Change Your Image
Wistful-Layman
Reviews
The Mist (2007)
Creature Feature
While the body of the film is a bit too "Lord of the Flies" in its portrayal of humanity, and the story's conclusion is little more than gratuitous cruelty, performances are strong across the board and the narrative itself is compelling, albeit a little fantastic. Relationships between characters and their interpersonal conflicts all feel grounded in reality, adding stakes for the viewer where they would otherwise not exist. You come to care for background characters equal to how the more important figures in the story treat them. The animation and special effects are good, especially for the time, and they serve to further slowly replace the terror of the unknown with fear of what is tangible. Though I'm not really a Stephen King fan, his work is made infinitely better by Frank Darabont's for-the-screen rendition. Thomas Jane is what binds the entire thing together, with him serving viewers well as the story's anchor and the primary source of perspective into both the narrative and the world in which his character lives.
Eli (2019)
Christ Is King!
Pretty good movie. Robust story elements and some legitimately chilling sequences. Acting was good, and the twists and turns felt natural and flowed well. I like the casting choices as well, everyone felt convincing in their roles and the on-screen chemistry between both parents and their son seemed very genuine. Though I did enjoy the twist at the end, I felt that some of the special effects choices used to portray the children as the spawn of the Devil were a bit cheap; although part of the overall demonic ensemble the red eyes were a nice touch, but on their own it felt a bit silly. As for the overall story...all I'll say is that Christ is King!
The Watcher (2022)
Justice For Sprinkles!
It was fine. Only very loosely based on the true events that inspire it. Lots of running around, but overall fairly enjoyable. My biggest complaint is that Sprinkles, the family's ferret, is brutally killed in the first episode and there is zero recourse or absolution offered at any point during the show. This was a needless detail added for no reason other than to make viewers uncomfortable; being fictional, I'd have liked very much to see some sort of explanation or justice for our poor little friend. However, viewers are offered no such comfort. An unfortunate turn of events for ferret lovers everywhere.