Search This Blog

Showing posts with label IT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IT. Show all posts

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Cindy Prascik's 2017: Well, At Least It Had Good Movies...

 
 
Dearest Blog: Today we take a fond(ish) look back at 2017, grateful, at least, that it didn't fail us at the cinema as it did in so many other ways.
 
To start, the usual disclaimers:
 
1-a.) I live in a rinky-dink town, so most of the real awards heavyweights won't turn up here until they're nominated for Oscars, then they'll split four screens across two cinemas for one week and I'll need Hermione Granger's Time Turner to catch up with all of them.
 
1-b.) If we're being honest, most of said awards heavyweights wouldn't affect this list in the slightest, anyway. The Post would probably sneak on here, and maybe Molly's Game, but it's fair to say that the Academy and I do not share many common "best picture" criteria.
 
2.) A picture's original Weasley rating has little bearing on its end-of-year placement. Some movies wear well with repeat viewings, some not so much, and some I haven't had a chance to revisit since their cinema runs.
 
3.) This is gonna get long. If I can drop 1200 words on Batfleck, you can only imagine how many I'll need for ten winners, a handful of runners-up, a few disappointments, and other assorted miscellany.
So, without further ado, buckle up and let's get to it...
 
My Best of 2017
 
10. It
 
"We all float down here."
 
One of Stephen King's best works gets a worthy big-screen treatment. Sure, they screwed the pooch on Pennywise, whose CGI'd scares are too fake to freak, but the kids are extraordinary and the story is such a beautiful blend of nostalgia, hope, and melancholy that the film comes out a winner despite any petty quibbles.
 
9. Detroit
 
"It's a war zone out there."
 
Kathryn Bigelow's harrowing trip down memory lane to the 1967 Detroit race riots is terrifying, compelling, and sadly still timely in 2017. Brilliant performances highlight a picture so tense as to feel almost like living the horrific events in real time. Difficult as it is to stomach, Detroit is must-watch cinema.
 
8. John Wick, Chapter 2
 
"Somebody please get this man a gun."
 
If you think the John Wick movies are nothing more than a lot of shoot-'em-up machismo, you haven't been paying attention. What appears, on the surface, to be a big, dumb, action sequel is a wonderfully choreographed, strikingly filmed bit of movie magic that serves as the perfect vehicle for its limited-but-lovable star, Keanu Reeves. John Wick, Chapter 2, is that rare sequel that's even better than the original.
 
7. Goon: Last of the Enforcers
 
"I need to protect my team."
 
It was never likely Last of the Enforcers would duplicate the pleasant surprise of the original Goon. The sequel has fewer laugh-out-loud moments and lacks the feel-good underdog vibe of its predecessor, but Last of the Enforcers is blessed with a great cast and tons of heart, as well as writers who obviously cared enough to make the right choices for its much-loved characters. It was a story well worth continuing.
 
6. Kingsman: The Golden Circle
 
"I hope you're ready for what comes next."
 
The Golden Circle is another sequel that had no real hope of matching the surprising perfection of the original Kingsman, but it was still one of 2017's most fun and exciting cinema offerings. Throw in the year's best cameo by Sir Elton John and Mark Strong's heartfelt and hilarious performance of Country Roads, and you've got an epic actioner that's not to be missed.
 
5. Dunkirk
 
"We have a job to do."
 
Dunkirk is a big movie that manages to go small in its storytelling. Rather than relate the famous tale from a familiar grand standpoint, Christopher Nolan delivers intimate stories from ordinary folks who faced impossible circumstances. Gorgeous cinematography and stellar performances are the crowning glory of another Nolan masterpiece.
 
4. Coco
 
"There's something that makes me different."
 
Ladies and gentlemen, if there's one 2017 movie I would recommend to everyone, enthusiastically and without hesitation, it would be Disney/Pixar's glorious Coco. Coco is visually stunning, with a wonderful message underscoring its magical story. Delightful characters bring the celebration of Dia de los Muertos to life in warm, colorful, family-friendly fashion. Grab your friends, your family, and everyone else you can find and get out to see Coco on the big screen--as it's meant to be seen--while you can!
 
3. Justice League
 
"Dressed like a bat. I dig it."
 
Justice League brings DC's most notable heroes to the big screen together for the first time, while taking a much lighter tone than other recent DC offerings. It's a formula that works, thanks to excellent casting and mostly well-placed humor. Justice League's primary baddie is a bit underwhelming, but otherwise the movie boasts solid action and humor, terrific chemistry, iconic characters, and, for my money, the best live-action Batman/Bruce Wayne ever to have graced the screen, one of my favorite cinema experiences of 2017.
 
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
 
"The dead have taken command of the sea."
 
Dead Men Tell No Tales earns a spot on this list as my favorite movie of 2017. It enjoys first-runner-up status thanks to its extraordinary rendering of the Silent Mary's ghost crew, the best thing to come out of the cinema all year long. Upon repeat viewings I found scenes that don't feature Captain Salazar and his men didn't hold up as well as those that do, but I remain overwhelmed by the exceptional effects, makeup, wardrobe and hairstyling, not to mention performances, that bring this cursed band of pirate hunters to life. Every viewing yields some new, remarkable detail, making Dead Men Tell No Tales a joy to watch again and again.
 
1. Baby Driver
 
"Your name's 'Baby?' B-A-B-Y, Baby?"
 
Writer/director Edgar Wright takes his striking use of music in movies to extraordinary new heights in this imaginative tale of a getaway driver who needs his tunes to get the job done. The result is exciting, clever, funny, totally unique proof that Hollywood is NOT out of good, original ideas, as so many complain. Baby Driver staked its claim to my number-one spot upon first viewing, and has had no serious competition since. Thank you, Edgar Wright, for always giving movie fans a real reason to get out to the cinema.
 
Widely Reviled/Ridiculed Movies that Tip-Toed Very Near My Top 10
 
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. It should have been epic, and it could have been hilariously awful, but it's actually supremely entertaining and even surprisingly quick-witted at times, with nice-looking effects, cool action, and shirtless Charlie Hunnam. #winner
 
Transformers: The Last Knight. Yeah, you all hated it. I got that. Me, I go to the cinema for hugeness. Three Billboards loses nothing if I watch it on my TV or even on my phone, but Optimus Prime? I like seeing him transform in all the glory a 50-foot screen and mammoth surround-sound have to offer. The Last Knight boasts all the hugeness a hugeness fan like me could want, as well as some good laughs and a fair bit of screen time for one of my lesser-known favorites, Santiago Cabrera.
 
Power Rangers. Considered a flop in the US, its overseas box office may give this reboot a chance to grow into success. As a big fan of Power Rangers in any incarnation, I liked this story, loved the cast, and look forward to more. Plus, any year that gives me a Power Rangers or a Ninja Turtles movie is a win in my book!
 
The Great Wall. Ridiculous, but visually magnificent, I'd watch The Great Wall again and again just for the pleasure of looking at it.

Geostorm. A wildly improbable plot and ham-handed performances couldn't stop Geostorm from being the most fun movie outing of 2017. Terrific disaster effects didn't hurt, either. Can't wait to own this one when it becomes available for download!
 
Biggest Disappointments
 
Free Fire. Trailers led me to believe Free Fire would land near the top of my 2017 best-of list. Instead it's a clumsy waste of an extraordinary cast that was almost impossible to get through, despite its brief runtime.
 
Logan Lucky. Another movie whose trailers promised far more than it delivered. The caper is fun, but nothing new, and laughs are too sparse. Demerits for barely a hint of Sebastian Stan.
American Made. With the eminently-watchable Tom Cruise in the lead, this inspired-by-actual-events tale should have been edge-of-your-seat exciting; instead it's dull and overlong. It was still a nice rebound for Cruise after The Mummy, but nowhere near what it should have been.
 
Worst of 2017
 
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Every bit as painfully awful as the trailers promised/threatened. I can't remember the last time I suffered through something this horrible, and I have never in my life seen so many people walk out of a movie.
 
Flatliners/The Dark Tower. I almost put these two on the "Disappointments" list, but then it occurred to me that I'd have to have expected better for them to disappoint. I expected nothing of either, and they both delivered just that: nothing. A terrible waste of time, money, and in the case of The Dark Tower, the incredible Idris Elba.
 
Would Have Made My 2016 Top 10 If It Had Played Here In Time
 
Hidden Figures. An inspiring true story featuring lovely, sincere performances. Should be considered mandatory viewing.
 
2017's Individual Honors
 
Best Director: Edgar Wright.
 
Best Actor: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour. (No, I haven't seen it yet, but there isn't nor will there be any other answer to this question.)
 
Best Actress: Michelle Williams, All the Money in the World. (Likely to be displaced by Jessica Chastain once I see Molly's Game.)
 
Best Supporting Actor: Gil Birmingham, Wind River.
 
Best Supporting Actress: Hong Chau, Downsizing.
 
Best Original Score: Daniel Pemberton, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. (Along with POTC's 
Silent Mary crew, this is the best thing the movies had to offer in 2017.)
 
So, dear reader(s), there it is, my take on the year that's ending. It's probably not much like anyone else's, but I guess if you wanted anyone else's you'd go read their lists instead. I remain grateful that you’re reading mine, and welcome civil discourse on our agreements and disagreements.
 
Happy New Year, and I'll see you at Marquee Cinemas in 2018!
 

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Cindy Prascik is Takin’ it to the Sewers: It







































Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the first big-screen stab at Stephen King's It.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know or have guessed from the trailers.
A group of young outcasts faces off with an ancient evil that haunts their town.
Disclaimers: While I am a fan of both the book and the original TV mini-series adaptation of It, I'm many moons removed from revisiting either, so you'll find little by way of comparison here. Also, for the record, I like clowns.
Regular reader(s) may recall I don't have much love for modern horror. Mostly I find it a series of cheap startles and gross outs. I have four cats, so I needn't pay for either; I can step out of bed into a hairball any o'l time. It has a fair bit of blood and guts and some of the effects are lame enough they could be right out of the film's late-80s setting, but it is much more than just a horror movie.
As with the earlier TV version, 2017's It has an air of melancholy that reaches to the very depths of the story, the town, and the characters. It's not just about missing children; it's about an unhappy home life and not fitting in and, from an adult standpoint, those childhood connections that invariably fade and disappear with time. The movie's visual tone beautifully conveys the uneasy mood, along with some legitimately great acting by the young principals. It's a common complaint of mine that kid actors, even when they're good, are generally "good for kid actors," but these kids are GOOD, and that's to a person, not one weak link. As for Pennywise himself, filmmakers have worked to make him as horrific as possible, but the frights are mostly down to to timing, makeup, and effects rather than to Bill Skarsgard's performance. (Editorial note: Incessant drooling is not scary and I'm not a fan.) It is smartly-crafted enough to more than make up for any small complaints, though, a suspenseful thriller highlighted by outstanding performances and enough gore and jump-scares to keep horror fans happy.
It clocks in at 135 minutes and is rated R for "violence/horror, bloody images, and language."
Send in the clowns! Of a possible nine Weasleys, It gets eight and a half.

Fangirl points: Keep those ears open for pieces of Anthrax' Antisocial and XTC's Dear God!
Until next time...


MOVIE REVIEW: IT







































Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine, are about to face their worst nightmare -- an ancient, shape-shifting evil that emerges from the sewer every 27 years to prey on the town's children. Banding together over the course of one horrifying summer, the friends must overcome their own personal fears to battle the murderous, bloodthirsty clown known as Pennywise.

Director: Andy Muschietti

Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, Jackson Robert Scott

Release Date: Sept 9, 2017

Genres: Drama, Horror

Rated R for violence/horror, bloody images, and for language

Review:

I’ve been a huge fan of Stephen King for most of my life.  Strangely though 2 of his books really never connected with me, The Dark Tower series and IT.  The latter I tried to make it through before just giving up.  Ultimately, clowns just never scared me much, I actually like clowns, so maybe the scares never landed as intended.  This new film version suffers, just a tad, from the same effect.  Bill Skarsgård is great as Pennywise, even though it feels a bit more like old school Freddy Kruger more often than not, but I was ever really scared throughout the film.  That’s not to say it’s a bad film, far from it, IT just isn’t very scary.  That being said, a big chunk of the credit for the film’s success has to go to director Andy Muschietti and his preteen cast.  Muschietti directs a well crafted, borrowing bits and pieces from the best King adaptor Frank Darabont, piece that captures that all important feel of King’s works.  There’s a slight Stand by Me feel to the proceedings even though the film is set in the late 80’s.  The cast delivers excellent performances throughout, making you care about each character’s journey.  Jaeden Lieberher and Sophia Lillis in particular stand out for the authenticity of their performances.  IT is an excellent film even if it doesn’t make you hide under your covers after you see it.

B+
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...