School of Movies

Pet Sematary

[School of Movies 2019]

This is a rigorous dissection of the 1989 movie, the 2019 movie and the 1983 book. In many ways this is a sister show to our IT episodes. Stephen King done wrong three times, even by King himself. 

This doesn't just come down to me not liking the nasty tone of all three, there is a fundamental breach in the overarching philosophy of the author which renders this an aberration in his creative oeuvre. It's also dumb as hell and doesn't even follow its own internal logic, requiring characters to do moronic things just to reach the next rotten story-beat. 

Changes were made for the contemporary adaptation and there's a curious new set of possibilities... which are then blithely squandered in cheap, heartless and deeply unimaginative fashion. Yes, it's garbage, but the reason we made a whole show out of this is that it could have been so much more. 

The Mummy Returns

[School of Movies 2019]

Not long after the 1999 original hit theatres Universal were on the phone to director Stephen Sommers with a basic request; "We need another one". And another one they got. 

The creeping mystery and classical style of the first film was left in the sand and instead this is a rip-roaring race against time treasure hunt action spectacular. 

This time around we discuss the bonkers reasoning when it comes to putting souls into living bodies, Sommers' obvious adulation of Terminator 2 and how The Mummy series was kind of a prototype Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

And as a bonus, this episode includes my Quick Review of the 2017 movie "The Tom Cruise (Featuring a Female Mummy)" which was supposed to launch Universal's Dark Universe. Previously only available on Patreon, this sections starts at the 1h 23m mark. 

Guests:

James Batchelor  @James_Batchelor of Bond & Beyond

Brendan Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse  

Debbie Morse @bastet8300 of Sequentially Yours 

And we are @SchoolOfMovies

The Mummy

[School of Movies 2019]

The 1999 adventure has turned out to be one of our most eagerly-awaited podcasts.

This time we delve into costume and actions to get a bead on subtle character-building that isn't in the script. It's a triumph of set-design and music and pacy, memorable and surprisingly progressive filmmaking. 

We also go into its lengthy pre-production run and the string of very different director's visions for the Mummy project. Next week we talk The Mummy Returns (plus the best bits from my Quick Review of the 2017 Dark Universe initiator "The Tom Cruise".

Guests:

James Batchelor  @James_Batchelor of Bond & Beyond

Brendan Agnew @BLCAgnew of Cinapse  

Debbie Morse @bastet8300 of Sequentially Yours 

And we are @SchoolOfMovies

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

[School of Movies 2019]

On paper this is a film we should absolutely love, based on a book we should also absolutely love. Average boy discovers a secret, secluded old mansion populated by strange children with special powers, looked after by an eccentric and magical woman, played by a fine actress and directed by a man known for his quirky outsider tales and memorable imagery. From a multi-part children's book series literally inspired by odd Victorian photographs!

And yet it was a strangely cold, disconnected, hollow experience filled with troubling and ultimately unexamined behaviour that makes the central character a different kind of villain to the grotesque child-eating monsters filling up the corners. 

This is a facsimile of a Guillermo del Toro version of X-Men Hogwarts, run through so many filters of nonsense and artifice that there's almost nothing genuinely effective left. What started out as a Quick Review ended up being edited three times into an exploration of our troubles with Tim Burton. 

Next Week: The Mummy!