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Quint takes a look at THE MIST and SWEENEY TODD 2-discers!!!

The Mist = Worst. Ending. Ever. by Shermdawg	Mar 25th, 2008 05:14:57 AM
I was ok with what he did. But what happened afterwards? That was pretty fucking lame. Not necessarily the outcome, but the way it was presented. It was way too coincidental for it to have any impact.
Don't be a douchebag by McTreble	Mar 25th, 2008 05:16:31 AM
"Of course, the single disc editions on both are worthless, and the two-discers are the ones to opt for." Worthless for those of us who don't get movies delivered to their door. Wanna write me a check for an extra 8 bucks? Then I'll get the 2 disc set.
The Mist...great ending..douchedawg by quantize	Mar 25th, 2008 05:18:19 AM
loved it third rules
When you're fucking the director you get the best roles by DOGSOUP	Mar 25th, 2008 05:20:12 AM
And Tim sure does love to cast women he's fucking.
So you like your twist endings extra cheesy, quantize? by Shermdawg	Mar 25th, 2008 05:21:52 AM
That's cool.
am i the only one who didn't like sweeney todd? by coachaaron	Mar 25th, 2008 05:30:45 AM
i thought it was completely stupid. what has happened to the once great tim burton? i hate to be negative here, but i feel it needs to be said in this sea of blindly devoted johnny depp lovers to come.
Sweeny Todd by Sprout	Mar 25th, 2008 05:32:21 AM
I liked it but I found the constant reprising of the songs a little boring.
Why the mist failed....spoiler!! by dalbatron	Mar 25th, 2008 05:33:01 AM
Character arc... plain and simple. it is improbable that after all that went on during the film that the it ended the way it did. Never never would he do that. Bullshit. Just a tacky attempt at a shock ending. wow he runs out of gas... fuck it let me kill my kid.. bollocks! I love a shock ending like the next man but make it believable... Saw - great ending. Angel Heart - awsome ending! Memento - brilliant, the mist - cheap. Dont want to watch a film where the protagonist just gives up at the end. it just makes me feel like ive wasted my evening. ALSO QUINT, be a proper journalist and be fucking impartial or just dont review it!!!
sweeny todd......spoiler by dalbatron	Mar 25th, 2008 05:35:26 AM
timbo, jonnykins and wifey helen... well fuck me theres a suprise
and another thing....spoiler by dalbatron	Mar 25th, 2008 05:38:02 AM
someone please just tell me why it was a good ending without just saying 'it was awsome' 'what a shock'. please explain how and why it happened? also why were the army wearing masks. did i miss something?
douchey? by Quint	Mar 25th, 2008 05:38:06 AM
I agree that it's BS they charge extra for what should be (and used to be) standard DVD extras, but as someone who loves extra features I hate these bare bones and SE releases. It'd work if the single disc releases are $10, but they're not. If I'm going to spend $20 for a movie, I'll spend the extra $6 and actually get the special editions. And I buy most of my DVDs, dude. I get a few review copies and I'm happy to save that cash, but I don't get much.
Sweeney Todd on Blu-ray available Europe... by Jeeva	Mar 25th, 2008 05:39:28 AM
...as the distribution rights here are owned by Warner. Can't wait to get it!
Book ending of The Mist more downbeat isn't it? by Shan	Mar 25th, 2008 05:40:36 AM
(Spoilers but I assume everyone's seen it here ...) After all, the book all but says the mist/the alternate dimension covers the entire Earth and ends life as we know it - and ultimately might just end it. Meanwhile, the movie just seems to say that it just stops and fades away. Yes, it turns out personally worse for Thomas Jane and his group but the book didn't really suggest more than a slight chance things were going to be much better for the group there either. Also does anyone seriously think that it was likely the woman who went home to find her kids both found them and survived (in the movie - I really doubt it in the book) when no-one else even made it across the parking lot? I get point the movie was trying to make about contrasting what she did and what Thomas Jane's character and those with him did but does her survival seem even slightly likely?
a little harsh maybe... by dalbatron	Mar 25th, 2008 05:41:16 AM
ok ... the mist has its good points. the whole religion thing was interesting. i thought the conversion of people over to religion was a good idea. Just shows how a group of people believe anything if it answers the unanswerable.
the mother at the end by dalbatron	Mar 25th, 2008 05:44:32 AM
it the idea that she believed in herself and a 'happy ending' and she got one. rather than Thomas Jane.
blu-ray player for xbox 360 by dalbatron	Mar 25th, 2008 05:47:15 AM
watch it i bet ya. by the end of the year....
My comments from a previous MIST talkback re. Ending by Riley Martin	Mar 25th, 2008 06:23:44 AM
...which are almost the same as dalbatron's but here goes - Ok I'm all for bleak depressing endings, but the ending to THE MIST doesn't belong in that film. One reason is that it is a genre film, and you do not mess with the formula. If you mess with it, you get THE MIST. You get bunches of kids saying to each other, "Don't go and see this movie, it's got a shitty ending". Guys wanna get laid after a movie, so they're not gonna depress the hell out of their girl. The other reason is that they established David Drayton as a strong, brave, heroic character for 95% of the movie. Then in the last 5 minutes he turns pussy and kills everyone in the car? A character like that would at least wait till the creatures would be literally pounding the car, no hope of survival, before offing everyone. But he heard a few sounds and popped everyone. Doesn't ring true to the character. They should run this movie at film school on how NOT to end a horror movie.
Does Burton ever do commentaries? by Rocklover79	Mar 25th, 2008 06:31:58 AM
I have a few of his DVDs, and if memory serves, none of them have commentaries on them. Too bad.
I have to... by Dr.Zeus	Mar 25th, 2008 06:38:47 AM
....say Quint. That The Mist is my all time favorite King short story. And I dug everything about the way Darabont handled the story. Except....yeah you guessed it, "the ending." And yes, I was just as excited as anyone who had waited for Frank Darabont to finally adapt it. But I have to say that I like the book ending better because "no one gave up or quit." We simply as a species..."got our asses handed to us." That's why I felt that ending was much more powerful. I felt cheated, yes just like Thomas Jane. That yayyy the army guys saved the day, and hosed down the insects with raid. But I just shot everybody cause I gave up. The better ending is the fact that we as a species "think" that we are the end all of everything ever created. Yes! We are the "tater salad" of the universe. There can be no galactic chicken picnic without us taters! G@DD@MN I hate that! And when we finally bring our own demise down upon ourselves. We can solve it with shooting everybody in sight, and a can of Raid from the military. Nah, I loved the movie all the way up until the copout. :[
Memory didn't serve by Rocklover79	Mar 25th, 2008 06:46:01 AM
He did a commentary track for Scissorhands, so he does do them. Why not for this one?
The Europe Blu-Ray is listed as having a commentary by Alfred_Packer	Mar 25th, 2008 06:53:42 AM
..and plenty of the US releases of his films have commentaries.
Best Burton film since Ed Wood? by rbatty024	Mar 25th, 2008 06:57:38 AM
Interesting opinion. I think I enjoyed Sleepy Hollow and Big Fish more, but it's definitely better than WillY Wonka. Burton should stay away from movie remakes. I know he's involved in some sort of live action Alice In Wonderland, which sounds cool, but after Willy Wonka and Planet of the Apes it worries me.
Rocklover, I believe there's a commentary for... by rbatty024	Mar 25th, 2008 07:07:51 AM
Edward Scissor Hands by Burton. It's not very good. He kind of trails off a lot and doesn't add a bunch. Great movie, though.
@Quint by UltraMeerkat	Mar 25th, 2008 07:13:34 AM
Congratulations for your honesty, e.g. "I was very close to the production of THE MIST, having spent Seven full days on the set, given amazing freedom to report back what I saw by director Frank Darabont. As a result, I didn’t really feel comfortable reviewing it." It's a shame other reviewers round AICN (like Harry, to pull a name of the top of my head) have the same honesy and integrity as you.
correction by UltraMeerkat	Mar 25th, 2008 07:15:26 AM
"Don't have the same honesty" instead of "have the same honesty".
The Mist Failed by Series7	Mar 25th, 2008 07:39:59 AM
Because no one famous was in it. Go up to your nearest co-worker and ask them if they know who Tomas Jane is. They will stare at you blankly. Then go, you know the guy that wasn't LL Cool J or Sam Jackson in Deep Blue Sea. Then maybe they'll know. I still say thats his best movie, and any one that says that the Mist is good and the Deep Blue Sea sucks, well your retarded. Anyways thats why the Mist Failed, not because of script characters, bad CGI, lame ass ending. No star power, and not enough word of mouth. So lets all stop trying to make excuses. The name of a director can only get you so far especially when only 2 of the 3 films you directed previously people saw.
Mr. Sweeeeeennnny Todd by Series7	Mar 25th, 2008 07:48:54 AM
The more I think about this movie the more it becomes my favorite movie of last year. Mainly because I love Burtons work, but lets face it, his work post Mars Attacks has been fucking crap. Just movie all your hot topic gals can get behind. Big Fish/Apes/Willy Wonka there was just nothing to them, no heart and not that funny (well Apes was but not on purpose). Like he made Mars Attacks, which seems like it sucked, because thats the way that movie was suppose to feel and I liked it. Though Burton kind of stuck with that feel for movies. So I went into Todd thinking, OH good another let down. Left the theater kind of like hmmmmmm? It was not what I was expecting at all. It was more intimate and narrow, and I think thats what Burton needed. He has been trying to do this big grand movies and they just got out of his hands a bit. Like Todd did not feel like a big movie at all, but it was effective. And I left the theater humming the tunes (mainly the Borat one). But it was really good. Didn't leave the theater going? So why does everyone think that this guy is close to as scary as Hanibal Lecture? The movie should've been a lot bigger and I think Burton got snubed at award time. Oh yeah sorry Sleep Hallow was good, Corpse Bride fucking horrible (that'll teach you not get into creative differences with Henry Selick). Seriously the animation in Brige looked like it was 10 years behind that of Nightmare, plus the music was horrible.
Oh yeah thanks Quint by Series7	Mar 25th, 2008 07:53:54 AM
I am really getting tired of DVD's. Like I have a ton and they just sit there and I am like.... I am never going to watch that again. Or well good thing I have that $30 special edition I've never watched any of the special features on. Personally I just don't know where you guys find the time for commentary tracks? Maybe I watch too much TV? Or because I work 6 days a week and two jobs? But quint you breaking down the Todd DVD was the first time in a while I was like hmmmm I actually want to watch some of those special features. I wish Harry's DVD section was a little more broken down rather then "Family Guy is the worst show on TV, don't support it". I appreciate a in depth look at a DVD. Instead of say going out and getting the 2 disk I Am Legand thinking its got cool things on it, when there is really nothing. Not saying I did that, but there was a lot of bitching and moaning on last weeks DVD colum about it.
The Long Walk.... by BanAllFIRSTPosters	Mar 25th, 2008 08:17:49 AM
Darabont recently put this on the backburner, according to Moviehole. I wish it were his next.
Series7 by dale_cooper	Mar 25th, 2008 08:31:58 AM
Star power had nothing to do with the box office failure of "The Mist." How many of the big horror hits of the last few years had any real stars in them? Whose star power propelled "Saw" or "Hostel"? "The Mist" failed because it's a throwback to the kind of movies people don't see any more. It's a true B movie and a monster movie. Nothing like that has been successful in recent years except "Cloverfield," which would have flopped if not for a clever ad campaign and an updated "reality" gimmick. "The Mist" was never going to be a hit even if it was a great movie. See also: "Slither," one of the best throwback horror movies that no one saw. Just to weigh in on the ending: I don't agree with whoever said it was a "copout," but I do think it's a bad ending. It tries too hard to be grim and shocking and ironic, but it doesn't feel right for the character or the movie as a whole. The story's ending would have been superior. I have nothing against grim endings - "Night of the Living Dead" always had my favorite ending of any horror movie, because it's so bleak and nasty and in keeping with the rest of the story. But I don't think "The Mist"'s ending is earned, and I don't think it fits. It would be better with them just driving off into the mist with huge creatures walking by - humanity's last hopes being extinguished symbolically, and all that.
THE MIST: SOUNDS LIKE PITCH BLACK IN DAYLIGHT by BringingSexyBack	Mar 25th, 2008 08:35:08 AM
I hope Netflix sends the disc today. And I'm turning the color off the TV.
Blu-Ray dead... No More Format War... Go Buy A DVD Player by Stereotypical Evil Archer	Mar 25th, 2008 09:04:42 AM

dale_cooper by Series7	Mar 25th, 2008 09:41:41 AM
Yeah I agree with you there, but they tried to market it on star power. Namely the directors. And since everyone knows Shawshank, and this did not look or feel like Shawshank they didn't want to see it. They played it up like the next M. Night Shyamalan movie in the trailers. I mean I don't know what it is about trailer people these days, but they are just horrible. Between the bad trailers for this and Grindhouse. Which were both big send offs to there respected genres. Just whatever I don't know or care enough about the Mist to keep arguing about it. Howcome I haven't seen a single banner ad for the Mist DVD yet? Have i misted something? Fucking like 100 reviews for the movie and DVD and numerous out pourings of love for this movie, and they didn't buy a banner ad for it? I think I may have seen one, not sure though.
Riley Martin by TheLastCleric	Mar 25th, 2008 10:42:31 AM
Everybody in the car made a collective decision to end their lives. They didn’t come to that conclusion hastily either but rather made that choice based on everything they had experienced and seen, which was pretty horrific. They basically took the car as far as it would go and in doing so they witnessed a world transformed, replete with monsters and an endless fog that suggested no hope. Having seen people literally ripped apart and ingested, their decision on group suicide wasn’t radically outrageous nor was it, as you put it, “pussy.” David’s decision to take on the burden of execution aligns with his previous heroics quite well and it illustrates his willingness to sacrifice himself to something worse so he can spare everyone else the agony of being torn to shreds. I will concede that the ending seems a bit accelerated but considering the nature of the story it’s forgivable. The film creates a construct of logic that is maintained throughout the film and the ending is a satisfying conclusion that alludes to Rod Serling’s better efforts. Having read the story numerous times I personally can’t imagine a better adaptation and I personally think the original ending contained in the novella wouldn’t have worked well on film. Whether you personally liked it or not, that ending wasn’t forced and, in my opinion, was rather honest and even courageous.
TheLastCleric by Rocklover79	Mar 25th, 2008 10:58:15 AM
I haven't seen the movie in a while, but did the kid also agree to end his life, too? I'm being serious, I can't remember. I dug the movie, ending and all.
Zom-bot by r_number6	Mar 25th, 2008 11:13:28 AM
True, no one's holding guns to our heads ordering us to buy The Mist. The problem is, if you want to see the extra features on any DVD now, you do have to buy it. When 2-discs with all the extra goodies was standard for DVD releases, you could see all the extras if you rented movies or waited and bought used copies (which some of us on tight budgets have to do). Now most of the time, if I'm interested enough to watch extra features, then I probably enjoyed the movie enough to buy it. But there are some exceptions to that, and the mist is one of them. It's just aggrivating how they've gone from (as you pointed out in the other mist thread) the single disc w/extra features, to the 2-disc set with extras to a single disc w/no extras as the "standard" release for movies. Look at the Harry Potter movies. The first two came in fancy 2-disc versions with tons of extra features and fancy fold-out cardboard packaging with extra artwork and picures on it. Prizoner of Azkaban was still a 2-disc release, but it was just in a standard DVD package. Now the last two have just come in the current standard format of one disc, no extras, for the same $20 that originally got you 2 discs and all the fancy packaging. Bottom line is, no one likes having to pay more to get the same thing or getting a lot less for the same amount you've been paying. But you were right, they took the drug dealer approach, reeled everyone in, then jumped the costs up and now we're stuck with it unless masses of people just stop buying movies in protest (not likely, since most typical movie watchers probably weren't even watching the extra feature anyway and haven't even noticed they're missing). I sound like I'm making a much bigger deal over this than I mean to. I'm not losing sleep over it and I don't plan to write my congressman over it, I just don't like the "less for more" direction this trend has taken.
Rocklover79 by TheLastCleric	Mar 25th, 2008 11:21:26 AM
SPOILER ALERT! No, the kid was asleep and woke up just as he was being shot. It was pretty upsetting but obviously his father considered the alternative to be much worse.
ending by rorschach83	Mar 25th, 2008 12:05:18 PM
I saw the film at the weekend and i loved it. it felt old school, a real b movie that john carpenter would have been proud of etc i found myself screaming at the preacher woman, i havnt wanted death on someone in a film for a while its a great performance. i get what people are saying about the ending but i found it gut wrenching and harsh. in a good way, maybe its a gimmick but i will remember this film for a long time. i dont agree with the "character wouldnt have given up" argument. after witnessing acid spitting spiders and tentacles of doom its fair to say suicide was a welcome way out because A: there was no end to the mist in sight. they had driven as far as they could, for all they knew the world was over, all covered in this mist. B: they had seen that super giant lovecraftian/cloverfield monster. imagine YOU saw something like that. how the fuck could you not think it was the end of days. C: the punisher had made a promise to his son, "dont let the monsters get me daddy". the ending is ironic and thats what hurts. i didnt like how quickly the mist disapeared but the ending worked because its horrible. he survived, but now for the rest of his life he has to deal with his descion that APPEARED to be the right one. im no pussy but i would have eaten a bullet rather than get spider raped. maybe an ending where we left the punisher as he was screaming for the monsters to get him in the mist all alone may have been more accepted and dark enough. i just think those who hate the ending are admirable for one reason, they feel they would not have given up. they cant accept that sometimes we lose. i think we should thank the makers of this film. i now know that if i am ever in a scenerio where alternate dimension hell spiders are coming for me, dont give up or god will punk you. oh and anyone religious is getting an axe to the face sharpish. also, i think its like waiting for a bus, if they had tried to wait it out in the car the army wouldnt have turned up, the would be spider meat. maybe god wanted them dead? :)
TheLastCleric by Series7	Mar 25th, 2008 12:10:07 PM
"I will concede that the ending seems a bit accelerated" thats probably the best way to put the problem with the ending. With everything else being all slow and build up, it was like.... oops out of money cut this adventure scene in the car out skip to end. I understand the end, it was just sloppily done. They could have at least had Thomas Jane be only for more then 10 seconds.
I also did not like The Mist's ending, it felt like a cheap cop by Smashing	Mar 25th, 2008 12:22:22 PM
I know the film was going for intense, though they should have worked on not making the middle drag so much if that was the case, killing all the characters asides from Jayne left me feeling cold and a little like "why did I invest time in these cinematic characters if they all die, needlessly, at the end", pfff. I thought the film had a lot of good moments and some really stupid ones too, like some characters actions where so silly they only happened to set up the next scene and not because they where logical or likely to happen.
Cheap cop out. by Smashing	Mar 25th, 2008 12:35:54 PM
Thats what I wanted to write.
Mist ending just didn't work guys. Sorry. by Quake II	Mar 25th, 2008 12:52:05 PM
I've read both side of the argument and I understand those that feel Jane was "protecting" his little boy from a potential creature death by shooting him in the face BUT Jane's final actions don't fit the character that has has established for 90 minutes! Why would he just give up now? Jane was the most stable, heroic character in the film. He was US (the audience). What parent would be able to kill their child? Would 4 adults all agree on a suicide pact because they lost hope? Human nature is to survive. Why not get out and continue the survival? You came this far and you're still alive so continue the search for help. I just don't buy it at all.
And the military convoy... by Quake II	Mar 25th, 2008 12:55:15 PM
shows up literally minutes after he kills everyone. Maybe it was poor editing or time constraints but they should have had a montage of Jane wandering around for a while before running into the entire US Army. Apparently The Mist absorbs all sounds.
Quake II by TheLastCleric	Mar 25th, 2008 01:54:36 PM
Getting out of the car wasn't an option given what was established earlier in the film. And who's to say what people would do in such a fantastical situation? What I do know is that they saw others die in some very gruesome and horrible ways and that alone would make a bullet look like a pretty good alternative. Jane had just recently seen his own wife wrapped up in silk like a fly in a web so I can't really see the fault in his logic. Everything suggested the end was near so he spared everyone else the pain of what would surely have been an agonizing death. As to the sounds of the military convey, the film clearly shows that they heard all sorts of sounds coming their way and more than likely assumed those sounds were coming from the monsters they had been dealing with over the last couple of days. If the film didn’t work for you then that’s fine but trying to apply logic to an illogical premise is a fruitless exercise. It’s impossible to know how people would respond to such an incredible and horrifying situation and I personally don’t see Darabount’s ending as all that much of a stretch.
Fucking Hell!Are you stupid? by The True Priapic	Mar 25th, 2008 02:07:07 PM

Burton does commentaries by BenBraddock	Mar 25th, 2008 02:07:31 PM
But they are usually pretty sucky, IMO
Look,let me make it simple(unlike this talkback)..The Mist.. by The True Priapic	Mar 25th, 2008 02:12:41 PM
THomas Jane and his crew in the car can hear noises that sound like oncoming monsters...and it sounds like that to us,the viewers too...they decide to do the deed because of this...then..horrifically ,Jane learns that the noises were in fact the troops flamethrowers 'growling/roaring'...and not monsters...Am I the only cunt to see this?Go back and rewatch/rehear(is that a word) the fucking film for chrissakes....
The Mist Ending, Kubrickian, Sweeney Todd sucking by Gwai Lo	Mar 25th, 2008 02:20:58 PM
I liked the Mist ending. And it communicated the same thing the book did, "never give up hope". It does so with a lot more venom than the novella, but the basic message is the exact same. I will agree that he chose to use the gun too early for the character that was established, but all that would have been needed to fix that would be an intertitle that says "48 hours later" or something, so I can look past it pretty easily. I really don't see how anything about the Shawshank Redemption or Darabont's style is "Kubrickian". Not in the slightest. And I hated Sweeney Todd, found it virtually unwatchable. Granted, the only musical I've truly enjoyed ever is Once, but Sweeney Todd was a chore to watch. Tim Burton seems to think art direction is all he needs to make a movie. He hasn't made anything I'd ever want to rewatch or own since Ed Wood.
By the way, the Sweeney Todd songs are terrible by Gwai Lo	Mar 25th, 2008 02:26:28 PM
"I feeeeeeeeel youuuu, Jooaaaaaannnnaaaa" who would honestly listen to this creepy trash voluntarily?
Sweeney Todd poster mistake!!!!! by football	Mar 25th, 2008 03:07:11 PM
Funny to see the dvd cover has the uncorrected poster instead of the altered one. If you look through the window you can clearly see Big Ben in the background. Only problem is that it wasn't built until 1858-1859 and Sweeney Todd first appeared in 1776 from The Annals of Newgate, the same period that the movie is set. Burton had to change the poster in the UK due to media derision and historical inaccuracies. Surprised he didn't have the Millennium Dome in the poster too.
Yeah, Johnny Depp's nom was horse shit. by Gwai Lo	Mar 25th, 2008 03:08:20 PM
Nice that he's finally getting recognized for something, but out of all the great performances in 2007 Johnny Depp's Sweeney Todd was nothing special. When they showed his clip next to all the other best actors it paled in comparison. Personally I think Emile Hirsch should have been in his spot for Into the Wild, or maybe Bale for Rescue Dawn. Or Casey Affleck for AOJJBTCRF, because that definitely wasn't a supporting role. Hell, even James McAvoy for Atonement would have been a much better choice than Johnny Depp.
Quake II by beast625	Mar 25th, 2008 03:09:02 PM
"What parent would be able to kill their child?" As a parent, I can answer that - any parent faced with the possibility of (1) watching their child being eaten alive or (2) being killed and leaving said child to face those horrors alone. I liked the ending and felt it was consistent with Drayton's character throughout - he controlled the situation (though it didn't turn out as expected).
Gwai Lo by TheLastCleric	Mar 25th, 2008 03:09:05 PM
Music is a subjective thing. I liked the soundtrack enough to nab the deluxe version on iTunes and I rather enjoy most of the songs. I think musicals as a genre are very polarizing and within that genre what people like and dislike will vary a great deal. I went in expecting to like Sweeny Todd and came out loving it and the music. I’ve seen enough musicals to know that generally speaking, they’re not my thing and yet I’d personally rank Sweeny Todd as one of 2007’s best films. Also, the Johanna song seemed like a typical, sappy love ballad that stands in sharp contrast to most of the other songs in the film, which are quite bleak. The version of the Johanna song that Sweeny sings while cutting numerous throats struck me as grimly amusing and more than a tad satirical of the musical genre itself. Honestly, the film seems to play a lot with the conventions of the genre while still mostly adhering to them, which I personally loved. I think it’s a great film, even if it’s not for everyone.
TheLastCleric by Gwai Lo	Mar 25th, 2008 03:19:47 PM
I was being a bit inflammatory. I do realize that lots of people like musicals, and Steven Sondheim is highly respected in the musical field, so obviously there is something to it. My personal experience with the film and the music within the film, however, was nothing short of irritating. I rarely like the music in musicals, partly because the music is inextricably bound to the narrative most of the time (bad comparison, listening to an isolated song from a musical is kind of like reading a chapter from the middle of a book you have already read.) On top of that I find most musical numbers from musicals to be overdone and stagey. In the case of Sweeney Todd, I also found Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter's voices to be excruciating to listen to. I think some of this touches on why I liked Once so much, the music springs organically from the story (rather than having characters burst into song for no reason) and while the songs underpin the thematic concerns of the film each song stands on its own and wouldn't sound out of place in Shuffle on my iPod. Like I said, Once is the first musical I have legitimately enjoyed (although I do have a sort of textbook reference for some of the pioneers like Meet Me in St. Louis.) Combine my distaste for musicals with my distaste for post-Ed Wood Tim Burton and you can get a good idea of why I didn't like Sweeney Todd.
*textbook REVERENCE by Gwai Lo	Mar 25th, 2008 03:20:43 PM
Lions and typos and bears, oh my
Mist = Best horror movie of 07. by Judge Briggs	Mar 25th, 2008 03:26:55 PM

and WTF is up with the no blu ray disc of Mist? by Judge Briggs	Mar 25th, 2008 03:29:04 PM

Gwai Lo by TheLastCleric	Mar 25th, 2008 03:49:26 PM
Fair enough. For me, Sweeny Todd was almost an anti-musical in some respects and I was impressed by Depp's voice. To be fair, the music works better onscreen than by itself, even though I really like the soundtrack. As for Burton, I really loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I thought Big Fish was a nice little film. Sleepy Hollow was a tad bloated but very cool in terms of visuals and style and personally, I think Sweeny Todd is Burton's best film. Then again, I like Ed Wood but never fell in love with the film as so many others have. To each their own.
I want MAN-BEAR-PIG: THE MOVIE by random dude	Mar 25th, 2008 04:15:06 PM

The problem wasn't... by Shermdawg	Mar 25th, 2008 04:22:37 PM
...Jane popping them all in the fucking head, the problem was the Mist clearing ot mere moments after leaving the vehicle. If he was able to reach the city, and then meet up with the rescued peeps, it would've worked. But as it is, it's way too forced.
Silent Hill by kolchak	Mar 25th, 2008 04:30:56 PM
as visuaully compelling as that film was, it was a bit of a mess. There's so many ambiguous, random shit thrown in that it completely derails towards the end and half the audience in my theater was left scratching their heads.
The Mist - entertaining movie with a bad ending. by Ivan_Mtl	Mar 25th, 2008 04:47:02 PM
As someone who enjoyed the book, I must say that the cinematic ending to Stephen King's THE MIST was quite disappointing. A father killing his son by shooting him in the head so the "monsters don't get him" is completely unbelievable. I just don't buy it, and, apparently, most movie-goers didn't as well. In fact, I think most adults would instinctively sacrifice themselves to save a child - especially when one of those adults is the child's father. I am not against a downbeat ending if it serves the story and offers a glimmer of hope (as the book does when the Thomas Jane character thinks he may have heard something on the radio). If they had just ended the movie with the car running out of gas and the camera pulling back to show that they are in the middle of nowhere, it would of at least allowed the audience to come up with their own conclusions. John Carpenter crafted a beautiful ending for his remake of THE THING. Logically, the two surviving characters should freeze to death, but we didn't need to see it. It allowed the more optimistic movie-goers to draw their own conclusions. So, for those of you who feel like I do that The Mist's ending ruined an otherwise entertaining film, just do what I will do when I pick up the dvd... turn off the movie when the car runs out of gas.
The Mist "Failed"? by MattmanReturns	Mar 25th, 2008 04:58:38 PM
It cost $18 million to make. It made $25 million domestically, and $41 million worldwide. It will likely rake in some more millions from DVD rentals and buys.
And Silent Hill was awesome by MattmanReturns	Mar 25th, 2008 05:00:22 PM
Though I wouldn't compare it to the Mist... just because you see creatures skittering around in fog. They're thematically very different films. Interestingly though, the female cop was also the lead actress in the Mist.
Mist was good for the most part by drewlicious	Mar 25th, 2008 05:10:09 PM
I thought a few of the characters were pretty generic and I was beginning to question why anyone would be siding with Preacher Lady in the first place. But after that one soldier exploded into a bunch of spiders I was disturbed out of my mind. I would have been born again crazy too. Sacrifice the kid just don't let those things touch me.
beast625..I'm a parent as well... by Quake II	Mar 25th, 2008 05:47:29 PM
And ex military. My first stop out of town would be to the gun/sporting goods store and stock up on weapons/ammo for everyone in the car. Then I would drive slowly, watch my fuel gauge and find a fucking gas station before I completely ran out of gas. And I wouldn't shoot my son for any reason. Monsters or not. We would all die being eaten together, but not without a fight. Period. But that's just me. I guess I love my kid more than you (I'm kidding dude).
Oh, and the black & white thing... by Quake II	Mar 25th, 2008 05:57:23 PM
doesn't work for me. Had the movie been set in the 50's I could buy it, but since I saw it already in color and the film takes place today I can't get into the B&W version. Black and white is great when used for period pieces or art films, not modern Hollywood movies. Clerks had an excuse because Kevin Smith couldn't afford color film. I have no problems watching a modern movie like Schindler's List (seen it a dozen times) because it takes place in the "era" of black and white. Seeing a cell phone or pair or Nikes in black and white movie fucks with my senses (lol).
That's a good question. by drewlicious	Mar 25th, 2008 07:09:45 PM
Where did all the gas stations go? I understand it's dangerous to stop the car but it's even more dangerous to be stranded. I supposed if the nearest place was being guarded by a giant crab I'd understand.
Douchedawg by quantize	Mar 25th, 2008 07:10:44 PM
no i like an ending with SOME kind of satisfying climax...if you called that cheesey WTF do you call that sack of shit Clovercrap?
When will we see the bluray release??? by AllPowerfulWizardOfOz	Mar 25th, 2008 08:01:22 PM
of each.
Oh, and tell Spall he's fantastic. by Alfred_Packer	Mar 25th, 2008 08:22:06 PM
He is so great in Topsy Turvy, and I was probably one of the only people in the theatre experiencing absolute glee in every scene that he's in in Todd, perfect casting in my favorite movie from last year. "..and ladies my Lord are weeeaaak"
I love those Busted Tees ladies. by mrfan	Mar 25th, 2008 08:55:48 PM
MMM MMMM GOOD.
What does The Mist have to do with Cloverfield? by Shermdawg	Mar 25th, 2008 08:59:12 PM
If you really wanna compare the two, then yes Cloverfied had a much more satisfying ending (as long as you overlook Hud's encounter with the monster.) It may not have been the ending you were expecting or wanted, but it didn't go for a as cheap as hell twist that was so over the top it made the whole situation a bit comical. The pacing of the events, the mist clearing, the army showing up, Jane moaning, that god awful music, it hurt what could have otherwise been one of the best endings in years. It just didn't work. And on a sidenote, you're not gonna get much respect around here namecalling when someone disagrees with ya. This ain't YouTube, my friend.
Loved the Mist... by Russman	Mar 25th, 2008 10:18:07 PM
I'll never know why people didn't like it.
Russ, if you'd read the countless talkbacks... by Shermdawg	Mar 25th, 2008 10:33:31 PM
...this film has had on the site, you'd "know".
I picked it up by kolchak	Mar 25th, 2008 11:44:04 PM
first thing I did was print off an alternate cover with the original one sheet. The fucking stock cover art still annoys the piss out of me.
The Mist ending is awful by alpha	Mar 26th, 2008 07:33:52 AM
The rest of the film is ok but that ending is just plain crap and felt like shock for shocks sake.
I like dark endings, but the Mist's was wrong by brokemart	Mar 26th, 2008 11:54:01 AM
The ending has been spoiled by this TB already but for the hell of it, a SPOILER FOLLOWS... Thomas Jane does nothing the entire movie to give any indication that he would kill his son and everyone else in the truck. Just because he promised his son that he wouldn't let the monsters get him doesn't automatically mean, "I'll shoot you in the head before I'd let that happen". What Jane does is totally out of character. For shit's sake! He, not to mention, the teacher and the old man in the back seat, has done nothing short of heroic for the whole movie. All three of them risk there lives to get the burned dude antibiotics, among other things. So they run out of gas and its time to kill each other? Really?!? Actually, since Jane did off his son and everyone else, he deserved his fate of having the military show up just moments later. It's not like the unfair fate that Twilight Zone niceguy-bookworm Henry Bemis faces in "Time Enough At Last", which is simply one of the cruelest injustices ever bestowed upon a main character.
And I like... by brokemart	Mar 26th, 2008 11:59:33 AM
...the fate of Henry Bemis in that TZ episode. It's so dark that its fun. I did like all of "The Mist" other than the last 15 minutes. Someone mentioned earlier in this TB to just shut the movie off when the truck runs out of gas. That is an excellent suggestion. You can dream up your own ending then.
Brokemart. by Gilkuliehe	Mar 26th, 2008 01:20:23 PM
Please do summarize Henry Bemis' fate. I suck at googling. Oh and when you said "one of the cruelest injustices ever bestowed upon a main character", five words instantly appeared on my brain: Seymour the dog from Futurama.
Oh nevermind. by Gilkuliehe	Mar 26th, 2008 01:24:41 PM
I found it. The glasses guy, sure. Seymour beats him though. :)
Poor Henry... by brokemart	Mar 26th, 2008 01:32:21 PM
When you consider Henry put a gun to his temple earlier in the episode but thought better of it when he found the bombed-out library, it makes breaking his glasses even crueler. You pretty much know what old Henry did after the episode ended.
Seymour's story is sad... by brokemart	Mar 26th, 2008 01:53:11 PM
...but its not tragic or shocking like Henry Bemis. Seymour's story reminds me of the robot boy (in Kubrick/Speilberg's AI) being frozen/fossilized for 2000 years while looking for his human mother. He then is found and "rebooted" by aliens but they can only bring his mother back for 24 hours before she dies, leaving the robot boy by her side forever. Or something like that. I just remember it being extremely sad.
The Mist is a piece of shit by JackIsLost	Mar 28th, 2008 10:47:12 PM

killing the kid... by imascooby1985	Apr 14th, 2008 11:00:47 PM
I know almost no one is still on this message board but i just thought I should post this in regards to everyone saying that the kid may not have wanted to be killed, and that Tom Jane shot him while he was still waking up, etc. Probably my favorite scene in the entire film was a very small scene where the kid tells his dad flatout "dont let the monsters get me." He never flatout says, if you have a chance, shoot me in the head before I get torn to shreds, but that is what he is implying and you can see by the look on Tom Janes face that he understands that. So it is not like he just decided, "Well, time to shoot my kid before I even bother asking him." Every single person in that car wanted to commit suicide, including Tom Jane, but the lack of bullets made him decide to do the very un-pussy thing and kill his own son and everyone else and basically submit himself to being ripped to shreds by a horrible monster.

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