Groaning in "The Mist"

Brian suggested a while back that I check out the movie "Lucas." I did, and it was totally awesome. I'm a sucker for 80s high school movies, and this one is one of the better ones I've seen. At times it is slightly painful to watch since I was certainly more than a tad Lucas-esque in high school myself, and I remember exactly what he is going through. I feel like most high school movies made today either talk down to their audience, or are just a tad too vulgar for the younger kids (i.e. "Superbad," even though I loved it). "Lucas" however, is suitable for younger audiences, and yet it still treats the characters realistically. Some of the overly dramatic dialogue, for example, could seem too silly or be handled too over-the-top in a bad director's hands. But in high school, things DID seem really dramatic, and here the director gets that. If the girl didn't like you, it DID seem like the end of the world. When Lucas muses about the ages of Romeo and Juliet, it sounds a bit cheesy, but the characters never believe what they are saying is silly in itself, and it winds up feeling quite real. For Lucas and the other high-schoolers, this stuff really matters.
Also, the movie ends with one of the bets 80s cliches ever, the Slow Clap. Rock! All in all the whole cast does a great job, and keep your eyes open for both Winona Ryder AND Jeremy Piven in their first ever roles. Pretty cool!

Brian also suggested I watch "The Mist," and I HATED this one. A lot of people (my father included) probably disliked the dark ending, but frankly, that was one of the few bits I was OK with. Overall, I found the acting uneven at best, and much of the dialogue felt stilted and overwrought (Marcia Gay Harden...will you shut the FUCK UP???).
Frank Darabont obviously is a talented director and writer, and no stranger to Stephen King. He did an excellent job adapting "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption" (his masterwork). Obviously, the guy knows how to handle drama.
But there's a difference between dramatic movies and "The Mist" which, in essence, should be a fun monster movie. You can't have people be as serious in a movie like this, because it will suck the fun out of things and make it all seem silly. I'm not saying a monster movie has to be "Starship Troopers" cheesy. But people go to a movie like "The Mist" to see the slate of creatures you've lined up for them, not to see people argue amongst themselves for two hours and do little else. If I want that, I'll watch "12 Angry Men" or "Inherit the Wind."
I'm not saying you CAN'T have some well-defined characters who turn on each other...I'm just saying that we can't have that overtake the movie. Neil Marshall's "The Descent," for example, is a great film about survival and characters who turn on each other in order to stay alive. Yet it's still a monster movie. And the sci-fi classic "Aliens" is all about Ripley's character development (Sigourney was nominated for an Oscar, for God's sake). Yet it's still tons of fun to watch, because we're always worrying about when the monsters will return, and there are many moments of levity to lighten the tension.
Also, Darabont might be able to handle a great scene with people, but he is not experienced with creature-features, and it shows. The monster sequences here rarely have the visceral "bite" (so to speak) they need to really jump out and thrill us. I may be going a bit "mainstream" here, but Peter Jackson knew how to balance character and action in "The Lord of the Rings." We grew to care for every member of the Fellowship, and yet the action sequences rocked our socks off. Compare the Watcher in the Water sequence with the tentacled monster in this movie that drags the red-haired kid away. In "The Mist" the sequence lasts at least three times longer, yet it is only a fraction as memorable, and that's with an R-rating that usually allows you to make a bit more of an impression (the thing does rip off pieces of the guy's flesh...but who cares?). With a few exceptions, the monsters in "The Mist" just aren't particularly dynamic or exciting, the people are bland, unlikable, and annoying, and the story is meandering, depressing and hollow.
Stick to your penitentiary pics, Darabont. Or, if you want to take a leap away from them, next time just don't go plowing headlong into action monster movie territory...because I don't think it worked.

I also saw Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" which I found to be quite a lot of fun. Ridley Scott has slipped since his glory days of old, but he still can pull out the stops every once in a while and deliver a good movie that isn't necessarily sci-fi or a historical epic. Will made a good point about how the movie glorifies Denzel Washington's character too much toward the end, and I sort of agree that the movie falters there, but all in all this is a terrific cops and robbers movie that I had a blast watching. Mainly it's for strong performances by everyone involved. Russell Crowe is excellent, and Denzel is good, although I feel that he has sort of been playing various versions of himself for too long now. For example, in every Denzel movie, he does this thing where he acts super cool and calm under the surface for a few moments, and then EXPLODES into fiery passion, usually knocking something off a table while doing so. It's a cool trick once or twice, but I think I've seen it from him too many times. It's almost to the point where I might get some people together and make a skit about it.
The best part of "American Gangster" though, are the supporting bit players who pop in and out throughout the movie. There are tons of, "Oh...THAT guy!!!" moments as you watch, as many of your favorite character actors pop in to deliver their scene-stealing bits. Larger names like Carla Gugino and Josh Brolin are present, as well as Cuba Gooding Jr. (nice to see him NOT phoning it in for once, even if he is underused). But the real fun is people like Ted Levine ("Monk," "Silence of the Lambs"), John Hawkes ("Identity," "Rush Hour," and "The Perfect Storm"), Kevin Corrigan ("Superbad"), Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Children of Men," "Serenity," and "Love Actually"), Armand Assante (tv version of "The Odyssey") and Joe Morton ("T2," "Speed," and "The Brother From Another Planet"). Seriously, imdb these guys and do some "No ways!" of your own.
Also, the sequences in Bangkok were fun because they reminded me "Blade Runner," but what can I say. I'm a sci-fi junkie.

Anyways, soon I am off on an adventure to the east coast (I've never been). I can't wait! I'll let you know how it was when I get back.

Peace, bros.