The Mist was originally a novella by Stephen King that has been translated into a motion picture. A story is about a small town called (classically) Castle Rock which is overcome by a mist. The screen play was written by the same man who wrote The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, however if you are expecting another of these stories, you may be disappointed. With cheesy CG (computer generated or computer graphics, and a background that is not really believable, it is the acting and the story of human nature that makes this movie, in my opinion, one of King's best.

The Mist is an age old horror story about monsters, however the real story is human nature and the struggle people have with beliefs and their own personal strength. Mr. King does an excellent job at involving you with most all of the main characters stories and allows you to bond with each character before the main story starts to really open up. Just over 2 hours long, the movie is fairly well paced and feels just long enough.

Dave Drayton, played by an under rated actor Thomas Jane, is an artist living in Castle Rock. His wife and son play great, but small parts. After leaving his wife at home, Mr. Drayton and his son head to town along with their neighbor, who is acted by Andre Braugher, Brent Norton. Quickly after entering town to get food because of a recent storm, the melee ensues. The first 45 minutes is spent introducing you to some of the main and supporting characters. Although Jane was the main star of the movie, the part that provokes the most emotion you will feel is Mrs. Carmondy, played by Marcia Gay Harden.

I do not want to spoil anything about the movie, but I would like to touch again on human nature and the power of choice. Mr. King does such a great job at pointing out how humans truly act in life and death situations. Life isn’t always about coming together and giving a warm fuzzy feeling. Humans, like animals when cornered, react on instinct. When people are facing death and are not strong enough to push forward, they look to a higher power for something to believe in. Sometimes it is too late to realize the choices you are making.

Final Summary:
While I believe this is one of the better King movie adaptations, I found the CG a tad cheesy especially with today’s technology. I don't think that this killed the movie, but along with an over the top premise to the movie, I found the approach held me back a little from giving 5 devil horns. For any King fan, this is a must see, and for any horror suspense fan if you don't have high expectations you should enjoy this as well. If you are the type that needs reality in every aspect of a movie, you may not enjoy this.

Survey Says: 4 outta 5 devil horns

For Michael Bay, the biggest mistake made was not opening Transformers in IMAX theaters opening weekend back in July. Or was it?

This past weekend we went and saw Transformers, for the third time. This time was different; it was presented on a 70 x 50 foot-plus screen with thousands of watts of surround sound. Originally our plan was to see this on the IMAX screen not to far from the house, but when I went to buy tickets back in July, to my dismay, I found out they were not releasing it on IMAX.

If it was a plan, it was a great plan, we saw Transformers twice on the regular screen, and not 3 some-odd months later, we are saw it again and it was just like the first time. Transformers spared no expenses in CG (computer graphics), and has some of the best big budget action I have yet to see. The destruction in this movie in unreal, and I don't mean unrealistic. The Transformers are so real looking, it brings me back to audience reactions when Jurassic Park was released. I think this is partly due to the acting. In most cases, the acting is really great and helps bring to life the movie.

The story worried me when I first heard about Bay making this movie. Not that his stories aren't good, but people seem to want realistic themes nowadays. Even if this review is old, since the movie was released in July, it still applies since the theaters were packed like it was opening weekend.

Final Summary:
IMAX is the way to see this movie. I will say however, since the screen is so large, it does make it difficult to focus on certain parts of the screen.

Survey Says: 5 outta 5 devil horns

Well, well,well... the HD DVD/Blu-ray battle is raging. My wife recently bought me the XBOX 360 HD DVD player. It was for xmas, but she couldn't wait any longer. Since I already have an XBOX 360, and the price of the Blu-ray players is ridiculous, I decided I wanted the "Look and Sound of Perfect". Although the player came with King Kong, and a rebate for 5 free HD DVDs, we went a bought 300 almost immediatly.

The HD DVD is a combo disc that includes all of the extras, as well as the regular DVD version. I am not quite sure why they did this, since after watching in HD, I would never even play the second side of the disc. Unfortunately there known issues with HD DVD players and combo discs which you read about online. The first pass with the DVD didnt go so well. The disc would not work, but after an exchange at Best Buy, the problem seems to be resolved.

This is a visually stunning movie. It is difficult at times to tell what is computer generated, but the costumes, sets, and weapons are real. The backgrounds are highly detailed and almost hyper-realistic. One complaint is that most of the blood is CG and disappears before hitting the ground. The HD version makes this easier to see, but maybe the action is so intense it made it impossible to add real time? Below are a couple shots from the HD DVD.

I watched the DVD in Dolby DTS. The sounds are crystal clear, highly accurate, and overwhelming at times. The music is perfectly placed to get the most emotional reactions from you. I have the soundtrack and often listen to a couple of the themes from the movie.

Final Summary:
This is a must own DVD. I cannot imagine watching it in any other format then HD, whether it be HD DVD or Blu-ray. I noticed that the DVD seems to be a little bit grainy I'm just not sure if its intended or not.

Survey Says: 5 outta 5 devil horns

Seriously, are you Sirius? Have you been able to check out Sirius Satellite radio? I wanted to write up a little review of my experience with it.

So... we leased a new 2007 Ford Edge. Fully loaded with leather, Audiophile 6 disc changer, navigation, and Vista Roof. This vehicle even has the 500:1 ratio gillette razor front grill, although Ford calls it - "Bold". Perhaps my most favorite so far is, surprisingly, the satellite radio that came with it. For 6 months free.

I didn't fully realize the amount and types of music that is played, commercial free. I normally frequent channel 8, the Big 80's. From Pat Benatar to Men at Work to the Talking Heads, they have it all. Then there is Hair Nation. A bevy of the greatest hair bands and music of all time. Straight outta the spandex with Aquanet in hand.

While I love my 80's, I also love my talk radio. Martha Stewart, Howard Stern, Playboy Radio... Sirius has to be uncensored though, because you would only hear the sound of the emergency broadcast system playing on the playboy channel all day long from the naughty words. This is for adults only .

My favorite show, though, is Bubba the Love Sponge. He is this generation's Howard. Employed by Sirius, under Howard's channel 101, he has the second slot in the after noon and a morning show on Fridays.

Final Summary: Sirius is a must have for music lovers. Music, commercial free, all day long. However, when examining pricing, look carefully because pricing can get expensive if you are not sure what you want or need. And stay away from the Stiletto, it doesn't work like you would expect .

Survey Says: 4 outta 5 devil horns