The IT Spot: Rereading, part 14

So, the losers are walking around town, waiting for IT to come to them, and horrible memories to be unearthed. These sections are relatively short, but packed full of prose and psychological baggage. Let's get crackin'!

SPOILERS

Ben goes to the Library, the site of his positive (but solo) childhood memories. There's a lot of musing over the passage of time and how Ben now feels like an outsider before Pennywise shows up.

This scene plays a bit like the one in the mini series, despite Ritchie (for some reason) taking Ben's place.

Curry's Pennywise is spot on. What they don't get into is him becoming Dracula (hey, there's another Universal monster form I referenced before!). Ben is also not dumb enough to reply to Pennywise's taunts and come-hither words aloud. Also, there's no cloud of balloons, just one that constantly changes slogans.

Ben's holy ground being fouled by Pennywise, and by Dracula the unholiest of the Universal Monsters, isn't exactly deep, but it gets the job done.

What's more important is Pennywise's insistence (repeated insistence) that the Losers cannot stop him, as they're too old, and he will kill them if they try. These threats were present during the Loser's childhoods, but it wasn't insistant: IT was just telling them a fact. This time IT knows IT can be hurt, and the people that hurt IT have returned. IT is angry, and IT is sure...but not completely.

IT is scared. Not much, but the fact that IT can even feel fear is amazing. We'll get more on that later, when King delves into IT's mind.

IT uses a few more taunts, screaming that Ben killed the kids (of course, nobody else can hear), doing one of  Ritchie's voices, etc. IT even offers to talk it out with Ben, as the library is neutral ground. I'm sure if Ben went up Pennywise would have simply pushed him over the railing, but it's still weird that IT even offered. Out of character is serious business: IT is spooked.

SAFE

Next we'll walk with Eddie to a baseball diamond, and meet a few old horrors from his past.

Ashkia or Ashia?

I’ve had two strange dreams. Nightmares. Not sure what to make of them.

In the first one I was being stalked by a grudge-like Japanese ghost demon lady, called either Ashkia (aaaahhh-ski-uh) or Ashia (aaaahhh-shee-uh). 

I don’t remember much, but I had to let the thing come to me for 7 days, where it would rip off a piece of my soul while being generally creepy, then at the end pass the curse on to someone else or get killed. I did so and forgot all about it.

Then this week, in my dreams a little girl (again Japanese) come by my house, dropped a blue rubber ball, smiled at me (clearly an evil, taunting smile), whispered “Ashkia (or Ashia)” and left. I was angry: I just got rid of the curse, why was it back?

This time it was different. The demon ghost lady was an American teen girl. She spoke to me almost normally at times, but taunted me when I was too weak banish a random ghost head, still ripping away pieces of my soul. At the end of this dream one 'soul rip' had happened, and I had led her to my room to try and figure out how to help her, so she would move on. In the dream I was only a little older than the girl, and my bedroom was still arranged like it was in high school.

I recently watched a video about Japanese urban myths, so I’m not clueless about where the imagery came from. There were a lot of recurring dream demons in the 40 or so legends. 

What’s weird is I’m sure I’ve heard the name, Ashkia or Ashia, somewhere before. I thought it was from a World of Darkness RPG or Magic the Gathering, but my husband couldn’t identify it.

If I didn’t hear that name anywhere, I guess I could have conjured it from thin air. But I really think I’ve heard it elsewhere. Any thoughts, readers?

The IT Spot: rereading part 13

You'd think with the 13th part of this series, I'd get down to something really scary, right?

Bill takes a cab ride to have lunch with the surviving losers, and there's a lot of talk about how Ben lost the weight, how Ritchie's vasectomy reversed itself, and about how nine children have been murdered by IT.

SPOILERS

The section starts with Bill getting a call from Mike about lunch where Mike advises him that Stan is dead. He waits until the lunch to let everyone know it was a suicide, but Bill already suspects IT as a culprit. Not that that's big leap at this point.

 Most of this section boils down to change and similarity. Bill watches the altered streets of Derry go by, but can still spot landmarks buried beneath the exterior, much like how IT is buried below the town (both literally and figuratively, but more on that later).

The remains of the Losers club are the same: the remnants of childhood echo in their faces, and await excavation as time spent with each other goes on.

They all marvel at how the murders haven't been brought to national attention, except Mike. Mike postulates that IT feeds every 27 years or so, and in turn has made the town semi-prosperous. In turn, the citizens either leave, or sort of turn a blind eye (again, more on that later).

The section ends with they voting to actually kill IT this time, though without Stan it may not even be possible. In the Mini-series Ritchie holds out until the end, but here he agrees pretty quickly. As they agree to walk around town, their fortune cookies explode into gouts of blood, bugs, eyes, and anything else currently haunting them: IT is up to IT's old tricks.

Oh, and one other thing of note in the section: on the ride over, Bill half-heard about an escaped mental patient who was dangerous. Later, that person will turn out to be Henry Bowers. King really knew what he was doing with this one, folks.

SAFE

This is the first time the adult losers join up, and for the next large chunk of the book they'll be separate again, letting IT come to them. It's a nice echo back to their childhood circumstances.

So next, we go back with Ben to the library, and see Pennywise up close. Oh boy!

Kaiju!

So, apparently I have strong feelings about Godzilla.

 I've only seen the original, the one where he fights King Kong. the Godzilla in Name Only 90's film, and the newest one. Hardly a dent in the almost 30 total films.
 
But lately I find myself caring more, especially after watching the same-universe prequel, Kong: Skull Island. And if you haven't seen that, go see it.

Come for the cast, stay for the plot, effects, and general quality.

I realized I cared more about Godzilla than I thought when I read a  blog that in short order: (a) spelled lizard 'lizzard' repeatedly, (b) stated that Godzilla was "Kaiju" in Japanese, and (c) the author stated their favorite Godzilla movie was the 90s one. The one most of us call G.I.N.O. (Godzilla in Name Only), and the Japanese call Zilla, since the God was effectively removed.

Needless to say, I found myself getting ticked.

For an in-depth detailing of that films flaws, I refer you to the Nostalgia Critic.

It all got me pretty steamed. So apparently, I care about Godzilla. I had no idea.

But, there's a lot of good reasons to care! Firstly, I really liked the newer American movie.

Secondly,  Godzilla: King of the Monsters will have practical effects! It's been confirmed by director Michael Dougherty.

You may recall the director's names from such projects at Krampus, Trick r Treat, and X-Men 2. All excellent movies. So...as for my hopes...

And third, the Godzilla vs Kong movie that's coming has to be better than the original.

Whelp, now comes the time to try and convince myself I don't have to watch all the Kaiju movies to prep for this new universe...

At least I can watch MST3K handle a few.

Happy Memorial Day

 (Yes, I know where it's from, and that it's Mel Gibson. The man may be a horrible racist, but Damn, can he yell "Freedom")

The IT Spot: Rereading, part 12

So, we've reached another one of Mike Hanlon's asides: the Black Spot.

Not even close....though it does involve horrible death.

The fire at the Black Spot nightclub was omitted from the mini-series, so there's no real way to avoid spoilers. The short version is the Legion for White Decency (AKA, northern KKK) set fire to a black nightclub in Derry in the thirties, killing 60 people. Mike Hanlon's dad Will helped build the club with his fellow Black airforce members, most of whom died in the fire. It's another terrible chapter in Derry's history.

SPOILERS

And of course, if it's something terrible in Derry, IT is involved.

The slightly elongated version is this: Will Hanlon, Mike's dad, dies from cancer a few years after his son's encounter with IT. But before he does, he relates a story (actually several) from his Air Force days in the late 20's and early 30's with Derry's E company (AKA, the black unit). After being banned from the town's 'blind pigs' (think a shitty speakeasy) they are given a shed and transform it into a club so great that white townsfolks come in. A club called the Black Spot.

That's when the Legion for White Decency shows up to scare them by burning the place to the ground. Will speculates that the chants of "Come out N*****" were half warnings, as even in death he can't fathom that each person who came meant to kill as many people as they did.

Will is almost trampled when is life is saved by a young Dick Hallorann. Dick would go on to be the black guy from The Shining. And yes, he uses his shine to find a way out while most of the other people there are trapped inside, burning to death.

The fire at the Black Spot was more than just an act of terrorism by Derry's white elite. It was also the ending of a cycle for IT. IT is not a constant threat in Derry (at least, not actively). Roughly every 27 to 28 years IT comes out to cause havoc and eat kids, each time ending in a horrific tragedy. The explosion on Easter that killed a bunch of kids was the ending to the previous cycle. The fire at the Black Spot is the last cycle before the one in the late fifties is kicked off by Georgie's death.

More tellingly, just before Will drifts into a medicated sleep, he reveals he saw a member of the Legion picked off by a gigantic bird that hovered, with balloons tied to It's wings. This sets Mike apart again, as his father is the only parent to have seen IT (that we know of). Also, the instinctive fear of this bird being passed to his son. There are a lot of reasons the Turtle chose Mike to stay.

SAFE

I'm excited to see how the movie will pull this off, as hinted at in the trailer:

Join us next time, as Stuttering Bill returns to Derry and takes a cab around town.

Where's Harvey Birdman when we need him

So, a man is suing his date for the price of a movie ticket, after she texted during the film. She also left when he asked her to stop, and stranded him.

On the one hand, it is only $17, but on the other hand...

I get it.

I've talked before about how rudeness in a theater is inexcusable (though I'll be damned if I can find the links). I've had several memorable experiences where talking, texting, screaming, or somebody touching me disrupted things. When I go to the movies with my friends (you know who you are) I sit near the end of the group, since I don't want to be associated with anyone chatting/I don't want to be chatted at.

At least about this.

It's two-fold: I don't want to miss anything, and I don't want someone else to get ticked off with the noise we're making.

Now, some rude scenarios don't apply to me. I won't be the one screaming unnecessarily in a theater. I won't be pulling my phone out to text. I won't be dragging under-mature kids to things they can't handle.

There is a time for riffing a movie: if you're alone in the theater (it happens), at a Rifftrax show, or at your home. That's it. Otherwise, shut up, shut your devices down, and let others enjoy the movie.

The woman admitted to texting, "only 2-3 times" by the way.

I hope her date wins the suit.

The IT Spot: rereading part 11

This is another double whammy chapter: We see adult Bev reflecting on her encounter with it, her budding sexuality, her father issues, which , weirdly, gives us a lead-in for Stan. Stan, as you will remember, is dead as an adult, and cannot provide context for his childhood memories. King makes it seem like a natural transition, and it works wonderfully.

Bev's encounter is basically identical to the mini series, with the blood and voices from the drain, followed by a slap from her father.

SPOILERS

Afterwards we see a lot more of Bev's home life, including interactions with her beat-happy father, and her tired, but concerned mother. Her mother asks if her father ever touches Bev, much to Bev's confusion.

Despite being a girl of the same age when I read IT the first time, I don't recall any special connection or feelings when it came to Bev's parts. Maybe it's because my father wasn't a hitter, or I didn't care about boys or my body changing.

I find Stan's reflection on his now-admitted encounter with IT. It's a little like the miniseries, as Stan is bird-watching when IT comes after him. Not as a mummy (that was cribbed from Book Ben) but as several dead boys drowned in a giant town water cistern near the birdwatching site. Stan manages to escape by reciting the names of the birds: his own version of the Lord's Prayer. Stan is Jewish, but not very interested or  knowledgeable about it.

Stan's fatal flaw comes into play here: he finds the dead boys offensive to his sense of order and reason, so much so that it has shaken him to his core. It's a Lovecraft-scale issue, and at 11, Stan can't understand or articulate it. King sums it up as the cracks in reality may lead to another universe: "In this universe there might grow roses which sing." My fellow dark-tower readers will recognize that as a thing that does exist, whether Stan wants it to or not.

It's child-Stan's first real stance on the issue of reality verses IT, and what will eventually lead to his death. Fittingly, the section ends going back to Bev, who tries to measure the drains, pushing back against IT's influence. Bev is a fighter. Stan is not.

SAFE

I'm over 400 pages in, and we've got another 600 or so to go. Hooray!

I know about Popular

I'm going to try and good news bad news this for you, bad damn, things are weird.

First, the best news: Will and Grace is coming back!

I wish the show was on Netflix: I've missed a lot of the episodes over the years, and I'd love to binge to get ready for this.

On the other end of the scale, somebody wants a How I Met Your Mother revival.

I hate so much how season nine/the show ended I won't even go back and watch the other episodes. I do not want to see any more of these characters, unless it's Ted and Robin getting divorced and her getting back with Barney, and everyone telling Ted what a horrible person he is.

ABC is putting on a live action musical TV special for The Little Mermaid. This play didn't do well on broadway, but it did bring us Tituss Burgess as Sebastian and give us a top-notch 2nd Ursula song. I'm neutral on this, as I haven't seen the show or listen to the album.

Not seen here, but damn, that man can sing!

I feel similarly about the Roseanne revival.  I'll watch anything with John Goodman, but SPOILERS isn't Dan dead? Like, he died, and the last season where they won the lottery was a fantasy. I guess they'll retcon that.

Back on the upswing, The Disaster Artist has a release date. Or at least a release time frame, since it'll be out for 'awards season'. For anyone not in the know, The Disaster Artist is based on a book of the same name by Greg Sestero. It's about when Sestero lived with Tommy Wiseau and filmed The Room.

Here's a small rundown of that film, in case you're under a rock.

It is as crazy as it sounds. And I am super excited.

What I'm not excited about is the Wicked movie still being a thing, and new songs being added to it. Wicked is slated to come out in December 2019, nobody has been cast yet, and it's being written by the writers of the musical.

Wicked is my favorite musical, but I'm not sure it'll translate to the screen. When Elphaba rises into the air onstage that is a thing to behold. When magic happens, you wonder how they did that. In a movie it'll just be CGI. I'd rather they just filed a performance and released that, CATS or Joseph style.

So, we end on a downer for this pop culture roundup. Man. Enjoy something funny while I cheer myself up with Baywatching.

The IT Spot: Rereading, part 10

Delving into Ritchie's childhood segment is, like Ritchie himself, a bit different from the others.

He, like Mike, has a stable two parent household. Unlike Mike, Ritchie's folks aren't aware on any conscious level of the inherent evil of Derry, but they don't suffer as characters for it (what little time we see Ritchie spend with them).

SPOILERS

Ritchie and Bill go back to Bill's house to look at the possessed picture of Georgie together. They witness a snap of an old-tyme Derry street come to life, replete with old-tyme versions of themselves getting lured by Pennywise. Bill reaches into the picture and cuts himself badly before Ritchie saves him from having his fingers chopped off.

This is foreshadowing for later in the book when Bill nearly loses to IT during the ritual of the CHUD, and Ritchie comes in to save him. It's also telling that they share the first simultaneous experience with IT: until now everyone has seen IT when they were alone. They also come to the conclusion together that IT is not a clown, but a monster.

Ritchie then goes to the movies and the Barrens with Ben and Bev, showing more of his normalcy. The next notable thing is when Bill joins them with a kid that Ritchie instinctively knows is not 'part of them'. Ritchie can feel the Ka-Tet forming.

I'm not sure why Ritchie has such a strong connection to the Turtle. It may be familial: his mother watches the boy have tea before going to the house on Neibolt street to try and find/possibly kill Eddie's leper, and she thinks that she doesn't understand them, and is both afraid of and for them.

It may be due to Ritchie's unique strategy of dealing with IT. When he and Bill arrive at Neibolt street, they get into the house, and are attacked by IT in the guise of The Teenage Werewolf (the horror movie he'd seen with Bev and Ben). Bill shoots it, doing little damage, while Ritchie throws sneezing powered in IT's face. This hurts IT enough for them to escape.

Ritchie recognizes that his gambit somehow hurt IT worse than Bill's: the ritual of the CHUD has to do with riddles, which are tied into humor. Just like how later Ritchie saves Bill, here he does the same. Again, it's a duel encounter with IT, where Bill and Ritchie go through it together. These two share a powerful connection with each other inside the Ka-Tet, and to the Turtle: Bill due to his innate goodness and leadership, Ritchie because of his humor and devotion to Bill.

SAFE

Wow, that got heavy. But no worries: next we get more spousal/child abuse with Bev!