| Author | Message | ||
     Mick (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 85.158.137.195 |
Saw this last night and was very impressed - not perfect by any means, but certainly one of the best King adaptations I've seen, and a recommendation for all. | ||
| Richard_gavin (Richard_gavin) Username: Richard_gavin Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 65.110.174.71 |
I enjoyed The Mist as well. It was tedious at points, but there were some moments that truly conveyed what HPL would've referred to as "cyclopean" horror. Mick: Were you also shocked by Frank Darabont's new ending? I thought it was vastly superior to King's original closing. Best, Richard | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.83 |
I'm looking forward to seeing this one. I always suspected it would make a decent film, and Darabont hasn't let me down yet. | ||
| Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey) Username: Ramsey Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.93.21.100 |
Apparently the American DVD includes Darabont's preferred version, which is in black and white. | ||
| Mick (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 85.158.137.195 |
Richard - yes, I did find the ending quite shocking. I need to re-read it, as I've not read the tale for twenty-five years or so. That monochrome version sounds intriguing, Ramsey - I'll try to pick that up and see how well it works. | ||
| Mick (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 85.158.137.195 |
Richard - yes, I was shocked at the penultimate scene, and loved that Lovecraftian feel towards the end. I'll try to get hold of that monochrome version, Ramsey - sounds interesting to say the least. | ||
| Mick (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 85.158.137.195 |
Double bubble! | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.244.30.22 |
I didn't like the new ending too much. I thought it was rather cheap. The original story is open-ended and I think it fits the apocalyptic nature of the story better. Indeed, a certain Lovecraftian feel at moments. The passing behemoth is impressive. | ||
| Barbara Rpden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 216.232.103.134 |
Looking forward to seeing the film; 'The Mist' is one of my favourite King novellas. | ||
| Barbara Roden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 216.232.103.134 |
Just caught the typo in my user profile name. Dreadful. . . . | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.21.189.60 |
Ah, "The Mist". I vividly recall the scene with the tentacles. Is that in the film? The original ending was a bit of a let-down imho. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.20.53.161 |
Saw this last night: damned good, and the scenes with Mrs Carmody were as scary as anything with the monsters. Didn't like the end at all. It was vulgar. But a good adaptation of a strong tale. | ||
| Mick (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 85.158.137.195 |
Mrs Carmody was an excellent, scary character. And yes the tentacles were there, Hubert, although I felt a great loss of tension when they were shown; I'm not a great tentacle fan! The big insects and flying pterodactyl things were effective... As for the ending, I thought the bit in the car was ok for the story, but not so much the very final resolution that came moments later. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.180.224 |
I'm hoping to see this on Friday. I wasn't very optimistic after seeing the trailer, which made the film look more like a Mick Garris film than something by Darabont, but I'm glad it's getting some positive reviews. I loved the original novella, which I read way back in '81 in DARK FORCES (the old battered paperback copy is still on my shelf). I first read Ramsey in this landmark anthology, too: 'The Brood'. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.21.189.60 |
And don't forget T.E.D. Klein's incredible "Children of the Kingdom", arguably the man's best story. And Karl Wagner's kudzu story, I forget the title. I sure hope the tentacles don't look as phoney as they do in the trailer . . . | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.180.224 |
Hubert, I absolutely agree - DARK FORCES is packed full of great stories: Dennis Etchison's 'The Late Shift' is another classic, and then there's Robert Bloch's 'The Night Before Christmas', Lisa Tuttle's 'Where the Stones Grow', Gene Wolfe's 'The Detective of Dreams', Wagner's 'Where the Summer Ends'... great stuff. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.15.190 |
Don't forget Joyce Carol Oates' "The Bingo Master." The woman is so damned prolific, that I avoid most of her work, falling subject to that old prejudice that if the writer's churning it out, it can't be that good. And yet, I've yet to read a single word of hers, that isn't inspired, masterful.... I think I avoid her work mostly because I'm intimidated - and frankly, overwhelmed by the anticipation of her artistry. You don't just casually toss Beethoven's 9th Symphony into the 8-track, on your way to the supermarket.... (Not to propel Oates to that stellar a level, but you know what I mean) | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.177.221 |
I know, Craig - it's impossible to keep up with her! The last novel of hers I read was either BLACK WATER or ZOMBIE, I think - I forget which. I don't like everything she's written, but much of it is good; her collections deserve a place in any horror fan's library, I think. NIGHT-SIDE, HAUNTED and THE COLLECTOR OF HEARTS are all on my shelves. I have yet to read her most recent collections, THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES and THE MUSEUM OF DR MOSES - anyone read these? | ||
| John_l_probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.209.204.66 |
I can't find any evidence of this getting a UK cinema release - is it out? I see the US DVD comes out tomorrow, though. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.83 |
My copy was posted today... | ||
| Mick (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 85.158.137.195 |
I have it on order on R1 DVD - the copy I saw the other night was on a pre-release disc, complete with timecode. Not sure if it's getting a UK cinema release though; I can't see a mention on the BBFC's site. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.198.116 |
It starts playing on the 28th here (Friday). I'm going to see it before deciding on whether or not to order the DVD - the black and white version sounds interesting! | ||
| Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 87.242.140.243 |
Three things I gotta do... 1/ Re-read The Mist....Must be 20 years at least .. 2/ See the film. 3/ Get to work Byeee! gcw | ||
| Karim Ghahwagi (Karim) Username: Karim Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 212.97.200.24 |
I enjoyed the film but I did not like the ending at all. It had a great old school feeling, but ultimatly it is not Darabont's best film. I liked the Dark Tower reference in the beginning. | ||
| Richard_gavin (Richard_gavin) Username: Richard_gavin Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 65.110.174.71 |
A black-and-white version of this film would look stunning. ***Minor spoilers ahead*** Tom: The passing behemoth was my favourite moment of the film. It conveyed more Lovecraftian awe than any of the tentacled beasties many automatically (and erroneously) equate with HPL. *That* scene in particular would be tremendous in black-and-white. I agree with Hubert on King's original ending. I don't see it as open-ended, but as simply petering out. I don't consider Darabont's ending cheap or exploitive. I found it shocking, heart-rending and surprisingly downbeat, particularly for a film that was produced through the Hollywood studio system by a name director. It conveyed a man reaching his breaking point during an otherworldly crisis. Perhaps the rampant talk of the End of Days had impacted this man more than he'd realized? Either way, for me the ending fit perfectly with the overall theme of The Mist. Best, Richard | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.244.142.189 |
> I liked the Dark Tower reference in the beginning. If I am not mistaken, another painting at the start (a man with white light "exploding" from his face) is a reference to the poster of "The Thing" - another prime example of tentacular goodness. > Tom: The passing behemoth was my favourite moment of the film. It conveyed more Lovecraftian awe than any of the tentacled beasties many automatically (and erroneously) equate with HPL. *That* scene in particular would be tremendous in black-and-white. Yes it would be tremendous in b&w IF the lighting & contrast are optimised for b&w... It was also my favourite moment of the movie. > I don't consider Darabont's ending cheap or exploitive. I found it shocking, heart-rending and surprisingly downbeat, particularly for a film that was produced through the Hollywood studio system by a name director. Well, it would have been ok for me if the movie ended at the dramatic moment just before the end, but I thought that the epilogue was a simplistic way to add extra shock value... | ||
| Richard_gavin (Richard_gavin) Username: Richard_gavin Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 65.92.55.66 |
I see your point, Tom. The dramatic moment (which I will not ruin for those who have yet to see this movie) was a potent punch, but I can understand how the little epilogue might disappoint some. Best, Richard | ||
| Mick (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.50.166 |
Well, it would have been ok for me if the movie ended at the dramatic moment just before the end That's exactly how I felt... | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.20.53.161 |
Moi, aussi. | ||
| Darren O. Godfrey (Darren_o_godfrey) Username: Darren_o_godfrey Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 207.200.116.133 |
When my daughters and I watched the film in the theater, they came away from it stunned and in tears. (I was a bit stunned as well, but mostly pleased.) Now they tell me whenever we watch the DVD, I am to stop the movie before the end and say something along the lines of: "And they lived happily ever after." I can understand that, I suppose. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.20.53.161 |
The whole ending just felt immensely cold, as if the mist and its denizens wasn't bleak enough. Possibly I'm missing some point, but I just didn't like it at all. Be interesting to hear what King thought: Pet Sematary aside, he isn't into that kind of negativity. He didn't like Se7en, for instance. None of this spoiled a potent movie, however. The scenes with Mrs Carmody are the bits that truly chilled me, setting the film over and above over most seige movies. It was basically a study of the effect of fear and aloneness and social breakdown on human behaviour. | ||
| Mick (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.50.166 |
"...but we'll need another sacrifice tomorrow night"! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.83 |
I don't consider Darabont's ending cheap or exploitive. I found it shocking, heart-rending and surprisingly downbeat, particularly for a film that was produced through the Hollywood studio system by a name director. I'm with you, Gavin. The end coda was bleak, heartbreaking, and left me feeling like shit. The implications of the ending are simply too horrific to contemplate - especially for the character. An awesome, awesome film, with a suprisingly fatalistic ending. | ||
| Richard_gavin (Richard_gavin) Username: Richard_gavin Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 65.110.174.71 |
Gary: Absolutely. I was so blind-sided by the father's actions that the memory of what we heard but did not actually see take place inside the vehicle rattled around in my head for days afterwards. Powerful stuff from what many were expecting to be a simple Hollywood monster flick. Best, Richard | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.83 |
The film gave me nightmares last night - the first tim ina long time a horror film has managed to do that. It's still in my head, that ending. The message seemed to be that even hope is hopeless. I can see why the film didn't break any box office records. It's almost anti-Speilberg: so harrowing and truly pessimistic, when folk were probably expecting a cheesy monster flick to enjoy with their popcorn. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.148.96.124 |
Ooh, it's good. But why released to audiences like some embarrassing fart or relative? Has it really done so badly? The ending was incredibly bleak, and yes, I can see why for some, vulgar, but it was also very powerful. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
The more time passes the more I love this film. Tony, I've heard its getting great reviews in the UK film press, despite the delayed release. | ||
| Jonathan (Jonathan) Username: Jonathan Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.143.178.131 |
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS I liked The Mist but I think it could have been a bit shorter and still had the impact. The religious nutter lady got on my tits after a while and I thought her build up to full blown nut box with army took too long. It was nice that there was another character in it who said he was a Christian but believed she was full of shit but not enough was made of that and he wasn't in the movie for long. Religious (usually female) nut jobs are a bit of a feature of King's fiction, mainly in the mid- to late eighties. The special effects were very good and the creatures were pretty scary. The cast was also pretty good overall. I think that you can read the ending in two ways. Either it's about the fact you should never give up hope or it's about the futility of hope. I'm thinking Darabont meant the former but you can read it both ways and that's the strength of the movie. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.148.96.124 |
I took the woman not to represent relgion but the media in a way, stirring people up, manipulating views. she was like an empty thing channeling bitter shit. And this is funny but one of the scariest bits for me was when she died and the 'goody' group ran away - I felt so anxious for those left, even though they were bad. It made me realise that a mad leader was better than no leader at all, for some people. Yes, this film grows in retrospect. I hope darabont does this again. Anyone know that he was inspired by 28 Days Later to do the film this way? |