Damn Mist I Can't See How Fake The Monsters Look (The Mist review)

The Mist

Though substantial time has passed since I watched The Mist, I feel it is for the better. Up to this point my reviews have been posted almost immediately after watching the movie, but I feel that it’s probably best to wait a couple of weeks. The point being that in waiting some time, if the movie has still stayed with me, then it must be a good movie, and therefore worthy of a star more or less.

The Mist is the story of David Drayton (Thomas Jane), and the supernatural events that occur in a small town, and possibly the whole world. After a brutal storm, David heads to the supermarket with his son Billy, and his unfriendly neighbor Brent, whose car has been smashed by the storm. While at the supermarket a mist rolls in, and a hysterical civilian runs into the supermarket screaming “something in the mist, there is something in the mist”. Oh, boy what could it be, perhaps a parade? No, there are monsters in the mist, huge one’s with massive tentacles.

As the people in the supermarket fear to venture out into the supermarket, they become trapped and the fear starts setting in. Maybe if there was no mist? Hmmm. Well there is and they can’t see shit out there so they soon learn that they are screwed if they walk out of the supermarket. As paranoia sets in among those trapped, Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) is determined to save as many as she can for she is convinced that a lot of mist means judgment day. Don’t you love religious people? Well she is not just religious but soon enough is also crazy, same thing as religious I suppose, and at one point even suggest that they sacrifice the kid, Billy.

The film has a lot of promise, and could have been more frightening if only the special effects were better or if they hadn’t show the damn monsters. As soon as the first tentacle appears, one realizes that this is nothing more than just a silly movie trying to scare us with cheap special effects. They are terrible, and almost contradict the whole purpose of the mist. I mean if there is a damn mist, and the movie is called “The Mist”, than shouldn’t that be the centerpiece of fear in the movie? Doesn’t it make sense that the point of a mist being scary is that one can’t see anything? That would have made the movie a lot better and I would have given it another star.

The performances are not spectacular and the one that cold have been falls short. Harden as Mrs. Carmody, just wasn’t quite right. First of all the character was very one-dimensional. No one in their right mind or not would have reacting like that almost immediately. Not even the craziest person would have acted so calm and cool about what was happening outside the glass walls of that supermarket. Harden is a great actress, but even her amazing acting skills couldn’t save this movie.

I think the reason why I didn’t give this movie two stars instead of three is the ending. All I can say is that I didn’t expect it at all, well at some point almost none at all, I kind of thought about it, but still refused to believe it would end in such a bleak way. The ending is what did it for me in this movie. I loved the ending. Once you see it you’ll know why, for I love bleak ending like that. Still this movie is lots of fun, and there is a decent amount of gore for you blood lovers out there. Still don’t expect it to be the greatest horror movie you have ever seen, or the best Stephen King adaptation either.

Directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption)

* * *

The Mist Trailer

Here is a trailer for The Mist, a decent movie, with a great ending.

The Graduate - Mrs. Robinson seduction scene

"Are you here for an affair, sir?" (The Graduate review)

The Graduate

* * * *

The Graduate was a film that surprised me in more than one way. First I would have never expected it to be funny. The film deals with an affair, but it does so in a very comedic way. I laughed so hard during the film, that I completely forgot it was a film from 1967. I didn’t know they could make them that funny back then. The second thing and perhaps the most important thing that I look for in a movie that surprised me about The Graduate was the acting. I have a very hard time watching movies older than 1980, simply because the acting is usually not to par with today’s acting. This film had wonderful performances from both Dustin Hoffman, and Anne Bancroft. Dustin Hoffman does a very good job at playing the often distanced Benjamin who doesn’t quite know what he wants to do in life. Anne Bancroft delivers a truly seductive performance as Mrs. Robinson, but is well metamorphosed into the antagonist once she learns that Benjamin wants to date her daughter. She goes from being the ideal sexy cougar, to a rather evil woman willing to do anything to stop Benjamin from seeing her daughter anymore.

One part of the movie that I found very delightful was the editing. I don’t I have quite seen a movie with such innovative editing as this one. My favorite scene is still the one in which Mrs. Robinson walks in the room nude and tells Benjamin that she is there for him for whenever he needs to. Now the innovative part about that scene and what I though to be the highlight of the film for me was the way they edited the scene. We know that Mrs. Robinson is nude, and yet we don’t get to see anything. Well sort of, as she stands in front of Benjamin, we get to see flashes of her breasts, but for only a fraction of a second, which is enough to show, but with a very suggestive feeling to it. There are wonderful pieces of editing throughout the entire movie.

Another equally innovative aspect, that I have seen in other movies but was quite never aware of was the advance sound editing. The start of a sound at the end of one scene from the beginning of the next scene works very well for transitioning from scene to scene. I thought that was very innovative, and smart. Suddenly I started seeing film resemble other mediums. Film, with The Graduate, suddenly became like literature filled with literary devices engineered to work magic. I loved The Graduate, and while it’s not the best movie I have ever seen, the ending was quite not certain for me, I have huge appreciation for it. This may not be my favorite Mike Nichols movie, that belongs to Closer, but I see why the director is such a respectable figure in the film industry. Of course he’s been nominated for five Academy Awards, and actually won Best Director for The Graduate.

As innovative as The Graduate is, it still at some point becomes another picture fitting of the Classical Hollywood Cinema. It starts out very existentialist, and suddenly as our lead character develops a goal, to be with Mrs. Robinson’s daughter Elaine, the film starts falling into the system. Our protagonist suddenly becomes goal oriented, and Mrs. Robinson willing to stop this at any cost becomes a clear antagonist. The conflict escalates when Elaine finds out about Benjamin’s romance with her mother, and then it all follows the conventions of the Classical Hollywood Cinema. Benjamin goes after her, and is confronted with obstacle after obstacle only to end epically (climax) with him running away with Elaine on her wedding day to some other guy. Through all this the film is full with innovative camera use, brilliant editing, and that wonderful technique of sound advance. There is definitely more to The Graduate than one would normally think.

Everyone watch this iconic film, it will be one of the most unforgettable experiences you have.



"Nobody Likes It From The Can" (Pieces Of April review)

Pieces of April

* * * *

Seeking to watch more films that have been nominated for an Academy Award, I stumbled upon a clip from Patricia Clarkson’s nomination for Pieces Of April, and I instantly knew this would be a different kind of film than I’m used to watching.

Pieces Of April is a comedy about a young woman living in New York preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for her family, who expects a total disaster. The family more than willingly take for the road to a Thanksgiving unlike they have ever had. April (Katie Holmes) is the black sheep of the family, she has never cooked anything let alone a turkey, but is willing to do anything to make her family happy and have a good Thanksgiving for a change. Things don’t quite go as planned when she fins out her oven is not working, and she realizes that she will have to depend on the help from those around her, strangers.

I loved this movie for it’s blend of humor with slight drama. I would consider this a feel good movie but one that doesn’t call too much attention to whatever is feel good about it. This is a subtle comedy, and a simple movie with great performances. Katie Holmes is unlike I have ever seen her before, she plays this role of the black sheep trying to cook so well. Still, the best part about this film is Patricia Clarkson who plays the mother, Joy. She plays a mother who expects nothing from her daughter April, and at the same time is battling disease. Her expressions in this film are that of a woman who is distant yet comments on things with an unlikely sense of humor. She is wonderful in this movie and what really called my attention to it.

Pieces Of April owns up to that saying that if anything can go wrong it will go wrong. That is exactly what happens here. As the clock ticks and the family reaches their destination, our lead character April is faced with a new problem in her quest to make the perfect Thanksgiving traditional dinner. Everything goes wrong in this movie, but thanks to good people, it all turns out exactly fine in the end. This is about making the perfect family memory, with the most imperfect family in the picture.

Pieces of April (2003) HQ trailer