The Mist

A freak storm unleashes a species of blood-thirsty creatures on a small town, where a band of citizens are obliged to hole-up in a supermarket, and fight for their lives

This film came out in 2007 in the US, but didn't get a release in the UK until this year. Perhaps The Mist suffered because it came out shortly after the dire remake of The Fog? Or perhaps the film's distributors ran scared because of its uncompromising and uncomfortable ending? I don't know, but I do know that film is a little seen gem. A genuine, old-fashioned scare-fest, based on a short novel by Stephen King and directed with assured polish by Frank Darabont.

Darabont, an old hand at King adaptations and friend of the author, sat on the movie rights of this horror classic for years until he had the time to film it. It was well worth the wait. He veers barely at all from the source material. The various creeping monsters that come out of the all-eveloping mist are frightening and believable creatures. The danger that comes from within the group of survivors is also creditable and loaded with irony. Here, a charismatic individual who seems to offers answers, begins to turn the minds of the frightened people in the supermarket. The political and religious parallels of this storyline are merely observed, rather than hammered home, and the film is all the better for it.

There are no big stars on show. Just a lot of good actors: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, and Andre Braugher. Thus, you've really no idea who will survive and who won't, adding to the suspense. A warning though. The ending carries on from where the novel finishes, to offer a double gut-punch finale, which may upset you and that you certainly won't forget.

Appaloosa

I thought I'd do a little run of reviews of various films, books, and whatnot, that I've enjoyed in 2008. Let's start with Appaloosa.

A far more leisurely Western than the trailer suggests, Ed Harris directs and stars in this film version of a Robert B. Barker novel. Yes, there's plenty of action, but because the film also concentrates heavily on the friendship between the two leads (Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen), there's a lot of amusing, sparse dialogue scenes, which add much thoughtfulness and depth to the film. These two men are struck from the Western template of Howard Hawks' movies. Men's men, who are comfortable in their maleness, say little, and have a strong code of behaviour. This could easily be clichéd if it wasn't so deftly and lightly done. Their scenes together are irresistibly charming.

There's nothing terribly original in this tale of two guns for hire, who arrive in the town of Appaloosa, to bring law. But it's so expertly crafted, with great turns from Jeremy Irons and Lance Hendrickson as the villains, that it seems like something new. The film isn't an ironic take on the Western genre, or some clever, but empty re-imagining of the form. Instead it's a solid story well told, containing believable characters, expertly played by seasoned actors.

Only Rene Zellweger seems a little ill-served by the screenplay. Her character, the inevitable love interest, gets only one scene to explain her motivations, and as a result, she's somewhat underwritten. It's hard to believe that a stand up guy like Harris's Virgil Cole, would fall for such a troublesome and mercurial minx, but then, perhaps that's the point?

Stan's Sled

Seasons greetings, everyone.

The End Is Nigh

I'm now very close to the end of this particular Super Sam and John of the Night story. After which there will be a break while I work on other projects. This webcomic has been a long haul for me. At, mostly, one page a week on the Forbidden Planet blog, it's taken over a year to work my way through the narrative. Not what I ever set out to do, but the story grew and grew in the telling, until I began to wonder whether I would ever reach the end. It's been well worth the effort though, as I've learned a great deal about graphic story telling, especially in terms of colour.

All episodes can be seen here. forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?cat=21

Spider-Man Painting

Acrylic painting on canvas. 35 by 23 cm. Box edge canvas. For sale. Email me if your interested. darryltoon@mac.com

Traffic

Paper Town Project

A couple of years ago, I had a go at building the type of scenes often depicted in my drawings, bringing them into 3D in the form of paper and card sculptures. It's been a while, but I'd like to have another attempt at this, as I'm sure I could improve on the idea.

Here's a couple of photos of the last sculpture I did. Sadly, these were never glued together or expected to be permanent. They only existed as long as it took me to photograph them.

The Outernational Hotel

Several different realities collide in the Outernational Hotel's famous ballroom.

A few things to look out for in this illustration: Superman, The Bottle City of Kandor, giant cup of coffee, pencil, glasses, cows, Tarzan, Sam of the Sun, John of the Night, blue ladder, postbox, loads of other stuff.