The Mist (7/10): Frank Darabont and Stephen King reunited once again!

“You don't have much faith in humanity, do you?”

Frank Darabont’s third adaptation of a Stephen King novel proves without a doubt that he is the best director at bringing the writer’s words to film. The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile were both fantastic films, although not the typical horror novels you’d expect from King. The Mist however is much closer to the horror genre we’d expect from him, and Darabont manages to successfully adapt his work for the third time. Not that there haven’t been other successful King adaptations from other director’s such as Kubrick’s direction in The Shining, Reiner in Misery and Stand By Me, and De Palma in Carrie, but most of the time the adaptations don’t seem to work as well. But when it comes to Frank Darabont he has always managed to impress us with the way he brings those novels to the big screen. I honestly have no idea why I never got around to watching this film considering how much I loved Darabont’s previous work, but I think much of it had to do with my confusion over the 2005 film The Fog. The name of that film was translated in Spanish as “The Niebla” which was the same name they gave The Mist so I thought I had seen this film before and hated it. When I finally realized these were two separate films I decided to watch it and what a pleasant experience it was. The Mist is a fantastic homage to 50 and 60’s monster horror films, but at the same time Darabont seems to be reminding us that no matter how dangerous and ugly these things might be, the true enemy is our own humanity. No matter how much fun the ride was, the ending is what will really stick with you. You will love it and hate it at the same time. 

David Drayton (Thomas Jane) is an artist who is working on his latest Hollywood poster painting from his comfortable home in Maine. He is unexpectedly interrupted by a storm and quickly seeks refugee in the basement with his wife and five year-old son, Billy (Nathan Gamble). The next morning they see the damage the fallen trees have left on their home and along with his son and their neighbor Brent (Andre Braugher) they head to the market to buy supplies. There is a heavy mist that seems to be approaching and while they are on their way to the market several firetrucks and army vehicles seem to be heading towards the opposite direction. Once they arrive at the supermarket the mist has already caught up to them and a few minutes later an old man named Dan (Jeffrey DeMunn) runs in half scared to death claiming that there is something in the mist taking people. There are more than 50 people in the market who begin to panic and they decide to close the doors and wait inside for help. David decides to check the generator along with some of the men there including a store employee named Ollie (Toby Jones) and a client named Jim (William Sadler) but what they experience leaves them completely horrified. Some sort of gigantic creature’s tentacles begin to slide under the loading dock door and the men immediately have to shut it. There is no doubt in their minds now that there is definitely something out of this world in the mist. According to Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), the town’s religious fanatic, they are all experiencing God’s wrath for their sinful nature. At first no one pays attention to her, but as the strange creatures begin to creep into the store, she begins to have more followers. David will not only have to look out for what is terrorizing them from the outside, but worry about the growing hate that Mrs. Carmody is sowing in everyone’s hearts. 

In a way, The Mist is sort of The Walking Dead reunion since there are three actors from that series (Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, and Melissa McBride) in this film. It comes as no surprise since Darabont is one of the producers and directors of that series as well and DeMunn has always worked with him in his other King adaptations. If you are a fan of that series, you will definitely want to check this film out because there could be a clue as to how that series might end. Darabont always has a surprise in store and he is deeply influenced by his good friend Stephen King so you know you can’t expect a cliched finale. As much as I enjoyed this film I did feel that the two hour length was a bit tiresome at some points. The film could’ve been cut a good 20 minutes and the experience could’ve been much better. The Marcia Gay Harden character also got on my nerves and I think they gave her too much screen time. The religious fanatic element was an important plot point but Darabont emphasized it a bit too much. The Mist is still a lot of fun and it delivers several suspenseful moments. 

Dolphin Tale 2 (4/10) Worthy of a Direct to DVD status

“You can't just throw two dolphins in the water together.”

And that’s basically the only conflict driving the plot for this sequel. I was a huge fan of Charles Martin Smith’s first film starring Winter, the dolphin with the prosthetic tail, but there isn’t anything appealing about this sequel which barely has a plot. I felt that there was never really much at stake here and many of the emotional moments felt forced, unlike in the first film where there was a lot at stake. There were a lot of fillings and subplots that never did anything to help build the pacing, and despite remaining family friendly, most children will probably be bored by this sequel. I never got engaged with it and perhaps much of that had to do with the weak script and the lack of conflict. The characters which I really liked the first time around didn’t do anything for me in this sequel and I didn’t feel that same connection they had with Winter this time around. Dolphin Tale 2 has all the right ingredients for a direct to DVD movie, but somehow it has been released in the big screen and received some positive reviews from the critics (only 4% lower than Interstellar according to Rottentomatoes). It astonishes me considering this film is formulaic and predictable with very little going for it. A week from now everyone will forget about it. 

The true star of the franchise is Winter, but in this sequel we really don’t get to see the dolphin all that much. There really isn’t much at stake either, and we know how everything is going to play out. The cast is back again, which means we get some cameos from Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Kris Kristofferson, but they aren’t given any substantial role this time around. The film centers once again on the child actors, Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff, who deliver solid performances but don’t add much to the story. From the first scene you can tell that the producers were simply trying to cash in after the success of the first film because there is not much going for it story wise. The true story is inspirational and the original film has touched many people’s lives, but there wasn’t any need for a sequel. 

My Review: Dolphin Tale (8/10)

¨Trying to put a tale on a fish, no one in his right mind would even try it. Luckily for you I`m not in my right mind.¨

I don’t think there will be a more uplifting and inspiring film this year than this story about a tailless dolphin that against all odds learns to swim and survive with the help of a young boy and some marine biologists. It is a tale (pun intended) of hope and overcoming the impossible. I was pleasantly surprised with this movie and fell in love with Winter, the dolphin, from the very opening scene. I don`t think I`ve seen such an uplifting and family friendly film since 2009`s The Blind Side. Ironically the producers of The Blind Side, are also the producers of this film, so they have to be doing some things right. This is a movie the entire family will enjoy and that will bring some tears to your eyes. It`s a very emotional ride and one worth seeing with your family because ¨family is forever.¨ This inspiring story was directed by Charles Martin Smith, and the screenplay written by Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi. Dolphin Tale is actually based on the true story of Winter`s life, and the actual dolphin plays himself in this film so that was a plus. The movie is really well written and the performance from the cast was also interesting, and of course you can`t have an inspirational movie without Morgan Freeman who always brings out the best in these kind of films. Dolphin Tale is a movie for the entire family that you won`t want to miss, and be sure to take a few tissues with you just in case.

Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) is a lonely young boy who lives with his single mother, Lorraine (Ashley Judd) in Clearwater, Florida. He is quiet and his only friend is his older cousin, Kyle (Austin Stowell), an excellent swimmer who he absolutely admires. The bad news is that Kyle has been called for military service and is deployed outside of the country. Sawyer is on his own again, but his life turns around one unexpected day when he runs into an injured dolphin that has caught his tail with a crab trap. Sawyer frees the dolphin and calls the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for help. A marine biologist named Dr. Clay (Harry Connick Jr.) comes along with his crew and young daughter, Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) to save the dolphin and take him to their facility. Once there they discover that the damage to the dolphin`s tale is permanent and in order to save its life they have to amputate it. Without a tale a dolphin can`t swim, and no tailless dolphin has ever survived, but with the help of the marine biologists and Sawyer (with who the dolphin has a strong connection) Winter manages to survive. When Kyle suffers an accident during his service and returns home, Sawyer meets his doctor, Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) who makes prosthetic pieces for injured soldiers and comes up with an outrageous idea: ask him to make a prosthetic tail for Winter. Against all odds, Dr. McCarthy accepts the challenge.

Thanks to the film, Winter who was a symbol of hope for many local people with disabilities has now become a symbol of hope around the world. I got the chance to see this film with my dad who is in a wheel chair and he was truly inspired by the movie having to wipe the tears off his eyes several times. Winter is an example to all, and the fact that the real dolphin was used for this film is inspiring. Now I`ve heard many people say negative things about this film thinking that producers are exploiting the animal and that dolphins shouldn’t be held in an aquarium, but this isn`t any ordinary dolphin. This is a dolphin that should be dead, and the people from CMA have done everything in their reach to save his life. Winter isn`t a normal dolphin, he can`t live on his own in the open water, he needs treatment and care and he has received it. Winter is an inspiration to all and his story was one that needed to be told. So if you are one of those dolphin lovers who are against having these animals used in the entertainment business, don`t close your eyes to this film because it isn`t the case here. Don`t miss the opportunity to watch this excellent movie and see some of the good that people are doing to save some animals lives. Dolphin Tale is the most inspirational film of the year so by all means go see it.

    

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/