Review It: Part 1–The Losers' Club (2017)

[Doctor Omega]

Video: Stephen King’s ‘IT’ Virtual Reality Experience Will Make You Float





The long-awaited next adaptation of the Stephen King horror IT is just a few short weeks away from being released.

But there are some things to help pass the time while you await the movie’s arrival. For example, a new virtual reality cinematic experience was released this week, which sees you crossing paths with Pennywise the Dancing Clown a few times. In addition to that, if you happen to be in the Hollywood area, there’s a haunted house attraction going on right now as well.

You can learn more about that and check out the VR experience below.


SYNOPSIS:

New Line Cinema’s horror thriller IT, directed by Andrés Muschietti(Mama), is based on the hugely popular Stephen King novel of the same name, which has been terrifying readers for decades.

When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids is faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.

IT stars Bill Skarsgård (Allegiant, TV’s Hemlock Grove) as the story’s central villain, Pennywise. An ensemble of young actors also star in the film, including Jaeden Lieberher (Midnight Special), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip), Sophia Lillis (37), Finn Wolfhard (TV’s Stranger Things), Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy), Chosen Jacobs (upcoming Cops and Robbers), Jack Dylan Grazer (Tales of Halloween) and Nicholas Hamilton (Captain Fantastic).

Muschietti is directing IT from a screenplay adapted by Chase Palmer & Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman. Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Seth Grahame-Smith, David Katzenberg and Barbara Muschietti are producing, with Marty P. Ewing, Doug Davisonand Jon Silk serving as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Chung-Hoon Chung (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), production designer Claude Paré (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), editor Jason Ballantine (The Great Gatsby), and costume designer Janie Bryant (TV’s Mad Men).

The haunted house attraction began on August 14th and will run through September 10th, open each day from 1PM to 11PM. The best part? It’s free to get in. The worst part? That means lots of people will be jumping all over the opportunity. You can find all of the info on that over at the IT Experience website, which has a big SOLD OUT! warning, but also says they’re accepting walk-ups until 9:30PM. So basically, if you’re close by it might be worth trying to get in; if you’re not nearby, it’s probably better not to risk it.

The second best part? Others who have checked the haunted house out have recorded their experience, and you can see how things look in the video below.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The Early Buzz On “IT” Is Excellent






The first press screenings have taken place for Andres Muschietti’s upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s “IT” and while reviews are still not being published yet, social media reaction is coming in from early attendees.

The results sounds excellent, with praise for all the casting and way it handles the adaptation. If there’s one surprise it’s that a lot of the reaction indicates the film has more “heart and laughs” than expected thanks to a healthy amount of focus on the kids being kids. Here’s some of the reactions:

“Just saw IT. Really well done. Cast were all great with some twisted visuals. Going to make a ton of money. Ready for the sequel tomorrow.” – Steve Weintraub, Collider

“#ITMovie is a very handsome, polished execution of a story you know inside out. The big surprise is Finn Wolfhard. Really earns his spot.” – Phil Nobile Jr., Birth Movies Death

“LOVED #ItMovie. Captured the spirit of the book & still created something new. Perfect combo of dark & fun. & The Losers Club was PERFECT!” – Rachel Heine, Nerdist

“Saw #ITMovie I loved it. Then took trash out in my empty, dark, stairwell… S–T FREAKED ME OUT CAUSE THAT MOVIE SCARED ME LIKE FOR REAL.” – Mark E. Reilly, ColliderVideo

“I love the #ITMovie. It’s everything I wanted. Scary as shit, Skarsgard nails Pennywise, and the Losers are perfection..” – Haleigh Foutch, Collider

“The amount of violence and horrific imagery in regards to children is SHOCKING. They didn’t hold back. It’s great. Bill Skarsgard is putting in a performance that is going to turn him into the Freddy Krueger of a new generation” – Drew Dietsch, Get Fandom

“Thrilled I can now say that IT is spectacular. Totally terrifying, but also amazing fun (the Losers are PERFECT). Top 10 candidate for me.” – Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend

“#ITMovie is everything I hoped for & more. Has heart, laughs & TONS of incredible scares. Fell in love w/ The Losers. Didn’t want it to end.” – Perri Nemiroff, Collider

“#ItMovie was spooktacular. Great cast, surprisingly funny, and genuinely unnerving scares. You’ll still be freaked out when you get home.” – Dan Casey, Nerdist

“I can say I saw #IT tonight. And IT was great. Cast is excellent. And, yes, Pennywise is scary! This will be a, ahem, monster at the box office.” – Jim Vejvoda, IGN

“Happy to say #IT is an effectively scary & faithful adaptation of (half) @StephenKing’s novel. Walked out very satisfied.” – Eric Walkuski, JoBlo

“IT makes me nostalgic for when I used to get scared by things because I don’t anymore. But man oh man, if you still do…” – Fred Topel, We Live Entertainment

“IT is creepy, bloody, super funny, adorably romantic and hands down among my favorite movies of the year.” – Erik Davis, Cinema Blend

“#IT definitely captures frights of the novel whilst adding a new fears. Major set pieces are bone-chilling -even summons a splash of tears” – Courtney Howard, ReelVixen

 

[Doctor Omega]

Drafthouse Plans Clown-Only “IT” Screenings





Following on from its women-only “Wonder Woman” screenings earlier this year, the Alamo Drafthouse has announced plans to host a clown-only screening of the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s “IT”.

The screening, taking place the day after the film’s September 8th release, requires all attendees to arrive dressed as a clown in order to attend.

The Mueller theater will also be hosting a “Barrell O’ Fun” pre-party, including “face-painters available for clown ‘touch-ups,’ a photo booth, raffles for prizes, and other terrifying merriment.”

“IT” is currently tracking for a $50+ million opening, impressive for an R-rated non-franchise film.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Three Clips From “IT” Show Kids & Clowns





Following the rave social media reactions out of the first media screenings the other day, Warner Bros. Pictures has released three new clips from its upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s “IT”.

Andres Muschietti’s film has been praised not just for the scares but for properly taking the time to establish and deal with the kids at the heart of the film – the young members of the Loser’s Club. The kids feature in two of the clips below, along with a clip of the famous storm drain scene.

That latter scene, which aired in full in front of “Annabelle Creation,” has been edited down here but does show off some of Bill Skarsgard’s work as Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

“IT” is slated to open in cinemas on September 8th.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Clowns Already Feeling The Impact Of “IT”





With the release of the film adaptation of Stephen King’s “IT” in a few weeks, professional clowns are reportedly upset about the impact it is already having.

Coulrophobia has long been around, but a combination of things including serial killer John Wayne Gacy, 1984’s “Poltergeist” and the 1990s mini-series adaptation of King’s “IT” left an indelible mark on a generation that clowns were something to fear.

Nearly thirty years on, a combination of creepy clown sightings last year, characters like Twisty the Clown on “American Horror Story,” and the release of the new take on “IT” has pushed anti-clown sentiment to new heights.

World Clown Association president Pam Moody says legitimate clowns are now preparing for the film, there’s even a press kit to help them titled ‘WCA Stand on Scary Clowns’. She tells THR:

“It all started with the original ‘IT’. That introduced the concept of this character. It’s a science-fiction character. It’s not a clown and has nothing to do with pro clowning.”

The scary clown epidemic last year had an impact on clowns as people had school shows and library shows canceled.

 

[Doctor Omega]

“IT” Breaks Records In Thursday Previews





Along with strong reviews, the film adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic novel “IT” has now smashed records with the R-rated feature pulling in a record-shattering $13.5 million in Thursday night previews.

That’s the biggest preview number ever for an R-rated title, beating even “Deadpool” ($12.7M), along with a horror film and a September release. “IT” remains projected to open to $65-70 million for the weekend.

The weekend’s other new nationwide release is the Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy “Home Again” which will debut in the $10 million range over the three-day weekend.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

It is so far breaking records on its opening weekend. Only Beauty and the Beast and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 opened higher.

And now anyone can try to explain to me why we need PG-13 horror movies. I'll wait.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

Okay, any doubts I had about this film have been dashed. My son and I went today (I'll give you a second to give me the scornful look everyone else gives me when I tell them I'm taking my 14-year-old son to an R rated horror movie), and it was awesome! Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, brilliant effects, lots of blood, and Pennywise was amazing!

 

[Doctor Omega]

The “IT” Deleted Scenes Revealed





Andres Muschietti’s film adaptation of the first half of Stephen King’s “IT” arrives on home video on January 9th, and though there’s no extended cut of the film – there is a whopping eleven deleted/extended scenes which add a further 15 minutes of new material.

A user over on the Blu-ray.com forums, via Bloody Disgusting, has gotten their hands on a copy and detailed each of the scenes:

“Georgie Catches Boat”
Georgie grabs for the boat in the opening…and things go in a whole different direction than the film. You’ll be surprised.

“Stanley’s Dad Corrects Him (Extended Scene)”
Stanley is reciting Hebrew in a synagogue, but his Dad jumps in to correct his pronunciation.

“Denbrough Family Dinner”
Bill sits at the dinner table while his Dad reads a magazine and his Mum washes up. Bill starts talking about their family trip for the year, but his Mum walks off upset. His Dad explains that Georgie was really looking forward to it.

“Bill’s Dad Looks in the Basement”
After Bill has his encounter with Pennywise in the basement, he runs into his father. His Dad has a look in the basement, doesn’t find anything, and tells Bill to go to bed. Henry tries to sneak out past his Dad, and gets into a car with Victor and Belch. They see Mike ride past on his bike.

“Outside the Neibolt House”
Mike, Beverly, Ben and Stanley are outside the house while Bill, Eddie and Richie are inside. Stanley talks about not being able to go inside while Mike comforts him. Ben places his hand on Beverly’s shoulder.

“Evacuating the Neibolt House (Extended Scene)”
An extended scene of the Losers’ Club leaving the house and getting on their bikes.

“Stanley’s Bar Mitzvah Speech”
Stanley delivers a speech after his Bar Mitzvah about “indifference,” during which there’s a brief montage showing what the other kids are up to. He makes a bit of a scene and storms off while Richie claps.

“Eddie at Keene’s pharmacy (Extended Scene)”
Just an extended scene at the pharmacy as Eddie talks to the girl who signs his cast with “Loser.”

“Henry and Bullies wait outside (Extended scene)”
As the Losers’ Club heads into the Neibolt house, Henry sits in his car with his face covered in blood. Belch and Victor are dead with throats slit.

“The Losers find Georgie’s walkie”
Bill picks up Georgie’s walkie right before Henry attacks Mike at the top of the well.

“Denbrough Family Vacation”
After saying goodbye to Beverly at the end of the movie, Bill and his parents are packing for the family vacation Bill was talking about in an earlier deleted scene. This subplot does kind of enhance the family dynamic. As the car drives away, the camera pulls in to the drain where Georgie was taken. Camera stops, and rain starts to hit the pavement.

“IT” arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and rental VOD on January 9th.

 

[Doctor Omega]

“IT” Getting A Director’s Cut After All





Andres Muschietti has confirmed that a director’s cut of “IT” is coming later 2018, indicating on social media: “Yes, but in a few months.”

There was talk of a longer and darker cut of the film back around the time of the theatrical release, but as the disc release for the film was announced it was revealed no such cut would be forthcoming in the initial home video run.

That said, the home video release – now on Digital HD and coming to Blu-ray/DVD & rental VOD on January 9th – does contain a bunch of deleted scenes with around 15 minutes of extra footage across eleven scenes.

The cut scenes don’t include the infamously scrapped scene set at an earlier point in time where Pennywise eats a baby, and the director’s cut may not as well as it’s rumored to be a scene being saved for the sequel which is being shot next year for a September 2019 release.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Cary Fukunaga Talks Why He Left “IT”





As part of a feature piece for GQ ahead of the release of his new Netflix TV series “Maniac,” filmmaker Cary Fukunaga has spoken about his past work and his reputation in Hollywood.

Various topics were brought up including the three-year gap between the release of “Beasts of No Nation” in 2015 and “Maniac” this year, a gap during which he was attached to write and direct the film adaptation of Stephen King’s “IT” until he departed the project over creative differences. Asked about that exit, he says it was due to the studio’s fear of him:

“I think it was fear on their part, that they couldn’t control me. No, they thought they couldn’t control me. I would have been a total collaborator. That was the kind of ridiculous part. It was just more a perception. I have never seen a note and been like, ‘F–k you guys. No way.’ It’s always been a conversation.”

Fukunaga says during the three-year gap he was working the entire time and is aware that he’s “in the prime of my directing life”. Another high profile project in that time was TNT’s “The Alienist” series which was delayed and so led to him having to exit that series. On “IT” he retains a writing credit, on “The Alienist” a producer credit.

Then came “Maniac” which had its own issues including him throwing out scripts and starting from scratch:

“That was me. I was saying this wasn’t good enough. We need to look at this again and tear it apart and go again. I was like, ‘The whole joy in this is to be able to play with different worlds and we’re not doing that. So we need to figure out a way to make that happen.'”

“Maniac” launches on the service in full on September 21st.

 

[Doctor Omega]

It (2017) ⭐ 7.3 | Horror

2h 15m | R

www.imdb.com

 

[Doctor Omega]

Mark Kermode reviews It