365 Days- Day 4

Blade the Series 

Episode 1- Pilot

We see Blade in Moscow hunting a vampire, then a cop in Detroit who picks up a hooker only to feed her to a vampire. From there, what looks like a mob hit, and the return home of a female solider, Krista.  The cop takes Krista to identify her brother, trying to convince her that her brother was a drug dealer and that it was a deal gone wrong. The drug in question is called Ash, and is made from vampire blood and how the vampires keep many of their familiars in check.
Blade goes to a tattoo parlor killing the familiars- human servants of a major vampire master, and we see a scene where he takes a dose of his serum.
The head of the local vampire house, Marcus, decides to throw a major party/fund raiser where Krista shows up and tries to find out more of what got her brother killed.  She then is turned into a vampire herself.
She then begins working for Blade and Shen as a sort of undercover agent.

The first episode is a two hour episode.

I have the DVD set, which as it turns out is slightly different then the original broadcasts. (R-rated and more in line with the original movie trilogy)

There is a lot to set up in this first episode, having to cover the back story from the movies. A scene is actually used from the original film. And like the trilogy, one of the main stories has to do with the turnbloods (vampires that were made) vs the purebloods (born vampires).  

Also, like many vampire stories, this deals with the loss of innocence. From learning that there is more in this world then we first thought, and by the use of the drugs. (the street drug Ash and the visions Krista has after being turned)

WWBD? part 2

Season 1 Episodes 3 and 4 - Witch  and  Teacher's Pet

The Witch... Buffy wants something familiar and normal, and decides to try out for the cheerleading squad. Soon, she discovers that all the competition are suffering from strange accidents. Like one girl who's mouth closes over, and Cordelia's sudden blindness, and another girl bursting into flames. Buffy herself falls victim becoming drained of energy. The gang learns that Amy, one of the cheerleading hopefuls, is hexing everyone. But Amy isn't who they think she is.  Her mother has switched bodies with her, and is really the one behind it all.

This ends up being Giles's first moment.  We start to get some background on where his knowledge really lies as he is the one who unmasks the witch, and saves Buffy's life in order for her to stop Amy's mom.
This also is the introduction to the character of Amy, who ends up having a recurring role in the lives of the gang down the series. (topics of peer pressure, greed and addiction seem to be part of Amy's arch)
The main topic of this episode is jealousy.  Amy's mom had been the school star when she was younger, and wants to be again.  She uses her magick to pull a body switch with her own daughter, and does whatever she has to in order to become the head cheerleader and live her life over again.
This episode is also about regrets. The character feels she wasted her life being a wife and mother and uses that as an excuse for her evil behavouir.

In this episode, the script introduces pieces of real folklore and mythology, setting a foundation for the rest of the series as far as magick and rituals go.


Teacher's Pet... The science teacher goes missing, and the new replacement seems to have a crush on Xander. A few of the other boys in the class start to brag about their sexual histories, making Xander feel he needs to be able to keep up. This leaves them all at the mercy of the new teacher who is not what she first appears.  Meanwhile, Buffy is given another cryptic message from Angel, informing her about a vicious vampire with a claw for a hand. When Buffy goes hunting, she spots the vampire as he appears scared of the new teacher, and runs underground. This clues Buffy in, that the new teacher is some sort of monster. Buffy, Willow and Giles do some research and discover that the new teacher is a She-Mantis; a creature of folklore that preys on and devours virgin men.

The opening scene is actually a fantasy Xander is having while in class. Dreaming about being the hero, saving Buffy from a vampire and then becoming a rock star, wooing everyone else in the room. Pretty typical. And also a foreshadowing for Xander in the rest of the series. Always on the edge but never really getting there.
This episode is Xander's introduction in the sense that it sets up a running joke that Xander is like catnip for female monsters. The fantasy segment also hints at the role he does end up playing more then once in the rest of the series, as he does save Buffy down the line.

The themes here are how things aren't always as they first seem, and the pressure put on modern males. Not every guy needs to be an uber stud. And those who  sometimes claim to be, are not worth your time. 

365 Days- Day 3

movie: I Am Legend (remake)
starring: Will Smith, Abbey (the Dog)
genre: Sci-fi
year: 2007
format: DVD

plot: A military scientist is left stranded with only the family dog for company for over three years, while the rest of the population of New York has fallen to the virus KV. The human population has all but been wiped out, many of whom became vampires.

Right off, this is a remake of both the 1964 film The Last Man on Earth and the 1971 film The Omega Man, all of which are based on the 1954 novel.

The vampire scenes are few but powerful.   And yes, I gave starring credit to one of the canine actors and not one of the other human actors simply because other then Will Smith, the dog has the most screen time.

There are two versions of this offering, the theatrical one, and the alternative ending.  I have the original theatrical ending.

The themes in this story are about loneliness, isolation and fear. Unlike most vampire films, this one doesn't actually focus on the vampires, nor is there really a vampire hunter.
It sort of deals with the idea that we have pushed the limits too far in our attempts to control everything. The story picks up after a man made plague has turned everything into a wasteland. A science gone wrong situation. 

This is almost a sub-genre in itself when it comes to vampire films.  The man made vampire so to speak.

There is a scene where the lead character makes a statement in his latest reports, about how the infected have lost all sense of reasoning, and declares them de-evolved. Then falls into a trap set by them, proving that their sense of reasoning is still intact.
There is a scene shortly before that, where he starts talking about a store mannequin, as if it was a real woman, and I've never really followed if the mannequins were set up to be decoys, or to keep him from feeling the isolation or if he's actually started to loose hope and therefore his mind?
Might be little of all of it?

what do i think i learned from this film?
Everyone feels alone sometimes. When you get used to the idea of being the only one in a situation, no matter what that might be, you run the risk of not being able to identify when there is help.

365 Days- Day 2

movie: Ring of Darkness
starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Stephen Martines,
genre: Music
year: 2003/2004
format: DVD

plot: A popular boy band looses their lead singer and hold an open audition to replace him. The catch is that once you're in, you're in for all eternity.

This was a made for tv movie

Two seconds into this and I was having a major deja vu.  The opening scene is a guy packing and running for his life, then you see the pack hunt him down on the beach attacking him.   Just like the opening to another vampire/zombie movie  Voodoo (1995 starring Corey Feldman) and another vampire movie  The Brotherhood. (to be honest, it also reminded me of Wolves of Wall Street) Which, I suppose isn't that surprising when I found out this is a David DeCoteau movie. (who did in fact do The Brotherhood series of films and Wolves of Wall Street)
My next thought was, I've heard this music before.

I have to say, this film has it's moments.  Like a scene when the band are walking through the woods as if they were entering a VIP room. The scene is cut with flashes of white as if camera flashbulbs were going off. It was both comical and very stylish. Almost a commentary on the idea that these guys were their own hype.
Though the scene could have been shorter.

The more you get into this movie, the more it feels like a collection of music videos that have been played back to back. Sometimes that wasn't a good thing. 
No matter how decent the actors in DeCoteau movies might be, there are always long segments that make the actors seem like cardboard.  Still, this was one of the better written stories along the lines of this type of plot that I've seen in years. (could be because it's a made for tv movie?)

I like the fact they used being vampires as a metaphor for fame, and boy bands as zombies.

what do i think I learned from this film?
Fame can suck the life out of you

Tuesday Jan 1st 2013

Well, it's a new year and a new project for me.

For some of my regular readers, you might be aware that I put myself through a year of watching one different movie a day in 2012 over on my Coffee and Casseroles blog.
I had fun. I can honestly say that the movie challenge was the highlight of last year for me.

This year, I'm putting myself through my paces with a return to my first love. Vampires.
I decided to tackle it slightly different this year for a number of reasons.   And have already kick started the whole thing with two posts today, the first movie of the year and the first round of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode recaps.

I will do my best to post something every day on this blog, some days more then a few posts. The big thing I learned last year was that there are days when no matter how much you plan, the universe has other ideas for you.

 

What Would Buffy Do?

Season 1 Episode 1 and 2- Welcome to the Hellmouth  and The Harvest

We open Welcome to the Hellmouth with two teenagers breaking into the high school, only to find out that one is a vampire. From there we see Buffy having nightmares and discover she's psychically linked to the Master vampire.

Then, high school starts and we are introduced to the rest of the cast, and learn that the story sort of picks up after the original movie. (I say sort of because it's a brief nod to the fact in the original 1992 film Buffy burns down her old high school to get rid of a nest of vampires)

Buffy has a moment when she talks to Giles about loosing her friends, being kicked out of school for what they considered bad behavouir and suddenly Giles becomes aware that life as it's been known can't ever be replaced.

Cordelia has the best line in this first episode  "Gym was cancelled due to the extreme dead guy in the locker"   It sets the tone for the whole series, drawing the dark humour out of the depression.

 In The Harvest,  we start to see the baseline of what the talents are each member of the group brings. Willow has the knowledge, Giles the quiet authority, Xander the strength to fall back on.  While Cordelia and Angel at this point are sort of just along for the ride. Both representing bookends of the situation, Cordelia is "reality as we know it"  and Angel is "the real reality".  You could almost say they also represent the gang's past and future.

This was a two part opening episode.  


What do I think the main themes in these two episodes are... transitions from who you thought you were to who you are meant to be. The setting of high school is the metaphor itself more then anything else right off the bat. Buffy knows she's has no choice but to face what is in store for her, but isn't excited about it at all.
Cordelia is the familiar safe iconic side of Buffy (past) and Angel is the unknown scary side (future)

365 Days- Day 1

movie: The Dark Crystal
starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
genre: Family
year: 1982
format: DVD

plot: Jen is the last of his kind after his village is destroyed. Raised by the Mystics, a tribe of healers, he is told that he alone holds the key to repairing the worlds, which he must do with the missing piece of the crystal. Along the way, he meets Kira, a female who was also told she was the last of their kind. Together, they face the Skeksis, the current keepers of the crystal.

Right off, you're thinking what the hell?

The Dark Crystal is indeed a vampire movie.  The Skeksis live by draining and drinking the lifeforce of other creatures.  Just because there are no fangs or coffins does not mean it doesn't come into the category of vampire. And I thought it was the perfect way to kick this whole thing off.
Showing that vampires are truly everywhere.  Even when you don't think they are.

I've actually mentioned this theme before on other blogs in the past, but still, The Dark Crystal is such a classic that it gets lost in the shuffle of "kids movies that are creepy".
There is also the factor that the character of Kira is brought back from death by the now whole creatures.

The entire story deals with duel natures. Negative and positive, male and female, light and dark etc. Focusing on the idea that you can't have one without the other.  You can not have life without death, as it will start to loose it's focus.  Immortality is the main goal for the characters of the Skeksis, to cheat death at all costs throwing the balance of life off. Meanwhile, the Mystics have the knowledge that in order to truly live, you need to know both sides of the situation.  And once they understand and accept this, when they become "one" with their darker sides, then they actually get the immortality that they are looking for. 

what do i think i learned from this film?
Death is not a permanent thing. Energy flows from one form to the other and keeps on regenerating itself. There is no real need to be greedy with the life you are given, or to throw things off balance.