Did anyone else manage to catch the NBC mini-documentary last week called "Why We Heart Vampires" ?
I've seen about a hundred of these in the past 20 years. Usually, delving into the history of vampires in folklore, and talking to goth kids on why they dig the whole thing.
This was different, for the better. It dealt just with a handful of the more popular movies/tv shows and talked just to actors and producers and writers.
More of an inside look then a general one. One of the best mini-docs I've seen on any topic in the last few years.
I don't know if it's online anywhere, or if there is a replay of it, but I suggest checking it out.
And, it was NBC so a good chunk was to promote the new NBC version of Dracula.
Speaking of the new version...it took me till the middle of the second episode to really warm up to it. The first episode really didn't have me as hooked as I was thinking it was going to. I like the fact the new tv show is set during the late 1880's, I was a bit worried it was going to be too modern; which seems to be the big trend right now. Making vamps too modern.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Sept 3rd note
Wow, a full month has gone by and I haven't done a vampire film. Seriously, how did I loose that much track of time?
I would hate to say the 365 Days challenge has been a failure, but I think I might have to say that. Even with 119 days left to the year, I still need to make up over 296 days.
Just isn't in the budget.
When I was doing the One Movie a Day challenge last year, I saw how many vampire movies I was watching, and around last September (2012) I got the idea to do the vampire version. Seemed like the greatest idea ever, at that time.
I had all these vampire movies in my collection and thought it would be cream cheese. You know, smooth, easy. Plus, I have all these vampire tv shows too. I even got it in my head to gather up my vampire books with the plan to review one every few weeks. I also had a ton of "side projects" planned (like the Lost Boys themed recipe which I did, and a vampire themed scrapbook which I'm working on, and a few other movie "props" which I have half the supplies for.)
I think I over thunk it.
I am going to continue on doing the 365 Days, just because I want to finish it. Just, looks like at the moment, it's not going to be finished in 2013. This is what happens when you let a hobby get out of control, you set yourself up for a big bad.
I've said it before, the reasons the One Movie a Day challenge worked last year was because I was stuck at home with my knee injury with nothing else to do, and because it was unplanned. I just one afternoon decided to start it while watching a movie.
Love Ardeth Blood
I would hate to say the 365 Days challenge has been a failure, but I think I might have to say that. Even with 119 days left to the year, I still need to make up over 296 days.
Just isn't in the budget.
When I was doing the One Movie a Day challenge last year, I saw how many vampire movies I was watching, and around last September (2012) I got the idea to do the vampire version. Seemed like the greatest idea ever, at that time.
I had all these vampire movies in my collection and thought it would be cream cheese. You know, smooth, easy. Plus, I have all these vampire tv shows too. I even got it in my head to gather up my vampire books with the plan to review one every few weeks. I also had a ton of "side projects" planned (like the Lost Boys themed recipe which I did, and a vampire themed scrapbook which I'm working on, and a few other movie "props" which I have half the supplies for.)
I think I over thunk it.
I am going to continue on doing the 365 Days, just because I want to finish it. Just, looks like at the moment, it's not going to be finished in 2013. This is what happens when you let a hobby get out of control, you set yourself up for a big bad.
I've said it before, the reasons the One Movie a Day challenge worked last year was because I was stuck at home with my knee injury with nothing else to do, and because it was unplanned. I just one afternoon decided to start it while watching a movie.
Love Ardeth Blood
Thursday, August 1, 2013
365 Days- Day 69
movie: Kiss of the Damned
starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Josephine de La Baume
genre: Drama
year: 2012
format: DVD
plot: A vampire couple have their world turned upside down, when the woman's sister comes to stay with them. The couple do not feed on humans and follow the laws of the local vampire community, the sister on the other hands rebels by not just feeding on humans but also by not burying them. Within a week, she's destroyed the relationship of the couple, and blackmailed one of the leaders in their community.
I know, I am breaking away from the franchises because I got my hands on a copy of this film and couldn't wait.
It had a tone to it that reminded me of both the movie the Hunger and of a few vampire films from the 1970's. The first ten minutes is so rapid fire that it's almost difficult to keep up with.
The look of it is dark and gritty, which vampire films should be.
I have to admit, the accents that all the actors have made it difficult at times to catch all the dialog.
what do i think i learned from this film? Some relationships just can not be repaired.
This film seemed to be about manipulation more then anything else, and the lack of free will. Right at the beginning of the movie, the lead female bites her boyfriend and pretty much takes away any chance he has to have a choice from then on.
starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Josephine de La Baume
genre: Drama
year: 2012
format: DVD
plot: A vampire couple have their world turned upside down, when the woman's sister comes to stay with them. The couple do not feed on humans and follow the laws of the local vampire community, the sister on the other hands rebels by not just feeding on humans but also by not burying them. Within a week, she's destroyed the relationship of the couple, and blackmailed one of the leaders in their community.
I know, I am breaking away from the franchises because I got my hands on a copy of this film and couldn't wait.
It had a tone to it that reminded me of both the movie the Hunger and of a few vampire films from the 1970's. The first ten minutes is so rapid fire that it's almost difficult to keep up with.
The look of it is dark and gritty, which vampire films should be.
I have to admit, the accents that all the actors have made it difficult at times to catch all the dialog.
what do i think i learned from this film? Some relationships just can not be repaired.
This film seemed to be about manipulation more then anything else, and the lack of free will. Right at the beginning of the movie, the lead female bites her boyfriend and pretty much takes away any chance he has to have a choice from then on.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
365 Days- Day 68
movie: Vampires the Turning
starring: Colin Egglesfield, Patrick Bauchau
genre: Action, Martial Arts,
year: 2005
format: DVD
plot:After his girlfriend is kidnapped by a vampire, a martial arts fighter ends up becoming a member of a team of vampire hunters in order to save her. And in order to get the advantage, becomes a vampire himself.
Not a lot of plot here. Good guy vamps all around vs the bad guy vamps, with the hunters for hire being almost an after thought. This has many of the main elements from the first two movies in the John Carpenter's series - the way the hunters trap and kill the vampires, the fact they are paid to do so by the Vatican, and that they work as a team to get rid of nests. It's also a Destination Film like the second movie. But, even though it is the third film in the trilogy, and the menu has a shot of the vampire from the first film, it does not have John Carpenter's name the title.
I have to say, I just finished watching this and can't tell you half of what happened. It's just that forgettable- and I've seen it twice before so go figure.
what do i think i learned from this film? Sometimes the bad guys are the good guys and the good guys are the bad guys.
starring: Colin Egglesfield, Patrick Bauchau
genre: Action, Martial Arts,
year: 2005
format: DVD
plot:After his girlfriend is kidnapped by a vampire, a martial arts fighter ends up becoming a member of a team of vampire hunters in order to save her. And in order to get the advantage, becomes a vampire himself.
Not a lot of plot here. Good guy vamps all around vs the bad guy vamps, with the hunters for hire being almost an after thought. This has many of the main elements from the first two movies in the John Carpenter's series - the way the hunters trap and kill the vampires, the fact they are paid to do so by the Vatican, and that they work as a team to get rid of nests. It's also a Destination Film like the second movie. But, even though it is the third film in the trilogy, and the menu has a shot of the vampire from the first film, it does not have John Carpenter's name the title.
I have to say, I just finished watching this and can't tell you half of what happened. It's just that forgettable- and I've seen it twice before so go figure.
what do i think i learned from this film? Sometimes the bad guys are the good guys and the good guys are the bad guys.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
365 Days-Day 67
movie: The Evil Dead (remake)
starring: Shiloh Fernandez, Jane Levy
genre: Horror,
year: 2013
format: Shaw Video On Demand
plot: A group of friends go to an old family cabin in order to help one of them get off of drugs. Once there, they find that the basement of the cabin had been used by locals for an exorcism, and one member of the group finds the dreaded book of the dead. They end up unleashing something after reading the book
Okay, for starters, yes I've interrupted the John Carpenter's Vampire trilogy. I had the chance to rent the remake of Evil Dead and decided to.
And some of you are thinking, what? how is it a vampire film? It follows the main rules of hollywood vampirism, dead things back from the dead that bite causing other dead things back from the dead. Which is why the whole zombie thing is a sub-genre of vampires.
This film is one of the best remakes I've ever seen. You keep waiting for the big cameo that you just know in your gut is coming, and if you sit though the whole credits, you get a shadowy one for half a second.
what do i think i learned from this film? Leave the book alone!
starring: Shiloh Fernandez, Jane Levy
genre: Horror,
year: 2013
format: Shaw Video On Demand
plot: A group of friends go to an old family cabin in order to help one of them get off of drugs. Once there, they find that the basement of the cabin had been used by locals for an exorcism, and one member of the group finds the dreaded book of the dead. They end up unleashing something after reading the book
Okay, for starters, yes I've interrupted the John Carpenter's Vampire trilogy. I had the chance to rent the remake of Evil Dead and decided to.
And some of you are thinking, what? how is it a vampire film? It follows the main rules of hollywood vampirism, dead things back from the dead that bite causing other dead things back from the dead. Which is why the whole zombie thing is a sub-genre of vampires.
This film is one of the best remakes I've ever seen. You keep waiting for the big cameo that you just know in your gut is coming, and if you sit though the whole credits, you get a shadowy one for half a second.
what do i think i learned from this film? Leave the book alone!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
365 Days- Day 66
movie: John Carpenter's Vampires 2 Los Muertos
starring: Jon Bon Jovi, Natasha Gregson Wagner,
genre: Western, Drama, Horror, Thriller,
year:2002
format: DVD
plot: A new team of hunters are brought together to battle another master vampire, this time a female, who is trying to recreate the same ritual in order to walk around in the daylight. One of the team members, is a girl who's been bitten but keeping herself in a state of half vampirism by way of drugs. In the end it comes down to who can you really trust?
One of the themes used in this film is the idea of blood transfusions to clean out the blood long enough for the victims to recover if not fully, at lest part. We also see the idea of a human using vampire blood to fight the vampire, like a drug. We see the hunter become a vampire in order to get the upper hand.
what do i think i learned from this film? At any point, even the strongest individual can become the weakest link.
starring: Jon Bon Jovi, Natasha Gregson Wagner,
genre: Western, Drama, Horror, Thriller,
year:2002
format: DVD
plot: A new team of hunters are brought together to battle another master vampire, this time a female, who is trying to recreate the same ritual in order to walk around in the daylight. One of the team members, is a girl who's been bitten but keeping herself in a state of half vampirism by way of drugs. In the end it comes down to who can you really trust?
One of the themes used in this film is the idea of blood transfusions to clean out the blood long enough for the victims to recover if not fully, at lest part. We also see the idea of a human using vampire blood to fight the vampire, like a drug. We see the hunter become a vampire in order to get the upper hand.
what do i think i learned from this film? At any point, even the strongest individual can become the weakest link.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
365 Days-Day 65
movie: John Carpenter's Vampires
starring: James Wood, Daniel Baldwin
genre: Thriller, Western
year: 1998
format: DVD
plot: A group of vampire hunters are slaughtered by a master vampire, leaving only two members and a prostitute who has been bitten. They are joined by a priest as they cross New Mexico with the now half turned girl as bait, while they hunt the master vampire. Along the way, they learn that the vampire they are chasing is more then just a master, he's the original and that he's out for a relic that will help him move around in the daylight.
This is based on the 1991 book Vampire$ (aka Vampire$ Inc. and later re-titled with a plan 'S' in place of the $, after the movie was released) by John Steakley.
This is one of the most original vampire stories I had read, and the movie stays true enough to the book. The lead character is a take no prisoners rebel and that's just what a vampire hunter should be.
I thought the casting was fitting, and the roughness of the characters as well.
It set the standard for vampire hunter films in the years that followed, and helped to toughen up the genre in general.
what do i think i learned from this film? Rule #1- if your partner gets bitten never let him live.
Rule #10- never let a team member bury another team member alone.
starring: James Wood, Daniel Baldwin
genre: Thriller, Western
year: 1998
format: DVD
plot: A group of vampire hunters are slaughtered by a master vampire, leaving only two members and a prostitute who has been bitten. They are joined by a priest as they cross New Mexico with the now half turned girl as bait, while they hunt the master vampire. Along the way, they learn that the vampire they are chasing is more then just a master, he's the original and that he's out for a relic that will help him move around in the daylight.
This is based on the 1991 book Vampire$ (aka Vampire$ Inc. and later re-titled with a plan 'S' in place of the $, after the movie was released) by John Steakley.
This is one of the most original vampire stories I had read, and the movie stays true enough to the book. The lead character is a take no prisoners rebel and that's just what a vampire hunter should be.
I thought the casting was fitting, and the roughness of the characters as well.
It set the standard for vampire hunter films in the years that followed, and helped to toughen up the genre in general.
what do i think i learned from this film? Rule #1- if your partner gets bitten never let him live.
Rule #10- never let a team member bury another team member alone.
Friday, June 21, 2013
June 21st 2013
Just popping in for a second, to say, if you head over to my movie blog you will see a craft project connected to the movie Twilight Saga New Moon.
And on the 365 Days main part, we are still in franchises. Still have Underworld, Twilight, Subspecies, Fright Night, 30 Days of Night, John Carpenter's Vampires, Vampire Chronicles, To Die For, Blade, ... I'm forgetting something here... Day Watch and the Hammer films.
Bundles to get to still, not too mention all the other vampire films.
Okay, so if you've been paying attention, I've been doing what's in my collection. There were two films that I rented in the first like week, but everything else used in the 365 Days category are movies/tv shows I've got on DVD/VHS. I'm hoping to get a Blu-ray player at some point given that everything is either Blu-ray or digital now. But that is neither here nor there.
I had hoped to have a book review every two weeks, but that just did not pan out at all.
Okay guys, it's a toss up right now between Subspecies and John Carpenter's Vampires. But one of those will be the next round of movies.
And on the 365 Days main part, we are still in franchises. Still have Underworld, Twilight, Subspecies, Fright Night, 30 Days of Night, John Carpenter's Vampires, Vampire Chronicles, To Die For, Blade, ... I'm forgetting something here... Day Watch and the Hammer films.
Bundles to get to still, not too mention all the other vampire films.
Okay, so if you've been paying attention, I've been doing what's in my collection. There were two films that I rented in the first like week, but everything else used in the 365 Days category are movies/tv shows I've got on DVD/VHS. I'm hoping to get a Blu-ray player at some point given that everything is either Blu-ray or digital now. But that is neither here nor there.
I had hoped to have a book review every two weeks, but that just did not pan out at all.
Okay guys, it's a toss up right now between Subspecies and John Carpenter's Vampires. But one of those will be the next round of movies.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
365 Days- Day 64
Movie: Lost Boys 3 The Thirst
starring: Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander
genre: Horror
year: 2010
format: DVD
plot: Edgar Frog is hired by a wealthy female author who writes teen vampire stories, to rescue her brother from a head vampire. She tells him that this is the ultimate first vampire, and if he manages to kill this vampire, all others will die with him. Edgar turns to his brother Allan, who is now a vampire himself, for help as well as a female friend who works at the local book store. Before long though, they are joined by a reality star hired by the author. They manage to locate the vampire's lair, but not everything is as it's suppose to be. The hunters find themselves neck deep in a trap and face to face with the head vampire.
This is the final (that I'm aware of) movie in the Lost Boys series. And I have to say, this one stacks up a lot better then the second one in the series. This even uses scenes from the original movie to tie the storyline together.
I liked that they brought the elements from the first movie of having the comic book store, and showing someone continuing the idea of taxidermy. (though not my favourite thing, but good to see they brought that from the first movie)
what do i think i learned from this film? Impalement is always the best way to go, specially when you stab the heart. That and don't dismiss comics, they have a lot of good advice.
starring: Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander
genre: Horror
year: 2010
format: DVD
This is the final (that I'm aware of) movie in the Lost Boys series. And I have to say, this one stacks up a lot better then the second one in the series. This even uses scenes from the original movie to tie the storyline together.
I liked that they brought the elements from the first movie of having the comic book store, and showing someone continuing the idea of taxidermy. (though not my favourite thing, but good to see they brought that from the first movie)
what do i think i learned from this film? Impalement is always the best way to go, specially when you stab the heart. That and don't dismiss comics, they have a lot of good advice.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
365 Days- Day 63
movie: The Lost Boys 2 Tribe
starring: Corey Feldman, Tad Hilgenbrink
genre: Comedy,Thriller
year: 2008
format: DVD
plot: The Emerson kids find themselves in a small surfing town after the death of their parents. Unfortunately for them, the town is also the hot spot for a group of vampires, lead by two of Chris' old surfing rivals. It doesn't take long before the head vampire decides to seduce Chris's sister, in hopes of building his family.
I've gone back and forth over the years on this film. It has it's moments, most of which are when Feldman is on screen. But it's got a lot of dragging in it too.
The original Lost Boys, was a movie that affected my life on so many levels, so when I first heard about this sequel I was beyond thrilled. The first time I saw it, I was so disappointed that I nearly turned the tv off. I think I've watched this sequel maybe five times in the last six years. And each time, something different either delights me or makes me want to break the tv.
There are so many elements from the original that are rebooted in this film, and I think that is actually one of the weaknesses. Had they taken one strong element from the original and spent all their energy on doing it properly, instead of trying to remake everything plus the kitchen sink, it would have been a better offering.
what do i think i learned from this film?
The original points that made the first movie so good, were about family and fitting in, but this one doesn't really seem to have a solid point to it. It tries to be about family but in the end it falls way short.
I don't think I learned much from this on this showing. Who knows, maybe next time I'll get something more out of it?
starring: Corey Feldman, Tad Hilgenbrink
genre: Comedy,Thriller
year: 2008
format: DVD
plot: The Emerson kids find themselves in a small surfing town after the death of their parents. Unfortunately for them, the town is also the hot spot for a group of vampires, lead by two of Chris' old surfing rivals. It doesn't take long before the head vampire decides to seduce Chris's sister, in hopes of building his family.I've gone back and forth over the years on this film. It has it's moments, most of which are when Feldman is on screen. But it's got a lot of dragging in it too.
The original Lost Boys, was a movie that affected my life on so many levels, so when I first heard about this sequel I was beyond thrilled. The first time I saw it, I was so disappointed that I nearly turned the tv off. I think I've watched this sequel maybe five times in the last six years. And each time, something different either delights me or makes me want to break the tv.
There are so many elements from the original that are rebooted in this film, and I think that is actually one of the weaknesses. Had they taken one strong element from the original and spent all their energy on doing it properly, instead of trying to remake everything plus the kitchen sink, it would have been a better offering.
what do i think i learned from this film?
The original points that made the first movie so good, were about family and fitting in, but this one doesn't really seem to have a solid point to it. It tries to be about family but in the end it falls way short.
I don't think I learned much from this on this showing. Who knows, maybe next time I'll get something more out of it?
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
365 Days- Day 62
Movie: The Lost Boys
starring: Corey Feldman, Corey Haim
genre: Horror, Comedy,
year: 1987
format: DVD
plot: Sam and Micheal move with their mother after she gets a divorce. To their horror, they have moved to what seems to be the murder capital of the west coast, as hundreds of people are either dead or missing in the small sea side town. Soon, both boys have made some new friends, Micheal has been hanging around a group of teenaged bikers, and Sam a couple of guys who work in their parent's comic book store. They soon find out that neither is really what they first appear to be. Micheal's new gang are actually a group of blood sucking vampires and Sam's buddies are the hunters that are set to kill them. Meanwhile, their mom ends up dating the head vampire.
Cult classic!
There is so much to say about this film, but at the same time nothing to say because it's all been said a million times over the last twenty plus years.
What at first seems like just another teen horror film from the 80's, is more a discussion on finding the truth about yourself, and how far you are willing to go to learn it. (as seen in the classic line uttered by David "How far are you willing to go Micheal?" )
What do i think i learned from this film?
I think the film fits better of what have I not learned from it? This movie single handedly changed the way I think, act, breathe for that matter.
starring: Corey Feldman, Corey Haim
genre: Horror, Comedy,
year: 1987
format: DVD
Cult classic!
There is so much to say about this film, but at the same time nothing to say because it's all been said a million times over the last twenty plus years.
What at first seems like just another teen horror film from the 80's, is more a discussion on finding the truth about yourself, and how far you are willing to go to learn it. (as seen in the classic line uttered by David "How far are you willing to go Micheal?" )
What do i think i learned from this film?
I think the film fits better of what have I not learned from it? This movie single handedly changed the way I think, act, breathe for that matter.
Monday, May 13, 2013
365 Days- Day 61
movie: From Dusk till Dawn 3 Hangman's Daughter
starring: Michael Parks, Marco Leonardi
genre: Western
year: 1999/2000
format: DVD
plot: When an outlaw is saved from death by hanging, he escapes with the daughter of the hangman. While on the run, his gang rob a stage coach, and soon all involved find themselves stuck in the same saloon over night. What they learn is that the hangman's daughter is the princess in a long line of female vampires.
Personally, this is my favourite of the three films. I have to wonder though if naming one of the main characters Johnny, and another John was suppose to be some sort of inside joke?
This is the prequel, set in the 1800's, and if you want to watch the story happen in order, you would watch this first.
One of my favourite scenes, is a black and white dance. One of the vampires hypnotizes one of the main characters and we see this strange seduction done like a black and white silent film. It's only about a minute and a half scene but it lends to a sense of humour and comes off like a bit of a tribute to the 1922 version of Nosferatu.
My one criticism of this film is the use of modern style underwear on nearly all of the vampire hookers.
what do i think i learned from this film? You never know who you can really trust in the end, or where you're love will end up leading you. No matter how good your intentions are. And karma is a bitch.
starring: Michael Parks, Marco Leonardi
genre: Western
year: 1999/2000
format: DVD
plot: When an outlaw is saved from death by hanging, he escapes with the daughter of the hangman. While on the run, his gang rob a stage coach, and soon all involved find themselves stuck in the same saloon over night. What they learn is that the hangman's daughter is the princess in a long line of female vampires.
Personally, this is my favourite of the three films. I have to wonder though if naming one of the main characters Johnny, and another John was suppose to be some sort of inside joke?
This is the prequel, set in the 1800's, and if you want to watch the story happen in order, you would watch this first.
One of my favourite scenes, is a black and white dance. One of the vampires hypnotizes one of the main characters and we see this strange seduction done like a black and white silent film. It's only about a minute and a half scene but it lends to a sense of humour and comes off like a bit of a tribute to the 1922 version of Nosferatu.
My one criticism of this film is the use of modern style underwear on nearly all of the vampire hookers.
what do i think i learned from this film? You never know who you can really trust in the end, or where you're love will end up leading you. No matter how good your intentions are. And karma is a bitch.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
365 Days-Day 60
movie: From Dusk till Dawn 2 Texas Blood Money
starring:Robert Patrick, Danny Trejo
genre: Crime, Western
year:1999/2000
format: DVD
plot: A group of bank robbers plan a job in Mexico, and we see the situations they get themselves into when they mess with the wrong gang. Ends up, they double crossed a gang of vampires.
It teases you, making you think that Bruce Campbell might be one of the main characters in the opening scene, but he's only in about two minutes of the film, as Bruce Campbell doing a late night movie.
This is the first of the two prequels. It's a bit confusing, as there are moments that hint at it taking place before the events in the first movie, and hints that it is taking place at the same time as the events in the first movie.
There are some genius points of view in this, from people being filmed in reflections (mirrors, sunglasses, phone booths, to the point of view of a bat flying, and the point of view of weapons being used) This film starts off with so much promise, the dark comedy and soundtrack make it feel like it's going to rock the roof off, but midway, it looses so much steam.
I think what makes these films so good, is the fear factor. Being trapped in a small place with a monster.
what do I think I learned from this film? Don't disrespect a bat.
starring:Robert Patrick, Danny Trejo
genre: Crime, Western
year:1999/2000
format: DVD
plot: A group of bank robbers plan a job in Mexico, and we see the situations they get themselves into when they mess with the wrong gang. Ends up, they double crossed a gang of vampires.
It teases you, making you think that Bruce Campbell might be one of the main characters in the opening scene, but he's only in about two minutes of the film, as Bruce Campbell doing a late night movie.
This is the first of the two prequels. It's a bit confusing, as there are moments that hint at it taking place before the events in the first movie, and hints that it is taking place at the same time as the events in the first movie.
There are some genius points of view in this, from people being filmed in reflections (mirrors, sunglasses, phone booths, to the point of view of a bat flying, and the point of view of weapons being used) This film starts off with so much promise, the dark comedy and soundtrack make it feel like it's going to rock the roof off, but midway, it looses so much steam.
I think what makes these films so good, is the fear factor. Being trapped in a small place with a monster.
what do I think I learned from this film? Don't disrespect a bat.
Friday, May 10, 2013
365 Days -Day 59
movie: From Dusk till Dawn
starring: George Clooney, Cheech Marin
genre: Western, Crime
year: 1996
format: DVD
plot: Two bank robbers on the run kidnap a preacher and his two kids, in order to get over the border in order to make their drop. The find themselves at an all night biker bar, where the staff are a bunch of bloodsuckers, literally.
This has to be one of the most popular vampire-westerns around. Not the only one, and not the first, but one of the most popular.
It has part to do with the fact vampires were starting to get a bit soft and this was a well needed kick in the teeth. It also comes at a time when Tarantino was the biggest thing going.
It managed to mix a few sub-genres together, a great crime/mobster film with a straight up shoot'em up/western. This film manages to be dead on funny with it's dialogue, as well as just bloody enough to be outrageous when it needs to.
what do i think i learned from this film? Faith. You can do anything as long as you have faith in what you are doing. We see the character of the preacher have to admit to himself that he hasn't completely lost faith in his life or those around him. At the same time, we see the character of Seth have to admit he's lost all faith in his brother, and that the loss of his brother to the vampires is what is best for everyone.
starring: George Clooney, Cheech Marin
genre: Western, Crime
year: 1996
format: DVD
This has to be one of the most popular vampire-westerns around. Not the only one, and not the first, but one of the most popular.
It has part to do with the fact vampires were starting to get a bit soft and this was a well needed kick in the teeth. It also comes at a time when Tarantino was the biggest thing going.
It managed to mix a few sub-genres together, a great crime/mobster film with a straight up shoot'em up/western. This film manages to be dead on funny with it's dialogue, as well as just bloody enough to be outrageous when it needs to.
what do i think i learned from this film? Faith. You can do anything as long as you have faith in what you are doing. We see the character of the preacher have to admit to himself that he hasn't completely lost faith in his life or those around him. At the same time, we see the character of Seth have to admit he's lost all faith in his brother, and that the loss of his brother to the vampires is what is best for everyone.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Just a note
What's going on?
I've been really bad at keeping up this project this year. But, I'm still working on it. I know, I've lost like another week and a half on it. Just means I'll end up going way way over the year mark into next year, cause damn it, I will have a full 365 days worth of vampires on this blog.
Bloggers blog for different reasons, and I've sort of lost my way lately. Last year, when I did the one different movie a day for the year, all I wanted to do was vampire movies, and now this year doing the all vampire project, other stuff keeps popping up to distract me. But that's life, even for the undead.
But with all that said, the franchises are coming. Subspecies, From Dusk till Dawn, Blade, Underworld, Twilight, and of course, the Draculas.
I'm sort of spacing out the Dracula films for later in the year as much as I can, given there is going to be a new tv show on NBC in the fall based on Dracula, and want to wait.
I'll be back over the next few days cramming in as much vamp time as I can on here. Feedback is always welcome.
I've been doing a weekly (okay yeah I've missed a few weeks) series of blog posts over on my movie blog, about vampire films. Just picking one vampire movie a week and breaking it down, talking about certain themes and stuff. Some have been really detailed, others have been short and to the point because of lack of time.
So if you ever want to jump in on there and chatter with me, please do.(Weekly Movie Club)
till later
I've been really bad at keeping up this project this year. But, I'm still working on it. I know, I've lost like another week and a half on it. Just means I'll end up going way way over the year mark into next year, cause damn it, I will have a full 365 days worth of vampires on this blog.
Bloggers blog for different reasons, and I've sort of lost my way lately. Last year, when I did the one different movie a day for the year, all I wanted to do was vampire movies, and now this year doing the all vampire project, other stuff keeps popping up to distract me. But that's life, even for the undead.
But with all that said, the franchises are coming. Subspecies, From Dusk till Dawn, Blade, Underworld, Twilight, and of course, the Draculas.
I'm sort of spacing out the Dracula films for later in the year as much as I can, given there is going to be a new tv show on NBC in the fall based on Dracula, and want to wait.
I'll be back over the next few days cramming in as much vamp time as I can on here. Feedback is always welcome.
I've been doing a weekly (okay yeah I've missed a few weeks) series of blog posts over on my movie blog, about vampire films. Just picking one vampire movie a week and breaking it down, talking about certain themes and stuff. Some have been really detailed, others have been short and to the point because of lack of time.
So if you ever want to jump in on there and chatter with me, please do.(Weekly Movie Club)
till later
Sunday, April 21, 2013
365 Days-Day 58
WWBD? Part 8
Season 2, Episodes 13 - When she Was Bad
We open in a graveyard, where Willow and Xander are walking home, playing guessing games. We learn that it's the new school year, and the summer was quiet as far as demons go. We also learn that Buffy had spent the whole summer with her dad, and we see the beginning of what could be a romance between Xander and Willow. Just as a vampire runs up to them. Then Buffy appears and saves them.
Xander comments that that was the only vampire they have seen since Buffy had killed the Master, and Willow tells her that they had a ritual to bury the Master while she was gone.
We see Buffy's parents talking back at the house, about how Buffy seems to be distant.
Next day at school, we see Cordelia with her friends, then Giles and Synder and Miss Calendar, (big intro of all the main characters)
When Buffy tells Giles that she slayed a vampire the night before, he nods and tells her that he must consult is books, whereupon Xander admits they bet on how long before he got all serious again. After school, and big training montage. In which, Giles starts to get worried about how much Buffy's aggressiveness has taken over her, unknowing that she's having visions and nightmares of the Master.
We then are at the factory, where a group of vampires are gathered planning revenge, led by a vampire preacher. The Anointed One at the center of their meeting.
Next day, back at school, the gang are hanging out in the lounge talking about dreams, and Willow nearly admits that she has naught Xander dreams. Giles rushes in telling Buffy that he's killed her once and should be able to again then attacks her, and she rips his face off to expose the Master. This ends up having been another one of her nightmares, as Buffy wakes up in her room to find Angel sitting in her window. Angel tells her that the Anointed One is putting together an army.
We then see Buffy's mom giving her a lift to school, trying to get her to open up about what is really bothering her. When Buffy tells Xander and Willow that Angel had stopped by, Xander gets all jealous, just as Cordelia shows up.
Later that night at the Bronze, Willow and Xander try to figure out what the problem is with Buffy and her new mean streak. Meanwhile, the group of vampires are at the graveyard digging up the bones of the Master. Back at the Bronze, Angel asks Buffy if she's upset because of him, but she snubs him, flirting with Xander. Cordelia then confronts Buffy in the alley, then gets grabbed by vampires.
Cordelia gets tossed into the basement of the factory and finds Miss Calendar already there knocked out. On her way home, Buffy sees the open grave where the Master had been buried and panics.
The next morning at school, Giles, Willow, and Xander try to figure out again what is the issues Buffy is dealing with, just as she walks in. She tells them that the vampires are planning to bring the Master back.
Later in the library, the group starts to research the rising ritual, which says that the final element is someone who was close to the Master. Buffy assumes it means her since he killed her. Just then, a rock comes through the window with a note and Cordelia's necklace. Buffy freaks out on them telling them that she can't babysit them anymore as she goes to save Cordelia.
Angel shows up just as she arrives at the Bronze, and tells him she doesn't trust him either. They enter the Bronze to find only one vampire and both agree that sending just one vampire seems off.
Back at the library, Giles re-reads the ritual and realizes that they are what the vampires need, the people who were standing beside him when he died.
Buffy realizes it too and heads back to find the library destroyed, and Xander bleeding. The others having been taken.
Buffy gets the location from the one vampire back at the Bronze by torturing her.
We see the vampires at the factory, as they start the ritual, just as Buffy, Angel and Xander show up. After saving the others and killing the vampires, Buffy smashes the bones of the Master to dust.
The next morning, Cordelia and Miss Calendar are talking about what happened, and in Cordelia's way, makes it about how the blood stains won't come out of her clothes. We then see Giles and Buffy talking about how alone she felt and how responsible she feels for having her friends in danger.
Final scene is the Anointed One standing alone in the factory and simply says he hates that girl.
This is the real turning point in the series, where it sort of became the show it was known for. Darker, grittier, wittier.
Season 2, Episodes 13 - When she Was Bad
We open in a graveyard, where Willow and Xander are walking home, playing guessing games. We learn that it's the new school year, and the summer was quiet as far as demons go. We also learn that Buffy had spent the whole summer with her dad, and we see the beginning of what could be a romance between Xander and Willow. Just as a vampire runs up to them. Then Buffy appears and saves them.
Xander comments that that was the only vampire they have seen since Buffy had killed the Master, and Willow tells her that they had a ritual to bury the Master while she was gone.
We see Buffy's parents talking back at the house, about how Buffy seems to be distant.
Next day at school, we see Cordelia with her friends, then Giles and Synder and Miss Calendar, (big intro of all the main characters)
When Buffy tells Giles that she slayed a vampire the night before, he nods and tells her that he must consult is books, whereupon Xander admits they bet on how long before he got all serious again. After school, and big training montage. In which, Giles starts to get worried about how much Buffy's aggressiveness has taken over her, unknowing that she's having visions and nightmares of the Master.
We then are at the factory, where a group of vampires are gathered planning revenge, led by a vampire preacher. The Anointed One at the center of their meeting.
Next day, back at school, the gang are hanging out in the lounge talking about dreams, and Willow nearly admits that she has naught Xander dreams. Giles rushes in telling Buffy that he's killed her once and should be able to again then attacks her, and she rips his face off to expose the Master. This ends up having been another one of her nightmares, as Buffy wakes up in her room to find Angel sitting in her window. Angel tells her that the Anointed One is putting together an army.
We then see Buffy's mom giving her a lift to school, trying to get her to open up about what is really bothering her. When Buffy tells Xander and Willow that Angel had stopped by, Xander gets all jealous, just as Cordelia shows up.
Later that night at the Bronze, Willow and Xander try to figure out what the problem is with Buffy and her new mean streak. Meanwhile, the group of vampires are at the graveyard digging up the bones of the Master. Back at the Bronze, Angel asks Buffy if she's upset because of him, but she snubs him, flirting with Xander. Cordelia then confronts Buffy in the alley, then gets grabbed by vampires.
Cordelia gets tossed into the basement of the factory and finds Miss Calendar already there knocked out. On her way home, Buffy sees the open grave where the Master had been buried and panics.
The next morning at school, Giles, Willow, and Xander try to figure out again what is the issues Buffy is dealing with, just as she walks in. She tells them that the vampires are planning to bring the Master back.
Later in the library, the group starts to research the rising ritual, which says that the final element is someone who was close to the Master. Buffy assumes it means her since he killed her. Just then, a rock comes through the window with a note and Cordelia's necklace. Buffy freaks out on them telling them that she can't babysit them anymore as she goes to save Cordelia.
Angel shows up just as she arrives at the Bronze, and tells him she doesn't trust him either. They enter the Bronze to find only one vampire and both agree that sending just one vampire seems off.
Back at the library, Giles re-reads the ritual and realizes that they are what the vampires need, the people who were standing beside him when he died.
Buffy realizes it too and heads back to find the library destroyed, and Xander bleeding. The others having been taken.
Buffy gets the location from the one vampire back at the Bronze by torturing her.
We see the vampires at the factory, as they start the ritual, just as Buffy, Angel and Xander show up. After saving the others and killing the vampires, Buffy smashes the bones of the Master to dust.
The next morning, Cordelia and Miss Calendar are talking about what happened, and in Cordelia's way, makes it about how the blood stains won't come out of her clothes. We then see Giles and Buffy talking about how alone she felt and how responsible she feels for having her friends in danger.
Final scene is the Anointed One standing alone in the factory and simply says he hates that girl.
This is the real turning point in the series, where it sort of became the show it was known for. Darker, grittier, wittier.
Friday, April 19, 2013
WWBD? Slayer Fest
Round One
Season 1, Episodes 9, 10, 11, 12
Episode 9- The Puppet Show
We open with a creepy voice talking about being flesh again, while watching the students backstage at the high school. We then see Cordelia singing off key while Giles is feeling the torture of having to run the talent show. Buffy, Xander and Willow arrive, mocking him and the other students, only to be caught by Mr. Synder who informs them that they have no choice and have to be in the talent show. We then see the kid with the dummy and right off Buffy has a bad reaction to the sight of it. When Willow asks her why, she simply says she's just always been creeped by them. The dummy's voice then changes and he starts telling dirty jokes.
We then see a female student in the locker room get attacked, by an unseen demon who once again says he will be flesh.
We then see the gang freaking out about what they are going to do. The kid with the dummy starts talking to them, the dummy hitting on Buffy.
We then see Synder and Giles talking about the history of the school, and the amount of strange deaths are connected to it. And we learn how much Synder hates kids, people in general. We hear a scream, and the dead body of the girl is found. Giles tells the group that the girls' heart was removed by someone with a knife, and they right away rule out demon. Buffy tells them that her slayer self is telling her that it is more likely to be a demon. They start to interview the students, and one tells them that the last person to talk to her was the dude with the dummy.
Buffy goes to talk to the student with the dummy, and walks in on what appears to be the dummy talking on it's own. When the student appears he tells her that he was practicing throwing his voice, then crumples clutching his skull and the dummy starts to mouth off at Buffy.
Back at the library, the group all figure that Morgan, the puppet guy is a murder, all but Buffy who still seems to think it's a demon. Giles tells her to go check his locker for anything that might prove he's the killer, like the missing heart. She doesn't find anything but Synder catches her, threatening her. Synder thinks she's the murder. Buffy manages to open the dummy case only to find it empty.
We then see Morgan arguing with the dummy, telling him that just can not kill Buffy, even though the dummy tells him this last kill will set him free.
We are then at Buffy's house, her mother teasing her about the talent show. At this point, her mom still has no idea about her being a demon hunter and thinks everything is normal teenaged stuff and gives her advice.
We see the dummy staring through the window at Buffy, then running around her room. She screams and her mom comes in, and Buffy has a normal moment of a kid being scared. Her mom notices the window is open, and Buffy says she never left it open.
The next day, back at the school, Cordelia is trying to get bumped up to the top of the show, but Giles spaces on her, and finally gets rid of her by commenting on her hair. Buffy walks in and tells the group that Sid the dummy is really alive. Xander and Willow wonder if Buffy is just freaked out too much, and put off the idea that the dummy is just a dummy. But Giles gives them a bit of research that talks about a group of seven demons that can take the form of non-humans, and who every so many years if they collect all the human organs can become human. They still think that Morgan is the main suspect.
Buffy sees the dummy move on it's own later in class, just before the teacher takes the dummy away and puts it in the cupboard. When he goes to collect it later, he sees it's missing, and panics.
Back at the library, we see Xander stole him. This gives Buffy a chance to talk to Morgan alone, while Willow and Giles do research in the demon section, which the dummy overhears.
Buffy runs into Synder in the drama room where he threatens her again. Back in the library, the dummy is missing. Buffy finds Morgan dead, then gets attacked in the drama room.
She wakes up to find Sid the dummy running around on his own. He attacks her with a knife, they fight, each thinking the other is the murdering demon. We find out Sid is a demon hunter who was cursed to be a dummy, but not till after having killed the other six of these demons. They realize that the demon is in the show, and have to figure out which student.
We get a little bit of history on one of the slayers from Sid, who had been alive in the 1930's. He tells her that if they get this last demon, the curse will be lifted and he'll just die. And admits that since he was cursed he's outlived countless demon hunters and slayers.
They realize no one in the show is missing, and have to come up with a different plan. Giles starts to suspect Synder, and follows him, while Buffy goes looking for Sid who is now missing. What she finds is Morgan's brain just left hanging around.
Back at the library, the group start to think they have been lied to by Sid. They then learn that Morgan was sick, and his brain was useless. They realize that Willow and Giles are the next targets. Giles meanwhile is talking to one of the students in the drama room, who is working on his magic act which happens to include a guillotine. Buffy manages to save him just in time, killing the demon, while Xander and Willow untie Giles.
Sid stabs the body in the heart and then dies himself. Just as the curtain opens for the beginning of the show, with everyone standing there.
Under the credits we see Buffy, Xander and Willow doing a scene from a play.
Episode 10- Nightmares
We open with Buffy in what looks to be a part of the Master's lair. The Master is stalking her, and manages to catch her, but just before he can bite her, she wakes up from a dream. Her mom lets her know that her dad will be there that weekend.
We see Buffy and Willow walking in school, talking about how she never sees her dad, and Buffy comments on the fact that they split up the same time she found out she was the slayer. We see the group in class, and one of the students opens his book to be covered in spiders, at the same time that Buffy sees a young kid in the doorway. The kid tells her he's sorry about that.
Back in the lair, we see the Master talking to the Anointed One about fear, telling him that it's all in the mind and can be controlled. He then says that something is happening above ground, something powerful that is bringing trouble.
Back at Sunnydale High, we see Buffy getting dropped off by her mom, who asks her why she was screaming in her sleep again? Buffy is more concerned about hanging out with her dad for the weekend. We then see her and the others talking about the spiders in the classroom the day before, and how did it happen? This gets them talking about some of their fears, and find Giles running around lost in the shelves. Giles tells them that they need to talk to the student who the spiders happened to. They learn that he's a specialist in the topic of spiders, and that he's haunted by nightmares of them, because he feels guilty for having left his brother looking after his pet spiders and they all died.
We then see Buffy go to a class that she's been skipping all year, only to find out there is a test that she was not aware of, and the panic sets in. Before she knows it, class is over and she's failed the test. We see the same young boy from the day before standing in the doorway again, the kid sees another student heading to the basement and tells her she shouldn't go in there. The female student is standing in the basement, and a creature attacks her. The creature simply says "Lucky 19".
Buffy and Giles then show up at the hospital to see if they can find out who attacked her. While they are at the hospital, they learn that there is a boy in a coma that was attacked the same way.
Back at the school, we see random students have some of their worst fears come true. Like a biker wannabe's mom shows up to embarrass him. Then Xander and Willow walk into class and suddenly Xander is naked.
Back at the library, Giles is poured over newspapers and his biggest fear of not being able to read has come true. Buffy notices a photo of the kid she's been seeing around the school and realizes it's the first victim in the coma. Giles brings up the idea of astral projection, as being the reason the kid was around school. Buffy's dad then shows up out of nowhere and tells Buffy that he doesn't want anything to do with her ever again, and that she's the reason they got divorced. This is one of Buffy's biggest fears. Then we see the kid again in another doorway.
Back in the library, Willow and Xander show up, and tell Giles about the naked fear coming true. We then learn that Willow is afraid of being noticed. Giles then realizes that it's all their nightmares coming true. We learn that the kid, Billy, is the reason the nightmare world has become true.
Cordelia's nightmare is that she becomes a major geek with braces and bad hair. Meanwhile, Buffy has started to follow astral Billy around the school. Just as Buffy starts to talk to him, the creature shows up.
Big battle, and the creature manages to get Buffy on the run. Her and astral Billy exit the school and see a baseball game, where astral Billy hints at the creature being the baseball coach. They then run into a graveyard where the Master buries her alive. Giles, Willow and Xander split up trying to find Buffy, each having their own big nightmares. Willow is forced to star in an opera, Xander is chased by a killer clown, and Giles sees Buffy die becoming a vampire.
Giles tells Buffy that they have to wake Billy up from his coma, in order to return everything to normal. They arrive at the hospital to find total chaos. They see Billy still in his coma, and astral Billy hiding in the back of the room. The creature then shows up, and Buffy attacks him, taking advantage of this vampire nightmare self's new strength. Knocking the creature out, she tells astral Billy that he needs to unmask the creature in order to kill him. The kid needs to face his fears.
A mystical light appears, and everyone is back to normal, with Billy coming out of his coma. Just then the coach walks in, unaware that Billy has woken up, and tells Xander that he comes by every day, waiting to see if his Lucky 19 will wake up. When Buffy tells the coach that Billy is awake, he tries to run, but Giles and Xander grab him.
Back at school, the group are talking about how the coach was arrested for what he'd done, as Buffy's dad shows up to pick her up for the weekend.
Episode 11- Out of Mind Out of Sight
We open with Cordelia and her friends talking about the spring dance, and Buffy trips over them spilling everything in her purse. Buffy starts to remember when she was the school queen bee.
In class, we see that Cordelia is actually smarter then they thought, but we learn just as shallow as always. We then see Cordelia's boyfriend in the locker room, and we hear a girl's laugh just before he gets attacked by a flying baseball bat.
Cordelia is then seen bribing students for their vote on prom queen, making Buffy feel even more lost. When Xander and Willow start mocking Cordelia for it, Buffy admits that she used to be the Cordy in her old school.
We then see Synder talking about how there are no dead students there in the school that week as we see Mitch, Cordelia's boyfriend being wheeled out by medics. Buffy goes to check the crime scene but is stopped by Synder, but Willow's quick thinking gets Synder's attention letting Buffy investigate. Buffy sees the word "look" written on the lockers where the attack happened.
In the lunch room, Giles and the group talk about the different kinds of ghosts or someone with telekinesis, trying to figure out what the cause was.
In the yard, we see Cordelia talking to Harmony about Mitch, and her shallowness is on display. We see a flashback of a similar conversation that happened a few months before and hear a girl's voice say hi, and Cordelia brush them off. Buffy then shows up to talk to Cordelia, just as someone pushes Harmony down the stairs. Synder starts asking what happened, and Cordelia says she fell but Harmony swears someone pushed her. Buffy then hears the girl's laugh again and follows it. She doesn't see anyone but someone bumps into her. She then sees a panel in the ceiling move.
We see two strange guys in suites standing around the outside of the school as the gang walk by talking about ghosts. Xander comments about an invisible people and admits he'd love to be invisible in order to spy on the girls' locker room. They realize it's someone with a grudge on Cordelia because both attacks were on her friends. Buffy decides to hunt down the invisible girl, and Giles tells her to focus on listening, which will play a major role in coming seasons with her slayer powers.
Buffy stakes out the school later that night and hears someone playing the flute. We then see Giles in the library, also hearing strange sounds, only to discover Angel waiting for him.
They talk, and Giles makes the comment about a vampire in love with the slayer and how poetic and sad it is. Angel then tells him something bad is about to happen with the Master. They continue talking about a missing book called the Cotex, which we find that Angel has. Giles then has a moment of fanboyness at the idea of getting his hands on the missing volume.
We then see another flashback of the girl trying to fit in with Cordelia and her friends, totally ignoring her. Back to the present, Cordelia wins the May Queen, and we see the gang standing around the edge of the school yard talking about the list of dead and missing students, with Buffy still certain that Cordelia is the real target. Willow notices the guys in suites just as Buffy reads about one girl named Marcy on the missing list. Her profile says that she played the flute, and Buffy tells them that she had heard someone playing a flute the night before in the school.
Buffy then goes to the music room and investigates, finding a hidden room in the attic where a girl's made herself a home.
We then hear the girl's laugh again right before a teacher gets attacked. Cordelia shows up and saves her, just as something writes the word "listen" on the chalkboard behind them.
Back in the library, the gang are discussing what she found in the attic. And Buffy shows them the yearbook she found, pointing out that no one had anything to say to her. Giles then realizes that it's not really a magical issue that caused her to become invisible but a scientific one. More of a quantum physics. Explaining that because of the way we perceive things, we manifest our own reality, and because the girl felt invisible she made herself become invisible. Cordelia comes running into the room, and begs Buffy for help because of having seen her bag of weapons. The gang tells her that it's an invisible girl and points out a photo of Marcy, where upon Cordelia says she's never seen her before in her life.
In the attic we hear Marcy talking angrily about Cordelia. We get a bit of insight on Cordelia, and learn that she's just as insecure as everyone else. The rest of the gang hear the sound of a flute and follow it, which ends up being a trap. Meanwhile, Cordelia and Buffy are grabbed.
In the basement where Xander, Willow and Giles are trapped, the gas has been turned on, while Buffy and Cordelia are being held at the Bronze.
We see the word "learn" in gold glitter on the wall of the Bronze. We hear Marcy telling them that her plan is to make Cordelia a monster by slicing her up.
Meanwhile back at the school, Angel shows up and gets Willow, Xander and Giles out. We then see Buffy trying to fight Marcy. Closing her eyes, Buffy is able to focus on what she hears and manages to defeat Marcy. Just then, the men in the back suites who end up being FBI break into the Bronze and take Marcy.
We then see the gang walking through the school, and Cordelia thanking them, and we see the beginning of the change in her. Until Mitch shows up and mocks the group.
Final scene is a teacher in front of an invisible class, and as Marcy opens her text book we see she's begun Assassination training.
Episode 12- Prophecy Girl
We open at the Bronze. Xander is talking to what we think is Willow, asking her out, but he's actually practicing what he wants to say to Buffy.
We then see the graveyard, where Buffy is fighting a vampire, a few feet way from where Cordelia and Mitch are parked in car making out. We then see Giles in the library, reading the Cotex that Angel had given him in the previous episode, and we learn that the Master is about to rise. Giles then goes into a panic as he realizes that Buffy is going to die.
Sunnydale is then hit by an earthquake. We see the Master screaming for joy, then turns to the Anointed One and states in a flat voice "what do you think? 5.1?"
Back at the library, we see Giles looking deflated and worried. We learn that it's the next morning, and Giles hasn't left in almost a day and a half. Buffy shows up and tells him that she slayed three vampires within minutes of each other the night before.
Buffy, Xander and Willow are walking through the yard, and Xander shoos Willow off in order that he can talk to Buffy alone. He starts to ask her out but she has to let him know that it's not going to happen. Xander then reacts by insulting Angel and walking away.
Back in the library, Giles is on the phone when Miss Calendar walks in. They start comparing notes on all the weird stuff that has happened in the last few weeks, and Miss Calendar says that a monk in Europe has emailed her with a message about the Anointed One. Giles then starts to really pay attention. He tells her to get ahold of the monk and find out everything she can.
We then see Cordelia and her new boyfriend talking, she asks Willow to do some electronic stuff for her, just as Xander tells Willow that Buffy turned him down. He then asks Willow, and she turns him down telling him that it would hurt too much to go with him.
Night time, and Buffy is in the school bathroom, seeing blood pour out of the sink. When she goes to tell Giles, she walks in on him and Angel talking about how there is a prophecy in the Cotex saying that she will die the next night.
Buffy starts to laugh, getting their attention and starts to wonder what the next slayer is going to be like? She breaks down in the middle of the library and tells them that she quits. Both Angel and Giles tell her that she can't, it doesn't work that way. In a gesture of frustration and fear, she rips the cross off her neck that Angel had given her in episode one.
We then see Willow trying to call Xander, who is laying in his room listening to country music. Next is Buffy pouring over photos of her and the gang, her mother walks in to see if she's okay. She figures it's the prom that has Buffy upset, and shows her a dress that she bought as a gift for her.
Next morning at the school, we see Cordelia and Willow talking about the fact that Cordelia's new boyfriend bailed on her. They then see him and his best friend watching tv in the staff lounge, and when they go to confront them, find them the entire group was slaughtered.
We then see Buffy in her prom dress which happens to be white, as her mother tells her that Willow is on the news. We then see Buffy sitting with Willow in her room, Willow telling her that it really hit her that life wasn't ever going to be the same. Willow then comments on liking the dress. Which she's wearing under a back leather jacket. (just like Kristy Swanson did as Buffy in the original movie in 1992)
Meanwhile, in the lair, the Master sends the Anointed One to the surface.
Back in the library, Giles and Miss Calendar are taking about the Hellmouth. Giles then tells her that he's planning on killing the Master himself, just as Buffy walks in and tells him that it's her job she's going to handle it. They argue, then she knocks him out.
Buffy then goes outside, and spots the Anointed One, knowing who he is and willingly follows him.
Back in the library, the rest of the group is there, talking about the end of the world. Xander gets all angry and heads off. We then see Buffy in the lair, in her dress.
Xander shows up at Angel's and tells him about Buffy running off, and demands that he take him to find them.
Back in the library, they try to figure out where the Hellmouth will open.
In the lair, Buffy and the Master begin their fight, while Angel and Xander make their way through the sewers. Willow and Miss Calendar believe that the Bronze, where the prom is being held, is the spot that the Hellmouth will open and race off there. But, they only make it half way out the parking lot before a mob of vampires come after them.
Back in the lair, we see the Master grab Buffy, and tells her that had she not shown up, he'd have been unable to feed and would have been trapped. He bites her, then as he pushes her into a puddle, tells her that he likes her dress. The barrier that has been holding him suddenly breaks open and he goes to the surface. Just as Angel and Xander run in to find Buffy dead.
Xander refuses to give up and says that since she drowned in the puddle, she can be brought back with CPR. Xander then manages to save her.
Back at the school, we see Cordelia drive up and tell Willow and Miss Calendar to get in the car. Cordelia drives right into the school and they all run for the library. (this is one of those Night of the Living Dead at the door moments)
We see the Master then on the rooftop of the school, gloating. Back in the lair, Buffy tells them that she feels stronger, different, and they head off to find the Master.
Meanwhile, in the library the floor has opened up and creatures are starting to rise. We see Buffy, Angel and Xander heading to the school. The Master is watching from the roof's window. He's shocked when he sees Buffy standing beside him still alive. They fight and Buffy throws the Master through the window onto a broken piece of wooden table. As he turns to dust, the other creatures and vampires run away, the Hellmouth closed.
We see the whole gang now in the middle of the library wondering what to do now that they saved the world. Buffy closes out with the line "We saved the world, I say we party." And then Angel tells her that he really likes her dress.
That brings us to the end of season one. I'll be back later with the next round of the Slayer Fest...hang in there.
Season 1, Episodes 9, 10, 11, 12
Episode 9- The Puppet Show
We open with a creepy voice talking about being flesh again, while watching the students backstage at the high school. We then see Cordelia singing off key while Giles is feeling the torture of having to run the talent show. Buffy, Xander and Willow arrive, mocking him and the other students, only to be caught by Mr. Synder who informs them that they have no choice and have to be in the talent show. We then see the kid with the dummy and right off Buffy has a bad reaction to the sight of it. When Willow asks her why, she simply says she's just always been creeped by them. The dummy's voice then changes and he starts telling dirty jokes.
We then see a female student in the locker room get attacked, by an unseen demon who once again says he will be flesh.
We then see the gang freaking out about what they are going to do. The kid with the dummy starts talking to them, the dummy hitting on Buffy.
We then see Synder and Giles talking about the history of the school, and the amount of strange deaths are connected to it. And we learn how much Synder hates kids, people in general. We hear a scream, and the dead body of the girl is found. Giles tells the group that the girls' heart was removed by someone with a knife, and they right away rule out demon. Buffy tells them that her slayer self is telling her that it is more likely to be a demon. They start to interview the students, and one tells them that the last person to talk to her was the dude with the dummy.
Buffy goes to talk to the student with the dummy, and walks in on what appears to be the dummy talking on it's own. When the student appears he tells her that he was practicing throwing his voice, then crumples clutching his skull and the dummy starts to mouth off at Buffy.
Back at the library, the group all figure that Morgan, the puppet guy is a murder, all but Buffy who still seems to think it's a demon. Giles tells her to go check his locker for anything that might prove he's the killer, like the missing heart. She doesn't find anything but Synder catches her, threatening her. Synder thinks she's the murder. Buffy manages to open the dummy case only to find it empty.
We then see Morgan arguing with the dummy, telling him that just can not kill Buffy, even though the dummy tells him this last kill will set him free.
We are then at Buffy's house, her mother teasing her about the talent show. At this point, her mom still has no idea about her being a demon hunter and thinks everything is normal teenaged stuff and gives her advice.
We see the dummy staring through the window at Buffy, then running around her room. She screams and her mom comes in, and Buffy has a normal moment of a kid being scared. Her mom notices the window is open, and Buffy says she never left it open.
The next day, back at the school, Cordelia is trying to get bumped up to the top of the show, but Giles spaces on her, and finally gets rid of her by commenting on her hair. Buffy walks in and tells the group that Sid the dummy is really alive. Xander and Willow wonder if Buffy is just freaked out too much, and put off the idea that the dummy is just a dummy. But Giles gives them a bit of research that talks about a group of seven demons that can take the form of non-humans, and who every so many years if they collect all the human organs can become human. They still think that Morgan is the main suspect.
Buffy sees the dummy move on it's own later in class, just before the teacher takes the dummy away and puts it in the cupboard. When he goes to collect it later, he sees it's missing, and panics.
Back at the library, we see Xander stole him. This gives Buffy a chance to talk to Morgan alone, while Willow and Giles do research in the demon section, which the dummy overhears.
Buffy runs into Synder in the drama room where he threatens her again. Back in the library, the dummy is missing. Buffy finds Morgan dead, then gets attacked in the drama room.
She wakes up to find Sid the dummy running around on his own. He attacks her with a knife, they fight, each thinking the other is the murdering demon. We find out Sid is a demon hunter who was cursed to be a dummy, but not till after having killed the other six of these demons. They realize that the demon is in the show, and have to figure out which student.
We get a little bit of history on one of the slayers from Sid, who had been alive in the 1930's. He tells her that if they get this last demon, the curse will be lifted and he'll just die. And admits that since he was cursed he's outlived countless demon hunters and slayers.
They realize no one in the show is missing, and have to come up with a different plan. Giles starts to suspect Synder, and follows him, while Buffy goes looking for Sid who is now missing. What she finds is Morgan's brain just left hanging around.
Back at the library, the group start to think they have been lied to by Sid. They then learn that Morgan was sick, and his brain was useless. They realize that Willow and Giles are the next targets. Giles meanwhile is talking to one of the students in the drama room, who is working on his magic act which happens to include a guillotine. Buffy manages to save him just in time, killing the demon, while Xander and Willow untie Giles.
Sid stabs the body in the heart and then dies himself. Just as the curtain opens for the beginning of the show, with everyone standing there.
Under the credits we see Buffy, Xander and Willow doing a scene from a play.
Episode 10- Nightmares
We open with Buffy in what looks to be a part of the Master's lair. The Master is stalking her, and manages to catch her, but just before he can bite her, she wakes up from a dream. Her mom lets her know that her dad will be there that weekend.
We see Buffy and Willow walking in school, talking about how she never sees her dad, and Buffy comments on the fact that they split up the same time she found out she was the slayer. We see the group in class, and one of the students opens his book to be covered in spiders, at the same time that Buffy sees a young kid in the doorway. The kid tells her he's sorry about that.
Back in the lair, we see the Master talking to the Anointed One about fear, telling him that it's all in the mind and can be controlled. He then says that something is happening above ground, something powerful that is bringing trouble.
Back at Sunnydale High, we see Buffy getting dropped off by her mom, who asks her why she was screaming in her sleep again? Buffy is more concerned about hanging out with her dad for the weekend. We then see her and the others talking about the spiders in the classroom the day before, and how did it happen? This gets them talking about some of their fears, and find Giles running around lost in the shelves. Giles tells them that they need to talk to the student who the spiders happened to. They learn that he's a specialist in the topic of spiders, and that he's haunted by nightmares of them, because he feels guilty for having left his brother looking after his pet spiders and they all died.
We then see Buffy go to a class that she's been skipping all year, only to find out there is a test that she was not aware of, and the panic sets in. Before she knows it, class is over and she's failed the test. We see the same young boy from the day before standing in the doorway again, the kid sees another student heading to the basement and tells her she shouldn't go in there. The female student is standing in the basement, and a creature attacks her. The creature simply says "Lucky 19".
Buffy and Giles then show up at the hospital to see if they can find out who attacked her. While they are at the hospital, they learn that there is a boy in a coma that was attacked the same way.
Back at the school, we see random students have some of their worst fears come true. Like a biker wannabe's mom shows up to embarrass him. Then Xander and Willow walk into class and suddenly Xander is naked.
Back at the library, Giles is poured over newspapers and his biggest fear of not being able to read has come true. Buffy notices a photo of the kid she's been seeing around the school and realizes it's the first victim in the coma. Giles brings up the idea of astral projection, as being the reason the kid was around school. Buffy's dad then shows up out of nowhere and tells Buffy that he doesn't want anything to do with her ever again, and that she's the reason they got divorced. This is one of Buffy's biggest fears. Then we see the kid again in another doorway.
Back in the library, Willow and Xander show up, and tell Giles about the naked fear coming true. We then learn that Willow is afraid of being noticed. Giles then realizes that it's all their nightmares coming true. We learn that the kid, Billy, is the reason the nightmare world has become true.
Cordelia's nightmare is that she becomes a major geek with braces and bad hair. Meanwhile, Buffy has started to follow astral Billy around the school. Just as Buffy starts to talk to him, the creature shows up.
Big battle, and the creature manages to get Buffy on the run. Her and astral Billy exit the school and see a baseball game, where astral Billy hints at the creature being the baseball coach. They then run into a graveyard where the Master buries her alive. Giles, Willow and Xander split up trying to find Buffy, each having their own big nightmares. Willow is forced to star in an opera, Xander is chased by a killer clown, and Giles sees Buffy die becoming a vampire.
Giles tells Buffy that they have to wake Billy up from his coma, in order to return everything to normal. They arrive at the hospital to find total chaos. They see Billy still in his coma, and astral Billy hiding in the back of the room. The creature then shows up, and Buffy attacks him, taking advantage of this vampire nightmare self's new strength. Knocking the creature out, she tells astral Billy that he needs to unmask the creature in order to kill him. The kid needs to face his fears.
A mystical light appears, and everyone is back to normal, with Billy coming out of his coma. Just then the coach walks in, unaware that Billy has woken up, and tells Xander that he comes by every day, waiting to see if his Lucky 19 will wake up. When Buffy tells the coach that Billy is awake, he tries to run, but Giles and Xander grab him.
Back at school, the group are talking about how the coach was arrested for what he'd done, as Buffy's dad shows up to pick her up for the weekend.
Episode 11- Out of Mind Out of Sight
We open with Cordelia and her friends talking about the spring dance, and Buffy trips over them spilling everything in her purse. Buffy starts to remember when she was the school queen bee.
In class, we see that Cordelia is actually smarter then they thought, but we learn just as shallow as always. We then see Cordelia's boyfriend in the locker room, and we hear a girl's laugh just before he gets attacked by a flying baseball bat.
Cordelia is then seen bribing students for their vote on prom queen, making Buffy feel even more lost. When Xander and Willow start mocking Cordelia for it, Buffy admits that she used to be the Cordy in her old school.
We then see Synder talking about how there are no dead students there in the school that week as we see Mitch, Cordelia's boyfriend being wheeled out by medics. Buffy goes to check the crime scene but is stopped by Synder, but Willow's quick thinking gets Synder's attention letting Buffy investigate. Buffy sees the word "look" written on the lockers where the attack happened.
In the lunch room, Giles and the group talk about the different kinds of ghosts or someone with telekinesis, trying to figure out what the cause was.
In the yard, we see Cordelia talking to Harmony about Mitch, and her shallowness is on display. We see a flashback of a similar conversation that happened a few months before and hear a girl's voice say hi, and Cordelia brush them off. Buffy then shows up to talk to Cordelia, just as someone pushes Harmony down the stairs. Synder starts asking what happened, and Cordelia says she fell but Harmony swears someone pushed her. Buffy then hears the girl's laugh again and follows it. She doesn't see anyone but someone bumps into her. She then sees a panel in the ceiling move.
We see two strange guys in suites standing around the outside of the school as the gang walk by talking about ghosts. Xander comments about an invisible people and admits he'd love to be invisible in order to spy on the girls' locker room. They realize it's someone with a grudge on Cordelia because both attacks were on her friends. Buffy decides to hunt down the invisible girl, and Giles tells her to focus on listening, which will play a major role in coming seasons with her slayer powers.
Buffy stakes out the school later that night and hears someone playing the flute. We then see Giles in the library, also hearing strange sounds, only to discover Angel waiting for him.
They talk, and Giles makes the comment about a vampire in love with the slayer and how poetic and sad it is. Angel then tells him something bad is about to happen with the Master. They continue talking about a missing book called the Cotex, which we find that Angel has. Giles then has a moment of fanboyness at the idea of getting his hands on the missing volume.
We then see another flashback of the girl trying to fit in with Cordelia and her friends, totally ignoring her. Back to the present, Cordelia wins the May Queen, and we see the gang standing around the edge of the school yard talking about the list of dead and missing students, with Buffy still certain that Cordelia is the real target. Willow notices the guys in suites just as Buffy reads about one girl named Marcy on the missing list. Her profile says that she played the flute, and Buffy tells them that she had heard someone playing a flute the night before in the school.
Buffy then goes to the music room and investigates, finding a hidden room in the attic where a girl's made herself a home.
We then hear the girl's laugh again right before a teacher gets attacked. Cordelia shows up and saves her, just as something writes the word "listen" on the chalkboard behind them.
Back in the library, the gang are discussing what she found in the attic. And Buffy shows them the yearbook she found, pointing out that no one had anything to say to her. Giles then realizes that it's not really a magical issue that caused her to become invisible but a scientific one. More of a quantum physics. Explaining that because of the way we perceive things, we manifest our own reality, and because the girl felt invisible she made herself become invisible. Cordelia comes running into the room, and begs Buffy for help because of having seen her bag of weapons. The gang tells her that it's an invisible girl and points out a photo of Marcy, where upon Cordelia says she's never seen her before in her life.
In the attic we hear Marcy talking angrily about Cordelia. We get a bit of insight on Cordelia, and learn that she's just as insecure as everyone else. The rest of the gang hear the sound of a flute and follow it, which ends up being a trap. Meanwhile, Cordelia and Buffy are grabbed.
In the basement where Xander, Willow and Giles are trapped, the gas has been turned on, while Buffy and Cordelia are being held at the Bronze.
We see the word "learn" in gold glitter on the wall of the Bronze. We hear Marcy telling them that her plan is to make Cordelia a monster by slicing her up.
Meanwhile back at the school, Angel shows up and gets Willow, Xander and Giles out. We then see Buffy trying to fight Marcy. Closing her eyes, Buffy is able to focus on what she hears and manages to defeat Marcy. Just then, the men in the back suites who end up being FBI break into the Bronze and take Marcy.
We then see the gang walking through the school, and Cordelia thanking them, and we see the beginning of the change in her. Until Mitch shows up and mocks the group.
Final scene is a teacher in front of an invisible class, and as Marcy opens her text book we see she's begun Assassination training.
Episode 12- Prophecy Girl
We open at the Bronze. Xander is talking to what we think is Willow, asking her out, but he's actually practicing what he wants to say to Buffy.
We then see the graveyard, where Buffy is fighting a vampire, a few feet way from where Cordelia and Mitch are parked in car making out. We then see Giles in the library, reading the Cotex that Angel had given him in the previous episode, and we learn that the Master is about to rise. Giles then goes into a panic as he realizes that Buffy is going to die.
Sunnydale is then hit by an earthquake. We see the Master screaming for joy, then turns to the Anointed One and states in a flat voice "what do you think? 5.1?"
Back at the library, we see Giles looking deflated and worried. We learn that it's the next morning, and Giles hasn't left in almost a day and a half. Buffy shows up and tells him that she slayed three vampires within minutes of each other the night before.
Buffy, Xander and Willow are walking through the yard, and Xander shoos Willow off in order that he can talk to Buffy alone. He starts to ask her out but she has to let him know that it's not going to happen. Xander then reacts by insulting Angel and walking away.
Back in the library, Giles is on the phone when Miss Calendar walks in. They start comparing notes on all the weird stuff that has happened in the last few weeks, and Miss Calendar says that a monk in Europe has emailed her with a message about the Anointed One. Giles then starts to really pay attention. He tells her to get ahold of the monk and find out everything she can.
We then see Cordelia and her new boyfriend talking, she asks Willow to do some electronic stuff for her, just as Xander tells Willow that Buffy turned him down. He then asks Willow, and she turns him down telling him that it would hurt too much to go with him.
Night time, and Buffy is in the school bathroom, seeing blood pour out of the sink. When she goes to tell Giles, she walks in on him and Angel talking about how there is a prophecy in the Cotex saying that she will die the next night.
Buffy starts to laugh, getting their attention and starts to wonder what the next slayer is going to be like? She breaks down in the middle of the library and tells them that she quits. Both Angel and Giles tell her that she can't, it doesn't work that way. In a gesture of frustration and fear, she rips the cross off her neck that Angel had given her in episode one.
We then see Willow trying to call Xander, who is laying in his room listening to country music. Next is Buffy pouring over photos of her and the gang, her mother walks in to see if she's okay. She figures it's the prom that has Buffy upset, and shows her a dress that she bought as a gift for her.
Next morning at the school, we see Cordelia and Willow talking about the fact that Cordelia's new boyfriend bailed on her. They then see him and his best friend watching tv in the staff lounge, and when they go to confront them, find them the entire group was slaughtered.
We then see Buffy in her prom dress which happens to be white, as her mother tells her that Willow is on the news. We then see Buffy sitting with Willow in her room, Willow telling her that it really hit her that life wasn't ever going to be the same. Willow then comments on liking the dress. Which she's wearing under a back leather jacket. (just like Kristy Swanson did as Buffy in the original movie in 1992)
Meanwhile, in the lair, the Master sends the Anointed One to the surface.
Back in the library, Giles and Miss Calendar are taking about the Hellmouth. Giles then tells her that he's planning on killing the Master himself, just as Buffy walks in and tells him that it's her job she's going to handle it. They argue, then she knocks him out.
Buffy then goes outside, and spots the Anointed One, knowing who he is and willingly follows him.
Back in the library, the rest of the group is there, talking about the end of the world. Xander gets all angry and heads off. We then see Buffy in the lair, in her dress.
Xander shows up at Angel's and tells him about Buffy running off, and demands that he take him to find them.
Back in the library, they try to figure out where the Hellmouth will open.
In the lair, Buffy and the Master begin their fight, while Angel and Xander make their way through the sewers. Willow and Miss Calendar believe that the Bronze, where the prom is being held, is the spot that the Hellmouth will open and race off there. But, they only make it half way out the parking lot before a mob of vampires come after them.
Back in the lair, we see the Master grab Buffy, and tells her that had she not shown up, he'd have been unable to feed and would have been trapped. He bites her, then as he pushes her into a puddle, tells her that he likes her dress. The barrier that has been holding him suddenly breaks open and he goes to the surface. Just as Angel and Xander run in to find Buffy dead.
Xander refuses to give up and says that since she drowned in the puddle, she can be brought back with CPR. Xander then manages to save her.
Back at the school, we see Cordelia drive up and tell Willow and Miss Calendar to get in the car. Cordelia drives right into the school and they all run for the library. (this is one of those Night of the Living Dead at the door moments)
We see the Master then on the rooftop of the school, gloating. Back in the lair, Buffy tells them that she feels stronger, different, and they head off to find the Master.
Meanwhile, in the library the floor has opened up and creatures are starting to rise. We see Buffy, Angel and Xander heading to the school. The Master is watching from the roof's window. He's shocked when he sees Buffy standing beside him still alive. They fight and Buffy throws the Master through the window onto a broken piece of wooden table. As he turns to dust, the other creatures and vampires run away, the Hellmouth closed.
We see the whole gang now in the middle of the library wondering what to do now that they saved the world. Buffy closes out with the line "We saved the world, I say we party." And then Angel tells her that he really likes her dress.
That brings us to the end of season one. I'll be back later with the next round of the Slayer Fest...hang in there.
Friday April 19th 2013
Slayer Fest is coming!
I see that the most popular articles on the blog are the WWBD? episode recaps. Okay, I'll give you my lovely Spudguns! what you want, a full blogging day of BTVS. I was toying with the idea of doing this anyway, just not so soon in the year.
And for those of you who have noticed, I haven't even touched the spin-off Angel yet, that is because, well Angel didn't get the spin-off until Buffy started season 4. Once I hit the end of season 3, I'll start doing both Buffy and Angel episodes together.
-love Ardeth Blood
365 Days-Day 57
movie: Stephen King's Sleepwalkers
starring: Brian Krause, Alice Krige
genre: Drama, Thriller
year: 1992
format: DVD
Plot Two shapeshifter vampires, who feed off of the souls (lifeforce) of virgin girls, have targeted a high school student. Their only known enemy is the common housecat, who seems to be able to infect them with a scratch or bite. The mother and son, believe they are the last of their kind, and therefore have started an incestuous relationship, but when the son starts to show kindness to the high school student, the mother gets jealous. And before they have a chance to feed and quietly move on, they are discovered by the locals.
I like the way this plays with the psy-vamp side of things. Also, the fact it pulls from folklore a bit, mixing the idea that vampires and shapeshifters are the same thing.
The beginning of the film has a description of a Sleep'walk'er listing it as coming from a book from the 1800's. I have no idea if this is a real quote and inspiration for Stephen King, or if this quote is just part of the movie?
The topic of incest in vampire stories is always an underlined thing, not always in your face like it is in this film. (Yes, even the beloved Twilight has it going on with the mere fact Edward turns Bella, and Carlisle turns Esme, which means the lovers become their children. I'll let you digest that) I have to give the credit to King for just laying it on the line. It's also one of the elements in vampiric folklore that makes vampires so feared, that made people believe partly that a vampire was soulless.
what do I think I learned from this film?
I don't know if there was anything to really learn here? There are a few characters, mostly the women, who comment about how charming the lead character is, once before the big vampire attack and once after it. Just sort of drives home the idea that you have to be careful who you trust.
starring: Brian Krause, Alice Krige
genre: Drama, Thriller
year: 1992
format: DVD
Plot Two shapeshifter vampires, who feed off of the souls (lifeforce) of virgin girls, have targeted a high school student. Their only known enemy is the common housecat, who seems to be able to infect them with a scratch or bite. The mother and son, believe they are the last of their kind, and therefore have started an incestuous relationship, but when the son starts to show kindness to the high school student, the mother gets jealous. And before they have a chance to feed and quietly move on, they are discovered by the locals.
I like the way this plays with the psy-vamp side of things. Also, the fact it pulls from folklore a bit, mixing the idea that vampires and shapeshifters are the same thing.
The beginning of the film has a description of a Sleep'walk'er listing it as coming from a book from the 1800's. I have no idea if this is a real quote and inspiration for Stephen King, or if this quote is just part of the movie?
The topic of incest in vampire stories is always an underlined thing, not always in your face like it is in this film. (Yes, even the beloved Twilight has it going on with the mere fact Edward turns Bella, and Carlisle turns Esme, which means the lovers become their children. I'll let you digest that) I have to give the credit to King for just laying it on the line. It's also one of the elements in vampiric folklore that makes vampires so feared, that made people believe partly that a vampire was soulless.
what do I think I learned from this film?
I don't know if there was anything to really learn here? There are a few characters, mostly the women, who comment about how charming the lead character is, once before the big vampire attack and once after it. Just sort of drives home the idea that you have to be careful who you trust.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
365 Days-Day 56
WWBD? part 6
Season 1 Episode 8- I Robot You Jane
We open with a scene in the 1400's, in Italy. A demon promises everyone's wildest dreams if they promise to love only him. Once they give their pledge, he kills them. A group of monks bind him to a book with a spell.
Present day, and we see Willow transferring copies of old books on demonology into the computer, unknowingly releasing the demon back into the world. This is the intro of the character Miss Calendar who becomes Giles' love interest for the rest of this season and half of the next.
We then see a sentence appear on the computer screen that says "Where Am I?"
The next scene, we see Willow walking through the school a goofy grin on her face, as Buffy comes running up to her, asking where she had been the night before because she could not get a hold of her. We learn a full week has past since she scanned the book, and the grin is because she has been chatting online for days with some mysterious guy.
They walk into the computer class, and we see one of the other students online talking to himself saying that he'll do anything. Then the teacher, Miss Calendar comes into the room and tells Buffy to leave. But before she does, she tries to warn Willow that having an online boyfriend might be dangerous. Unknown to them, the demon has taken control of the whole computer system in the school, and has checked the files of all the students, targeting Buffy. We then see another student get a message flash on his computer screen telling him to watch Buffy's every move.
We then see a random student working on their homework, only to find that someone has screwed around with their thesis report on Nazi Germany.
Xander then teases Willow about the new online boyfriend, showing some jealousy. Willow starts to skip school and peppers her sentences with "Malcom said you would feel this way." Buffy then goes to talk to the first student that we saw talking to the computer, asking for him to track someone for her. When he learns that she wants him to hunt down Malcom, he gets weird. Buffy then tells Giles that something is wrong and he tells her to just trail the kids.
Buffy starts to follow the one student, and ends up at a computer factory. We then see the second student receive a live video feed from a security camera telling him to kill Buffy.
Back at the library, Buffy,Xander and Giles about the whole thing and we learn that the factory is suppose to be closed. Buffy and Xander decide to stake-out the place.
We then see Willow once again online with Malcom, who makes a comment about Buffy's past school records. This clues Willow into the fact that he's not all he's cracked up to be and starts to feel panicked.
Back in the library, Giles and Miss Calendar are arguing about how important computers really are. She then starts to flip through the pages of the book Willow had scanned and asks why he has a diary in the library? Giles then looks at the cover and walks away.
Meanwhile, the first student that Buffy had followed, tracks her down and tells her that Willow is in the girl's locker room looking for her. Buffy heads there and finds the second student tries to kill her. She survives, but the first computer student is considered a traitor and killed. Malcom has written a suicide note on the computer. Giles then confides to Buffy and Xander that he thinks Malcom is Moloch, who had been inside the book.
They then realize that the demon is in the computer system and try to delete the files, but are unable to. They see an image of him, and realize that he's able to do more damage online then if he were in the flesh.
They split up and start hunting for Willow. Buffy goes first to the computer labs and finds the dead body of the first student hanging with the suicide note. Buffy then tells Giles to get Miss Calendar to help him with getting the demon bound again, while she goes to Willow's. But Willow has been kidnapped by the second student.
We hear the news saying that criminals over the planet have been mistakenly let out their profiles wiped clean. Giles tries to tell Miss Calendar about the demon online, and she just stands there saying she already knows. We learn then that she is a Techno-Pagan, which seems to relax Giles.
We then see Willow in the factory, as a sort of sacrifice, and see Moloch in his now robot form.
Buffy and Xander break in before the sacrifice can be made, while back at the library, Miss Calendar goes online and calls up her coven. They form the Circle of Kayless, to help bound Moloch back into his book. Only, he doesn't end up back in the book, he stayed in the robot body. Buffy outsmarts him, and gets him to punch a fuse box, and gets fried.
We then see Giles visiting Miss Calendar in the computer labs, and she asks him why he doesn't like computers, and he tells her they have no smell. Smell being one of the things that effects memory.
We then see Buffy, Willow and Xander talking about how they have all managed to date some sort of demon, and that they are all three doomed to bad relationships.
The themes in this episode vary from be careful what you wish for you just might get it, to you never know who you are really dealing with.
We also have the foreshadowing of many of their ways of dealing with the demons as a group, not just the friends of the Slayer, but as honest heroes themselves.
Many of the side conversations about computers were ground breaking, when you look at the episode all these years later. (this would have been 1997 when the episode first aired.)
Season 1 Episode 8- I Robot You Jane
We open with a scene in the 1400's, in Italy. A demon promises everyone's wildest dreams if they promise to love only him. Once they give their pledge, he kills them. A group of monks bind him to a book with a spell.
Present day, and we see Willow transferring copies of old books on demonology into the computer, unknowingly releasing the demon back into the world. This is the intro of the character Miss Calendar who becomes Giles' love interest for the rest of this season and half of the next.
We then see a sentence appear on the computer screen that says "Where Am I?"
The next scene, we see Willow walking through the school a goofy grin on her face, as Buffy comes running up to her, asking where she had been the night before because she could not get a hold of her. We learn a full week has past since she scanned the book, and the grin is because she has been chatting online for days with some mysterious guy.
They walk into the computer class, and we see one of the other students online talking to himself saying that he'll do anything. Then the teacher, Miss Calendar comes into the room and tells Buffy to leave. But before she does, she tries to warn Willow that having an online boyfriend might be dangerous. Unknown to them, the demon has taken control of the whole computer system in the school, and has checked the files of all the students, targeting Buffy. We then see another student get a message flash on his computer screen telling him to watch Buffy's every move.
We then see a random student working on their homework, only to find that someone has screwed around with their thesis report on Nazi Germany.
Xander then teases Willow about the new online boyfriend, showing some jealousy. Willow starts to skip school and peppers her sentences with "Malcom said you would feel this way." Buffy then goes to talk to the first student that we saw talking to the computer, asking for him to track someone for her. When he learns that she wants him to hunt down Malcom, he gets weird. Buffy then tells Giles that something is wrong and he tells her to just trail the kids.
Buffy starts to follow the one student, and ends up at a computer factory. We then see the second student receive a live video feed from a security camera telling him to kill Buffy.
Back at the library, Buffy,Xander and Giles about the whole thing and we learn that the factory is suppose to be closed. Buffy and Xander decide to stake-out the place.
We then see Willow once again online with Malcom, who makes a comment about Buffy's past school records. This clues Willow into the fact that he's not all he's cracked up to be and starts to feel panicked.
Back in the library, Giles and Miss Calendar are arguing about how important computers really are. She then starts to flip through the pages of the book Willow had scanned and asks why he has a diary in the library? Giles then looks at the cover and walks away.
Meanwhile, the first student that Buffy had followed, tracks her down and tells her that Willow is in the girl's locker room looking for her. Buffy heads there and finds the second student tries to kill her. She survives, but the first computer student is considered a traitor and killed. Malcom has written a suicide note on the computer. Giles then confides to Buffy and Xander that he thinks Malcom is Moloch, who had been inside the book.
They then realize that the demon is in the computer system and try to delete the files, but are unable to. They see an image of him, and realize that he's able to do more damage online then if he were in the flesh.
They split up and start hunting for Willow. Buffy goes first to the computer labs and finds the dead body of the first student hanging with the suicide note. Buffy then tells Giles to get Miss Calendar to help him with getting the demon bound again, while she goes to Willow's. But Willow has been kidnapped by the second student.
We hear the news saying that criminals over the planet have been mistakenly let out their profiles wiped clean. Giles tries to tell Miss Calendar about the demon online, and she just stands there saying she already knows. We learn then that she is a Techno-Pagan, which seems to relax Giles.
We then see Willow in the factory, as a sort of sacrifice, and see Moloch in his now robot form.
Buffy and Xander break in before the sacrifice can be made, while back at the library, Miss Calendar goes online and calls up her coven. They form the Circle of Kayless, to help bound Moloch back into his book. Only, he doesn't end up back in the book, he stayed in the robot body. Buffy outsmarts him, and gets him to punch a fuse box, and gets fried.
We then see Giles visiting Miss Calendar in the computer labs, and she asks him why he doesn't like computers, and he tells her they have no smell. Smell being one of the things that effects memory.
We then see Buffy, Willow and Xander talking about how they have all managed to date some sort of demon, and that they are all three doomed to bad relationships.
The themes in this episode vary from be careful what you wish for you just might get it, to you never know who you are really dealing with.
We also have the foreshadowing of many of their ways of dealing with the demons as a group, not just the friends of the Slayer, but as honest heroes themselves.
Many of the side conversations about computers were ground breaking, when you look at the episode all these years later. (this would have been 1997 when the episode first aired.)
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
365 Days-Day 55
Dracula the Series- Episode 13 Bad Blood
We open with Dracula walking the streets at night, and comes across a mugger. He bites him, and we see him fall to the ground, then the mugger's bag with a skull and crossbones on it, as the mugger runs away.
Back at the house, we see Sophie and Chris arguing in the living room. We learn that Sophie has a new boyfriend.
Back at the castle, Dracula is sick, and the arrival of Dr. Varney, actually startles him, proving that his illness is slowing Dracula down, which given he's a vampire shouldn't be doing.
Back at the house, Max is teasing Chris because he's looking for Sophie like a lost puppy. We then go to cafe to see Sophie and her new boyfriend.
Back at the castle, Dracula has gotten worse, with flu like symptoms. Varney tells him that he's dying.
Back at the house, Max shows up with dinner and tells Gustav that he bumped into a strange man at the store who gave him the chills, the same way vampires seem to. When he describes him to Gustav, he knows that he's a vampire doctor. Gustav takes it as a sign to go hunt Dracula.
Back at the cafe, we see that Sophie's new boyfriend is a slimeball.
Back at the castle, Dracula is put into a trance, and he remembers that he drank bad blood just before he got sick. Dr.Varney tells him the mugger had a rare blood disease, and that he needs to get a bottle of water from a certain spring. Gustav and Max have managed to get into the castle and over hear.
Chris shows up at the cafe, and sees Sophie with her new boyfriend, and gets jealous, starting a fight. We then see the boyfriend's bag and learn he's the mugger from earlier.
Back at the castle, Dracula is stumbling around getting worse. He's going insane, with blisters starting to show on his face. He then goes to the woods where the spring is.
The sun is starting to rise, as we head back to the house where Sophie and Chris are fighting about her boyfriend.
We then see Dracula crawling in the dirt at the edge of the spring, as Max and Gustav show up stopping him. Max decides that, that's no way for the great Dracula to die, and gives him his coat. Dracula then asks Gustav what will he do with the rest of his life with no one to hunt? Just as Gustav is about to stake him, Dr. Varney shows up with a gun.
Back at the house, Sophie tells Chris that she had broken up with her boyfriend.
Back in the woods, we see Dracula drink the water. Dr. Varney comments on the fact the water isn't going to work as is, because there is too many toxic chemicals in it. Chemicals from Dracula's nearest factory. He then hands him a bottle of the same water purified. Max and Gustav run off, while Varney and Dracula figure out they need to purify the spring.
Back at the house, Sophie's boyfriend shows up but he's a vampire. This happened when Dracula bit him at the beginning. Then we learn that Sophie had been bitten by him on her date before Chris had shown up.
Back at the castle, Varney tells Dracula that he has been careless with his day life, trying to blend with humans. Sophie then shows up in a slinky red dress offering herself as his student.
We open with Dracula walking the streets at night, and comes across a mugger. He bites him, and we see him fall to the ground, then the mugger's bag with a skull and crossbones on it, as the mugger runs away.
Back at the house, we see Sophie and Chris arguing in the living room. We learn that Sophie has a new boyfriend.
Back at the castle, Dracula is sick, and the arrival of Dr. Varney, actually startles him, proving that his illness is slowing Dracula down, which given he's a vampire shouldn't be doing.
Back at the house, Max is teasing Chris because he's looking for Sophie like a lost puppy. We then go to cafe to see Sophie and her new boyfriend.
Back at the castle, Dracula has gotten worse, with flu like symptoms. Varney tells him that he's dying.
Back at the house, Max shows up with dinner and tells Gustav that he bumped into a strange man at the store who gave him the chills, the same way vampires seem to. When he describes him to Gustav, he knows that he's a vampire doctor. Gustav takes it as a sign to go hunt Dracula.
Back at the cafe, we see that Sophie's new boyfriend is a slimeball.
Back at the castle, Dracula is put into a trance, and he remembers that he drank bad blood just before he got sick. Dr.Varney tells him the mugger had a rare blood disease, and that he needs to get a bottle of water from a certain spring. Gustav and Max have managed to get into the castle and over hear.
Chris shows up at the cafe, and sees Sophie with her new boyfriend, and gets jealous, starting a fight. We then see the boyfriend's bag and learn he's the mugger from earlier.
Back at the castle, Dracula is stumbling around getting worse. He's going insane, with blisters starting to show on his face. He then goes to the woods where the spring is.
The sun is starting to rise, as we head back to the house where Sophie and Chris are fighting about her boyfriend.
We then see Dracula crawling in the dirt at the edge of the spring, as Max and Gustav show up stopping him. Max decides that, that's no way for the great Dracula to die, and gives him his coat. Dracula then asks Gustav what will he do with the rest of his life with no one to hunt? Just as Gustav is about to stake him, Dr. Varney shows up with a gun.
Back at the house, Sophie tells Chris that she had broken up with her boyfriend.
Back in the woods, we see Dracula drink the water. Dr. Varney comments on the fact the water isn't going to work as is, because there is too many toxic chemicals in it. Chemicals from Dracula's nearest factory. He then hands him a bottle of the same water purified. Max and Gustav run off, while Varney and Dracula figure out they need to purify the spring.
Back at the house, Sophie's boyfriend shows up but he's a vampire. This happened when Dracula bit him at the beginning. Then we learn that Sophie had been bitten by him on her date before Chris had shown up.
Back at the castle, Varney tells Dracula that he has been careless with his day life, trying to blend with humans. Sophie then shows up in a slinky red dress offering herself as his student.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
365 Days-Day 54
Dracula the Series- Episode 12 The Great Tickler
We open with a guy playing piano in an empty bar, and see Gustav geek out like a fanboy. Then Dracula shows up just as Gustav and the kids leave, and invites him to the castle.
Back at the house, we see Chris and Max working on a dating profile. Then we see the piano player there for dinner. We learn that he's the brother from the scientist from an earlier episode. He tells them that he's got a dinner appointment the next day at the castle and they try to talk him out of it, but he doesn't listen.
As he walks home, he bumps into Dracula, who invites him then to the castle.
The next morning, we see the scientist from the old episode, having just exploded his lab. He gets a letter from Dracula telling him to come to the castle to rescue his brother.
Back at the house, Chris finds a letter from a girl who liked his profile. (this is pre-internet) Gustav realizes that Mr. Tickler the piano player was captured by Dracula and goes to save him. At the same time, his brother the scientist shows up to save him too. Dracula then has all three men captured.
Back at the house, we see Chris getting ready for his date, meanwhile back at the castle, Dracula lets them all know that what he's really after is the vampire laser gun. Which he had destroyed before and wants the scientist to rebuild it. He throws Gustav into a room with the walls closing together, in the hopes that the threat will get results.
Meanwhile, we learn that Chris and Sophia answered each other's personal adds.
Back at the house, Max gets a message from the scientist saying he's at the castle.
At the castle, the two brothers are arguing on what to do, while the walls in the cell Gustav is being held in have started to close, and they are covered in spikes.
We then see the kids on the date, and learn that Max had Sophia read the profile knowing that they should be a couple.
Max shows up at the castle sneaking in and saves Gustav. We then see Dracula talking to the scientist about the laser gun, and just before he can bite him, Max and Gustav run in.
Back at the house, everyone is talking about how Dracula still has the gun, but it's power pack is useless. But then we see Dracula call in one of his zombies and tests the gun, which actually does work.
We open with a guy playing piano in an empty bar, and see Gustav geek out like a fanboy. Then Dracula shows up just as Gustav and the kids leave, and invites him to the castle.
Back at the house, we see Chris and Max working on a dating profile. Then we see the piano player there for dinner. We learn that he's the brother from the scientist from an earlier episode. He tells them that he's got a dinner appointment the next day at the castle and they try to talk him out of it, but he doesn't listen.
As he walks home, he bumps into Dracula, who invites him then to the castle.
The next morning, we see the scientist from the old episode, having just exploded his lab. He gets a letter from Dracula telling him to come to the castle to rescue his brother.
Back at the house, Chris finds a letter from a girl who liked his profile. (this is pre-internet) Gustav realizes that Mr. Tickler the piano player was captured by Dracula and goes to save him. At the same time, his brother the scientist shows up to save him too. Dracula then has all three men captured.
Back at the house, we see Chris getting ready for his date, meanwhile back at the castle, Dracula lets them all know that what he's really after is the vampire laser gun. Which he had destroyed before and wants the scientist to rebuild it. He throws Gustav into a room with the walls closing together, in the hopes that the threat will get results.
Meanwhile, we learn that Chris and Sophia answered each other's personal adds.
Back at the house, Max gets a message from the scientist saying he's at the castle.
At the castle, the two brothers are arguing on what to do, while the walls in the cell Gustav is being held in have started to close, and they are covered in spikes.
We then see the kids on the date, and learn that Max had Sophia read the profile knowing that they should be a couple.
Max shows up at the castle sneaking in and saves Gustav. We then see Dracula talking to the scientist about the laser gun, and just before he can bite him, Max and Gustav run in.
Back at the house, everyone is talking about how Dracula still has the gun, but it's power pack is useless. But then we see Dracula call in one of his zombies and tests the gun, which actually does work.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
365 Days- Day 53
movie: Immortality the Wisdom of Crocodiles (aka Immortality, aka The Wisdom of Crocodiles)
starring:Jude Law, Elina Lowensohn
genre; Crime, Thriller
year: 1998/2000
format; DVD
plot: After becoming the prime suspect in the death of his ex-girlfriend, a lab tech specializing in blood disorders and kidney stones, finds his life starting to unravel. He needs to get his current girlfriend to love him unconditionally in order to feed off her emotions. But she is unsatisfied with the mysterious aspects of his life, and starts to uncover his secrets.
You will notice the this movie has 3 titles, Immortality which is the U.S. title, Wisdom of Crocodiles which is the British title, and Immortality the Wisdom of Crocodiles, which is what it seems to go by; by fans. This was originally a 1998 film, but released in Canada and the US in 2000. There is also some confusion on if the movie is based on a book or if the book was written after the movie.
This has got to be one of the most unique films I've ever seen. It's seductive, compelling, and makes you think of the classic vampire stories like Dracula, Carmilla and The Vamypre.
The lead character doesn't just need the blood, he needs the emotions tied to the blood. In a way, he fits the idea of a psy-vamp as much as he does a sang-vamp. Again, bringing you back to the ideas that were used in the classic vampire novels.
You're never really given any true background on him, and you end up wondering if he really was a vampire or just a psychopath?
There are more then a few scenes where the lead has managed to do something that only his victims were able to do, little traits that were unique to them, like the way the second woman he's feed off of can write with both hands at the same time. What I found really interesting, was the friendship between himself and the male cop, and you realize that he's been feeding off of him in a strange way by giving the cop someone to trust. This is shown subtly in a scene where the lead character extinguishes his cigarette the same way the cop has been doing so through out the film.
what do i think i learned from this film?
Nobody is perfect. Even when you have centuries to become so, you will never achieve it.
starring:Jude Law, Elina Lowensohn
genre; Crime, Thriller
year: 1998/2000
format; DVD
You will notice the this movie has 3 titles, Immortality which is the U.S. title, Wisdom of Crocodiles which is the British title, and Immortality the Wisdom of Crocodiles, which is what it seems to go by; by fans. This was originally a 1998 film, but released in Canada and the US in 2000. There is also some confusion on if the movie is based on a book or if the book was written after the movie.
This has got to be one of the most unique films I've ever seen. It's seductive, compelling, and makes you think of the classic vampire stories like Dracula, Carmilla and The Vamypre.
The lead character doesn't just need the blood, he needs the emotions tied to the blood. In a way, he fits the idea of a psy-vamp as much as he does a sang-vamp. Again, bringing you back to the ideas that were used in the classic vampire novels.
You're never really given any true background on him, and you end up wondering if he really was a vampire or just a psychopath?
There are more then a few scenes where the lead has managed to do something that only his victims were able to do, little traits that were unique to them, like the way the second woman he's feed off of can write with both hands at the same time. What I found really interesting, was the friendship between himself and the male cop, and you realize that he's been feeding off of him in a strange way by giving the cop someone to trust. This is shown subtly in a scene where the lead character extinguishes his cigarette the same way the cop has been doing so through out the film.
what do i think i learned from this film?
Nobody is perfect. Even when you have centuries to become so, you will never achieve it.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Monday 10th
I knew it had been a few days since I've been in this blog, just didn't realize it's been over a full week.
The 365Days project is still going, I've just been sidetracked with a few other things the last two weeks.
I will be back tomorrow to get this on track.
Sometimes, even life happens to the undead.
The 365Days project is still going, I've just been sidetracked with a few other things the last two weeks.
I will be back tomorrow to get this on track.
Sometimes, even life happens to the undead.
Monday, April 1, 2013
365 Days-Day 52
Dracula the Series- Episode 11 Double Darkness
We open with Gustav driving through the city, and is stopped by a woman with ca troubles. He offers to help and we see he's a vampire.
Back at the house, we see Max and Gustav leaving the house in matching outfits, and learn that someone is targeting Lucard Industries by staging accidents. We then find out that Max and Gustav are on their way to an archaeological dig.Where upon, Max crushes on the female archaeologist.
At Lucard's office, Dracula is trying to figure out who it is that is destroying his company. And that natural disasters are starting to happen around places that he owns. Dracula then starts asking out loud who would "bother to burn my houses and ruin my crops when he could just buy me out?"
He then brings up the name Nosferatu.
Back at the house, Chris and Gustav are talking about Max's crush. The female archaeologist arrives for Max with flowers.
Meanwhile, back at the office, we see Nosferatu and Dracula arguing. Nosferatu calls Dracula a brat, but he takes it in stride. Nosferatu then mocks him for his business, telling him that all the power will be his. Dracula replies that Nosferatu was always too vulgar for any sort of real power. There is a vampire battle, with Dracula winning.
We then see what appears to be Max and his crush on a date. We learn that it's Nosferatu as Max and that he's really a shapeshifter, and that the archaeologist is a vampire.
Back at the house, the kids are trying to clean while mocking Max about his crush. Gustav tries to explain that his crush on the archaeologist is illegal.
The next day, we see Dracula show up at the archaeologist dig, and Max sees them talking. Max is unaware that she's a vampire and tries to warn her about it. Following her into the ruins of the dig she disappears.
Back at the house, we see Max mixing up garlic powder bombs getting ready to go fight Dracula. He then shows up at the dig site, catching Dracula and the archaeologist and Nosferatu. The three vampires fight and Max being hurt by the fact his crush is a vampire helps Dracula. Nosferatu then gets staked and the woman throws herself on the stake as well as they die. Dracula lets Max go and tells him that he'll let him off this one time.
The next morning, we see Gustav and the kids trying to understand how Nosferatu got set free from his tomb to begin with. Then we see a shot of the archaeologist getting into a hearse driving so far and it magically disappearing. (hinting that Nosferatu's bloodline is a bit harder to kill then just staking)
We open with Gustav driving through the city, and is stopped by a woman with ca troubles. He offers to help and we see he's a vampire.
Back at the house, we see Max and Gustav leaving the house in matching outfits, and learn that someone is targeting Lucard Industries by staging accidents. We then find out that Max and Gustav are on their way to an archaeological dig.Where upon, Max crushes on the female archaeologist.
At Lucard's office, Dracula is trying to figure out who it is that is destroying his company. And that natural disasters are starting to happen around places that he owns. Dracula then starts asking out loud who would "bother to burn my houses and ruin my crops when he could just buy me out?"
He then brings up the name Nosferatu.
Back at the house, Chris and Gustav are talking about Max's crush. The female archaeologist arrives for Max with flowers.
Meanwhile, back at the office, we see Nosferatu and Dracula arguing. Nosferatu calls Dracula a brat, but he takes it in stride. Nosferatu then mocks him for his business, telling him that all the power will be his. Dracula replies that Nosferatu was always too vulgar for any sort of real power. There is a vampire battle, with Dracula winning.
We then see what appears to be Max and his crush on a date. We learn that it's Nosferatu as Max and that he's really a shapeshifter, and that the archaeologist is a vampire.
Back at the house, the kids are trying to clean while mocking Max about his crush. Gustav tries to explain that his crush on the archaeologist is illegal.
The next day, we see Dracula show up at the archaeologist dig, and Max sees them talking. Max is unaware that she's a vampire and tries to warn her about it. Following her into the ruins of the dig she disappears.
Back at the house, we see Max mixing up garlic powder bombs getting ready to go fight Dracula. He then shows up at the dig site, catching Dracula and the archaeologist and Nosferatu. The three vampires fight and Max being hurt by the fact his crush is a vampire helps Dracula. Nosferatu then gets staked and the woman throws herself on the stake as well as they die. Dracula lets Max go and tells him that he'll let him off this one time.
The next morning, we see Gustav and the kids trying to understand how Nosferatu got set free from his tomb to begin with. Then we see a shot of the archaeologist getting into a hearse driving so far and it magically disappearing. (hinting that Nosferatu's bloodline is a bit harder to kill then just staking)
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
365 Days- Day 51
movie: The Hunger
starring: Catherine Denuve, David Bowie
genre: Romance
year: 1983
format: VHS
plot: A centuries old vampire has begun to age rapidly, and searches out a doctor who specializes in genetics. But, with only 48 hours to find a cure, he ends up having to be entombed in a box, left to live out eternity in strange state of continuing to mummify and still be aware of it. Meanwhile, his lover who is a vampire who's been around since the beginning of creation, has begun to find a replacement for him, in the form of the female doctor who was trying to help cure him. The doctor, is then made into a vampire against her will, with little hope to save herself.
This is based on the novel by Whitley Strieber and spawned the short lived television series, which also starred David Bowie.
Cult classic. This movie is one of the most enduring vampire movies around. It's themes are addiction, illusion, lust, greed, desperation, time, and co-dependence.
The lead character of Miriam is cold in her approach to humans, but simply unable to spend time without them. It's not even about the feeding or even the sex as much as it is about the idea that she just can not seem to deal with the thought of being alone. Of not having someone worship her.
The flash backs are short and confusing at times. We learn that she originally met her husband John (if the mummy count is right, he's lover #7) during the 1700's-1800's, and it seems has told him about the possibility (as we learn the certainty) that he might being to age at some point and becoming a mummified living corpse. You almost get the feeling that the previous lovers were unaware of the fact till it was too late.
This sort of rewrites the myths of vampirism up to that point, dropping the cinema's rules and pulling a bit from folklore (they can be out in the day, they have reflections and can be seen in photos and on video)
what do i think i learned from this film?
Seduction can sometimes come with a price all it's own, just because you are looking to be seduced does not mean that you need to be. Love, as much as we want to believe is forever, it too will fade.
Energy does not die, but it can be displaced with the idea of time.
starring: Catherine Denuve, David Bowie
genre: Romance
year: 1983
format: VHS
plot: A centuries old vampire has begun to age rapidly, and searches out a doctor who specializes in genetics. But, with only 48 hours to find a cure, he ends up having to be entombed in a box, left to live out eternity in strange state of continuing to mummify and still be aware of it. Meanwhile, his lover who is a vampire who's been around since the beginning of creation, has begun to find a replacement for him, in the form of the female doctor who was trying to help cure him. The doctor, is then made into a vampire against her will, with little hope to save herself.
This is based on the novel by Whitley Strieber and spawned the short lived television series, which also starred David Bowie.
Cult classic. This movie is one of the most enduring vampire movies around. It's themes are addiction, illusion, lust, greed, desperation, time, and co-dependence.
The lead character of Miriam is cold in her approach to humans, but simply unable to spend time without them. It's not even about the feeding or even the sex as much as it is about the idea that she just can not seem to deal with the thought of being alone. Of not having someone worship her.
The flash backs are short and confusing at times. We learn that she originally met her husband John (if the mummy count is right, he's lover #7) during the 1700's-1800's, and it seems has told him about the possibility (as we learn the certainty) that he might being to age at some point and becoming a mummified living corpse. You almost get the feeling that the previous lovers were unaware of the fact till it was too late.
This sort of rewrites the myths of vampirism up to that point, dropping the cinema's rules and pulling a bit from folklore (they can be out in the day, they have reflections and can be seen in photos and on video)
what do i think i learned from this film?
Seduction can sometimes come with a price all it's own, just because you are looking to be seduced does not mean that you need to be. Love, as much as we want to believe is forever, it too will fade.
Energy does not die, but it can be displaced with the idea of time.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
365 Days- Day 50
movie: Stay Alive
starring: Jon Foster, Jimmi Simpson
genre: Horror
year: 2006
format: DVD
plot: A video gamer tester and his roommates die in the same way that their characters did in the game, and the game ends up being passed on to one of his buddies, Hutch. One of Hutch's friends decides to have a group game night in honor of their dead buddy. It's a game based on the legend of Countess Bathory, a woman accused of draining young girls of their blood. Soon, members of the group end up dead, in the same way their characters in the game die. Hutch and the others need to find a way to stop the vampire's killing before it's too late.
What I love about this film, is that it mixes elements of real folklore, from use of roses and coffin nails as weapons, (the kids have to nail the ghost to the vampire's body) to the actual history of Bathory. I also love that the game is a metaphor itself for vampirism.
The idea that they unwittingly hold a seance when they start the game, allowing the vampire to awake and send it's astral self through the game is genius. The mood of this movie is dark, and plays well with the shadows always having something just out of the corner of your eye.
My version is the director's cut, which has about 12 minutes of extra footage and an added character than the theatrical version.
what do I think I learned from this film? This deals with the idea of perceptive reality. What you know to be solid and real is only one version of the truth, and you can control the outcome if you are willing to believe in something else.
starring: Jon Foster, Jimmi Simpson
genre: Horror
year: 2006
format: DVD
What I love about this film, is that it mixes elements of real folklore, from use of roses and coffin nails as weapons, (the kids have to nail the ghost to the vampire's body) to the actual history of Bathory. I also love that the game is a metaphor itself for vampirism.
The idea that they unwittingly hold a seance when they start the game, allowing the vampire to awake and send it's astral self through the game is genius. The mood of this movie is dark, and plays well with the shadows always having something just out of the corner of your eye.
My version is the director's cut, which has about 12 minutes of extra footage and an added character than the theatrical version.
what do I think I learned from this film? This deals with the idea of perceptive reality. What you know to be solid and real is only one version of the truth, and you can control the outcome if you are willing to believe in something else.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
365 Days-Day 49
Dracula the Series- Episode 10 Mind over Matter
We open with the kids searching old ruins looking to hunt vampires. They end up stumbling upon a coffin that says Vlad Tepes, which is Dracula's (Lucard) tomb.
We then go to a rehearsal for a tv talk show, where Gustav and a couple of psychics are the day's guests. We learn that they are pretty much the typical con artists.
Back at the house, the kids research proves that Dracula still needs to rest in the tomb every so often, and they plot to go there and stake the tomb.
Dracula's place, and we see him making popcorn and getting ready to watch the talk show that Gustav is on. We see Dracula sending telepathic messages to the psychic, which freaks Gustav out.
We then see the kids roaming around the ruins, at night and find the tomb open suddenly.
The next morning, back at the house, we see the kids packing all the vampire hunting tools they can into a pack and getting ready to go back to the tomb.
Max heads to the tomb for first watch. He ends up seeing someone running around with a flaming torch, thinking it's Dracula. Chris and Sophie show up as back up, but are spooked when they see a woman coming out of the tunnels under the tomb. It ends up being the psychic from the talk show. She tells them she was drawn there by a voice in her head, just as Dracula shows up. He empties their weapon pack, cornering them. The psychic tries to leave but gets caught by Dracula.
Back at the house, Gustav is writing a letter to someone, and then we're taken right back to the tomb and Max brings up the question of who's in the coffin if Dracula was not there a few minutes before? Dracula tells them that it's empty, just a decoy for people like them and movie fans. But the coffin opens and we see the psychic send a telepathic message to Gustav which he ends up writing in the middle of his letter.
Meanwhile, back in the tomb, we learn that the psychic's husband has been hiding in the coffin, and claims it's his powers that brought her to the tomb. He's been turned into a vampire, and claims that he's the most powerful vampire ever. Which of course gets on Dracula's last nerve and he is about to stake the husband, but he turns himself into a rabbit. Dracula then turns his attention back to the psychic, about to bite her when Gustav shows up with weapons. Dracula then disappears laughing.
Gustav and the psychic then take the kids home, leaving the husband who is now a rabbit in the tomb.
The next morning, back at the house, Gustav tells the kids he knows all about all of Dracula's extra coffins, that they are placed all over the world to fool those who shouldn't be trying to hunt him.
We open with the kids searching old ruins looking to hunt vampires. They end up stumbling upon a coffin that says Vlad Tepes, which is Dracula's (Lucard) tomb.
We then go to a rehearsal for a tv talk show, where Gustav and a couple of psychics are the day's guests. We learn that they are pretty much the typical con artists.
Back at the house, the kids research proves that Dracula still needs to rest in the tomb every so often, and they plot to go there and stake the tomb.
Dracula's place, and we see him making popcorn and getting ready to watch the talk show that Gustav is on. We see Dracula sending telepathic messages to the psychic, which freaks Gustav out.
We then see the kids roaming around the ruins, at night and find the tomb open suddenly.
The next morning, back at the house, we see the kids packing all the vampire hunting tools they can into a pack and getting ready to go back to the tomb.
Max heads to the tomb for first watch. He ends up seeing someone running around with a flaming torch, thinking it's Dracula. Chris and Sophie show up as back up, but are spooked when they see a woman coming out of the tunnels under the tomb. It ends up being the psychic from the talk show. She tells them she was drawn there by a voice in her head, just as Dracula shows up. He empties their weapon pack, cornering them. The psychic tries to leave but gets caught by Dracula.
Back at the house, Gustav is writing a letter to someone, and then we're taken right back to the tomb and Max brings up the question of who's in the coffin if Dracula was not there a few minutes before? Dracula tells them that it's empty, just a decoy for people like them and movie fans. But the coffin opens and we see the psychic send a telepathic message to Gustav which he ends up writing in the middle of his letter.
Meanwhile, back in the tomb, we learn that the psychic's husband has been hiding in the coffin, and claims it's his powers that brought her to the tomb. He's been turned into a vampire, and claims that he's the most powerful vampire ever. Which of course gets on Dracula's last nerve and he is about to stake the husband, but he turns himself into a rabbit. Dracula then turns his attention back to the psychic, about to bite her when Gustav shows up with weapons. Dracula then disappears laughing.
Gustav and the psychic then take the kids home, leaving the husband who is now a rabbit in the tomb.
The next morning, back at the house, Gustav tells the kids he knows all about all of Dracula's extra coffins, that they are placed all over the world to fool those who shouldn't be trying to hunt him.
Friday, March 22, 2013
365 Days- Day 48
Dracula the Series- Episode 9 Damsel in Distress
We open with Max making a mess while trying to create a surprise for his mom. She then comes into the room and tells him that she's unable to keep their plans, which she does in a very robotic way.
We then see her in a meeting, representing Lucard Industries. The business manager makes a pass at her, and is unnerved when she suggests Lucard join them.
Back at the house, Gustav consoles the kids about how they were brushed off by their mom. He calls her at work and is mystified when she tells him to leave her alone. We then see her with Lucard in his office.
Meanwhile, the kids return from the park for dinner to find that their mother never came home and never bothered to call. Then the man she'd had the meeting with shows up with flowers for her. Gustav takes the message and the flowers, reading the note they realize that their mom is working with Lucard.
The kids decide to rescue their mom from the castle on their own.
Back at the castle, their mom and Lucard are on a business date, where he shows off an original painting of himself by van Gogh. Just then the kids arrive to save her, not knowing that she's already turned into a vampire.
Gustav then shows up at the company of the man who had shown up at the house earlier, and we find out that he's a vampire as well.
Back at the house, the kids try to figure out what to do about everything, and then learn that Gustav has been baited into a trap. We then see Gustav at the castle being put into the basement. We learn that Lucard is planning a massive worldwide business take over, putting as many vampires into as many CEO positions as possible.
The kids then show up at the castle to try to rescue both Gustav and their mom. They get caught have to kill a few vampires. They rescue Gustav and decide that the best way to save their mom is to seal her up in a tomb. Meanwhile, Lucard is trying to convince their mom that she needs to turn the kids in order to fully enjoy being a vampire. They end up in a battle but their mom is unable to turn her own family, and it seems to break the spell Lucard has over her. Gustav then makes a final statement by staking the painting which burns when the wooden stake hits it. (sort of a nod to Dorian Grey)
The next morning, Gustav and the kids try to piece everything together, and realize that their mom doesn't remember anything.
We open with Max making a mess while trying to create a surprise for his mom. She then comes into the room and tells him that she's unable to keep their plans, which she does in a very robotic way.
We then see her in a meeting, representing Lucard Industries. The business manager makes a pass at her, and is unnerved when she suggests Lucard join them.
Back at the house, Gustav consoles the kids about how they were brushed off by their mom. He calls her at work and is mystified when she tells him to leave her alone. We then see her with Lucard in his office.
Meanwhile, the kids return from the park for dinner to find that their mother never came home and never bothered to call. Then the man she'd had the meeting with shows up with flowers for her. Gustav takes the message and the flowers, reading the note they realize that their mom is working with Lucard.
The kids decide to rescue their mom from the castle on their own.
Back at the castle, their mom and Lucard are on a business date, where he shows off an original painting of himself by van Gogh. Just then the kids arrive to save her, not knowing that she's already turned into a vampire.
Gustav then shows up at the company of the man who had shown up at the house earlier, and we find out that he's a vampire as well.
Back at the house, the kids try to figure out what to do about everything, and then learn that Gustav has been baited into a trap. We then see Gustav at the castle being put into the basement. We learn that Lucard is planning a massive worldwide business take over, putting as many vampires into as many CEO positions as possible.
The kids then show up at the castle to try to rescue both Gustav and their mom. They get caught have to kill a few vampires. They rescue Gustav and decide that the best way to save their mom is to seal her up in a tomb. Meanwhile, Lucard is trying to convince their mom that she needs to turn the kids in order to fully enjoy being a vampire. They end up in a battle but their mom is unable to turn her own family, and it seems to break the spell Lucard has over her. Gustav then makes a final statement by staking the painting which burns when the wooden stake hits it. (sort of a nod to Dorian Grey)
The next morning, Gustav and the kids try to piece everything together, and realize that their mom doesn't remember anything.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
365 Days- Day 47
movie: Roger Corman Presents Dracula Rising
starring: Doug Wert, Christopher Atkins
genre: Horror
year: 1993
format: VHS
plot: At an art gallery fundraiser, a young female artist meets Vlad, who she's instantly attracted to. Soon, she starts to have odd dreams about him. Within days, she's offered a job in Romania restoring a painting from the 1400's. She arrives to find herself face to face with Vlad, and learns that the dreams are actually memories from a past life they shared when he was a monk. Meanwhile, the two lovers are being tormented by another person from their shared past, whom just happens to be another vampire.
This movie was done back in the early 1990's when few movies were being produced in Transylvania. The plot is thin, but the locations are breathtaking.
The movie is told mostly in flash backs, more so then even the modern half. I sometimes wonder if this wouldn't have worked better having been strictly set in the middle ages and only given the modern scenes a tale end, instead of being cut back and forth between them.
I also, can't help but think of Star Wars during parts of this movie. We learn that Vlad is the son of Vlad the Impaler, and in one of the flashbacks, he's being "tempted from the light to the dark side" by his father - who is wearing a long black outfit, cape and mask- and the final scene has the main character dressed in a tanned colour outfit that just seems like it's right out of Luke Skywalker's wardrobe.
There are a lot of really cheesy one liners, which are all delivered by Doug Wert who plays Alec the evil vampire, but it's what gives this film it's punch.
what do i think i learned from this film?
"Hunger makes beasts of men, and demons of beasts" (quote from the last scene in the film)
starring: Doug Wert, Christopher Atkins
genre: Horror
year: 1993
format: VHS
plot: At an art gallery fundraiser, a young female artist meets Vlad, who she's instantly attracted to. Soon, she starts to have odd dreams about him. Within days, she's offered a job in Romania restoring a painting from the 1400's. She arrives to find herself face to face with Vlad, and learns that the dreams are actually memories from a past life they shared when he was a monk. Meanwhile, the two lovers are being tormented by another person from their shared past, whom just happens to be another vampire.
This movie was done back in the early 1990's when few movies were being produced in Transylvania. The plot is thin, but the locations are breathtaking.
The movie is told mostly in flash backs, more so then even the modern half. I sometimes wonder if this wouldn't have worked better having been strictly set in the middle ages and only given the modern scenes a tale end, instead of being cut back and forth between them.
I also, can't help but think of Star Wars during parts of this movie. We learn that Vlad is the son of Vlad the Impaler, and in one of the flashbacks, he's being "tempted from the light to the dark side" by his father - who is wearing a long black outfit, cape and mask- and the final scene has the main character dressed in a tanned colour outfit that just seems like it's right out of Luke Skywalker's wardrobe.
There are a lot of really cheesy one liners, which are all delivered by Doug Wert who plays Alec the evil vampire, but it's what gives this film it's punch.
what do i think i learned from this film?
"Hunger makes beasts of men, and demons of beasts" (quote from the last scene in the film)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
365 Days- Day 46
Dracula the Series- Episode 8 What A Pleasant Surprise
We open with a black and white movie that Gustav and Max are watching, it's an old vampire movie. Gustav is gushing about the actor, and ends up hurting himself as he does an impression of the character. As the cinema empties, we see Lucard standing in the lobby.
Back at the house, the kids are having breakfast, talking about sports. Gustav finds out that Lucard Industry is buying the old cinema, and thinks there is a vampire related reason for it, he tells the kids to start doing research on the building while he goes to city hall.
Meanwhile, at Dracula's office, he finds out about the issue with Gustav and pays someone off to keep Gustav from interfering.
Gustav then goes back to the house to get his hunter's kit, believing something personal about the cinema is the real reason Lucard Industries is buying it. He then goes to the cinema to search for answers.
Meanwhile, Max puts an ad in the newspaper saying that he's looking for information on the cinema, and for anyone who might have any to come there that night and ask for him. Unknown to him, Max has just put out a public invitation to all the vampires in the town.
Back at the cinema, Gustav discovers that the actor from the movie they had been watching earlier, is in fact a vampire and has been hiding in the cinema basement all these years.
Back at the house, the kids hear a knock on the door and find their mom has arrived for a visit.
Back at the cinema, Gustav is star struck by his favourite actor, who is planning his return to movies, and telling Gustav why he became a vampire to begin with. He tries to bite him, but is unable to stomach the idea which is why he's been hiding for all these years. They end up talking about all the movies he did before becoming a vampire, and he tells Gustav about how he met Dracula back in the 1930's, and if he'd known back then that "real vampires" could not show up on film/photos he would never have become one.
Dracula then shows up and we learn that he but a curse on the cinema, trapping the vampire movie star in the basement, but that now the curse has worn off. This is the reason he bought the cinema, so that he could tear it down and build something new, which would destroy the vampire movie star's resting place. The two vampires then fight, and the vampire movie star grabs a stake from Gustav's hunter's kit, forcing Dracula to flee. He then turns the stake on himself and fades into nothing, the sound of a movie reel flickering behind him.
The next day, back at the house, the kids find out that Max's ad in the paper was what tipped him off the night before, and why he showed up at the cinema. We then see Dracula in his office in a business meeting with the kid's mom.
This episode guest stars Kim Coats (Innocent Blood, Red Blooded American Girl) as the movie star vampire. It also starts a small arch in which Dracula starts to turn his attention to the women of the show. (giving a slight nod to Lost Boys)
We open with a black and white movie that Gustav and Max are watching, it's an old vampire movie. Gustav is gushing about the actor, and ends up hurting himself as he does an impression of the character. As the cinema empties, we see Lucard standing in the lobby.
Back at the house, the kids are having breakfast, talking about sports. Gustav finds out that Lucard Industry is buying the old cinema, and thinks there is a vampire related reason for it, he tells the kids to start doing research on the building while he goes to city hall.
Meanwhile, at Dracula's office, he finds out about the issue with Gustav and pays someone off to keep Gustav from interfering.
Gustav then goes back to the house to get his hunter's kit, believing something personal about the cinema is the real reason Lucard Industries is buying it. He then goes to the cinema to search for answers.
Meanwhile, Max puts an ad in the newspaper saying that he's looking for information on the cinema, and for anyone who might have any to come there that night and ask for him. Unknown to him, Max has just put out a public invitation to all the vampires in the town.
Back at the cinema, Gustav discovers that the actor from the movie they had been watching earlier, is in fact a vampire and has been hiding in the cinema basement all these years.
Back at the house, the kids hear a knock on the door and find their mom has arrived for a visit.
Back at the cinema, Gustav is star struck by his favourite actor, who is planning his return to movies, and telling Gustav why he became a vampire to begin with. He tries to bite him, but is unable to stomach the idea which is why he's been hiding for all these years. They end up talking about all the movies he did before becoming a vampire, and he tells Gustav about how he met Dracula back in the 1930's, and if he'd known back then that "real vampires" could not show up on film/photos he would never have become one.
Dracula then shows up and we learn that he but a curse on the cinema, trapping the vampire movie star in the basement, but that now the curse has worn off. This is the reason he bought the cinema, so that he could tear it down and build something new, which would destroy the vampire movie star's resting place. The two vampires then fight, and the vampire movie star grabs a stake from Gustav's hunter's kit, forcing Dracula to flee. He then turns the stake on himself and fades into nothing, the sound of a movie reel flickering behind him.
The next day, back at the house, the kids find out that Max's ad in the paper was what tipped him off the night before, and why he showed up at the cinema. We then see Dracula in his office in a business meeting with the kid's mom.
This episode guest stars Kim Coats (Innocent Blood, Red Blooded American Girl) as the movie star vampire. It also starts a small arch in which Dracula starts to turn his attention to the women of the show. (giving a slight nod to Lost Boys)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
365 Days- Day 45
Dracula the Series- Episode 7 A Little Nightmare Music
We open with Lucard as a bat flying over the city, then see a woman painting, whom he stumbles upon and asks him if he wants his painting done? She takes his photograph to study from, but he doesn't have an image in it. He then bites her.
Back at the house, Chris is hanging out playing the guitar, Max and Gustav pretending to listen, teasing him about his lack of talent. Sophie then runs in telling them that a socialite came to her music class. She informs them that she's been picked to be the personal assistant for her.
We then see Sophie and the socialite walking around the city, talking about classical music. We then see Lucard and the socialite back at his office having a drink, talking about having known each other before.
Back at the house, we see the kids all talking about music again, both Sophie and Max referring to the socialite and how cool they think she is.
Back at Dracula's castle, the socialite and Dracula are having a private dinner to set up a charity event. He then gets a message and leaves one of his co-workers (vampires) there and we learn she's a vampire as well.
The next morning, once again we see Sophie and the socialite having coffee and talking about all the charity work she has to do. And Sophie learns that the socialite is staying at the castle.
Back at the house, Chris is trying to impress uncle Gustav with a song he wrote, when Sophie arrives back and starts to collect up a bunch of vampire hunting tools. She runs out of the house again, just as Max arrives back there. They discover the missing hunter's tools and figure out that Sophie has headed to the castle.
Back at the castle, we see the socialite and Sophie trying to warn her, not knowing that she's a vampire as well. Gustav and the two boys show up at the castle just as Sophie is fighting off the vampire. Dracula shows up and learns that the socialite is not what he thought.(it's hinted that she might be the Countess Bathory) The two vampires battle, and he gives her the choice of leaving or being staked. Sophie at first wonders why Dracula saved her, only to find out its because he wants to kill her himself to punish Gustav. The others arrive before Dracula can bit Sophie, saving her.
We are then at a bar where Chris is suppose to be having a gig, but the place is empty, the only ones there being Max, Sophie, Gustav and the bartender. Outside, we see the socialite trying to convince another young girl to become her personal assistant.
We open with Lucard as a bat flying over the city, then see a woman painting, whom he stumbles upon and asks him if he wants his painting done? She takes his photograph to study from, but he doesn't have an image in it. He then bites her.
Back at the house, Chris is hanging out playing the guitar, Max and Gustav pretending to listen, teasing him about his lack of talent. Sophie then runs in telling them that a socialite came to her music class. She informs them that she's been picked to be the personal assistant for her.
We then see Sophie and the socialite walking around the city, talking about classical music. We then see Lucard and the socialite back at his office having a drink, talking about having known each other before.
Back at the house, we see the kids all talking about music again, both Sophie and Max referring to the socialite and how cool they think she is.
Back at Dracula's castle, the socialite and Dracula are having a private dinner to set up a charity event. He then gets a message and leaves one of his co-workers (vampires) there and we learn she's a vampire as well.
The next morning, once again we see Sophie and the socialite having coffee and talking about all the charity work she has to do. And Sophie learns that the socialite is staying at the castle.
Back at the house, Chris is trying to impress uncle Gustav with a song he wrote, when Sophie arrives back and starts to collect up a bunch of vampire hunting tools. She runs out of the house again, just as Max arrives back there. They discover the missing hunter's tools and figure out that Sophie has headed to the castle.
Back at the castle, we see the socialite and Sophie trying to warn her, not knowing that she's a vampire as well. Gustav and the two boys show up at the castle just as Sophie is fighting off the vampire. Dracula shows up and learns that the socialite is not what he thought.(it's hinted that she might be the Countess Bathory) The two vampires battle, and he gives her the choice of leaving or being staked. Sophie at first wonders why Dracula saved her, only to find out its because he wants to kill her himself to punish Gustav. The others arrive before Dracula can bit Sophie, saving her.
We are then at a bar where Chris is suppose to be having a gig, but the place is empty, the only ones there being Max, Sophie, Gustav and the bartender. Outside, we see the socialite trying to convince another young girl to become her personal assistant.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
365 Days- Day 44
Kindred the Embraced- Episode 4 Romeo and Juliet
We open with Cash and Sasha having a secret meeting in an abandoned apartment.
We then see Eddie and some of his clan talking about how they had to kill a Gangrel and how it's going to start a clan war. Trying to figure out who might be on their side if it does happen.
Back to the secret apartment that isn't so secret, as Cash learns about the murdered clan member, and leaves Sasha to get some sort of revenge on the Brujah.
We then are at Lillie's club, where Eddie and his clan of Brujah arrive, and both Luna and Lillie who happen to be watching from a back room, comment on the fact that only the men showed up and none of the women. Cash and his Gangrel clan then show up. Sasha, has followed him, and Lillie comments on how much in love they are. Luna points out that Sasha is just human and that she needs to be protected from the vampires. One of the Brujah seeing the interaction between Sasha and Cash decides to make a pass at her, and she uses him to make Cash jealous. But Luna steps in giving Eddie the idea of how to destroy him. Eddie puts a plan into motion to throw Luna into a clan war.
Back at the mansion, Cash and Luna are talking about how to stop the clan war, and Cash asks for permission to make her a vampire. Luna forbids it.
The next day at the newspaper, Luna and Caitlin are going over a story that will expose abuse at a children's hospital, when Luna realizes that one of the main doctors at the hospital is a vampire. Luna then goes to see Daedalus asking him to clean up the mess that is the situation at the hospital.
Daedalus kills the doctor, but is spotted by one of the kids. Daedalus takes the boy home with him, and finds out that the kid is dying. Luna shows up, and the kid lets them know that he can see that they are not human. Daedalus asks for Luna to turn him into a vampire, and is refused. Luna reminds him that it's against all laws to turn a child into a vampire, even though the kid is dying.
Back at the club, Sasha shows up to talk to Luna and Lillie, begging him to let the two of them continue their relationship, threatening to run away with Cash if he keeps refusing to let them. She then tells Luna that she knows they are different from herself, thinking it's got something to do with just living outside of the law.
We then see Luna and Cash talking, and Luna giving Cash permission to turn her. Cash then goes to the apartment, and finds Sasha being bitten and turned against her will, by the Brujah from the club who made the pass at her.
Back at the mansion, Luna is told by his sire that he's going to commit suicide soon, and will be leaving everything to Luna. Cash barges in screaming about how the Brujah clan embraced Sasha against her will. Luna then goes running into Eddie's office informing him that because his clan member broke the number one law of turning someone without permission against their will, they will be hunted down. Eddie tells him he doesn't care and if that means a war then fine. Luna demands both his niece and the one who turned her, or else he is going to kill Eddie.
Back at the mansion, Lillie tries to comfort Luna.
We then go to the hospital, and see Sonny and another detective going through the remains of the dead doctor just as Frank shows up.
Back in Daedalus' cellar, we see him painting a picture of the boy, and Luna asking what will the Nosferatu clan will do if there is a clan war. Daedalus says at first they will not join either side. Luna finds the boy hiding under the stairs and tells him to send the boy away. He takes him back to the hospital, and the kid begs him to give him something to keep him from dying, but Daedalus says no. Sonny and Frank show up there to talk to him about the murdered doctor and the abuse, but the kid refuses to talk in front of Sonny because he knows he's a vampire.
We are then back at the club, where Sasha jumps on the back of Cash's bike and they ride off away from both Gangrel and Brujah clans who are hanging out there. She then learns that Luna is the prince of the city and that their clans are brutal enemies.
Back in the club after hours, and Lillie, Luna and his sire are talking about what to do with Eddie and his clan. A clan war could expose the whole vampire world to humans. Lillie points out that Luna is acting right then from personal feelings and not by what is right.
We then see Cash and Sasha at sunrise, as she learns that she needs to feed and Cash offers his own blood to her.
We then see Frank and Sonny once again with the kid trying to get him to talk about the murder, and where he had been for two days. Caitlin shows up then trying to get an interview with the kid. The kid meanwhile sees Daedalus in the hallway and follows him to the basement. Frank chases him, and Sonny exposes himself saving him. Sonny then uses mindcontrol on Frank to make him forget that he learned about him being a vampire.
We then see Caitlin and Luna talking about the news story, and why he gave a large donation suddenly to the hospital, and if he killed the doctor. He admits to her that he's not completely what she thinks he is.
Back at the hospital Daedalus gives the kid a small potion of herbs and his own blood which curse the kid of the cancer.
We then see Caitlin and Luna talking at night by a fountain, and her telling him that they found the kid wandering and that he some how went into complete remission.
Next scene is an old warehouse where the Brujah and Venture clans are at a stand off, and the other clans are standing around in the sidelines waiting to see what will happen. Both Luna and Eddie face off, just as Lillie arrives with Sasha and Cash. Sasha begs Luna not to start a clan war just because of her. She at first offers to go with the Brujah, but before anything else can happen, Daedalus shows up with his Nosferatu clan and demands the life of the vampire who turned Sasha. They kill the one clan member, and then put Eddie in a car, while Sasha makes her choice as to where she will live. By choosing to live with Luna instead of with the clan, they have chanced a major law.
We then see the car stop at the desert and Eddie being dumped out. The sun starts to burn him, just as Luna arrives in a second car, telling Eddie that he's spared his life this time and opens the trunk of the car for him.
We open with Cash and Sasha having a secret meeting in an abandoned apartment.
We then see Eddie and some of his clan talking about how they had to kill a Gangrel and how it's going to start a clan war. Trying to figure out who might be on their side if it does happen.
Back to the secret apartment that isn't so secret, as Cash learns about the murdered clan member, and leaves Sasha to get some sort of revenge on the Brujah.
We then are at Lillie's club, where Eddie and his clan of Brujah arrive, and both Luna and Lillie who happen to be watching from a back room, comment on the fact that only the men showed up and none of the women. Cash and his Gangrel clan then show up. Sasha, has followed him, and Lillie comments on how much in love they are. Luna points out that Sasha is just human and that she needs to be protected from the vampires. One of the Brujah seeing the interaction between Sasha and Cash decides to make a pass at her, and she uses him to make Cash jealous. But Luna steps in giving Eddie the idea of how to destroy him. Eddie puts a plan into motion to throw Luna into a clan war.
Back at the mansion, Cash and Luna are talking about how to stop the clan war, and Cash asks for permission to make her a vampire. Luna forbids it.
The next day at the newspaper, Luna and Caitlin are going over a story that will expose abuse at a children's hospital, when Luna realizes that one of the main doctors at the hospital is a vampire. Luna then goes to see Daedalus asking him to clean up the mess that is the situation at the hospital.
Daedalus kills the doctor, but is spotted by one of the kids. Daedalus takes the boy home with him, and finds out that the kid is dying. Luna shows up, and the kid lets them know that he can see that they are not human. Daedalus asks for Luna to turn him into a vampire, and is refused. Luna reminds him that it's against all laws to turn a child into a vampire, even though the kid is dying.
Back at the club, Sasha shows up to talk to Luna and Lillie, begging him to let the two of them continue their relationship, threatening to run away with Cash if he keeps refusing to let them. She then tells Luna that she knows they are different from herself, thinking it's got something to do with just living outside of the law.
We then see Luna and Cash talking, and Luna giving Cash permission to turn her. Cash then goes to the apartment, and finds Sasha being bitten and turned against her will, by the Brujah from the club who made the pass at her.
Back at the mansion, Luna is told by his sire that he's going to commit suicide soon, and will be leaving everything to Luna. Cash barges in screaming about how the Brujah clan embraced Sasha against her will. Luna then goes running into Eddie's office informing him that because his clan member broke the number one law of turning someone without permission against their will, they will be hunted down. Eddie tells him he doesn't care and if that means a war then fine. Luna demands both his niece and the one who turned her, or else he is going to kill Eddie.
Back at the mansion, Lillie tries to comfort Luna.
We then go to the hospital, and see Sonny and another detective going through the remains of the dead doctor just as Frank shows up.
Back in Daedalus' cellar, we see him painting a picture of the boy, and Luna asking what will the Nosferatu clan will do if there is a clan war. Daedalus says at first they will not join either side. Luna finds the boy hiding under the stairs and tells him to send the boy away. He takes him back to the hospital, and the kid begs him to give him something to keep him from dying, but Daedalus says no. Sonny and Frank show up there to talk to him about the murdered doctor and the abuse, but the kid refuses to talk in front of Sonny because he knows he's a vampire.
We are then back at the club, where Sasha jumps on the back of Cash's bike and they ride off away from both Gangrel and Brujah clans who are hanging out there. She then learns that Luna is the prince of the city and that their clans are brutal enemies.
Back in the club after hours, and Lillie, Luna and his sire are talking about what to do with Eddie and his clan. A clan war could expose the whole vampire world to humans. Lillie points out that Luna is acting right then from personal feelings and not by what is right.
We then see Cash and Sasha at sunrise, as she learns that she needs to feed and Cash offers his own blood to her.
We then see Frank and Sonny once again with the kid trying to get him to talk about the murder, and where he had been for two days. Caitlin shows up then trying to get an interview with the kid. The kid meanwhile sees Daedalus in the hallway and follows him to the basement. Frank chases him, and Sonny exposes himself saving him. Sonny then uses mindcontrol on Frank to make him forget that he learned about him being a vampire.
We then see Caitlin and Luna talking about the news story, and why he gave a large donation suddenly to the hospital, and if he killed the doctor. He admits to her that he's not completely what she thinks he is.
Back at the hospital Daedalus gives the kid a small potion of herbs and his own blood which curse the kid of the cancer.
We then see Caitlin and Luna talking at night by a fountain, and her telling him that they found the kid wandering and that he some how went into complete remission.
Next scene is an old warehouse where the Brujah and Venture clans are at a stand off, and the other clans are standing around in the sidelines waiting to see what will happen. Both Luna and Eddie face off, just as Lillie arrives with Sasha and Cash. Sasha begs Luna not to start a clan war just because of her. She at first offers to go with the Brujah, but before anything else can happen, Daedalus shows up with his Nosferatu clan and demands the life of the vampire who turned Sasha. They kill the one clan member, and then put Eddie in a car, while Sasha makes her choice as to where she will live. By choosing to live with Luna instead of with the clan, they have chanced a major law.
We then see the car stop at the desert and Eddie being dumped out. The sun starts to burn him, just as Luna arrives in a second car, telling Eddie that he's spared his life this time and opens the trunk of the car for him.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
365 Days- Day 43
movie: Dracula 3 Legacy
starring: Jason Scott Lee, Jason London
genre: Drama
year: 2005
format: DVD
plot: Five years after the events of the first two films, we find Uffizi and Luke in Romania, in the heart of Transylvania, hunting for Dracula and trying to save Elizabeth. What they find is a group of rebels and a civil war everyone believes is being run by a drug lord. A missing news reporter joins the two men as they journey to one of Dracula's old castles where he's hiding in plan sight.
Once again, the actor playing Dracula has been recast, with Rutger Hauer playing him.
The drug references hit a peak when the heroes finally storm the castle and find Elizabeth in a pit with other vampires, all feeding off each other in a euphoric state. Dracula comments that this is because these vampires still had some of their humanity and could not bring themselves to feed off of humans, but that this would lead to complete madness for them.
There is a scene at the end, where Uffizi drinks from Dracula, taking into himself the very essence of him. Thus becoming another reincarnation of Dracula.
Other then saying how much I liked this film and the series, the only thing I can really comment on is the question that both sequels bring up from Dracula 2000, and that's if at the end of the first movie the character of Mary said she had the remains of Dracula in a tomb, then how did he end up in the morgue in part two? I've always wondered that.
what do i think i learned from this film?
Sometimes, having faith in something means turning our backs on the people who gave us that first reason to believe.
starring: Jason Scott Lee, Jason London
genre: Drama
year: 2005
format: DVD
Once again, the actor playing Dracula has been recast, with Rutger Hauer playing him.
The drug references hit a peak when the heroes finally storm the castle and find Elizabeth in a pit with other vampires, all feeding off each other in a euphoric state. Dracula comments that this is because these vampires still had some of their humanity and could not bring themselves to feed off of humans, but that this would lead to complete madness for them.
There is a scene at the end, where Uffizi drinks from Dracula, taking into himself the very essence of him. Thus becoming another reincarnation of Dracula.
Other then saying how much I liked this film and the series, the only thing I can really comment on is the question that both sequels bring up from Dracula 2000, and that's if at the end of the first movie the character of Mary said she had the remains of Dracula in a tomb, then how did he end up in the morgue in part two? I've always wondered that.
what do i think i learned from this film?
Sometimes, having faith in something means turning our backs on the people who gave us that first reason to believe.
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