A few more thoughts about the It remake.

Strangely enough I find it very easy for me to use the upcoming IT movie as a kind of coat rack to hang all the little articles roaming on my mental desktop on.
I don't know anything about the upcoming movie, apart from what I’m telling you. So here it goes.

This article is going to delve a bit deeper into what we know so far. So be warned. Even though I haven't seen the movie, a lot of my musings can be considered spoilers.

Also if you haven't seen the 1990 mini-series or read the book you'd better stay away as well.

The trailer has landed! And, as I suspected, there are no surprises there. You only get a glimpse or two of Pennywise. But you never hear him speak. In the teaser of the trailer (that's a thing nowadays) you get a glimpse of IT's laughter - that's it.

I think that's a good thing. I think we've been spoiled enough as it is by knowing what the creature looks like in its (hah!) totality. Though I do have this nagging 'want' to see a bit of the charming IT. IT dresses like a clown for a reason after all: to lure children. But I'm still confident that that'll happen.

One thought that struck me when I saw It's face. Those lines across his eyes; what if they could move at will. Like drawing a cartoon face: if the eyebrows point down towards the nose the face looks angry. If those eyebrows are tilted up from the nose the face looks happy or sad.

A bit like Zach Snyder did with Rorschach in Watchmen, I wonder if it would look cool if Pennywise's face had the same movable feature.

Investigating the trailer

Anyway, if a movie has your interest you find yourself looking for clues. So I watched the trailer several times and noticed that the bloody bathroom is in it, Bowers and his psychotic friend is in it. The Georgie-scenes are pretty much the same as the book and the mini-series.

I loved that final 'They float'-bit, I do hope they include the moving photograph scene as in the mini-series.

The focus seems nicely balance between the three main children Bill, Ben and Eddie (and he's still asthmatic). They even added a nice ‘eighties’ scare with the projection-scene.

The trailer doesn't say much but show glimpses out of order. But the main feeling I got from it was one of satisfaction and trust. Satisfaction in the sense that this is the kind of movie I want to see. Trust because, due to its problematic beginnings (with the director-change and all (See my previous article: LINK)) I was afraid it might go the wrong way. Now I have something to go on.

But I’m not the only one who took an interest in this trailer. Right now it is the most watched trailer on youtube ever. Moreover, lots of people are investigating this trailer frame by frame looking for clues. Why do they do this? Because it’s fun! (LINK)

Investigating promo pictures.

If a pop-culture phenomenon sounds interesting to me I always try to find out as much as I can from it. For instance, I know every bit of trivia, theory, musing of the TV-show Lost.

So, in our current age when promotional pictures aren't those movie stills that used to hang outside cinema's trying to lure customers in; But are, in fact, used to excite people through the Internet to see a movie. One of the results is that people investigate every pixel of a promotional picture.

There are three kinds of promotional picture: The posed studio shots, the 'screen shots' from the movie itself and (nowadays) the twitter/instagram shots.

The first ones are best because they are usually in high resolution. So, for instance, this shot from 'the governor' from the Walking Dead allows you to take a gander at his bookcase and read the titles (and you'll notice a partially hidden bottle of water – a bit like that famous Downton Abbey picture). It won't tell you much except satisfying some curiosity. In the same vein you could look at a picture of Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones and count the diamonds on her necklace.

Then there are the direct shots from the movie. Less high resolution; so a lot of interesting things (like book titles) disappear in the background. But, on the plus side it is what is going to be on the screen.

So, take this picture for instance.

Beth has a key around her neck. Richie's eyesight is absolutely terrible. Ben (the scholar) is interested in astronomy. and the whole scene takes place in Bill's shed since he’s operating the projector.

So what's the key for? Is there going to be a scene in which Richie loses his glasses?

Again, this is useless information, but maybe it means something in the end and as such entices imagination and (as a result) excitement for the movie. Just to see if your predictions were right.

As a third and final type of promo picture are, nowadays, the twitter/instagram pictures.

If you read this blog you'll know that I'm a big fan of sorting stuff out: maps, infographics, painting reconstruction - when it comes to making stuff I like to focus on the setting of a movie.

So, happy I was when I saw this photo of the sewers.

It's only the outside, but it tells you a lot. For instance, taking a left here and a right there, there has to be a cut otherwise the shot runs out of set.

Then there's this other picture featuring the Stanley character.

If you know the story, you'll know that Stanley dies when he's an adult. Then why is this boy's face covered in blood in this picture. Is he going to die at a young age?

Again, why this scorning through promo pictures when, in the end, they don't tell you anything useful? A simple answer: because it's fun! It's fun to spot little details in advance before seeing the movie. 

This - Assuming, of course, that the promotional department knows what they are sending out and don't spoil too much. You see, there is also a fourth category of pictures: the spoiler pictures. So, for instance, a person taking a phone-picture from the set (usually outdoors) and slamming it on the internet. Those are equally fun if you don't mind to be spoiled. 

How did Sherlock fake his own death?' is a famous example of this.

But I find these pictures cheating. Investigating pictures are a lot more fun if they raise more questions than answers. They get you exited for the movie.

IT: a whole generation afraid of clowns.

Popular culture has this strange bonding element build in. Every generation has one or two catch phrases from pop culture that everybody knows.

It's fun to be human. I work with people from all walks of life from all over the world. And if there's one thing I now know for certain is that we are pretty much the same. We all love, care, regret, fear, and whatnot. But this is often difficult to see if you don't meet different people.

On a small Europeans scale, an example:

There once was an episode of the Smurfs in which Papa Smurf led a bunch of Smurfs on a journey to somewhere. Along the way one Smurf asked Papa Smurf: "Papa Smurf, is it far?" To which Papa Smurf replies: "No, not far!"

Then the Smurf asked again. And Papa Smurf replied with the same answer. And again. And again. Until, finally, Papa Smurf barks back: "Yes, it's very far!"

In my country you can literally (and I do mean literally) stand in a crowded street and shout:"Papa Smurf, is it far?" and you can bet your bottom dollar that several people will reply without thinking: "Yes, it's very far!" And all these people will be around the same age.

Now for a global example:

The Mist! When IMDB.com still had its message board there was a nice little thread going on there wherein people from all over the world told each other whether or not the people in their theatre clapped when the 'All hail king Ollie'-scene happened. And, as it turned out, from Iceland to China, people clapped.

And so did people in my country. I mean, we don't clap for anything. If a plane lands, somebody sings a song -we'll only clap if you freaking deserve it. But after 'that' scene we clapped our hands off.

 Farewell to the imdb messageboard.

IMDB is closed its message board February 20th - I'll be missing it. Because, to be honest, there were some wise words between the hatred. Take trolls, for instance, you’ve got to love ‘em.

On the message board of Disney’s Moana there was a wonderful little thread that started with a single question/statement: “She’s fat!” After that the troll posted only one more message to heat the fire and then just leaned back and watched people tumbling over themselves.

A troll is often a terrible person. But sometimes there is the humorous troll who can pinpoint an insecurity and abuse it. This happened in this Moana thread which was a delicious read.

Now IMDB has (finally) decided to close its message board. This was to be expected because, usually, the topics had very little to do with openly discussing a movie. For instance, I remember a person using this message board to spread his/her anti-abortion pamphlet. Whether you agree or not - a movie message board isn't the place for that. But I will miss it.

The 1990-version of IT is a prime example of this generational common link on a global scale. Due to Tim Curry's performance an entire generation (now between 30 and 40) is terrified of clowns. And when the trailer hit, twitter was having a field day with people commenting that they still hadn't bested their fear of clowns. I'm  not alone in the world in mistrusting those white-faced, red nosed bastards.

UPDATE: How could I forget "Leeloo Dallas Multipass?

UPDATE 2: Or counting how many times that woman

bows at the end of the Sound of Music?

That Tim Curry Cameo

So, what else is there to discuss about the new IT movie?

Let's take Tim Curry. Dr. Frankenfurther from Transsexual-vania himself. Rooster from Annie. And, considering this topic, of course, Pennywise the clown-IT.

The great actor has suffered a stroke a few years back. And even though people can come back from that (Kirk Douglas: a hundred years old and still going strong) it is a hard beat to beat. So people, online, are wondering if Curry could do a (voice) cameo. And I actually wonder the same.

Wouldn’t it be great if the original Pennywise would pass the torch , as it were. But, then again, Curry is such a legend – why bother him for such trivialities...

Epilogue

As I said in the introduction, I like using this upcoming IT-movie as a coat rack to hang all my little musings upon. I will be keeping an eye out for this movie ‘till September (I’ve already got my friends gathered for the premiere). Now, however, I am on two minds. I do not want to know too much. But it's fun investigate and to speculate - and use those speculations to write something to wonder about.