As India get ready to face West Indies in a two-Test series in the Caribbean – their first as part of the World Test Championship – we look at their performance in the format in the last few years, the players who have stood out and how India have fared overall as compared to the other major teams in Test cricket.Pennywise the Clown is a horror monster like no other.
Similar to the Boggart of Harry Potter, or Room 101 from the George Orwell classic 1984, the character’s a manifestation of your greatest fear(s), be it spiders, lepers, werewolves or giant, pregnant spiders. And in a few weeks, he – or, rather, It – will creep back into theaters once again for It: Chapter Two.
It’s looking like it’ll be one of the most successful horror films ever, far exceeding the box office haul of its the first part – for the record, Chapter One did about $700 million worldwide. And to ensure that hype is as high as can be, Warner Bros. and New Line have now allowed for the social media reactions to go live. Unfortunately, though, they’re not terribly positive, with one person even calling it the “biggest disappointment of the year.” Ouch!
It: Chapter Two is the biggest disappointment of the year. A dull & bloated mess that spends too much time rehashing things from the first film. While there are a few good moments, the film ultimately lacks suspense and scares. The performances are also a mixed bag. #ITChapterTwo pic.twitter.com/3NlauZxj2f
— Scott Menzel (@TheOtherScottM) August 21, 2019
#ItChapterTwo has some excellent set pieces and a few great performances, but it's also got big problems. It's very contrived, the jokes get in the way of the scares and it relies too heavily on flashbacks about the kid Losers instead of developing the adult versions. pic.twitter.com/SwixiPU2De
— William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani) August 21, 2019
I saw #ITChapterTwo and the problems, like the kids, got bigger. This is a franchise that never set up the rules so what Pennywise can and cannot do, and how to defeat him never makes any logical sense. There is no tension. Hader and Ransone are great though.
— Cinema Snopes (@CinemaSnopes) August 21, 2019
#ITChapterTwo is big and ambitious and can't *quite* handle the weight of its aspirations, but it's still a fine piece of heartfelt horror. The parts that work, work REALLY well and Bill Hader is every-bit the scene-stealing standout we all hoped he'd be.
— Haleigh Foutch (@HaleighFoutch) August 21, 2019
#ITChapterTwo is probably scarier than chapter one – more Pennywise imagery to haunt your dreams. But it also loses a lot of charm in the shift in focus from the coming of age to the now adult characters. At nearly 3 hours it feels long.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) August 21, 2019
Thankfully, not everyone was so down on the film. Below, you’ll find a few reactions that are mostly positive, which leads us to believe the upcoming sequel may be a bit divisive when it touches down next month.
Saw #ITChapterTwo last week! It definitely lives up to the hype of the first one by delivering memorable scares and incredible visuals. The adult losers club’s chemistry was amazing. It’s scary af. pic.twitter.com/PK6R3AD1u4
— Dorian Parks (@DorianParksnRec) August 21, 2019
#ITChapterTwo is awesome. The adult cast is perfect and loved the way the film mixes in the old and new. I don't want to say too much because most of you are going to see it. Congrats to everyone that worked on it for a job well done. pic.twitter.com/b8yFZe3FzU
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) August 21, 2019
Ultimately, I think people will struggle over which part they liked best, but I like to think of them both as one film and the second chapter delivers a satisfying and emotional conclusion to one of the best horror films ever made. #ITChapterTwo @joblocom
— Paul Shirey (@arcticninjapaul) August 21, 2019
With a lengthy runtime of two hours and forty-nine minutes, It: Chapter Two will certainly have more than enough time to tell the rest of Stephen King’s sprawling horror epic, as the Losers’ Club reunite again to confront Pennywise once more. And even despite some of these harsh reactions, we can’t wait to see how the saga concludes.
But what about you? Has this first wave of social media reviews put you off on the sequel? Or are you still excited to head out to theaters on September 6th for another round of scares courtesy of Pennywise the Dancing Clown? As always, sound off in the usual place below.
The internet’s been in an all-out meltdown today over Spider-Man departing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And frankly, we don’t blame them.
In case you missed it – though how could you? – Deadline nearly broke the web earlier when they revealed that Sony and Disney had ended their partnership together due to a financial standoff. According to the outlet, the House of Mouse had asked for a 50/50 split in grosses for all future Spider-Man movies and after Sony inevitably shut down that request, they also kicked Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige off the hero’s next two films.
Understandably, Peter Parker’s sudden removal from the MCU has angered a lot of people, and fans haven’t been afraid to post their disparaging reactions on Twitter. But now, as they so often do, they’ve taken things one step further, with several petitions having sprung up over on Change.org in the last few hours.
From appeals like “Keep Spider-Man with Disney and the MCU” and “KEEP SPIDER-MAN IN THE MCU”, to “Bring Spider-Man and Co. PERMANENTLY back to Marvel Studios”, “Bringing Spider-Man back into the MCU”, and “Sony sell Spider-Man back to Marvel”, it’s pretty clear what the fans want, but will they get it?
That remains to be seen, of course, but recent reports have noted that the negotiations between Sony and Marvel aren’t done just yet and there may still be hope for the studios to work something out. Then again, things certainly don’t look too promising right now and unfortunately, it seems that Spider-Man may indeed be on his way out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it’s unlikely that any of these petitions will be able to do anything to change that.
The Matrix is finally being reloaded again, as a fourth movie in the franchise is now officially on the way. So far, we’ve had it confirmed that Lana Wachowski will return to write and direct, with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss coming back as Neo and Trinity, respectively. As exciting as the news is, fans have still been wondering about something: how come Laurence Fishburne hasn’t been listed among the other returnees and what’s happened to Morpheus?
Well, Variety’s Justin Kroll has now shed some light on the situation, as he revealed that the word on the grapevine is that the absence of Fishburne may explain “where and when the film is set.” Moreover, execs are apparently already knee-deep in looking at “a variety of actors” to possibly play a young Morpheus, which is something WGTC told you about several months ago.
Going by the replies to Kroll’s tweet, it seems fans have only one preferred choice as to who could replace Fishburne, too: Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan is repeatedly named as the ideal star to play a younger version of the freedom fighter. It’s easy to see why Jordan would be great in the role as well, but he’s a highly in-demand name these days and it seems Wachowski is casting her net wide for the part.
The filmmaker, who created The Matrix franchise with her sister Lilly, who’s not involved with the project, released a statement touching on her excitement to get to work on the fourth film, saying:
“Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now. I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends.”
Apparently, a script is already complete, which Wachowski co-wrote with Aleksander Hemon and David Mitchell. As such, The Matrix 4 is expected to go into production as soon as early 2020. But tell us, are you open to a new actor portraying Morpheus in place of Laurence Fishburne? Free your mind and share your opinions in the comments section below.
