A Happy Thanksgiving For The Mist
Happy Thanksgiving, Monsterfesters. It looks like it'll be happy, too, for all those involved in The Mist, which is garnering generally very favorable reviews. Rotten Tomatoes, the site that culls and averages reviews, has given it a healthy 70 percent positive rating. We like it, too: check out Ravenface's video feature and my interview, too.
The New York Times belly-ached about the moralizing in the movie, saying, "Until the monsters and the meaning start to emerge, this shivery story works your nerves far better than most recent horror does, largely because it knows that nothing scares moviegoers better than our own overactive, reactive imaginations. This is a film that knows how to make you jump in your seat simply by showing you next to nothing: It knows you’ll eagerly fill in the blanks all by your lonesome, genre-conditioned self."
The ending is quite a bold move, one that some don't completely appreciate. Says the Chicago Tribune, "As for that ending (very different from King's), well, it's certainly brave. It's probably braver than it is dramatically effective. But the film is absorbing, and by the time the ending arrives, you may be willing to cut it a break, as I was, even if Darabont's nervy resolution cuts the audience no break whatever."
Finally, the Seattle Times righteously says, "How do you approach horror when we've been living in a culture of fear for so long? The answer — or at least one of them — is that few things are scarier than superstition and ignorance trumping reason in dangerous times. That element, along with a knockout ending that'll make you say, "Whoa, they really went there," elevates the fairly familiar — if well-crafted — material into a ride worth taking. It'll look especially familiar to fans of the popular Silent Hill video games, which are said to have been inspired by King's 1980 story." Now the question is, can The Mist defeat Beowulf this weekend?
Now the question is, can The Mist defeat Beowulf this weekend?
I think so. I have heard terrible "word-of-mouth" reviews about Beowulf--that it's pretty to look at but there's not much story. There are a whole lot of movies coming out this weekend; I think the big movie The Mist will be up against will be Enchanted. With so many families around for Thanksgiving, I honestly think it's going to be a battle for the number 2 spot. You can't fight those Disney princesses. I'm seeing the Mist Saturday and I'm really excited.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody. :)
I agree with Court about the Disney Princesses and can't wait to see a review post about them!Susan Sarandon looks quite convincing as the Wicked Queen. Happy Thanksgiving, Goldberg.
As much as we might disagree with Disney films, at least you have to give them credit; they know how to make money. Money isn't everything, but man, it sure does help. Especially at the good ol' House of Mouse. Seriously though, that Enchanted film looks like a complete piece of s***. Hopefully The Mist has a shot at the position it so rightly deserves... #1!
Anyways - Happy Thanksgiving to all the Monsterfest Goatling's... and be safe and nice to others on Black Friday. I do have to say though, not much in the way of great deals this year, at least, for thing's that I'm interested in.
I saw The Mist yesterday and loved it. A lot better than 1408, which I thought was OK.
But lets don't kid ourselves... it's doesn't have a remote shot at #1. It's estimated to have done $2.05 million Wed night, placing it 6th. Enchanted did $8.15 mil for the record.
You diehard AMC Monster Fans(Cracker,Malice, Microwaved,Court, Joanna,Campblood,David, others,etc.) always amaze me with your facts. Does anyone here know what happened to Frank Peretti's House movie (thought it was being released this fall)???Liked seeing the Hitchcock classics on Thursday's lineup. Glad to see AMC held off a little (until Sunday?) before showing more of the Christmas classics. Like having a little space between the holidays. Plan on watching "Ruthless People"(comedy on Amc this weekend) for the first time. That sounds like it should be a horror movie!
You're welcome for the amazement. But you can only have this many facts when you're sometimes way too preoccupied with as what many have called Useless Information!
But at least I can put it to good use as a Goatling here at the AMC Monsterfest Blog!
And I enjoyed the hell out of Vertigo yesterday on AMC, I thought that was a brilliant bit of programming on AMC's side to give us something that wasn't necessarily a holiday classic to sink our teeth into before the bird!
So Microwaved, did you nuke your bird or just eat it raw? Vertigo's one of my favorites.
As much as I love to have bloody meat hanging from my jaws, ahem, the wife cooked it nicely in the oven.
Much to her grandmothers dismay who kept insisting she cook it to at least 190 degrees inside the cavity. Mind you safe eating temp is 165 degress.
It looks like we were all wrong. Based on the packed showing I went to, and how absolutely great I thought the movie was, I'm shocked.
Court, can you share what you liked most about Mist? Also I'm wondering if it would be okay for our 12-year-old to see? Noticed it's R. I honestly haven't read anything outside of the AMC box about it.
Welcome any thoughts. I know he won't see it with me if it has sexual content/too graphic.
There's really no sexual content at all, AX, other than a little bit of kissing. It's got some gore and such, but nothing really excessive, at least not to me. I saw the Alien films and things like that when I was about 12/13 and this certainly doesn't have as much blood and gore as those do. I also read The Mist novella for the first time around the same time, also.
The creatures are creepy and scary, but I'm terrified of spiders and creepy crawly things. Your son might just think they are cool.
There are some minor spoilers below:
What makes this scary are the people and what happens to them. They slowly begin to turn on each other and begin to behave in increasingly horrible ways. Mrs. Carmody is downright evil in her over the top religious zealotry, which is presented in a very negative manner. There are some suicides and deaths caused by the people which are very disturbing. There is also a lot of harsh language. That type of thing doesn't bother me but I know it does some people. It is very emotionally powerful and causes you to wonder how you would react if something like this happened-that was my reaction, anyway. The ending is shocking and audacious, frightening and bold. I loved it, but not everyone will. My friend and I sat in our seats for a good five minutes after the movie was over, really kind of trying to recover. We didn't stop talking about it for the rest of the day.
Sorry if I went a little too in-depth. If you think he will like it and can handle it, (I know as a 12 year old I would have been fine; but my sister was always very sensitive and at 12 this movie would have upset her badly and given her nightmares forever) I would take him to see it. I think if anything it will spark a lot of discussion that could be very interesting to talk about with him.
guys, this isn't a movie for a 12 year old - in my humble view anyway. heck, it kept me up all night and i'm an adult.
Yeah, ultimately it's up to you. That's why I went into some detail about it, and also said "if he can handle it". I think it's important to know that this is a disturbing and upsetting film, even though it is not because of the gore or sex. Every child is different; the movies that terrified me as a kid, my library kids now think are totally lame.
I was not always allowed to see scary movies when I was young, but I had free reign on books. The Mist scared me and I have been looking forward to it since I was about 12, so maybe I am biased. I wasn't allowed to see those things at a young age because my parents knew they would scare me. 12/13 was a different story--although I knew for myself what I thought would frighten me and what would affect me in bad ways. That's why I'm 26 years old and I still haven't seen the Exorcist.
Much thanks. He's my movie buddy...so I may have to wait this one out. Ain't goin' alone.