Doctor Sleep (2019)

[jtu128]

Originally Posted by format916

I’m shocked I didn’t hate this. I really wanted to. The best way I can describe it is Shining fan fiction. Last third of the movie at the Overlook really unnecessary.

Especially considering it’s not even in the book.

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by InuYashaCrusade

How ‘Doctor Sleep’ Went Into A Coma At The B.O. With Dreary $12M+ Opening

https://deadline.com/2019/11/doctor-...ce-1202780077/

Should have been given a wide IMAX release.

[McCrutchy]

I saw this yesterday and I thought it was pretty good, and it definitely could have been a whole lot worse, which is Flanagan's real achievement here, that he took on Kubrick's The Shining and didn't deliver a turkey.

McGregor is quite good as Danny, while Ferguson and Kyliegh Curran were the stars of the show. I also feel like Alex Essoe made a great Wendy Torrance, but other than that, there are some serious issues with the film's callbacks to the Kubrick film. Carl Lumbly is okay (I can't believe he's 68!) but he doesn't sound like Scatman Crothers, who had a very distinctive voice. Unfortunately, the casting of

[Show spoiler]Henry Thomas as Jack Torrance is a big misfire, because while Flanagan effectively obscures his facial details, Thomas sounds nothing like Jack Nicholson,

and just ends up ruining the big emotional payoff scene that fans will be waiting for. I also thought the music score was trying too hard with the near-constant heartbeat and re-recording iconic sections of the music score instead of simply using actual portions of the score from the Kubrick film where appropriate. I will also note that while the Overlook set design is mostly impressive, there were a couple of bits that were off, particularly the red couch in the Gold Room which is now a much darker red, as well as, I believe, the couch in Room 237, which I recall is now a redder shade of purple.

But, when the movie is not trying to remind us of the (superior) Kubrick film, it's surprisingly touching and the major new characters of Abra and Rose are fascinating. I wasn't crazy about the rest of the True Knot, although Zahn McClarnon was great and it was nice to see Carel Struycken again, even if he doesn't get much to do in the film. I must be the only one who was actually cheering Rose during the

[Show spoiler]Baseball Boy

scene. There is something about

[Show spoiler]Jacob Tremblay that can annoy me in certain movies and while I can't pin down exactly what it is, it was never more apparent than in his previous release, Good Boys, so seeing him meet a grisly fate here was, honestly, satisfying. Kudos to the kid's parents for letting that scene in there, though.

Plus, I didn't get a pedophile vibe from Rose at all. Rebecca Ferguson is absolutely lovely, though, and she can suck whatever she wants out of me anytime. I'm going to be buying the UHD Blu-ray just for all the Rebecca Ferguson goodness, especially those legs...

Oops, I got distracted. Anyway, the movie is solid, and the new story it is trying to tell is interesting. It would be great to get another movie with Curran as Abra, but I honestly don't know where it could go. Perhaps in ten or twenty years, Curran could do a film or series with the character as an adult.

[format916]

Originally Posted by jtu128

Especially considering it’s not even in the book.

Didn’t the overlook blow up at the end of the first book?

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by format916

Didn’t the overlook blow up at the end of the first book?

Yup.

[samuraip]

The main thing that bothered me was how unafraid of everything Abra was - not Rose or Overlook ghosts or anything. It made her seem superpowered, and made ME unafraid of these things while watching. But I did enjoy the movie in spite of this.

[NARMAK]

Originally Posted by samuraip

The main thing that bothered me was how unafraid of everything Abra was - not Rose or Overlook ghosts or anything. It made her seem superpowered, and made ME unafraid of these things while watching. But I did enjoy the movie in spite of this.

I feel like that's a side effect of maybe presenting a teenager at a stage between and also during the movie,

[Show spoiler]you could tell how horrified she was by the murder she was witnessing The Knot comitted. Although she also shows her resilience to try and get revenge ln them for what they did too throughout the movie, she's actually not physicallyly there. For example, when Rose comes in spirit form to her, it's all in her mind and also when that happens she's set the trap. However when she's being chased by Dan, she does feel some fear

I felt it was a better balancing act but yeah, the scenes where we have a young Dan, anybody else feel like there's some CGI manipulation they did? It's kinda hard to explain exactly but the face had that sheen and "dither" i guess that makes it uncanny to you as a real face would appear.

I actually think there's a way to maybe continue the story onwards if they wanted to but i could see it as a more mainstream PG-13 "Good vs Evil" superhero attempt. I know that's not what fans would want, but i'm assuming the novels are done and their story told. So they wouldn't be necessarily restricted to that.

[Phillip c. Niethe]

Originally Posted by samuraip

The main thing that bothered me was how unafraid of everything Abra was - not Rose or Overlook ghosts or anything. It made her seem superpowered, and made ME unafraid of these things while watching. But I did enjoy the movie in spite of this.

I think it would be a natural reaction after having seen the death of the baseball boy. She had time to mull it over an stoke that ember of anger into a raging fire. Abra was afraid at first and after trying to get Rose out of her head the first time she realized that she wasn't defenseless, also Danny communicating with her she became aware of the fact that her shine was more powerful than most. Some people just naturally have the extra rebellious attitude or spirit at that age as well.

[Phillip c. Niethe]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

I actually think there's a way to maybe continue the story onwards if they wanted to but i could see it as a more mainstream PG-13 "Good vs Evil" superhero attempt. I know that's not what fans would want, but i'm assuming the novels are done and their story told. So they wouldn't be necessarily restricted to that.

I'm down with a Abra led Sequel to this film, the box office pretty much insures that there will not be one...so If I were writing it, Abra would be hunting other groups like Rose's and will have made a pact with the Overlook entities to feed them True Knot groups so as to have her own little crew of backup, takes them out of their boxes on occasion to feed them. There would be a lot more but that would be the main plot love the characters of Abra and Danny and would have him back as well.

[samuraip]

Originally Posted by Phillip c. Niethe

I think it would be a natural reaction after having seen the death of the baseball boy. She had time to mull it over an stoke that ember of anger into a raging fire. Abra was afraid at first and after trying to get Rose out of her head the first time she realized that she wasn't defenseless, also Danny communicating with her she became aware of the fact that her shine was more powerful than most. Some people just naturally have the extra rebellious attitude or spirit at that age as well.

You may be right - I missed the terror that the baddies from the Shining usually instilled. Even Halloran was afraid in the first one, and seeing Danny, Jack, Wendy, and Dick scared made me scared too. But like I said, I still really liked Dr Sleep, I just wanted it to be scarier.

[tcripe]

Well this movie bombed. RIP

[Damon1281]

Originally Posted by format916

Didn’t the overlook blow up at the end of the first book?

Yes, in "the thing that daddy forgot" chapter of the Shining, Jack forgets about some maintenance in the boiler room. Apparently this movie prefers to give a nod to Kubrick's ridiculous adaptation, making it a fail in my book, hence my 2 point rating. Now I must watch Stephen King's the Shining (superior in every way but still missing a scene from the book that I would have liked to have seen) and wait for a proper sequel to rinse this directorial hubris from my consciousness.

Steven Weber > Jack Nicholson
Rebecca De Mornay > Shelly Duval

[imsounoriginal]

Shame about the box office, but it's a good movie. Hopefully word-of-mouth gives it legs or, worst case, it finds new life at home.

[Chaotic]

Im not surprised. The buzz wasn't there and the title isn't well known as King's other adaptations.

[BluBonnet]

Maybe they should have released it as "Stephen King's Doctor Sleep"

[BagheeraMcGee]

Originally Posted by Lastyear

Top Gun was nothing more than two hours of propaganda for the Air Force. Never could understand it's appeal.

Actually, they were Navy pilots in Top Gun. Air Force got stuck with Iron Eagle as their 'pilot' movie, which is far worse.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by BagheeraMcGee

Actually, they were Navy pilots in Top Gun. Air Force got stuck with Iron Eagle as their 'pilot' movie.

Why does the Navy have better pilots than the Air Force? It makes no sense!

[BagheeraMcGee]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Why does the Navy have better pilots than the Air Force? It makes no sense!

Only in Hollywood. But seriously, both sets of pilots are awfully bad-ass (and crazy).

Fun fact: I am an Air Force veteran who worked with pilots when I was enlisted. Never did get to go up in one of those jets, though.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by BagheeraMcGee

Only in Hollywood. But seriously, both sets of pilots are awfully bad-ass (and crazy).

Fun fact: I am an Air Force veteran who worked with pilots when I was enlisted. Never did get to go up in one of those jets, though.

So if someone wants to be a pilot, are they better off going into the Navy or the Air Force?

[BagheeraMcGee]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

So if someone wants to be a pilot, are they better off going into the Navy or the Air Force?

I don't think there's a wrong answer either way.