Friday News Round-up

So, there's a lot going on in entertainment right now. Jonathan Demme, director of The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia, has passed away from cancer at the age of 73.

For those who don't know me, I am a big fan of 90% of the trilogy of Lecter books, and the movies that actually have Sir Anthony Hopkins.

We don't talk about the book ending, because it is stupid and wrong.

People call the movie a thriller, and thus it was allowed to win Oscars. The academy famously hates genera pieces, especially horror. But we all know that any movie where there's a cannibal, a guy making suits out of women's skin, and stalking in the dark is a damned horror movie.

When this version is more likely to get an Oscar, you know you have problems.

In happier news, Jeff Goldblum is coming back to Jurassic Park.

I'm happier than Weird Al and Mike Nelson put together!

Ian Malcom was the beginning of Goldblum's signature stuttering style capturing America by storm. After being proven oh-so-right about his claims in The Lost World (and definitely by the failure of the park in Jurassic World) I'm interested to see what he's been up to. Still speaking out against the park? Relegated to crazy nay-sayer since the park functioned successfully for years? Leader of a Peta-esq group dedicated to freeing the monsters and stopping Ingen once and for all?

This has nothing to do with my questions, but damn, he was hot back in the day.

Lastly, Joe Johnston is going to direct the next Narnia movie (and soft reboot) The Silver Chair. Johnston previously directed Captain America: the First Avenger, Jumanji, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Jurassic Park III.

The movie may stink, but this shot is competent!

The Silver Chair is an underrated entry in the Narnia series. I've always felt it would translate best to film since it's a very linear quest-based story with 3 main characters, a definable villain, and a clear climax, unlike some of the other novels, which can meander a bit.

I'm looking at you, Dawn Treader.

I'm sad that the original Eustace, Will Poulter, is now too old to continue. Maybe we'll at least get Liam Neeson back as Aslan, but that's doubtful, apparently. No idea why, Aslan doesn't do much in Silver Chair, and it's not like they need him on set.

All in all, a mixed bag, but at least there's a few things to be excited about.

The IT spot: Rereading, part 2

There are some marked differences between the IT novel and the 90's miniseries.

Not Pennywise, however. That was right on the nose.

But there are a few things early on in the novel that are markedly different from the novel, for seemingly little reason. The aftermath of Ben and Eddie's phone calls are my latest example. I get why they were changed, dropping one character for time, eliminating lengthy character building for quick (but clunky) exposition. While I understand the changes, I don't approve. They could have been handled better.

SPOILERS

Unlike the mini-series, we mostly see the aftermath of Ben and Eddie's calls, and the effect it has on the people around them from their point of view: a trusted bartender and Eddie's wife, respectively. Ben's bartender faces a man who thinks he is already dead, and is drinking accordingly. It's a somber, chilling scenario, very unlike Ritter's drunken carousing.

You stop kissing and start thinking about your mortality right now, young man!

Eddie's wife is less impactful, as she vanishes from the story after Eddie heads to Derry. The backstory of a soft-hearted man who loved too easily is established in his relationship with his friends, and little is lost from that perspective. We have the wife being frightened by her husband's odd behavior scene done earlier and better with Stan's wife. The scene is more about establishing Eddie's feelings about his dead mother (more guilt then oedipal), and while an important element in the book, it's safely delegated to a few scenes and lines in the mini-series.  We get to know Eddie better in the book, and I'm glad we have the extra dimensions there, but it would have felt like overkill in the movie.

Played by the guy I didn't realize was the lawyer in Django Unchained, Dennis Christopher. Seriously.

SAFE

The main difference between the mediums is the all-around silliness of the adults in the series verses the terror in the book: God bless the actors for trying, but the script wasn't done very well, and they all pale in comparison to their child counterparts.

With the exception of Ritter as Ben.

The first part of the mini-series is by far the best: better acting, closer connection to the story, better effects. The adults ending is pretty far removed from the book, not well explained, and badly acted. But we'll get into that later.

Now, off to read about Bev's abusive husband and the horror that stems from an all-to-real place for many women and men.

I never said these blogs would be all fun and games.

The IT spot: Miscelenea

So, I've found a few IT things that don't fit a regular update. Enjoy!

Professional clowns are worried IT will hurt their business. Nobody else cares.

Manic Tuesday

I'm gonna be honest with you: I didn't read enough of IT to make another post, nothing in the regular news grabbed my interest, and my oft-bemoaned river of movie news has become a trickle.

But I did just re-watch The Wolverine, and it's put me in an X-Men mood. Enjoy some internet silliness! Spoilers, probably, btw.