Last movie you watched......

In addition to about two dozen Hugh Jackman movies, since Dougray Scott ain't much of an actor.

 

I saw "It: Chapter 2" tonight. It was very good. Not as good as the first film, but if you take the two as a whole, "It" is arguably the best Stephen King adaptation since Shawshank (The Green Mile would be its chief competition).

It was long, but the pacing was good enough (if not a bit formulaic) to keep things moving and it didn't feel as long as its nearly 3-hour runtime. I haven't read the book in about a decade, but there's nothing that jumps out at me that the film omitted. It really hit all the major beats, the acting was solid and it felt like a faithful vision of the book. Skaarsgard is so good as Pennywise.

 

I'm always fascinated about the stories of actors who pass on roles. Burt Reynolds passing on Terms of Endearment for Stroker Ace. Stallone passing on Beverly Hills Cop,

 

I fired all my copy editors too.

 

Agree. I was skeptical when I saw it was almost three hours (does everything have to be three hours now?).

Enjoyed it. The casting between the kids and their adult counterparts was great.

Thought Bill Hader owned the flick. He was great.

 

I'd never heard that one about Stallone. I can't imagine anybody but Eddie Murphy in that role.

Scott didn't really pass. He was contractually obligated to MI:2 and he was just kinda screwed when filming ran way over. Regan is correct about Jackman. I suspect he would have gotten a shot anyway, but at the very least it might have taken longer for people to realize how good he is if his career had begun with a forgettable romantic comedy like Someone Like You rather than a a franchise-launching hit like X-Men. The latter offered some real challenges, including a built-in fanbase that immediately cried foul when they heard a 6-foot-2 soap opera actor was going to play a character that was drawn as short and ugly.

I've told this story before, but I remember watching that movie in the theater. My wife and I were on vacation and it one of the days the weather was kind of crappy. She knew I wanted to see it, so being the kind person she is, she suggested we go that afternoon. She didn't expect to like it at all. At one point Rogue asks Wolverine if it hurts when he pops the claws and Jackman gruffly delivers the line, "Every time." I could hear my wife say, "Awww." For a moment, I thought she was really getting into the movie, which was great. I later realized all she was really into was looking at Hugh Jackman.

 

X-Men.

Every movie is the origin story.

Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

(I consider 'Deadpool' its own thing.)

 

I guess I'm surprised Jackman struck it big as an "action star" - rom-com, musicals, drama (Prisoners - where I first truly appreciated him). I almost think he is too talented for his own good - he's going to be doing The Music Man on Broadway next fall. He's spent a lot of time getting a TV show (Viva Laughlin) and a musical (The Greatest Showman) to the screen.

 

The Greatest Showman was godawful. Stopped watching after about 45 minutes.

 

Good stuff. Back to III, I cannot recall a more repugnant character Seymour-Hoffman played. Quite sure I'm forgetting something obvious.

 

I don't agree with everything here, but it's a pretty good list - at least for starting an argument.

There's at least one terrible, glaring omission.

And the order isn't always crackerjack.

Still.

The 100 best films of the 21st century

 

I’ve heard of like six of the top 20