âfloaters descendingâ dialogue about?âŠ. it was just never followed through!).
Itâs not all bad though. The location shoots in Bangor, Maine and the Ontario countryside are all beautifully rendered by cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (âStokerâ) and where the film clicks with the young cast it clicks well and enjoyably. I just wish that the overall film wasnât just such a jumbled-up mess. Blame for that must lie with the screenwriting team and director Andy Muschietti (âMamaâ). Iâm going to give it a kicking in my rating, since with all the marketing build-up it was certainly a disappointment. I see though that at the time of writing that this film sports an unfathomably high imdb rating of 8.0/10 so Iâll acknowledge that somebody must have seen something more in this than I did!!