film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Megan Williams

  • Trailer Talk – IT: Chapter 2

    Trailer Talk – IT: Chapter 2

    After ‘IT: Chapter 1’ became the highest grossing horror film of all time, the hype for Chapter 2 has been huge. And, on the 10th May, the first trailer for ‘Chapter 2’ was released.

    This trailer reintroduces the Losers Club, who are now adults, as they return to their hometown of Derry 27 years later. One word to describe this trailer is CREEPY! The opening scene with an adult Beverly (played by Jessica Chastain) and an elderly woman reminds audiences of the first film’s tense atmosphere; an uncomfortably long pause between the two falsely prepares its viewers for a jumpscare.

    From this scene onwards, it shows audiences the new cast, including James McAvoy (who plays Billy), Pennywise the Clown (in all his gory glory!) and hundreds of red balloons. A sight that is usually innocent and friendly is now terrifying and foreboding. Something tells me that ‘IT: Chapter 1’ was just a warning of things to come…

     ‘IT: Chapter 2’ is in cinemas 6th September 2019.

    It Chapter Two is an upcoming American supernatural horror film and the sequel to the 2017 film It. Both films are based on the 1986 novel It by Stephen King. The sequel film is directed by Andy Muschietti and written by Gary Dauberman. Set in 2016, 27 years after the events of 1989 depicted in the first film, it stars Bill Skarsgård, who reprises his role as Pennywise. It also stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, and Andy Bean, who portray the adult versions of The Losers Club, while Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Wyatt Oleff return from the first film as the younger Losers, respectively. The film is produced by New Line Cinema, Vertigo Entertainment, and Rideback, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. 

    Talks for an It sequel began in February 2016, when Muschietti revealed the plan to get production underway. By September 2017, New Line Cinema announced that the sequel would be released in September 2019, with Dauberman writing the script, and Muschietti expected to direct the film.  Principal photography on the film began on June 19, 2018, at Pinewood Toronto Studios and on locations in and around Port Hope, Oshawa, and Toronto, Ontario, and wrapped on October 31, 2018.

  • Christopher Robin: The BRWC Review

    Christopher Robin: The BRWC Review

    By Megan Williams.

    I’ve been a fan of ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ ever since I was 3 years old. I watched the 1977  film, and the majority of the animated films afterwards, and my oldest possession is a Winnie-the-Pooh bear, which I’ve had since I was 3. So, when I discovered that Disney were making a live-action film based around the bear’s human friend, Christopher Robin, I was extremely excited to see it. 

    ‘Christopher Robin’ stars Ewan McGregor as the titular character who, in a similar vein to the 1991 film ‘Hook’, has grown up and forgotten about his childhood friends (Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo). After finding Winnie-the-Pooh in a small park near his house, Christopher is told that the rest of his stuffed animal friends are missing, and that he must return to the Hundred Acre Wood. From there, he learns to reconnect with his childhood friends and learns the true meaning of family. 

    If there were two words to describe this film, it would be nostalgic and charming. The film features a lot of references and quotes from previous films, including the ‘Tigger Song’ (‘Wonderful Thing About Tiggers’), and ‘The Exercise Song’, both of which were introduced in the 1977 film. Even some of the gorgeous musical score features the original theme tune. 

    Ewan McGregor is fantastic as a Christopher Robin who has become distant from his family. He’s believable and likeable from the second he appears on-screen. His interaction with Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends is also believable and charming. Jim Cummings returns to voice Pooh and Tigger, characters that he’s voiced since the TV series ‘The New Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh’, which aired from 1988-1991. This was the best, and most obvious, casting choice for the two characters because Cummings has become memorable with the tiger and bear.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m74pkFkg7e0

    Most of the voice cast fit beautifully with each character. The only voice that doesn’t suit their appearance is Piglet; a younger voice actor should’ve been chosen. As well as the iconic talent from Cummings to take moviegoers back to their childhood, the look of the stuffed animals, and the Hundred Acre Wood, reflect the original designs from the books, written by A.A. Mile. The attention to detail in the film is incredible, and love clearly went into making ‘Christopher Robin’.

    Overall, ‘Christopher Robin’ is charming, nostalgic, and tugs at the heartstrings; whether you grew up with Winnie-the-Pooh or are a new fan, this film will appeal to all ages. 

    4/5