Celluloid Butter

These days, it seems that Hollywood is adapting every Stephen King story imaginable. So when I heard about the premise of Frank Darabont’s The Mist, I assumed this would be another cheesy monster movie that couldn’t live up to high horror standards of King’s novels. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong about this film. Despite a mixture of horrible and slightly less bad CGI, my heart was racing, right up to the end of the film. This ending hit me so hard that I had to take a few minutes to ponder the impact it just left on me.

The film takes place in a small mountain town in Maine, where after a destructive storm; an ominous mist rolls in off one of the mountains, slowly enveloping the entire town. The story revolves around a group of townsfolk, trapped inside a supermarket, terrified by the unknown vapor outside. Quickly, the trapped shoppers realize there is something monstrous out amongst the mist. Soon after, two factions develop, one who is trying to deal with the situation rationally, lead by David Drayton (Thomas Jane), and the other who believes this is the sign of the apocalypse, lead by Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden).

Although, the film is classified as part of the horror genre, it can also double as a morality tale. Much like “Lord of the Flies”, this film shows how ugly humanity can get when pushed to the limits. One of the characters, Ollie (Toby Jones), says it best, “As a species, we’re fundamentally insane. Put two of us in a room, we pick sides, and start dreaming up reasons to kill one another,” This is exactly what happens next. As the people become more terrified and tensions grow higher, Mrs. Carmody calls for human sacrifices to appease God, so the “true believers” can be “saved”.

Regarding mood and tone, Darbont’s adaptation hold true to the novella, although, there were a few liberties taken with the plot. The love story, which appeared in the novella, was cut from the film altogether. This was a great decision on Darabont’s part. Any love story taking place would have taken away from the suspense of the film. Yet, the big change came with the conclusion of the film, an ending that King, himself, was impressed by. King is quoted as saying, “Frank wrote a new ending that I loved. It is the most shocking ending ever and there should be a law passed stating that anybody who reveals the last 5 minutes of this film should be hung from their neck until dead,”. I couldn’t agree with King more, not only did I not see that ending coming, it was so intense that I was speechless for a good 5 minutes after witnessing it.

I’m so glad that horror films, of this caliber, are getting made these days. With The Mist, Darabont is able to bring horror back to its roots, by scaring you psychologically rather than with an abundance of gore and horrific scenes of violence. The Mist is a, much needed, breathe of fresh air, after the recent flood of “torture porn” movies, trying to pass off as genuine horror.

The Mist

Agree or disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: The Mist, Stephen King, Darabont, Thomas Jane, Review, Horror, Suspense, Torture Porn,

When I first heard there was going to be a film about a man who fell in love with a sex doll, I thought, great another bad Rob Schneider movie. However, after reading articles about the Christian right loving the film; I was instantly intrigued, and knew there had to be something weirder than just a sex doll in this film.

Do not be fooled by the premise of Craig Gillespie’s Lars and the Real Girl, it is actually a touching piece that explores love, loneliness, and tolerance for those outside societal norms. The story revolves around a 27-year-old extreme introvert, who is struggling to cope with the recent death of his father, as well as the long-term guilt over his mother’s death, during childbirth. After hearing about a sex doll, that is “as good as the real thing”, Lars (Ryan Gosling) orders one for himself and literally falls in love with her, believing she is a real person. Lars not only holds full conversations with her, but introduces her to others, in his small Midwestern town, as his new girlfriend, Bianca.

After countless failed attempts at reaching out to him, Lars’ brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer), embrace and accept Bianca as a real and important person in Lars’ life. They do this at the advice of the family doctor (Patricia Clarkson), who sets up weekly therapy sessions for Lars in the guise of treatments for Bianca. Through a series of touching, yet comical scenes, Gus and Karin convince the rest of the small town to play along and let Lars work out his psychological issues naturally.

In a role as unconventional as this, it is impressive how convincingly Gosling plays the part. Almost immediately you can see Lars for what he is; a troubled, socially underdeveloped, boy trapped in a man’s body. Despite the numerous opportunities the script allows for the audience to write Lars off as crazy, Gosling’s performance somehow makes it seem completely normal to have a sex doll as a girlfriend.

With the film taking place in a small Midwestern town, heavily influenced by religion, this easily could have been used as a clichéd backdrop for another intolerance and oppression flick. However, the depiction of the small Midwestern town could not have been further from the truth. The town’s people were so accepting of Lars and Bianca, that by the end of the film, Lars was competing with the townsfolk, for time to spend with his “girlfriend”. With this good-natured, tolerant light that portrays Christians, it is no wonder why conservative groups are flocking to this film, despite the risqué nature of its premise.

With the proper blend of quirky characters, uncomfortable situations, and superb acting, the film allows us to examine humanity in ways that could never be accomplished in a serious drama. During the process of creating a persona for the Real Doll, the characters were able to see what was missing from their own lives. I never thought that I would say something like this, but goes to show that you can learn something about yourself from a sex doll.

Lars and the Real Girl

Agree or disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: Lars and the real girl, reviews, comedy, christian, sex doll, tolerance, Gosling, Clarkson, schneider, mortimer