Sorry I haven't written for a couple of days. It's just the usual reason, that nothing worth mentioning was happening. Sometimes when that happens I can manufacture a topic, often from something I am reading, and when I watch a movie I can always make that my topic, but I was drawing a blank the past two nights. I get a bit depressed, too, just because I don't have anybody to hang with, and I don't wanna be One Of The Boyz anymore, and I don't have anybody in my life and I'm not married. Same 'ol sob story, I know, but it's very real to me, and it's not easy. Some days it's a real struggle.
Well anyhow, today I can write, because I went to the Granada Hills Theater this afternoon to see "IT". I wanted to wait a few days to avoid crowds, and I made a perfect choice in going mid-week at 1pm, cause there were only about five people in the very large theater, and so with me way up front in the second row (I always sit close for the full effect), it was almost like having "IT" all to myself. :)
Okay, straight up : let's get right to the Ten Scale. I give it a 9.5. Coming out of the theater, I was gonna give it an 8.5 - still very high - but as the day wore on, I couldn't stop thinking about the movie, and how much the filmmakers got right. And they got so much right, that I had to upgrade it a point, and so 9.5 was the final score.
It ain't easy adapting a Stephen King book for a movie script, which is why we've had so many sub-par films from same. King himself rarely does the adapting (in fact, has he ever? I'm not sure), and the writers who have done so have often rendered the story readers are familiar with from his books to be.....well, not unrecognizable, but certainly not pure King. Some directors, like Stanley Kubrick, have almost destroyed the book in favor of making their own vision of the movie. "The Shining" was pretty good (not great), but it was not a faithful adaptation, by any stretch, of what was a Brilliant Book By A Brilliant Writer. And make no mistake; King is indeed brilliant. His forte is Horror, but what he really is, is The Great Psychologist Of The American Psyche. And he also has a feel for Americana like few others (maybe writers of old, like F. Scott Fitzgerald, whom I have not read). Simply put, Stephen King is The Great American Writer, and "IT" is, in my opinion, his greatest book.
"IT" is really about the wonders and horrors of childhood, distilled into a very complex plot in the book, about a killer clown who lives in the sewers and preys on the children of Derry, Maine. Only a few certain kids can see him, adults cannot, and these kids call themselves The Losers Club because they are all nerds and outcasts, to varying degrees, many of whom come from broken or abusive homes.
As a huge fan of the book - which I can live inside every time I read - I have to say that director Andy Muschietti and his screenwriters did the best possible job they could have, with a eleven hundred pages of material to whittle down. Yes, some major Book Events have been changed - the Apocalyptic Rockfight was given short shrift, and The Neiboldt House Experience now includes all of The Losers, instead of just Bill and Eddie. But some changes, and outright cutting of other material, were inevitable in such a long story, and overall they do not affect the movie as a motion picture.
As a movie, with as good an adaptation as you could hope for, "IT" is near perfect. For starters, you could not possibly cast more perfect adolescent actors for each part. Every kid, every Loser, is almost exactly as you would have pictured from the book. To add to that, the look of Derry is Picturesque and Perfect. They used a Canadian town, and I mentioned Americana - this is what I was talking about, the kind of "America" that we wish still existed.
So right off the bat, the casting of the film, and it's location, and it's feel, are exactly what you were hoping for.
As for the horror, that is an interesting question. Horror movies, per se, rely on tension and long, drawn out scenes. Think "Paranormal Activity" for a modern version of horror. "IT", on the other hand, is really a coming-of-age story, and a tale of adversaries - The Losers vs. The School Bullies. And, they are also fighting their parents and this freakin' Clown, so there is a Ton Of Stuff going on.
This is no One Note Horror Film, and so, while there is a lot of horror, the fixation is more on story and atmosphere rather then building tension as in a pure Fright Film.
"IT" is a Horror Story, but the emphasis is on the story, and the horror is mostly slam bang. The movie is In Your Face. It never lets up for 2 hours 15 minutes.
Some of the horrific set pieces, such as Beverly's infamous experience in her bathroom, are truly scary and ingeniously staged. The Neiboldt House is likewise awful. Overall, the set design and lighting, and the sound design all contribute to make "IT" one of the most atmospheric horror movies of the modern, ultra technical era. Boy did they nail it on that score.
But in the end, it's the kids and the story that make the show, and Pennywise, too. And the overall look and feel of the film, right down to it's Top 40 1980s soundtrack songs.
And that was the final thing that blew me away about "IT" the movie. The book takes place in the late 1950s. In the movie, they have updated the time - and the look - to the 1980s.
But not just to the 1980s.
To 1989.
And because the story takes place in Summer, the movie takes place in Summer 1989.
There are references, seen on a movie theater marquee, to "Batman" and "Lethal Weapon 2", and later to "Nightmare On Elm Street 5".
Holy Freakin' Smokes, people. You might have to be me to understand, but I am me, and I do understand.
And the movie is broken up into sections, titled by month: June, then August, and for the final scene....
September. 1989.
Of course, it's gotta be a coincidence, because everything is a coincidence, right?
I suppose if they were gonna change the timeline of the book from the 1950s, they could have also chosen the 60s or 70s, and that would've been a coincidence too, right? But for whatever reason, they chose the 1980s, and not just the early 80s or the mid-80s.
They chose 1989 specifically, and Summer, and June - August - and September....to close the movie.
Stephen King is one of the main heroes of my life.
So you know that I was extra blown away, no joke. ////
Elizabeth, if you are reading I thought that was another great Red Dress photo you posted this morning. The backgrounds from the Iceland photos have been incredible - first the black volcanic cave and now the icy blue of the waterfall (and a great pose by you also). I am glad you posted, and can see why you loved your visit to that country so much. :)
I also saw a few posts this evening that seemed to have to do with bands or musicians in Chicago, so maybe you are making connections there. I hope so, and I will bet that in no time you will be right back at it - directing videos and shooting concerts.
Keep posting if you feel like it, and post some more Iceland pics, too. :)
Well, that's all for tonight. See you in the morning. :):)
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