IT: Horror Record 2017

You’ll float too.

IT brought the scares in 2017. IT also became the biggest (R-rated) horror movie of all time.

IT is out on Digital, Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD (with High Dynamic Range).

Box Office Mojo statistics show the other top R-rated horror movies include  - The Exorcist (1973), Get Out (2017), The Blair Witch Project (1999) and The Conjuring (2013).

The box office for IT brought in about $327 million domestic, for a whopping worldwide gross slightly over 700 million.

Most people already know, IT is lifted from the pages of a book. The Stephen King bestselling novel was first published in 1986. Readers have a nice slim size of roughly 1,168 pages to go through. (Length noted from the reissue edition to coincide with the movie.)

The story made such an impression on readers. Rolling Stone asked them to vote in a poll to pick King's scariest and most page-turning books.

And IT took second place out of 10.

(Those same Rolling Stone readers, put The Stand first.)  

PAST

The New Line Cinema’s thriller is directed by Andy Muschietti. There's not much doubt of the movie's blockbuster status. Of course, it’s not even the first time the Losers’ Club and a killer clown named Pennywise, appeared onscreen.

A lot of Internet chatter seemed nostalgic for the 1990 mini-series, which aired on television. The two-night event brought in an estimated 30 million viewers, with many giving praise to actor Tim Curry, for his role as Pennywise.

I have not seen the television version, so I can’t compare to this movie. I have read the book. (It's been a long time now.)  The standout sequence that I can remember is Georgie meeting Pennywise, at the very beginning.

The action for the new movie is shifted to the late 1980s, while the book has events in the 1950s.

The main story is still there. Children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine.  Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) becomes obsessed with finding out the truth, especially after what happened to his brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott.) Bill leads his friends into trouble, Ritchie (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), and Stan (Wyatt Oleff). They soon cross paths with amateur historian Ben, (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Beverly (Sophia Lillis) and Mike (Chosen Jacobs,) as they all have encounters with Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), and try to uncover the mystery.

At the same time, they try to deal with the anger of neighbourhood bully, Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton), and his friends.

VERDICT

Would I buy this film? Yes.

I am a Stephen King fan. I read some of his books through school but one Christmas I received Under the Dome, and my bookshelf has slowly filled up since then.

Critics will say plenty of Stephen King adaptations are bad. (Dreamcatcher didn’t work for me.) IT easily goes on the good list.

The obvious questions now:

Was IT scary? Overall, no - at least, not for me. There were a couple of decent scares though.

Was IT creepy? Definitely.    

Was IT tense? Yes.  

Is IT the best Stephen King adaptation? Probably not. Although, I would watch the movie again.

I think what makes the film work, for me anyway, are the Losers. While Bill is the driving force of the adventure, many of the Losers get highlighted with little moments. Sure, they fight. They are crude, and the language is plenty foul. Yet, when things get tough and gruesome, they come across like real friends.

If clowns aren’t your thing, the scare factor might be different.    

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Filmwise, I would buy. If special features are taken into serious consideration, it might be best to play the waiting game. There is the next chapter coming, so more goodies could pop up later.

The special features do feel pretty short for such a hit movie.

Pennywise Lives! (16 minutes, 25 seconds)

- Revealing Bill Skarsgård behind the role of Pennywise. They discuss Bill’s audition and then his first meeting with the cast and crew. Found it an interesting and funny conversation, especially a few of the reaction stories.

The Losers' Club (15 minutes, 42 seconds)

- This feels more of a behind-the-scenes reel. It really depends on your interest in the cast. It focuses on the teenage actors and how filming went for them. (Example - The bullying scenes may be uncomfortable to watch but everybody got along.)

Author of Fear (13 minutes, 51 seconds)

- Stephen King discusses the common writer question…how the story of IT was formed. Bangor, Maine, actually gives many of those answers. And why he wrote about kids and (inevitable on the movie front) the adults.

Deleted Scenes (15 minutes, 18 seconds)

- Eleven deleted or extended scenes from the film. It’s easy to understand why most of them were cut. There is a gag scene which is the highlight of the bunch but won’t be spoiled here. There is also an alternate ending.   

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Dunkirk: Oscar Nominated

Congrats Dunkirk on the eight Oscar nominations! 

Dunkirk is one of the few summer movies to have a strong staying power in 2017.

The most impressive thing is it has nothing to with comic-book characters or the world of animation, or even a killer clown, lifted from the pages of a bestselling novel.

Like all films, there are detractors, but for many, it was no surprise that Dunkirk has already appeared on numerous ‘Top Movies of the Year’ lists. The Golden Globes nominated it for Best Drama, Best Director, and Best Original Score. The film will more than likely receive some recognition come Oscar time.

The box office brought in $188 million domestic. It really took off in foreign markets with a nice $337 million. 

Dunkirk saw a Digital release on Dec. 12 and the Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD (with High Dynamic Range) packs will arrive on Dec. 19.

WAR

The Battle of Dunkirk is a true story, which took place in May/June 1940 during World War II. With hundreds of thousands of British and Allied Troops surrounded. Trapped on the beach in Dunkirk, France, they face an impossible situation of survival, as the enemy closes in.

Director Christopher Nolan tells the story in three sections from land, sea and air. If anyone familiar with his past films – Inception as one big example – Nolan likes to play with the concept of time.

The land segment featuring the likes of Fionn Whitehead, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy and Kenneth Branagh, as they all deal with events, over the course of a week. Mark Rylance, Tom Glynn-Carney, Barry Keoghan and Cillian Murphy spend time on sea for one day. In the air, in the cockpits of RAF Spitfires are pilots Tom Hardy and Jack Lowden, who only have an hour in the skies.

VERDICT

Blu-Ray and DVD have been around long enough that I’m not going to critique the picture and sound etc. of each. There are plenty of people, who have their own preferences at this stage of the game. Same to those, who much rather watch a movie on their computer or other electronic devices. 

Would I buy the film? Yes.

The Dark Knight trilogy made me pay attention to anything Christopher Nolan has done since. He utilizes a mixture of IMAX and shoots on 65mm film for this thriller.

Dunkirk is an under-told story, at least where I am anyway. I was not familiar with the story until the buzz for the movie was starting to build. 

There are suspense sequences and plenty of action. Nolan uses realism as much as possible over visual effects. And of course, like most Hollywood movies, tough critics can dock some points, since everything is not 100% historically accurate.  

I’ve also read Dunkirk: The History behind the Major Motion Picture by Joshua Levine. The historian was also a consultant on the film. The book tells a fuller story of the Dunkirk evacuation – codenamed Operation Dynamo, and also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the movie.

(The weather was actually rougher during filming than the actual event for those history nitpickers, as one example.)

If anything, I think this perspective beats any critic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwaJcZnR7us

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Blu-Ray has a separate disc for special features. Standard DVD also has them.

Creation:

-          Revisiting the Miracle (7 minutes, 49 seconds)

Nolan calls it one of the ‘greatest stories in human history.’ It expands on the history of Dunkirk and Nolan’s first jump in a movie about true events.

-          Dunkerque (5 minutes)

Discussing the decision to finally film in Dunkirk, France and the impression it had on production.

-          Expanding the Frame (3 minutes, 36 seconds)

The challenges of shooting in large format like IMAX.

-          The In-Camera Approach (5 minutes, 52 seconds)
Nolan's interest in filming practically. 

Land:

-          Rebuilding the Mole (5 minutes, 59 seconds)

The mole plays an integral part of the Dunkirk story.   

-          The Armor On the Beach (5 minutes, 18 seconds)

Talk of shooting the scenes which involve a multitude of soldiers waiting for rescue. The focus on real young actors, some who never been in a movie before.

-          Uniform Approach (5 minutes, 21 seconds)

Working on the wardrobe for a massive army.

Air:

-          Taking to the Air (12 minutes, 31 seconds)
The shooting techniques used to catch the aerial sequences on camera.

-          Inside the Cockpit (5 minutes, 59 seconds)
How they filmed the pilots.

Sea:

-          Assembling the Naval Fleet (3 minutes, 50 seconds)

The use of a real fleet of naval ships.

-          Launching the Moonstone (5 minutes, 55 seconds)

A closer look at Mr. Dawson’s (Mark Rylance) ship in the movie.

-          Taking to the Sea (13 minutes, 43 seconds)

A look at shooting the water sequences.

-          Sinking the Ships (7 minutes, 29 seconds)

What happens when the production went through those shots.

-          The Little Ships (5 minutes, 57 seconds)

The discussion of the real Dunkirk ships taking part in the real crossing in 1940 and some involved in the movie.

Conclusion:

-          Turing Up the Tension (7 minutes, 23 seconds)

The post-production techniques used to get the viewer’s heart racing.

-          Dunkirk Spirit (7 minutes, 55 seconds)

Cast and crew talk about the experience and memories of working on the movie and in Dunkirk, France.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment 

The Lego Ninjago Movie

What happens when your father is Garmadon, an evil warlord?

Well, high school student Lloyd asks that very question, in The LEGO Ninjago Movie. It saw a Digital release on Dec. 12 and the Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD packs will arrive on Dec. 19.

The original LEGO Movie hit screens in 2014. It landed in the Top 5 for biggest movies of the year – a $257 million domestic gross. How can anyone forget the particular earworm of a song, ‘Everything is Awesome.’  

The four movies to beat the world of LEGO were: American Sniper, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: Winter Soldier.

Now, we have reached the third installment of this unlikely franchise, with the inclusion of The LEGO Batman Movie, which was released in early 2017.  Despite the surprising run of the movies, not even Batman ($175 million domestic) or Ninjago ($59 million) were able to pass the first film at the box office.

NINJAGO

The movie’s concept is from the animated television series of Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. It first premiered in 2011 and wrapped the latest season in July, 2017.

(I have never seen the show, so I can’t compare between the two.)

Ninjago City lives in constant fear of Garmadon (Justin Theroux), as his frequent takeover attacks lead to destructive battles with six young ninjas, led by Master Wu (Jackie Chan.) Among the group is the mysterious Green Ninja, who may just be Garmadon’s son Lloyd (Dave Franco.)

While Ninjago maintains the animation and emotional beats of what is expected of these LEGO movies, it also feels like the weakest story to date. Or perhaps, the style and formula are starting to become too familiar.

Either way, it’s not the best of the three films. I pick The LEGO Movie for the frontrunner, just because the story went in a direction, which surprised me.

Ninjago features a cool voice cast with the likes of Franco, Theroux, Fred Armisen and Abbi Jacobson and Olivia Munn, Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña, Zach Woods, and Chan. Yet really, beyond Franco, Chan, and Theroux, not many of the characters make a big memorable impact. I can’t even think of some of their names.

It could be because of Theroux, as Garmadon practically steals the movie. His origin story banter and discussing a particular injury were two of the standouts for this writer. The bridge battle between Garmadon and Master Wu was also a cool action sequence.     

The LEGO Ninjago Movie is directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan.

MY VERDICT

Would I buy the film?  No.

It will certainly be worth the watch to anyone who liked The LEGO Movie and/or The LEGO Batman Movie.

If you are someone who has not seen anything LEGO, Ninjago wouldn’t be the place to start.

The film has a rainy/snowy day quality to it though – almost a rental level selection. The movie is passable entertainment, but there are definitely better options to pick.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Featurettes

-          Team Supreme: Building Ninjago (8 minutes, 19 seconds)

-          Rumble in the Bricks (5 minutes, 19 seconds)

-          Rebrick Contest Winners (4 minutes, 39 seconds)

Team Supreme is the usual behind-the-scenes glimpse with conversations on the visual effects to the voice actors.

Rumble in the Bricks is the one to grab my attention the most, because the Martial arts featured in the film, is choreographed and designed by Jackie Chan and his team.

Rebrick was the LEGO contest for stop motion films. It had the subject of ‘Ninja for a Day.’

Mini–Movies

-          Shark E Shark in Which Way to the Ocean – (2 minutes, 25 seconds)

-          Zane’s Stand Up Promo (2 minutes, 2 seconds)     

-          The Master: A LEGO Ninjago short (5 minutes, 18 seconds)

Shark E Shark gets the cuteness factor. Garmadon uses sharks as weapons, how would one of those sharks react?

LEGO Ninjago TV Series Sneak Peek (11 minutes, 14 seconds)

Music Videos

-          Oh, Hush! & Jeff Lewis Found My Place (3 minutes, 21 seconds)

-          Everybody Have a Ninja Day (1 minute, six seconds)

-          Warlord Ballad (1 minute, 10 seconds)

-          Rocktagon (1 minute, 19 seconds)

Deleted Scenes

-          Animated Bridge Test (1 minute, 33 seconds)

-          Baby Fight (2 minutes, 50 seconds)

-          The Dock (3 minutes, 16 seconds)

These so-called ‘deleted scenes’ were not actually cut from the movie. None of the scenes have any connection to the final product.

The bridge was to test the animation. The baby fight was an attempt at the action and done in the style of Jackie Chan. In fact, the sequence is also what inspired Chan to get involved in the movie.

The dock started as an initial concept for Ninjago, when time-travel featured into the story. There is no time-travel in the final product.

Gimme Some Outtakes! (4 minutes, 42 seconds)

Silly and fun, the outtakes really aren’t directly from the movie like the deleted scenes.

Promotional Materials (Roughly 18 minutes)

-          Behind the Bricks

-          Please Silence Your Cellphones

-          Please Put On Your 3D Glasses

-          LEGO Sets In Action

-          Ninjago Movie: Ninja Formation

-          Ninja Jokes with Jackie Chan

-          Kicks and Bricks: Making the LEGO Ninjago Movie

-          Back to School

-          Me and My Minifig

Commentary by director Charlie Bean and crew (1 hour, 41 minutes)

The standard DVD only includes the TV series sneak peek and deleted scenes.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment