Review: ‘I Am Not Okay With This:’ Teen Angst And Superpowers Are A Lethal Combination

Being a teenager sucks.

It’s the part in your life where you are literally going through a transformation in some form.  Whether it’s your voice getting deep, hair growing everywhere, or you starting to find your own sense of individuality/rebellion, your emotional growth (or lack thereof) it’s just a tough time for just about every teenager on the planet.  Now throw in telekinetic powers…. There’s a reason Charles Xavier’s X-Men training facility was in the serene X-Mansion in Westchester County, and not New York City, because hormonal teens with the power of a bomb would have leveled it twice a day.

In I Am Not Okay With This, we meet Sydney (Sophia Lillis): a self-described “boring 17-year-old white girl” who is just trying to process her emotions following her father’s unexpected death and keep her head above water.  She takes care of her younger brother Liam (Aidan Wojtak-Hissong) as her mother Maggie (Kathleen Rose Perkins) spends all her time working at the local diner.  Pretty much no one wants to talk about Dad's death, so she writes her feelings in her diary.  Sydney’s only real support is her best friend Dina (Sofia Bryant), who Sydney is starting to realize she has romantic feelings for, and Dina is starting to date the local high school football star Brad (Richard Ellis), which sets off something in her.  Before she can realize what’s happened, she has made Brad’s nose bleed with her mind.  Because Dina is pairing off with her new bae, Sydney spends some time with her next-door neighbor Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), the only kid in school who is equally as weird as she is, and slowly but surely she tips him that she may have superpowers, and of course, she’s “not okay with this.”  In addition to being her new boyfriend/beard, he also operates as her trusty “guy in the chair” and helps her navigate her newfound reality.

If thinking about a teenage girl with telekinetic powers reminds you of Eleven from Stranger Things, both shows are produced by Jonathan Entwhistle and Shawn Levy.  However, instead of dealing with high stakes of the Upside Down and the Department of Energy like Eleven, Sydney just has to try and manage high school as an outsider, which probably is just as hard.  You could say Eleven had it easier being institutionalized and raised by the sinister government agency as she at least had some training.  Sydney has to figure things out on her own, which is almost as scary as any Demogorgon.  Sydney knows that her screaming in a rage, getting too drunk or stoned, or just having a crappy day could end up putting everyone’s life in danger at any moment, and I Am Not Okay With This has plenty of moments whether it be protecting her brother from bullies, keeping feelings for Dina in check, or avoiding bullying from the cool kids.

Like Stranger Things, this show seems to love the 80s.  The weird thing though, is that this show is set in contemporary society.  Her friend Stanley still plays VHS tapes, even though he could probably YouTube whatever he needed to see on his cell phone if he wanted to.  The clothing styles everyone is weather seems to be from a generation ago, but hey, maybe that’s just small-town Pennsylvania.  You can’t help but feel the show paying homage to John Hughes and, of course, to Stephen King’s Carrie as each episode foreshadows the eventual climax where she’s covered in blood and running away.

While every episode is directed by Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World), there is a significant style for each episode that doesn’t change much throughout the 7 crisp episodes.  Speaking of the episodes, bravo to Netflix for not stretching both the episode count as well as the episode time allotment (each episode clocks in at about a half-hour), which is just enough to keep you fully engaged without adding additional fat.  Each episode takes advantage of the “Dear Diary” format, so that we can have Sydney narrate her internal feelings as the story progresses.  Speaking of Sydney, Sophia Lillis really gets to shine as the show is completely thrown on her back.  She perfectly captures the more realistic take of how a hormonal and angsty teenager would be if all of a sudden had the ability to move things with their mind, and the emotional pressure that would have on a teen.  She does most of her scenes with Wyatt Oleff, and the two have genuine chemistry (as the two also acted together in the It movies together as part of Loser’s Club that faced off against Pennywise).  By the end of the series (especially the way it ends), you REALLY want to see what happens next with her and her friends.

3 out of 5

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Netflix's "I Am Not Okay With This" Trailer Brings Coming Of Age To A Dark Place

I am not okay with this. A phrase, I, like many, use often when faced with a predicament that makes me uncomfortable. I don't, however use it under the context of super powers. In the new trailer for Netflix's original series, aptly titled I Am Not Okay With This, a teenage girl played by Sophia Lillis (It franchise, Sharp Objects) must juggle high school life after losing her dad and gaining superpowers.

The trailer opens with the voice-over of a bloodied Sydney, a self-described "boring, 17 year old, white girl," running from the cops. The trailer then takes us back into a montage of Sydney's life; high school, teenage rage, writing in a journal, hanging with her best friend and douchey boyfriend, and meeting quirky classmate Stanley Barber (Wyatt Oleff, also of the It franchise). As her powers escalate, from telepathically throwing street signs to convenient store stock, Sydney must balance her friendships, anger, and powers while figuring out it's okay to be weird.

If this sounds similar to Stranger Things and End of the F***cking World, you'd be correct in thinking so. The tone and atheistic of the show is very similar to End of the F***cking World, as they both share director Jonathan Entwistle and are produced by the producers of Stranger Things. 
The show is due out on Netflix February 26th.

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'The Thicket': Sophia Lillis, Noomi Rapace Join Peter Dinklage In Joe R. Lansdale Adaptation

2020 has kicked off with a bang for It and Sharp Objects actress Sophia Lillis. She can be seen right now in the horror Gretel & Hansel, and a trailer for her upcoming Netflix series I Am Not Okay With This was just released. And now you can add to her busy slate a role in The Thicket, a thriller that will cast her alongside Peter Dinklage, Noomi Rapace, and Looking for Alaska's Charlie Plummer.

The Thicket is based on the book by Joe R. Lansdale, whose work has already been adapted into the macho thrillers Bubba Ho-Tep, Cold in July, and series Hap & Leonard. If you dig his stuff, then this will probably be for you. According to Deadline, the story follows "an innocent young man named Jack ( Plummer) who goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister (Lillis) after she is kidnapped by violent killer “Cut Throat Bill” (Rapace) and her gang. Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones (Dinklage), a grave-digging alcoholic son of an ex-slave, and a street-smart prostitute. The three track the girl into the deadly no-man’s land known as The Big Thicket — a place where blood and chaos reign."

Pre-production is already underway, with Elliot Lester directing. He's best known for the Jason Statham action film Blitz, David Oyelowo's HBO drama Nightingale, and most recently the Arnold Schwarzenegger drama Aftermath.

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'I Am Not Okay With This' Trailer: Sophia Lillis Is A High Schooler With Superpowers

Whether it's her roles in It and It: Chapter 2, HBO's Sharp Objects, or the currently-in-theaters horror Gretel & Hansel, one thing is clear: Sophia Lillis is a star on the rise. And now she turns her attention to Netflix for I Am Not Okay with This, a series that boasts the combined talents of the minds behind Stranger Things and The End of the F***ing World, so it's got a good shot of being a huge hit.

The series stars Lillis as an awkward teen dealing with all of the usual angst that comes along with being a high schooler, only on top of that she's also dealing with her growing superpowers.

SYNOPSIS: I Am Not Okay With This is an irreverent origin story that follows a teenage girl who’s navigating the trials and tribulations of high school, all while dealing with the complexities of her family, her budding sexuality, and mysterious superpowers just beginning to awaken deep within her. From director/EP of The End of the F***ing World Jonathan Entwistle and the producers of Stranger Things comes a new series based on the Charles Forsman graphic novel.

Behind the show are  The End of the F***king World's Jonathan Entwistle and Christy Hall, with Stranger Things' Shawn Levy as an exec-producer. Lillis is reunited in the cast by It co-star Wyatt Oleff, along with Sofia Bryant and Kathleen Rose Perkins.

I Am Not Okay with This comes to Netflix on February 26th.

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Review: 'Gretel & Hansel', The Brothers Grimm Tale Gets An Occult, Feminist Spin

The power that comes from a young girl's transition into womanhood has long sent chills up the spines of men, and been the basis of many a horror film by male directors. Into that specific sub-genre comes Oz Perkins' Gretel & Hansel, which as the title suggests puts an emphasis on the sister, played by It and Sharp Objects star Sophia Lillis. It doesn't take long to figure out why the Brothers Grimm tale has been flipped in such a way. Femininity, seen as both a curse and a gift, is the driving force in a film rich with symbolism and foreboding atmosphere, but not much in the way of urgency.

In this version of the story, Gretel is 16-year-old and on the cusp of becoming a woman; her brother Hansel (Sam Leakey) is an annoyingly precocious 8-year-old, always starving for food and attention. Their mother has effectively thrown them out of the house due to her own hardships, and navigating the world as a beautiful female proves dangerous for Gretel. They need work and food, but when Gretel is asked by a disgusting landowner about a job as a servant girl, his reply is to question whether she's maintained her "maidenhead" or virginity. Clearly, this guy doesn't need a servant to tidy up around the house. Hansel doesn't understand when his sister comes out jobless, all he knows is he wants cake and that dirty old man might've had some.

We aren't the only ones who perceive Hansel to be a deadweight on Gretel's back. Approaching a strangely polygonal home that smells of a buffet dinner, Hansel and Gretel are invited inside by the Witch (played by the Borg Queen herself, Alice Krige), a nefarious smile always on her face, a stern lesson about power always a moment away, and a table full of food always at the ready. She takes a keen interest in Gretel, recognizing in her a deep well of eldritch energy linked to her own origin. The Witch wants Gretel to embrace it and everything that comes with it. And to do that...well, Hansel might need to get stuffed into a meat pie or something. The boy's gotta go.

So forget the gingerbread and gumdrop houses; Gretel & Hansel is draped in shadow and rich in dark mythology, working in concert with a murky Gothic style that has become popular since Robert Eggers' The Witch. And like that film, its plodding pace and heaviness are less likely to appeal to casual audiences who are expecting more scares and a pushing beyond the PG-13 envelope. Other than a grisly smorgasbord of human entrails splayed out as the evening's supper the movie is slight on genuine chills. The film's strengths are in its evocative style blending the past and present, aided by a bold synth score by Robert Coudet, not to mention the simmering performance by Lillis, and Krige's continuing ability to scare the pants off of us with a single look. Krige is terrific here, as the Witch can barely contain her ignoble motives behind every seeming act of charity. At only 87 minutes, Gretel & Hansel doesn't dig into its womanly themes for too long, but the investment will be worth it for those eager for an occult spin on the empowerment narrative.

3 out of 5

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'Gretel & Hansel' Trailer: The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Gets A Terrifying Update

As the title suggests, Gretel & Hansel isn't going to be your typical screen adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Now, it's not going to be nearly as extreme as 2013's Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, but it's clear director Oz Perkins is looking to bring a current sensibility by focusing on Gretel rather than her brother.

Otherwise, this appears to be a straight-forward adaptation. It and Sharp Objects star Sophia Lillis plays 16-year-old Gretel, with Sammy Leakey as her 8-year-old brother, Hansel. The two make the grievous error of venturing into a foreboding wood, where they encounter a cannibalistic witch who kidnaps them.  Playing the Witch is Alice Krige, who you may recall as the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact.

SYNOPSIS: A long time ago, in a distant fairytale countryside, a young girl (Sophia Lillis, It) leads her little brother (Sammy Leakey) into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.

Gretel & Hansel opens on January 31st.

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'Gretel & Hansel' Trailer: 'It' Star Sophia Lillis Is Tormented By Another Supernatural Threat

Before you check out Sophia Lillis' return as Beverly in It Chapter Two, you can watch her take on a different supernatural threat in the trailer for Gretel & Hansel, a flip on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The film is directed by Osgood "Oz" Perkins, an actor-turned-director whose horror sensibilities have powered films such as The Blackcoat's Daughter and I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House.

As you can probably tell by the title, it's a teenaged Gretel who takes the lead in this take on the folk tale, with Sam Leakey as her 8-year-old brother Hansel. The siblings find themselves at the mercy of a child-devouring witch after becoming lost in a dark country wood.

We've seen Lillis endure some gross things as part of It, but yanking a long, disgusting strand of hair out of her mouth might take the cake. I don't want to know where it came from, or who it came from.

Gretel & Hansel hits theaters on January 31st 2020.

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Pennywise Is Back In Eerie First Trailer For 'It Chapter Two'

The novels of Stephen King have never been more popular, especially to Hollywood producers. And there's 2017's box office smash It that really kicked it into high gear. Now with just a few months before the film hits theaters, the anticipated first trailer for It Chapter Two is here and it's as creepy as we were hoping it would be.

Once again directed by Andy Muschietti, the sequel tells the second half of King's story, as the grown-up members of the Losers Club return to Derry after twentyfive years. There, they face a renewed Pennywise, whose stranglehold over the town has only gotten tighter. We see his influence in this teaser, as an adult Beverly Marsh, played by Jessica Chastain, returns to her former home and encounters a strange woman with a connection to the demonic clown.

Joining Chastain is James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough, Bill Hader as Richie Tozier, Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom, Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon, James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak, and Andy Bean as Stanley Uris. Reprising their previous roles are Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Martell, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, and Chosen Jacobs.

It Chapter Two opens September 6th!

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'Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase' Trailer: 'It' Breakout Sophia Lillis Stars As The Teen Sleuth

On the heels of her head-turning performance in It, Sophia Lillis picked up a number of high-profile projects. One of those was HBO's Sharp Objects, but she also was chosen to headline her own potential franchise as teen sleuth, Nancy Drew, the heroine of the long-running series of novels by author Carolyn Keen. And now with the first official trailer for Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, I think we're seeing why this particular story was chosen because it's giving off a series Stranger Things vibe.

Directed by Katt Shea, who is perhaps best known for the Drew Barrymore flick Poison Ivy, this particular Nancy Drew episode includes a supernatural aspect as she investigates a haunted house.  The tone of this one is obviously very light-hearted and geared towards kids, which is fine I'm just not sure this is the movie for me. It's all a little too squeaky-clean for me. That said, I'm a big fan of Lillis and hope this movie succeeds in at least helping to forget the 2007 Nancy Drew with Emma Roberts which was pretty terrible.

Joining Lillis in the cast are Sam Trammell (True Blood), as Nancy's father; Zoe Renee and Mackenzie Graham as her best friends George and Bess, and Laura Slade Wiggins as her rival Helen who helps solve the haunted house mystery.

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase opens March 15th.

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Sophia Lillis To Star In 'Gretel And Hansel'; Janelle Monae Joins "Lady And The Tramp', 'Hobbs & Shaw' Cast Adds Eddie Marsan

It breakout Sophia Lillis isn't making things easy on herself. She followed up the Stephen King adaptation with a role in HBO's disturbing Sharp Objects series, and now Lillis has taken on yet another horror role, this one based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Lillis will star in Gretel and Hansel, a twist on the story about a brother and sister who venture into a dark forest and stumble upon a witch's home made of gingerbread. Bad things happen. This version will be directed by Oz Perkins (The Blackcoat's Daughter) and is described as “being set a long time ago in a distant fairy tale countryside and focuses on a young girl who leads her little brother into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.” Next up for Lillis are reprising her Beverly Marsh role in It: Chapter Two, and then solving mysteries in Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. [THR]

Hidden Figures and Moonlight's Janelle Monae is the latest to add her voice to Disney's live-action Lady and the Tramp film, which will premiere on their upcoming streaming service. Monae will voice Peg, who in the original movie was a Shih Tzu Maltese who sang the song "He's a Tramp", and I'm guessing that track will be reimagined with the R&B star in mind. She joins a cast led by Tessa Thompson and Justin Therou as the titular canines, with Thomas Mann, Kiersey Clemons, Benedict Wong, Ashley Jensen and Yvette Nicole Brown part of the cast, which will combine CGI animation with live-action. Charlie Bean (The Lego Ninjago Movie) will direct. [Deadline]

Eddie Marsan has worked with director David Leitch on two previous occasions, appearing in both Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2. So it only makes sense he'd return for Leitch's next film, the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. Marsan will join Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, and Vanessa Kirby for a "small but significant" role in the action flick, but that's all we know about his part. Marsan is versatile as Hell. In 2013 he couldn't have starred in movies any more different than Still Life, The World's End, and Filth, but he did it and was great in all of them.  Hobbs & Shaw opens September 2nd 2019.

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'It' Breakout Sophia Lillis Joins Naomi Watts In 'Burning Season', Will Headline New 'Nancy Drew' Film

It star Sophia Lillis is making the most of her breakout performance as Beverly Marsh in the hit Stephen King adaptation. She's now landed two plum gigs in two more adaptations of popular stories, Claire McCarthy's Burning Season, and the title role in Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase.

First up, Lillis will star alongside Naomi Watts in Burning Season, based on the short story What the World Will Look Like When All The Water Leaves Us by author Laura Van Den Berg. Penned by Jenny Halper, the film centers on primatologist June Engle, played by Watts, who has returned to a drought-stricken region of Madagascar in search of endangered species. Dragged along for the adventure are teenage daughter Celia (Lillis) and a handsome local researcher, Kiady. June is headstrong and passionate as a scientist but is far from a perfect mother. Left to herself, Celia uses the trip as her own journey of discovery.

McCarthy was recently at Sundance with her latest film, Ophelia (my review), a Hamlet reimagining starring Daisy Ridley.

Lillis also finds herself playing literary super sleuth Nancy Drew in Warner Bros.' Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. The story was originally published in 1930 as the second book in Carolyn Keene's series, later adapted into a 1939 movie with a plot vastly different from the novel. It's unclear at this point what story they'll be going with in this updated version, which has yet to nail down a writer or director. Ellen DeGeneres and Wendy Williams (!!!) are on board as producers.

Next up for Lillis is HBO's miniseries adaptation of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. [Variety/Deadline]

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Review: 'IT' Stays Afloat With Genuine Frights And Haunting Performances

Have you actually sat down and watched the 1990 TV adaptation of Stephen King's IT lately? It's not that scary, more cheesy than anything else. And yet Tim Curry's take on Pennywise the Clown remains as a symbol of pure unadulterated terror. Even if you aren't afraid of clowns, Pennywise is not to be trifled with. So imagine how terrifying Pennywise could be on the big screen, in the hands of a horror maestro like director Andy Muschietti? Well imagine it no more because IT is here and Pennywise is the stuff nightmares are made of.

IT is beyond a shadow of a doubt the most blood-curdling film of the year and possibly the best King adaptation yet. That's not a small feat because the novel is so good on multiple levels. The film captures perfectly so many of King's pet themes, particularly adolescence and the fear that comes with being on the cusp of adulthood. The world has begun to change for you in ways that nobody is prepared for. As the innocence of youth fades, the darkness that comes with maturity has started to creep in, and at least in the small town of Derry, Maine that darkness isn't an imagined thing. Monsters really do lurk under the bed, in the sewers, and in the shadows.

Muschietti handles this brilliantly, by mingling the bleak areas with humor and the love that comes with friendship. The film takes place in 1989, far removed from the 1950s setting of King's original story, and perfect for the Stranger Things-obsessed who love some pop culture nostalgia with their horror. They won't have to wait long for it; within minutes Bill Denbrough (the ever-busy Jaeden Lieberher) has lost his little brother Georgie to a gruesome fate in the rainy sewers of Derry. Months later and Bill is still haunted by his brother's disappearance, especially as other kids begin disappearing at an alarming rate. Something's not right in Derry. Something is taking and killing kids, but of course the adults, who have mountains of their own problems, don't see it or don't care.

But Bill and his group of misfit friends, the Losers Club, see it and have to do something about it. Beverly (Sophia Lillis), Richie (Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard), Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Mike (Chosen Jacobs) and Stan (Wyatt Oleff) are all terrorized by whatever this thing is stalking Derry's kids. It takes the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgard), however Pennywise comes in other forms, too. It can peer into the soul and see where you are weakest, feeding on your fears and becoming that which you dread most.

The Losers Club have a lot to fear, let's put it that way.

Muschietti doesn't screw around with cutting the kids down to size. Whether it's an abusive father, dead parents, obesity, hypochondria, or being pushed around by the neighborhood bully, their fears are laid out on the table and used to fuel some terrifying sequences. Heaven help you if you're afraid of dark rooms, or clowns. Or dark rooms filled with clowns. Nothing in Derry feels safe. Even without Pennywise the threat of bodily harm always seems to be around the corner, and often is. That feeling creates a tangible prison effect for the kids, but also for us who can't help but sense their captivity. Many of us have felt that sense of being trapped, not by an evil clown of course (Hopefully that isn't the case), but by where we live and the people we are surrounded by. The need to escape and be free of it all is ever present, and that is what the Losers Club are fighting for, that chance to be free. Free from the troubles left behind by their parents and other grown ups.

Wisely, this version of IT focuses solely on the kids and jettisons the other half of King's novel that takes place 27 years later. That part of the book and the TV series was always a bummer, anyway, because King has such an expert way with writing young people. At its best, IT resembles a much grimmer version of Stand by Me, with the Losers Club a tight-knit group that feels like a real friendship. They don't all get enough of a chance to shine, which is to be expected with so many characters to deal with. While Lieberher is excellent as Bill, the character is so narrowly focused that he's kind of a drag. As the only girl in the group, Bev is both the apple of their youthful affection and an outsider among outsiders, which we see play out in her disturbing home life. Lillis plays her with just the right balance no matter what Bev is going through, and I think she proves to be the most easily relatable an interesting character of the bunch. Stranger Things fans will probably love Finn Wolfhard as motormouth Richie, although he starts to wear on you after a while. Comic relief is great, but sometimes it distracts when the full emotional force of a scene is needed. And I have to admit to admiring the performance of Jeremy Ray Taylor as new kid Ben, for the way he captures the "Awwww shucks" adoration of Bev, and for not being the typical overweight kid in these stories.

Of course, for many IT will live and die on the performance of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise. He's definitely a more terrifying creature than Tim Curry's was, and they made a smart move by having him shift into the kids' actual fears rather than random monsters. It just makes the scares more personal and thus even more skin-crawling. But I do take issue with all of the CGI effects that muddle his performance and, as we see later on in the film, come to detract from how effectively chilling the character should be. At 135-minutes in length we see a lot of Pennywise, and dancing clown with child-chomping teeth or not, it's tough for anything to remain scary for that long.

What will remain long after IT ends is the overwhelming sense of dread and sadness, that evil is a thing passed on from generation to generation. No matter how many times King tries to teach us this through his many stories, it is a tough lesson to learn and a tougher one to accept.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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