Fog Remake? (1 Viewer)

[Joe Karlosi]

Another needless "new" remake goes forgotten.

 

[Robert Anthony]

Well, hey, I'm not entirely sure you're a good representative of "most of us" either

Seriously, I'm not really speaking for anyone but me, but I did, shortly after watching that Prince of Darkness, try to get an idea of the critical consensus of the movie. I hit mrqe, rotten tomatoes, some messageboards, imdb, amazon, all those. Because I had the thing recommended to me by a pretty good friend who shared my taste in movies, and I thought maybe I was just WAY in the wrong headspace to watch this flick, so I went around to see what exactly I missed.

And I discovered I didn't miss much. Largely, people don't understand just what the hell Carpenter was on when he made this. See, I can SEE the questions he's trying to raise, the light he's trying to shine on both religion AND science, but it's so forced, ham-handed and utterly bungled that the power it holds is TOTALLY up to the watcher, there's none in the movie. The movie is a cipher as far as actually EVOKING real dread goes.

And the acting (specifically Dennis Dun and Parker Stevenson) are so WRONG for their roles, and the dialog so pointless and moronic (when it's not being pretentious and overblown) that the mood, set up BEAUTIFULLY with the dream transmissions, the only scenes in the movie, save for the shot on the other side of the mirror as the light flickers out, are the only scenes that work at all. Everything else is glazed indifference or overbaked histrionics. He hits almost NONE of his notes.

Alice Cooper kills someone with a bicycle, and someone turns into a suit full of bugs. Both scenes that sound like they'd be crazy evocative. Instead Cooper just sort of slowly lumbers towards the victim in a manner reminiscent of the steamroller scene in "Austin Powers" and the bugs sort of fall out of the bottom, in a suspense-free scene, like the bottom of a compost bag ripping out.

And I'd be fine if it was just me that thought the whole movie fell limply out of the bottom of the bag like the bugs in that suit, but I don't think it is. Not from what I've seen and heard. It was a great idea, but when the anti-god is a giant vat of lime slurpee that shoots it's essence into your mouth like a Three Stooges seltzer gag, you're very rapidly losing your grip on the gravitas you're so desperately trying to infuse your movie with. Of course, the first strike there is trying to have Parker Stevenson lead your movie about the anti-god returning to earth.

The movie simply doesn't work, and more Carpenter fans seem to feel that way than not. Maybe the hardcores don't, but I think that movie is a prime candidate for a remake, as the idea is so strong. But simply having a strong idea doesn't forgive the shoddy execution. In my opinion, Carpenter's shoddiest.

 

[Jordan_E]

Sorry, but I really liked Prince of Darkness. It "worked" for me.

 

[Robert Anthony]

Hey, don't apologize. My friend really dug it too. Whatever floats the boat.

 

[Justin_S]

This is really where we differ. I think Carpenter's wonderful ideas are realized to fascinating effect in the film, and that the execution is all around flawless. I really enjoyed Jameson Parker in the lead, and Dennis Dun is the rare case of comedy relief that actually works. He is amusing, likable, and his antics don't overshadow or ruin the dread the film has built up. The music, the atmosphere, the apocalyptic tone, the marvelous ending... it all works beautifully for me.

I seem to have run across more fans of the film online than you have, but its true, the film is still one of Carpenter's less celebrated efforts. I'm just glad that I get so much out of it. I'm sort of used to being in the minority anyway, as I adore Halloween III and think Day of the Dead is Romero's best zombie film, hehe. One opinion is just as valid as any other though, and that's what counts.

 

[Robert Anthony]

I dunno if Day of the Dead is the best Zombie flick, but I remember agreeing with you, when the subject came up, on why you liked it so much. I have many of the same feelings.

And Halloween III seems to be having a delayed Day of the Dead groundswell reaction thing going on--people are really giving it the shot it should have gotten in the 80's, and they're finding it pretty cool. I still have yet to check it out, but I will sometime this year.

 

[Tino]

Eggs Zaccly!

 

[BrettGallman]

Count me in with those who really enjoy Halloween 3. A part of me wishes that they had stuck with the forumula of a different story for each Halloween sequel. But then, sometimes, I really do enjoy Halloween 4 and 6, so I guess things did end up alright.

 

[Jordan_E]

Well, as if remaking The Fog wasn't bad enough...get ready for Creepshow Redux.

 

[JohnMor]

One important lesson I've learned this year: stay clear of ANY film that has a free ticket offer in a DVD. The Amityville Horror, Bewitched and now The Fog. Sony/MGM is 3 for 3! Next time they offer a free ticket I am RUNNING in the opposite direction from any theater showing that film.

 

[Brett_M]

John Carpenter is one of my favorite filmmakers and I own most of his flicks on DVD. "Most" is the operative word.

I love "The Prince of Darkness." It scares me -- and I like that. It ranks up there with The Exorcist, "The Changeling" and "The Omen" as the scariest flicks ever (to me).

I love "Starman," too. Great love story.

I love "Halloween III," although directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. How hot is Stacy Nelkin? It's a creepy flick. Maybe it should have been called just plain "Season of the Witch" instead. Carpenter was trying to go a different direction and get away from Michael Myers. Instead, he became one of the "undead killer" clichés along with Jason and Freddy.

Obviously, "Halloween," "The Thing" and "Escape from New York" are Carpenter canon classics -- all are awesome flicks. "Christine" is solid -- great stuff. I can't not watch it when I come across it on Encore. "They Live" is another favorite (how awesome is the street fight between Roddy Piper and Keith David?), as is "Big Trouble in Little China." Both are fun. Plenty of rewatch value.

I will never buy "Escape from LA," "Memoirs of an Invisible Man," "Village of the Damned," "In the Mouth of Madness" or "Vampires." For me, they are all weak. I do not enjoy them at all. "Ghosts of Mars" has its moments. I like the music and some of the action. That's a maybe (i.e. 3 for $20 at Best Buy, I'll do it).

Now, "Assault on Precinct 13" and "The Fog" are different. Both have been remade and both remakes suck eggs. "Assault on Precinct 13" is one of my favorite films. I like the performances and its simplicity. The remake was overwrought, overacted, and overlong. It was a shiny turd. Great cast, though. "The Fog" is another fave and it took everything I had to ignore the "new" DVD with free ticket. I'm so glad I restrained myself. Say what you will, but the original is so well done that I'm willing to say that it's one of Carpenter's best. (The best, imho, is "The Thing" which is a 10 across the board -- acting, direction, script, cinematography, effects, music.)

Carpenter of late is a bit lazy, although the DVDs are getting awesome treatments. I hope he can recapture his brilliance of 1975 through 1990. I still watch his new ones but I'm let down after viewing them. For me as a fan, his earlier films are more atmospheric, with simple stories and great performances. Iconic characters abound:

Snake Plissken
Michael Myers
Napoleon Wilson

I have no doubt that the remake trend will continue. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. If anything, he gets paid for producing or executive producing, scoring, plus rentals and sales of the original versions on DVD increase. Why wouldn't he do it?

I just hope he puts out some new stuff and it's good.