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[REVIEW] The Mist / Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror
Stephen King's The Mist [2008]
Director: Frank Darabont
Studio: Genius Products (TVN)
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars
Monsters aggravate me, in the plural sense. Throw a lone vampire my way, and I'll eagerly follow his story. Small packs of werewolves have also been known to intrigue. Still, when the creatures start coming in hoards, I grow cold no matter how impressive they are or how terrifying their kills might be. Repeated exposure generates boredom not fear, and a climax that depends on something too big or too strange to be believed always leaves me thinking one thing: "Aw man! It's just a giant praying mantis!"
That bias taken into consideration, The Mist was an unavoidable, if well-acted letdown. The slow disintegration of artist and father David Drayton ensured I will look up more of Thomas Jane's acting in the future, and the return of Laurie Holden of Silent Hill fame was a treat. She, like everyone else in the film, gave a solid and compelling performance, her work hampered only by the occasional heavy handling of stereotypes in the script.
In a tale of man slipping back into savagery, stereotypes are a necessarily evil given that we must believe this could happen to the people we see every day. That said, characters that can be summed up with labels like "the dumb hick" or "the crazy bible thumper" make it impossible for viewers to connect on a deeper level. This distance further softened the horror, in my opinion, and left The Mist 3.5 out of five stars.
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Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror [2006]
Director: Stacy Title
Producer: Ted Chung
Studio: Snoopadelic Films Inc.
Rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars
Let's be realistic--I didn't go into watching this movie with high hopes. I purely wanted to see it because it was the last movie in the 8 Films to Die For series.
In Hood of Horror, Snoop plays an urban Crypt Keeper, narrating three short stories set in the inner city. Tattoos from the devil, Vietnam veterans getting revenge on a slumlord, and a rising rap star who takes his nickname a bit too literally all make an appearance, with the idea that Snoop must collect a certain number of souls tying the tales together.
The film is typical fare, really, and hindered by a over the top acting, but still serves as a great tribute to the era of televised short horror skits. Each story lasts just long enough to keep the viewer interested, while including a decent amount of gore and creep. If you're looking for a fun, no-thought-required movie, this is the one for you.
Director: Frank Darabont
Studio: Genius Products (TVN)
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars
Monsters aggravate me, in the plural sense. Throw a lone vampire my way, and I'll eagerly follow his story. Small packs of werewolves have also been known to intrigue. Still, when the creatures start coming in hoards, I grow cold no matter how impressive they are or how terrifying their kills might be. Repeated exposure generates boredom not fear, and a climax that depends on something too big or too strange to be believed always leaves me thinking one thing: "Aw man! It's just a giant praying mantis!"
That bias taken into consideration, The Mist was an unavoidable, if well-acted letdown. The slow disintegration of artist and father David Drayton ensured I will look up more of Thomas Jane's acting in the future, and the return of Laurie Holden of Silent Hill fame was a treat. She, like everyone else in the film, gave a solid and compelling performance, her work hampered only by the occasional heavy handling of stereotypes in the script.
In a tale of man slipping back into savagery, stereotypes are a necessarily evil given that we must believe this could happen to the people we see every day. That said, characters that can be summed up with labels like "the dumb hick" or "the crazy bible thumper" make it impossible for viewers to connect on a deeper level. This distance further softened the horror, in my opinion, and left The Mist 3.5 out of five stars.
Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror [2006]
Director: Stacy Title
Producer: Ted Chung
Studio: Snoopadelic Films Inc.
Rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars
Let's be realistic--I didn't go into watching this movie with high hopes. I purely wanted to see it because it was the last movie in the 8 Films to Die For series.
In Hood of Horror, Snoop plays an urban Crypt Keeper, narrating three short stories set in the inner city. Tattoos from the devil, Vietnam veterans getting revenge on a slumlord, and a rising rap star who takes his nickname a bit too literally all make an appearance, with the idea that Snoop must collect a certain number of souls tying the tales together.
The film is typical fare, really, and hindered by a over the top acting, but still serves as a great tribute to the era of televised short horror skits. Each story lasts just long enough to keep the viewer interested, while including a decent amount of gore and creep. If you're looking for a fun, no-thought-required movie, this is the one for you.
