The Mist, La Vie En Rose

The Mist - Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Before I review this film, allow me to ramble a little bit about my love-hate relationship with Miss Marcia Gay Harden. It started as a pure love thing: The Daytrippers, The Spitfire Grill, Meet Joe Black. Then the 2001 Oscars came around. At that time I was a little bit obsessed with a movie called Almost Famous (guess what? I still am). Anyway, Miss Marcia was nominated for Best Supporting Actress against TWO Almost Famous ladies: Kate Hudson (playing one of my very favorite film characters of all time) and Frances McDormand. Well, Miss Marcia won and I was furious! (In my defense, I still have not seen Pollack). I held it against her... very much. Thus began the hate portion of our relationship. Then came a little movie called Mystic River and I began to forgive Marcia just a little bit. Then Kate Hudson stopped making movies like 200 Cigarettes and Desert Blue and instead started making movies like Raising Helen and Le Divorce. I really began to forgive Marcia. Especially once she gave the most spectacular performance in the movie The Dead Girl. But then. Oh, but then. Just when I thought our hate relationship was behind us, she decided to make swill like The Invisible. Why Marcia would do such a thing is beyond me! Just a few months ago she was in Into the Wild. She didn't really have much to work with there so all I can say is that I was pleased she was in the movie. I guess that's a plus. But now. Oh, but now. I can gladly say the love relationship has never ever been stronger. In The Mist as religious zealot Mrs. Carmody, Marcia kicks ass, takes name and wipes the floor with these sissy boy actors. No one, oh, no one could do what Marcia does in this movie. She plays a one-note bible thumping caraicature so, so, so very right. I was excited every single time she was on screen. I can't really say that for the entire film though. I mean, I was pleasantly surprised, for sure. The movie was actually surprisingly solid. Mark it down as one of the very few Stephen King adaptations that I enjoyed (Carrie, The Shining). It's just, the whole supernatural thing never set very well with me. And it probably never will. I realized about halfway through that I really enjoy vampire / zombie movies and they are supernatural, right? But, I don't know, part of me is more willing to believe that vampires actually exist than, say, giant crazy bugs living in mysterious mist. The special effects were not particularly well done. The basic plot reminded me of a really bad movie I watched once on Sci-Fi Channel. It was about a military testing ground on high mountain that tested all these creatures and then, all of a sudden, the giant frozen spiders escaped and decided to attack a ski lodge. I mean, it's basically the same premise. When the creatures were attacking, I didn't especially like the movie. However, when it came to character development and interaction, I really enjoyed it. My Marcia, of course, steals the show, but there are a few solid actors in the film as well. Hottie McHottie Thomas Jane (he may have to join my movie star boyfriend list) is the artist turned relucatant hero of the townspeople after they are shut in the local grocery store. Andre Braugher is his rational lawyer neighbor. Toby Jones is solid as well. I can't say I loved the film entirely but I did find myself liking it more often than not. And, my lord, that ending. Even if you see it coming a mile away, it's still perfect and shocking and absolute Stephen King perfection. And Jane, whose acting I don't always love, really pulls it off. Overall, the movie is hit and miss although it hits more times than it misses. Marcia, my darling, our love affair is back and better than ever. Moral of the story: Don't take your kid to the grocery store.
Grade: B- (Marcia gets an A!)

La Vie en Rose - Maybe I suffer from not knowing much (or anything at all for that matter) about Edith Piaf. As far as I can tell, she led a pretty extraordinary life. I read up a bit about her online before I decided to write this review. Turns out she was a member of the French Resistance during WWII. She starred in a blockbuster play written by Jean Cocteau. She became such a hit in the United States that she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show eight times and played at Carnegie Hall twice. She pretty much singlehandedly saved the famous Paris Olympia concert hall from bankruptcy. La Vie en Rose mentions none of these things. Instead, her life is shown as a crazy melodrama. Call her the Courtney Love of 1930s France. I won't even go into the details of the film because, honestly, I don't know what is true and what isn't. In my opinion, it all just seems a bit too much. She spent her childhood in the circus. She was raised for a bit in a brothel. She was accused (but acquitted) of being an accessory to the murder of her mentor. She was a drunk and became addicted to various pain killers. The movie tends to paint the picture as a list of all the tragedy in her life. However, there is little mention of the monumental success it seems she achieved. All the tragedies are almost dulled by a lack of happy moments to contrast them with. Again, I didn't know much about Edith Piaf. I have heard that Marion Cotillard does a remarkable job portraying her. I have read people who say things like, "She better win the Oscar or else..." I'm not sure I can agree. I think she'll probably get nominated, sure. However, it seems like she plays a young Piaf as a goofy, over-the-top caricature of a person and plays the older Piaf as an almost senile, uncharismatic shell of a person. Again, I have absolutely no knowledge of how Piaf really was... so perhaps Cotillard IS doing a great job. The movie just didn't have enough substance to hold my attention. I don't know much about Piaf but I have a funny feeling that she deserves better than this.

Grade: D+