5. American History X

Here’s a film I was very reluctant towards watching.  My friend continually recommended it to me yet I thought with a name like “American History X” it would only be boring or another glamorization of our country (my thoughts on it are for another blog).  You could also say I had similar thoughts going into American Beauty, yet I wound up holding it in a fairly high regard.  And wouldn’t you know it?  American History X became an immediate favorite of mine once the credits came.  The film features my favorite performance by Edward Norton, who really hits the ball running during his Neo-Nazi scenes (particularly the lunch/dinner table fight).  Interestingly, however, it’s Edward Furlong who manages to feel more convincing as a white supremacist (though at times it seems he’s just moving along without much care), despite Norton’s near Oscar-worthy performance.  Regardless, the performances by both and the entire cast are nothing less than stellar; and the film’s message still holds strong (if heard several times before).

“Who do you hate Danny?”
“I hate anyone that is a white Protestant.”
“Why? “
“There a burden to the advancement of the white race. Some of them are alright I guess…”
“None of them are ****ing alright Danny ok? They’re all a bunch of ****in’ freeloaders.  Remember what Cam said, ‘we don’t know em we don’t wanna know em.’  They’re the ****ing enemy. Now what don’t you like about them and say it with some ****ing conviction!”
“I hate the fact that’s cool to be black these days.”
“Good.”
“I hate this hip-pop ****in’ influence on white-****in’ suburbia.
“Good.”
“And I hate Tabitha Soren and all there Zionist MTV ****ing pigs telling us we should get along. Save the rhetorical bull**** Hilary Rodham Clinton cause it ain’t gonna ****in’ work.”
“That’s some of the best **** I’ve heard come out of your mouth.”

4. The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight-Yes, I know this has become the most talked about film for the past decade (if not more) and that it’s praised to no end, but this is all with good reason.  Just like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The Dark Knight has a lot of content between the characters and story which pushed the runtime close to three hours for both.  Fortunately, the pacing is excellent and for my first viewing in theaters, I kept saying to myself the same words YouTube user MRBLACK spoke in his review, “I just didn’t want it to end.”  The cast were overall very stellar with the possible exception of Christian Bale when in the Batsuit (and I don’t think I really have to mention Ledger’s amazing performance).  Aaron Eckhart also pulled off his role with ease with the Two Face sections being about as effective as The Joker’s.  I’ll still insist that this is the real Best Picture of last year, not Slumdog Millionaire (which was a good film, but nothing more).  Though we obviously want to see Nolan direct more for Batman, it’s definitely going to be tough, if not impossible to top this for many viewers, including myself.

“Do you want to know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can’t savor all the… little emotions. In… you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?”

3. The Green Mile

Going into this movie, I was almost certain that I would like it and that it would be one to keep me coming back.  Interestingly, this was only the case partially, as I absolutely loved the film but I have seldom given it a full viewing after my first one.  While the length didn’t begin to drag until the last ten or so minutes, it’s still a lot to swallow just like Schindler’s List.  But for a film like this where the execution is top-notch, I don’t mind the length (the cut of Das Boot I own is just shy of three and a half hours, yet it’s right below my Top 20).  Director Frank Darabont has put characters in all his films that we instinctively want to hate.  However, unlike The Mist where Marcia Gay Harden was beyond intolerable, Doug Hutchison as Percy Wetmore felt despicable but not in an absurd form.  There’s a lot to love about The Green Mile, ranging from the excellent cast (Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morris, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn, Michael Jeter, James Cromwell; the list goes on), to the wonderful score, strong emotions superbly carried out with strong dialogue, superb directing and cinematography; the film has a lot going for it.  Regardless of the low number of viewings, The Green Mile remains a film that will stick with me is the one film that got me to cry for more than a few seconds (try close to three minutes, I felt like such a baby).

“Do you believe that if a man repents enough for what he done wrong, then he’ll get to go back to the time that was happiest for him and live there forever? Could that be what heaven’s like?”
“I just about believe that very thing.”
“I had a young wife when I was eighteen. We spent the summer in the mountains, made love every night. After we would talk sometimes till the sun came up, and she’d lay there, bare breasted in the fire light… that was my best time.”

2. Planet of the Apes (1968)

It was a good while before I finally got around to seeing the original version of Planet of the Apes.  Having seen the remake several times before, I was honestly surprised at how much hate it had attracted; even those who claimed to have never seen the original condemned Tim Burton’s remake.  Finally, my friend and I decided to give the first film a chance over the summer and after the ending, we finally understood the comparisons.  Now, I still wouldn’t say I hate the remake; it’s just horrible when compared to its father since they have little in-common.  The original Planet of the Apes gives us far stronger characters and more clever twists in its reversal roles and, unless you’ve seen the DVD cover before watching the movie, will downright shock you at the end.  Even so, I was still left stunned and silenced by the time we see Charlton Heston slamming the beach sand at the sight before him.  Planet of the Apes is a movie that takes the concept of how truly weak we are as humans for a backbone.  And though it’s fairly implausible, the film still proves a potent point and leads to a wonderful satire of our habits.  By the time it’s over, one can’t help but feel thunderstruck.

“Imagine me needing someone. Back on Earth I never did. Oh, there were women. Lots of women.  Lots of love-making but no love. You see, that was the kind of world we’d made. So I left, because there was no one to hold me there.”

1. The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption-I can’t think of many films that I’ve seen well over 20 times and still never get sick of watching.  But The Shawshank Redemption is such a film and each subsequent viewing only makes me think of and realize more to appreciate about it.  At first, the film barely scraped my Top 10 but before long I simply couldn’t get enough of it.  A huge reason this movie sticks out more than the others is for the two lead actors (Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) who both feel as down to earth as any on-screen character is going to get.  They talk and act like us while emitting a vibe that helps them stand out, but not to the point that they feel all that different from any of us.  Connections between the two and the supporting cast feel legitimate with a sense of honesty and compassion amongst all of them (whether positive or negative).  There’s so much to love and admire in the film, despite the fact it takes place almost entirely in a prison.  Anyone who hasn’t seen this movie I highly urge to just purchase and watch ASAP since I feel this isn’t just a must-see, but a must-own to continually view and enjoy.  If all else fails, this is the movie that always manages to help me bounce back from a lousy day.

“I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I’d like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can’t be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.”

IMDB: 9.2 / #1 on the Top 250 list
Rotten Tomatoes: 88 / 90 / 97
Production Budget: $25 million / Domestic Gross: $28 million

Every once in a while, you come across a film which just blows you over on so many different levels.
This is one of them.

So many subtleties are captured so wonderfully by the director and the cast in this film — that it could serve as a textbook for acting and direction. No other film in my opinion can enunciate the saying – “A picture is worth a thousand words” – like this film can.

It is so unfortunate that this film was pitted against Forrest Gump for best picture, actor and also director. That would have been a really difficult call. (Forrest Gump won on all 3 counts)

The Shawshank Redemption

Frank Darabont captures the nuances of human emotion brilliantly and Morgan Freeman and Tim Robins portray this to perfection. You empathize and feel one with the inmates immediately.

That sinking feeling of being convicted and sent to prison directly from court for life — without ever getting a chance to go back to your house; Knowing that your parole is going to be turned down and you’re going to be spending another ten years of your life in prison; The feeling of knowing that your best friend is going to kill himself and there is nothing you can do about it; This and a million other things are expressed with utmost sincerity throughout this film – without mostly saying a word.

This is easily one of Morgan Freeman’s best works till date.

Did I also mention that the background score and cinematography were terrific?
Well, they certainly were!

A definite DVD for your collection. Highly recommended.

Watch it with: Alone

My rating: 5 stars definitely

I opted to skip NDTD yesterday in order to give a little more blog time to my kick-ass contributors Jerry and Erin, because their reviews were both so fun. Also, I’m lazy! Everybody wins!

I figured I hadn’t done a RDWD in some time, so let’s run with one today, okay folks?

I was talking to a friend about The Mist the other day and how I found myself so pleasantly surprised upon my first viewing. I realized, “Why the hell have I not preached this Misty gospel to that hungry congregation that is the world wide web?!” No one truly understands The Mist, no one believes me until they’ve seen it. I know, I know, most Stephen King movies aren’t particularly hard-core. Or, you know, good. Spoken by a true Stephen King fan, still I repeat: the movies? They suck.*

*this obviously does not apply to The Shining, Shawshank Redemption or Misery. All of which premiered 20-30 years ago, so move on.

Guys, The Mist will KICK YOUR ASS. This is no candy-assed Hollywood happy-ending film. It’s serious business! Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name (I just discovered this; I was so certain King had just written the screenplay and it was not based on a story of his. Shows how much I know.), The Mist is taut and gory, a real big-budget monster movie with balls. No bullshit. This movie has BALLS FOR DAYS.

Scream king Thomas Jane plays David Drayton, a commercial artist first spotted putting the finishing touches on a painting of none other than Roland of Gilead. This is quite the expeditious route to my heart. Alright, so I’m a sucker for Dark Tower shout-outs, but The Mist offers a little more than that. After a violent thunderstorm rocks a small town in Maine (you were expecting some other state?), a gnarly mist rolls into the city. And there are things…in the mist.

Drayton and his young son are stuck in the local grocery store with several other townies, and shit deteriorates with a quickness. A bloody, gruesome, disturbing, AWESOME quickness.

As in most Stephen King stories (including his newest, Under the Dome, which I’m currently wolfing), the big baddies outside are merely a frightening symbol for the characters’ own darkness within, a darkness that is exposed once danger strikes, resources dwindle and panic spreads. Marcia Gay Harden plays the intensely freaky Religious Right prophet, Andre Braugher plays Drayton’s crotchety old neighbor (although he’s no Brian Cox), Smallville’s Sam Witwer plays a guilt-ridden soldier and Toby Jones plays Stephen King’s favorite character to write, the unlikely hero, Ollie.

The Mist has some extraordinary special effects, OUTSTANDING grue, and tension that steadily escalates until you want to gnaw off your own arm just to relieve the stress. Thomas Jane plays a great everyman struggling in a treacherous situation—which is good, because that’s pretty much what he does in every genre movie ever. Fine with me, Mr. Jane! Stick your handsome mug in all of my favorite horror movies!

Better you than Angela Bettis!

All of the acting is fun and enthusiastic, if not overwhelmingly nuanced. As always with Stephen King stories, The Mist has several fully-realized characters with complex motivations and wildly disparate reactions to the looming menace, and the cast pulls it off.

Director, screenwriter and frequent SK collaborator Frank Darabont created a film that is a love letter to old Hollywood monster flicks. The Mist has some unbelievable set designs and the creature work is downright spectacular. And the ending…I am SO PROUD of this ending. Having just realized that this is based on a Stephen King novella (rather than his own screenplay), I am not surprised to discover that this is not the ending he chose for his story. I love Mr. King like a father, but he is a fan of the pattycake ending. Darabont? Did not write a pattycake ending. The ending of this film is AMAZING, a big, ballsy ”EFF YOU!” to Hollywood. 

So: The Mist! Watch it immediately! Now excuse me while I go follow my own advice, as it’s been too many months since I’ve punched my fist in the air as the credits roll and shouted to my empty living room, “I LOVE THIS MOVIE!”

Link Drop:

I knew it was too good to be true. Rachel McAdams has no Spidey plans.

The Smallville movie event has a name! Smallville: Absolute Justice. The date has also changed from January 29 to Feb 5.

Review Preview:

FINALLY watching Deadgirl tonight and reviewing it tomorrow. Whoop!

Okay, okay, let’s get serious for a minute. I have browbeaten today’s movie around the site very sparsely over the past 11 months. A little here, a little there; not that big of a deal in the long run. But rarely in my history of critiquing movies has there been such a backlash from people when I tell them my dislike for something. If I said right now that I think Citizen Kane is bullshit and I had a reasonable explanation, I think I would be let off the hook if I elucidated enough. But if I tell most people that I dislike watching The Shawshank Redemption and I very plainly give reasons why, I would still be looked upon like I just told everyone I had a plate full of mashed potatoes in my underwear. People are emotionally attached to this movie like it hits close to home or something (I was incarcerated for life, too; don’t feel bad!). Admittedly it has a positive message about the power of equality and courage in the face of despair, but it really doesn’t seem as potent of a film as everyone makes it out to be. I’ve now seen The Shawspank Inflation 4 times now, every time feeling exactly the same as the last. So the two logical conclusions I can come to are either

A). I have a heart made of stone

or

B). Everyone I’ve ever talked to about this movie has an emotional disorder.

I think you know which one I’m leaning towards…

The Sweetsnack Resplendence is really the story of Andy Dufresne. We follow poor, completely innocent Andy as he’s put through the wringer of the American judicial system in the late 40s after being falsely accused of murdering his wife. He receives a lifetime sentence and is sent to notoriously harsh Shawshank Penitentiary (Maine is one fucked-up state; every King novel references it, and seemingly not in a good way). There, he quickly finds a niche with fellow lifer Ellis “Red” Redding, a friendly fellow who recently was denied parole at his hearing. The two bond over a number of subjects, and they become fast friends. Andy even makes friends with some of the guards, with whom he imparts valuable financial information, and in exchange keeps his enemies at bay. But his one real problem in Shawshank, besides being in prison, is the Warden, a heartless shell of a man who uses the prisoners for his own devious profit. So most of these prisoners will be here for the rest of their lives, doomed to stand behind the same four gray walls until their dying breath. But Andy has a plan; a plan for escape. It won’t be easy, and it will take many, many years for it to come to fruition, but it will be a sweet, sweet victory if he can pull it off without a hitch.

See, a nice story, to be sure. I never once said The Shortcake Relation wasn’t a well made film. It’s meticulously produced and executed with a wonderful cast that had the potential to make something great. Almost to the letter there is quality in every aspect of this production. Frank Darabont makes another appearance on this site within a single week to get on his hands and knees for the one they call Stephen King. His direction is again nothing to scoff at, and it should be noted that while this probably isn’t his best Stephen King adaptation, his is still a vivid storytelling style that will appeal to the visually minded. It’s a good try, and I really can’t stress enough how much I respect the cast and crew for their efforts.

But that doesn’t exactly translate to something worth your time, so what’s the catch? Well, it’s simply that this is one of the most listless mainstream films I’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s a story of triumph over adversity that is fun for the whole family (except the rape and suicide parts), but it has no zest, no flavor. It’s a boring gray film that emphasizes only how depressing being stuck in a prison in Maine can be. It isn’t even an artistic decision; there’s a huge difference between feeling a character’s listlessness and being bored by the image and everything it represents. It’s just a spectacularly humdrum affair full of muted colors, Morgan Freeman’s droning narration, an unrelenting cloudy sky, and a time period known for its drab conformity and lack of anything stimulating. I squirm from start to finish during The Sharkbait Rotation, and I somehow sat very patiently through all four and a half hours of Che!

It’s also a certain distance between the main character, Andy Dufresne, played by a prime-of-his-career Tim Robbins, and the audience. We’re seeing him through the eyes of Red, played by a prime-of-his career Morgan Freeman, something that would have worked better had Freeman a more intimate knowledge of the guy. Instead, we get sketches of who Andy is and what his motives are while we see them play out on the screen. Some people might argue that Red is the main character, and that we are really seeing his journey through the exploits and times of a younger, more optimistic prisoner. But we know even less about Red than we do Andy, and for a drama set where people are just sitting around talking all day or curled up in a cell thinking about talking, you think that would be easier. We go off of prison yard legends, gossip, and conversations often had on screen about who these people are, when I’d rather just see it happen.

Don’t get me wrong; I can certainly handle my fair share of longer titles, but this one just seems to drag into infinity. Only spanning about 20 years, the film, while over 2 hours long, stretches out in my brain for about an extra 45 minutes. An excellent production brings all these characters to life, but their lives are apparently duller than a prison shank. I wish I could like The Soreflank Indention, but its reality of banality is as painful as it gets, and I don’t wish to be put through it any more. It is a bore of a film that poses the question to me; could you walk out of this movie and find a better one to say what it has to say in a more concise, artful manner, or are you cursed to stay in frown-inducing Maine state prisons for the rest of your life as a thinking individual? I’ve found enough films in my travels to say conclusively that The Skullblank Retraction is a movie that is all pomp and no circumstance. It’s a little bit of some things, but not enough of anything to make it too exciting or memorable or even intensely endearing. I’m sure I’ll be suckered into watching it again at some point next year, with people telling me how good it is and how insane my ambivalence is, but until that time, I’m so done with Stephen King’s incarcerated fairy tale. I give The Stoolsoft Reflection 5 comically misspelled names out of 10, and a hearty bleh from yours truly.

Tomorrow I will see a movie, but I don’t know what it is yet! Send your requests in today, and I’lll make sure you get your voice heard! Until then, folks!!!

Frank Darabont has the hots for Stephen King. He is a consummate Stephen King director. He’s done the most by far when it comes to adaptations, and he seems to not only understand, but actively love the material he’s using. Today’s film, The Mist, is his third King film he’s adapted, and I think he’s starting to get better with it each time he does it. As the world knows, I wasn’t a huge fan of The Shawshank Redemption (GASP!) and The Green Mile was a little sappy for my tastes. So this time, apparently, Darabont got my memo and stopped making the easy King movies. The Mist is a difficult undertaking, and it’s primarily because the limits are only the imagination of the director. Fortunately for us, Darabont has a reasonably good head on his shoulders, because The Mist is both imaginative and provocative, with enough of that King allure and deep mystery to keep you guessing and afraid until the very end.

It all happens in Maine (Again; GASP!). A father named David Drayton and his son have to go to the local grocery store to pick up some things after a big storm. It’s a bit dangerous because of a thick fog moving in, but they make it there just fine. In the grocery store there are a few of the local residents, as well as a few soldiers. David doesn’t think anything of it really, and continues on with his day, until some police show up outside in the thick fog. There is an obvious violent confrontation between them and something they cannot see, and as quickly as it begins, the scuffle ends eerily and silently. Everyone in the store is confused momentarily, until a frightened townsperson comes barreling through the parking lot begging to be let in. They lock the door behind him, and he tells them that something’s out there, and it tried to attack him. People begin to form their own opinions about what happened, and as the mist rolls closer and harder onto the store, they begin to wonder  just what is happening, if anyone is going to help them, or if there is even anyone alive to help them. Paranoia grip the denizens of Podunk, Maine, and heads clash on how they will best survive the crisis, and it seems for a while that the greatest danger David and his son might face will be from those around them. But a terrifying mission to switch on the generator will reveal an awful truth; that there is something IN the mist, something not of this earth…

What an amazing atmosphere… The Mist has that timeless element that all horror classics have right from the get-go. Unlike most horror films, though, it keeps its cerebral grip on you throughout most of the film due to the varying nature of the threat. We don’t know all that lies in the mist; there are oddities that defy all logic there, and we’re never sure to what degree these creatures can even threaten the people inside. There are unexplained massive tentacles, larger-than-life insects, and other unspeakable things that lie within, but at first it seems like they might not venture too close to the window-panes that make up the front of the store. But the nature of the mist is elusive, and perhaps there is something larger and more sinister waiting to pounce on them in their huddled vulnerability.

And not everyone is living peacefully in the store, either. Frank Darabont really capitalized on the awesome dynamic within the store that King envisioned. There are your average folks, like our hero David Drayton, but there are also backwoods yokels, naysaying skeptics, hotheaded bullies, and a particularly dangerous religious fanatic that divides the townsfolk with her use of Old Testament fear-mongering and firebranding that is scary on a number of levels. You start to see lines being drawn between people when they should be thinking about the outside threat, and that is another layer of tension that is wonderfully effective in this instance.

A stellar cast inhabits this tiny little Maine shopping center. Thomas Jane should be credited as the necessary good in a sea of mistrust and mayhem, David Drayton. He is such a strong lead that it makes me instantly forget his yucky turn in The Punisher. I liken him to the Henry Fonda character in 12 Angry Men; he’s strong, he’s courageous, and he rocks some washboard abs. Good job, Jane, especially in the finale. Laurie Holden is Amanda, the sweet and caring girl who would be Jane’s love interest (only Drayton is A MARRIED MAN!). She’s okay, but they really don’t ask her to do much. She’s not that big of a deal as far as presence goes, but I wouldn’t say she was awful. The real star here is Marcia Gay Harden, who plays religious fanatic Ms. Carmody. She is such an evil and self-righteous chick that I wanted to punch her through the screen. Not only is religious sanctimony my NUMBER ONE pet peeve (more like my personal nightmare), but I also hate this character’s insistent rudeness. This woman is a downright monster, and I thought her to be just a tiny bit worse than some of the monsters in the mist. harden does an excellent job in a definite performance to watch. The fervor in her eyes is as good as real, and you get the sense that it even gets to her as an actor at some points.

It’s not perfect; there are quite a few “how is everybody doing?” scenes where we have to do a lot of banal check-ins with everyone’s current condition and their unique pasts. Which would be fine, if this wasn’t set in Maine, where interesting stuff is hard to come by without a mysterious mist rolling in. And some of the characters, like Drayton’s generic kid, were a little half-baked and boring. But I liked The Mist a lot. It’s been done before, but never with so much imagination behind it. Many scenes feel electric with a frenetic energy that is synonymous with the new, with the unexplored, with the unknown. And there is a lot we don’t know about The Mist. If you like movies that are willing to challenge you, or movies that aren’t afraid to hit home with you, this will be one for you. But if not, I wouldn’t recommend it; at least, for your sake, turn it off 15 minutes before the end, because the last scene is one that you won’t ever forget. I give The Mist 8 1/2 Mainian (?) grocery stores out of 10!

Tomorrow I’ll check in with Hellraiser! Until then!

The Mist (The Mist) è un film horror del 2007 diretto da Frank Darabont.
Scritto e prodotto dallo stesso Darabont, la pellicola è la trasposizione cinematografica del racconto di Stephen King La nebbia, contenuto nella raccolta Scheletri.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Horror | Frank Darabont | Stephen King | Thomas Jane | Laurie Holden | Toby Jones | William Sadler

(Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein) 

Filmes Comentados #9

Dirigido Kenneth Branagh.

Elenco: Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro, Helena Bonham Carter, Ian Holm, Tom Hulce, Aidan Quinn, Richard Briers, John Cleese, Robert Hardy, Cherie Lunghi, Celia Imrie, Trevyn McDowell e Gerard Horan. 

Roteiro: Steph Lady e Frank Darabont, baseado em livro de Mary Shelley. 

Produção: Francis Ford Coppola, James V. Hart e John Veitch. 

- Excelente introdução da história com a voz da mulher inglesa narrando o texto inicial.

- Diálogo entre Victor e o Capitão sobre entrar para a história da humanidade mostra muito sobre o sofrimento de Victor pelo que fez. “Eu, mais do que ninguém, sei que você está errado”.

- Figurinos muito detalhados e coloridos. Direção de Arte cria cenários absolutamente deslumbrantes.

- A Fotografia destaca muitas cores no inicio alegre da vida de Victor, e de repente, um corte seco nos joga para a cena do parto.

- O visual do filme é espetacular.

- Branagh utiliza os movimentos de câmera (plongèe e contra-plongèe) para simbolizar a vida e a morte. Quando é filmado por cima (plongèe) simboliza a morte (morte do professor, do garoto Willie e de Elizabeth). Quando é filmado por baixo (contra-plongèe) simboliza a vida (nascimento da Criatura e de sua parceira). Observe como na cena do parto este movimento de câmera é coerente. Como há uma morte e um nascimento, a câmera se mantém no mesmo nível, demonstrando o equilíbrio.

- Branagh diminui o Barão Frankenstein na enorme escada azul, na imponente cena após o parto. Ele estava arrasado.

- A montagem trabalha muito bem na ágil transição da história. Observe, por exemplo, o corte (raccord) interessante do plano onde Victor e Elizabeth estão brincando com água para o plano em que eles soltam pipa. Outro corte interessante acontece quando Victor corta a corda do corpo enforcado e em seguida vemos um copo descendo na mesa.

- A cena do raio no monte soa pouco verossímil.

- Victor é extremamente apegado à família e sente muito a falta da mãe.

- A trilha sonora pontua muito bem o filme e está presente na maior parte do tempo. Repare como na hora em que Victor entra no local onde vai criar o monstro a trilha indica o importante momento com uma música triunfal.

- O professor é filmado por baixo de forma que fique imponente na sala. Mas quando é questionado por Victor, ele está diminuído na cena, filmado por cima. Victor não respeita suas opiniões, ele quer ir além.

- A citações ao nome de Deus indicam como a religiosidade era forte na época.

- Kenneth Branagh tem uma atuação razoável apenas, com muitos excessos nas expressões faciais.

- De Niro interpreta o assassino do professor e depois o Monstro (ou a Criatura). Sua interpretação do monstro é tocante. Sua expressão quando recebe a placa, a flor e a comida é perfeita, e sua alegria nesta bela cena emociona. Aliás, toda esta seqüência da família na floresta é linda.

- O sapo quebra o vidro e indica que a força da nova criatura é enorme.

- As imagens são muito fortes e realistas. Espetacular maquiagem em De Niro, e posteriormente, em Helena Bonham Carter.

- “Os recém-nascidos especialmente vão morrer”. “Tem certeza?” “Graças a Deus”, Victor, se referindo à criatura.

- Branagh cria planos belíssimos que exploram ao máximo a região, como a Criatura andando na neve em plano geral.

- Plano impressionante na morte de Justine enforcada.

- O diálogo entre Victor Frankenstein e sua criatura gera muitas reflexões. Quem é afinal o verdadeiro monstro?

- “Pela compaixão de um único ser humano eu faria as pazes com todos”, diz a Criatura, mostrando que a falta de amor pode gerar diversos problemas. Porque não aceitamos aqueles que não entendemos ou que julgamos diferentes?

- A criatura é um ser ambíguo, que tem mesmo muito amor, mas tem também muita fúria interior e crueldade quando não tem este amor correspondido. “Tenho tanto amor em mim. Mas também tenho fúria. Um dos dois precisa ser saciado”, diz.

- O filme toca com competência na questão do abandono, falta de afeto, amor e carinho. Mostra como as pessoas olham o exterior e não o interior dos semelhantes, e como tudo isto afeta os seres humanos.

- “Eu abandonei a humanidade” é a impactante última frase da criatura. Ele viu que o ser humano não será capaz de aceitá-lo. Nem o seu criador o fez.

Outras críticas interessantes sobre o filme você pode encontrar nos links abaixo:

- Análise completa do filme por Pablo Villaça.

- Crítica de Alexandre Rivaben.

Texto publicado em 03 de Novembro de 2009 por Roberto Siqueira

‘Tis the season! With the end of the decade and Halloween approaching, now’s the best time to torture your soul with the best horror this decade has to offer. Now, please, forgive me. The horror genre, like everything else, is getting blurrier. It’s hard to tell just what exactly is a horror film these days. I attempted to honor the genre, while keeping a clear opinion of what the best are. Enjoy!

10. 30 Days of Night

It was either this or Zombieland. A) You already know and love Zombieland. B) This is a comic site! I have to mention the adaptations when I can. 30 Days of Night could’ve easily been mediocre. An essential part of the book’s success was Templesmith’s art. Having said that, this movie looks pretty damn good. Snow always feels epic. 30 Days of Night is well-acted and well-made. It manages to naturally stretch Niles’ novel, making it, in some ways, better. To those of you who vomit at the sight of sparkly, beautiful teenage vampires, watch 30 Days of Night. These are just about the ugliest vampires ever filmed, and that’s a good thing.

9. Land of the Dead

I would’ve loved to re-watch this one, but I figure I have to get this out before Halloween. Romero’s return wasn’t as earth-shattering as we may have liked, but there’s plenty of merit here. For one thing, Land of the Dead looks great and features actors who can actually act. For another, Romero still manages to scare us with creatures who aren’t all that scary, providing uniquely gory deaths for his decent actors. And what would a Romero Dead flick be without some social commentary? With “Fiddler’s Green,” he managed to capture both the atmosphere of rich nations, who live in luxury while many still live in hell-holes, and of a post-post 9/11 world. While we sit comfortably, discussing American Idol, the evil is still lurking, and, perhaps, evolving.

8. The Mist

Ok, it’s kind of a zombie movie with bugs, but that’s different, right? In fact, thanks to the titular mist, the creatures can be grand and epic, without looking too cheesy. We’ve got some great actors here: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Toby Jones. They help elevate the material. Frank Darabont, the director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, completes his King trilogy, and it’s a lot of gruesome fun. This being a comic site, I have to mention Darabont’s Walking Dead TV involvement. If you want to see if he’s right for that adaptation, this movie will give you a clue.

7. 28 Days Later

Again, I would’ve loved to re-watch this. I even rented it, and I will watch it, but I’m a slave to this post. Danny Boyle was a good director before Slumdog Millionaire. I swear he was, and this film is part of the proof. I mentioned in my introduction how the horror genre has gotten blurry. Indeed, this film helped start that, with many rabid fans crying, “These aren’t zombies!” Well, whatever they are, they’re scary as hell. 28 Days Later has many impressive, grim shots of a destroyed London. It has great performances from the then-newcomer Cillian Murphy and the always-fantastic Brendan Gleeson. This may have helped splinter the zombie genre, but at least it’s pretty damn good.

6. Shaun of the Dead

This movie hammered home what George Romero has known since the 70’s: zombies are hilarious! They’re such boring monsters. In this film, we can barely tell them apart from the boring humans, maybe that’s just because they’re British. Shaun of the Dead is hilarious, but it also manages to touch upon the important elements of zombie movies, such as banding together, social commentary, and that wonderful gore.

5. Drag Me to Hell

I don’t want to oversell this, but Drag Me to Hell is arguably Raimi’s best film. We’re back to Evil Dead 2, with the perfect mixture of terror and comedy. Christine isn’t as lovable as Ash. She’s not really meant to be. However, Alison Lohman is a perfect horror heroine. She has the innocent looks and a wonderful scream. Amongst the laughs and gasps, this movie teaches us some very valuable lessons. Never deny an old gypsy! And never dig up a body in the worst storm of the decade!

4. Grindhouse

Yeah, it’s one film, damn it. Funny thing about this being on a “best” list, it’s trying so hard to be bad. That said, this is probably the most enjoyable pick on my list. Ok, so Deathproof isn’t much of a horror film, even though hot girls are getting hunted and slaughtered by a badass Kurt Russell, but Planet Terror is horror all the way, in the vein of a Carpenter flick. You’ve got the babes. You’ve got the gore. You’ve even got the great actors, like Bruce Willis! And if you’re not at least a little scared of testicle harvesting, I don’t know what to tell ya.

3. American Psycho

Finally, a slasher movie where the murders don’t matter, even within the context of the film! Bateman’s murders are an expression of his boredom and vanity. Mary Harron took this material and made it an exploration of male insanity, rather than just Bateman’s. You’ve all seen these guys. They’re on Wall Street. They’re trying to sell you something. They might even be firing you. American Psycho documents masculine squabbles in deliciously, horrific detail. Perhaps, most chilling of all, the film asks, “What if these assholes really are killing, and, with wealth & power, their mess is wiped clean?”

2. Antichrist

I was mugged by God. That was my initial reaction to this film. True of almost every great film, on the first viewing, we’re not really sure what we’ve seen. This movie’s depth is so endless, it threatens to swallow you whole, taunting you to disregard it as Eurotrash. What I am sure of is the bravery of Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsburg, who follow Trier’s insanity to the end. Trier is a madman, as most great directors are, and his images, no matter how shattering to our senses, are fully realized here.

1. Sweeney Todd

The bloodiest musical, Burton’s possible best, and indeed, the greatest horror film of the decade. Burton stays faithful to the original tale, as well as Sondheim’s music. Depp and Carter are dressed like 30’s horror stars, paying homage to both the genre and the original film. I never felt Sondheim’s music should be gloriously sung, no matter how talented Angela Lansbury is. These songs are sad and personal, and though Burton’s cast aren’t singers, they are actors, and they deliver their tunes in the best possible way. You won’t find any prancing or choreography here. Sweeney Todd is a dark, terrifying tragedy that will slash its way into your nightmares as efficiently as Mr. Todd’s razors.

For more comic goodness, go here.

Note: There be spoilers. If you haven’t watch The Mist, don’t read this post. Okay? Cool.

I like The Mist. Frank Darabont captures the fright essence of Stephen King’s novella and balances it with the dramatics of how people reacts in the face of fear. Some act valiantly, others not so. It’s an interesting study to see human beings react when faced with a common problem.

I watched it for the first time at home on a DVD and I dug it. I watched it again, this time at the recent Long Beach Comic-Con with Tom Jane in attendance and I like it even more when screened in Darabont’s original preference, in black-and-white.

But each time I watched it, I always leave feeling a touch unsatisfied.

I hated the ending.

You know the ending, when David Drayton escaped from the grocery store with his son and three strangers and they drove about aimlessly, hoping to find safe harbor or that the mist would dissipate but it doesn’t let up and then the car ran out of gas so Drayton rather than letting his son and his friends contend with the monsters from the mist, shoots them and exits the car, ready to die at the hands of the beasts when out of the mist, U.S. soldiers arrived to save the day and if only Jane had waited for just a few more minutes, he wouldn’t have to shoot his son and his companions.

That ending.

I didn’t understand why that had to happen. It was unnecessary to the telling of the story. It felt like a twist ending for twist ending sake.

A few days after that second viewing, I remembered what Tom Jane said after the film. He joked that his character really made all the wrong decisions.

And it clicked. The ending made sense for me. Drayton, for all good intents and purposes, received the raw deal. He makes the choice to venture out into the mist to get medication for the wounded and he returns with casualties and the patient has died. He chose not to tell the rest of the survivors in the store what transpired in the loading dock and that omission bred paranoia among the ranks. He chose to shoot his son and friends instead of waiting.

And that’s what stands out from the other movies that I watched – Drayton is a protagonist that’s fated to fail. We expect the protagonist to come up aces at the end of the movie but in The Mist, the subtlety in Drayton’s journey gnaws at the back of our brain that this is a guy who is the plaything of the gods. This is his lot, his Sisyphean challenge. It is the one constant that haunts him throughout the movie that made sense for the ending.

He cannot change his fate.

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Comme j’adore le mois d’Octobre, l’Halloween et les films d’horreur, j’ai décidé de faire le premier Horreur-o-thon des Bipolaires! En effet, j’écouterai un film de peur par jour jusqu’au 31, alors revenez lire mes critiques quotidiennes…si vous en avez le courage! MOUAHAHAHAAA!

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The Mist est la 4e collaboration entre Frank Darabont et Stephen King (The Woman In The Room, The Shawshank Redemption et The Green Mile…trouvez l’intrus).  Dans ce film de science-fiction psychologique hautement efficace, David Drayton, un peintre père de famille, part à l’épicerie du coin avec son fils afin de restocker ses provisions après une tempête violente.  Arrivé là-bas, un homme en panique fait irruption et avertit la foule qu’un brouillard mystérieux s’empare de la ville…et que quelque chose dans ce brouillard a tué son ami…

Bien que le film n’hésite pas à montrer ses bébittes fantastiques et cauchemardesques (des araignées géantes qui lancent une toile d’acide!), la terreur du film vient d’avantage du climat de tension parmi la foule du magasin.  En effet, les personnalités s’opposent quand les esprits sceptiques décident de quitter le refuge et que Mme Carmody, une fanatique Catholique cinglée, tente de convertir le reste.  Ainsi, Darabont dépeint une atmosphère de plus en plus hostile, opposant les thèmes de religion et de fanatisme avec ceux de la science.  De plus, le film porte un regard sur l’instinct de la race humaine et ce qui arrive lorsque l’Homme s’en remet à celui-ci.

Bref, les performances engageantes, l’action continuellement intéressante, les monstres terrifiants et la finale inattendue font de The Mist un des classiques du genre.

Note finale: 9/10

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Meilleure citation: “The day I need a friend like you, I’ll just have myself a little squat and shit one out.” (Qui d’autre voulait pousser Miss Carmody dans le brouillard en fêtant?)

Meilleure mort: Où commencer? Un homme coupé en deux, un autre en flammes, une jeune femme qui se fait piquer par un méga-moustique dont le visage gonfle grotesquement…

Y’as-tu des tits?!: Si je sentais ma mort approcher, je sais ce que je ferais, mais malheureusement, le seul couple du film ne va pas jusque là et tout le monde garde son linge.

Saviez-vous que…: En tant qu’admirateur de Drew Struzan, la première scene où le studio de David contenant tous ses posters se fait détruire a été plus difficile pour moi à regarder que le bout où quelqu’un se fait couper la jambe par de l’acide.  Oui oui.

I never thought Micheal Clarke Duncan could captivate me so much.

Adaptation of Stephen King’s supernatural tale is set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) possesses the mysterious power to heal people’s ailments. When the cell block’s head guard, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), recognizes Coffey’s miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man’s execution.

This film is directed by Frank Darabont, the same person who did The Shawshank Redemption, and once again he’s back in prison. Though that film was about mostly the prisoners this one is more about the guards and how the prisoner influences their lives. This is more of a fable than it is a real novel.

For the biggest disclaimer of this movie is that it’s way too long. Personally I’m not bothered by how long films are as long as their at least interesting and holds my interest, this film doesn’t quite do that. The film felt a little dragged at points, and really I don’t think it felt over 3 hours to tell the story of a prisoner. This film is very interesting by the last 30 minutes but the others 2 hours are just long side notes.

I also felt that the film was trying hard to show us a message about either suicide or how wrong the death penalty is. I felt like both sides were argued pretty evenly, I felt like this movie’s theme caused much more combustion, than it needed. The pace also adds insult to injury with it’s very slow storytelling and many key moments that take long to deliver.

Other than the those problems, I felt like this was one of the most touching films I have ever seen. The great thing is how you see all of these people on The Green Mile. From the gaurds to the prisoners, and also to the houses they live in. You really do get a full idea of how these people act and live by this movie and it connects us to these characters even more.

The added supernatural moments add a lot of emotion to this film, as you sense that Clarke Duncan character is really a good person. I also enjoyed how the whole film wasn’t so centered on him but the other prisoners with him on The Green Mile.

The star-studded cast does the best job in this film and does save this film from some bad moments. Tom Hanks does a really strong job, and doesn’t play his usual energetic performers as he always seems relaxed throughout the film and adds a lot more of heart to the film. Micheal Clarke Duncan is really the main reason to see this film as he steals every scene he is involved in. Clarke Duncan combines the physical look of big, strong, and scary but puts it along with much sweetness in his character where you know this person is kind at heart and you connect to him even more than any other character in this film. Sam Rockwell and David Morse also show off a lot of talent in this film.

Consensus: Though jumbled with a slow pace and a very long time limit of over 3 hours, The Green Mile is a captivating story that has touching performances that add to this emotionally powerful experience.

7/10=Rentall!!

Forget The Road, the upcoming Viggo Mortensen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel.  The bleak, dark story with a somehow life-affirming movie-from-book I want to see is The Long Walk.

As I finish reading this book for the third time, I notice there are others out there who are rediscovering it, too.  Others who also see what I see in this, one of Richard Bachman’s most brutal tales (and that says a lot, since Bachman is the dark side of successful novelist Stephen King, whose mainstream horror at least always has the good guys winning something in the end)…and that is a metaphor for life, and the relationships we forge on our individual, selfish walks through life.

Frank Darabont, the One Guy In The World That Can Make Great Stephen King Movies, bought the rights to the book years ago.  You might remember the trifecta of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist as all being simultaneously faithful to the books, and cinematically gorgeous.  As a fan of both, I sincerely hope he’s just waiting for the perfect cast before going through with filming this story.

It’s a parallel reality.  Germany bombed the Eastern seaboard of America in 1945, and now it’s some distant, unnamed time in the future from that.  America is still America, but there is a highly influential military government.  Each year, they hold The Long Walk, in which male volunteers between the ages of 14 and 18 hope to be picked as one of 100 Walkers.  The Walk starts with 100 young men, and ends with 1, who is then awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life.

Soldiers in half-tracks monitor the walkers, and if one drops below 4 mph he is warned.  Three warnings and then the walker “buys his ticket” courtesy of the soldier’s gun.  Our hero is the odds on favorite, and he makes friends with many of the other guys, sometimes to his benefit, occasionally to his dismay.  It’s dark, serious stuff, but underneath it all is the realization that we’re all on a Long Walk, and while we may think we’re going to cross that finish line, anything may happen.

via Logopolis

Bachman/King even includes a line in the book where a character feels like he’s in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, which is most likely the inspiration for this social dynamo of a story.  I especially love how the Crowd became a sort of villain in the last third of the book.  I’m looking forward to this movie becoming a reality, but as for now, it sits on Mr. Darabont’s To-Do pile.

I’m letting my fellow MGM boys take a little break so that I can express my thoughts on the subject(s) of my blog better.  Recently I figured that doing a Top 10 list every now and again wouldn’t be too shabby of an idea, so here’s one on a collection of films that I feel quite strongly about: the ten most disappointing films that I’ve seen.

10. Quantum of Solace

I’m sure most people, whether big James Bond fans or not, can agree that Casino Royale was a very solid film.  Although I’ve never been too crazy about 007, I still found Daniel Craig’s first outing to be surprisingly well done and despite not looking the part at first, he embodied a strong yet inexperienced personality nicely.  With that in-mind, it’s needless to say that I figured the sequel to Casino Royale could at least prove to be a decent offering.  Sadly, Quantum of Solace was dull, uninteresting and lacked any wit or charm its predecessor had.  The story was weak and executed just as lousily, pacing was prolonged, charm almost nonexistent and it had a distinct lack of care. While there were a couple decent action scenes and a humorous one-liners, that’s about all the credit I could really give the film in the long run.

9. The Mist

Normally this movie would be higher on the list but I put it low simply because I wasn’t sure from the trailers if it’d really be that great of a film (they really didn’t leave much of an impression on me).  But I primarily was interested in this movie since it’s a Stephen King-based film, who’s produced some of my favorite stories and was directed by Frank Darabont, who did wonders with two of King’s other efforts (The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption).  Unfortunately, despite the intentions and point of the film, the execution was just sloppy.  Barely any of the characters were convincing, which was a huge shocker after Darabont’s other two films.  Worst of all, Marcia Gay Harden portrays a character who’s so ludicrous that in spite of fitting into the role well enough, only makes for frustrating sequences (mostly due to how absurd her lines and support for them are).  While the idea of a film showing how people are their own worst enemies offers up strong potential, The Mist simply failed to realize this.

8. Slumdog Millionaire

I seldom, if ever agree with the Academy on their choices for any award, especially the Best Picture selections.  Yet this movie is one that I feel very strongly about in regards to my disagreement.  So much praise surrounded this film by the time it had been released, which only indicated to me that it was at least worth seeing, and the plot for the film sounded quite interesting so my curiosity hit fairly high levels.  And though this was a good film it’s far from the masterpiece that so many have made it out to be.  One part to the film I loved was how for certain questions we got flashbacks to how the main character knew them.  However, outside of these interesting scenes and a few strong (in a Blood Diamond way) bits there was absolutely nothing remarkable about this film.  What I expected was a film that truly was better than the best of the year, what I got was a merely above average watch.

7. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

My stepfather and I are big fans of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (I remember him grabbing a couple boxes of the burgers to eat when we first saw it), so after some very promising previews it’s pretty obvious that we were excited.  As usual I wound up seeing the film but he waited for my verdict and both of us agree that this is a huge step down from the first.  Now, I did enjoy parts of Escape from Guantanamo Bay (emo Harold anyone?), but it fell into the rut many recent comedies have (namely Jim Carrey films): taking itself way too seriously.  I won’t spoil the details for those have yet to see this movie, but let’s just say that Rob Corddry is completely unnecessary and unwanted (much like Harden from The Mist) while both Harold and Kumar’s characters feel ruined with their sudden personality shifts.  Though certainly not bad, Escape from Guantanamo Bay proved to be a huge disappointment after the wonderful comedy and great pacing of its predecessor.

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

I could rant on and on about how much potential was teased and hinted at but ultimately wasted on this film.  Just like some of the films on this countdown I did at least enjoy Dead Man’s Chest in parts but after how great Curse of the Black Pearl was, it was tough to not feel let down here.  Perhaps the biggest problem with this film is the exact opposite of the above title: this film doesn’t take itself seriously enough.  A key part of what made Curse of the Black Pearl work was that it managed to balance the comedy with the weightiness of the present scenarios.  Dead Man’s Chest, on the other hand, treats itself almost like one big joke that feels overdone, overplayed and simply falls flat because of this.  It’s a shame because there’s a great film underneath all the bad jokes; Davy Jones’ character alone had far more potential than what we got.  At least At World’s End managed to rectify these issues almost entirely (for me anyways).

Por Miguel A. Delgado

Me permito volver aquí sobre lo escrito por mi compañera Silvia García Jerez sobre La niebla, no sólo porque coincido con ella en calificarla como una maravilla de cinta de terror y ciencia ficción (ambas cosas combinadas en diferente proporción, no sabría muy bien decir con cuánto de cada), sino porque me ha hecho volver sobre uno de los aspectos que más me siguen desconcertando de ella: el personaje interpretado por Marcia Gay Harden, la señora Carmody.

Recapitulemos (y sin destripar demasiado del argumento): la señora Carmody es algo así como la loca del pueblo, la cuota excéntrica que todo el mundo tiene más o menos asumida, y a la que en el fondo nadie hace caso, porque es pesada pero inofensiva. Hasta que aparece la niebla y un grupo de supervivientes, entre los que se cuenta ella, quedan encerrados en un supermercado, sin poder salir, y ante la amenaza de algo que da buena cuenta de cualquiera que ponga el pie fuera.

En esas circunstancias, la locura de la señora Carmody va evolucionando hacia una intransigencia ultrarreligiosa, identificando lo que le ocurre al pueblo como un castigo divino hacia las iniquidades del hombre, a su soberbia científica, a su olvido de Dios. Y si al principio nadie le hace caso, los hechos se van precipitando de tal manera que pronto va contando con un número creciente de acólitos que caen en el fanatismo y la obediencia ciega hacia quien creen tocada con el don de la profecía.

No voy a explayarme más con el argumento, porque revelarlo sería hurtar a quien no haya visto la película la posibilidad de asistir a una de las resoluciones más potentes que hayamos visto en el cine comercial. Pero hay algo que no puedo quitarme de la cabeza: ¿cuál es la postura que tiene Frank Darabont (e, imagino, Stephen King) ante lo que sucede? No cabe duda de que es tratada como la mala de la película, y difícilmente uno podría simpatizar con ella, pero… ¿no termina el final, en realidad, dándole la razón?

Esa duda me carcome y me hace darle vueltas a la película una y otra vez. Una prueba más de lo grandísima que es.

When it was announced last month that “The Walking Dead,” Robert Kirkman’s long-running comic book series about life after the zombie invasion, would be adapted as an AMC television series directed by Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Mist”), it’s safe to say that everyone was surprised by the news. Why? Because it was one of the most forehead-slappingly appropriate matches of a filmmaker to a comic book property in, well… I’m hard-pressed to think of any filmmaker/comic pairing that tops it. I caught up with Kirkman recently to chat about the “Walking Dead” television deal, and the hardworking writer shared some details about why he’s just as pleased with the pairing as the rest of us, and what we can expect when “The Walking Dead” and its host of zombies shamble onto TV screens.

To read the rest of the interview, head over to the Splash Page website.

Title: The Green Mile
Year: 1999
Director: Frank Darabont
Writer: Frank Darabont, based on the novel by Stephen King
Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell
Music: Thomas Newman
Distinctions: currently #105 on IMDb’s Top 250
Length: 188 minutes
Synopsis: a condemned, “simple-minded” giant has magical wizard powers
How I saw it: in the theater, 1999; on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 4/10
Objective Rating: 5/10 (gets points for characters, dialog, cinematography, special effects/design and acting)

For about an hour it seems like it’s a reasonably good period prison movie – a little slow and cliched, but generally well made and with a great cast. Then Stephen King says, “Drama is hard. F*** it, I’m just gonna give one of these characters some magical wizard powers. That’d be cool, right?” No, no not really.

This is a continuing series of lists dedicated to the endangered art of movie posters. Each volume of Magnificent Movie Posters will contain five evocative, hand-picked examples intended to show just what movie posters are supposed to look like. Other volumes can be found here, and please click on each image for a larger version!

Anatomy of a Murder | Otto Preminger, 1959
American One-sheet by Saul Bass

One of America’s foremost poster artists of recent times, who was perhaps better known for his work on title sequences rather than posters, was New York-born graphic designer Saul Bass. Bass came to fame after creating the controversial title sequence Otto Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm in 1955, and later went on to work closely with Alfred Hitchock, contributing to the films North By Northwest, Psycho and Vertigo. The style Bass usually employed for poster design concentrated on primary colours and the use of bold shapes. It is a style that is entirely unique, and has birthed many an iconic poster including this 1959 one -sheet for the Preminger movie Anatomy of a Murder. Once again, the design is very much a simple one – two basic colours and an image of a man lying prone – yet is strikingly effective. It is a design that was actually copied in 1995 for the Spike Lee film Clockers – an act that Bass regarded as theft despite it being intended as an homage.

Barry Lyndon | Stanley Kubrick, 1975
American One-sheet by Charles Gehm

This intricate poster for the Stanley Kubrick film Barry Lyndon was created by American artist and illustrator Charles Gehm in 1975. Unfortunately for Gehm, it is a poster that has been largely overlooked in favour of Jouineau Bourduge’s classic black and white print, which is actually the illustration still used for DVD covers today. In this case it may well be that the poster was deemed “too intricate” for wide usage, which is unfortunate considering the attention to detail and obvious work that has gone into it. That said, it can be noticed that the font used on both posters and during the opening credits of the film itself is in fact always the same – perhaps something decided on by Warner Bros. before hiring both artists – as is the depiction of both a pistol and a rose. Gehm’s poster might not be quite as iconic as Bourduge’s creation, but for me it better represents the epic and ultimately timeless nature of Kubrick’s celebrated tale.

The Shawshank Redemption | Frank Darabont, 1994
American One-sheet by Intralink Film Graphic Design

Emotional figures standing boldly in the rain is a common theme both in movies and on movie posters: from Cool Hand Luke to The Matrix, it is an image that has been re-imagined time and time again. Perhaps the most memorable of all these scenes is the moment in Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption when our protagonist, Andy Dufresne, finally escapes from Shawshank Prison after crawling through half a mile of raw sewage. The climactic music soars, the camera pulls out, and Andy drops to his knees to embrace the free world once again. The rain is there, as usual, to add something cinematic to what is a dramatic moment, but it also helps illustrate this idea of escaping from the prison and embracing nature after so long. It is by far and away the most iconic moment in a film full of memorable ones, and thus was probably the obvious choice to be immortalised in the poster.

Fargo | Joel & Ethan Coen, 1996
American One-sheet by Creative Partnership/Optic Nerve

I’ve heard some say that this poster is too gimmicky to be great, but for me the gimmick is precisely what makes it so wonderful. It was one of the early posters attached to Joel and Ethan Coen’s Fargo, and is of course a play on the film’s tagline: “A Homespun Murder Story” which essentially just points out – if the title isn’t enough of a hint – that the setting of Fargo, North Dakota is an important aspect of the story here. Unfortunately for all of us, distributors Gramercy Pictures pulled the poster from theaters very early on for fear that movie-goers would think the film too “arty”. Instead, it was replaced with a bolder and more accessible poster with the infinitely less entertaining tagline of  “Small town, big crime, dead cold”. While we should perhaps be thankful that this move only exposed more of the American public to what is an excellent film, it is still a shame that such a unique poster was lost to the corporate winds in such a way.

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman | Nathan Juran, 1958
American One-sheet by Reynold Brown

Reynold Brown was a prolific American artist who began his career drawing comic books in the thirties before moving on to magazine and advertisement illustrations and the designing of book covers after the second world war. Following this, Brown became a teacher in California which led to him landing a job designing posters for Universal Pictures. Throughout the fifties and sixties he painted a number of memorable posters for such Universal hits as Creature from the Black Lagoon, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Ben-Hur, Spartacus, The Alamo and of course Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Brown’s roots in art are of the realist mould, and I believe this is an influence you can clearly see in most of his poster work, especially here. There is a painstaking quality that can be found in each of his many posters, despite the often fantastical nature of the films upon which these posters are based.

Thank you for reading, and be sure to look out for new editions of Magnificent Movie Posters! Meanwhile, please feel free to list your own “magnificent” examples. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll use your choices as inspiration.

More Magnificent Movie Posters can be found here >>>

Un film di Frank Darabont. Con Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones.
Horror, durata 127 min. USA 2007. Key Films, uscita venerdì 10 ottobre 2008. – VM 14

Una tempesta notturna particolarmente violenta mette a soqquadro gli abitanti di un modesto paese del Maine, negli Stati Uniti. La mattina seguente, David (Thomas Jane) si dirige al supermercato col figlioletto Billy per comperare gli attrezzi necessari per riparare ai danni; l’albero del vicino Brent Norton (Andre Braugher) è, infatti, crollato sulla rimessa della sua casa.
All’improvviso, una fitta e densa nebbia comincia ad avvolgere la tranquilla cittadina. Nel supermercato entra un anziano abitante del paese, coperto di sangue, urlando che un suo amico è stato inghiottito dalla nebbia e non è più uscito. Da fuori provengono strani rumori e grida, e le persone presenti nel supermercato sono costrette a barricarvisi dentro. I pochi che, straziati dall’ansia e dall’interminabile attesa, provano ad uscire, non percorrono più di un centinaio di metri. Ben presto, la folla spaventata del supermercato si accorgerà che nella misteriosa nebbia si nascondono strane creature con intenzioni poco amichevoli. Il panico e il terrore cominciano a insinuarsi fra i presenti.
In questo clima di tensione e paura generale, avrà gioco facile la
signora Carmody (una splendida Marcia Gay Harden), una pazza fanatica che convincerà la maggior parte dei presenti che si è giunti al giorno del Giudizio Universale: bisogna redimersi dai propri peccati e accettare serenamente la morte. Solo un piccolo gruppo, composto da David, Amanda (Laurie Holden), Toby (Ollie Weeks) e pochi altri, tenterà di opporsi alla follia che ormai si è impadronita delle persone presenti nel supermercato.

Frank Darabont è un regista che nella sua carriera ha diretto dei veri e propri capolavori (Il Miglio Verde e Le Ali Della Libertà), ma si è sempre parlato più dei suoi film che di lui. Moltissimi conoscono Il Miglio Verde, pochi sono quelli che conoscono Darabont. Eppure questo regista francese ha dimostrato che di cinema se ne intende, eccome.

The Mist è un film horror, ma presenta delle particolarità che lo rendono unico nel suo genere. Darabont, infatti, non si preoccupa più di tanto di spiegare le cause della misteriosa nebbia: sì, alla fine l’arcano verrà svelato, ma nell’opera questo è un particolare quasi privo di importanza. Il regista preferisce concentrarsi sull’animo umano messo di fronte alle sue paure più nascoste.
Secondo la sua teoria, infatti, l’uomo impaurito tende a regredire alla condizione primitiva, perdendo la razionalità e soprattutto l’individualità, per riunirsi in un “branco“, come fanno i lupi. Questi esseri umani, defraudati della propria virilità, messi a nudo e smarriti, cercano disperatamente di trovare un’ancora di salvezza. Non importa se è astrusa o incredibile, per loro sarà sufficiente. E, come nella preistoria gli uomini si riunivano attorno al fuoco, in questo piccolo microcosmo delimitato da scaffali pieni di cibi in scatola e porte scorrevoli, essi troveranno la loro via di scampo nell’espiazione professata dalla signora Carmody. La pazza diventerà il capobranco, una sorta di Leviatano che avrà potere su tutto e tutti. I mostruosi insetti che, di notte, sono attratti dalle luci del supermercato, vengono da lei interpretati come le cavallette che scendono dal cielo, e gli uccelli affamati che li mangiano diventano gli angeli mandati in terra per ripulirla: insomma, semplici fenomeni naturali vengono ricondotti forzatamente a un’azione divina.

Pensando all’attualità, potrebbe essere una provocazione quella di Darabont? Forse. O forse è solo una costatazione di come un gran numero di gente stia perdendo la propria individualità per entrare in una logica di massa sempre più folle e senza limiti. Comunque sia, sta di fatto che solo una minoranza all’interno del supermercato mantiene la razionalità e la lucidità necessarie per tentare di uscire da una situazione difficilissima. Il branco, privo del suo capo, è abbandonato al proprio destino, ma lo sono anche questi improbabili eroi che, usciti allo scoperto, vengono sopraffatti da un fato crudele e spietato.
Allora non c’è scampo per nessuno? No: con un preziosissimo fotogramma nei secondi finali, Darabont conclude la sua teoria: ci mostra, infatti, una donna che era uscita all’inizio dal supermercato alla ricerca dei propri figli, da sola perchè nessuno si era offerto di aiutarla per paura. Ora è salva con la prole su una vettura dell’esercito. Come dire, alla fine vince chi agisce prima che sia troppo tardi, chi anticipa la follia del branco e il destino crudele: vince, insomma, chi ha il coraggio di uscire subito allo scoperto. Gli altri, chi per un motivo e chi per un altro, sono costretti a rimanere nella nebbia. Pochi altri registi sarebbero stati in grado di dire così tanto con un solo fotogramma. E pochi registi sarebbero stati in grado di fare di un film horror una riuscita metafora della vita in una maniera così sottile e implicita.

Regista sottovalutato, film sottovalutato. Peccato, perché di film così densi di significato se ne fanno pochi ormai.

VOTO: 8,5

David Parasporo

6.09 Security Briefs

Shawshanking.

Remember this will be a SPOILER review.

We got a resolution to the stalker story, turns out it wasn’t a stalker after all but a sorority prank to steal Turtle’s underwear.  Who in their right mind would want to steal and wear Turtle’s boxers is beyond me.  I hoped for a little bit more from the story but I guess it’s resolution is quite funny.  Especially Drama confronting the guy who he thought was the stalker, with half of his face burnt away.

Poor slave, I mean Lloyd, he’s had enough and has left Ari.  Ari stole Zac Efron away from Adam Davies so Adam decided to offer Lloyd a job as an agent.  Lloyd had enough of Ari’s ways and has left.  This should really provide some great entertainment, what will Ari do without Lloyd?  Should be fun to see.

Geeky Thoughts:-

• Shouldn’t really be surprised Frank Darabont carries a gun around in his manbag.
• I bet being Zac Efron is a lot of fun.  The cock.
• Ashley needs to be get rid of, she’s been in the show far too long now.

I really enjoyed this episode a lot, mainly due to the Ari/Lloyd scenes and the seperation should be a fun storyline.  Not sure exactly how many episodes are left in the season but I doubt it’s too many more.  What I want now is Vince to get something to do, his project with Darabont should be good.  I just want to see him work.

Quote of the episode: Frank D “After Shawshank came out I got all these letters from convicts, there was this one guy, sent me like 50 letters saying when he got out he was going to Shawshank me in the ass.”

Por Silvia García Jerez

No sólo el musical es un género a recuperar. La industria se acuerda de él porque solía ser de los más premiados. Dramas y musicales se hacían con la noche más famosa del cine sin que títulos de diversa índole tuvieran cabida ni siquiera en las nominaciones y así no es fácil reivindicarlos porque en realidad, debían pensar, al público se le puede ofrecer muchas otras cosas, sobre todo comedias que, aunque no resultan sencillas de rodar y sus resultados no convencen a todos porque suelen utilizar más el humor grueso que el inteligente, la taquilla agradece la alegría que, estilos narrativos aparte, ofrece el género citado.

No sólo el musical es un género a recuperar, decía, sin nombrar a aquel al que quería referirme: la ciencia ficción. En décadas no muy lejanas las sagas Terminator, Alien o Depredador fueron motivo de aplauso por parte de los espectadores, y a medida que ha ido pasando el tiempo el número de cintas donde hubiera un elemento extraño en nuestro planeta o donde el hombre se introdujera en una atmósfera desconocida han menguado de forma considerable. Y también la calidad de las pocas que hemos tenido la oportunidad de ver.

Pero hay una honrosa excepción a esta… prefiero llamarla circunstancia: La niebla, de Frank Darabont. Basada en un relato de Stephen King por lo visto casi idéntico al guión que vemos en la pantalla grande, cuenta la historia de una niebla que un buen día aparece en un pueblecito donde vive gente de lo más normal, gente que será sometida, gracias a ese extraño elemento, a una convivencia en el supermercado de la zona, improvisado campamento con víveres y mosquitos más grandes de lo normal.

Parece la típica cinta de ciencia ficción, de acción y de bichos, pero no lo es. Frank Darabont, responsable de la sobrevalorada Cadena perpetua, nos mete en un microcosmos con gente desesperada que bien podríamos ser cualquiera de nosotros y nos sumerge en la mayor de las tensiones al enfrentarnos a lo desconocido, una nada que esconde muerte, una blancura que trae oscuridad. Y por si fuera poco el peligro desconocido, en el supermercado se esconde el peligro conocido, el de una mujer fanática religiosa interpretada por una Marcia Gay Harden que hiela la sangre a medida que sus creencias se van transmitiendo con más intensidad sin otra opción que apoyarlas. La ciencia ficción no merece nominaciones al Oscar y por eso Marcia no fue seleccionada. En su día, Sigourney Weaver lo logró al darle vida a Ripley por segunda vez, pero debió ser un desliz que no se ha repetido con facilidad. Y eso no es bueno, sobre todo porque ya no podrán premiarla por ese trabajo. Ni a la cinta en ninguna categoría, siendo lo grande que era. Muy grande, de hecho. No recuerdo ninguna otra del género en la que además de pasarlo bien, o sea tan mal como Darabont pretende que lo pasemos, haya llorado con su escalofriante final. Le costó al director mantenerlo, no es normal una dureza semejante en un largometraje, pero le honra haberla acabado de manera que nos resulte imborrable.

Lo único que no consiguió, al menos en nuestro país, fue que se estrenara en los cines  como él la concibió: en blanco y negro. No están los tiempos para tentar más de lo debido a la piratería. Los excesos para el DVD.