Pop quiz. Tell me, what do you consider to be the most successful Stephen King adaptation, made for film or television? "Carrie"? "The Dead Zone"? "Salem's Lot"? "Stand By Me"? No! Not "Maximum Overdrive"!! (And if that is your choice, may God forgive you, because I won't.)
All of the above, except "Maximium Overdrive" of course, are great pieces of work. But my choice as the benchmark Stephen King adaptation would probably be "The Shawshank Redemption", directed by Frank Darabont.
Stephen King has been very good for Frank Darabont. "The Shawshank Redemption" has become a modern classic and "The Green Mile" was nearly as good. I am glad to say that "The Mist" is nearly as good again.
"The Mist" is a great film, perfectly structured, but a film that requires patience. It is a film of the slow build and of a gradual getting to know the characters, their obsessions, their fears and prejudices. It was nice to see a King horror film where his great talent of touching on the reality of a small town, has been exploited. It makes it all the more horrific when all hell does break loose, because the people who are getting hurt are ones that you know.
Thomas Jane is faintly wooden. Personally I would not have cast him, but all of the other performances are top notch. Marcia Gay Harden's possibly psychotic, fundamental christian, Toby Jones' short, pudgy, perfectly ordianary hero, Andre Braugher's uptight, big city lawyer and William Sadler's scared, malleable blue collar worker. All excellent.
"The Mist" is not "The Shawshank Redemption" in one crucial way. Whereas "The Shawshank Redemption" was about hope and life, "The Mist" is about hopelessness and death. One thing that they have in common is an astonishing ending. The ending of "The Mist" is wonderful, horrific, twisted and shocking. Not anything that I saw coming.
"The Mist" is marvellous. Must see.
"Savage Grace".
On 17th November 1972, Barbara Daly Baekeland was murdered by her son Antony. "Savage Grace" is about the relationship between the Mother and Son that led to that event. It was the dictionary definition of a dysfunctional relationship.
I liked "Savage Grace" well enough. I thought it was an interesting film from the long absent Tom Kalin, director of "Swoon". There are some UK critics saying that Julianne Moore's performance in "Savage Grace" might well get her another Oscar nomination, and possibly even the gong itself, but I just cannot see that happening. Julianne Moore is good as Barbara Daly Baekeland (has she ever been anything but good?), and Eddie Redmayne is really terrific as her son Antony, but the film is remote and cold and not one that goes in for the kind of grand gestures that win Oscars.
"Savage Grace" does look wonderful and the cinematography is gorgeous, studying every nook and cranny of the beautiful, indolent rich in all of their glory. All beautifully dressed, nicotine addicted and at times depraved, bored, out of touch and listless.
"Savage Grace" is an interesting peak into an alien world.
1 comment:
I thought "Savage Grace" was a little too distant - the characters remained enigmas, up to and including the murder scene. I agree with you about it being a remote and cold film, but I think that made it harder to grasp as a viewer. I left the theater without any clear understanding of why anything happened, other than that everyone was messed up. Maybe that was the point?
I also thought that parts of it, including her performance, bordered on camp. It was almost too much at times - especially when there was no connection to the character's motivation.
But I agree it was pretty.
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