Growing Up In Maine..."It"

It (2017)

Rated R

Starring Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Bill Skarsgard, Jackson Robert Scott,

Directed by Andy Muschietti

The Story:

In the small town of Derry, Maine, every 27 years an evil entity returns to the town and feasts off the children of the town. The year is 1989, and Pennywise (Skarsgard), the personification of this evil has returned and the body count is climbing. A group of kids have banded together after realizing what is happening, and what has happened to their town throughout the last century. Can these kids hope to stop whatever It is?

As always with Stephen King adaptations I must fully disclose that I have not read the book upon which the movie is based.

Not only that, but I've never seen the 1990 miniseries which was the first adaptation of the source material.

So how's that for going in blind to this movie?

Thankfully, I quite enjoyed it.

The movie itself plays out quite a bit as a coming of age story, and that helps the film overall with the tone.

The scenes with Pennywise often have a jump scare, more than anything horrific or gory.

My biggest complaint with the film seemed to be in the sound department as much of the background score seemed to stomp over the movie itself. I found Pennywise's potentially scary dialogue to often come across muffled or garbled.

He was less scary than he was unintelligible. :)

The rest of the cast was really good, though I think I would have preferred Finn Wolfhard to have been recast just to avoid the obvious 1980s/coming of age/Stranger Things connection to exist.

I may have to go back and check out the miniseries, because who doesn't love Tim Curry?

I'll be back for the sequel, and see how the kids grew up and what they do when they realize they have to take out Pennywise one final time.

Final Grade: B+

Pleasant Surprise..."St. Vincent"

St. Vincent (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Bill Murray, Jaeden Lieberher, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard,

Written and Directed by Theodore Melfi

The Story:

Oliver (Lieberher) and his mom (McCarthy) move in next to Vincent (Murray). He's obnoxious, crass, and just about anything else you can imagine not wanting in your neighbor. As Oliver tries to adjust to his new school and being bullied, fate brings these two together as Vincent ends up watching Oliver after school. A  bond begins to develop between the two as both of their lives change for the better.

Imagine a strange amalgamation of The Karate Kid or just about any other movie where a mentor takes a kid under his wing.

Then tip it over, shake it around, and you have St. Vincent.

Yet it works.

In a weird, strange sort of way.

Yet at the same time, Vincent learns just as much from Oliver and the two bond over the course of the movie.

It's both fun(ny) and dramatic. Sad and uplifting.

The things I take away from watching the film:

a) It's my favorite role that I've seen Melissa McCarthy in. Ever. She gets to use her sense of humor, but instead of dialed up to 11 like in everything else I've seen, she's got this one scaled back to about a 6, and it works. It works so well in fact, I wonder how and why she hasn't tried this before. A little of her brashness goes a long way.
b) It's Bill Murray's best role in ages as well. He's an a-hole with little redeeming qualities when we are first introduced to him. Then, like the proverbial onion, as Oliver and the audience gets a chance to get behind those layers and walls that Vincent has built over the years, the entire opinion of the man changes, even if the man himself doesn't. Totally at least.

Jaeden Lieberher also has the task of having the 2nd most amount of screen time and carrying his half of the storyline, sometimes with Murray, much of the time without, and the kid nails it. Not bad for his first movie role, and hopefully he enjoys a nice long career to come.

I would also be remiss to mention that the wonderful Chris O'Dowd kills it with his brief, but plot-needed character of the Priest who gives the assignment that culminates in the film's third act and delivers the emotional payoff the film has been building towards.

Good stuff if you missed it last year.

Final Grade: B+