briangroth27

[briangroth27]

A Fandom 30 Years in the Making

Two weeks ago on June 11, my favorite movie of all time turned 30! Let’s talk about Jurassic Park!

I’ve heard it said that this was the Star Wars of my generation–the movie that showed Millennials what movies could be–and that’s 100% true for me. This was formative in both my love of movies & my taste in them: I’ll always believe a crowd-pleasing blockbuster adventure with heart & brains can be just as impactful & important as traditional Oscar fare. JP is the kind of movie that makes me want to make movies, which is the highest compliment I can give. Even before I realized writing & filmmaking are what I want to do for real, it helped stoke my imagination when I’d invent new adventures for my toys.

Jurassic Park was one of my earliest experiences seeing a film in the theater; not the first, but definitely one of the most impactful. My family didn’t see a lot of movies in the theater–Friday nights at Blockbuster (paired with Dominos!) & TV airings were my avenue into most films back then–but seeing Jurassic Park when I was 7 is still one of the most vivid memories of my youth.

JP came out in the early days of my experience with fandoms; when things hit for me they hit BIG. I recall being excited about Happy Meal tie-in toys & promotions for movies before Jurassic Park (going back at least as far as Dick Tracy & Rescuers Down Under; Rescuers was actually the first movie I saw in theaters), but Jurassic Park was–along with the Batmania of Batman Returns the previous year–one of the first true blockbuster experiences I got wrapped up in and obsessed with. Batman (the films & the Animated Series), X-men the Animated Series, Spider-man the Animated Series, Power Rangers, Star Trek the Next Generation, & Goosebumps were some of the other massive fandoms of my youth: I had to have everything related to them and was blessed (& probably a little spoiled) by relatives who obliged. Jurassic Park stood out even among those though, because even in pre-streaming days I had fairly constant access to the shows & movies I loved: VHS copies of older movies like Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Superman, Back to the Future, and weekly TV episodes kept me regularly engaged with my favorite characters. I had a general fascination with dinosaurs beforehand, but Jurassic Park was a singular experience that was just as earth-shattering as any of those franchises. I only saw it once in theaters in 1993, but I immediately loved it and reenacted the jokes & one-liners more times than I can count. Sure I watched the VHS a ton later on, but for it to have such an impact on me without preexisting build-up & hype or familiarity with the characters is pretty impressive.

After seeing it, I remember trying to collect the McDonalds cups (eBay has since helped me out!), reading the junior novelization & original book in the car while my parents drove me & my little sister around, and playing with action figures that took liberties with a few characters’ likenesses & had oddly intensely battle-damaged dinosaurs in the Command Center Playset. I remember the branded school supplies (maybe my first experience recognizing production/promo images that weren’t in the final movie), stopping my mom in the electronics section of Wal-Mart to watch the first T-Rex attack scene on the display TVs, seeing the dinos on covers of Disney Adventures magazine, and playing as Dr. Grant (& a Raptor!) in the Sega Genesis video game. Years later I worked at Universal Orlando and it was still a thrill to walk through the Jurassic section of Islands of Adventure with the iconic theme on repeat, ride a water attraction only briefly referenced in the background of the movie, wish I could ride the Pteranodon Flyers, meet a raptor, and explore the Visitor’s Center!

Disregarding the careless science and horrific deaths, Jurassic Park still makes me wish a place like that existed (obviously a safe version…clearly I’ve learned nothing haha). If it were real I’d absolutely go, even if I’d only be able to afford it on Coupon Day. Can we at least get a video game that lets you visit, explore, & survive the park on the ground instead of just building it? Let me play as Park Operations (like that excellent demo Universal shut down), a park guest caught in the terror, and a dinosaur too!

Despite how much I love it, I can admit Jurassic Park isn’t technically perfect (no movie is!). There’s a literal plothole–that T-Rex paddock ravine comes out of nowhere!–but plot holes don’t matter & I don’t care that the ravine isn’t established before Grant & the kids flee into it. The movie is better for it. Likewise, there are plot threads that don't get tied up neatly and only display character or pay off themes & theories rather than tying into the narrative: the triceratops illustrates Ellie, Alan, & others’ character while the nest Alan & the kids find proves Ian correct, and both moments show us how little control & understanding Hammond & his team ever had (which also proves Ellie right). And sure, Tim could've grabbed the shotgun for Alan instead of watching Lex figure out the computer, but that's a character panicking, not a plot hole. Some might call these moments messy, but none of it is distracting or damaging to the movie.

Even with these technical “flaws,” Jurassic Park is perfect. I love the mix of wonder, adventure, horror, found family, humor, & sci-fi social commentary at play. It’s a fantastic balance masterfully pulled off by Steven Spielberg, David Koepp, and all the actors (who will forever be Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, Ellie Satler, etc to me). The mix of practical puppetry & CGI is still mind-blowing, the characters are well-crafted & the actors have excellent chemistry, the pacing is superb, and John Williams’ score is one of my top 5 movie themes of all time.

I went back and saw it twice in theaters for the 25th anniversary, making JP the movie I’ve seen most in theaters (I know 3 times isn’t anything compared to some people, but even pre-pandemic when I was going to the theater almost every week I didn’t have the time or money to see anything more than once). And I love that I’m still finding new things in it! As I learned more about filmmaking, I recognized that the character intros are a master class in brilliantly & succinctly telling you exactly what you need to know about every one of these people. Despite never kissing onscreen, Alan & Ellie’s body language & how comfortable they are touching each other (there are even some literal “hold on to your butts” moments in their early scenes) gives more evidence that they were at least friends with benefits if not full-on dating (I always got the impression they were together, & I totally disagree with the discourse from last year that she was his subordinate or significantly younger than him in the movie: even though Laura Dern is much younger than Sam Neill he looks young enough that the characters could be relatively the same age, she acts & is treated as the co-lead of their dig–& she’s got a doctorate too so she’s not a grad student or anything–and you can see how Alan actually does relate to a subordinate in Jurassic Park 3). I’ve seen Nedry’s clothes called out as recreations of the Goonies kids’ attire and that’s fun, but to me it’s cleverer that Tim wears the kid version of his hero Dr. Grant’s outfit. I love the little moment where Hammond (“accidentally?”) puts the map down on Ian’s injured leg when they’re guiding Ellie through the power station. Hammond also mutters a line when the storm is approaching about how he should’ve built in Orlando which was cool to hear since I grew up around there, but is really another example of how he has no idea how to control or escape nature since tropical storms hit Central Florida a lot too.

None of the sequels have lived up to Jurassic Park, but I still enjoy them all (Camp Cretaceous did the best job of recapturing the feel of the original IMO). A problem I had going into Dominion was that I didn’t want either humans or dinosaurs to go extinct, so trying to wrap up this saga in some final battle for dominance was never going to fly for me. Locusts weren’t the answer either, but just give me a streaming show about life in a world with widespread dinos and we’re set. That’s how I want to see this franchise grow: a wide variety of episodes exploring all genres from Espionage to RomCom to body horror to Amblin-styled "kid sneaks a dinosaur into their room" family fare, exploring how life finds many different ways. They could also catch up with classic characters and explore the implications of dinosaurs in any modern setting as well as dig into the misuse of cloning technology & effects of capitalism on scientific advancement without feeling pressured to put a narrative bow on it!

Regardless of where the franchise goes in the future, every time I watch the original I’m immediately swept up and I’m a kid again. “It’s…it’s a dinosaur!” will make me tear up with joy. Every one-liner will land. The T-Rex and Raptor attacks will have me on the edge of my seat. John Hammond failed to create an authentic spectacle he could control with the park, but everyone involved in this movie absolutely created real magic.

#jurassic world #jurassic park #jurassic june #dinosaurs #life finds a way #welcome to jurassic park #alan grant #ian malcolm #ellie sattler #john hammond #t rex #raptors #dilophosaurus #dennis nedry #steven spielberg #david koepp #universal studios

[briangroth27]

Look! Up in the Spinner Rack!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Action Comics #1!

Yesterday (April 18, 2023) was the super-impressive 85th anniversary of Superman & Lois Lane's first appearances! These two are among my absolute favorite characters in all of fiction & it's amazing to see them continue to flourish & inspire today. There's something indelibly timeless & iconic about the Superman mythos & visuals that makes me feel like a kid again, fully believing a man can fly & wishing I could too.

I vehemently disagree that Superman's outdated & needs to be "cooler." He is cool, he's just not the angry power fantasy some people wish he was. There are other characters for that, but that doesn't mean Clark's one-dimensional or stagnant. He's not an unrelatable god either: he's an immigrant, an adopted son, a husband, a father, a friend. I also prefer him choosing to be a hero in the face of corruption–and because he himself was helped when he was most vulnerable–to being sent here on a mission to save & inspire us; he’s inspirational without being issued a mandate. Whether you prefer Clark Kent or Superman as the primary guy--I've come to think neither is a mask & they're both exaggerated yet honest sides of his personality--he proves power doesn't have to corrupt, that no matter where you're from you can help make things better, and that no matter how weak we seem or powerless we feel, we can all be someone's greatest hero in the fight for truth, justice, & a better tomorrow.

A long time ago I saw someone say Lois is such a strong character that she could've existed without Superman & been just as great, & that's absolutely true. While I love the screwball comedy tenor of their romance, the fact that she's Clark's equal in the fight for justice (& his superior in journalism) makes her every bit the hero he is. Sure she gets into danger a lot, but usually it's her tenacity to stop criminals & get the story that lands her there, not a plot requirement for Superman to rescue someone. I don't buy that Superman's humanity & goodness rests entirely on Lois--he loves people & that should be why he pursues journalism, to hear & share their stories, so if he did lose her he wouldn't lose himself--but the two of them absolutely evolve each other's worldviews & arcs brilliantly. Her cynicism & jaded view of the world fading when confronted by both Clark & Superman--but never losing her wit or edge--compliments Superman's never-ending battle challenging his optimism & faith in people perfectly.

Smallville is my absolute favorite version of Superman because of the writing, directing, acting, characters, relationships, & brilliant balance of Clark's dual heritages culminating in his ability to fly. It also didn't hurt that it hit at exactly the right time for me, as I was a year older than Clark when it aired & am still finding commonalities between us (both positive & regrettable hahaha) as I rewatch it again in tandem with Tom Welling & Michael Rosenbaum's Talkville podcast. Smallville also had a tone that allowed for relationship drama, horror-tinged villains, campy fun, & heightened comic book adventures, all grounded by human relationships (& it's my favorite show ever; the one that makes me want to be a writer), but there are so many other great iterations of the Man of Steel out there for everyone! Christopher Reeve (whose acting hands-down proves the glasses & demeanor change works), Superman & Lois, Superman Smashes the Klan, Superman: Miracle Monday, Superman the Animated Series, & Superman: Secret Identity are just a few of the best ones. Take time to check some out this week!

Despite all we've gotten in film, TV, animation, radio, & comics over the decades, there's a beautiful scene in Miracle Monday I've never seen adapted anywhere & I hope we finally get in Superman & Lois, My Adventures with Superman, or the newest iteration in Superman Legacy: at an especially low point, Clark flies to the arctic & just listens. He hears something no one else can--the sounds of the entire planet harmonizing to form the "song of the Earth"--and his heartbeat completes the song, showing him this is where he belongs.

It's insane that we're just 15 years out from Action Comics' 100th anniversary. How will the Man of Tomorrow meet our actual tomorrow? I can't wait to find out & see what's next for Lois & Clark (& Kara, John Henry, Jimmy, Jon, Natasha, Kong, Connor, Krypto, Lana, Martha, Jonathan, Perry, Lex, Brainiac, Bizarro, Parasite, Mxyzptlk, Metallo, Livewire, Silver Banshee, and the rest)!

#superman #lois lane #clark kent #kal el #action comics #dc comics #smallville

[briangroth27]

Future Prospects

Here's a short story based on the following prompt, sent to me by my friend. No idea where it came from, but if you wrote it, thanks!

_____________

Writing Prompt #1,063

You've just inherited your grandfather's bookshop in Central London. You spent your childhood exploring its shelves and are passionate about keeping the legacy going. The night after the shop's grand re-opening, you receive a strange package containing a leather-bound book with an odd gemstone at the center. Etched in gold ink is an inscription from your grandfather, telling you this book is your legacy and that you must protect it with your life. After flipping through it, you realize in awe that the book can foretell the future. You are reading history that has yet to be written when a group of men break into your store, hunting for the book. They threaten to burn your shop down with you in it unless you hand it over. You decide to run for it, book clasped to your chest. Out the front door, down the back alley, up a fire escape. Everything inside you is telling you to protect the book at all costs. As you turn a corner, the book slips from your hand and lands on the tar-covered rooftop. You look at the open book and see an illustration of yourself on a rooftop looking down at an open book. It is the present moment. You flip to the next page to find another illustration of yourself falling into a swirling black portal as if a tornado opened up below your feet. You suddenly feel a gust of wind.

--------------

Justin gasps as lights pierce the swirling black portal. Seconds earlier he could only feel the cold black nothingness of the vortex, but now dim lights above him brighten into the warm glow of aisle lights increasingly illuminating the maze-like stacks of his grandfather’s Central London bookshop. The familiar and friendly jumble rushing into view, Justin’s terror fades with the inky vortex. His heart rate slowly returns to normal against the worn leather cover of the strange book he’d received from his grandfather’s estate earlier that evening. The book’s inscription promised it would be his legacy and demanded he protect it at all costs. It was not going well.

Most of Justin’s body finally relaxes, color flooding back into his knuckles as he releases the book and pushes it away. It slides just a foot across the floor, but even had it been across the room, the clear gemstone embedded in its center would still imprison Justin’s attention. His mind refuses to calm down and races to grapple with what just happened: receiving the book in the post, the gemstone glowing a pale blue when he touched it, the pages full of pictures of what his next moments would hold, someone pounding on the shop door twice, the door being kicked open, three strangers in black coats, button-down shirts & upscale slacks, fedoras, and steampunk-style glasses & gloves, entering & threatening to burn the shop down, his mad dash through the exit as they searched for him. Out the front door. Down the back alley. Up the fire escape.

Who the hell were those blokes? What the shit was this book?

Onto the rooftop as the storm broke. One of the men grabbing his shoulder. The gemstone glowing red as he recovered the book from the rooftop where he’d dropped it. A struggle to free himself and maintain his footing on the slippery rooftop. The growing vortex over the ledge below him, illuminated by lighting. Falling.

Am I dreamin’? Dead? No…this all’s way too real. How could this thing know what’s going to happen? And the door’s not broken… Did I just…did I just time travel?! How? Did grandad know all this? It’s his book so he must’ve, yeah?

Before his frantic mind can think of another insane question, the same fist pounds twice on the locked front door of the shop. The banging jumpstarts his heart once again, sending Justin scrambling across the floor. He grabs the book and dashes into the stacks as the door is kicked open all over again.

Peering over the top of a bookshelf full of Butler, Wells, & Verne, Justin watches as three men enter the store. Or at least, he thought it was three men the first time. Watching “them” move now, with the book’s gemstone glowing green, Justin sees it’s one tall, muscular woman, rapidly shifting back and forth between each of “their” positions, faster than the unaided eye could see. There’s a ticking noise, like the hands of a clock, each time the woman switches positions that Justin wasn’t able to hear when he experienced this the last time.

“Relllinnnnquishthe Chronoloooooogue orshop burrrrrrnz.” Her words click into a semblance of a sentence, but the book’s yellow energy imperfectly adjusts his perception of time to match her speed.

The woman examines the front area of the shop, flitting from one corner to the other. Tick. Tick. Tick. Her black trenchcoat whips around the room and for a second, Justin wonders how her fedora stays on at such speeds. He shakes the question out of his mind and looks down at his grandfather’s book. The gem begins glowing yellow as Justin flips through the pages and sees the woman’s break-in and search, just as he read future events before. He goes farther, seeing himself run out the front door again. Turning the page, Justin sees himself turn onto the street rather than into the alley this time. Skimming the pages, there’s no black vortex, no pursuer, and eventually only blank pages. He peers through the stacks in time to see the intruder flit over to the historical fiction section. Tick.

Careful not to make a sound, Justin sneaks to the front while the woman searches the stacks. Tick tick tick. He barely needs to open the door to slide his slim frame out of the shop, but his hoodie catches on a broken piece of the door jamb. Justin struggles to free himself while the woman makes her way back toward him through the stacks, still unaware of his presence. Gritting his teeth and bracing himself, Justin rips his hoodie from the door as quietly as he can. He gets his coat free with only minor snag, but pulls a chunk of wood out of the frame in the process. He watches the wood fall in slow motion, horrified by the alert it’s about to send the intruder. Before it can clatter to the floor, Justin realizes he actually is watching it fall in slow motion! Justin plucks the stick out of the air and gingerly places it on the ground. He sighs in relief as the gemstone’s green glow subsides.

Though his stiff shoes were not made for running, Justin ignores the pain on the sides of his feet and breaks into a mad dash down the old stone road. He follows the gentle curve down the hill just as swiftly as he follows what he sees in the book. No black vortex. No pursuer. Justin completes the turn as it starts raining. Just then, the dark night air is obliterated by the headlights of an oncoming truck. As its horn blares a futile warning, Justin freezes; his wet hair flops into his face and obscures his vision of everything but the light of his impending demise. A moment before the truck hits him, the gemstone glows red and he’s enveloped by the black vortex once again.

The truck’s headlights dim, becoming the bookshop aisle lights. Under his hair, Jake’s terrified expression relaxes. He slowly opens one eye, then the other, and then cautiously slicks his hair back. He remembers to breathe and lets out a sigh of relief, steadying himself on the nearby display table featuring the newest children’s book from America, Big City Ben. Justin drops his grandfather’s heavy book on the table, knocking over some of the kids' books.

The smell of old books helps center him in his favorite place in the world. Growing up, Justin spent all his free time in this shop: every day after school and every weekend he’d nestle into one of the shop’s reading nooks that overlooked the back alley and pour over as many adventures as he could get his hands on. As much as he loved these portals to other worlds, times, and lives, he loved their endings best. He couldn’t wait to see what happened to his guides and friends. Fictional lives weren’t the only ones lived in this shop, though: he remembered being extremely nervous about asking his crush out over in the horror section. His first kiss happened in biographies. When he was offered a job at the bookshop, Justin practically skipped to the travel section to literally jump for joy. He’d very nearly lost his virginity in poetry (if only his grandmother hadn’t stopped by to do late-night inventory!). This was the only place he’d ever worked and he’d always dreamed of stewarding this magical place for the rest of his life. Justin dreamed of sharing that passion with his wife and children, who are, for the moment, as fictional as the characters who’d befriended him all those years ago. Now, it seems the shop can only temporarily protect him from certain doom and may still be dragging him to that unavoidable fate. He realizes he has to escape his favorite place in the world.

Justin’s mind reels, trying to piece together what’s happening.

Ok. Book tells the future, but only up to the point where I…die. Must not’ve remembered the right path to take; not turned down the right alley or something: that’s why no vortex in round two’s pages. Means I can change what it says history is. When I do–inevitably??--die, the gem turns red and creates this timewarp...wormhole...thing that brings me right back to the first time I touched it. I must’ve activated it! Right, good. Good! Different colors got different effects: red is reset, yellow is reading the future, and green…that sped me up, didn’t it? Let me see that bird for what she really was… Now wait. Did it slow down time to do that, or speed me up to match how she was movin’? He shakes his head.

No, Justin. Don’t matter. Gotta go.

He scans the next few pages of the book and charges the front door, his footsteps matching the two slams of the woman’s fist. Justin narrowly spins out of the way as she kicks the door open, giving him the momentum and position to swing the book directly into the woman’s head, knocking her to the floor. He stops momentarily to get a better look at who’s been hunting him. She has shoulder-length, dark hair that’s braided from the top of her head running back toward her neck, the angles of which give the impression of a permanently furrowed brow. Her dark steampunk-style glasses have bronze accents, most notably tick marks on dials around each lens like two clock faces. Justin notes wires running to each of her gloves, but his attention snaps back to the broken glasses. Through the impact crack her eye, illuminated by light from within the glasses, starts glowing red.

Realizing the light looks like the book’s–which has now turned green–Justin leaps out of the way as her body’s enveloped by the black vortex. At the same moment as her body disappears, she seems to snap into position just outside the door with a “tick.”

“The hell!?”

Justin turns a page in the book and scans it, allowing him to see her next move and evade her reach. Tick.

He steps back as rain begins falling.

Tick. She approaches, jolting forward. Tick. She snaps back to her previous position. Tick. She appears to his left.

As he dodges, Justin notes that her glasses are now unblemished. He moves to the right so she snaps back and forth to and from several positions over there, all reaching & failing to catch him, but just barely. Tick tick tick tick tick tick. Flipping pages, he weaves back toward the left, seeing where she’ll be and narrowly avoiding her. She flits toward him, bouncing from one side to the other. Tick tick tick tick. The race between her inhumanly swift movements and Justin’s scramble to see where she’ll land next continues down the empty street. She is unbothered by the chase; he wonders how much longer he can process the book’s images to think faster than her feet.

“TheChrrrrronnnnologue,” she snarls.

“What do you want??” Justin shouts, eyes darting from the next page in the book to her and back again, barely keeping ahead of her movements. The book’s gemstone switches back and forth between yellow and green, allowing him to read the future and augmenting his speed & ability to process what she’s saying in turn. Tick. He swats away her gloved hand and slips in a puddle, nearly going down. Tick.

“ATemporrrrral Prosssssspector,” whirs from her mouth as she reaches forward and snaps. An imperceptible fraction of a second later, she leaps to Justin’s right and snaps in the exact same space again, then does the same to his left. TicTiTick. She ties together the same space from three different potential timelines at once with the glowing technology in her gloves, sending bluish-green energy crackling from all three of “their” outstretched gloved hands that creates an explosive fireball in Justin’s face, throwing him backwards to the ground. Tick.

She leaps on Justin and pins him as he coughs up rain that’s gotten into his nose. The ticking continues steadily with each of her movements, as she needs no excessive effort to deflect his feeble defensive moves as long as he can’t reference the Chronologue. Justin swings again, but while he could swear he connects with her jaw, she flits off of him with a tick, appears to his left with another, and ends up back on top of him without appearing to have been hit with yet another. One more tick leaves her standing over his head. She grabs his soggy hair and drags him into the alley around the back of the bookshop. He struggles to get free, but the ground is soaked and he has no traction. The ticking accompanying her footsteps feels like a countdown.

“Who are you??” Justin shouts, struggling to free himself and wishing the book would take him back to a day ago when he decided to put off getting a haircut. Justin waits for the book to take him anywhere, but it doesn’t activate.

Least I’m not about to die. Yet.

With her free hand, the woman adjusts the dial surrounding her left goggle lens. “Noone willlll---”

Justin’s panicked cry for help cuts into her sentence, but she continues undisturbed. “---heeeeearyou.”

Tick. She lifts Justin to his feet with one arm. Tick. She strikes his chest with her other palm, sending him flying into the stone wall behind him. He crumples to the wet, filthy ground, but manages to cling to the book. Tick. She adjusts the dial on her goggles again, bringing her into alignment with the speed Justin is moving through time. The ticking accompanying her movements stops.

“Give me the Chronologue.” Her words are still sharp and measured, like the measured ticking of a clock, but the two of them are now conversing in the same flow of time.

“That...what this is?” Every word is agony; his chest hasn’t felt like this since he broke four ribs in a ski accident.

“It is not meant for man.”

“Grandad says different.”

“Your grandfather took from a Prospector. Built a life on stolen time. Spent his life fleeing.”

“Ran a whole bookstore on the run, did he?”

“He concealed the Chronologue. Deactivated, he concealed himself. Only activated from time to time.”

“His monthly trips to Edinburgh, I’d wager. Always did come home with bloody brilliant plans. Never failed.” He coughs. “Kept his place goin’ even with the world against us.”

“Detoured to profitable timelines. Just as you did. This is not meant for man.”

“Got a reason why, or you just some…time…fascist?”

“Man may not determine time’s flow.”

“Well. I can see you’re doin’ a bang-up job. This timeline? Not it.”

“Time is the ultimate nonrenewable resource. We understand how to mine it. Process it. Therefore it is ours.”

Justin cracks the book open to protect its pages from the rain, glances at the next page, and lets out a pained sigh. “Listen. Don’t even want the thing no more. Take it.”

The Prospector studies him. She looks at the Chronologue. “Your Grandfather believed it was legacy. Actions indicate you believe as well.”

“Oh, I thought it was, but I’m not ‘im. I can’t fight everyone–including you lot–everyday. And knowin’ time itself’s against me? No thanks. Grandad fought his whole life; I don’t want that. It’s just…too much.” He holds the book out. “Take it. I’ll go back to me shop and we’ll forget all this. Pretend it was another timeline.”

The Prospector considers, then reaches for the Chronologue with a tick. Just as she takes hold, Jake throws his whole weight onto the book, dragging her downward and smashing it onto the stone street, breaking the gemstone. Jake manages to rip the glasses off the Prospector and rolls away before she can speed up again.

“You fool!” she shouts, as multicolored energy surges from the book, enveloping her arm and sending shocks through her nervous system. The energy wave prevents her from letting go of the Chronologue.

Justin pulls the glasses on and turns the lens dial as he scrambles backwards. A blue activation light circles the lenses and fades just as quickly, replaced by green light around the lens rims as they speed Justin up, just as the Chronologue’s energy crescendos. The book explodes, but the shockwave doesn’t hit Justin: the glasses flit him in and out of potential parallel timelines where the book was not destroyed, allowing him to avoid the effects of the blast altogether. Ticktitictickicktickictickticticktick. As temporal energy waves wash over the Prospector, rapidly aging and de-aging portions of her body and moving her through multiple timelines at random, the rain around her stops in midair. Her body evaporates in a second blast of color. The remaining energy crackles between the raindrops, turning them into hundreds of tiny water fireworks that begin falling to the ground again, though not all at the same speed. The air ripples with heat then settles as time begins moving normally again.

Justin breathes a sigh of relief and notices his ribs don’t hurt anymore. Lifting his shirt and feeling his torso, he finds no bruise. He thinks for a moment. Glassesspedmeup… He turns the lens dial down and the green light fades. Healed me. As the storm passes, Justin gets up and takes the glasses off. Could this really be over?

Said she was “a” Temporal Prospector…gotta be more of ‘em comin’ for these. Do I run? Where’m I gonna go? Can’t read the future now but these glasses could level things. Whether goin’ or stayin’, what kinda life is this? What kinda family could I have?

He slicks his wet hair back out of his face, walks out of the alley, and looks through the window of his grandfather’s bookshop. He knew he’d be a sitting duck if he stayed…yet he couldn’t walk away. He’d just fought time and fate to escape his favorite place on the planet…but in this moment he knew if there was any place he wanted to take his chances–to go down fighting if that’s what it came to–it was here. His bookshop.

He puts the glasses on and turns the lens dial, activating the green light and shifting himself into a faster gear. Not-so-distantly, he hears ticking. Somewhere nearby, Temporal Prospectors mine the timeline for their own purposes, whatever those are. Some of them could be coming for him right this second; any second. The ticking builds on itself until there’s a cacophony, like a swarm of cicadas. Justin doesn’t know how many there are or if they’re aware of their fallen partner, but nevertheless an odd calm comes over him. Maybe it’s confidence from defeating the Prospector or a renewed sense of purpose coming with ownership of the bookstore, but he doesn’t bother interrogating the feeling. He smirks and walks into his bookstore as the ticking continues.

He can’t wait to see how his story ends.

THE END

Check out my other short stories, reviews, & TV/Movie opinions here!

#short stories #science fiction #scifi #time travel #time loop

[briangroth27]

Spooky Short: ValenMine Customer Service

Hello and happy Valentine's Day!

My friend sent me this writing prompt and gave me 30 minutes to come up with the story. I'm not sure where he got it, but if you're reading this & you happen to have created it, thanks (& sorry I was unable to credit you)!

Enjoy this Twilight Zone/Black Mirror-esque Valentine!

Writing Prompt #1,081

You download a dating app that you've never heard of after your friend recommends it. She met her current boyfriend through it and, according to her, he's perfect. She warns you that the sign-up process is a little bit strange, but completely worth it. You shrug and fill out the information, thinking nothing of it. The very next day, a box arrives on your doorstep. You take it inside hesitantly and open it to find an odd array of items inside: a pink elixir, a rose, and some chalk. A notification is sent to your phone shortly after. The app requests that you open it and follow the instructions on the screen: draw a small circle on the floor, think of the perfect partner, and drink the liquid. You do as instructed and, in a gigantic poof of pink smoke, a woman appears in your living room, standing inside the circle. In a few days, you get used to her. She is perfectly nice and makes an effort to plan dates as well as bring you gifts, but you soon realize that she barely eats, doesn't sleep, and doesn't seem to know anything specific about her past. You try to shake off the odd feeling, but then see her face, with a different name, on a missing person poster.

----

—ValenMine Customer Service Inquiry Log #111,459 —

—Pete McNeil, Orlando, FL February 9, 8 AM—

ValenMine Customer - Pete, 2/9, 8:00

What the hell?? If I thought Josie lying completely motionless in bed, watching me sleep (!!), was weird, last night’s discovery is even worse. I mean, I assumed she just fell asleep after I did and somehow managed to wake up before me every day, but whatever; I like attention and it’s been a while. But when we were talking a walk after dinner last night, I saw a missing persons poster WITH HER FACE ON IT. What’s going on here? Who is this woman you conjured up?

ValenMine CS Associate - Sarah, 2/9, 8:40

Hello! We’re happy to hear from you! I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying the attention you receive from your ValenMine girlfriend! Here at ValenMine, we’ll make you a perfect match!

Pete - 2/9, 8:41

That’s all you have to say?? What about the fact that Josie’s doppelgänger is on a missing persons poster? Where did you find this woman?

Sarah - 2/9, 8:45

If I understand correctly, you’re concerned about your ValenMine girlfriend. Is that correct?

Pete - 2/9, 8:45

What an astute observation.

Sarah - 2/9, 8:46

We here at ValenMine strive to make sure all our users find their happy, blissful ending! Wherever you are, wherever they are, we’ll get you together. At ValenMine, we’ll make you a perfect match!

Pete - 2/9, 8:48

That’s what I’m asking! Where did you meet Josie? I thought she kinda poofed out of nothing. It almost seemed like magic.

Sarah - 2/9, 8:49

We’re happy to hear your experience was magical!

Pete - 2/9, 8:50

But where did you find her?

Sarah - 2/9, 8:51

I’m sorry; our user database is classified. If you want to know more about Josie, we suggest healthy conversation. Studies show that healthy communication is essential for a fulfilling and long-lasting relationship.

Pete - 2/9, 8:55

You don’t think I’ve tried talking to her? She exactly doesn’t say much. She wouldn’t even tell me where she’s from!

Pete - 2/9, 8:55

*doesn’t exactly

Pete - 2/9, 8:57

I mean, at first it was nice to be able to get a word in edgewise and to have someone just listen to my opinions for once—usually I have to rely on Reddit or my PodCast for that, but views on Pete’s Thinks have been down lately.

Pete - 2/9, 8:58

But that’s not the point! I wanted someone who didn’t ask dumb questions during movies or ask about the rules to lacrosse fifty times during a match, not someone who seems to have no thoughts about anything! All she does is agree with me. Which, cool—haven’t been with a girl like that since I was in middle school—but…

Pete - 2/9, 9:00

And then this thing with the missing person’s poster! I frequent a lot of news sites with their eyes open, you know? I know all. about. the deep state. I am VERY INFORMED. Where did this woman come form?

Pete - 2/9, 9:00

*from

Sarah - 2/9, 9:10

We here at ValenMine strive to make sure all our users find their happy, blissful ending! If you can’t find anyone on your own, we’ll do whatever it takes to pair you with your perfect partner. At ValenMine, we’ll make you a perfect match!

Pete - 2/9, 9:11

You said that already. Is there someone else I can talk to?

Sarah - 2/9, 9:11

I’m sorry; all our customer service associates are busy with other callers. Is there anything else I can help you with?

Pete - 2/9, 9:12

Is Josie really even her name? The missing persons poster said her name was Adriana.

Pete - 2/9, 9:12

You haven’t hooked me up with some kind of illegal, have you?

Sarah - 2/9, 9:13

I’m sorry; I can’t divulge any information Josie hasn’t told you herself. ValenMine takes the privacy of our customers very seriously. Perhaps the missing persons poster just looked like her.

Pete - 2/9, 9:14

Don’t give me that! There’s a very small scar right under her hairline—I liked it because she was perfect but not too perfect, you know?—so I know what I saw, and the woman on that poster had one too!

Pete - 2/9, 9:20

Hello?

Pete - 2/9, 9:31

Sarah?

Pete - 2/9, 9:45

What the hell? You’re not gonna talk to me either?

Pete - 2/9, 11:00

OK, I’m just gonna call the police.

Pete - 2/9, 11:30

I swear I’ll do it. Let’s see how your little app fares then!

Pete - 2/9, 12:05

Hello?

Sarah - 2/9, 2:00

Sorry for the delay! I’ve spoken to my higher-ups here at ValenMine and my manager would be happy to speak with you in person at our downtown office.

Pete - 2/9, 2:05

Finally!1

Pete - 2/9, 2:05

Jesus.

Pete - 2/9, 2:05

OK.

Pete - 2/9, 2:05

Great

Sarah - 2/9, 2:06

Perfect! I’ve sent the address to the email we have on file for you here. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

Pete - 2/9, 2:06

Hell no. I’ll save my questions for your manager.

Sarah - 2/9, 2:07

Great! I’m glad I could help you today. Remember: here at ValenMine, we’ll make you a perfect match!

—End ValenMine Customer Service Inquiry Log #111,459—

—Customer Approved for ValenMine Match-Maker Intake Procedure—

THE END

Check out more short stories, reviews, & opinions here!

#scary story #valentine #valentine's day #spooky #horror #scifi #sci fi horror

[briangroth27]

Hey!

Long time no post!

I'm hoping to get back into short story writing soon, but in the meantime here's a short film my friends and I made a couple years back about a theatre crew member making sure the show goes on.

I don't remember what the show-within-a-show's storyline was, but I think it was that my son (Isaac) didn't want to take over the family zoo.

The set was designed for the Orlando Repertory Theatre for their 2015 production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Check out more short films, short stories, & reviews here!

#short film #silent film #comedy #Youtube

[briangroth27]

[briangroth27]

I’ve been trying not to have to do this. But I got sick this week and haven’t had a client since and I’m all out of money after paying rent. I just need a little bit to get me through this weekend or until I see my next client which will hopefully be today but until then I’ve got $4 to my name.

PayPal.me/MilaO

Cash.me/$MilaO47

Venmo: @borkaborka

I also do tarot readings at $5/card if anyone wants one

[briangroth27]

[briangroth27]

Gemini Man Review

I thought Gemini Man was cool! Will Smith has no trouble leading the film in both of his roles, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a solid co-lead, and the movie felt like a fun throwback to 90s-style action thrillers.

Full Spoilers…

Henry Brogan (Smith) is the world’s best hitman, but senses he’s losing both his touch and his soul, so he retires. I really liked that he was self-aware enough to feel his skills slipping and that he was becoming desensitized to killing people (even if he only killed villains). That was a great bit of introspection and willingness to act on it—particularly for a male action lead—rather than having someone else tell him he was losing his touch, leaving Brogan to insist (and probably prove) that he’s still got it. Having Brogan choose to quit to live a peaceful life before he becomes a true monster was a much better and more interesting path. 

Junior (Smith, Victor Hugo) was also a well-developed character and I liked that he wasn’t the cold, professional assassin villain the trailers made him out to be: he was on his way to that, but still wanted to prove himself to his “adoptive” father Clay Verris (Clive Owen) and still had time to change course. Smith did great at playing the angst, anger, confusion and sadness Junior went through, and saddling that character with the vast majority of those emotions was a risky move (given he was a digital character) that totally paid off thanks to Smith’s performance and the technology. The CGI was noticeable in the action scenes (Junior moves a little too jumpily) and in the final scene of the movie, but otherwise he was well done. I don’t think I’d mind it on rewatches. Having Henry's clone sent to kill him was a very cool thematic way to give the older Henry a chance to fix his past (if he can redeem his younger self), while Junior has a chance to erase his doubt (and thereby the doubt Henry feels about his past as well) if he can kill his older self. The movie does play a little fast and loose with how much a clone would really think and act like the original, but the emotional payoff was worth it so that didn't bother me at all. This was a neat way for Henry to heal himself of his past by helping his clone break out of his patterns so he could make connections instead of using his duty as an excuse to keep everyone at arm's length. I didn't fully buy that killing Verris would forever tarnish Junior's soul—it clearly wouldn't be his first kill—but perhaps it would be his first vengeance killing versus one he was hired to do. 

Dani (Winstead) was great as an agent caught up in the plot to assassinate Henry, holding her own throughout the film and forming a strong friendship with Henry despite a rocky start. I liked that the film took the time to give us an idea of what she wanted from her future (running the agency, and doing it more fairly than how it's being run in the present); it feels like a lot of action films don't even give a hint about what their leads want out of life were they not involved in death-defying action set pieces. I liked that while Henry wanted to quit to save his soul, Dani’s dream was running the agency so she could save its soul; that’s a nice parallel between them. Dani was cool and Winstead played off of both versions of Smith really well.

I also liked the friendship Henry had with Baron (Benedict Wong): they were fun together and Wong gave us some fun little character bits to flesh out his character. The script and actors did a good job of making all Henry's old contacts feel like longstanding relationships, both personal and professional. Also, even though he wasn't throwing out wisecracks like in his earlier action films, Smith had an easy chemistry with everyone; an invaluable asset to making these relationships feel established even if they're just starting or if we only see a few minutes of them. I could've stood to have Yuri (Ilia Volok) come back into play at some point towards the end, given his antagonistic relationship with Henry and his threat to have him killed at some point, but ultimately that would've been unnecessary and not as emotionally resonant as Henry facing off with Junior and Henry 3.0 (also Smith), who was Henry with all his pain (and his choice) removed. Henry 3.0 was all I needed to see of the super soldier program, and he was certainly imposing! He felt like a human Terminator and that was very cool.

Clive Owen was solid as the villain, attempting to grow perfect super soldier assassins under the guise of protecting normal soldiers from having to go into dangerous territory. Of course, by brainwashing Junior and completely "programming" Henry 3.0, he's really talking about using slaves to fight the country's wars. It’s not spelled out in the movie, but I don't think it's an accident he was a white man using black men as his weapons under the guise of “making them their best,” much like our military recruits people with slogans like "be all you can be" and promises educations and futures in exchange for service. Henry's old, white, male handler (Ralph Brown) also cooperates with the system against Henry and manipulates him into killing a good man, which I'm also sure was not accidental casting. Henry's attempt to save Junior from making the same mistakes he did gave him a chance to save himself (in a way) from being used by the system all over again, breaking that cycle. I did think it felt more obvious why Henry was being targeted by the system than the characters thought it was—he learned that they'd lied about who his target really was—rather than him believing the agency needed to kill him just because Junior was in the world. It didn't bother me though and it played into Junior's arc to have him trying to eliminate the version of himself that had doubts very well.

The action scenes were very cool! I loved the inventive use of the motorcycle and the incorporation of Junior's parkour into the fights. The fights and shootouts really sold the fact that only Junior and Henry 3.0 could get results that the rest of the agency couldn't when facing Henry and Dani. I thought it was interesting that they didn't show anyone's deaths onscreen (nameless goons aside) until Henry 3.0 died (and Smith completely sold that in all three roles). I don't know what they might be saying with that choice: it could just be to build suspense (like whether or not Henry makes his movie-opening kill) or stylistic choices (like on the boat), but it felt like a deliberate choice that differentiated it from other action films. Perhaps Henry 3.0 dying is symbolic of the end of Junior’s ties to the agency and Verris, particularly as it leads to Henry killing Verris so Junior won’t have to, also resolving his doubts, so Ang Lee felt that one should be given more weight by showing it onscreen.

The inventive action scenes aside, this felt like a 90s action thriller and I loved that throwback feel. Lee directed clean and clear shots—even for the action scenes—which was a nice change of pace from today's oversaturated or simply too-dark-to-see styles. I also liked all the vibrant colors in the settings on display here. The pacing was brisk and the actors took what they were given to craft a compelling character study. I’ve heard complaints about the writing quality, but I didn’t think it was bad at all. Maybe Junior could’ve had punchier dialogue—something recalling Smith’s 90s action heroes—to further differentiate them and display Henry’s growth since his older self didn’t have that humor. Regardless, it was also cool that this was a standalone film. 

Gemini Man didn’t get many glowing reviews, but I thought it was definitely worth the watch and I had a good time! I'll be picking it up on blu-ray. Check it out!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!  

#gemini man #will smith #Mary Elizabeth Winstead

[briangroth27]

That’s absolutely horrific.

[briangroth27]

Joker Review

I was not excited to see Joker based on the trailers that seemed determined to excuse and justify Joker’s (Joaquin Phoenix) madness and motives with a sympathetic light. While it is well-shot and well-acted—and if you enjoyed it, I’m glad you got something positive out of the experience—I thought the movie confirmed my impression of the trailers and I wasn’t a fan.

Full Spoilers…

Arthur Fleck is a sad, lonely man with vague mental illnesses who can’t catch a break in life or love. His life does suck and he does get dealt several bad and unfair hands, but nothing this movie did convinced me to feel sorry for him because I know the monster he’s going to become. It’s the same way I don’t care about real-world rapists’ “bright futures” being put in jeopardy by being held accountable for their crimes and have no sympathy for mass shooters’ sad histories of being turned down for dates. In the end, society is a problem, but how Arthur reacts to it is all on him and what he becomes is reprehensible, so I found it impossible to connect to him even before the villainy. Maybe if he were an original character—or even a Batman villain who does have a spark of good intentions and true tragedy to them, like Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, or Two-Face—I would’ve cared about him, but the Joker has far too much baggage to be painted as a tragic figure, and drawing this character so close to being an anti-hero who’s right to act like he does is gross. Even if the adoration he gets from the rioting crowds after the car accident is his imagination (much like he imagined Sophie (Zazie Beetz) thought stalking her was charming at the beginning of their “relationship”), he still felt that hero-worship throughout the movie from the protesters adopting his clown persona so I don’t think it makes a big difference if that one post-accident scene was real or not.

I didn’t like the choice to make most of his laughter part of his illness either, as that took a huge part of the character’s outlook/personality and sense of “humor” away by making it something uncontrollable. It’s also an antiquated and harmful view of mental illness in a time when we’re fully aware that mentally ill people are far more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators. Continuing to draw mentally ill people as violent criminals is something that needs to be addressed and updated in the larger Batman canon too. Like so many other choices here, explaining his laughter takes away the scariness the character previously had. I have no problem knowing who Joker used to be, but knowing why he does what he does (even just trying to convince us that he’s an “agent of chaos”) is too much information in my opinion. My preferred Joker is one who’s unpredictable and incomprehensible, where trying to puzzle out his motives either leaves you dead or drives you insane (like it did Harley Quinn). I also want more variety in his crimes, not just a series of revenge killings for personal slights and abuses. Give me everything from trying to patent Joker Fish to deadly laughing gas attacks to just wanting to pie Batman in the face for Christmas. During his big debut on TV in this film, I was wishing we could see a classic caper instead (even though yes, hijacking a TV show is something Joker would do). Confining Joker’s victims to people who personally attacked him also takes away from the threat he poses: if you treated him well, you’re totally fine here.

While escalation to more indiscriminate victims is possible, as one of my sisters pointed out, the movie works really hard to justify everything he does with grounded motives in what feels like an attempt to say “see, anyone really could be pushed to this breaking point!” It’s not enough that Arthur’s co-workers don’t like him, one of them (Glenn Fleshler) has to essentially trick him into getting fired. Arthur’s obsessive love of TV personality Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) turning dark can’t just be a result of Arthur being a stalker who dreams of being a comedian even though he’s not funny, Murray also has to personally insult Arthur in front of the city/nation. It’s not bad enough that Arthur’s mom (Frances Conroy) abused and lied to him his whole life, but his secret “father” Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) also has to be a horrible rich person. I totally get that Thomas would be furious about Arthur touching Bruce (Dante Pereira-Olson) and I’d be enraged too, but Thomas’ anti-poor sentiments set him against Arthur’s social situation and in the end it felt like we weren’t supposed to see his and Martha’s (Carrie Louise Putrello) deaths as a tragedy, but as a reaction to the way they treated the lower classes (since the riot is so closely tied to the way Arthur reacts). On a side note, Martha really just isn’t ever going to speak or contribute to a story at all beyond being a victim, is she? Anyway, my reading of Joker’s “you wouldn’t get the joke” line at the end of the movie was that the Arkham interview scene occurs after Batman had appeared and everyone’s favorite “badass” hero grew up to protect the system (the “care to explain the joke?” question is intercut with scenes of the Wayne murders). This Bruce would totally embody the “Batman’s a wealthy guy who beats up poor people” take that’s been going around for the past few years (just imagine how this Thomas was raising Bruce, instead of the good man that Thomas usually is), particularly since it was apparently someone protesting for fair wages and equality that murdered his parents. The clothing styles do look the same in that interview scene as in the rest of the film, rather than being 90s styles or later, but arresting some fashions and technology even as time moves on is hardly a new design choice for a Batman movie/animated series. Even if that’s not the joke that Arthur means in that final scene, I fully believe that’s the Batman that would come out of these events, and who wants that?

If the joke that Arthur references is that the world put all this meaning on him that he didn’t intend, it’s not a very good joke because he has a whole speech explaining that on TV. I believe Joker when he says he’s not political—he’ll take revenge on anyone, rich and poor alike—but having the protesters adopt his ideology and imagery is a really weird choice given who he is in the comics. Even though he doesn’t have anything to do with the protests themselves (though he does egg on the riots during his speech, as what he says about his own mistreatment by society is also what they’re feeling about theirs), the filmmakers saddling “his” movement with the language of the real-life left (like "resist") is extremely questionable: why are the filmmakers trying to make this monster a heroic inspiration (even if misunderstood) for what would be the social justice side? In The Killing Joke, Joker argues that one bad day will drive anyone insane, which seems to be what this movie wants to say too (with “insanity” framed as a “reasonable” reaction to a broken system). However, the end of The Killing Joke reaffirms that the world isn’t like Joker and one bad day won’t push most people to villainy, since he fails to break Gordon, Barbara, and (once it became an in-continuity tale) Batman. Joker has no one to make that argument, and instead has Joker give a speech on TV about how it’s totally justifiable to go on a murder spree in reaction to being mistreated because “this is what you get.” No thanks.

If the “joke” is that none of this happened at all, well then…why are we here watching his self-indulgent delusions of persecution and oppression?

If they wanted to make a movie about a sympathetic man turned bad by a cold system that hurts people who do nothing but get sick, they should’ve made a Mr. Freeze movie. A film about someone who goes to increasingly extreme lengths to change the world for the better while being labeled as crazy by society? Get a Poison Ivy film into production. Want to explore a villain with good intentions and a society divided between the rich and poor, with how you’re treated by people, the law, and the world left up to chance on how you were born? Then this should’ve been a Two-Face movie. There’s merit to saying that there are problems with our social system and that it fails people who have no other support network, for sure. And lots of bad guys have been successfully drawn with some core good idea that they take off the rails into full-blown villainy as they commit increasingly evil acts. The Joker is not one of those villains. He doesn’t have a logical point and shouldn’t be painted as right in any way.

Again, on a technical and performance level Joker is a well-made movie and I’m glad if you found something worthwhile here, but I vehemently disagree with its entire premise of making the Joker understandable and especially with trying to paint him as something of an anti-hero with a twisted point who’s justified in acting the way he does. I was bored and couldn’t get past the knowledge of what Joker becomes. This is just not for me. Oh well; on to the next movie!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!  

[briangroth27]

[briangroth27]

Hey cat owners check out this amazing cat litter that tells you when your cat is sick.

It detects five different potential illnesses from your cat and changes color if there is something wrong.

It’s also lighter than most kitty litters, cheaper and it ships for free so you don’t have to carry kitty litter home anymore!

Learn more about it here and if you use the code LOVE you’ll get 20% off your first order.

[briangroth27]

IT Chapter Two Review

2017’s IT is one of my favorite horror movies, so I was very excited to see the sequel! Chapter Two was very good, but as others online have noted, the first one is a better and scarier film. That’s not to say there isn’t anything to like in this one, though: the entire adult cast is just as fantastic as the kids from the original were and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion with a number of solid scares and reveals along the way.

Full Spoilers…

Chapter Two is a long movie and it does feel long, but not in a bad or meandering way. It’s to the credit of these writers and actors (both the adult and kid casts) that I would gladly spend more time just watching them all hang out, banter, and reminisce. The chemistry among both versions of the Losers Club is very strong and just like in the first film, I would’ve enjoyed seeing these people spend time together even without the horror trappings.

It was a bummer to see that so many of the Losers’ lives had turned out to be unfulfilling or downright horrific. Eddie (James Ransone) and Bev’s (Jessica Chastain) lives in particular were frustrating to see, since they both stood up to their abusive parents (Molly Atkinson, Stephen Bogaert) as children yet ended up marrying the same kinds of people. At least as adults Eddie still argued back against his wife’s (Molly Atkinson) overprotectiveness and Bev walked (hopefully) as soon as her husband (Will Beinbrink) got abusive, but I hoped they would’ve escaped those situations long before this point in their lives. I suppose that matches the idea that Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) hasn’t truly been defeated and they haven’t fully escaped the horror yet.

I wish Bev’s psychic connection to the others’ futures from her experience with the Dead Lights as a child (Sophia Lillis) had played a bigger role here than just providing a reason they couldn’t walk away from Derry again (because she sees that they won’t make it to the next time Pennywise returns). Maybe she could’ve tried to avert the deaths she saw (just make them more immediate now that they’re in town), reversing her role as a damsel in distress in the first movie by giving her a more proactive role here (and also helping Bill (James McAvoy) try to rewrite the story). She doesn’t try to leave town instead of fight the evil as much as some of the others do, but if they were going to introduce those psychic visions, they should’ve used them more. Also, even moreso than Eddie falling back onto old patterns, it’s frustrating that after so many people in the first movie saw Bev as a sexual object that really the only thing we know about her adult life is the abuse. I read that she’s a fashion designer, but I totally missed that in the movie. At first it seemed like a throwaway career, unlike some of the others’, but then I thought you could say a career in fashion allows her to choose and control how people are presented, as opposed to having everyone’s views of her forced on her. So, when It tries to drown her in the bathroom stall from the first movie, It’s trying to force her to crumble to the overwhelming public opinion of her, which works. We could’ve learned more about her, but I liked what we did get from Bev once she was back in Derry with her old friends.

Bill’s career as a screenwriter hitting a road block because no one likes his endings felt at first like a meta setup to change the story here (especially with Stephen King in a funny cameo echoing that sentiment), but I think it actually plays into the reveal about Georgie’s (Jackson Robert Scott) death in a very cool way. I think it’s a reflection of him wishing for all he’s worth that he really was too sick to play with Georgie the day he died. He “wrote” that ending for Georgie, himself, and probably everyone he’s talked to about it, but it wasn’t ever right. I really liked him finally coming to terms with his role in Georgie’s death (and the fact that there’s nothing he could’ve done) and forgiving himself by fighting off his younger self (Jaeden Martell); that was done very well. Coming to terms with what really happened also allows him to write good endings; a nice way of showing that he is at peace and finally living and writing honestly. I liked that they kept the movie a true ensemble instead of letting Bill become the lead hero out for revenge. The film also introduces some solid tragedy in Bill being unable to convey the danger of Pennywise to Dean (Luke Roessler), the kid who lives in his childhood home: even though Dean knows the clown isn’t right, he doesn’t seem too concerned about the voices he hears in his drain until it’s far too late. That was a smart chance to take Bill to the other side of the equation: Pennywise’s effect on the townspeople leaves the adults not caring about the kids that go missing or even noticing that strange things are happening, but even if they did try to make a difference, the kids couldn’t hear it.

Eddie is my favorite of the Losers so I was really sad he didn’t make it. I figured he’d make some kind of heroic sacrifice after hesitating to help his friends twice in a row and I’m glad he got to help kill It by providing vital intel, but I was still holding out hope they’d all survive. Still, he got a great showing here and I was happy with what we did get from him, both in terms of drama and comic relief. The irony of him arguably being the most scared of the Losers but still being the only one to hurt Pennywise in one of the solo attacks was pretty cool! I do still want to know more about this kid (Jack Dylan Grazer) who’d change “loser” on his cast to “lover” though. While his career as a risk analyst makes perfect sense, I would’ve liked that to come into play in some fashion here; maybe it could’ve helped them successfully navigate some trap (or not, to undermine what little confidence he had). His friendship with Richie (Bill Hader) was great and I wish he’d learned about Richie’s feelings for him even if he didn’t return them. I think you could read Eddie’s feelings for Richie as platonic or romantic and their relationship would be satisfying either way (but come on, give them the happy ending together!), but he definitely has the strongest bond with Richie of all the Losers. Watching him finally stand up to save Richie from the Dead Lights was a great, triumphant moment, even if it led to his death.

I really liked Richie here and I thought the reveal that he’s gay was handled very well. That gave his younger self (Finn Wolfhard) a lot of dimension now that it’s clear most if not all of his sexual comments were overcompensation and/or a front, and maybe a way to cloak his true feelings in comedy. A flashback where he tried to hang out with another boy and bond over videogames seemed like it captured his loneliness and eagerness to explore who he was discovering himself to be, followed quickly by his fear of being discovered by others (and seriously injured by town racist/homophobe/sexist/psychopath Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton)) very well. Pennywise also calls out his fear of anyone knowing who he truly is in an attack on him using the town’s Paul Bunyan statue, and that mythic figure’s implied “correct” version of manliness and masculinity was a solid parallel to Bowers’ evil. Plus, I liked that Richie finally got the solo scare he didn’t in the first movie. I wish the writers had let him come out to the other Losers, though, so (like others online have pointed out) we could see him conquer his fear of being discovered that he carried into adulthood (his comedy routine features references to his “girlfriend,” for example, but this clearly isn’t something he’s just learning about himself in his adult life). I’ll just assume he will at some point later on, since they’re staying in touch, and his moment of carving his and Eddie’s initials into the Kissing Bridge was beautiful. Hader gets a lot of funny lines here too, and he walks the dramatic and comedic line really well (as do Ransone, Wolfhard, and Grazer). I do wish either movie had established what “Beep-Beep, Richie” means (it’s the Losers’ way of telling him a joke’s gone too far). Bev says it here and Pennywise said it in the first movie, but neither film gave us the context of what it meant.

I thought Ben (Jay Ryan) pining over Bev for so long (even if he barely remembered her due to everyone forgetting what happened) felt romantic when he could’ve easily come off as a creepy “Nice Guy” or even just sad, so great work on his part on keeping his love for her sweet and true. Also, I think Bill’s the one who actually idealized Bev when they were kids: when he first sees her outside the drugstore, the camera has a sun-kissed filter and their bike rides are in nostalgic slow-motion.  Her interest in him is also artificially enhanced by her thinking that Ben’s poem was his. On the other hand, Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Bev save each other several times and we see them talk a lot more. They have a stronger, more real connection. If you look at their adult jobs, Ben literally builds homes (or at least, places that make you feel like you’re at home), while Bill is low-key controlling about how his life should go (and no one likes his direction), which is more of his idealized view of things. Plus, Bill’s presumably mostly happily married, so shipping him and Bev is problematic for a whole host of other reasons. I liked the motivation they gave Ben in the first film to discover the local history of any place he moves to—it’s something he does to make himself feel more at home and to just get to know his new surroundings—and while the shift to him being an architect as an adult does kinda feel like a retcon buttressed by the flashback of him reinforcing the clubhouse they discover in the woods, I didn’t think it was too awkward a change. You could say that Ben always being interested in the places his family took him translated into him wanting to build places for people to feel comfortable, which works IMO. Pennywise burying Ben was maybe not the clearest way to bring back his fears of not being strong enough to get to Bev, but it wasn’t bad; I’m not sure how I would’ve done it differently. Given he designed the clubhouse he’s buried in, that’s a neat way to strike at his adult success too, by subtly undermining his skills and turning his safe, homey place against him. I’m not sure when the school vision is supposed to happen, since the first movie takes place entirely over summer and he didn’t talk to Bev until after school ended, but they reference the Losers like they’re already hanging out. Maybe it was summer school?

Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) staying on Pennywise watch for 27 years was a good payoff to his grandfather telling him to make choices and stay on top of things as a kid (Chosen Jacobs) so he doesn’t end up getting a metaphorical (or literal) bolt through his head. That was enough to smooth out the transition from Ben being the one who knew all about Derry’s history in the first movie to Mike keeping the knowledge here for me, but it also left him without much of a life to explore yet again. I’ve thought since the first movie that Mike was underwritten and there was much more to dig into with him, so him not really being in any danger from Pennywise here was a disappointment; I liked him, but I wanted to learn more about him. We get more insight into his parents’ deaths, but that’s more about them than it is him. Even his totem (the rock Bev hit Bowers with when they met) was the least personal out of all of them—it’s more about them coming together as the full Losers Club than anything Mike-centric—and didn’t reveal anything new about him. Maybe a good way for It to strike at him would’ve been by taunting him with the “nothingness” his life had become. Still, it was cool to see him take charge of getting everyone back home and mobilized against It, even if that was ultimately based on a Hail Mary lie. That manipulation also sort of plays into what his grandfather told him about being the person in charge or the person getting killed, so that worked too; I just wanted to know more about him. I did like his monologues about memory, though.

Stan (Andy Bean) was even more disappointing: like Mike, he wasn’t very fleshed-out as kid (Wyatt Oleff) in the first movie (I wished back then that his characteristics had been split up amongst the other kids, given they clearly didn’t have time for him), and his early death here reinforces that opinion. Trying to play his suicide off as some noble sacrifice because he thought he’d be a hindrance to the others doesn’t work at all for me, one because killing himself splits the Losers up before they can even come together and two, because Eddie is also terrified the whole time but still (eventually) fights back for his friends to come out stronger on the other side. I liked the sentiment about friendship in Stan’s letter to the others, but I could not get on board with him killing himself “for the good of the team.” Why not bring him back with the rest of them and do something interesting with him instead? I did like young Stanley’s bar mitzvah scene, because I wanted that in IT since it was about growing up & he talks about what becoming a man means. It using Stanley’s face to attack his friends was also effective (and creepy!). 

Ultimately, because Stan’s role was so small, his screentime was more disappointing than distracting or harmful to the movie. Henry Bowers’ (Teach Grant) return, however, is easily the thing that fell the most flat for me. He was absolutely terrifying in the first movie, but here he was decidedly not. That’s a realistic take on high school (or middle school, in this case) bullies as you get older, but it doesn’t work to create dread in a horror movie (though I’ll concede I was worried about Eddie and Mike when Bowers attacked them; it’s the lead-up that made him feel non-threatening). Eddie’s reverse-Psycho moment of stabbing Bowers from inside the shower and his subsequent mullet comment, along with Richie’s genius pun in the library, were all pretty great moments that Bowers’ presence made possible, but I wish he’d been scarier. I think it would’ve been stronger had they stuck with Mike killing him in the first film (another instance of him making the choice his grandfather told him about), because I’m not convinced bringing him back to line up with the book was worth it (still, Bowers surviving doesn’t erase the fact that Mike acted to save himself and his friends, so that character moment is maintained). It could’ve used the present-day bigots (Jake Weary and others) as lackeys to get us to those good moments instead, which would’ve brought them back into the story after the opening scene. Maybe Pennywise could even activate the whole town against the Losers, upping the stakes considerably.

Pennywise unleashed and in full control of the town and everything our heroes saw almost from the moment they got back was very cool and creepy! It was nice that they snuck a glimpse of It’s origin as Pennywise in too, and it makes total sense that Bev would be the one to see it, both because of her horrible relationship with her father paralleling the woman telling the story (Joan Gregson) being Pennywise’s “daughter” and because she’d seen the Dead Lights and could see other times. Mike’s explanation of It’s arrival on Earth, learned from a local Native American tribe, worked for me too and I liked how it was rendered. At first I thought I would’ve preferred the scares here to have more to do with the Losers’ adult lives rather than dredging up all their childhood fears again: it would’ve been a unique way to reacquaint them with us and show us how they’d changed. Then, I realized that throwing their fears from childhood back in their faces not only illustrates that they haven’t been able to change all that much, but making them feel like they did when they were kids is an ingenious way to make them feel small again, like they haven’t accomplished any growth at all (like Bill starting to stutter again). When they got to the end, Pennywise’s final/real form (aside from the Dead Lights) was threatening, but not scary at all—partially because It wasn’t representing their specific fears anymore and partially because we could see all that It was—but that’s fear for you. These non-Native American kids performing the Ritual of Chud (a Native American ritual which used a stolen artifact) was not a great look, but I was glad that it didn’t end up working. It would’ve been way worse for them to perform the ritual better than the original Native people had. Instead, I liked the way they beat It in the end: Eddie’s intel on having been able to choke It when it attacked him as a kid paired with what Mike learned about it following the rules of its forms—so they had to make It small to kill it—and then ultimately Bev switching that up to make the monster emotionally small by showing that they were no longer afraid was a much better and more satisfying ending than any random ritual could’ve been. This way was more connected to them (totems or not) and had them working to overcome their fears to win.

The surviving Losers jumping into the quarry again like they did when they were younger worked perfectly for me. The callbacks throughout the movie were spot-on, but this was absolutely right (not to mention being a baptism allusion, since they’re finally released from their fears). I’m glad that they got to remember everything they’d been through this time (which I understand is a change from the book): it would be cruel to rob them of these friendships all over again. The logical reason that they didn’t forget again was that their memory loss was caused by It’s defense mechanism, in the same way no one in Derry seems to notice the things Pennywise does, but I liked that Mike couched it in the sentiment of them having more they wanted to remember this time around too.

The pacing is good, keeping a long movie from feeling like a slog. The direction and cinematography are crisp and clear, which is always a welcome change from horror movies that like to keep everything shrouded in so much darkness that you can’t see what’s going on. The score is solid and most of the movie’s vibe is suitably creepy, with just enough comedy to ease the tension without breaking it. The adults all stepped into the kids’ shoes really well and they felt like the same people, which was not a given as those kids were fantastic in the first film! It was good to see them again in a limited number of flashbacks. The adult Losers not remembering anything was a good excuse to bring in the flashbacks in the first place, so both they and us could see their pasts in a new light (that forgetfulness also helps the adults to come back to town more willingly). I just loved watching these old friends unite and enjoyed hanging out with them again. It made me wish there were more to their story, even if it didn’t involve further ancient interstellar evils, and I’d watch a third part about them just getting on with their lives now that they’re free to live them.

While this doesn’t quite live up to the first movie, IT Chapter Two is still definitely worth a trip to the theater! The excellent acting from the entire cast easily overcomes any shortcomings and the film’s considerable runtime. I’ll definitely get this when it comes out on Blu-Ray and I’m excited to see it again. Check it out!

 Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!  

[briangroth27]

Dora and the Lost City of Gold Review

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a very fun all-ages adventure! I’ve never seen more than a clip or two of Dora the Explorer, but that didn’t hurt the movie at all for me. The film starts with a summation of the cartoon’s style to get new audiences up to speed on the conventions of the show and it worked perfectly. I was in the mood for a fun jungle adventure flick, saw the good reviews this was getting, and I’m happy to report that it lives up to both those standards!

Full spoilers…

Isabela Moner more than capably leads the film as Dora, whose enthusiasm for learning, exploring, and life in general is absolutely infectious. Dora’s expertise in the jungle and her drive to find the lost city of Parapata were awesome! While her childlike enthusiasm is written as a side effect of being secluded from most of modern society to a large extent, it was refreshing to see a teenage lead who isn’t dour and down on life. Her dauntless willingness to go it alone when she had to was a relatable and realistic trait, and her acceptance of the fact that she was even stronger when she had a team backing her up was a cool message. I’m glad Dora didn’t lose her exuberance by the end of the movie or change to be more socially acceptable to her new high school friends, even if she does choose to stay and get to know them better rather than go off on another adventure. Her journey isn’t that she needs to remember to be herself regardless of whether she fits in or not, it’s that she needs to let people in to her world again, so Dora getting to remain true to herself while making new friends was very cool. Of course, it’s always great to see a female-led adventure film (particularly in this subgenre) with a nonwhite lead and cast (or at least the overwhelming majority of it) too! More of that please!

Dora’s cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg), her intellectual rival at school Sammy (Madeleine Madden), and everyman student (and impressive breath-holder) Randy (Nicholas Coombe) provided a share of challenges for Dora she wasn’t expecting at all: high school. Diego’s embarrassment over Dora’s personality felt like a realistic (though unfortunate) reaction to a younger sibling who doesn’t want to conform to high school society’s standards, while Dora’s scientific take on Diego’s feelings for Sammy was funny and built their sense of familial bonds nicely. Theirs is the strongest relationship in the movie and emotional core. I thought the breakdown of their bond felt realistic and painful (leading to Dora largely shutting everyone out as a kid and opening that wound all over again as a young adult) and that the repairs to their relationship were well-done and satisfying. I was glad Dora and Sammy’s rivalry wasn’t over some guy and that Sammy wasn’t written or performed as a mean girl, but one who was concerned about her standing in the class GPA. She also generally couldn’t understand Dora’s outlook, which is ironic given how Diego and apparently the other students at school don’t understand her, vilifying her for her outlook and “attitude” as well. The common ground she and Dora came to with Dora’s know-how and Sammy’s contributions to the quest for Parapata created a nice build to their budding friendship. I liked that Randy didn’t have toxic vibes to his crush on Dora, and he brought a nice balance of pure terror and truly wanting to help his new friends to the adventure. These kids have their issues, but none of them were ever unlikable and they all felt like real people, not caricatures or an adult’s attempt at writing “annoying youths” (or cartoons). I also liked that all four of them came together to keep each other alive and they all contributed to solving the traps protecting Parapata’s treasure. That was a cool way to unify Dora’s quest to save her parents (Michael Pena, Eva Longoria) and finish their search for the city with her arc toward sharing her life with people and depending on friends instead of just herself.

Dora’s parents don’t have much to do here, as they’re kidnapped for most of the film, but I liked how supportive they were of Dora (even if they were just as bewildered by some of her habits as her friends at school were). I really liked that they spelled out the distinction between exploring and learning vs. treasure hunting and plundering cultural artifacts. CBS’ Blood & Treasure made a similar point of noting who should get to display what artifacts (if they are to be displayed at all), and it’s good to see a more socially conscious approach to archaeology taking hold in the movies and on TV. Films like the Indiana Jones series are among my all-time favorites, but those artifacts don’t belong in an American museum, they belong to the cultures that originated them. I didn’t expect the movie to bring in an actual Inca royal/goddess (Q'orianka Kilcher) with an army to protect Parapata, but that was an excellent addition that felt totally natural with the world they’d established! I always want the supernatural stuff in films like these to be real, so seeing these people appear was very cool. It was also a neat twist on the formula (and execution of her parents’ guidelines on exploring) that Dora & co. didn’t get to keep the treasure, only increase their knowledge by confirming its existence.

Most of the villains are ultimately just muscle, but Eugenio Derbez’s Alejandro Gutierrez gets a lot of screen time thanks to initially disguising himself as a friend of Dora’s parents. He was affable enough that it was reasonable Dora and her friends would fall for his lies (particularly with the stress of their situation and his apparent rescue of them). I wonder if the more comedic persona he puts on was designed to fit with and manipulate Dora’s eternal optimism, which would be a solid take on the older generation manipulating the best intentions of the younger one to fuel their greed. He certainly uses their intelligence to further his own interests (and, depending on how deep his cover was, to keep him alive in the first place). He also personifies the old-school treasure hunter method of archaeology, contrasting him nicely with the younger, more socially and culturally conscious generation. I definitely wouldn’t have included him disrobing in front of teenagers though, even if it was caused by hallucinogenic pollen in an animated sequence. 

That moment not being a great look aside, it was refreshing that like Dora herself, a modern adaptation of a kid’s property didn’t take the “dark and gritty is cool and mature” path in an effort to draw in older audiences by ignoring what made the show a success in the first place. Instead, this fully embraced what I assume is the upbeat vibe of the cartoon and absolutely ran with it. They do poke fun at some of the conventions of the animated series, like Dora breaking the fourth wall to teach the audience vocabulary and science, but those self-deprecating jokes absolutely worked and it didn’t feel like the filmmakers were embarrassed by the source material or like they were outright mocking it. It would’ve been easy to make those moments part of the video diary/podcast she has at the beginning of the movie (particularly with the popularity of Instagram and Snapchat stories nowadays), but playing them straight and just having everyone else think she’s weird was so much funnier! Her Map (Marc Weiner), Backpack (Sasha Toro), and possibly her pet monkey Boots’ (Danny Trejo) abilities to talk were played as her childhood imagination and/or hallucinations, which felt like the right balance for the very fun, heightened reality she lives in. I’m glad that they kept the talking, masked fox Swiper (Benicio del Toro) here as well: he feels like a major part of the series’ world and I’m sure fans would’ve been bummed if they left him out. I loved that the questions surrounding him from our heroes were not that he was a fox working with mercenaries, but just that he wore a mask!

While Dora works for all ages, kids are definitely the main target audience and some of the other humor reflects that. I’m not a fan of toilet humor—it’s not that I find it inherently juvenile, I’ve just never thought it was funny—but the two gags in that realm here (quicksand that sounds like farts and the difficulties of using the bathroom in the jungle) didn’t go on long enough to make it feel like this was only for kids; it felt like this was just one style of comedy at play among many. Like Alejandro’s pollen trip, I wouldn’t have included everyone running by Sammy while she was using the bathroom though. Unlike so many movies described as “all ages” but which are really just for kids, the rest of the movie’s comedy, the character development, and the action-adventure sequences totally work regardless of your age and they successfully made it feel like our heroes were on a real adventure with actual dangers. Even if “jungle puzzles” aren’t a thing in the real world, the ones showcased here felt classic and were a lot of fun to see our heroes solve. The pacing moved the story along briskly, but I didn’t feel like Dora’s problems fitting in (and letting others in) were rushed or underdeveloped. The score hits the exact right vibe for this and I liked the original song at the end of the movie too.

If you’re like me and in the mood for a fun, all-ages jungle adventure with a great cast, good action, and a solid emotional core, Dora and the Lost City of Gold will absolutely deliver! I’d definitely watch a sequel. If this one’s still in a theater near you, go see it!

 Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

#dora and the lost city of gold

[briangroth27]

Ready or Not Review

I really liked Ready or Not! It’s a very entertaining horror adventure with a healthy dose of comedy and a great lead in Samara Weaving. The supporting cast is on point too and everyone involved more than capably delivers a really fun thrill ride!

Full Spoilers...

Weaving's Grace is hoping to find a family once she marries her fiancé, Alex (Mark O’Brien), but everything goes wrong when his family tradition of playing a game each wedding night leaves her running for her life. Weaving imbues Grace with a winning way that makes her easy to root for, which is very important since we don't learn much about her interests or aspirations outside the family here. Her interactions with and reactions to the members of the Le Domas clan (along with her struggle to survive) give us a good grasp of who she is as a person (and that's just as if not more important as her biography), but I would've liked to know what she wanted out of life beyond a family and a solid home. Given no one in the movie really gets those details, however, it doesn't feel like she was slighted or underwritten. Her drive to have a family after living through foster homes was strong enough to give her a relatable goal and to fuel the tragedy that what she wants demands her death. The movie sends her through the ringer and Weaving absolutely sold Grace's growing confidence and grit in the face of so many would-be killers. She wasn't ever helpless or short of the ability to defend herself, but carving out an independent life apart from what she wanted was handled really well as the metaphorical component to her literal struggle to survive. I really liked that her most deliberate murder was the one that also eliminated any chance of a happy marriage to Alex, since she kills his mom Becky (Andie MacDowell), whom he loved her more than his new wife.

The script and direction did a great job of balancing Alex’s wish that he was different from his family with the dawning truths that he really did believe as they did and that he would choose them over Grace. The very act of putting her in a situation that could lead to her death without telling her—even if the Hide & Seek card hadn't been drawn in 30 years—was a huge red flag and I'm glad they followed through to the conclusion of that plot point. The romantic music swelling when he told Grace he'd proposed to her because she'd leave him otherwise didn't convince me that he was a good guy (he would have explained why they couldn’t get married or just let her go rather than risk her life if he really loved her), so I was happy the movie used the romantic music as a trick instead of a true emotional beat. There were other small hints at his turn along the way, so his was a nicely-constructed and acted arc too.

Alex’s brother Daniel (Adam Brody) was initially drawn as sleazy and unlikable, so I wasn’t expecting either of the moments where he helps Grace escape. I definitely didn’t think he’d turn out to be the best of his clan, particularly given his role in the last Hide & Seek game they played. However, I fully bought his turn after Brody and the movie showed the toll his choice back then had taken on him and how exhausted with everything about his family he was. Most of the Le Domas family were pretty affable on the surface (accounting for niceties at a wedding), and the actors and writers crafted a nice blend of reasons for them to stick with the family as well as some very entertaining comic relief within the group. Like Grace, we don’t hear a lot about their goals or dreams, but through the writing and performances it was easy to see who these people were from their actions and interactions alone. I did believe that they were truly hoping the Hide & Seek card wasn’t pulled and not just because they knew they’d all be terrible at hunting a person. That obviously doesn’t excuse any of their actions—they still put Grace in that position and immediately went through with trying to kill her to save themselves and the family business—but I liked that the movie took the step of giving them a bit of humanity before carrying out their ritual. That actually made them scarier, since people who do evil, selfish things are still people and pretending that only inhuman monsters are murderers (or racists, sexists, white supremacists, etc.) is dangerous.

There are some solid foils set up for Grace amongst the women of the Le Domas family. Becky is who Grace might want to be: the outsider welcomed into the family so that she can build a large one of her own and in doing so, find a stable home. They have the closest bond, come from similar lower class backgrounds, and the movie makes note of them both being smokers, providing another small connection between them (even if Grace lies about it to impress Becky). The ironically-named Charity (Elyse Levesque) is the cliché reflection of Grace (and possibly how we’d expect a wealthy family to see someone joining them from the lower classes): she’s literally there for the money and security that being part of this family provides. Emilie (Melanie Scrofano) is Grace without her grit (and what Grace hopes the family doesn’t see her as): a screw-up in over her head who has no idea what she’s doing, but who’s desperate to impress the family. Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni), on the other hand, is who Grace could be if she were all grit and devotion to the family. Looking at them this way had me wondering if the men in the Le Domas clan are foils for Alex as well. Daniel is set up as the red herring evil brother and their trajectories are opposites: Alex left but never really “left” the family while Daniel stayed, but that only allowed him to stew in how terrible they all are. Fitch (Kristian Bruun) does bring up cutting and running once, but ultimately he’s fully willing to go along with the ritual and between Alex fleeing the family and Daniel drinking himself into snark, before Alex’s turn Fitch is kind of the best son Tony (Henry Czerny) has (even if he’s a son-in-law, ensuring he’ll never be treated like blood). Tony’s devoted to the ritual and will absolutely kill to protect his family, though he wishes he didn’t have to. He’s what Alex probably would have become had Grace pulled a different card. Emilie and Fitch’s sons Georgie (Liam MacDonald) and Gabe (Ethan Tavares) also mirror Daniel and Alex, with one of them being hidden for most of the movie and the other taking part in the family’s ritual “because everyone else was doing it.” 

Since I saw the first trailer, I was hoping Mr. Le Bael would be a real demon, so I absolutely loved that he actually was mystically sustaining this family’s fortune in exchange for this ritual! Just before that reveal, when it seemed nothing would happen to the family for not killing Grace before dawn, the family’s awkward “well shoot…what do we do now?” moment was played perfectly, so that was a bit of the best of both worlds. I thought Grace was going to have to fight off the whole family at once somehow, since they’d still have to kill her to get away with it. However, the parade of exploding devil worshipers that followed instead was a fitting end to these terrible people: they’re all brought down by the thing they thought would make their dreams come true (which is a nice parallel to Grace’s biggest dream turning into a nightmare). I thought Mr. Le Bael might offer Grace a deal of her own for surviving the night, but I’m glad he just gave her a nod of approval instead.

The violence throughout the film expertly walks the same cartoony/serious line that the tone of the whole movie does. That’s very hard to do while still keeping the stakes high, but this movie completely and consistently pulls it off. There’s a lot of gore (though not too gross-out graphic IMO) that’s used well to comedic effect, until Grace starts getting injured and it takes a turn to decidedly not comedic; then they play the seriousness and pain of those injuries just as effectively. While the accidental deaths are comical, I wish they weren’t solely reserved for women (Hanneke Talbot, Celine Tsai, and Daniela Barbosa, who play the Le Dormas maids), though I suppose that’s the comment on these villains: this rich family didn’t care about their value beyond bemoaning how well they’d served them.

Criticisms of the upper class like that are effectively deployed throughout the film, from joining/maintaining a ridiculously wealthy family being the only way several characters think they can have a good/secure life, to the only non-white people associated with the family being among their hired and quickly-forgotten help, to their fortune being built on games rather than socially-helpful endeavors (not that diversions aren’t important) as if they’ve never had to take anything but this ritual seriously (not to mention the literal deal with the devil alleviating any hard work they might’ve had to do to make said fortune), to the flimsy “this is just how I was raised” excuse Alex and Georgie give. Given that the butler Stevens (John Ralston), Tony, and Helene are the most effective/vicious hunters, there’s also a vibe that the old white people are the ones fighting hardest to maintain their traditions (sometimes even if they know they don’t make sense anymore) and way of life by using the younger generation as expendable pawns and targets. Even when outside authority figures are trying to be helpful, they’re ultimately playing into the Le Domas family’s interests instead of the common person’s, like when Grace explains that she’s being hunted and the family car’s security agent Justin (Nat Faxon) turns the car off (since it’s been reported stolen) while offering half-meant hopes (and prayers?) that she makes it out alive. 

The score is fun (and the Hide & Seek song is very creepy!), while the production design of the Le Domas mansion and the movie in general feels perfectly fitting for this kind of story (as others online have pointed out). The pacing is excellent, giving us enough time to get to know Grace and her new family in the first act before everything goes crazy, which also gives her a glimpse of the life she wants before ripping it away and lets them play some relatable “dealing with the in-laws” gags. Once the game begins, the comedy and thrills don’t stop until the end!

Ready or Not continues the steady build of solid horror movies heading into the Halloween season this year! I can’t wait to pick it up on Blu-ray. It’s definitely a blast and it’s more than worth a trip to the theater to see it!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!  

#ready or not

[briangroth27]

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Review

I really enjoyed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! While I preferred Goosebumps as a kid, the three Scary Stories books were also an ever-present part of my childhood and I can vividly remember reading them by flashlight with the lights off. The vast majority of my early knowledge of urban legends came from the stories in those books and they certainly helped build my love of spooky things in general as well as the “kids encounter the supernatural” sub-genre of horror/sci-fi specifically. I haven’t read the books in years (though I still have them), but this movie made me want to revisit them because it’s so good!  

Full Spoilers…

Scary Stories is anchored by very strong performances from its teen cast. The main kids do really well with the material they’re given, crafting protagonists that touch on standard teen archetypes but that are also fleshed out, especially Zoe Margaret Colletti (Stella) and Michael Garza (Ramon). Stella is the most well-rounded and explored character in the film, and Colletti displays a huge range of emotion! She capably led the movie and she clearly has a bright career ahead of her. I liked that Stella was the most into horror and nerdy things among her friends, but no one treated that as weird even in this film’s era (girls have always been into nerdy stuff too!). The one thing I wanted more of in terms of her character was why “everyone said” it was her fault that her mother left. Feeling responsible for the absence of a parent is a common childhood misconception, but it seemed weird to frame it as something the whole town would be telling her without also giving a reason for it (though it did give her a connection to Sarah’s own persecution by the entire town, even if only in Stella’s mind). It was really cool of the movie to draw Ramon as the mysterious outsider kid rather than some troubled/tough white kid. That lent the movie a fresh feel while also touching on the racism of the period (which is still in full force today; one of many grounded horrors the movie dabbles in that are very much as relevant now as they were in the film’s 1968 setting). Garza brought an effortless coolness to Ramon that felt appropriately period while also acting as a great mask for his fears. Ramon and Stella’s budding romance was sweet and cute too.

Auggie (Gabriel Rush) and Chuck (Austin Zajur) were no slouches either, providing most of the film’s comic relief while also capably playing real terror and friendship. The two of them and Stella felt extremely natural as friends since childhood and Ramon also effortlessly blended into the group; these four kids’ chemistry was fantastic! At first I wished we'd gotten more personal connections between Chuck and especially Auggie’s fears and their personalities: most victims here face stories pulled from their established fears and anxieties, but Chuck and Auggie’s initially felt more random. A personalized connection to the stories the book used against them after “reading them” would enhance the scares and illuminate their characters, and after thinking about it more I think I may have an idea of what they're going for. I could buy Auggie as a hypochondriac, so eating a toe would be horrifying, and he seems to be the most afraid of spooky things among his circle of friends, so maybe his story is attuned to him, but just felt generic because of the more generalized nature of his fears. Chuck’s story is based on a recurring nightmare he has, but I think it’s more personal than that. The Pale Lady (Mark Steger) could be punishment for Chuck’s objectification of women via his pen, but I’m wondering if perhaps that pen is a front (given how quick to show it off he is, to prove his interest in it) and he’s secretly gay. He scoffs at Auggie’s attraction to Ruth (Natalie Ganzhorn), he’s attacked by the book in a mental hospital (homosexuality was classified as a mental illness in 1968), and his nightmare calls its red room (which turns out to be the entire building when the alarm lights come on) “an evil place” (conversion therapy is torture). I think the Pale Lady is a manifestation of conformity and traditional relationships being forced onto him (or rather, forcing him into their narrow definitions by literally absorbing him): she’s everywhere and he can’t outrun or escape her.

Chuck’s sister Ruth also got some solid depth: though initially introduced as a stuck-up and cliché popular teen, they quickly had her stand up for her brother. The fact that both of them annoyed one another but they still raced to help each other made their relationship feel very real. That she’s helping continue the search for him at the end of the film instead of being condemned to insanity forever or something is awesome too! Tommy (Austin Abrams) was the only teen character that was really written as one-note, but it was a frightening note, both because of the violence and racism he exuded and the fact that he could easily be a modern radicalized teen, filled with all the same kinds of hate, rage, and eagerness to go off and kill people in a pointless war that you can find online nowadays. Now that I think about it, Chief Turner (Gil Bellows) was also written fairly single-mindedly and he was also a villain. I wonder if that’s intentional: these human villains don’t have redeeming qualities or sympathetic backstories, so their racism and ugliness is fully on them. Of course, continuing to embrace racism is always fully on the racist, but this film isn’t even trying to make excuses for why they might be like that. I think the movie’s saying there really isn’t anything more to people who are this consumed by hate and ignorance. There’s no point in trying to reason with them because they’re exactly what they present to the world (except they’re not strong like they pretend: they’re just scared straw men). 

The movie’s main villain, Sara Bellows (Kathleen Pollard), does have more layers to her than these human ghouls: despite being “evil,” she’s presented as (initially) being a victim whose only crime was trying to warn the town about mercury poisoning in the water. After taking her revenge on her family for committing and torturing her, Sarah’s decline into unfocused rage parallels Stella’s inability to let go of her feeling that she drove her mother away nicely. I wonder if part of Sarah’s reason for attacking the kids just for finding and taking her book was because she thought they’d lie about her too; it’s when Stella promises to write and tell her story faithfully that she relents, after all. Skimming through the books again after seeing the movie, I realized I’d forgotten they were written to help you scare the people you were reading to, so I liked that Sarah telling stories tailored to her victims was her method of vengeance and that Stella had to help tell her story to end the terror. Those are cool ways to honor the structure of the books.

The film has a great mix of jump scares (some of which did work on me), gross-out imagery (Auggie and that toe, man!), body horror (Tommy’s fate was brutal and painful-looking!), and real-life terror (Ramon running from the draft resonated with me a lot; even as a kid growing up in the 90s, being drafted to go die in some war was a major fear of mine). It was sobering to see just how many of the societal problems of the late 60s (racism, pollution, white boy rage/toxic masculinity, useless wars, the wealthy screwing over everyone for profit, no one listening to women, etc.) still haven’t been solved today. I do wish the movie were a little scarier, but the overall tone is wonderfully spooky (and decidedly “fall,” which was great), while the comic relief breaks up the tension nicely. The design of the monsters is very cool, with some of them looking like they walked right out of the books. The pacing is brisk, the directing, writing, and score are all solid, and the actors all bring their A-game. Sarah Bellows’ book was a good way to weave the original series’ stories together and I really liked that our heroes don’t just forget or ignore what they’ve been through and walk away from the terror at the end of the movie. Instead, Stella, her father (Dean Norris), and Ruth are actively headed off to rescue Chuck and Auggie. I love that, like in the real world, you can’t just let evil fester: you’ve got to stand up and protect each other. Ramon also goes off to face his fears, enlisting in the army, but that was a lot more somber: I didn’t get the sense that he’ll be coming back (though I hope he will!).

I’d definitely watch More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and hope we get another movie (and a third one, if they want to go that far)! I love this spooky 90s literature renaissance that’s going on and I’d like to see it continue (please give me Goosebumps 3 and a show about The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids while we’re at it!). In the meantime, get your Halloween season started early, because these Scary Stories are definitely worth a trip to the theater!

 Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

#scary stories to tell in the dark