(trailer review) - Project Hail Mary

 

A few months ago, I saw the trailer for this, and it looked ok, just ok. It looked like there may have been more to it, but I was not initially sold on the movie at all. Since that trailer, I keep hearing about how great the book is, and this film is going to be really good, and Ryan Gosling is this and that, and having now seen this trailer, this trailer sold the film for me more than the first trailer did. This trailer is funny, it has heart, and I understand more of what the trailer is telling me, storywise, and we get to properly see the alien. A couple of moments that made me smile or laugh were two moments: the moment he says, "Rocky", puts on a puppet show for his tiny brain to understand and the moment where he asks about being expendable and she turns around to the group to discuss, two great moments.

So the trailer starts off with Grace knocking on a window to communicate with the alien, and the alien knocks back and shows him a model of an astronaut. We are told Grace has a doctorate in molecular biology, and he is needed to save the world due to the sun dying. "Rocky" the alien, is a genius engineer whose planet is also dying, so they work together to, I assume, help to save each other's planet or "Grace Rocky Save Stars". The trailer shows both Grace and Rocky working together with a few flashing sequences of Grace running, people cheering for him, a drawing of "saved the world" by children (children he likely teaches). This trailer exudes warmth, a dire situation, an adventure, charm and heart. Unless there is a twist at the end where the alien has notorious plans, this looks like it may end up being a really entertaining film, kind of like how the film The Martian was when that was released.

(episode review) - IT: Welcome to Derry - Episode 4

 

This series's first season is only 8 episodes deep, so technically, we are at the beginning of the halfway point, and things are starting to pay off. The kids know something is off, and from the pictures, they can see a clown, and Leroy witnesses Hallorann's behaviour is off, and he is on a highly classified mission which seems to be getting weirder by the moment, with no real answers from Shaw. Leroy's wife, whilst trying to adjust to the town, is trying to fight all the injustices; a lot is happening, and this episode is where we get into more of the real 'meat and potatoes' of what is going on.

After the photos were dismissed by the authorities, the kids are at a loss as to what they can do to get the adults on their side. With that said, Leroy takes Will fishing, but when Will is attacked, both Will and Leroy see a red balloon. Afraid to tell his mum, Will eventually tells her, but at night, Will cannot sleep and uses his telescope to look around, only to see Pennywise the Dancing Clown looking at him. Marge tries to pull a cruel prank on Lilly just to fit in with the other school children, only for her to end up with a vision leaving her attacked. Charlotte, Leroy's wife, visits Hank only to find out that although he did not kill the children, his whereabouts may have him killed. Hallorann goes into the mind of Rose's nephew Taniel, and he discovers the entity's origin and how the natives imprisoned him.

(episode review) - IT: Welcome to Derry - Episode 3

This show seems to be a bit of a slow burn because two episodes in, and we have not seen the infamous clown yet, but with the introduction of the main characters, we are starting to investigate, along with the children and adults, what Derry is really like and what lurks beneath the town of Derry. Whilst deaths/disappearances and scares are happening, the lore is expanding, and we are learning more about where Pennywise may have come from.

The episode starts with a flashback of a young child being stalked by a man with a missing eye that grows in size, but is eventually saved by a native indian girl named Rose, and they become friends. In the present, the kids come together to try and get a picture of Pennywise, so they devise a plan to go to the cemetery and, with the assistance of both Will and Rich, the group try to summon the evil spirit. Shaw tells Leroy that his attack was a set-up, but Leroy is exactly who he needs to be a part of this investigation that involves Hallorann, but Hallorann has a vision whilst on the mission involving dead soldiers, and Leroy ends up saving his life.