Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Farerb
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Isn't the 1990 film the one where they kill children in it? Do you think the same happens here?

I don't imagine I'll see this. I was never a fan of kids' Halloween films.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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estefan wrote:
It's not a remake, though. It's another adaptation of the book and one I have long wanted to see, as I was never satisfied with how the 1990 adaptation ended.

As for whether it will be scary, Roald Dahl's children's books certainly had their dark elements, but they were still largely colourful whimsical fantasies. Nicolas Roeg mostly emphasized the horror aspects of "The Witches" in his adaptation and I wonder how much that has clouded people's memories of the original story. I really like what Anne Hathaway appears to be doing here as she seems to have a lot of fun playing up the Grand High Witch's diabolical side. A lot of Roald Dahl villains were over-the-top manifestations of adults, playing up their gross aspects. Miss Trunchbull, the Twits, Aunt Spiker and Sponge and the Grand High Witch were all rather goofy villains, even with their sinister behaviour.
Thank you for saying that; the original one apparently scarred me for life :p and I wasn't thinking that this is just another adaptation of the book. I agree that a lot of Dahl's villains are on the sillier side...maybe I'd like this one better than the original, then (I haven't seen the original since I was a kid....).
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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estefan wrote:As for whether it will be scary, Roald Dahl's children's books certainly had their dark elements, but they were still largely colourful whimsical fantasies. Nicolas Roeg mostly emphasized the horror aspects of "The Witches" in his adaptation and I wonder how much that has clouded people's memories of the original story. I really like what Anne Hathaway appears to be doing here as she seems to have a lot of fun playing up the Grand High Witch's diabolical side. A lot of Roald Dahl villains were over-the-top manifestations of adults, playing up their gross aspects. Miss Trunchbull, the Twits, Aunt Spiker and Sponge and the Grand High Witch were all rather goofy villains, even with their sinister behaviour.
So we shouldn't feel the scariness of adults? The Roald Dahl villains should just be silly and we shouldn't feel the horror adults can do? :x
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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@estefan: I agree about this being more of a new adaptation than a re-make. Although I love Anjelica Huston, I have no problem saying this film will easily surpass that one. That movie wasn't very good, overall.... I grew up on the book first. I still read it occasionally (I also love The Twits.); the story really breezes past you quickly.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Disney Duster wrote:
estefan wrote:As for whether it will be scary, Roald Dahl's children's books certainly had their dark elements, but they were still largely colourful whimsical fantasies. Nicolas Roeg mostly emphasized the horror aspects of "The Witches" in his adaptation and I wonder how much that has clouded people's memories of the original story. I really like what Anne Hathaway appears to be doing here as she seems to have a lot of fun playing up the Grand High Witch's diabolical side. A lot of Roald Dahl villains were over-the-top manifestations of adults, playing up their gross aspects. Miss Trunchbull, the Twits, Aunt Spiker and Sponge and the Grand High Witch were all rather goofy villains, even with their sinister behaviour.
So we shouldn't feel the scariness of adults? The Roald Dahl villains should just be silly and we shouldn't feel the horror adults can do? :x
That's not what I wrote. Characters like Trunchbull, with her abuse of the school system and cruel punishments towards the students, and the aunts in "James and the Giant Peach", with their psychological torment of James, were certainly evil characters and a representation of the worst kinds of adults. But they were still very over-the-top as presented both in Dahl's writing and the actors' performances in the film adaptations. Pam Ferris's acting was hardly subtle in "Matilda", but that didn't mean Trunchbull wasn't an imposing figure and a genuine threat for Matilda. I can't imagine that character being played straight and Ferris found the right note with which to portray her.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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I didn't say that's what you wrote I was as asking if that's what you meant. Glad to know it isn't. And now I would say I actually really agree with what you said.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Played straight Roald Dahl's Villains would be terrifying for children , that's why you need a certain comedic tongue in cheek, You can't really take DeVito and Rhea Perlman's performances in Matilda all that seriusly which is for the best.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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True.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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I got an HBO Max free trial just to see this. I thought it was ok. Not awful, but not really good either. The best part was Octavia Spencer and Jahzir Kadeem Bruno. The beginning with them before they go to the hotel felt the most original and sweet and charming. When the grandmother first comes to her grandson after the car accident it almost made me cry. Anne Hathaway was way too hammy to be believable and the CGI was awful. It should have been Jungle Book level. CGI has really evolved past what we got in this film. When the Grand High Witch pulls out the grandson at the witches meeting it was pretty horrifying, and in the end when the Grand High Witch is in the bedroom with the grandmother she should have shown her true scary appearance. But nope. Awfully missed opportunity..

For fans of the original film and/or the book, and fans of witches in general, I would check it out. But I feel it's only worth one watch.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Minor spoilers:
‘The Witches’ Remake Receives Backlash From Disability Community; Warner Bros Says It “Regrets Any Offence Caused”
https://deadline.com/2020/11/the-witche ... 234608930/
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Oh, come on. We're not allowed to do anything today.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Anne Hathaway Apologizes Amid Controversy Over Her ‘The Witches’ Character: ‘I Promise I’ll Do Better’
https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainmen ... ntroversy/
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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In the future we will watch 90-minute films that are nothing more than time-lapse videos of curdling yoghurt. Those shouldn't offend anyone, unless someone decides they are demonizing bacterial life forms who will feel depressed at being depicted in a negative light.
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Lol Julian!
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Now Roald Dahl's The Witcheshas been delayed in Sweden to next year :( :( :( :cry:

So now i have only two movies left to lookward too this year :cry: :cry:

These two are Soul and Godmothered :)
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Aw, I'm sorry DisneyFan97. But Soul will be a really good movie!
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Re: Roald Dahl's The Witches

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Disney's Divinity wrote:@estefan: I agree about this being more of a new adaptation than a re-make. Although I love Anjelica Huston, I have no problem saying this film will easily surpass that one. That movie wasn't very good, overall.... I grew up on the book first. I still read it occasionally (I also love The Twits.); the story really breezes past you quickly.
Apparently I was wrong... This movie was definitely worse than the old one, and even that one wasn't very good. Admittedly the book is one that’s difficult to bring to life--the whole first half is just the grandmother talking while smoking a cigar--but I did expect more with Hathaway and Spencer involved (and Guillermo del Toro). Hathaway was just... Not good enough. It's sort of like Sandra Bullock as the villainess in that Minions movie. They just don't have enough oomph to pull it off even though they're trying. I think the only thing they did well was making the High Witch's mouth go further back. It reminds me of the new It, where his jaw unhinges and the teeth keep going back.
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