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?

365 Days- Day 21

Dracula The Series- Episode 1 The Children of the Night


We open with a couple walking alone at night and are viewing them through what seems to be a fog. A cop comes up to them and tells them to move along, and we then follow her down the alley alone through the sudden strange fog.  She hears something turns and screams as a man in a black hat and coat comes up to her, attacking her, leaving two bite marks on her neck.

Then we see a car pull up to a old house, a mom and her two sons-Chris and Max- get out of the car and into the house. Their uncle Gustav welcomes them complaining about the sun. Max starts looking around the house finding a wooden stake, asking if it's for killing vampires. Gustav brushes him off making a joke and referring to a folklore about seeds and vampires, which Max had been eating.
We then are introduced to Sophie, who lives in the house which Chris falls for on sight.

They then go to a business dinner, and meet Alexander Lucard, head of the company.  We then see the two boys talking about how they think their uncle is a vampire.

The next morning, Max goes to see Alexander Lucard at work, and knocks over a bag of seeds which seems to make Lucard act odd. He then tells Max that their uncle is not what they think just before throwing himself onto the floor to eat the seeds.

Back at the house, Chris and Sophie  are watching movies and discover Max has sneaked out of the house to go to find Lucard at his castle, and run after him.  Max believes that they are in danger if they stay at their uncle's and that they are only safe at the castle.  Sofie pulls a cross and stuns Lucard for a few seconds letting the boys run away, but she is trapped by zombies.  While in the castle, Lucard starts to play music for Sophie, and she figures out that he is indeed Dracula.
The boys come back to the castle getting the attention of a female vampire and some of the zombies, tricking them into opening the door letting them in.
We then learn from a conversation between Sophie and Lucard that he's very aware that Gustav is a Van Helsing. The boys break in and try to fight him, with Max spraying holy water on him.  As they run out of the building, they meet back up with the female vampire again and stake her.
Lucard then appears blocking the door, trapping the kids.  But before he can bite any of them, Gustav shows up and they have a short battle before Lucard turns to a bat and flies away.

Back at the house, Gustav fills the kids in about the history of their family and how many times Dracula has tried to take over the world. And that now in the modern age he's using his corporation to do so.  Max makes a comment about how he was in the same room with the real Dracula and didn't get his autograph to which Gustav says there will be other chances.



I know this is a show geared for younger audiences but, I remember when it first came out back in 1990-1991.  There is something endearing about this show even though it was short lived with only one season. The campy dialogue and pure humour of it always puts me in mind of the best parts of Lost Boys and Monster Squad.  At the time, vampire tv shows were really making a dent in the mainstream programming. (Forever Knight, episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark, Kindred the Embraced,  all were done within a short time of this)

365 Days- Day 9

movie: Draghoula
starring:Chriss Lee, Stephanie Seidle
genre: Comedy
year: 1995
format: VHS

plot: A lab researcher has his funding cut and ends up having to find his lab rats on the black market. Little does he know they are vampire rats. One bites him, turning him into a vampire, which he expresses by becoming a vampire drag queen at night.

I decided to go with this last night for this week's movie club selection on my movie blog (if you want to read that much longer post it's here)

This movie is pure camp.
The lead character is a grown man who lives with his mother, and is pretty much having his life controlled by the women around him. The only freedom he finds is when he starts turning into a vampire.
I'm not really sure why he dresses in drag?  Unless it's just a by product of the time it was made?
I'd love to say the idea of gender identity is suppose to be a theme in this, but I can't. The lead character just shows up in drag without any forewarning.

The film itself doesn't really go anywhere either. It just sort of spins the same type of scenes over and over, which are of the lead character running around the streets in garters and a cape.

what do i think i learned from this film?
I'm not sure there is anything to learn from this, just sit back and enough the silliness. 

Vampire Saturday Sept 29th

 
Dudes, I just spent the last hour and a half watching a kid's movie.  Not the one I thought I'd get to see this weekend either.

My movie de jour today  (Day 278)  on the one movie a day blog was    The Vampire Dog  

That's seriously  a sentence I never thought I would ever say or write. 

Aug 31st random vampire stuff

We had a free week of Teletoon Canada  in my area this week.  And this is important for the fact that is it carries the show  My Babysitter is a Vampire

I got to check out an episode.

Okay, let's see, it's a tv show based on a movie geared for kids under the age of 13 and French-Canadian originally.   Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Are You Afraid of the Dark 
And I can totally see why the creators would want to go for something like this.
Vampires sell.  They have for a few hundred years.
And Canadian television has been one of the best for producing vampire shows -Forever Knight, Dracula the Series, Vampire High, Blood Ties. the cartoon Mona the Vampire, not too mention the success of Big Werewolf on Campus,  okay not a vampire show but in the same vein plus it had vampire episodes starring both Corey Feldman and Corey Haim from the Lost Boys movies, and one of it's main stars would go on to play a vampire in two of the Twilight movies.

I know this is based on a made for tv movie, which I have not seen yet.

With all this said, I have to say,  I was disappointed in the show.  I know I only got to see one episode and that's not a lot to go on, but I just felt like I've seen all this before.  Again, I point out how similar it is to the feel of Big Wolf on Campus.

Even given the fact it is geared for kids between 8-13,  it still was missing something to root it.  If it's possible for a television show to have ADD, this one had it.  It made little sense and just seemed like a way too watered down version of other vampire shows we've seen in the last twenty years.

Vampire High- DVD

The 2001-2002 Canadian vampire soap was released not too long ago on DVD.
I just tracked down a copy. 

I was very disappointed to find out that there are no extras, and worst of all; only 3 episodes on the DVD.
This particular disk has episodes 5,6 and 7.

The episodes are in their original format and slightly grainy.

After viewing the DVD, I tracked down some information on the DVD release, and it seems that only the first 8 episodes were ever released on DVD.

The show was always a nice twist on the vampire genre, and still holds up a decade later.  But unless you are a collector I would by pass this. 

BloodRayne 3 (2011)

Plot: Rayne teams up with a group of freedom fighters during World War 2.  She accidentally turns one of Hitler's solders into a vampire who just happens to have the same daywalking powers as herself.  Now she needs to stop him before he can turn Hitler.


This movie even with the unrated director's cut only runs at 78 minutes.  Which is still about 30 minutes too long if you ask me.

I hesitated when I saw this on the movie shelf to begin with as I did not care for the first two.  What ended up being the deciding factor in my renting this was the fact Brendan Fletcher was in it. Who by the by was also in BloodRayne 2 Deliverance.  (As was Michael Pare who I think was the only actor to be in all three of the BloodRayne films. )

I get that the series can play out much like the Crow movies creating new storylines and characters given it is a vampire series, but this one fell really short.

The production of it rang like many made for tv Canadian shows, just a notch above an indie film. And I'm usually all for anything with a vampire or Canadian, but this one left a bad taste in my mouth.
There was little plot, bad dialogue and just felt like a waste of $7

Stake Land (2011)

Plot: Mister picks up Martin after his family have all been killed by vampires.  Together they travel through the United States trying to make their way to Canada, which is now called New Eden. The vampire plague has spread through out the rest of the world, mostly in the South.  Just trying to stay alive, they learn how to kill the vampires, and on the way save a nun from being raped.  Little do they know they have to now deal with the Brotherhood as they make their way to Canada.  The Brotherhood want revenge for them having killed two of their men. Things then heat up when a pregnant woman joins their pack of survivors.


I have to say, I loved this.  Normally I don't care for end of the world films, but this one has a quality to it that makes it dare I say believable.
The vampires in this film look more like the classic ghouls of the Night of the Living Dead films, and the kill count is so that we have one right off the start gate.  No prancing around the topic, you're watching a down and dirty film about the things and people who will pray upon you for no other reason then they can.

After watching this, you can't help but wonder if the creators were sticking their forks into other territory then the undead, which just proves something I've said over and over in the past; the vampire is the best metaphor for everything else we need to talk about.  See the movie, you'll get what I'm saying.

Vampires Suck-2010

Originally posted on my main blog on Aug20th 2010

Midway through watching last night's TNA Impact on iTunes Canada,  I decided it was perfect vampire movie weather, all dark and thunder storms,  so I went to the cinema

Plot: Becca is the new girl to Sporks and there is something odd about the town.  Vampires run around openly feeding.  When she meets Edward she starts to think of nothing but getting him out of his promise ring. Soon, she's the target of a group of evil vampires and must survive long enough to save Edward at their prom from exposing more then just his sagging butt.  The whole while, turning down Jacob and running from his loyal teenaged groupies. Who will survive this in the end, Team Edward or Team Jacob.

I have to say, this was a light way to spend the afternoon.  Half the jokes are slapstick and would work well in any film.  Half the jokes are only useful if you have seen the Twilight Saga.
Casting did a great job finding look alikes to play the core roles in this film.  The best moment hands down is when Edward is depressed with a large vat of ice cream and flat hair. 

Suck-2009

Originally posted on my blog on Aug 18th 2010

Nobody does a rock and roll movie like a Canadian.   Nobody does a vampire movie like a Canadian.

Plot: The Winners are a struggling band who just had their manager walk out on them in the middle of a tour.  While in Montreal, their bass player is seduced by a 300 year old vampire called Queeny.  Queeny has been turning musicians into the undead for years, and seems to be the best rock n roll manager they've ever had.  Soon the rest of the band decide to bite.  But their biggest fan happens to be Eddie Van Helsing,  a vampire hunter who's following them on every tour stop.


This film is genius pure genius!  With rock legends Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins and Iggy Pop and  Clockwork Orange's Malcolm McDowell how can you go wrong.
This film is set in the same vein as Hard Core Logo was. It takes it's subject just serious enough without coming off as cheesy or fluffy.  The soundtrack is packed from coffin to cross with hard hitting numbers, and the style is pure gloss on grit,  just what a vampire film should be filled with.

"Suck"  is a bit Queen of the Damned and a lot of Hard Core Logo, full on with a few rock video moments and surprising Canadian actor cameos (Danny Smith from Big Wolf On Campus plays a gas station clerk) that have you laughing out loud at just the right times.  Moby as a heavy metal meat freak was an interesting twist.

And let's face it,  Vampires and Rock n Roll go together like well, Vampires and Rock n Roll

I rented this off iTunes Canada, but I think I'll be hitting the record store later and splashing out on a copy of the DVD.