Journal 1 The Mist

Link to Critic Review
“The Mist”, a Stephen King based movie, is a movie you shouldn’t miss. If you haven’t seen “The Mist” it is a horror film that captures both the emotions of the characters and viewers alike. What truly sets “The Mist” apart from other horror films is its style. The director, Frank Darabont, focuses more on the interaction between terrified customers than that between customer and monster. This in turn makes the movie become much more relatable and powerful. “The Mist” also shifted from real to surreal in a matter of minutes as what seemed to be an innocent and normal town was covered in terror. When the surreal then slowly became a reality to all the characters, they were all mentally and physically challenged to survive. In the end, what seemed to be a valid resolution turned out to be a crucial mistake.
According to the Rotten Tomatoes top critic James Berardinelli, “The Mist” far exceeded his expectations and he gave it a 3.5 out of a possible 4. For the most part I am in agreement with James on his review of the film, but I have a few disagreements. First off I will start with my disagreements of his critiques. James states that the most intense scenes occur when characters actually leave the somewhat safe supermarket and venture into the mist. Although I do agree that the scenes in which characters venture out into the mist are tense I do not agree that they are more intense than some of the human to human disputes within the store. For example, after the shoppers have separated into groups and blame starts to be distributed, the store becomes less of a sanctuary for everyone. I am also willing to argue on this point because multiple people were murdered by other customers in the store as the plot thickened and the story became more of a mental game for survival. Secondly, I disagree with James’s reasoning behind the special effects. In my opinion, to the average viewer, the special effects were flawless and very realistic. Every form of monster and wound was very believable and more shocking than I can remember in any other movie I have seen. My last disagreement with this critic is that he stated that the movie told us too much about the reasoning for the mist and creatures. I disagree with this because the movie wouldn’t have been the same had there been no one to blame for the whole ordeal. Also it is my personal preference to know as much information to connect the confusion and unknowns in movies.
On the other hand, I am in complete agreement with James’s film grade of 3.5, but as stated, for a couple different reasons. First off I agree with James’s point that the movie is extremely well done from a mental aspect. All the scenes are very chilling and you can really see fear within each character. I also agree with James’s opinion on the conclusion of the film when he stated, “Using ingredients supplied by King, the director brews a potent stew that concludes with a scene tinged with the most bitter irony imaginable.”( Berardinelli). The fact that the director chose to change Stephen King’s written version of the ending for his own makes the movie that much better. It also brings a huge element of surprise and the twist leads the movie away from a more traditional/predictable ending.

Berardinelli, James. "The Mist." A Film Review by James Berardinelli. 11 Feb, 2008. 27 Nov. 2007.

Long Drive analysis

I chose to add two video's because I found that the first wasn't very good as far as demonstrating aspects of filming, yet I still like the clip. So, I am going to discuss elements of film solely from the Long Drive Clip. As far as the point of view goes, this clip is neutral. This scene also combines the long shot with a medium shot and then an extreme long shot. It also touches up on a brief low angle shot when Happy is about to hit the ball and a subtle high angle shot when the ball is in the air. Also the most noticeable element of film of the clip was the speed of motion. First the speed of the ball in the air is followed and is sped up. Then, when Happy is about to hit his shot, the camera speed slows down to slow-motion. When the ball is hit the camera movement is in a crane mode. Overall this clip demonstrates many different aspects of filming.

Long Drive scene

Happy Gilmore

Fight Scene

Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore is a great movie which ranks among the best of comedies. It all starts off in with a hockey player named Happy Gilmore, who is played by Adam Sandler, who is chasing a fantasy to go into the NHL. Frankly, Happy was never a great hockey player and has lost most hope of becoming anything until one day, he picks up a golf club. While crushing balls at the range, a man by the name of Chubbs watches in amazement as Happy awkwardly crushes balls over 400 yards. Chubbs realizes Happy's potential at golf and begins coaching him. Happy is convinced to stay with golf and leave hockey because his Grandma is being evicted and forced to live in a nursing home because Happy doesn't have the money to keep her out. In order to get his grandmother out of the nursing home, Happy joins the PGA. Happy is a huge embarrassment on the greens but always gets there in one shot. His rude behavior and inappropriate comments almost get him kicked off the Tour. He competes in a tournament for a green jacket with a pro named Shooter who tries to cheat happy out of a win. In the end Happy wins the tournament and gets a load of cash and is able to get his Grandmother back in her evicted house.

I like Happy Gilmore for many reasons. First off, in my opinion, Happy Gilmore is the best comedy ever in a very close race with Sandler's, Billy Madison. Happy Gilmore mainly because it combines sport with comedy and being an avid golfer, the story becomes much more humorous to myself. Happy Gilmore also gets extra points because it is has some history. It has been around for nearly 12 years and is still entertaining to watch over and over again. Another reason this is a good movie is that Adam Sandler is a flawless comedian. Through Saturday night live and various other comedy movies, it is hard to go wrong with Sandler. In addition, the other acting in the movie is solid. All the other main characters are well played and perfectly fit their parts. Overall, Happy Gilmore is a great choice of movie for any movie audience.

According to the critics at rottentomatoes.com, Happy Gilmore was close to a split decision for the critics. If a critic liked the movie they seemed to love it, yet those who didn't find the movie enjoyable didn't seem to be completely against it. All of the top critics still had at least some good things to say about the movie. In Addition, various top critics think that Happy Gilmore is Sandlers best movie to date! Back in 1996, Happy Gilmore one an MTV movie award and was nominated for three others. Based on the T-Meter, Happy Gilmore received only a 56 out of 100 points. Top Critics like Roger Ebert seemed to have many doubts about the film, yet it still seemed to bring in a lot of money.