The Black Phone based on Joe Hill story appears to be moving forward:

[Martin]

I have seen stories about this story being adapted here and there. This one appears closer to happening in this article.
The Black Phone.jpg

https://screenrant.com/black-phone-m...ill-blumhouse/

[brlesh]

Great story.

It will be interesting to see what Blumhouse does with it.

Hopefully they don't screw it up!

B

[Martin]

Great story.

It will be interesting to see what Blumhouse does with it.

Hopefully they don't screw it up!

B

This is one that if done right can be fantastic!

[Martin]

Some high praise for the trailer which was shown to theater owners. Scheduled for a January release.

Ethan Hawke Horror Film 'The Black Phone' Traumatizes CinemaCon - Variety

[Sock Monkey]

It’s making its world premiere at Fantastic Fest this week. Here’s a review for anybody who’s interested:

[Sock Monkey]

Here’s another review from Fangoria:

[JJ123]

I just saw the trailer. Seriously...that looks like a fun film! With a lot of creepiness.

[sholloman81]

Yeah, they had the trailed for this one on before Halloween Kills and it looked really good. From the trailer at least, it looks like they stayed pretty true to the story.

[Martin]

I just saw the trailer. Seriously...that looks like a fun film! With a lot of creepiness.

Thanks, I had been watching for this. The trailer looks great.

[Martin]

I have managed to luck into getting a ticket to see The Black Phone tonight.

I have been thinking I wanted to see this in a theatre as soon as it released. I have also been considering subscribing to the AMC monthly membership. I rarely go to movies and can't even remember the last movie I saw in a theatre. For 21.95 a month you can see up to three movies a week. You need to commit to three months initially and then you can cancel at any time. A single ticket to The Black Phone was going to run 18.00. I have been debating the three-month plan and forcing myself to leave the house more often or just going with the single ticket.
So last night I decided that I would try the membership. This morning I signed up and was planning to reserve a ticket for opening night. I was immediately offered a ticket for a members only advance screening of The Black Phone at 7:00 tonight.

I am thrilled to be able to see this early!

[sholloman81]

I have managed to luck into getting a ticket to see The Black Phone tonight.

I have been thinking I wanted to see this in a theatre as soon as it released. I have also been considering subscribing to the AMC monthly membership. I rarely go to movies and can't even remember the last movie I saw in a theatre. For 21.95 a month you can see up to three movies a week. You need to commit to three months initially and then you can cancel at any time. A single ticket to The Black Phone was going to run 18.00. I have been debating the three-month plan and forcing myself to leave the house more often or just going with the single ticket.
So last night I decided that I would try the membership. This morning I signed up and was planning to reserve a ticket for opening night. I was immediately offered a ticket for a members only advance screening of The Black Phone at 7:00 tonight.

I am thrilled to be able to see this early!

Congrats! This looks like it is going to be a pretty good film. My only complaint with it so far is that they gave away WAY too much of the story in the trailer. Not a huge deal for me since I've read the story it's based on; otherwise, I would be pretty annoyed and probably wouldn't go see the movie in a theater.

Also, glad to see that you are returning to the theater in general. I've seen a few films in the theater over the last few months (The Northman, Dr. Strange) and it has been a true pleasure! I've been keeping my fingers crossed that they don't go under as I can't imagine not being able to have that communal theater experience. There are just some films that will never land the same on a home theater!

[Martin]

Congrats! This looks like it is going to be a pretty good film. My only complaint with it so far is that they gave away WAY too much of the story in the trailer. Not a huge deal for me since I've read the story it's based on; otherwise, I would be pretty annoyed and probably wouldn't go see the movie in a theater.

Also, glad to see that you are returning to the theater in general. I've seen a few films in the theater over the last few months (The Northman, Dr. Strange) and it has been a true pleasure! I've been keeping my fingers crossed that they don't go under as I can't imagine not being able to have that communal theater experience. There are just some films that will never land the same on a home theater!

I am pretty familiar with the story, so I had not even thought about the trailers. I do see your point when I think about it though. It will be interesting to see if I use the membership enough to make it worth it. I am generally not a 'communal' person. Living at home and working from home has me more isolated than is probably healthy. I am trying to force myself to leave the house more than once a week. I am setting a goal to go to at least one movie a week for the next three months. We will see how I do.

[Martin]

My views of The Black Phone movie without spoilers.
I will start with the theater experience as it has probably been a decade since I saw a movie in the theater. The theater near my home has three types of auditoriums and two of them have two sections.
First is GXL with extremely large screens and very impressive Dolby Atmos sound. These contain two sections. The main section has decent seats, and the balcony has very roomy nice seats with wide aisles and ottomans. Balconies are reserved for over 21 only. The basic auditoriums have the same configuration but a much smaller screen and a basic Dolby sound system. The third type of auditorium is a small 'Living Room' theater. They used to seat 23 people in recliners and loveseats. This theater was built by a local company which later got in a legal battle with AMC which bankrupted them, and AMC bought the theaters. They are now AMC, and this is my first time since the transition. I do not know if the changed are Covid changes or related to the ownership change. The living room theaters are rented out once a day for $289.00. They now seat 40 and they will play whichever movie currently running that you want. The over 21 balconies and living room theaters had waiter service before the movie started. You sat down and they took your order for treats, and they brought them to you. Beer and wine were also available including whole bottles of some pretty decent wines. The wait service also brought you trays that inserted into the cup holder. Beer and wine is no longer available and there is no wait service. I saw The Black Phone in a basic theater in the all ages section. The seat I was in was in need of repair.

The movie: I loved the movie. It is the Best Hill adaptation to date. They expanded the story but kept the story intact. Several points in the movie are exactly with is in the story. There are a few minor changes for visual purposes and to tell a more cohesive story. The expansion was to turn Finney's sister into a main character, and it worked beautifully. I feel the changes to Finney's parents was not needed.

I will be seeing it again Friday in the GXL auditorium.

[sholloman81]

My views of The Black Phone movie without spoilers.
I will start with the theater experience as it has probably been a decade since I saw a movie in the theater. The theater near my home has three types of auditoriums and two of them have two sections.
First is GXL with extremely large screens and very impressive Dolby Atmos sound. These contain two sections. The main section has decent seats, and the balcony has very roomy nice seats with wide aisles and ottomans. Balconies are reserved for over 21 only. The basic auditoriums have the same configuration but a much smaller screen and a basic Dolby sound system. The third type of auditorium is a small 'Living Room' theater. They used to seat 23 people in recliners and loveseats. This theater was built by a local company which later got in a legal battle with AMC which bankrupted them, and AMC bought the theaters. They are now AMC, and this is my first time since the transition. I do not know if the changed are Covid changes or related to the ownership change. The living room theaters are rented out once a day for $289.00. They now seat 40 and they will play whichever movie currently running that you want. The over 21 balconies and living room theaters had waiter service before the movie started. You sat down and they took your order for treats, and they brought them to you. Beer and wine were also available including whole bottles of some pretty decent wines. The wait service also brought you trays that inserted into the cup holder. Beer and wine is no longer available and there is no wait service. I saw The Black Phone in a basic theater in the all ages section. The seat I was in was in need of repair.

The movie: I loved the movie. It is the Best Hill adaptation to date. They expanded the story but kept the story intact. Several points in the movie are exactly with is in the story. There are a few minor changes for visual purposes and to tell a more cohesive story. The expansion was to turn Finney's sister into a main character, and it worked beautifully. I feel the changes to Finney's parents was not needed.

I will be seeing it again Friday in the GXL auditorium.

I absolutely hate that an independent theater was forced to sell out to an AMC. it sounds like, to no one's surprise, the AMC theater is a bit of a downgrade in terms or experience and customer service. That being said, I'm very glad to see your review of the movie itself as this is one that I'm definitely hoping to check out in a theater. Very happy to hear that the movie doesn't stray too far from the book. So far, for me, Horns is Hill's best adaptation, especially considering the content and how truly unfilmable it should have been; so, I will be very interested to see how this one measures up.

[Martin]

I absolutely hate that an independent theater was forced to sell out to an AMC. it sounds like, to no one's surprise, the AMC theater is a bit of a downgrade in terms or experience and customer service. That being said, I'm very glad to see your review of the movie itself as this is one that I'm definitely hoping to check out in a theater. Very happy to hear that the movie doesn't stray too far from the book. So far, for me, Horns is Hill's best adaptation so far, especially considering the content and how truly unfilmable it should have been; so, I will be very interested to see how this one measures up.

I think the film for Horns is underrated. It is a good movie, but the book is better. I think The Black Phone movie is just as good as the story, in fact I think I like the movie more. The expanded story of the sister brings a lot to the table. I also think the performances, especially from the children, in The Black Phone are top notch!

Regarding AMC vs the original owners I am reserving judgement as things covid greatly impacted theaters but so far, the experience is not as good as it was. One example is they used to use real butter on the popcorn, now it is butter flavored oil. I did go back Friday and watch the new Jurassic Park film in the over 21 section of a GXL theater. The experience is better. One thing is that the leather seats have held up better so the general lack of maintenance is less noticeable. The original owners kept everything immaculate and now the theaters as well as restrooms need maintenance. I hope as things pick up they will perform the needed maintenance. Friday evening they appeared pretty busy.