Frank Darabont's riveting interpretation of Stephen King's "The Mist" is one of the surefire surprises of 2007. With some stellar individual performances from Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden, this film plays as both a thrilling horror flick and a lucid spiritual drama by not sacrificing quality for cheap audience approval.
The overall tone of Darabont's picture is very absorbing and some of the dialogue is so laugh-out-loud hysterical that the comedy aspect is actually a welcomed presence at times. Kudos to Darabont for pulling off his third King adaptation with splendid brio and precision and may his next one be just as thought-provoking and alive.
- *** ½ out of 4
I had high expectations heading into Robert Zemeckis's CGI take on "Beowulf," but the final product came out a bit hollow and underwhelming. Sure, flesh is eaten and blood is spilled, but what does all that carnage and decay really amount to? I didn't hate this film. I just thought it could've gone above and beyond your typical tear 'em up action fare.
Passionate voicing by Ray Winstone and Anthony Hopkins works to a certain degree and Angelina Jolie adds a rather sexy dimension that, from my own experience, was significantly lacking in the original epic poem. The final scenes were exhilarating to say the least, but the real dilemma lies in the fact that there weren't enough of them.
- ** 1/2 out of 4
"POTC: At World's End" is just a big, steaming pile of warbled dialogue and big-budget special effects that never really amounts to much. Plotlines are constantly severed and incoherent and the actors appear to going through the motions with a hope that this train wreck will be ending as soon as possible. Depp is always entertaining and Knightley is gorgeous as usual, but I just didn't care enough to fully invest my time in this abominable heap of commercial rubbish. Then again, when your main character doesn't show up until almost an hour in, the odds are already stacked against you.
- * out of 4
Will Smith has returned to the screen this holiday season for the latest adaptation of Richard Matheson's harrowingly suspenseful zombie tale, "I Am Legend," and turns in a performance full of vigor and vulnerability. He takes what is essentially a one-man show and creates an atmosphere consumed by fear and uncertainty, while the special effects operate at an inspired yet low-key level of effectiveness.
Not a huge spectacle, but entertaining nonetheless.
- *** out of 4
"May you be in heaven half an hour, before the devil knows you're dead" - An old Irish toast
I was finally able to experience Sidney Lumet's deliciously sinister crime drama, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," and was treated to an incredible display of backbiting performances and emotionally hardened dialogue. At 83, Lumet has become an indisputable master at extracting career-best work from his actors and what he does here is simply extraordinary.
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke tear into their characters like it's nobody's business and serve up a cornucopia of unsettling moments that leave you breathlessly stunned by the time everything is said and done. Watching these frantic, foul-mouthed brothers rapidly unravel and hit rock bottom before our very eyes is as compelling as anything I've seen at the cinema all year.
Lumet's uncompromising handle on Kelly Masterson's crackling script is what fuels this film from the start, because every scene feels as if it's ready to explode with malice and contempt. Great stuff indeed.
- **** out of 4
Side Note: Lumet's decision to open with Hoffman giving it to Marisa Tomei from behind has to be the boldest opening scene in recent memory, so be aware of what kind of territory you're entering if you chose to see it.
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