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[F0rneus]

Tom Rothman in the editing room? Movie is going to be unwatchable....

 

[Beer Monkey]

I was almost going to go just because I'll bet the Atmos mix is stellar but I'm going to pass unless the RT score is high after the first weekend.

 

[Timeaisis]

That sucks. I know many people, my wife included, that are huge fans of the books and this is just going to break their heart.

I'll see it, still. Maybe...it will be good?

Maybe?

Spoiler

who am i kidding

When does the embargo lift, anyway?

 

[mariachi507]

This is a thing I can speak to myself: I've read two different drafts of the screenplay, one from before Fukunaga left, and one after.

I not only preferred the one after he left, but I thought it worked better both as an adaptation of the material, and as a blueprint to the film. It wasn't a vast improvement - Fukunaga's film would have been amazing to watch, and the script he wrote was very good. But I thought the changes made after his departure were, amazingly (I did not think this would be the case before I started reading) to the betterment of the project.

The big question is whether that script got excuted well. It seems likely that it did based on that early screening word of mouth, but it's also up in the air as to whether it'll play that way for you or me when we're finally sitting down in front of it.

The two main things that worries about IT is the portrayal of Pennywise (looked a bit forced) and the scares seemed like they lacked any sort of subtlety. It reminded me of a scene from The Conjuring 2 which involves

Spoiler

the nun coming out of the painting. There's this amazing buildup utilizing great camera movement and tempo, but when the actual scare comes they overplay it a bit by having the nun make this distorted "scary" face while coming at the protagonist. The scene still works good enough, but I feel that they showed too much and that the moment would have worked better if they pulled back a bit on the reveal.

However, my worries for IT are based off its trailers which would obviously be filled of big scare moments to sell the movie and isn't indicative of how the actual film plays. Your post has reassured me a bit and gives me some hope.

 

[cpp_is_king]

holy shit

I wonder which one it is? The kid (Tom Taylor) ?

I've gotta think it's McConaughey. He's a great actor but when I watch him in these previews he just seems really out of place.

 

[The Teachinator]

Abrams and/or Lindeloff were made for this material. When they couldn't crack it I abandoned all hope. Lost is the best adaptation of this series we are ever getting.

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

The Dark Tower is easily my favorite book series, so this news is really bummin' me out. I mean, not really really it's a movie, but it still sucks. Casting looked perfect for it.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

However, my worries for IT are based off its trailers which would obviously be filled of big scare moments to sell the movie and isn't indicative of how the actual film plays. Your post has reassured me a bit and gives me some hope.

Yeah, skeptics are biting hard on the trailers having jump scares in them as if

a) jump scares are inherently shitty (they're not) and
b) it's representative of the film proper (trailers often aren't).

Both screenplays worked to establish a sense of dread, and the scares are more like punctuation. That said - you're right to maintain some skepticism considering the example you gave (I'm not familiar with the film at all but I get what you're driving at there) - because what's up in the air is how he executes both that dread, and its punctuation.

I might not like what happened from those scripts to that screen, who knows. But I wouldn't go cranking up expectations just yet. Maybe let the positive feelings grow a little, sure. But keeping it even-keelish is a good idea.

I've gotta think it's McConaughey. He's a great actor but when I watch him in these previews he just seems really out of place.

The thread makes it really obvious its the kid, dude.

 

[aaaaa0]

I don't know why I even read the whole series. The later books were such a slog to get through.

Spoiler

And when he writes himself into the last book... ugh.

 

[GeorgioCostanzaX]

It is the Masters of the Universe movie version of The Dark Tower -- where we spend as much time in the real world as possible to cut down on the cost (at least that is how I see from the trailers) - I am hoping to be happily surprised and it could be low key awesome, but King has already pulled a George Lucas on this series when he put out the last three and rewrote the first one & it is lacking that grit and terror the first original four books had.

That being said the standalone book The Wind Through the Keyhole was a pretty worthwhile read despite the Roland & company scenes reading like fan fiction.

Same could be said of Smurfs with Neil Patrick Harris also oddly enough from the same studio...

 

[Discotheque]

That kid seemed pretty terrible in the trailers. The director, writers and then casting of Jake all had me in doubt on this being any good

What a waste of mcconaughey/Elba. That could have been such a cool dynamic

 

[guybrushfreeman]

The Dark Tower is easily my favorite book series, so this news is really bummin' me out. I mean, not really really it's a movie, but it still sucks. Casting looked perfect for it.

Yeah I was excited for Idris. I wish they could've just cast aside everything and made a good movie. Sony seem incapable of just letting all the other shit go and just making a good movie. Frustrating

 

[Nappuccino]

I heard a story about one of the test screenings where the cards distributed to the audience included a note asking them not to suggest recasting one of the leads because it was too late for that action to be taken.

I've also heard this is going to be an amazing piece of shit.

Who, the kid?

 

[andythinkpad]

Who, the kid?

Who else, I do chuckle at the scenario that test audiences want to recast Idris Elba.

 

[Apt101]

From what I've seen, it doesn't say "The Dark Tower" to me at all. Like, where to even begin with the shit we've seen? It has a very 2003-ish "are you sure this actually came out in theaters?" feel.

 

[Random Human]

Who, the kid?

Yes

 

[reKon]

I love it when we get "what went wrong" or "Ain't my fault" articles before the movie even drops

damn lol

 

[Dash_Riprock]

Sounds like yet another Fant4stic situation where the entire movie should've just been scrapped and the studio eaten its losses. Now not only will be brand be poisoned but if and when a good adaptation is made it was face an uphill climb.

 

[jetpacks was yes]

This makes me so sad. We're never going to get a good dark tower adaptation now.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Why does Sony Pictures always insist on being shit on everything they do. SMH.

 

[SOLDIER]

Oh man, Sony test screening stories are the best. The ones that leaked out of The Last Action Hero set the gold standard.

Do tell.

Seriously, I'm curious.

 

[Nappuccino]

Yes

I'm unfamiliar with the books, but was a kid character a major component to them? Otherwise, what is a kid doing in an R rated movie (not written by Shane Black) in 2017? Did no one learn from Last Action Hero?*



(Yes I know Shane Black is partially responsible for Last Action Hero)

 

[KraftyKrankins]

I'm unfamiliar with the books, but was a kid character a major component to them? Otherwise, what is a kid doing in an R rated movie (not written by Shane Black) in 2017? Did no one learn from Last Action Hero?*



(Yes I know Shane Black is partially responsible for Last Action Hero)

He's one of the 4 major characters in the books, excluding The Man In Black(McConaughey).

 

[sans_pants]

You could tell something was up was this looked more like a Last Action Hero remake than a Dark Tower adaptation.

except last action hero is fucking great

 

[Rest]

5th is a prequel? What? Unless your talking about that one book that was written years after the series was finished and I don't even really consider it part of the main story. 5 is Wolves of the Calla. If your going to stop anywhere stop at the end of 5.

I might have books transposed, it's been a couple years since I read them.

This is the worst possible advice; not least because book 3 ends with a substantial cliffhanger.

Some things are better left up to ones own imagination.

 

[ronaldthump]

I heard a story about one of the test screenings where the cards distributed to the audience included a note asking them not to suggest recasting one of the leads because it was too late for that action to be taken.

I've also heard this is going to be an amazing piece of shit.

I have no idea what the lore and story for this is. But when I saw the trailer i was like this looks hokey as fuck.

I bet it was matthew mccougneyhay - I thought he was all wrong for it when I saw the trailer.

 

[brianmcdoogle]

I love it when we get "what went wrong" or "Ain't my fault" articles before the movie even drops

Maybe there will be a "wait for the Director's Cut, the true vision!" PR to come soon.

 

[Slayven]

I'm looking forward to reading the book series, but the commercials for the film to a poor job of conveying what it's even about.

He kills with his heart

 

[hydruxo]

Still no reviews yet either. Yikes.

 

[A Link to the Past]

Should have been a TV series on HBO. Stephen King's stuff would do a lot better episodically.

 

[tcrunch]

"He's like the Devil isn't he?"
"He's worse."
/close-up of McConaughey's eyes with fire in them, no other evidence for how he might be worse

 

[brianmcdoogle]

He kills with his heart

That scene in the trailer, I've seen two different versions. One where the bullet hitting the head is a lot more bloody and violent, and another where the blood is seemingly gone. It's odd.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Who, the kid?

II bet it was matthew mccougneyhay - I thought he was all wrong for it when I saw the trailer.

Do tell.

Seriously, I'm curious.

Are whole pages of this thread just disappearing at random?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Still no reviews yet either. Yikes.

I think the press screenings are on Wednesday. They waited till the last minute. I wonder why.

 

[sarcastor]

When does the embargo lift, anyway?

Still no reviews yet either. Yikes.

has there been any case where a movie had a review embargo and it wasn't a piece of shit?

 

[akira28]

there are some dark influences at work here. I suspect the Red is doing whatever it can to make this thing go sour.


and seriously who cares about the damn kid? child actors are notoriously useless. they're kids. as long as they can remember their lines and maybe not piss me off with the "what the writers think a kid is like but is in reality borderline grotesque", they'll be fine.

 

[Fancyarcher]

Knew this was likely going to be shit once they kept shifting the release date, and also the short runtime, never the greatest of signs, especially since the source material is fairly long, and now I hear it's a YA film. The hell, Sony?

I think so. I like him, but he needs good material to work for him, he's just one of those kind of actors. His dialogue reads are super cheese in the brief glimpses you do see him. Granted all of the dialogue sounds terrible, but at least Elba is one of those guys who can try to sell anything.

McConaughey can be awesome even if the dialogue is ridiculous, I love him in Reign of Fire for example. This film sounds shit with or without him.

How does Rothman keep getting work?

He actually produced a lot of hits for Fox while he was running it, mind you that was before reviews mattered. He's been very successful up until late overall. He's a poor studio executive in general though.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

I didn't know it was out on Friday.

 

[Nether!]

Just another level of the tower, I guess!

The trailer made it pretty clear that this wasn't much of an attempt to bring the books faithfully to the screen. I guess I still hold out hope that it will be good enough to not completely sour any future work at adapting the books.

 

[guybrushfreeman]

there are some dark influences at work here. I suspect the Red is doing whatever it can to make this thing go sour.


and seriously who cares about the damn kid? child actors are notoriously useless. they're kids. as long as they can remember their lines and maybe not piss me off with the "what the writers think a kid is like but is in reality borderline grotesque", they'll be fine.

I believe the kid is somewhat of the main character in this version though

 

[Slayven]

Maybe there will be a "wait for the Director's Cut, the true vision!" PR to come soon.

I hate that, i can see if the been out a while, but announcing a director's cut before the movie is out will never not be stupid

That scene in the trailer, I've seen two different versions. One where the bullet hitting the head is a lot more bloody and violent, and another where the blood is seemingly gone. It's odd.

Bloodless one was the wlamart cut

 

[brianmcdoogle]

I hate that, i can see if the been out a while, but announcing a director's cut before the movie is out will never not be stupid

As a PR strategy, it seemingly worked for Batman v Superman, didn't it? How many people try to convince others here that the "director's cut" seemingly fixed all the problems in the theatrical version and that it is now a good movie that should be re-reviewed?

 

[akira28]

I believe the kid is somewhat of the main character in this version though

I know, but expecting high caliber performances from children is a losing bet.

note content: "look. he's the kid, ok? stop being a dick."

 

[Bobby Roberts]

and seriously who cares about the damn kid?

Apparently a large majority of the test audiences who have watched the movie, to the point where the studio had to put a pre-emptive note about the kid on the cards.

I know, but expecting high caliber performances from children is a losing bet.

You don't have to expect "high caliber" anything to be disappointed.

 

[Slayven]

As a PR strategy, it seemingly worked for Batman v Superman, didn't it? How many people try to convince others here that the "director's cut" seemingly fixed all the problems in the theatrical version and that it is now a good movie that should be re-reviewed?

Sounds like some sort of mindcontrol to me

Apparently a large majority of the test audiences who have watched the movie, to the point where the studio had to put a pre-emptive note about the kid on the cards.



You don't have to expect "high caliber" anything to be disappointed.

That kinda of makes me feel bad for him.

 

[akira28]

Apparently a large majority of the test audiences who have watched the movie, to the point where the studio had to put a pre-emptive note about the kid on the cards.



You don't have to expect "high caliber" anything to be disappointed.

test audiences can't be trusted. how about this concept....the kid is supposed to suck because a kid would suck in that kind of situation? Like be all sullen and whiny and crabby. While also dodging evil robot trains in a competent manner.

 

[Slayven]

You know who was great as a kid actor in a kid role, the kid in Iron Man 3

 

[akira28]

he was pretty good. a little annoying. but not as annoying as Stark.


oh god this kid is going to suck. this movie is going to suck. this is all a waste of time. dammit.

 

[Slayven]

he was pretty good.


oh god this kid is going to suck. this movie is going to suck. this is all a waste of time. dammit.

I think it speaks volume that Tony Stark had to be set right by a kid.

 

[Nappuccino]

Are whole pages of this thread just disappearing at random?

For me, I thought I opened the last page, but instead opened the first. It's what I get for multitasking.