The Mist

[Gail Simone]

I did not expect to love this movie. I saw some preview stuff at SDCC and despite a great director and some casting choices I admired, it just seemed like it was going to be another Stephen King dog of an adaptation.

It isn't. It's not perfect, no, but it is one hell of a story, and Thomas Jane shows acting skills I had NO idea he had. He completely sells not only his story, but most everyone else's. A great, paranoid feel pervades the entire running time, and it has a brave ending that really lingers.

Imaginative, otherworldly special effects help a lot, as does the over-the-top religious mania of the Mrs. Carmody character.

WAY better than expected, maybe the best horror film I've seen since Descent!

Gail

[Cam63]

Please tell me it didn't have Elmo in it.

[ForkedTongue]

I missed this in theaters. I'm putting it on my Netflix queue.

[Tobias March]

Hasn't come out here. Is this another flick that flopped in the States and so we'll not get to see it? (grrr...memories of Grindhouse)

[Cam63]

Use your lucky charms power, Irish.

[Tobias March]

Damn they're on the fritz!

[Cam63]

Rub harder !

[Tobias March]

it HURTS!!!

[Cam63]

Pain is good !

[BnL]

Use lube, that always helps.

[Tobias March]

Use lube, that always helps.

....we're not talking about the same thing anymore are we?

See this is why the Fairy Folk run screaming when you serial molesting foreigners show up on our shores. Shame SHAME!

[Cam63]

De Oirish fergive, but dey don' ferget.

[Tobias March]

Yer fookin' deid!

[Cam63]

T'reaten an Aussie !?

Dis won' end whale.

[DungeonmasterJim]

Shakes fist at Gail for ignoring MY 'The Mist' thread. :p


I loved this movie overall. I was so happy to see characters do the smart thing but still be challenged. Usually it's smart characters doing stupid things to further the plot.

I may be somewhat biased because I got to see it for free which is a nice bonus.

DM Jim

[bert]

BETTER than the Decent.

hell, Mist easily made my top 10 films this year. . .the feeling of dread, that just pervades the film, and gets stronger and stronger as it goes. . .

yeah, it's NOT "perfect" (and the ending, while I like it -- although I know there are those that don't -- fits the sense of helplessness and dread that the film has spent hours setting up (and how about that "Dark Tower" easter egg Darabont sneaks in towards the start of the film).

If the ending hadn't been so "ABRUPT" ( if the military had shown up HOURS later instead of immediatly after, I'd like it more and slightly unbelievable ( the woman who leaves the market to be home with her kids makes it with no trouble and everyone is safe? really???

yeah. . good stuff.

and there are a few threads on your board, and on the TV board discussing it (that lead to some interesting discussions). . .I'll try to find a couple to bump em so you won't have to search for em.

[Gail Simone]

I think the fact that the woman with the kids made it home is just the perfect final kick in the teeth, actually.

And what Dark Tower ref?

And Dungeonmaster, I avoid spoiler threads until I see the film in question and by then it was too late to find your thread. SORRY!

Gail

[bert]

I think the fact that the woman with the kids made it home is just the perfect final kick in the teeth, actually.

And what Dark Tower ref?

And Dungeonmaster, I avoid spoiler threads until I see the film in question and by then it was too late to find your thread. SORRY!

Gail


the painting he's working on (that gets ruined by the storm), is the cover art to a Dark Tower book!

as for the woman making it safely? Too much like "this ONE street has not been scarred by the attack. . and oh look! your son, who took off over a hill into a giant explosion made it here too. . without a scrape on him" crap that ruined the end of War of the Worlds for me)

[david r]

As Gail Simone posted, I was worried this would be another botched Stephen King movie. Luckily, they did a remarkable job filming one of King's best short stories. The Mist is one of his best adaptations.

I felt the special effects could have been better. When the tentacles appear in the loading dock, they looked a little cheap. But as the movie progresses, they get better.

Comparisons with John Carpenter's The Fog are obvious. But I would really compare this to Night of the Living Dead, with it's "society collapsing" plot and nightmare scenarios. Both work extremely well at building dread.

Then we come to the movie's ending........I give them credit for giving us a shocker. TWO shockers really. My only qualm was Stephen King's story left you thinking our world is doomed. Whereas the film version leaves you thinking the military is handling the disaster and things will be okay. I'm not sure I liked that change.

[Matt Doc Martin]

As Gail Simone posted, I was worried this would be another botched Stephen King movie. Luckily, they did a remarkable job filming one of King's best short stories. The Mist is one of his best adaptations.

I felt the special effects could have been better. When the tentacles appear in the loading dock, they looked a little cheap. But as the movie progresses, they get better.

Comparisons with John Carpenter's The Fog are obvious. But I would really compare this to Night of the Living Dead, with it's "society collapsing" plot and nightmare scenarios. Both work extremely well at building dread.

Then we come to the movie's ending........I give them credit for giving us a shocker. TWO shockers really. My only qualm was Stephen King's story left you thinking our world is doomed. Whereas the film version leaves you thinking the military is handling the disaster and things will be okay. I'm not sure I liked that change.

If the Bush administration has taught us anything, it is that the military cures all.

Now drink your Kool-Aid,

[david r]

Has anyone read the short story? In it, the Thomas Jane character has sex in a back-room with one of the women trapped in the grocery store. The stress of the horrible day's events leads them to need the release of physical contact.

I was expecting this to happen with Jane and the attractive blonde. But for some reason, the filmmakers cut this whole part out. I wonder why?

[Tobias March]

Has anyone read the short story? In it, the Thomas Jane character has sex in a back-room with one of the women trapped in the grocery store. The stress of the horrible day's events leads them to need the release of physical contact.

Ever read either the story or the comic of Joe Lansdale's The Drive In? It's messed up, but a very similar story.

[HomerJay]

I was expecting this to happen with Jane and the attractive blonde. But for some reason, the filmmakers cut this whole part out. I wonder why?
I think it was a very smart edit.
In the film, most people would have misunderstood it and it would have felt like a tacked-on love story element without the explanations that only come through in text.

I also think the ending could have worked slightly better if tweaked slightly. It would have been better to wait until dark begins to fall before they take the drastic steps they did. Otherwise, I have to agree that this was the best purely American horror film in over a decade, and it has a more intense impact if you're a father like me (in the written story, King sets it up immediately that this is a tale that preys on the male paternal instinct).

[cedardryad]

Let me 'borrow' my wife's screen name for the moment and say that I was really eager to watch this movie. I loved the book, and I enjoyed what previews I've seen on the cubed imaged device.

Unfortunately, I decided to skip out on the movie. Why? Well, for one it's a Stephen King movie. I like most of the guy's work, but his horror stories being translated to the television and movie medium hasn't always resulted in a good thing. Then there were changes that I feared would be added. Maybe a Hollywood ending. More fright moments and cheapened character moments.

Needless to say, I was bummed to hear about how entertaining this flick was. And now I'm here, left to wait for the DVD. Poo.

[bert]

Let me 'borrow' my wife's screen name for the moment and say that I was really eager to watch this movie. I loved the book, and I enjoyed what previews I've seen on the cubed imaged device.

Unfortunately, I decided to skip out on the movie. Why? Well, for one it's a Stephen King movie. I like most of the guy's work, but his horror stories being translated to the television and movie medium hasn't always resulted in a good thing. Then there were changes that I feared would be added. Maybe a Hollywood ending. More fright moments and cheapened character moments.

Needless to say, I was bummed to hear about how entertaining this flick was. And now I'm here, left to wait for the DVD. Poo.

ooo. . MISTAKE!

all you had to do was look at the director -- Darabont.

he's previously done two Stephen King adaptations: Shawshank Redemption, and the Green Mile. Generally considered the best two (Shining is GREAT, but tends to be really polarizing)

so I was sold on going to see it as soon as I heard he was the director.

Then I heard rumblings about the ending being changed. . .that really concerned me, but when I saw Stephen King comment (perhaps in his Entertainment Weekly column?) that he LOVED the new ending, and would have ended his story that way if he had thought of it?

we were there opening weekend.

too bad it didnt' make GOBS of money, but it does seem to have held on a bit, and is still playing in several places around town.

definately get the DVD when it comes out if it's not still playing by you.

it's good stuff.

[cedardryad]

All the theaters nearby seem focused on showing Sweeney Todd, AvP and Juno. I'll suck it up and wait the five or so months for the DVD.

Somehow I overlooked the director of the film. I'm presently puzzled by how I managed to miss it, but I suddenly feel like slapping myself for it.

Talks of the new ending scared me, too. Like I said above, I pictured a Hollywood ending of sorts where everyone ends up happy or something equally cheesy. I don't think anyone could blame me then. After spoiling myself to the new one(perhaps another fault), I was pleasantly surprised at the sound of it.

[The Zapper]

WAY better than expected, maybe the best horror film I've seen since Descent!


Now that's a recommendation that makes me want to see the movie.

[ElvisGuy]

Marcia Gay Harden was awesome as Mrs.Carmody !!

[david r]

The filmmakers stayed pretty close to the original Stephen King tale, and that is a rarity in Hollywood. This is probably why The Mist is so good.

The shot of the humongous four-legged creature walking over the survivor's truck, draped in mist and birds, is a shot I've longed to see on the big screen. Nice work, all-around.

[BnL]

The filmmakers stayed pretty close to the original Stephen King tale, and that is a rarity in Hollywood. This is probably why The Mist is so good.

I heard that after the movie version of The Shining diverged from the book in so many places, Stephen King has stipulated that he has to have final approval of all scripts adapted from his work.

Anyway, the movie sounds really cool. As someone else mentioned, there's a kind of Night of the Living Dead feel to the story, where the world is pretty much in upheaval, and it also has people confined to a small, tense environment for most of the film, which are things I loooove in horror movies. I haven't seen the movie yet, but it seems to be right up my alley.

[bert]

I heard that after the movie version of The Shining diverged from the book in so many places, Stephen King has stipulated that he has to have final approval of all scripts adapted from his work..

Oh, how I wish this were true. . but I don't believe it.

King has always been pretty clear on his stance that whatever the film ends up being, it hasn't "ruined" the novel, as the story is right there on the shelf if you want to pick it up and read it.

also adding creedence to this not being fact? that we get/have gotten so many shitty Stephen King movies since the Shining.




Anyway, the movie sounds really cool. As someone else mentioned, there's a kind of Night of the Living Dead feel to the story, where the world is pretty much in upheaval, and it also has people confined to a small, tense environment for most of the film, which are things I loooove in horror movies. I haven't seen the movie yet, but it seems to be right up my alley.

the Novella is pretty good too, although it's written in first person. . which makes it a slightly difficult read.

[Tobias March]

I heard that after the movie version of The Shining diverged from the book in so many places, Stephen King has stipulated that he has to have final approval of all scripts adapted from his work.

As I understand it he did direct his own version of the Shining, which was true to the book. And lo..it was plops.

[Gail Simone]

The television SHINING sucks on ice. The film is a modern masterwork. For once, PEOPLE magazine (I think it was) got it right when they said, it wasn't like a shock/slash horror film. It was more like a near miss car accident. You are too engrossed at the time to be properly horrified, but hours later you find yourself endlessly replaying the event and trembling.

Gail

[Pink Bat Maxine]

I heard that after the movie version of The Shining diverged from the book in so many places, Stephen King has stipulated that he has to have final approval of all scripts adapted from his work.

Bad move. Kubrick's version was genius.