Woody had probably forgotten his lines. I had the privilege of seeing him being seriously castigated by one of his fellow cast members backstage on the West End a few moons ago. He was in a right state and certainly wasn't used to being told off, though to be fair he pulled himself together.

It - I had high hopes for this, as the book traumatised me as a 14 year old and gave me a lifelong love of Stephen King's work. I managed to overlook the TV thing with Tim Curry, and really hoped this would be a proper interpretation of his second best book ever; sadly, I was wrong. It's loud, goes for old school horror tropes of jumps and gore - and the clown itself is undoubtedly genuinely disturbing - but it just doesn't work as a story the way the book does. The kids are good, the effects are believable and all that jazz that is often used in place of a decent story is all present and correct - but it absolutely fails to capture the creeping dread and horror of the book. Yet another Stephen King adaptation, that fails; which doesn't bode well for upcoming Dark Tower, which is in my view the greatest things he's ever written.

5/10 - disappointing.

Three things I've watched in recent days.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 -
Doesn't really do anything new. The first film was really fresh and different, this is still good fun with another great soundtrack, but it really is just an extension of the first one and I hoped they wouldn't play it so safe. Still worth a watch, but fairly forgettable. 6/10

Get Out -
White girl takes her black boyfriend home to meet her parents, starts out merely awkward, ends up very sinister indeed. Creepy without ever being really frightening, really well acted, quite funny in parts. Difficult to say too much without giving the plot away. Really enjoyed it. 8/10

Baby Driver -
Wasn't expecting too much, but it turned out to be the best action film I've seen in a while. Smart, funny, great action sequences, great music. Lots of fun. 8.5/10

Agreed - I really enjoyed it - especially the way the music was integrated into the story; something a bit different!

The Hitman's Bodyguard - switch off the brain, and this is a really good fun action movie, with a surprisingly apposite underlying storyline. There is nothing to think about, no deep and meaningful messages, and nothing particularly new or different - but the action beats are good, the central performances really strong, and the script is sharp and funny. My only complaint is that Ryan Reynolds plays exactly the same character in every single movie he appears in - even the mobile phone advert.

Rollicking good actioner - 7/10

Blade Runner 2049 - not really sure what to say on this. Didn't come out of the cinema thinking 'wow', but at the same time I can't fault it and it is indeed a truly brilliant film.

Visually outstanding, wonderfully written and acted with gripping white-knuckle tension at times. The best praise I could probably give it is that it's the perfect continuation of the original, albeit not quite as dark and moody. There hasn't been a film like this in a long time.

If you loved Blade Runner, you'll love Blade Runner 2049. That's about as simple as it gets.

We can fully expect another sequel in due course...

Bladerunner is my all time favourite film of all time - and I've been both looking forward to and dreading the sequel, in equal measure; I'm booked in to see it tonight in my favourite comfy chaired cinema - hoping against hope that they haven't ruined it, so I'm pleased that you haven't trashed it.

On a related note - there is a short series of Philip K Dick stories on Channel 4 at the mo - I caught the first one last night (The Hoodmaker) and it was excellent; well worth a look if you're a fan of his work.

Thanks - I'll give that a go. Fairly well read on Philip Dick and anything of that genre always appeals.

Definitely can't trash BR2049, it's brilliant in so many ways. Hope you enjoyed it tonight.

I'm relieved to report that I absolutely loved it; visually stunning, seamless in terms of the original story, and a genuinely epic experience. And what a score - shamelessly referential of the original, and brilliant for it.

Amazing - films like this are rarely made any more.

Snowman - I'm not at all averse to the Scandi-noir genre, and I had high hopes for this due to the writer (Jo Nesbo) and some of the talent involved - Michael Fassbender, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones etc. Despite all that, and loads of promise in the first 20 mins, it's just... unsatisfying. Apart from the weird collection of accents of the people of Norway, and the unlikeability of the main character (why do detectives always have to be troubled alcoholics?) - the story itself is just byzantine, whilst the identity of the killer is obvious from almost his first appearance; although his motivation is hardly explored at all, apart from in a 2 minute scene at the end. All in all, it just doesn't do any of the things these stories are supposed to do. Very disappointing - 3/10.

Just had the misfortune of watching Bladerunner 2049. My wife wanted to go as she loved Bladerunner. I thought 2049 was the biggest pile of s@@t I have ever watched. Indeed that word does not do justice to how bad and pointless it was. My wife didn't watch the credits at the end and when I asked why she said she wanted to get out As soon as possible as it was rubbish - indeed she regretted not walking out much earlier. I said "I'm glad you didn't enjoy it, otherwise I would have had to pretend it wasn't too bad!" I could have sat at home and done some work, which would have been more enjoyable! If you gave not been and are thinking if - don't waste your time and money. There are a lot nicer ways to spend the best part of three hours - like watching paint dry.