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Author Topic: The House With a Clock in Its Walls  (Read 5939 times)
Khaldun
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on: March 27, 2018, 09:06:46 PM

Based on an old, great YA novel written by a very underappreciated fantasy writer, John Bellairs.

One of my favorite books when I was a kid, so I was jazzed to see that someone was adapting it. And then I saw the trailer and I realized the director was...

Eli Roth? Possibly my least favorite creative human being?

And yet, this looks moderately faithful to the book. They've dialed up the magic by a good bit--it's much more low-key and atmospheric in the book. That could be bad. They've slimmed down the kid protagonist, which is too bad--the whole plot gains a lot of its energy from him being a somewhat shunned fat kid (2nd book also). But I don't suppose it's necessary, strictly speaking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQGA42-U0Ro
Samwise
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Reply #1 on: March 27, 2018, 10:13:11 PM

I loved this series as a kid, and now there's a movie and Uncle Jonathan is played by Jack Black.

SOLD.  Fucking be there.

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pxib
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Reply #2 on: March 28, 2018, 01:30:25 AM

Eli Roth and Amblin Entertainment?

This can only end well.

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Velorath
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Reply #3 on: March 28, 2018, 01:45:25 AM

What's with the trend these days of even trailers having a trailer for the trailer you're about to watch? Like why do I need to see the last scene of the trailer immediately before the trailer?

Fuck.

Anyway it's got Kyle MacLachlan (not shown in the trailer though from what I could tell) so maybe I'll watch it.
Khaldun
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Reply #4 on: March 28, 2018, 05:40:21 AM

Interesting. I wonder what he plays. Probably the evil dead guy.
schild
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Reply #5 on: March 29, 2018, 10:21:42 PM

Eli Roth is a talented director with a wretched screenwriter for a partner. Himself.

Everything he’s done has been proficient and absolutely gorgeous if you put aside the fact it’s all gore.

And yea, I’ll watch Kyle in anything.
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 10:23:24 PM by schild »
RhyssaFireheart
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Reply #6 on: March 30, 2018, 06:25:36 AM

Never heard of this book series but that trailer looks damn awesome.

Bokonon
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Reply #7 on: March 30, 2018, 05:55:26 PM

So I grew up in the 80s 15 miles from where John Bellairs with. He would do frequent
book signings on my shelf at home I have autographed copies of the original three books (and a few others).

Jack Black better not screw this up.
lamaros
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Reply #8 on: April 03, 2018, 03:46:47 AM

I can only assume that the books are pretty good, because that trailer didn't coherently communicate anything worth being excited about.
Samwise
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Reply #9 on: April 03, 2018, 10:24:17 AM

I can only assume that the books are pretty good, because that trailer didn't coherently communicate anything worth being excited about.

ln a shocking twist, lamaros reveals that he is not excited about something.   why so serious?

Yeah, the books were fucking great, at least that's my memory of them from grade school.  I should re-read some of them; there's a good chance I'd actually get more out of them now.

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Khaldun
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Reply #10 on: April 03, 2018, 11:22:15 AM

The 2nd is actually my favorite, but the 1st is very good. The 3rd one is more complicated, partly because it centers on Rose Rita and Mrs. Zimmerman, and despite all his gifts as a writer, Bellairs was not great at writing female protagonists.

What someone should *really* do is make a Netflix movie of his more 'adult' fantasy novel, The Face in the Frost, which is a really subtle and affecting book.
Father mike
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Reply #11 on: December 09, 2018, 08:11:46 AM

Saw this was availabe for purchase (but not rental, oddly) on Amazon Prime.  Didn't even realize it had come and gone in theaters.

Did anyone catch it?  Opinions?

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IainC
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Reply #12 on: December 09, 2018, 08:43:33 AM

Saw this was availabe for purchase (but not rental, oddly) on Amazon Prime.  Didn't even realize it had come and gone in theaters.

Did anyone catch it?  Opinions?

Watched it a few months back at the cinema. It was bad. Jack Black is pretty bad in it and so is Cate Blanchett. Both of them are wasted trying not to upstage the kid hero who is fucking terrible. It's very clearly a kids' movie, the plot is telegraphed way in advance as are all the scary parts. The adults are all stupid and the kid has to save them. That's fine for a kids' movie but you should know that's what you are getting on the way in.

Visually, it's basically 'let's copy mid-90s Tim Burton' without actually understanding why that style worked for him.

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Ironwood
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Reply #13 on: December 09, 2018, 09:35:36 AM

I will second that ;  it's an awful movie and, given a choice of a rewatch, Elena said No.  That's quite unusual for this type of shite, so take that as a searing indictment.

"Mr Soft Owl has Seen Some Shit." - Sun Tzu
Selby
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Reply #14 on: December 09, 2018, 09:39:40 AM

Didn't even realize it had come and gone in theaters.
Not only that, it apparently made $130M on a $42M budget. I completely missed it too, but from what I read online it doesn't sound like it was all that great. Not being for me at this age now anyways...
Rendakor
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Reply #15 on: December 10, 2018, 02:04:51 PM

I honestly thought it was another bad Goosebumps movie when I saw the trailer.

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TheWalrus
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Reply #16 on: December 10, 2018, 04:12:56 PM

It was meh. Son kinda like it. But Jack Black was Jack Black. Like every movie he's in.

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