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Phantom Menace gave us this gif too which amuses me to no end.

Training Day

Still believable other than the fact that any road in LA is not bumper to bumper.

Got the Blu-Ray box set recently. Still one of my favorite mainstream slashers.

A double-feature on Elm Street:



This is the first time I've seen Part 2 after learning of its "homoerotic subtext", and with that knowledge, its subtext shines bright.

Beyond that, easily the weakest ANOES film. While the mythos was in its infancy, much of what's established here is tossed out in later entries,though Freddy's effect on the real world is explored more here than in Part 1.

Part 3 was the first ANOES film I've ever seen, save for New Nightmare, and it still is one of my faves in the series.

Das Boot

Three decades and counting, Das Boot remains the quintessential submariner epic, what with its iconic theme, strong performances and incredible suspense. I've been in a decommissioned sub recently and it's quite cramped in there, coudn't imagine spending a day let alone months on end in that tin can. Marathoned the mini-series; if you have a free evening with nothing better to do sink your teeth into this one.

Anyone who has a weekend in Chicago should go to the Museum of Science and Industry and check out the U-505 exhibit. You get to walk through the sub and see just how crazy tiny they are.

Another Double Feature on Elm Street.

I love how they expanded the mythos with these films, though Part 5 is the weaker of the two. But Part 5 does have the distinction of being the darkest and implementing the concept of Freddy using an unborn child's dreams to go after his victims.

Though how he's brought back in Part 4 is kind of a stretch.



Next up are the last two films in the box set, Freddy's Dead and New Nightmare. Freddy vs Jason and the remake are not included.

Nor is Jason Goes To Hell or Jason X.

REPO Man wrote:Part 3 was the first ANOES film I've ever seen, save for New Nightmare, and it still is one of my faves in the series.

Dream Warriors is probably my favorite as well. It tracks a really nice line between camp and horror, and probably contains my favorite Freddy one-liners. WHAT A RUSH!



Over the last couple of nights my wife and I watched both versions of IT, the television adaptation Stephen King's IT (1990) and the theatrical release IT (2017). Both releases do some things very well, and though both occasionally falter in parts, both are extremely solid releases. The 2017 movie is very effective in conveying the Lovecraftian themes prominent in the story (with several subtle nods to the idea that adults in town are fully aware and perhaps even complicit with the proceedings). The television adaptation doesn't miss that part entirely ("I am the eater of worlds!"), but in that case it's played more straightforwardly as a bogeyman story.

It's impossible to avoid the comparisons between the portrayals of Pennywise in each of these adaptations. As is often the case in his body of work, the Tim Curry portrayal is a tour de force in this regard. So much so in fact, that I wasn't sure it could be equaled. As was the case with Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight though, the film adaptation of IT wisely went with a completely different interpretation of Pennywise. While Curry's Pennywise was played more or less as straight interpretation, Skarsgård's Pennywise is somehow weirder and more 'otherworldly'. Granted, the application of modern special effects goes along way in this capacity. Both portrayals are excellent, though I'd probably give the nod to Curry if push came to shove.

While I do think the 2017 film is more appealing to 'modern tastes' (surprise, surprise), both adaptations are essential viewing for fans of the novel. I can't wait for part two of the theatrical saga!