Dr Sleep: Much Better Than I thought It Would Be

Cafe Society
1

I really enjoyed this film. Unlike the It series, it is well-made, had identifiable characters and a discernible plot, and it technologically brilliant. Please dont let the disappointment that was It keep you from this.

I would recommend seeing The Shining first if you havent seen it recently because it connects with Dr Sleep from second one and it makes the film much easier to follow. Yes, its about 150 minutes but the film goes by quickly. There are also tons of easter eggs. One that was obvious to me (no spoiler) was the office of the friend of Dan who gets him the job in the assisted care home seemed to be a perfect match for Ullmans’ office in the original Shining, down to the orange paint.

The acting is amazing. Ewan MacGregor gives a nuanced performance as a broken Danny Torrance and Rebecca Ferguson is brilliant as the villain Rose the Hat.

Director Mike Flanagan not only successfully serves two masters (King and Kubrick) in adapting and making this film, but creates a new more brutal world than either.

2

Good to hear. I will be seeing it soon and probably would have seen already but I didn’t have the sense of urgency like I did with the *It *movies; mostly because it wasn’t one of his better books. Saying that, I also listened to it on audio and IIRC the narrator’s voice was quite annoying so that may have affected my opinion.

3

I think you’ll like it. Not a spoiler but the film takes its time developing plot and character; when the shit hits the fan though its well worth the build.

4

I read the book, and I must say I liked it better than The Shining, but that may just be because I was already very familiar with the movie, which is one of my favorites. King is an accomplished writer, but Kubrick’s movie is a masterpiece.

I am pleased to hear that the movie isn’t a crapfest.

5

See this one in Dolby if you can. The beating heartbeat motif in the score sounds incredible in that format. I saw the film twice already! I really wish it was doing better business. Word of mouth has been great but it’s going to end up bombing, which sucks because it’s one of the best films of the year.

It also helps that I had just seen the rerelease of The Shining in September.

6

Do you mean the newish premium Dolby Cinema format? Or Dolby Atmos? Otherwise, “in Dolby” makes about as much sense as to see a movie in color as it’s a very rare movie that doesn’t have some sort of surround sound format.

7

I enjoyed it. Creepy and spooky, but without the jump scares so prevalent in horror.

8

:rolleyes: I forgot how pedantic this board can be.

9

Especially glad to hear this. Jump scares do nothing but piss me off and ensure there will be no second viewing.:mad:

10

To be honest, there are two or three, spaced out in the 150 minutes of the film, and they are very effective. Got me each time.

11

Well, it won’t stop me from seeing it but I appreciate the warning, :slight_smile:

12

I’m of the opinion it should have been recorded in Dobly

13

I also enjoyed it immensely. Very true to the overarching themes of both novels.

And the ending to the movie Doctor Sleep is actually pretty much the ending to the novel The Shining with the hotel “forgetting” the boiler (it creeps…)

14

Agreed. I saw it this last weekend and really enjoyed it. I had no idea what it was about, and if I hadn’t known Stephen King wrote the book I would’ve thought the movie pretty much had nothing to do with the shining other than symbolically.

Much better than IT in my view. Sucks its not doing well at the box office.

The scene where the baseball kid was killed was one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in a horror movie in a long time. And I watch liveleak videos

15

I thought it was a fantastic sequel, and I mean that in the best sense of the word. I thought it carried the story on really well and fit really well with the original Shining. I haven’t read either of the books so I’m just going off the movies, but I still liked it a lot.

I also second seeing it in the Dolby. The heartbeat is amazing.

16

I liked the book, and will see the movie some day when it is available streaming.

I’ve heard two movie review podcasts and “much better than I thought it would be” is what everyone has said.

17

I loved the book and the movie. Can someone clarify the following:

I can’t recall from the book, but what was the “trick” that Dan used at the end? Was it some form of switching with Abra?

18

Do you mean when Dan used Abras Grandmother MoMos’ steam to kill The Knot? None of this made it into the movie,

19

I caught it last night (after Zombieland: Double Tap) and liked it. The standouts for me were Rebecca Ferguson and Kyleigh Curran. Kyleigh’s Abra was good, and I liked the portrayal of a teen overly confident in her abilities. The only other times I’ve seen Ferguson was Mission Impossible films, and I was pleasantly surprised how good she is with more to do. It’s a long film and a slow burn, somewhat like The Shining, so I don’t picture myself re-watching it often, but I liked it as much as the book.

20

It is slightly problematic that Rose the Hat has that name and she remembers the Roman gladiators. Flowers didn’t start to be a name for people until the 19th century or thereabouts…