365 Days- Day 41

movie: Dracula 2000
starring: Johnny Lee Miller, Gerard Butler
genre: Thriller
year: 2000
format: DVD

plot: Dracula had been captured by Van Helsing in 1897, only to be set free in 2000 by a group of unknowing bank robbers. While having been entombed for over a hundred years, Dracula started to have visions of a woman who he learns is Van Helsing's daughter, and sets out to find her in New Orleans. He learns that the reason Van Helsing is still alive is because he has been transfusing himself with Dracula's blood.

This is one of my favourite modern takes on Dracula. I know there has been literally thousands of Dracula based stories, but there is something about this movie that hits home for me.
This is a Wes Craven film, and it's got  dramatic vampire actor Christopher Plummer (Priest, Red Blooded American Girl, Vampire in Venice, )
This is one of the first vampire movies to try to connect the dots with why certain vampires are affected by crosses and silver. This film gives us a mythos that goes back to the time of Christ, weaving into the back story some real history beyond the usual.
I also really like the idea that since Van Helsing has been stealing Dracula's blood, his daughter is technically a decedent of Dracula himself.  It gives a new spin on the folklore of the dhampir.

what do i think i learned from this film?
There is always two sides to every story, and we have to be willing to listen to both sides no matter how painful.

365 Days- Day 40

movie: The Little Vampire
starring: Jonathan Lipnicki,  Rollo Weeks
genre: Family, Comedy
year: 2000
format; DVD

plot: After moving to Scotland a young boy starts to have dreams about a group of vampires and a hunter who is after them.  Unable to make any friends at school, he retreats more and more into the idea of the dreams, until one night he actually meets one of the child vampires he's been dreaming about.  The two become friends, and begin searching for a missing necklace that can help to free all the vampires in the area from a curse.

This is based on a series of children's books from the 1980's and an original tv show of the same name.

This is one of those cute movies that has a good moral without coming across as preachy or dumbed down.  It's about standing up for yourself, but showing tolerance to people who are different.

what do i think i learned from this film?
In the end, everyone is equal

Kindred the Embraced part 3

Kindred the Embraced -Episode 3 Nightstalker

We open with Lillie's club where we see a female singer whom Daedalus is infatuated with. A stranger wanders into the club, and Cash tries to find out who he is. It ends up, he was turned without permission. The new vampire starts to destroy the club, and is arrested. Cash ends up getting himself arrested too in order to protect the new vampire.  Meanwhile, Daedalus has started to send gifts to the singer, following her around town.
We then see the female singer's apartment, where Daedalus is hiding in the shadows.
The next morning, we see that both Cash and the new vampire are not in jail but in the mental hospital, because the new vampire is screaming that he's a vampire. We then learn that he was turned by a female vampire when he was in the hospital a while before. Cash tricks a hospital staff member into entering the room and lets the new vampire feed. But warns the new vampire not to turn anyone or to kill, only feed a little on any one person.
Back at the mansion, Luna and his sire are talking about the new vampire, who we now know is called Starkweather.  Sasha overhears part of the conversation and freaks out on Luna, wondering why he has not gotten Cash out of the hospital's mental ward yet.
As we learn more about Starkweather, we discover he's had a history of violent rages. and kills a doctor. Just as Luna and Sasha arrive to get Cash out. But Starkweather has escaped.
Frank and Sonny are put on the case, and they meet Caitlin who is covering the story for the paper.
Back at the mansion, Sonny, Luna, Cash and the other clan leaders realize Starkweather was made by a Gangrel which is Cash's clan. This makes Gangrel is responsibility.  They then start to discuss Frank's involvement in the case. Sonny promises to keep Frank on a short leash. A bloodhunt is called on Starkweather.
Daedalus and Luna then have a private meeting, to talk about how he could spend time with the female singer, which would need a ritual to change the way he looks.
Starkweather then goes to his dad's place for revenge for the abuse he suffered growing up.
We then see Caitlin having a private dinner with Luna.
Back at the singer's apartment, and she finds a necklace that Daedalus has left for her. He starts to talk to her from the window, not letting her see him yet. He uses a simple spell to clam her down, and allow him to have a conversation with her. The whole time thinking he's too much of a monster for her to care for him.
Next morning, Frank and Sonny show up on the crime scene of Starkweather's father, and they realize that he's a vampire.
A week later, we see the newspaper has reported on all his crimes, painting Starkweather as a serial killer. Luna want's to shut the story down but Caitlin says it's too late, the public needs to know.  We then see Daedalus mixing up a potion to make himself "pretty". Lillie goes to talk to him, convincing him that the truth in this situation would be better then using a spell to lie to the singer.
We then see Frank at the diner where Luna shows up giving full permission to do what he has to with the Starkweather case.
Back once again at the singer's apartment, and Daedalus seduces her. The next morning, he wakes up and discovers the potion has worn off and runs away. She catches him leaving and is scared.
The press then show up, and the singer believes who she saw was the serial killer. The whole time, Starkweather was in the crowd and starts telling people that the girl is lying about having seen the serial killer.
We then see Luna and Lillie at the club talking about how they need to distance themselves from that side of their natures, to try to be more human. This then turns to a discussion on if they should turn Sasha into a vampire or not.
Outside of the girl's apartment, we see that Starkweather has kidnapped her.  
Back at the mansion, Luna and Daedalus are talking about the potion, and see the photo of the killer and realize he's got the girl.  They call Frank and tell him to show up at the club. Frank shows up there with his vampire gun, but gets knocked out by the killer and half strangled. Luna shows up with a large knife, but Starkweather grabs the gun. He misses and Luna decapitates him.
We see the first real sign of a truce between Frank and Luna. 
The last scene of this episode is Luna at Caitlin's apartment, her telling him that they caught the killer.

House of Frankenstein 1997

movie: House of Frankenstein 1997
starring: Adrian Pasdar, Greg Wise
genre: Crime
year: 1997
format: VHS

plot: Dracula, in his modern identity, has a goth club where he's put on display some of the classic images from horror, his crowning glory being the actual Frankenstein creature which he had dug up from the north pole. Meanwhile, there are a string of violent murders happening to everyone who is connected to the club.
The girlfriend of the cop who is assigned to the case, is bitten by a werewolf and turns into one herself. 

This is a made for tv movie

This is sort of a remake of the classic 1944 film of the same name. I say sort of because it only takes about one element from the original.  This was a two part movie that aired a few nights after Halloween in 1997.  Yes, the year is part of the movie's title.

One of the theories they use in this movie is that vampires are actually fallen angels.Therefore, bringing back the idea of Christian religious symbols affecting them. (because their only natural predator is the Christian god) The vampires in this movie have reflections, can go out in the day and can only be killed by stake or fire.   The werewolf is treated like a virus that can be cured, which the lead character manages to do.
The main themes in this movie are free will and faith.  One example being when the police captain refuses to send any backup for the lead character and all the other cops hand in their badges offering to go anyway to help.

what do i think i learned from this film?
Sometimes something is just what it seems, nothing more nothing less. 

Kindred the Embraced continued

Kindred the Embraced- Episode 2 Prince of the City

We open with Frank and Sonny in their boss's office, talking about Eddie being their next target and Frank tells his boss that he wants to go after Luna. His boss tells him to back down and stick with their original stakeout on the Docks for Eddie.
We then see them at the docks later that night, setting up their mole. The mole lets them know that Eddie is evil but even he bows down to Luna.  We follow the mole into the stakeout as he is figured out by Eddie. They find the wire then kill him just as the cops storm the place. Frank hears the mole screaming and when he finds him with a stake in the chest, he tries to pull the stake out and is accused of killing him.
As Frank begins walking home, he sees a wolf which turns into Eddie. Eddie then threatens him, telling him that if he doesn't leave him and his businesses alone, he will kill him no matter what Luna has said about protecting Frank.
We next see Sasha in jail after having stopped a bar fight. Luna shows up to bail her out, and tells her that part of the bail agreement was for her to stay at the mansion. She asks him why, and he tells her that he's alone now.
The next morning, back at the police station, we learn that Frank's fingerprints are the only ones on the stake they pulled out of the mole, and tell him that the whole station thinks he's insane with his talking about vampires.
Next we see Cash move into the guest house at the mansion, where he and Sasha meet. Luna informs Cash that he's not allowed to hang out with Sasha.  We then see Lillie and Luna back at her club, where a reporter shows up; Caitlin. Lillie realizes right off that Caitlin will end up being trouble for her relationship with Luna. He offers to give her an interview if she goes to dinner with him.
Next morning, we see Frank in a diner where Luna shows up just before sunrise, and we learn that if the vampires feed they can go into the sun. Luna tells Frank that there are vampires in every sort of job, and to understand that even his police station is filled with vampires. He tells Frank that if he gets proof that Eddie is doing his business dirty, then he will take care of it.
Then we see Sonny and Frank in a library doing research on vampires, which Sonny already knows because he's a vampire but Frank does not know this yet. Sonny tries to get Frank to give up his obsession but for no use.
We then see Caitlin and Luna at dinner for their interview, which quickly becomes personal. Caitlin, like most people think Luna is just a mob boss, and asks him about his connections.
We then see Cash and Sasha working on their motorcycles, flirting. Cash tries to back off telling her that they are not the same kind, and that Luna would kill him if they got together.  They kiss, and Sasha talks him into taking her to Lillie's club.
Lillie wants Luna to kill Caitlin because she's afraid of her past coming out. This is the second time that Luna remarks about Lillie being as beautiful as the Toreador clan and as vicious as the Nosferatu clan. He then tells her that he's going to shut the reporter Caitlin up by buying the newspaper. He then sees Cash and Sasha together in the bar and gets angry, when he finds out she lied to Cash and that Cash fell for it. He orders Cash to take her home.
We then see Eddie ordering Frank's capture, alive, toying with the idea of turning him.
Next morning, we see Caitlin arrive home to find Luna standing on her doorstep. And the beginning of a relationship is hinted at. She invites him in and offers to make him something to eat, letting him know that she has not found anything that would suggest he's in the mob but still wondering who he really is.
Back at the club, Lillie taunts Luna about his date, and Frank shows up meeting Lillie officially. Lillie lets him know that she knows he knows about them. Frank then hands Luna a ring, and asks him to use his vampire powers to get a vision from the ring as to who the killer of their mole was.
Back to Eddie and Sonny as they discuss how to destroy Luna's credit with the clans.
Back then at the mansion, and we learn that Sonny is actually undercover for Luna. Their problem is getting rid of Eddie without starting a clan war, and the topic of Frank then comes up again.
We see Frank back at his apartment, where he gets another phone call from the voice telling him that he dropped off a phosphorus gun, because the Prince of the City wants him safe.
Back at the mansion, we see all the clan leaders sitting around the meeting table passing around the ring for a vision. Which we learn is one of Eddie's men. Luna declares that the hitman will be killed, and asks the rest of the leaders what they think about how to handle Eddie. It ends up being a split vote with everyone agreeing on killing the hitman, but not about Eddie. 
Frank's apartment, and there is a vampire in his living room, whom he shoots with the phosphorus gun. We then see a secret meeting between Frank and Luna, with Luna warning him to be careful.
Luna then shows up at Caitlin's the next day, and offers her the editing job that is now open at her paper, letting her know that he bought the paper.
Another night scene, and we see Luna back at his mansion with his sire who is warning him to back off from the reporter and to not get any deeper in a relationship.
We see Luna again looking over the edge of the city and turns into a bird, before appearing at Caitlin's window.

Wtf?

Okay, I just spent over 2 hours doing the first part of today's mini-marathon, which I posted at 11:04am, EST,  only to find out just now that it was sent back to draft with the last two paragraphs not there.
Dude, what's going on?   I had to re-write the last two paragraphs of the post and repost it.

so not only am I confused, but I'm now behind again.  This is crazy.

365 Days -Day 39

Kindred the Embraced- Episode 1 The Original Saga

We open with a chase across a roof, then cut to two cops talking about why they are after this guy. He's actually the henchman to Luna, whom the one detective -Frank- is after. Part because Luna is believed to be a mob boss and part because Frank is dating Luna's ex-girlfriend Alexandra. We then see the guy they are chasing get staked and the two who did it jump off a building without getting hurt.  This is our introduction to the Gangrels and Brujah clans.
We are then in the morgue with Frank and the doctor discussing the fact the body burst into flames on it's own.
We are then taken to the mansion of Luna and the house for the Venture clan. 
Frank then is out to dinner with Alexandra, whom  he's having an affair with, trying to get more information out of her about Luna. She leaves for the bathroom where she feeds off of another woman getting a few drops of her blood on her dress.  They then go back to her house, while Luna has gone to dinner with Lillie, the leader of the Toreador clan.
Luna and Lillie discuss how to keep their businesses from being taken from them.  They bump into Cash, the new leader of the Gangrel clan and Luna offers a security job to Cash. The group are then gunned down by another clan from the back of a moving car. The cops show up just after it happens, and Frank and Luna threaten each other.
Lillie and Luna return to the mansion and Luna goes into the basement to talk to Daedauls, the leader of the Nosferatu clan. He asks him to convince Eddie -leader of the Brujah- to step back. He then tells him to head to the morgue and get the remains of the body.
Just before the coroner is attacked, he calls Frank and informs him that the body is not that of a young man but one that appears to be at lest 100 years old. This tips Frank off that something supernatural is about to be uncovered.
Back at the mansion, we see Lillie and Luna in bed talking about how close Frank has gotten to uncovering the vampires, and whether or not they should enforce a law that would sentence Alexandra to death?  But before they can made a decision, Luna is told that who he believes is his last human relative is death. They begin planning a funeral for the grandson (who was in his 80's)
We are then given Luna's backstory, that he became a vampire when he lost his wife and wanted to commit suicide.
As he was leaving the mansion, Alexandra shows up asking permission to explain to Frank what they are. Luna then goes to the graveyard to visit his family plots. At the funeral, Luna is giving a speech about the legacy of the winery his grandson left but saying it as if he were just a business partner.  Then Sasha shows up, who we learn is Luna's great-granddaughter.
Meanwhile, Alexandra and Frank are back at her house, and we learn too that Frank's wife died as well, having committed suicide.
Back at the mansion, Luna and his sire are talking about how hard it is to survive through all the human wars.
We then see Alexandra and Frank again, talking about her garden which in a way is a metaphor for how the vampires look after humans.  Alexandra then spots a private detective of Luna's and after injuring him, threatens Luna. It becomes clear that they have to enforce the law on Alexandra.
Meanwhile, Lillie goes to see Eddie at his place to set up business contracts in exchange for Eddie killing Alexandra for her.
Back at the mansion, Luna has all the clan leaders together in the one room trying to figure out who it was that wanted Stevie dead. (the body at the beginning of the episode)  Eddie admits his the one, and that he's going to run for Prince of the City (aka the head mob boss) It quickly turns to a vote on enforcing the law against Alexandra, what they call a bloodhunt. Which is the killing of a vampire who has broken the laws. Meanwhile, Alexandra and Frank are back at her house, where she gives him a taste of her blood hoping it will help to explain to him what she is and what he's dealing with if he continues to go after Luna.  She explains to him that there is a price out on her and that she is breaking up with him. She then turns into a wolf and runs away.
Frank tells Sonny his partner, that what they are dealing with is vampires and that the bullets they found the other night at the club from the drive-by, was phosphorus and not the usual bullet. Sonny tries to talk him out of following the case, thinking that he's gone crazy.
Back at the mansion, Luna and Alexandra have one more secret meeting where Luna tells her to run away. She begs him to promise her that he will make sure nothing bad happens to Frank no matter how much trouble Frank creates for the vampires.
We then see Lillie and Luna talking about the whole situation, her jealousy shading how she cons him into giving her what she wants.
Meanwhile, Alexandra is being hunted by nearly all the clans till she manages to get caught by Daedalus. He slices her throat draining her, then drives her to the bridge and leaves her to the sunrise. But as he does he shows some pity and tells her she might survive if she can get into the water first.  Just as Alexandra is about to jump into the water, Frank shows up.
We hear him on the phone with someone who's voice has been masked, telling him where she is, taunting him.  She turns to look at Frank and the sun is up before she can jump into the water.  Bursting into flames before him.
We then see Frank later, getting another call at home from the strange voice telling him that he's Kindred and that Luna has protection orders on him. And that he'll feed him names of vampires Frank's allowed to kill.  We then learn it's Sonny and Eddie who made the calls, letting us believe Sonny was the mastermind behind the whole situation.
Back at Alexandra's garden, we see Luna and Frank each mourning her, each accused the other of killing her, Frank shoots Luna with the normal bullets which only knocks him down. This is basically two forms of law each staking claims on the city as both men vow to protect what they believe in. Then Frank picks up a locket that Luna had been looking at, and sees a vision of Alexandra moving around the garden.
We then see Luna standing over the edge of the city at night.