Does anyone know particularly why this hasn't gotten a US release? I rarely hear a negative opinion of this movie. Not many people remember the movie by name but once you mention that Chap Stick scene, most people remember. I could see Shout Factory doing a solid release of this.
Does anyone know particularly why this hasn't gotten a US release? I rarely hear a negative opinion of this movie. Not many people remember the movie by name but once you mention that Chap Stick scene, most people remember. I could see Shout Factory doing a solid release of this.
The other frustrating thing is this got a German BD release quite a few years ago, however it has forced German subs on it.
Add me to the list of collectors that want a US release. I have the Australian import, but the quality isn't that great. No subtitle option or lossless audio. Maybe Scream Factory could get it. They have quite a few titles from Sony coming up in the next few months.
The way Indrid Cold says 'chapstick' over the phone still creeps me out.
With Mothman sightings currently being reported in Chicago, I decided to revisit 2002’s THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES last night. My initial viewing of director Mark Pellington’s film was probably eight or nine years ago and my appreciation for it has only grown over time. Though it’s ostensibly based on true events, there are obvious fictionalizations present before even considering the supernatural elements. However, the veracity of the story has absolutely zero to do with its effectiveness to thrill and entertain.
After the tragic death of his wife, Mary (Debra Messing at the height of her WILL & GRACE fame), respected Washington Post journalist John Klein (everyman Richard Gere) finds himself beset by mysterious circumstances in sleepy Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He stumbles into the situation when he’s accosted by Gordon Smallwood (salt of the earth Will Patton). Officer Connie Mills (warm and witty Laura Linney) defuses the situation and eventually relays the rash of strange occurrences plaguing the town. Most involve sightings of a flying humanoid creature. Klein connects the situation to some troubling elements surrounding his wife’s death and becomes obsessed. Gordon seemingly begins receiving predictions from the creature, which calls itself Indrid Cold. When they come true and when Klein himself begins to be targeted by the creature’s ambiguous attentions, the typically rational writer has to grapple with the possibility that they’re dealing with a being that’s outside of our understanding. Alan Bates also has a significant supporting role as an expert on the supernatural and who has a personal connection to the Mothman.
Performances are all pretty naturalistic and believable. Patton gets the most showy role as the slightly disturbed factory worker, with Gere and Linney performing more nuanced heavy lifting. I haven’t read John Keel’s source book, but Richard Hatem’s script is a fine piece of work. Lingering on Klein’s grief and wrapping it in the supernatural mystery elements adds to the pronounced realism, cloaking the impossible in a decided humanity. Additionally, the folklore is filtered through a modern, almost sci fi, approach. Much use is made of phones, electromagnetic impulses, scientific impossibilities, and the motivations of advanced beings. Notably, Indrid Cold is posited as a sort of extra dimensional entity, a type of being much less cinematically explored than ghosts or alien, which adds to the film’s distinctive appeal. The piece never goes full on creature feature horror flick, instead opting to use select genre shards and dropping them into a psychological thriller milieu. This is another of the many unique flavors the film provides.
Pellington cultivates an eerie atmosphere, though while not exactly suffocating, it nevertheless blankets the film in a light glaze of dread. The film’s not flashy, but it does have a stylish presentation bordering on almost surrealist moments. Transitions involving television static, blurred out of focus lights, and clever match cuts assist in creating an uneasy tone. Fred Murphy’s thoughtfully composed camerawork furthers that effort as well. Filled with disorientating closeups, stalking handheld sequences, swooping aerial and crane photography, and voyeuristic high angle shots, the lensing works hand in hand with Brian Berdan’s editing to make the film look not only slickly classy, but also to imbue the visuals with otherworldly presence. The location shooting also brings a tactile authenticity to the proceedings with Pittsburgh and rural Pennsylvania doubling for Chicago and rural West Virginia. The small town backdrop in particular brings a lived-in quality. The overall effort is a chilly one, with characters acknowledging the wintery setting. Electronic composers tomandandy provide the perfect compliment to the film’s visual and tonal sensibilities with an atmospheric and dissonant score. Their collaboration (titled “Half Light”) with minimalist indy rockers Low that plays over the closing credits is a cool and catchy track.
Most of the film’s 119 minute runtime is focused on slow burn tension and teasing out creepy revelations. The film’s climax explodes into chaos, though, in a nicely staged set piece. Without giving anything away, the relatively large-scale destruction on display is captured in-camera with real breaking glass, twisted metal, and shattered concrete. The finale brings home the hopelessness and inevitability our characters face, keying in on the subtext of fate or determinism invoked by Indrid Cold’s prophetic utterances of “I’ll see you in time.” The mayhem is cathartic while retaining its human impact, wrapping up the narrative in a way that’s inconclusive but not unsatisfying.
I love Mark Pellington’s THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES. It features a creature with an interesting and unique mythology, a stylish presentation, and some genuinely hair-raising moments (the bit where Klein converses with Indrid Cold on the phone is excellent). I’d forgotten that the story takes place around Christmas, making it a seasonally appropriate watch, too. I don’t think it’s unfair to label the movie as a bit of a hidden gem and I highly recommend it for fans of modern folklore, unexplainable phenomena, and atmospheric thrillers.
Great review of TMP, Splatterpunk. I first saw this film in the theater back in 2002, and it remains one of the most unsettling, disturbing & genuinely scary films I've seen as a adult. Definitely one of Gere's best films, and is very underrated these days.
Great review of TMP, Splatterpunk. I first saw this film in the theater back in 2002, and it remains one of the most unsettling, disturbing & genuinely scary films I've seen as a adult. Definitely one of Gere's best films, and is very underrated these days.
I love the investigative aspect of it, it's almost noir-like as Gere follows the trail. I've held off on both the Australian release (poor quality apparently) and the German release (hard subs). Surely being a Sony property and a horror film you'd think somebody would have picked it up long ago. It's a terrific film, as you say, genuinely unsettling and creepy.
Great review of TMP, Splatterpunk. I first saw this film in the theater back in 2002, and it remains one of the most unsettling, disturbing & genuinely scary films I've seen as a adult. Definitely one of Gere's best films, and is very underrated these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lemonski
I love the investigative aspect of it, it's almost noir-like as Gere follows the trail. I've held off on both the Australian release (poor quality apparently) and the German release (hard subs). Surely being a Sony property and a horror film you'd think somebody would have picked it up long ago. It's a terrific film, as you say, genuinely unsettling and creepy.
Interest in the Mothman has certainly grown over the years, too, so I’m surprised as well that this has never gotten a domestic release. Point Pleasant is only about a two hour drive from me and they have a festival celebrating the Mothman every year. I’ve never been but I hope to check it out next year.
Interest in the Mothman has certainly grown over the years, too, so I’m surprised as well that this has never gotten a domestic release. Point Pleasant is only about a two hour drive from me and they have a festival celebrating the Mothman every year. I’ve never been but I hope to check it out next year.
The Mothman Prophecies and Soderbergh’s Solaris are two films that get better over time. And although they’re not at all alike, there’s a vibe that’s similar and calming while being creepy as hell
The Mothman Prophecies and Soderbergh’s Solaris are two films that get better over time. And although they’re not at all alike, there’s a vibe that’s similar and calming while being creepy as hell
Agree - the otherwordly, unsettling vibes of both films are similar. Thanks for the reminder re: Soderbergh's Solaris (2002). I actually find this superior to the original - and the original was amazing. Need to do a re-watch of a lot of Soderbergh's films next year, and this will be on the top of my list.
So happy to have grabbed the Australian blu off of Amazon with Prime! Earlier in the year I could not find this for a decent price anywhere. Such an underrated, unsettling movie
What is the likelihood of this movie coming out on Blu-ray in the U.S.? I see that it came out in May of this year in Australia, I believe. But what about here?
Strangely enough Best Buy claims to have it in stock with the exact same release date as the Australian release of 5/6/16:
What is this? I didn't know Best Buy sold imports. Just trying to figure out my best way to buy this.
Hi,
I also just don't understand why 'The Mothman Prophecies.' (my favourite film) hasn't had a release in either the U.S. or the UK!
We're still stuck with either the German release which has forced subtitles with the English language soundtrack, or the Australian version which has only so-so picture quality and which still has forced subtitles in a couple of random places.
'The Mothman Prophecies.' stars Richard Gere and Laura Linney (i.e. big stars!) and a host of great character actors, so it makes absolutely no sense to me that one of the big studios hasn't released it on blu ray in English speaking countries. Personally I think it even deserves a 4K release!!
So happy to have grabbed the Australian blu off of Amazon with Prime! Earlier in the year I could not find this for a decent price anywhere. Such an underrated, unsettling movie
Does anyone know who owns the blu ray rights to 'The Mothman Prophecies.'?
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