Doctor Sleep

[Lasirius]

Three hours long? I’m way in.

 

[Luigi]

Bring it on. Can never go wrong with more Ferguson.

 

[Sawyer]

They did Flanagan dirty with that cover tho. The poster with Dan approaching Danny in the Overlook hallway was perfection, and now instead of just putting that on a blu-ray, they’re giving us floating heads?

Disrespectful.

 

[Marvolo]

They did Flanagan dirty with that cover tho. The poster with Dan approaching Danny in the Overlook hallway was perfection, and now instead of just putting that on a blu-ray, they’re giving us floating heads?

Disrespectful.

 

[Marvolo]

Exclusive: ‘Doctor Sleep’ Director Mike Flanagan Teases His “More Literary” Director’s Cut

"There are some big new scenes, for sure," Flanagan told Collider. "I don’t want to spoil any of that, but I can say that there is new material throughout (including in the final act at the Overlook). Some of my favorite stuff involved Young Danny and Wendy (there’s some terrific material with Alex Essoe that I’m thrilled is restored here), and will be familiar to fans of the book. There’s also a fair amount of new stuff involving young Abra in the film’s first act, learning about her shine, and how it affects her parents." Flanagan continued:

"All in all, I think this cut is more literary than the theatrical cut. It very much feels like reading a novel… and is even broken into chapters, which gave this cut a very fun structure. I’m very proud of it and so grateful that it’ll be available to fans."

 

[Sawyer]

Slightly better, but I’d still prefer the poster.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I am excited to see the extended cut, and how much it helps the movie. I felt like the first act was choppy, even as I enjoyed it. I am curious if there is way to help the third act.

 

[Marvolo]

The digital version will be on Vudu and other streaming platforms at midnight PST.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

This was a really solid flick and it definitely felt like a Mike Flanagan film all the way through. I'm sad that it flopped at the BO, but honestly I'm not too surprised that it did either. This is certainly not one of your average, mainstream horror films filled with jump scares and gore which I actually really appreciate, and its honestly pretty bold to think that Warner Bros even decided to greenlight something like this in the first place, especially with a $45M budget.

Ewan McGregor and the girl who played Abra were very solid in this, and damn was Rebecca Ferguson a pretty great villain. Part of me would have really loved to see a continuation of this story.

8/10

 

[Bim]

I finally got around to watching this movie, and i gotta say, i enjoyed it. It exceeded my expectations for sure. Solid acting all around. Rebecca was particularly disturbing lol. Overall, a solid 8.5/10.

 

[chamber-music]

I watched the directors cut. I didn't see the cinematic cut.

Overall a solid film. Parts of the third act felt like Flanagan's Haunting Of Hill House mixed with both Kubirck and King's Shining.

The villains reminded me of the vampires from Near Dark.

I know some people were disappointed by the film because they expected it to be Kubrick's Shining (haunted hotel 2.0) instead of the dark fantasy that the book and film primarily is.

 

[Closerframe]

Saw the director's cut--didn't see the cinematic cut. Overall, I'd put it in the top 10 of King adaptations. Flanagan's use of cold colors was very reminiscent of Haunting of Hill House, which I loved, but his attempted balance to both honor Kubrick's original and King's preference for The Shining's original ending, it seemed there wasn't a good balance at the very end of the film. The entire third act felt like a series of homages back-to-back with no real justification for some sequence inclusions.

7.5/10

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Man in the Suit]

I didn't watch this in theaters, but I got the Director's Cut on blu-ray. I'm surprised by how much it worked for me. Kubrick's The Shining is one of my favorite movies and I consider it the best horror movie ever made. Doctor Sleep is the first thing Mike Flanagan has made that I really liked, maybe even loved. One of my favorite movies of 2019.

Spoiler: Director's Cut

• Rebecca Ferguson, whew...
• I looked at what was added to the director's cut that wasn't in the theatrical. I can't imagine the movie not having the scenes that deal with Wendy, Dick, and Jack. Also the moments with Abra's family or the True Knot.
• Alex Essoe sounded A LOT like Shelley Duvall in some scenes. It was crazy. She was really good with just a few minutes of screentime.
  
• Henry Thomas was iffy. It kinda worked when it was just a shot of his profile at the bar, but then he got lines and it was shaky. Some of it worked and some didn't. It does raise some interesting questions about the rules of the Overlook. Flanagan said he used Charles/Delbert Grady as inspiration for how it works. But If Jack thinks he's Lloyd, then who was the original Lloyd?
• The Baseball Boy scene was brutal and horrific. Very effective.

 

[flickchick85]

Best movie villain of the year, imo. A shame this movie and performance flew so far under the radar. I regret not catching it in theaters.

 

[VictusMortuus]

Finally watched the extended cut and absolutely loved everything about it! One of my favorite movies I’ve seen recently with stellar performances across the board. Rebecca Ferguson deserved a nomination for her captivating performance.

 

[Persona]

Wow, the director's cut of this really is a significant improvement. The slower more methodical pace allows to film to feel more like a spiritual successor to Kubrick's film while also bringing in more of the details from King's book and ouevre. But you also get more of Flanagan's vision, and it really allows the third act to pay off things in a way that makes more sense and feels more complete. McGregor's arc with Danny has such a bigger impact than it did in the theatrical cut.

I really loved this version of the film, and I am not typically a person who goes for extended editions (nope, not even for LotR, unless we talking Mouth of Sauron). But the director's cut just feels so much more whole and so much more its own entity than just a homage to and reconciliation of King and Kubrick.

 

[Persona]

Also, can I say that Flanagan is dang smart as a screenwriter and how he adapted the book. He is very faithful to the text in a lot of ways but he knew precisely what sub-plots to cut, what things to focus on, and what to tweak or add. And his delivery of what he wrote in how he and his team crafted the film is very effective. Incredible triple threat work from him on this as writer, director, and editor. (And I was pretty impressed with what this movie got out of a $45 million budget).

Flanagan is truly one of the best and most well-rounded creatives in the horror genre right now and I can't wait to binge Bly Manor and Midnight Mass.

 

[Lighthouse]

I really liked Doctor Sleep, and would love to see the directors cut, but I have to admit, if the scene with baseball boy is extended I might not be able to watch.

 

[Persona]

Yeah, the baseball boy scene is excruciating.

Normally I wouldn't be able to handle a scene like that but the film has enough hopeful notes and exacting comeuppance for the True Knot that it feels like it brings some peace back to the victims.

 

[Schlosser85]

That scene is disturbing as hell, though I have to give Jacob Tremblay props for his acting, him being tortured to death wouldn't have been so excruciating if he didn't sell it so uncomfortably convincingly.

I kind of think it's needed though. Up to that point, Rose and company could almost be seen as likable with a veiled creepiness. That scene shows the callous monsters they really are.

 

[Lighthouse]

That scene is disturbing as hell, though I have to give Jacob Tremblay props for his acting, him being tortured to death wouldn't have been so excruciating if he didn't sell it so uncomfortably convincingly.

I kind of think it's needed though. Up to that point, Rose and company could almost be seen as likable with a veiled creepiness. That scene shows the callous monsters they really are.

The scene is absolutely necessary, but I'd heard that the original version of it was even worse than what we got in the theater, and I could barely sit through that.

 

[Marvolo]

I really liked Doctor Sleep, and would love to see the directors cut, but I have to admit, if the scene with baseball boy is extended I might not be able to watch.

The scene is absolutely necessary, but I'd heard that the original version of it was even worse than what we got in the theater, and I could barely sit through that.

Since you've already watched the scene once just skip it on repeat viewings. It's not the sort of scene that needs to be watched multiple times. And itd be a shame to miss out on the whole extended cut because of that one scene.

 

[Vapor]

I saw it in cinemas with a friend and we both had differing opinions. I quite liked the world building/expanding it does but I think my friend thought it was all just very silly and whilst I think parts can come across as silly looking (sucking up their victims essence or whatever) it was enjoyable enough IMO - although I wouldn't be in any rush to watch it again. We both agreed that the actor they got to play/portray Jack Nicholson/Jack Torrence was just bad though...

 

[Stringer]

This movie had to work hard for me to hate Rebecca Ferguson but managed to accomplish that with that scene. I very much enjoyed when they all got theirs and the movie as a whole. This may and probably should achieve cult classic status one day.