Vampathon: Summoning up the Vamps

The experience of the Vampathon was quite an interesting one. The idea was a vampire marathon to countdown until the release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. During the process I revisited old favourites, caught up on unseen classics, saw vampire related theatrical releases and even snagged in vamp films on the festival circuit. In the above vlog I do a run down of the films seen to revisit, reminisce and ponder what's next. List of the films discussed are listed below the picture in order mentioned for reference, and you can also check all my vampire film reviews here (33 and counting).



The Vampathon began with:
Twilight and Let the Right One In / Låt den rätte komma in

Ended with:
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Classics that I loved:
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922), Dracula (1931), Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey, Shadow of the Vampire

Newly interpretations:
Near Dark, Black Sunday / La maschera del demonio, Martin, Rabid ,The Hunger

Didn't quite hit the mark for me:
Thirst / Bakjwi

Appreciate, with flaws:
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Queen of the Damned

Under Appreciated:
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Didn't work for me:
Blade II, The Night Flier, Dracula 2000

Turned off:
Fearless Vampire Hunters, Bitten

Slightly disappointed:
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979), 30 Days of Night

Loved original, revisit not so much:
The Lost Boys

Loved 'em then & still love them now:
Blood & Donuts, Blade, Blade: Trinity

Enjoyed more on revisiting:
Interview with the Vampire

Bonus Festival Gem:
Strigoi

Awesome Nosferatu's:
Max Schreck in Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
Klaus Kinski in Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)
Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire

Awesome Dracula's:
Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931)
Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Dominic Purcell in Blade: Trinity

Lady Vamps:
Barbara Steele as in Black Sunday / La maschera del demonio
Vampire Girl in Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl
Selene in Underworld Trilogy: Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
There are more but often it's a surprize when the vampire is a women, so I don't want to spoil that surprize!

Hybrid films:
Underworld Trilogy: Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Night Watch / Nochnoi Dozor, Day Watch / Dnevnoy Dozor

What's next: Zombies? Werewolves? Witches?

Upcoming Vampire Films: Daybreakers (January 2010) The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (June 2010)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Dir: Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass)
Source Material: Novel by Stephenie Meyer
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning, Chaske Spencer, Rachelle Lefevre, Michael Welch, Tyson Houseman, Alex Meraz, Bronson Pelletier
USA, 2009

Seen: November 19, 2009 late night screening

Reason to See & Review: Been waiting for the film since Twilight came out as I'm a big fan and even have a Twilight Podcast: Before the Dawn. Plus, it's part of the Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

This is not an easy review to write. I'm a fan of Twilight and was really looking forward to New Moon, the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's second book in the series. I am always more than happy to defend the film Twilight, it is an amazing translation that captures the heart and spirit of the book that it is based on and plays perfectly to the fans. Catherine Hardwicke infused the film with a unique visual style and evoked emotional intensity throughout. New Moon, on the other hand captures all the content of the book but not the spirit of the book or the series. Sure, we hit all the important plot points and the fantastical elements are created into film reality through effects that were better than Twilight but where is the heart?

New Moon follows the series very faithfully in terms of content, but not in terms of style. No longer are we treated to a world of cool tones which have been replaced with to be honest, nothing special. The colours, the costumes and the settings all feel like the simplest possible version of what they could be. Almost nothing extra is added and there feels like there is no overarching artistic vision that comes to life on screen. Plus, stylistic changes made to some of the characters feel completely out of character as well as being unnecessary. Put simply, the magic just ain't there.

Even though my first reaction is disappointment, there are moments to enjoy in the film. The scenes with the humans were the only ones that I felt were consistently great. Anna Kendrick continues to be stellar as Bella's not always nice friend Jessica, and Michael Welch was brilliant as Bella's friend Mike. Billy Burke reprises his role as Bella's father Charlie beautifully with a flair for combining being casual alongside parental. New to the series include the Wolf Pack which add a great sense of playful camaraderie and family. Also new is Michael Sheen who is positively delightful as Aro, the over the top leader of the Volturi. The biggest strength in the film is with Kristen Stewarts performance as Bella, this film is all about her and her trying emotional journey. She does an excellent job portraying a wide range of emotions, including hiding those emotions from those around her. Another highlight is the friendship between Bella and Jacob, who develop a great comfort with each other. Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob delivers some of the best moments of the film, often with just a look or glare.

Overall, the film feels rushed. There is so much content jammed in that we don't have time to see the relationships or tension build gracefully or to unravel any of the mysteries. We are told many things that we could have been shown and it feels like it's going through the motions to get next scene, and quickly. It's a very straight up adaptation, but in comparison to Twilight it is paler than a Cullen.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it, but I wanted to love it
I'll watch it again & buy it
I'd recommend it to the Twilight diehards

15 minutes of preshow including 6 commercials and 4 previews: The Lovely Bones, Sherlock Holmes, Beastly and Letters to Juliet (on November 20/09 also had preview for Remember Me)

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Blade: Trinity

Writer/Dir: David S. Goyer (The Unborn)
Source Material: based on the Marvel Comics character Blade (source)
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Parker Posey, Dominic Purcell, Callum Keith Rennie, John Michael Higgins, Triple H, Kris Kristofferson
USA, 2004

Seen: Originally on DVD, revisited on DVD November 18, 2009

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

After being disappointed with Blade II I didn't have any desire to see Blade: Trinity theatrically, so I watched in on DVD and even then only after a strong recommendation. Wow. I was floored! Everything I didn't like about Blade II was gone and they added back all the good stuff including great humour, a fantastic cast and an interesting story. What more could you ask for?

The dialogue is fantastic, especially with Ryan Reynolds delivery as the character Hannibal King. In the previous Blade films Wesley Snipes usually gets all the punchlines but here he shares that playground not only with Ryan Reynolds but also Parker Posey who is killer as the ambitious and over the top vampire Danica Talos. I want to say that it's highly quotable, but considering how colourful and creative the language I'm not sure it would fly in just any company.

In terms of being a vampire film, it returns to the spirit of the original Blade with an intricate world of vampire culture and vampire hunter culture. We also get a great new set of gadgetry, development and ideas that breathe new life into the series but also threads back historically in the vampires through the ages.

Blade: Trinity, like Blade II has a huge divide between those who love it and those who don't. I've never really understood what is not to like. The action is better, the humour is fantastic, it's clever and moves the world forward. We are also introduces to a whole slew of fantastic new characters like Hannibal King and Danica Talos as previously mentioned. One of the huge stand outs of the film though is character of Abigail, a fantastic kick ass vampire hunter but what makes it even more awesome is that the performance by Jessica Biel is so strong, believable and on par with her male counterparts. Beautiful to see, and I wish we would see this much more because this is proof that it can be done.

Shannon's Overall View:
I love it
I own it
I'd recommend it as fans of vampire & action films

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Blade II

Dir: Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, Mimic, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth)
Source Material: based on the Marvel Comics character Blade (source)
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Leonor Varela, Kris Kristofferson, Thomas Kretschmann, Luke Goss, Norman Reedus, Ron Perlman, Donnie Yen, Tony Curran
USA/Germany, 2002

Seen: Originally seen theatrically, revisited on DVD November 18, 2009

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

Blade II is a film that really divides people on the side of those who think it's the best in the series and those who think it's the worst. It ain't a milk toast movie, everyone feels strongly one way or the other. For me, I'm on the side that does not think it's the best.

All of the icing that made Blade better that just good movie, is lost on Blade II. Humour is almost non-existent, there is a really cheap move to tie it back to the first film, things go by unexplained and the list goes on and on. They also ramped up the gore big time, making it darker and colder. But, as much as those things bother me, what made it not a fun watch was actually the characters feeling out of character. I mean these aren't hugely 3 dimensional characters or anything, but still there were things that didn't sit right, especially with Blade himself. Plus they add a female character who starts off pretty cool, but then looks like they just really needed 'a girl' in the story. So bored of that in stories in general, but in this case it wasn't consistent or believable in the context of the story itself. There were also two characters that were extremely hard to differentiate visually which was no help to the all over the place story, which in all honestly I only fully understood this time round because the other time I watched this I couldn't really care less (and it was before I was reviewing, so I didn't feel obligated to 'get it').

In terms of a vampire film, I don't think much was added to it that wasn't already explored in Blade. Although there were new weapons and science/tech stuff, it really felt more like a monster film than a vampire film.

On the side of what was enjoyable, the list is pretty short. I'll give that there were great action sequences and I enjoyed several of the smaller characters like Reinhardt played by Ron Perlman, Priest played by Tony Curran and Snowman played by Donnie Yen but they were not on screen nearly enough.

Shannon's Overall View:
I still don't like it
I own it, but won't likely watch it again
I'd recommend it fans of visceral & dark action films

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Blade

Dir: Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
Source Material: based on the Marvel Comics character Blade (source)
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N'Bushe Wright, Udo Keir, Traci Lords, Donal Logue
USA, 1998

Seen: Originally seen theatrically, revisited on DVD November 17, 2009

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

Upon first viewing it was a suprize to really like it. It has a great opening sequence that matches style, action and cleverness quickly and efficientely. I was immediately drawn into this world, the characters and the unique take on vampires. Wesley Snipes is fantastic as Blade, a vampire hunter who is cool as a cucumber as he works on fighting vampires every chance he gets while serving up some great one lines along with way.

As a vampire film, it had a fresh take on the lore setting the film in modern day and bringing not only great action but also guns'n'gadgetry aspect to the film making it feel almost Bond-like with Kris Kristofferson who plays what would be a parallel role to what would be a perpetually pissed off Q. Wesley Snipes continues to showcase here that he is a great action star and does a brilliant job bringing Blade to life. We also are introduced to whole vampire culture and hierarchy (which retrospectively is surprizingly familiar to Underworld which came out a few years later), which include bad ass vamps representing both the old world (Udo Keir as Dragonetti) and new (Stephen Dorff as Frost). I also loved the style of the film, not only visually with art direction and costuming but the pacing and playful tone.

Overall, it's a great combination of cleverness, action with a nice touch of humour. I enjoy it every time I watch it.

Shannon's Overall View:
I love it
I'd watch it again/buy it
I'd recommend it as fans of vampire & action films

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Dir: Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, The Godfather II, Youth Without Youth)
Source Material: the novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Cast: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Sadie Frost, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Hopkins, Cary Elwes, Bill Campbell, Tom Waits
USA, 1992

Cast:
Gary Oldman as Dracula
Winona Ryder as Mina
Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker
Sadie Frost as Lucy
Richard E. Grant as Dr. Jack Seward
Anthony Hopkins as Proffessor Abraham Van Helsing
Cary Elwes as Lord Arthur Holmwood
Bill Campbell as Quincey P. Morris
Tom Waits as R.M. Renfield

Seen: Originally during theatrical release, revisited November 7, 2009 on DVD

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

Ah, the 1992 Francis Ford Coppala version of Dracula. I remember seeing this one in the theatre. I remember thinking that the character of Dracula was played by several different actors. How times have changed. I can now spot Gary Oldman anywhere, even here.

Continuing with the tradition of highly stylized versions of the story, such as Nosferatu (1922) with it's rich shadows and beautiful composition, and Dracula (1931) with it's beautiful blend of elegance with eerie atmosphere, the 1992 version of Dracula creates a rich and colourful world full or romance, desire and hunger. The vision is big and in epic terms, but only some of these succeed.

First, let's look at where it does succeed. The art direction is fantastic, the world it creates if vast and draws you it. We see a colourful and vibrant world, which is a nice change of pace from the dark, dreary and horrific take which is so often used. The use of colour alone in entrancing to watch. After that, my favourite part of the film is Gary Oldman, with an impressive and multi-layered performance as Count Dracula through the ages. I also enjoyed the romantic elements of the film, and that there is a strong focus on Mina's journey and her decisions which are featured more prominently than in other versions of the story.

Now for the not so great moments. The acting ain't so hot. I am a big believer in Keanu Reeves but this is not his best performance. Same goes for Anthony Hopkins. The performances are hard enough to believe within the context of the film, but with these actors I kept thinking why is he (the actor) doing that? I was also not a big fan of this interpretation of Lucy, and how she spends most of the time withering and squirming, often out of her clothes which just seemed ridiculous. In terms of the visuals, I will give them credit for taking big risks, but for every time it worked there seemed to be another time where it really didn't. As much as I enjoyed numerous aspects of the design, I actually laughed out loud at times often at the various stylings of Dracula in terms of hair, clothes, form and transition. I also didn't see any rhyme or reason to the differences thematically nor within the context of the story.

I hesitated in reviewing this version of the story as I know it has a strong following of those who love it, but I view it rather harshly. But, I can't t ignore it within the context of the world of vampire films and it does do a great job with the romantic elements of the story and creating a beautiful, dark world.

Shannon's Overall View:
I didn't love it
I own it (for the vampathon... really!)
I'd recommend it for fans of historical romantic vampire films & for the art direction

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Week in Film Vlog

Films Discussed
In Theatres: The Fourth Kind, Zombieland, Antichrist
101 Films: Léolo
Vampathon: Martin
Random Watching: Jarhead, Happy-Go-Lucky, Chinango, Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil, Village of the Damned (1995)

New Moon Monday - New Moon Posters Take Over!

Only 2 More Mondays until New Moon! I don't think I'm the only one counting down the days as this weeks poll of what November releases were you most looking forward shows New Moon topping the list with a whopping 45%.

Posters Galore!
Out and about there are posters and promo material everywhere you look! Subway stations in Toronto have tons of them if you haven't seen enough in the theatres themselves. In addition to the first poster we saw with Edward in the front and Jacob between him and Bella, now we have 2 more sprouting about town. The Bella & Edward together poster with the Cullens in the background (pictured below), along with The Volturi looking delightfully ominous (pictured above).

Jamie Campbell Bower on "The Prisoner" on AMC
Can't wait until Nov 20/09 to see Jamie Campbell Bower? Well you are in luck, as he won't be playing Caius until New Moon but he will be on "The Prisoner" on AMC. "The Prisoner" is a miniseries that is a remake of a 1967 TV series of the same name where a man wakes up in a faux-idealic-therefore-bizarre place known as The Village. The new version starst James Caviezel as Number Six (played by Patrick McGoohan in the original) & Sir Ian McKellen. The really exciting thing is that it will be on AMC here in Canada, which I couldn't confirm until recently. The miniseries runs November 15 - 17, 2009 from 8:00 - 10:00 PM showing 2 episodes per night for the whole 6 episode series. See more about "The Prisoner" on IMDb Page.

I Want Some More: Vampathon
The Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon continues with reviewing vampire films and last week we take a look at Mr. Zombie George A. Romero's Martin from 1977 and it certainly has the 70s harshness all over it. Overall, it may be the original spin I've seen on vampire lore yet. Next up is the love it or hate it 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins. Review will be up Wednesday November 11, 2009.

Martin

Dir: George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Diary of the Dead, Survival of the Dead)
Cast: John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest, Elyane Nadeau, George A. Romero
USA, 1977

Seen: November 3, 2009 on DVD

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

I had zero expectations going into this film, all I knew was it was a vampire film and directed by George A. Romero (aka King of zombie films) which was enough to get me interested. It is certainly one of the most unique vampire films I’ve seen as it acknowledges but distances itself from classic vampire lore, recognizes 'old world’ idea and is set in 70s suburbia. Sound bizarre? It is.

As a vampire film it has a very different feel, there is zero romanticism, but there is a far share of nudity. What's interesting about omitting any romance or seduction from a vampire's bag of tricks is that you are left with the bare bones of the need to feed. Seeing it in this light makes the actions align to that of a stalker, which is what made this film more uncomfortable to watch than expected. The is a harshness of take what you need mentality. Did I mention that it's from the 70's yet?

I thought the unique take on the lore was clever, and it is address on several levels from the idea of wanting or needing connection to even how vampires are created, but overall I found the distancing and rationalization of the violent acts rather disturbing.

Shannon's Overall View:
I didn't love it
I'd likely watch it one more time
I'd recommend it to for vampire film completists and if you are a fan of both arthouse & thrillers with a slasher sensibility

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

New Moon Monday: Post Halloween Pre New Moon

New Moon Re-Read Countdown
Getting hyped for New Moon? Of course you are! Re-reading the book? I bet you might be? Don't want to go at it alone? You don't have to! The great folks over at NewMoonMovie.org are having a New Moon Re-Read Countdown where they read & post a chapter a day until the release of the film on November 20, 2009. Today the chapter in question is Chapter 7 so even if you just started re-reading that isn't too far along to catch up and play along! I know I will.

New Moon 15 City Tour
Between November 6 - 19, 2009 there is a 15 city tour over the US starting in LA and ending in Times Square, New York. Cast members at the events are subject to availability and several of the events will have New Moon Soundtrack artists performing at the events. Thanks to Geeks of Doom for the heads up!

Eclipse Shooting Done & Xavier Samuel as Riley
Although I'm trying to stay focused on New Moon as it's just over 2 weeks again, it's hard to not heard, share & be excited about Eclipse new. Last week we got to see the Eclipse title card, and now that shooting for Eclipse is official done, David Slade treated the Twitter folk to an image of Xavier Samuel (The Loved Ones, September, Newcastle) as Riley in Eclipse. Looking good! I impressed that the look and feel are different than Twilight, but still fit in really well with the world.

I Want Some More: Vampathon
The Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon continues with reviewing vampire films and last week I went double bill style with Anne Rice book adaptations of Interview with the Vampire and Queen of the Damned. Amazing how they don't feel like the two films are related at all. If you don't feel like reading you can always watch the vlog when I talk about them along with other recent viewings including Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. Next vampire film for review is George A. Romero's Martin. I've very curious to what the king of zombies does with vamps. Review will be up Wednesday October 4, 2009.

Twilight Halloween Costume Contest
Did you dress up for Halloween? And if so, was it Twilight related? If yes why not enter the His Golden Eyes Costume Contest? And because I if you talk the talk... walk the walk. I went as Victoria. Here are some pics!

Week in Film Vlog

Films Discussed
In Theatres: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
New Avatar Trailer
Random Watching: Frozen River, Jet Li's Fearless, Exiled
It Used to Scare Me Tuesdays: "V" (1983)
Vampathon: Interview with the Vampire and Queen of the Damned

I also saw Hello Mary Lou, Prom Night 2 and The Machinist but totally missed them on my list - hopefully I'll remember to talk about them next time!

Queen of the Damned

Dir: Michael Rymer (Perfume, "Battlestar Galactica" 2004)
Source Material: The Vampire Chronicles novels by Anne Rice
Cast: Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau, Aaliyah, Vincent Perez, Lena Olin, Paul McGann
USA/Australia, 2002

Seen: Revisited October 24, 2009 on DVD

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

Queen of the Damned has several unfortunate barriers to reviewing it. The biggest being the tragedy that Aaliyah, one of the main actors, died in a plane crash after principle photography which makes it really hard talk tactfully about the film, especially because her acting in the film isn't that strong. Another barrier is that the film, in general, just isn't that great. It had a lot to live up to after Interview with the Vampire and seeing that none of the major players continued from one film to the other we should have seen it coming. Being someone that always looks for the good, it feels harsh to say those things, but in this case it's the straight-up truth.

Although this film is based on The Vampire Chronicles series as a whole, I don't understand why it's called Queen of the Damned and not The Vampire Lestat. It's obvious that Lestat is the main character and Queen Akasha is more like the big boss. It'd be like calling Gladiator Commodus instead. Even so, Stuart Townsend as Lestat is the big highlight of the film. His version of the character is much more alighted to the my impression from the books over how he is portrayed by Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire. The Lestat here is fame hungry, defiant and of course sexy as all get out. Throwing him into the goth & industrial world fits perfectly. That brings me to the two other things I enjoyed about the film: the clothes and the music. And, that's pretty much it.

As a vampire film, I enjoyed that we saw a number of different kinds of vampires and different styles from old world tradition to jumping into the current times. I also like the idea of a historical society that traces the vampires through history.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed parts of it
I own it
I'd recommend it as a fun throwback to late 90's/early 2000's goth/industrial stylings

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Interview with the Vampire

Dir: Neil Jordon (The Good Thief, The Crying Game, We're No Angels)
Source Material: Interview with the Vampire novel by Anne Rice
Cast: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea, Christian Slater
USA, 1994

Seen: Revisited October 24, 2009 on DVD

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

This is where we get to vamp films where I have very strong memories of seeing when they first came out. At the time we were starting to see a resurgence of vampires in film with both Bram Stoker's Dracula and Buffy the Vampire Slayer hitting theatres in 1992. Then here in 1994 we have Interview with the Vampire, which had pretty big hype around this film as the Anne Rice books were already very popular which led the big question of whom could fill such big shoes? The casting was very controversial, with Brad Pitt cast as Louis after only having a few big credits under his belt (Thelma & Louise, A River Runs Through It) and Tom Cruise as Lestat even though he's always the charmer was at the time still considered a star over being a serious actor, even though it was post Born of the Fourth of July he was still known better for roles in films like Days of Thunder, Cocktail and Top Gun. Controversy aside, both actors deliver bringing two very different vampires to life: the emotional and guilt-ridden Louis & the lively and decadent Lestat.

Revisiting the film now, I enjoyed it much more than the first time now. I really appreciated the complexities in all the various relationships, and it captures the consistent vampire theme of loneliness very well. Exploring the ideas of the creators and demonstrating the effects of different approaches with mentors we get very rich and complicated relationships. We also see the distinct separation of human society once anyone becomes a vampire. Very little crossover here between the two worlds of day and night.

Although the settings of New Orleans as well as Europe are fantastic backdrops, the strength of the film is in the characters themselves. There are very different personalities portrayed, giving viewers different portraits to latch onto. I've never been a big Louis fan, even though he's a lot nicer than anyone else in the film, trying to retain his humanity. Lestat is no angel, but his exuberance is compelling. Out of the performances, I continue to be astonished by Kirsten Dunst as the young vampire Claudia who comes alive on the screen. It's always a treat to see Antonio Banderas, as he perfectly cast as the old world vampire Armand. In fact, on of my strongest memories of this film overall is hanging out at a friends house as we watched the Pay-Per-View previews loop endlessly just to catch the few seconds of Antonio Banderas in the preview.

As a vampire film, it feels like a turning point in the genre where be begin to see the concept of a vampire resisting their vampiric and trying to hold on to or at least respect humanity. It brings up the interesting question of the choice to go with or fight against what is consider your nature.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it much more than expected
I ended up buying it
I'd recommend it as fans of vampire films, especially those who enjoy a historical flair

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The DVD has great extras including interviews, commentary with director Neil Jordon and behind-the-scenes documentaries. Even the menu is awesome as it features a fade in/out of the major characters of Lestat, Louis, Claudia and Armand:

Shadow of the Vampire

Dir: E. Elias Merhige (Suspect Zero)
Source Material: Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
Cast: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Keir, Cary Elwes, Catherine McCormack, Eddie Izzard
UK/USA/Luxembourg, 2000

Seen: Revisited October 16, 2009

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

The premise of Shadow of the Vampire is brilliant. It's a creative take on the process of filming Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) from the perspective of if Count Orlok actor Max Schreck blurs the lines between method acting and reality. As a film fan, it's always a treat to see metafilm in action, and with this film even moreso considering only recently revisiting Nosferatu (1922) and so many other vampire films for the Vampathon.

I had seen it before and remembered it fondly but not that well. The film has a great blend of behind the scenes drama with actors and crew as well as creating a genuine creepy tone around the mysterious Max Schreck who undoubtedly makes people very uncomfortable. John Malkovich is stellar in his role of the singular focused on results director and we see beautiful transitions between staging, shooting and finished product of the film. Willem Dafoe is absolutely perfect as Schreck, and was rightfully nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars (the award went to Benicio Del Toro for Traffic) and the film was also nominated for Best Make Up (but lost to How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and is one of the few vampire films I can recall being recognized by The Academy. Although, technically it's a pretty non-traditional vampire film and can flip between being tongue-in-cheek to scary. After the acting, one of the things I most enjoyed about it was the art direction and how well it captured the feel of the original Nosferatu (1922) in tone and style. Such a treat!

I did have a funny revelation this time while watching Shadow of the Vampire, as I realized when I first saw it in the early 2000's I hadn't even seen Nosferatu (1922), yet still really enjoyed and appreciated the film.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'll watch it again
I'd recommend it fans of vampire films as well as film buffs

Return to Film Reviews, See all Vampire Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht

Dir: Werner Herzog (Encounters at the End of the World, Grizzly Man, Fitzcarraldo)
Source Material: The book "Dracula" by Bram Stoker (unaccredited)
Cast: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor, Martje Grohmann, Walter Ladengast
West Germany/France, 1979

Cast:
Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula
Isabelle Adjani as Lucy
Bruno Ganz as Harker
Roland Topor as Renfield
Martje Grohmann as Mina
Walter Ladengast as Van Helsing

Seen: October 10, 2009

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon * and it's on my 101 Films List

It was a challenge finding this film, but I finally found it and finally watched it. Maybe the chase of that built up too much expectation, as sitting down to watch it I was left slightly underwhelmed. I'm a Herzog fan, and I'll give that this film is now 30 years old, but I did expect more. Perhaps being so entrenched in vampire lore made it easy to pick out all the similarities to Nosferatu (1922). When they decided to do something different visually, it worked well and was often the strongest moments in the film.

I was happy to see that there were nods to but not redramatizations of the stellar art direction and quintessential moments of the original. Instead, different tactics where taken to create a new, creepy and fantastical tone. Rich landscapes are also a treat to see in the travels of young Harker in his quest to find Count Dracula. In terms of lore, it follows the same patterns developed in Nosferatu (1922).

Klaus Kinski is the stand out here, bringing the creepy and alluring Count Dracula to life and was one of the main draws to the film. He's truly a cut above and fully embodies the character in all the right ways. Another draw to the Nosferatu stories over the classic Dracula stories for me is that the women have a stronger role. In this version that would be Lucy, played by Isabelle Adjani does a fantastic job centring the human story amongst the madness and decay.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it, but wanted to enjoy it more
I'll watch it again
I'd recommend it to fans of classic and vampire films

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Lost Boys

Dir: Joel Schumacher (The Phantom of the Opera (2004), The Client, Flatliners)
Source Material: Original screenplay by Janice Fischer and James Jeremais
Cast: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Jami Gertz, Keifer Sutherland, Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, Edward Herrmann, Alex Winter, Billy Wirth, Brooke McCarter, Chance Michael Corbitt
USA, 1987

Seen: Originally, at a friends house on VHS. Re-revisited October 4, 2009

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

The Lost Boys is a film I've watched if so many times over the years, it's a wonder I've never reviewed or talked about it before. The first time I saw it was over at a friends house where a group of us girls stayed up all night watching horror and cult faves from Rocky Horror to Pet Sematary to... The Lost Boys. I'm sure the fact that the film was stacked with cute guys had nothing to do with the selection. Hehe.

One of the coolest things about the films is the distinct separation of groups of characters, and going with the new folks in town mentality we see these relationships develop through the duration of the film. A weird thing about this is that the bad guys end up being way more interesting than the good. Even weirder, the majority of the bad boy vamps gets tons of screen time but almost no dialogue. I remember this clearly as it was back in the days before IMDb so sleuthing techniques (i.e. 'rewind' and rewatching) was the way to figure out who was who for the evil yet charismatic secondary characters. The dialogue for that group weighed heavily on Keifer Sutherland, who plays a awesome bad guy, and again was way more interesting than the 'good' Michael (Jason Patric's character).

The film has a lot going for it, I've always loved the all the character introductions, the family dynamics and especially the music. The music is such an integral part of the film, not only for setting the tone but the words of songs have literal relevance which is quite crafty. I also really enjoyed Dianne Wiest is as new single Mom who plays a genuine nice person.

In terms of being a vampire film, the lore takes some liberties but not so much that it doesn't feel through and through like a vampire film. It's so strange that The Lost Boys and Near Dark came out the same year, both focusing on vampires, teens and arguable peer pressure.

The humour in the film is one of the highlights, and it's cute and way more goofy than I remembered. It also was more violent than I remembered, but perhaps the R rating on the DVD should have reminded me of that. Most surprizing about revisiting was that overall I didn't think it was as good as a film as it was in my memory. Sure it is fun, highly quotable and there are lots of great characters including awesome hippie chick Star, but overall I wasn't as impressed this time round. I think the comedy was what did it - although I enjoyed it, it felt like it amped up the cheese factor that wasn't a part of the memories of the film. But, for nostalgia reasons and general vampiness, it is still a lot of fun.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I own it
I recommend it as to fans of 80's horror and/or comedy and vampire films fans

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Black Sunday / La maschera del demonio

Dir: Mario Bava (Black Sabbath)
Source Material: Short story "The Viy" by Nikolai Gogol
Cast: Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi, Ivo Garrani, Arturo Dominici, Enrico Olivieri
Italy, 1960

Seen: September 26, 2009

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

Gems like Black Sunday are the exact reason I do marathons and to see films lists, because you never know when you are going to uncover a truly fantastic film. I had preconception of the film other than noting it placed high on a vampire film list. In terms of a vampire film I would say that is stretching the definition a little bit as there are elements of vampirism but overall the film is more in a religious good & evil vein. And yes, I still liked it. Loved it in fact.

It's in beautiful black & white, has a creepy undertone and impressive effects for 1960. There were even moments that grossed me out which I wasn't expecting. Barbara Steele is absolutely fantastic in the film bringing complete and total evilness alive on the screen. Her performance is captivating and steals the show every time she appears. Even thought this was the first time seeing the film, I felt nostalgic about it given the extremely straight forward characters and motivations, the classic settings and it also had a strong adventurous spirit to it which we don't always see in horror. A great film to watch on a Sunday afternoon with a big bowl of popcorn and the curtains drawn.

Also called The Mask of Satan

Shannon's Overall View:
I love it
I own it
I'd recommend to fans of classic & horror films

Return to Film Reviews, See all Vampire Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon

DIY Entertainment Club: September 2009

Another month, another DIY Entertainment Club! This month was inspired in equal parts of vampires and film festivals.

The Lost Boys
80's classic vampire film with lots of cool boys and a girl named Star. It's also next weeks selection for the Vampathon.

Interview with the Vampire
I think I'm becoming a vampire completist or did I just not want ayone to know I own Queen of the Damned but not Interview with the Vampire? Cat is out of the bag now! Also will be featured as a selection for the Vampathon.

Repo! The Genetic Opera
One of the craziest screenings at Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2008. I listen to the soundtrack a fair amount and at the time it was on amazon for a steal around $6 so I couldn't say no!

Chrysalis
Great French futuristic SciFi/Action that was one of my faves from TIFF back in 2007, which had a Q&A that led me to see the awesome Eyes Without a Face as it was inspirational to the film. I'm thrilled to now have it as part of my collection.

Titles available on Amazon.ca (Canada):



Titles available on Amazon.com (US):

Before the Dawn: A Twilight Podcast - Episode 22: Vampire Lore

Before the Dawn: A Twilight Podcast - Episode 22 is up!

Tune in to Before the Dawn to hear Marina & I return with a theme show and the topic this week is all about vampire lore. Trends in vampire films & books from past to present covering themes, lore and insights. Vampalicious!

Before the Dawn: A Twilight Podcast is a weekly 1/2 hour podcast meeting all your audio Twilight needs!

Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey

Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer (The Passion of Joan of Arc)
Source Material: the novel "In a Glass Darkly" by Sheridan Le Fanu
Cast: Julian West, Maurice Schultz, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz
France/Germany, 1932

Seen: August 29, 2009

Reason to Review: Vampathon: Vampire Film Marathon *

Vampyr was quite a hidden gem for me, I had ordered it from the library thinking it was Nosferatu (1922), which I had already seen but wanted to get a look at in a different format. Then I realized it was a completely different film by Carl Theodor Dreyer (The Passion of Joan of Arc) no less! Add to that it's a different story than Dracula. I was already over the moon as I sat down to watch it and low and behold it turns out to be a fantastic, textural and unique brand of vampire films. I was one happy camper.

Even though film in a time close to Dracula (1931), Vampry has a completely different feel and story. It's textual feel heightens the tone of the film, which in essence could be seen as a drama/thriller but as it's fuzzy and blurry it enhances it add a creepy edge. The main character Allan Gray is curious at heart and the his adventure reads like a supernatural travelogue. Quite the find, I'm thrilled that there is a Criterion edition of the film. It's one for the wish list.

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'll watch it again
I'd recommend to fans of classic, vampire and textural films

Return to Film Reviews, See all Vampire Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* Vampathon is a 16 week marathon explore vampire films from Nosferatu (1922) up to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon