Archive for the ‘Vampires’ Category

Twilight

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

OK – I read the books I admit, like most vampire books that appear out of nowhere and get noticed.  This is a GREAT books series.  Is it a great movie series?  Only time will tell.  This was a fair adaptiton of the book, but on its own the movie is great.  It’s hard to separate the movie from the book, but I’m really trying to do that here so let me get the comparisons out of the way:

First of all – the choice of characters was AWESOME – great cating – Kristen Stewart is great as Bella (the pretty girl who doesn’t even have a clue how beautiful she is) and the ever awesome Robert Pattinson (you will know him as Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter movies) was awesome.

The book was great because of the character development and maybe that is where the movie falls a little short – that and the scene where Edward Cullen (Pattinson) shows himself in the sunlight – no big deal in the movie, but in the book it describes it as the sunlight practically bouncing off of him (that was the ONLY disappointing scene in the movie for me).

As I said I would rate this movie based on the movie alone, not the book (go get them if you haven’t – like I said – WONDERFUL).  The movie moved with some grace and like the books seemed to bumble along a little bit incoherently (the later books and probably the movies will get better at this), but the FEELING was there.  By the end of the movie you CARE about the characters and want to see more.

I’ve watched this movie twice (maybe three timees).  It is a nice movie, not a great movie, but you feel as if it is building toward a great movie.  The books are something special (like Harry Potter) and writing aside are some of the best character development novels around.  The movies are too.

You’ll like the movie better and understand more if you read the book first, but that in no way should inhibit you from enjoying some really great acting (and overacting perhaps).  One of the things I love about this series is the way they handle vampires, the myths etc.  Really unique.

See this film.

Some will rate it a 5 out of 5 stars – I’ll give it 4 and a half – with expectations of 5 stars on the next film (which is in production according to IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1099212/.

Just some info from IMDB:

Bella Swan has always been a little bit different. Never one to run with the crowd, Bella never cared about fitting in with the trendy, plastic girls at her Phoenix, Arizona high school. When her mother remarried and Bella chooses to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she didn’t expect much of anything to change. But things do change when she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen. For Edward is nothing like any boy she’s ever met. He’s nothing like anyone she’s ever met, period. He’s intelligent and witty, and he seems to see straight into her soul. In no time at all, they are swept up in a passionate and decidedly unorthodox romance – unorthodox because Edward really isn’t like the other boys. He can run faster than a mountain lion. He can stop a moving car with his bare hands. Oh, and he hasn’t aged since 1918. Like all vampires, he’s immortal. That’s right – vampire. But he doesn’t have fangs – that’s just in the movies. And he doesn’t drink human blood, though Edward and his family are unique among vampires in that lifestyle choice. To Edward, Bella is that thing he has waited 90 years for – a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. Somehow or other, they will have to manage their unmanageable love. But when unexpected visitors come to town and realize that there is a human among them Edward must fight to save Bella? A modern, visual, and visceral Romeo and Juliet story of the ultimate forbidden love affair – between vampire and mortal.

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30 Days of Night

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

OK – its been awhile since either of us has had time to write, but we’ve watched a bunch of scary movies lately – or at least I have – Toby has been busy with a new baby boy – Oliver Henry!

Anyway my latest movie is 30 Days of Night – that I watched on Netflix Instant (very cool service by the way – just wish they had more titles).  This is the story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town’s husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction. (taken from IMDB.com – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389722/plotsummary.

30 days of night is a great movie – and some scary movie buffs will remember Josh Hartnett from movies such as The Faculty and Halloween: H20 (which I still haven’t seen).

Anyway this is a very well done vampire movie and a little different in its use of Alaska as a backdrop.  The vampires are well done, if portrayed as a little bit beastial – which suits me fine.  I have a feeling that if there really were vampires that they would be more in-line with these vampires than the vampires in The Lost Boys (also a really great movie).

I’d give 30 Days of Night a HUGE thumbs up and a 9 out of 10 stars or 4.5 out of 5 or whatever the heck ratings system we are using now.

PS Melissa George is awesome in this flick.

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Underworld

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

Released in 2003, Underworld, directed by Len Wiseman takes the best of filmography from action flicks such as the Matrix and combines it with a Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez-type plot.

Great movie and very unusual writing.  The acting was great (and Kate Beckinsale is marvelous).  I thought the plot lost a little of its nerve about half-way through the movie as it tried to establish the relationship between Selene (Beckinsale) and Michael Corvin (played by Scott Speedman).

Overall a great flick.  I need to rewatch the 2nd one as well and maybe I’ll blog about it as well.

Toby, any comments on this one?

I give it an 8 out of 10 stars.  Definitely dark, definitely intense.  NOT scary though.

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Embrace of the Vampire

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

The movie that you were referring to Mark was Embrace of the Vampire with Alyssa Milano. This is a decent vampire movie. The vampire, Martin Kemp had loved a woman when he was a man before he became a vampire. They had met in his secret place where it would be the last time they would be together. He ends up a vampire and his soul not filled. But he ends up finding his love once again thousands of years later in a 17-year old student named Charlotte (Alyssa Milano). But the vampire is about to go into eternal sleep so he has 3 days to possess Charlotte’s soul.

One of the main reasons I like this movie is because of Alyssa Milano. She is a very attractive woman. If you want to see another good movie with her you need to see Poison Ivy II. I give this movie 6 out of 10 stars.

Click on the link below if you wish to purchase Embrace of the Vampire.

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The Lost Boys

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

The Lost Boys is a great movie directed by Joel Schumacher and made in 1987. One of the key elements of this movie is its comedic timing and the non-grittiness of the cast. Usually when you see a vampire flick the vampires look dirty and the cinematography is dark and foreboding. While much of this flick is shot at night, the scenes are lighted well (in keeping with the fairly light-hearted nature of the movie).

Lost Boys begins with two brothers (played by Corey Haim and Jason Patrick) moving with their recently divorced mom (played by Diane Weist) to Santa Clara, California (the murder capitol of the world if the signs can be believed). Santa Clara has a boardwalk and comic book store inhabited by the Frog brothers (played by the Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander). The Frog brothers warn of impending vampire doom and soon their warnings become reality.

I won’t ruin the movie for you, but there are some really great scenes and with Jamie Gertz thrown in the mix as the intoxicating Star, where can the flick go wrong. A little bit of nudity would have aided in an R rating, but overall the movie is very enjoyable.

I don’t know why it is, but when I watch a vampire flick I want to see some sex. Maybe it is the sultry nature of what a vampire is supposed to be… I always imagine a vampire as being some sort of sex-starved demon on steroids (like Salma Hayek in From Dusk Till Dawn or Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire – another notable flick).

Toby thinks I give horror movies an extra rating point for having nudity, but this is not the case, only the really bad ones need nudity to make them enjoyable (like Demons – with scream queen Linnea Quigley – who also stared in Return of the Living Dead as a naked, punk-rock soon-to-be zombie – another good flick for reviewing too – but I think we’ll do those as a series).

There was rumored to be a Lost Boys 2 coming out at one point, but the production company canceled the film when their was little interest shown. As movies like From Dusk To Dawn 2 and Vampires 2 showed – unless you intended all along to make a sequel (Scream) you shouldn’t even try – although there are a few notable exceptions including most of the Halloween movies, some of the Living Dead movies and the Nightmare on Elmstreet scream-festival-became-franchise.

Toby, maybe our next reviewed horror movies should be anything with Sarah Michelle Gellar in it or the chick from Who’s the Boss? They both made some decent, er movies, scenes etc. My favorite still being the scene from the vampire flick where Who’s the Boss girl gets felt up by the nice lady photographer. What was the name of that flick? We definitely need to watch that one again! I feel a movie night coming on!

By far one of the best girlfriend-friendly vampire movies, Lost Boys rates a 9 out of 10 stars from me. Maybe I should go to bed or perhaps take a cold shower first – all of this talk of Jamie Gertz and Selma Hayek has me all futzed in the head.

Click on the link below if you wish to purchase The Lost Boys.

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From Dusk Till Dawn

Friday, June 27th, 2008

This is one of those vampire/comedy movies. Definitely a must-see. It has two great actors (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) who are bank robbers trying to get to Mexico. They end up kidnapping a family (which includes a former priest, a son and a daughter (Juliette Lewis)) and they take their RV to get past the border.

Once they arrive in Mexico, Clooney and Tarantino who are the Gecko brothers in the movie are meeting their friends to split up their share of the money that they stole from the bank. The place to meet was the Titty Twister (great name huh?).

Everything was going fine until a big fight breaks out and almost everyone in the bar turns into vampires. The best part of the movie has to be the show that Selma Hayek puts on in the bar. She is absolutely amazing.

This movie is a must-see just for that part with Selma Hayek alone.

This movie won 9 out of 10 stars for me.

What are your thoughts Mark?

Click on the link below if you wish to purchase From Dusk Till Dawn.

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Salem’s Lot

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

From Wikipedia:

‘Salem’s Lot is a 1975 horror novel written by Stephen King, and was the author’s second published novel. The title King originally chose for his book was Second Coming, but he later decided on Jerusalem’s Lot. The publishers, Doubleday, shortened it to the current title, thinking the author’s choice sounded too religious.

The novel has been adapted into a television mini-series twice, first in 1979 and years later in 2004. The novel was also adapted by the BBC as a seven part radio play in 1995.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/’Salem’s_Lot

Mark’s thoughts on this movie:

We chose to start with this movie to review mostly because this was one of the first horror movies that Toby and I watched together. We have a real thing for vampire flicks and this is a good one. The book is better, by far, but the made-for-tv movie wasn’t a bad adaption. This movie has always kind of given me the chills. The thought of the way this vampire-virus might spread through a small town is compelling. We are talking here about the 1979 version and not the newer one in 2004 – we might review that one later, but as I’ve read the book about 12 times and have watched the movie at least that many in the last 4 years we’ll stick with this one first.

One of my favorite parts in this movie is when the good doctor, played by Ed Flanders and Ben Mears played by Starsky and Hutch star, David Soul go to the morgue to see if a woman who they believe to have been bitten by a vampire would rise from the dead or not.

The vampires are a bit hokey by todays standards, but the movie seems to move along quite well and the acting is OK for a TV movie. I’m a huge fan of this movie. Its not the best vampire ever made – I’d leave that to Vampires by John Carpenter (the original – not the follow-ups), but this movie tends to do a pretty good job of following a pretty good book.

The other thing I like about this movie is that it seems to be one of the few films based on a Stephen King novel (except maybe Carrie, Firestarter, Coojo and IT) that really flows well. I mean the movie seems to take out all of the extra fluff from the book and really moves through the scenes with intesity.

If you haven’t seen the original Salem’s Lot, you should. It makes for a great night curled up on the couch with your significant other.

I’d give this one an 8 out of 10 stars.

What are your thoughts Toby? What about our visitors? Any comments from the peanut gallery?

Click on the link below if you wish to purchase From Dusk Till Dawn.

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