Movie and Show Reviews
Based on the Stephen King novel, which I’ve never read, this version is far superior to the TV miniseries.
It also became the highest weekend gross ever for a horror film and the second highest weekend gross for an R rated filme behind Deadpool.
It’s less a horror film than a drama. It has some creepy elements and a bit of gore, but it’s not really scary. While Pennywise might be snatching people and kids from the town, the real horror comes from what the kids face in their day-to-day lives.
Ultimately, the strength in the story lies with the kids. It’s a lot like Stand By Me. The interactions of the kids and how they deal with their problems is the heart of the story. (And you’ll feel like you had a really normal childhood compared to what they go through.) Kudos to the director for casting normal-looking kids and guiding them to respond like kids their age would.
You’ll also recognize Finn Wolfhard, who was the main kid in Stranger Things. Plus Jaeden Lieberher, who was the kid in Midnight Special, and Wyatt Oleff, who played young Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Overall, it’s an excellent film and very well done.
Highly recommended.
Broadcast mid-August, the RiffTrax guys took on a Doctor Who classic.
Sadly, the film hasn’t aged well. Production values look 60’s, not 80’s.
There was a lot to riff. From the outlandish egg costumes to the woman slipping down a ten degree incline and having to be pulled out with a rope. Plus one of the doctors was in the film a whole five minutes. Maybe. A lot of it didn’t make sense, but that only added to the riffing fodder.
A friend who’s a big Doctor Who fan thought it was hilarious, so RiffTrax didn’t ruin it forever for the fans.
They did make it highly entertaining for the rest of us though!
Highly recommended.
Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist team up to take on The Hand.
This is a tough one to review. Parts of it are wildly successful while other parts are a muddy mess. The first few episodes are slow going (think glacial) but give you just enough to carry forward. The middle episodes are the strongest and allow the dysfunctional team to shine.
The ending is truly a head scratcher. It didn’t make sense to me, and from reading other reviews, I’m not alone in that sentiment. I won’t give away the plot (or what I understood of it) but suffice it to say, if you liked Daredevil you might enjoy this crazy mess. The cast is game and Sigourney Weaver plays an imposing villain (even if I didn’t understand her nefarious plan.)
It’s better than the Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist stand-alone series, but it could have been so much more.
Movie News
From JoBlo:
…the historical figure has a rich and exciting history worthy of his own movie. He’s now getting that film – OUTLAW KING – courtesy of HELL OR HIGH WATER director David Mackenzie with Chris Pine starring as the legendary Scotsman.
It’s currently filming in Scotland and set for a 2018 release.
Also from JoBlo, director Colin Trevorrow was fired from Star Wars: Episode IX. Visit the site to get the scoop on what went wrong.
In an interview with Seth MacFarlane, he discusses the new series The Orville and how he wants to reclaim science fiction. Read about what looks like a really great new show on Blastr.
Suspira – with Tilda Swinton, 2018 release - but will Goblin be doing the soundtrack? That’s really what made the first film so damn creepy.
Tomb Raider – with Alicia Vikander, 2018 release - Angelina Jolie too old already?
A Star is Born – with Bradley Cooper, 2018 release - because the special effects will be so much better now!
An American Werewolf in London – plot twist: the lead is a woman!
Pet Sematary – like the first one wasn’t crappy enough…
WarGames – only if they nuke North Korea.
Insecure Writer's Support Group
A couple things we noted:
Be sure when you leave a comment, your profile leads back to your blog! If it links to Google+, make sure you have your blog listed in your ‘About’ section. We encountered a lot of comments that we could not return because that person’s gravatar was not linked to a blog. And since some people comment with a name but it’s their blog name on the IWSG list, that makes it extra challenging.
And remember, if you’d like your link title modified or changed on the IWSG list, we have set up a IWSG Google Document where you can request that change!
Visit others and return comments. (And turn comments on – it’s a requirement!) I saw many IWSG posts with almost no comments. That’s either from no one visiting, the blog owner posting without commenting, or a combination. The point is support and encouragement, so get out there and be sociable.
Genre: Mystery/Crime/Thriller
Theme: Tick Tock. We have an awesome panel of judges this year and the winning entries will be published in a royalty-paying anthology.
See the IWSG Anthology Contest post for details.
Giveaway
The Kindle Book Review’s September Author Meet & Greet Giveaway is open until the end of the month. Dragon of the Stars is one of the Featured books and you could win the “Ultimate Reader Gift Basket” ~ A 7″ Kindle Fire HD, a $25 Amazon gift card, and a bottle of wine.
Anyone else see It? How about RiffTrax? (Next live show in October – the original Night of the Living Dead.) Going to watch The Orville? Can people find your blog by clicking on your gravatar? Entering either IWSG contest? And what movie remake are you dreading?
