The NZA Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 yeah, scream is tainted in my mind as well cause of all the follow-up shit about people knowing what i did or whatever. The Ring was gold, sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senshik Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 During the late 90s serial killer phase in american horror genre (scream 2-5 or whatever, I know what you did last summer flicks ), I remember thinking that we needed more films about paranormal ghost stories. And then came that phase (the ring, the grudge, and tons of Jap horror flicks). And now our phase is torture/pain - scare tactics. ( I know I'm generalizing). Hostel 2 wasn't as great as part 1, frankly I didn't enjoy it so much. I think it needed more violence, even though the main characters were women. I think they could've pushed the envelope a bit further... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aartemys Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Scream scared the bejeezus out of me when I saw it in theatres. Granted: a.) I was about 15 years old and b.) a chicken shit. Haven't seen Scream 2 or 3, nor have I seen I Know... 1 - 1,256 ... Come to think of it, they made Scream, felt as if they made gold then went ahead and remanufactured it so many times it became the equivalent of tin... I still won't watch it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted June 17, 2007 Author Share Posted June 17, 2007 How old were you when it came out? You're what around 18 now, so you woulda been 7. Scream breathed fresh air into a dying genre. Now you look back on it and yes it looks played out, but when it came out there was nothing like it before. Horror had gone stale, it was a dead genre. Then came a plethora of post-Scream self-referential suckfests. This has definitly taken some shine off of it, but still it's a solid film. If some of those PG-13 horror-lite pics they keep coming out with (DAMN YOU THE RING FOR BRINGING THIS ON!) were of it's standard it'd be a better day. I'm wanting to say I was 9 or 10. However, I've been watching horror movies since I was probably four. I would sneak out of bed and watch Jaws, Friday the 13th, The Exorcist, Duel, all those old classic 70s and 80s horror films in my Aladdin pajamas at 2 in the morning. I knew the horror genre, I appreciated the horror genre, and I saw the way that Scream took something that Friday the 13th had already been doing for a decade, make it somehow stupider, and play that out as an actual premise for a movie. Most of the Friday the 13ths were b-movie trash so it was acceptable, Scream was a parody of a parody that tried to be serious. Craven didn't really make any good movies post-Nightmare on Elm Street, he had several that were okay but not great. It also further crappified horror on the whole and there's almost nothing now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted June 17, 2007 Author Share Posted June 17, 2007 (edited) Fright Night 1985 Starring: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall Plot Summary: When Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale) recognizes a missing woman on the news as the date of his weird new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon) he soon finds out that Jerry is a vampire. Soon Jerry finds out and his Charlie's only hope for survival is the famous late night b-movie vampire hunter Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell) but Peter won't help and his friend Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys) and girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse) get wrapped up in Jerry's plan. Soon Charlie and Peter are forced to team up and try to kill that which they never thought existed, a real vampire. Vampire movies suck. As a general rule this is what I think of them. Why? Because most generally they do. I don't care how much people rave about Bram Stoker's Dracula, it was a piece of shit. Underworld was boring as fuck. And Interview With a Vampire was one of the most overrated movies I have ever seen. As Garth Ennis said, people have suddenly gotten too involved in the mythology and turning vampires into aristocratic assholes with fangs and they've detracted away from all they ever were to begin with, a really cool monster. Fright Night is true to the "really cool monsters" ideal. It's a typical gorey 80s popcorn flic. It doesn't try to be groundbreaking or inspirational. It plays out like an episode of Tales From the Crypt, not messing around with vampire origin, we know what they are, lets get to the bloody part already! Most of the performances are good. Chris Sarandon plays the part of the smug eligible bachelor who just happens to be a vampire quite well. There's times you even kind of believe that he isn't one when he's being convincing. Amanda Bearse (Best known as Marcy off of Married With Children) goes from dweeby teenage girl, to hottie, to one of the most horrifying looking vampires I've ever seen (Pre-From Dusk Till Dawn) It's a shame her career went absolutely nowhere after Married With Children ended. Roddy McDowell is a real scene stealer as the Peter Cushing-like Peter Vincent "VAMPIRE KILLER!" He really does come off as just some dorky English guy trying to play Sherlock Holmes meets Dracula and several of his scenes are a bit tongue-in-cheek. The weak parts lie in William Ragsdale, he's not horrible as Charlie but you just don't really care about his character that much. He's not terribly interesting or important and you just end up begging for more Peter Vincent. But the worst performance comes from Stephen Geoffrey's as "Evil" Ed, all his lines are spoken with way too much excitement and his voice sounds as though he's just finished exhaling after taking a long puff off of a joint. His lines are obnoxious and he never seems to be serious in the entire movie, it gets a bit annoying. The special effects are oldschool air bladders, melted crayon looking blood, foam rubber prosthetics, and Nickelodeon gameshow-looking goo. They are all over-the-top which is more than apt for this film. All in all, Fright Night is a lot of fun to watch. It's not a thinking-man's movie, it's not going to spark some sort of emotion within you. It's an 80's b-movie with vampires, nothing more, nothing less. I give Fright Night a 4 out of 5. Edited June 17, 2007 by Iambaytor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted June 17, 2007 Author Share Posted June 17, 2007 The People Under the Stairs 1991 Starring: Brandon Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie, and A.J. Langer Other Actors of Note: Ving Rhames, Sean Whalen, and Bill Cobbs Plot Summary: Fool (Brandon Adams) and his family are being evicted from their apartment because they can't pay the rent. They are the last family in the building and their landlord wants them evicted so he can tear down the building and build something more cost-effective in its place. That is when family friend Leroy (Ving Rhames) comes up with the bright idea of breaking into the landlord's house and stealing his collection of gold coins. Upon reaching the place they meat up with a mountain of a man (Everett McGill) and his somehow more fearsome female companion (Wendy Robie) and their abused and shut-in daughter Alice (A.J. Langer) but soon it is seen that there's a bit more than meets the eye going on in this house. It is filled with booby traps, a vicious dog, the man runs around the house in a gimp suit blasting the walls with a riot gun, and there are several strange people living in the basement. Fool needs to get out, but no one has ever escaped this house. I'm not a huge fan of Wes Craven and I never have been. I loved The Hills Have Eyes, Vampire in Brooklyn, Red Eye, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Everything else I've seen has been shit, there's been a few that were watchable (Serpent and the Rainbow, Swamp Thing, the Unrated version of Cursed) but nothing special. Mostly he does pretty horrible. People Under the Stairs was surprisingly good, I had barely heard about it but the premise sounded interesting so I decided to check it out. Most of the performances in this film are nothing above ordinary. The child protagonist (Brandon Adams), the black guy (Ving Rhames), the mute wild child (Sean Whalen), the wise grandfather (Bill Cobbs), and the battered daughter (A.J. Langer) are all played out in the same cookie-cutter fashion we've seen them in time and time again. The standout roles here are the man and the woman (Everett McGill and Wendy Robie) Wendy Robie plays a bitchy psychotic Ms. Bates type character. Sweet in public, a holy terror behind closed doors. In many ways her character is scarier than the hulking Everett McGill. Everett McGill however is the real scene-stealer. Charging around the house with either a shotgun or a hand cannon with a laser sight in full bondage gear blasting holes in the walls and dancing around hooping and hollering. He also seems to get hit in the head a lot, there's a great deal of slapstick comedy involved with his character and he's one of the more entertaining parts of the film. This movie isn't even straight horror in my opinion. It's a bit of an adventure movie with horror elements. But it is entertaining and exciting in parts. The ending is a bit eyerolling as it comes to a conspiracy about why inner-city black people are poor culminating with the line "So that's why there's no money in the ghetto" which just caused me to go into a fit of laughter. Either way this movie is a lot of fun. It's brutal, bloody, tense, funny, and overall just entertaining. But ultimately you could take it or leave it. For some it's a solid buy, others just a simple rental would do it. I give The People Under the Stairs a 3 out of 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jont Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Classic movie, more in common with the Goonies than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted June 17, 2007 Author Share Posted June 17, 2007 (edited) Primeval 2007 Starring: Dominic Purcell, Orlando Jones, Brooke Langton Plot Summary:Tim Manfrey (Dominic Purcell) is in a world of shit, accidently giving false information on a news story. So his boss sends he and his cameraman Steven Johnson (Orlando Jones) to Barundi to investigate a giant crocodile named Gustave (An actual existing animal) who has killed over 300 people with an animal journalist Aviva Masters (Brooke Langton) and a tree-hugging Crocodile Hunter wannabe (Gideon Emery) But the crocodile is the least of their problems as Barundi is a warzone, and when Steven gets a video of an execution they are caught between Gustave and the Barundi warlord "Little Gustave" struggling for survival. Ah, giant crocodile movies, there are so many great ones. There's Lake Placid and... uh... Crocodile? No that was stupid. Blood Surf? No. Oh, Crocodile 2... no that was actually worse... Lake Placid 2? No. Dinocroc? No.... OKay, the giant croc genre sucks more balls than a Taiwanese hooker. But I gave this movie a chance. It intrigued me, even if the previews were all lies. Plus hey, Lake Placid came out a while ago, we're bound to have a good one again soon, right? The characters aren't terribly two dimensional. Orlando Jones plays the typical one-liner delivering black guy and all the others we've seen in giant croc movies before. But the story is what really shines here. Dominic Purcell and Orlando Jones particularly have a great chemistry onscreen. The rest, while stereotypical are still interesting in their own ways. Most of the movie isn't even about the crocodile, it's about Barundi and the Civil War going on there, making you forget about the croc until it dives out of the water and tears somebody in half. During the points where Gustave appears, the movie is very tense. It becomes very clear that getting away from the water does not equal salvation. The attacks are quick and shocking, entirely unexpected. However it's the quickness of the attacks that hurts the film. Half the time you can barely tell what's going on because you just get a flash, you don't even really get a good look at Gustave till the last 15 minutes of the movie. And I don't mean that in the way that they did with Jaws, I mean they try to show you the croc, you're just unable to see it because it's on the screen for a tenth of a second. The movie gives that hopeless feeling of isolation and even tricks you a couple of times. It does what Lake Placid did and more. I give Primeval a 4 out of 5. Edited June 17, 2007 by Iambaytor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon 2007 Starring: Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Scott Wilson, Robert Englund Other Actors of note: Zelda Rubinstein, Kane Hodder Plot summary: Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Kreuger actually exist. Now the new up-and-coming serial killer Leslie Vernon hopes to make his appearance. Inviting a team of grad students to make a documentry on him he discusses symbolizm, preperation for his big night, and the process of supernatural killing. Remember all that shit people spouted about Scream? How it revitalized the slasher genre? How it was terribly original (because doing the same thing that's been done the last 20 years isn't original but when you make the characters actually know what a horror movie is? BOOM! Origingality ensues.) Yes well Behind the Mask actually does that. It's a horror movie disguised as a comedy/documentry. If Best in Show was about supernatural killing, this would be that movie. Most of the movie is the setup and you often wonder "why the hell are they filming this?" it seems very surreal but by the end it all makes sense. The cast is fairly decent for this movie but the real star is Nathan Baesel as Leslie Vernon. He's charismatic, smart, and very funny. Very unlike you would expect a killler to be and thus very much like a real serial killer. And when he turns into a cold, calculating, soulless killing machine it's entirely believable. Other notable appearances are Robert Englund as Leslie's Dr. Loomis-like psychiatrist/nemesis Dr. Halloran, Scott Wilson as his killing mentor Eugene, and Zelda Rubinstein of Poltergeist as a creepy librarian who is used to build atmosphere for the movie going on within the movie. For the most part the movie is a documentry and nobody really dies for the first hour and you begin to wonder why this is even considered a horror movie then in the last 40 minutes the documentry guise is cast aside and it delivers the horror and you realize that the movie has actually tricked you. This movie doesn't wollow in slasher movie conventions, it proudly embraces them. It does everything you can expect it to, people forget the rules even after Leslie has explained them. It is terribly predictable yet at the same time new and different. In the end. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon may well be the most original horror movie of all time. Upon reading the plot you may think it sounds somewhat like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer but there is no comparison. It's funny, thrilling, and at times maybe just a bit on the creepy side. I give Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon a 5 out of 5. Now go buy the fucking DVD! If you buy it at Circuit City you get a free behind the scenes disc of the upcoming NC-17 slashfest Hatchet. (Which looks to truly breathe new life into the slasher genre) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 whoah! ok, that one gets a viewing soon then, thanks baytor, never woulda heard of it otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Lindsay Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 nick, i told you about that a few months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted July 15, 2007 Author Share Posted July 15, 2007 1408 2007 Starring: John Cusack, Mary McCormack, Jasmine Jessica Anthony Other Actors of Note: Samuel L. Jackson, Tony Shalhoub Plot Summary: Mike Enslin (John Cusack) doesn't believe in much of anything. After the tragic death of his daughter (Jasmine Jessica Anthony) his writing career became a shell of its former self. He began writing books focusing on supposedly "real" haunted locations. Naturally he doesn't believe in phenomena of any kind. But one day he recieves a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel in New York telling him not to go in room 1408. The manager of the hotel (Samuel L. Jackson) does everything too dissuade him but Enslin is adamant, he will spend one night in room 1408. But soon he learns that an hour in the room is more than enough for any man. Stephen King book adaptations are hard. There are those that are good but entirely rape his work (The Shining, Children of the Corn, Graveyard Shift), those that are entirely faithful and suck (Riding the Bullet, Trucks), those that just suck (Maximum Overdrive, The Lawnmower Man) and then the rare few that seem to make everyone happy (Misery, Cujo, Carrie, Silver Bullet) The last time we saw a Stephen King adaptation in theatres was 2004's lackluster Secret Window starring Johnny Depp and John Turturro which was just overly meh. Fortunately 1408 is not only much better but I believe that it is the first film I've ever seen that truly captures the feel of King's writing. John Cusack plays the ideal Stephen King type of character. Average, sarcastic, and very normal in an abnormal way. If they ever decide to do a big budget remake of the Shining (fuck you Mick Garris) then my hope is for John Cusack to play Jack Taurrence. But beyond that there are times all throughout this film where you actually believe every word that Cusack says, that he's imagining this, that he's hallucinating, that he's going out of his mind. He plays the part very convincingly. It starts out a little slow, showing one of Mike Enslin's other haunted hotels (actually a Bed and Breakfast) and a book signing. And then once he gets into the room it seems normal, the TV works, the mini bar. Everything seems very... normal. And you're a bit dissappointed, just as Mike is in the movie. Even as the strange events start occuring you wonder why in the hell this is supposed to be scary. But then, in the ultimate horror movie symbolism, once the first drop of blood is spilt, all hell breaks loose. This movie throws every trick in the book at the viewer. Shocks, creepy atmosphere, creepy music, surreal visions. Every thing it can do to give you chills, it does. You become as confused as Mike, wondering what's real and what isn't. You feel that feeling of desperation for him and when the oppurtunity presents itself you feel the same feeling of being trapped and wanting him to kill himself to end it but that same feeling of not wanting to let the room win. The fake ending didn't fool me but anyone not familiar with King's work will fall for it very easily and indeed it does almost fool you. All in all 1408 is a fun, spooky, thrilling movie and easily makes my list of favorite Stephen King adaptations. But the pacing is a little off and there are a few times when you feel a bit let down by some of the scares. I give 1408 a 4 out of 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogie Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Since you said its a 4 out of 5 it deserves a viewing, and later if I'm convinced I'm gonna buy it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted July 15, 2007 Author Share Posted July 15, 2007 I plan on buying it, and I was pretty unsure about it to begin with I hadn't got around to reading the story and based on the previews I wasn't interested, I watched it solely because I'm a King fan and watch all his adaptations whether I think they'll bastardize his work or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 glad you liked it, man - its the best horror movie ive seen in a while, i wanna see it again, personally. nick, i told you about that a few months ago. lies. youve not been home since like easter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Wow, third page down, I need to get on top of this shit. Masters of Horror: The Black Cat 2007 Starring: Jeffrey Combs Plot Summary: Edgar Allen Poe (Jeffrey Combs) is at the end of his rope. His poetry is not selling, he's broke, and he's making the descent into drunkenness. On top of this his wife is deathly ill and he has come down with a case of writer's block. During this time he is plagued by a devilish black cat that haunts his every move and cannot be gotten rid of. I know that this is technically not a horror movie, it's an episode of the TV show Masters of Horror on Showtime where a group of famous horror directors come together and each directs a one hour horror movie. But each episode is released on it's own DVD and it's good enough to warrant this review. First of all, forget all this overdone Hannibal Rising/Perfume Story of a Murder artsy horror shit. Art in movies is accidental, if you set out to make a masterpiece, you make a joke, if you set out to make the best movie you can, often times you make true art. The Black Cat is hands down the most beautiful horror movie I have ever seen in my life. The colors are bleached out, almost black and white. Except for two key colors, the dark crimson of blood, and the deep green of the cat's eyes. The show stopper here, as always, is the magnificent Jeffrey Combs. One of the finest actors of all time, firmly proving his salt here as you can barely even tell it's him. He wears a prosthetic nose and chin, and speaks in a Southern accent, he doesn't play Poe, for the hour that this movie runs, he IS Poe. The atmosphere of the movie is macabre and morbid, dark and yet somehow beautiful. I was in awe at how amazing the cinematography was. It takes the initiative that previous versions of the film cannot, adapting more closely to the story. It shows him actually gouge out the cat's eye with a pen knife and another big gore effect later in the film. Some claim it interrupts the atmosphere but The Black Cat was a truly horrifying story, so I feel it works. All in all it's a masterful work, the fact that this episode wasn't even nominated for an Emmy is a crime. It captures Poe's style of writing perfectly and Jeffrey Combs plays him so well you could scarcely tell the difference. The DVD is packed with extras and costs all of $10, 4 more than a rental. So what excuse do you have not to buy it? On a scale of one to ten this movie is easily a 20. But I don't do improper fractions. I give Masters of Horror: The Black Cat a 5 out of 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted August 15, 2007 Author Share Posted August 15, 2007 (edited) Dead-Alive 1992 Starring: Timothy Balme, Diana Penalver Other actors of note: Peter Jackson Plot Summary: Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme) is a good son, when his Mrs. Bates-like mother Vera (Elizabeth Moody) forbids him from seeing his "destined lover" Paquita (Diana Penalver) and even stalks him to the zoo, mistakenly getting bit by the rare Sumatran Rat Monkey, he takes care of her. Even after she dies and comes back as a bloodthirsty zombie and soon creates more zombies he takes care of her. But when his greedy Uncle Les (Ian Watkin) comes in and throws a party in Vera's house, all hell breaks loose. Before Peter Jackson made movies about Hobbits walking to volcanoes and giant gorillas climbing skyscrapers with foxy blonds he made movies about crazy New Zealand commandos killing aliens that look to turn human beings into fast food, muppet knockoffs that did heroin and filmed bondage porn. Dead-Alive (Titled Braindead everywhere else but due to a godawful 80s film the name had to be changed for US release) is Peter Jackson's third film. Like his previous two movies, it's a straight up splatter film. The acting isn't noteworthy, nor is the story, this movie's strong point lies in special effects. Dead-Alive is easily the goriest movie ever made, there is so much blood and guts that Jackson begins using these effects as cheap gags and gross-out humor. One of the more notable scenes involves a Catholic Priest with a chin that rivals Bruce Campbell jumping up onto a tomb proclaiming "This calls for some divine intervention" and then proceeding to dispatch 2 zombies with kung fu while shouting "I kick arse for the lord." Every character, even the bit characters, are entertaining to watch. Though Lionel's uncle Les is one of the funnier ones of the movie. His scenes with the zombie baby, baby Selwyn, are hilarious (and the only time that annoying little rug rat isn't irritating as hell) But the pinnacle of the film is in the last 30 minutes, we have a house full of party guests to become zombies (and they do), delivering with all manners of blood and gore and Lionel finally decides to take care of business. Because these zombies don't die from being shot in the head, no the only way to truly be rid of them is by grinding them to a fine paste. So Lionel busts into the main room, lawnmower strapped over his shoulders and tears shit up. This is easily the most memorable scene in the entire movie. Buckets upon buckets of red sludge are launched out everywhere. If you have a strong stomach, Dead-Alive is the ultimate popcorn zombie film and if you see it for what it is it's absolutely brilliant. I give Dead-Alive a 5 out of 5. Edited August 15, 2007 by Iambaytor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 man, 2 5/5's back to back, eh? i gotta hit up panch and go rent some shit, apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 Well to be fair I'm puling reviews out of my DVD collection so naturally I'm going to give them better scores because well... I like them. Reviews of Vacancy, Ginger Snaps, and In the Mouth of Madness forthcoming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamBitchtor Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Here's my review of every movie ever made -444444444 out of 5 because they were all made FUCKING SHITTY and they all FUCKING SUCK except Anchorman. it was pretty okay BUT EVERYTHING ELSE SUCKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 hey, so did "The Mist" turn out any good? its King, and im being told the ending's interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 Uh yeah, I'll bash out a proper review later today when I get back from class. I know I've let this thread slip but I'm working on a new angle that may make my life much easier if I can get it off the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 Stephen King's The Mist 2007 Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, William Sadler Plot Summary: After a violent storm attacks a town in Maine, an approaching cloud of mist appears the next morning. As the mist quickly envelops the area, a group of people get trapped in a local grocery store -among them, artist David Drayton and his five-year-old son. The people soon discover that within the mist lives numerous species of horrific, unworldly creatures that entered through an inter-dimensional rift, which may or may not have been caused by a nearby military base. As the world around them manifests into a literal hell-on-earth, the horrified citizens try desperately to survive this apocalyptic disaster. Of everything Stephen King has ever written, The Mist has to be my favorite. Sure you've got all your stories about vampires, and telekinetics, marauding gunslingers, and evil cars but to me his best story involved a small Maine town, a whole lot of fog, and Lovecraftian creatures. So naturally when I heard there would be a movie of The Mist I was both excited and worried. You know how you always have that one thing that you consider "yours" even though it's available to everyone else? Well I consider The Mist mine and if they pulled a Riding the Bullet with this I was gonna be pissed. Fortunately the director of this film is Frank Darabont creater of the two best Stephen King adaptations ever, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. And I am here to say that this is an even better adaptation than those films. This is the first time I've seen an adaptation of book where everything looked like I pictured it in my mind, sure Darabont did his usual bit of replacing white characters with black actors but just like with Morgan Freeman in the Shawshank Redemption it works well. Every character, every setting, even the monsters are just as I pictured them. Thomas Jane was born to play the part of David Drayton. He's stoic and strong but he's not the badass of the film, he's a normal guy and he plays the part brilliantly as a man who's clearly scared of what's going on around him but not willing to show it. But the shining star of the film is Marcia Gay Harden as the overly pious (and bitchy) Mrs. Carmody who is easily the most infuriating and caustic cunt to ever grace the silver screen. She is delightfully evil and easily the most hate-able character you'll ever see. The Mist, just like in the book, is not a monster movie. Sure you'll get your share of horrifying creatures courtesy of KNB Effects but the real monsters of this film are the other people in the store. This movie is a character study and a very good one at that. It's not afraid to show people at their worst and it's not afraid to pull any punches. By now many of you have probably heard about the ending. It is every bit as shocking and ballsy as everyone says. I promise you you won't see it coming. Another nice detail is on the two-disc special edition of the film. Disc 2 has the film in Black and White which enhances the overall quality and fright factor. It's gory, it's scary, and it's thought provoking and well-written, and it's not afraid to let bad things happen to good people. The Mist is easily one of the best horror films in the last 10 years and probably the best Stephen King adaptation to date. I give The Mist a 5 out of 5 only because 6 out of 5 is an improper fraction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Fortunately the director of this film is Frank Darabont creater of the two best Stephen King adaptations ever, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. stand by me is better then the green mile. the mist sounds good though, i might check it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 stand by me is better then the green mile. the mist sounds good though, i might check it out Pardon, that should be two "of" the best, not the two best. All Reiner's adaptations were the goods as well, it's a shame he stopped. Still I put this above that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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