Can you have more than one masterpiece doing anything that requires talent? Because after all a masterpiece is the definitive one right? Well every review you'll read for most of Alfred Hitchcock's film you'll see somewhere in the text...masterpiece. Now i don't wanna jump on the bandwagon, but he did have a lot of masterpieces, including Rear Window.
I don't wanna bore you with the plot details because odds are you know the story. (Why else would you be reading this?) But basically man gets hurt and breaks leg, doesn't leave house, sees murder next door and becomes obsessed with the event. The story itself is pretty clever and original from a script written by John Michael Hayes who recently passed away last year.
Of course you got the players. Jimmy Stewart as always does an excellent job of becoming the everyday man you care for and relate to. Sometimes I forget I'm watching an actor because you get so caught up in his ability to be believable. But you can't forget the incredible Grace Kelly who (horrible unintended pun coming up) graces the screen with every scene she's in. While she is talented at what she does, it's her beauty and elegance that make her so desirable to watch.
The movie as a whole is directed with such precise and profession (duh) by the great Alfred Hitchcock. Every scene is carefully planned or he's just that natural of a talent for storytelling. While the suspense itself doesn't really hit hard towards the end, every scene between Jimmy and Grace is very entertaining even if it does or not pertain to the murder at hand.
While the movie is a classic and will be shown to further generations (unless they want to use the entertaining knock off Disturbia)it will open others minds to what a good film use to be. One that had well crafted sets, great acting, believable dialog and one that didn't rely on endless action making this a true...masterpiece.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Mist (2007)
Lets be honest, I know I'm not going out on a limb here when I say most Stephen Kings novels/stories don't translate well to film. Sure there's been the good ( Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Stand By Me) but there's also been plenty of bad ones (Graveyard Shift, Langoliers, The Mangler). So it's no surprise that when a film based on Stephen's work is released to the public, one can only fear the worse. So how did I feel about the adaptation of King's The Mist? Definitely one of the better.
The story starts off with a father (the underrated Thomas Jane)taking his son and neighbor to a local convenience store. Soon after arriving a large amount of fog surrounds the outside building containing the unknown and trapping them inside. As time goes by cabin fever sets in and the surviving towns people inside begin to turn on one another. While the story itself is not very complex or complicated, it's the way that it's told that keeps the audience entertained and drawn into this supernatural world.
Written and directed by Frank Darabont whose worked on previous successful King adaptations, is very precise when it comes down to making this film. Frank takes his time throughout the story to create suspense and mystery as we feel like we're in this with the characters. He's also very smart when it comes down to character development. These people aren't put into the movie just to have another face, yet to contribute to the story making you care, feel and relate to them.
While the movie was great it had one minor flaw that for me was hard to get past. I've never been a big fan of CGI (like most) yet for some reason other's love to use it. It doesn't ruin the movie really in any way, but it does take a little of the realism away from the story.
Overall it's one of the better Stephen King translations I've seen and also one of the better horror movies I've seen in awhile. If others could just take a clue from movies like these and worry more about character development and situations as opposed to CGI and creative ways to kill someone, maybe their films too would become classics.
The story starts off with a father (the underrated Thomas Jane)taking his son and neighbor to a local convenience store. Soon after arriving a large amount of fog surrounds the outside building containing the unknown and trapping them inside. As time goes by cabin fever sets in and the surviving towns people inside begin to turn on one another. While the story itself is not very complex or complicated, it's the way that it's told that keeps the audience entertained and drawn into this supernatural world.
Written and directed by Frank Darabont whose worked on previous successful King adaptations, is very precise when it comes down to making this film. Frank takes his time throughout the story to create suspense and mystery as we feel like we're in this with the characters. He's also very smart when it comes down to character development. These people aren't put into the movie just to have another face, yet to contribute to the story making you care, feel and relate to them.
While the movie was great it had one minor flaw that for me was hard to get past. I've never been a big fan of CGI (like most) yet for some reason other's love to use it. It doesn't ruin the movie really in any way, but it does take a little of the realism away from the story.
Overall it's one of the better Stephen King translations I've seen and also one of the better horror movies I've seen in awhile. If others could just take a clue from movies like these and worry more about character development and situations as opposed to CGI and creative ways to kill someone, maybe their films too would become classics.
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