The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Steve46]

Continuing my 100 movies series:

60. The Mist (2007)
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller, 126 minutes
Directed by Frank Darabont
Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones



Frank Darabont hasn’t directed many movies, but three of them are in my collection. The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are both adapted from Stephen King stories and so is The Mist. Despite its lower budget, The Mist is another strong entry from Darabont.

The thing I like about Stephen King is that most story elements are based in the real world. We can identify with the type of town and the characters who inhabit it, but he usually changes one or two things to transport us into another world. In this instance, the other element is the mist. We learn that it has leaked through from an entrance to another dimension, along with some of the creatures from that reality.

The exposition is handled well and draws the viewer into the situation. After a brief description of David Drayton’s (Jane) home life, he travels into town with his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) and neighbor Brent Norton (Andre Braugher). While the three are shopping in the local supermarket, a man runs in with blood on his face warning that there’s something in the mist.

Some of my favorite stories examine what happens when society breaks down. Stephen King seems to enjoy writing about it too. The Stand is one of the best novels dealing with the psychological effects of a catastrophe and The Mist delves into the same territory. Imagine the situation: you’re in a store and a mist descends outside. A man runs in injured and shouts a warning. Do you listen, or do you ignore the warning and assume it’s a natural phenomenon?

Some people are deeply rooted in routines. They know how much they earn and live one or two paychecks away from disaster. Their routine means that they rarely have to think about anything out of the ordinary. They may excel in one or two known situations, but be completely out of their depth when facing the unknown. That’s when we see who the real leaders are. Who will crumble and who will adapt and remain calm under pressure? Will anyone lose touch with reality completely and start behaving in unpredictable ways? Would you steal to feed your family or kill to protect someone? The Mist shows what happens in just such a situation. The results are interesting to say the least.

My favorite character is Ollie (Jones), the assistant manager of the store. He’s a great example of how people are not always what they seem. Looking like an older version of Radar O’Reilly, he’s able to step up and make a difference in a crisis.

Darabont doesn’t spend a fortune on special effects, but the result is convincing to me. As the story unfolds, we see a variety of creatures. Some of them are close to creatures we know while others are like nothing we have ever seen.

Another interesting choice from Darabont is the use of sound in the movie. Most entries in this genre would feature music heavily during every action scene. Darabont chooses to just show the events as they happen without trying to influence our mood with music. There are a few muted sound effects for most of the movie, but nothing more. The result is that we are drawn into the situation even more as if we are left alone to think about how we would handle the situation. The one exception is in the last few minutes of the story when The Host of Seraphim (Dead Can Dance) is played during a pivotal scene. Its impact is greatly enhanced due to the absence of music in the remainder of the movie.

Darabont changes King’s original ending. It’s a brave choice and will annoy a lot of people. King remarked that he wishes he had thought of it. It’s a resolution of sorts and it’s certainly not typical Hollywood fare.

Darabont's films appeal to me because he isn't in a rush to tell the story. Scenes have greater meaning because the characters are established in our minds. If you think about Red in The Shawshank Redemption or Paul Edgecomb in The Green Mile, their actions seem authentic based on what we know about their characters. The same is true of David Drayton in The Mist. He's a rational man who cares about his family. His instincts are to protect people, but he won't rush into things without thinking. Darabont's world is perfectly crafted and everything fits.

If you like The Mist:

I have mentioned The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Although they are not horror stories, Darabont's style is all over them. It's likely that you would enjoy both if you like The Mist. Darabont also created The Walking Dead TV series and directed Season 1. It's well worth a look if you like the way he introduces his worlds.

You may have noticed that this 100 movies series includes very little horror. That's because I prefer psychological horror over gore, action and shocks, and there aren't many good options. The Mist feels like a throwback to classic horror and movies which have a similar feel include The Exorcist and The Omen. Both were made in the 1970s and are set in the real world. Like The Mist, the two stories take the time to develop the characters. You won't see much action, but the stories draw you in and make you care about the outcome.

[Diesel]

For the first time in a long time...I'm about to pull a movie off my shelf and watch it

Just have to decide between

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Avatar
I Am Legend
The Mask of Zorro
and Reign of Fire

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Diesel

For the first time in a long time...I'm about to pull a movie off my shelf and watch it

Just have to decide between

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Avatar
I Am Legend
The Mask of Zorro
and Reign of Fire

I Am Legend

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Continuing my 100 movies series:

60. The Mist (2007)

[Show spoiler]Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller, 126 minutes
Directed by Frank Darabont
Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones



Frank Darabont hasn’t directed many movies, but three of them are in my collection. The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are both adapted from Stephen King stories and so is The Mist. Despite its lower budget, The Mist is another strong entry from Darabont.

The thing I like about Stephen King is that most story elements are based in the real world. We can identify with the type of town and the characters who inhabit it, but he usually changes one or two things to transport us into another world. In this instance, the other element is the mist. We learn that it has leaked through from an entrance to another dimension, along with some of the creatures from that reality.

The exposition is handled well and draws the viewer into the situation. After a brief description of David Drayton’s (Jane) home life, he travels into town with his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) and neighbor Brent Norton (Andre Braugher). While the three are shopping in the local supermarket, a man runs in with blood on his face warning that there’s something in the mist.

Some of my favorite stories examine what happens when society breaks down. Stephen King seems to enjoy writing about it too. The Stand is one of the best novels dealing with the psychological effects of a catastrophe and The Mist delves into the same territory. Imagine the situation: you’re in a store and a mist descends outside. A man runs in injured and shouts a warning. Do you listen, or do you ignore the warning and assume it’s a natural phenomenon?

Some people are deeply rooted in routines. They know how much they earn and live one or two paychecks away from disaster. Their routine means that they rarely have to think about anything out of the ordinary. They may excel in one or two known situations, but be completely out of their depth when facing the unknown. That’s when we see who the real leaders are. Who will crumble and who will adapt and remain calm under pressure? Will anyone lose touch with reality completely and start behaving in unpredictable ways? Would you steal to feed your family or kill to protect someone? The Mist shows what happens in just such a situation. The results are interesting to say the least.

My favorite character is Ollie (Jones), the assistant manager of the store. He’s a great example of how people are not always what they seem. Looking like an older version of Radar O’Reilly, he’s able to step up and make a difference in a crisis.

Darabont doesn’t spend a fortune on special effects, but the result is convincing to me. As the story unfolds, we see a variety of creatures. Some of them are close to creatures we know while others are like nothing we have ever seen.

Another interesting choice from Darabont is the use of sound in the movie. Most entries in this genre would feature music heavily during every action scene. Darabont chooses to just show the events as they happen without trying to influence our mood with music. There are a few muted sound effects for most of the movie, but nothing more. The result is that we are drawn into the situation even more as if we are left alone to think about how we would handle the situation. The one exception is in the last few minutes of the story when The Host of Seraphim (Dead Can Dance) is played during a pivotal scene. Its impact is greatly enhanced due to the absence of music in the remainder of the movie.

Darabont changes King’s original ending. It’s a brave choice and will annoy a lot of people. King remarked that he wishes he had thought of it. It’s a resolution of sorts and it’s certainly not typical Hollywood fare.

Darabont's films appeal to me because he isn't in a rush to tell the story. Scenes have greater meaning because the characters are established in our minds. If you think about Red in The Shawshank Redemption or Paul Edgecomb in The Green Mile, their actions seem authentic based on what we know about their characters. The same is true of David Drayton in The Mist. He's a rational man who cares about his family. His instincts are to protect people, but he won't rush into things without thinking. Darabont's world is perfectly crafted and everything fits.

If you like The Mist:

I have mentioned The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Although they are not horror stories, Darabont's style is all over them. It's likely that you would enjoy both if you like The Mist. Darabont also created The Walking Dead TV series and directed Season 1. It's well worth a look if you like the way he introduces his worlds.

You may have noticed that this 100 movies series includes very little horror. That's because I prefer psychological horror over gore, action and shocks, and there aren't many good options. The Mist feels like a throwback to classic horror and movies which have a similar feel include The Exorcist and The Omen. Both were made in the 1970s and are set in the real world. Like The Mist, the two stories take the time to develop the characters. You won't see much action, but the stories draw you in and make you care about the outcome.

51 seen, 44 liked.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

[/SPOILER]

51 seen, 44 liked.

Pretty cool

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Pretty cool

And I am 99% sure that I would like 80% of the ones that I have not seen.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Diesel

For the first time in a long time...I'm about to pull a movie off my shelf and watch it

Just have to decide between

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Avatar
I Am Legend
The Mask of Zorro
and Reign of Fire

"Avatar!!!"

Originally Posted by Foggy

I Am Legend

Or that one!!!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Diesel

For the first time in a long time...I'm about to pull a movie off my shelf and watch it

Just have to decide between

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Avatar
I Am Legend
The Mask of Zorro
and Reign of Fire

not giving me much to work with

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

And I am 99% sure that I would like 80% of the ones that I have not seen.

We do seem to have very similar tastes.

"He's got a 50-50 chance of living, but only a 10 percent of that."

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I Am Legend

I watched the first hour or so of Avatar...but I turned it off to switch movies
Of the 5 or 6 times I've put that movie on since I bought it, I think I've only finished it twice. I do enjoy it...but I rarely make it through the entire thing

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

"Avatar!!!"



Or that one!!!

Originally Posted by surfdude12

not giving me much to work with

I could have thrown in The Dark Knight

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I watched the first hour or so of Avatar...but I turned it off to switch movies
Of the 5 or 6 times I've put that movie on since I bought it, I think I've only finished it twice. I do enjoy it...but I rarely make it through the entire thing







I could have thrown in The Dark Knight

I agree, Avatar's a harder watch on Home Entertainment compared to the cinema, must be due to the fact you can most of the time be doing something else

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I agree, Avatar's a harder watch on Home Entertainment compared to the cinema, must be due to the fact you can most of the time be doing something else

Now if Arnold was walking around with a grenade launcher...then it would command my attention

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Continuing my 100 movies series:

60. The Mist (2007)
.

uh oh! time to open this can of worms again. I need to finish my second viewing of this. Squid and I got into an interesting chat. I thought there was an interesting irony with

[Show spoiler](1) the film portraying the religious lady as a wackjob by suggesting a mass execution, (2) the Dad & Co. leaving the store because of the wackjob mass execution suggestions, and (3) the Dad & Co. subsequently engaging in mass execution, and thus the Dad adopting this wackjob's suggestions!

no no Squid pointed out that

[Show spoiler]the Dad was going on logic and reason by leaving the store, by finding out firsthand if they could survive before resorting to (what he thought) was a last resort. his act of killing everyone was an act of compassion/love, since he spared them certain torture, being eaten alive, etc

.

great film

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

not giving me much to work with

[Show spoiler]Departures?

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I could have thrown in The Dark Knight

I love it! a year or 2 later and I'm still unforgiven for that 3/5 rating!

how about:

Pitch Black
Underworld (beckinsale + black leather + fangs + 2 pistols = no contest)
28 Days Later (far better than "I am Loser")

edit: I have new recommendation for Diesel: There Will Be Blood. I want to read his RAGE review again, where he said "I wanted that guy's head to get smashed in - I was so happy when that happened...." one of the greatest reviews in the history of blu-ray.com!!!!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

[Show spoiler]Departures?

I know I know! I have Departures, Snow Walker and Kite Runner at home!!

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I love it! a year or 2 later and I'm still unforgiven for that 3/5 rating!

Surely I don't know what you mean

how about:

Pitch Black
Underworld (beckinsale + black leather + fangs + 2 pistols = no contest)
28 Days Later (far better than "I am Loser")

I can't watch Underworld during the day...that would be like being completely clean shaven and watching LOST


I was going to listen to the suggestions for I Am Legend...but I'm in a good mood, so I don't want to bum myself out with the

[Show spoiler]Sam killing

scene...so I'll go with Curse of the Black Pearl.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I can't watch Underworld during the day...that would be like being completely clean shaven and watching LOST

I told some friend of mien who is a LOST freak how I know a dude who watched 4 seasons of LOST in 10 days. Can't remember the exact # seasons you watched in how many days, but it was something like that. My friend was like "that's crazy - did he even sleep?"

I was going to listen to the suggestions for I Am Legend...but I'm in a good mood, so I don't want to bum myself out with the

[Show spoiler]Sam killing

scene...so I'll go with Curse of the Black Pearl.

I liked the first PIrates film.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

:28 Days Later (far better than "I am Loser")

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I know I know! I have Departures, Snow Walker and Kite Runner at home!!