arts // no. 8 Nota wh > ‘It’ (2017) film revi Katie Czenczek Staff Writer kek he film adaptation of what is arguably one of Stephen King’s best novels, the 2017 film Jt, has to grapple with the expectations of a long-awaited movie series—a feat that is even more challenging due to the novel’s hefty 1,134 pages. Granted, the film seems to have covered only half of the novel. Not only does the film deliver on surpassing the expectations laid out for Jf, but the film does so while also making a few key changes to the original content. The film follows the lives of several children who are outcasts within their community, and who are terrorized by a shapeshifting being who takes the preferred form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. These seven kids are all supposed to have fears that connect to the adults within their lives as the book describes. I would argue that the film only managed to portray Beverly’s and Eddie’s fear of the adults in their lives effectively. However, that is inevitable when adapting a novel with that many important characters. The predominantly child-filled cast manages to convey these characters meaningfully, with special nods to Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, and Finn Wolfhard who played Ben, Beverly, and Richie, respectively. Taylor’s and Lillis’ portrayals had me rooting for Ben and Beverly throughout the entire movie, and their on-camera chemistry kept me hoping that they would end up together in the end. Wolfhard’s character was the perfect way to lighten the often-dark film, which allowed for terrifying moments to be that much more horrifying because his goofiness enabled the viewer to temporarily forget that they were watching a horror film. It also made a risky change to the setting by having the story take place 30 years later than the book’s. The film adaptation was set in the 1980s, a change that impacted a part of the story that I would have liked to have seen discussed more in the film. The 1950s setting of the novel went more in depth about the racial tensions occurring in America at that time, whereas the 1980s setting almost completely overlooked this intriguing element to the novel. There was also a neat Easter egg for die-hard Stephen King fans who were awaiting Maturin, the cosmic turtle. The turtle is a mystical being who is said to have created the universe during a particularly bad stomach- theotherpress.ca Image via Warner Bros ache that caused him to throw up the universe. He is Pennywise’s nemesis and helps the children defeat It within the novel. Maturin is nodded to during the lake scene when the kids mention a turtle after cliff jumping, and when Bill brings Georgie’s Lego turtle into the basement after following Georgie’s muddy footprints. Although there were a few changes made to the story, If managed to convey what the book is all about. In changing some details, the film was not too overly complicated and therefore did not alienate new fans, but still managed to respect the fans that have been there since the novel was first published. I am looking forward to seeing where they take the sequel, in hopes that the film will do better than the miniseries in making the adult Loser Club just as dynamic as the children. An hour of free live music every Thursday > Quality performances in diverse styles by music instructors and more Caroline Ho Arts Editor O: Thursdays at 1 p.m., students and others can step out of their worldly worries for an hour to immerse themselves in a free concert by professional musicians. The Arts at One series is a set of concerts taking place most Thursdays at the Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre, on the fourth floor of the New Westminster campus. Every week, a chamber group of professional musicians from the Lower Mainland— usually three to five people—puts on an afternoon show that is completely free and open to all audiences. According to Music Department Coordinator John van Deursen, who spoke to the Other Press for an interview, the show is almost “too good to be free,” considering the quality and musicianship of the performers. “It’s great that it’s free, but people should realize that it’s worth much more than that,” said van Deursen. Every week there’s a different show in a completely different style, with genres ranging from classical, contemporary, jazz, world, and more. The first show of the semester, titled Painting with Sound Evocative, took place on September 14. The concert featured works performed on saxophone, violin, cello, and piano, including a piece composed by saxophonist and Douglas instructor Colin MacDonald: “Betty Takes a Walk,” a gorgeous three-moment work inspired by the paintings of Canadian artist Euphemia McNaught. Thursday’s show marked the first performance of MacDonald’s composition; according to van Deursen, usually three or four original pieces premier at Arts at One over the course of the season. Some of the upcoming concerts include performances by Douglas instructors, like last week’s show. Other concerts feature other artists in the community and from the Lower Mainland. The next show (September 21) will be an alumni concert, with performances by past students from the Music Department who have since gone on professionally. This concert will be one of the more stylistically diverse of the series, since these former students’ careers have taken them in a range of musical directions. Van Deursen told the Other Press that he can’t single out any one show that is especially worth watching—all of them will be similarly excellent in quality, and every viewer is bound to have their favourites based on personal taste. However, one noteworthy show will probably be the November 2 concert by Early Music Vancouver, an organization that promotes Renaissance and Baroque music. Early Music performs using remakes of historical instruments to reproduce the original sounds of centuries-old music. Arts at One will not hold shows on November g and 16 because the college’s Theatre productions take place in the Laura C. Muir Theatre during those two weeks. On November 23 and 30, Arts at One will return with two Student Showcase Concerts, featuring current music students who demonstrate high- level performance. Over the next few weeks and months, the Music Department faculty will be noting which students are excelling and offering them the chance to display their skills in the Student Showcases, an opportunity that the students are usually eager to take. Attendance to all Arts at One concerts is mandatory for music students who are taking private lessons. According to van Deursen, it’s important that aspiring musicians are exposed to live, professional-quality performances—sometimes by their own instructors—much more directly than through watching a recorded video. The students get to witness Photo of Colin and Dave Branter by Barrie Barrington both the calibre of musicianship and the physicality of the performance. Of course, attending one of these concerts is a very rewarding experience for all audiences, even those of us who aren’t necessarily musicians. Arts at One gives us the rare opportunity to remove ourselves from daily distractions and concerns. “In our busy lives, we need moments of reflection,” said van Deursen. “We need a pause moment where you become absorbed in something that is not Facebook or your mobile phone ... Once you've got your mind focused, you've gone through that experience, when you come out the other end of a concert, you find that a lot of your stresses have been reduced.” With free admission cost, it’s certainly an hour well spent.