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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Fang me, baby

  
  

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invisible_al
16:55 / 28.01.02
Actually Ultra-violet worked for me, I loved the ex-priest guy who ran the unit, nice and menacing especially in the episode where the ghoul kids were afraid of him. Vampires still hate religion but unlike the rest of the 'vampire' biology and the like they don't have any explanation at all for it.

Extra points for excessive use of swat teams, really cool gadgets and never mentioning the word Vampire once, its code fives or leeches all the way through.

Best scene is when the Black ex-para bloke is locked in a warehouse with three tech-coffines on timers ready to open with him as breakfast . They're rushing to save him but they know they can't get there in time. Simply brilliant, in fact all the characters bar the guy from This Life were excellent, he was merely ok due to the constant whining :-).

Oh yeah Near Dark, best vampire film I've ever seen, ripped off in its entirety by White Wolf. They're quite shamelss about it in fact :-)
 
 
grant
17:22 / 28.01.02
quote:Originally posted by Flyboy:
Vamp: a bunch of college boys go to the wrong (ie, er, black) side of town to see a stripshow, which turns out to consist of Grace Jones being very scary and voodoo. Then she seduces one of the boys, bites him, and he ends up turning into a vampire. Er, that's about it, I think... It's a comedy thriller. Not actually very good, but y'know...

Notable, however, for Chris Makepeace doing everything *right* in the horror movie - everytime you wanna scream, "Put down the gun, pick up the arrows!" or "Don't open that door!", he does it, and is still hard pressed to survive.

It's also about frat boys suffering, and that's always fun.

The Hunger is pretty good (more pretty than good, but still), and there's always room for Vampire's Kiss - Nicholas Cage thinks he's bitten by a vampire, descends into madness, eats a cockroach. I loved the indeterminacy of the film - you can't tell if he's an actual vampire, or just delusional.
 
 
Rev. Wright
17:46 / 28.01.02
Cheers grant I could remember the name of that film, Vampire's Lust, or the life of me.
Nicholas Cage's performance is soo intense, especially the scene involving his makeshift coffin and sunlight. Oh, oh not forgeting his experimentation with teeth.
 
 
Mourne Kransky
09:44 / 29.01.02
quote:Anyway, how can you make "Queen of the Damned" without first doing "The Vampire Lestat"...

indeed, [infinite monkeys]. but does anybody know what became of the project to do Lestat with Wes Bentley from American Beauty, presumably as Louis?

it was talked up a lot during his fifteen minutes of (well-deserved) fame on the tail of Beauty and just seemed to vanish. not even straight-to-video.
 
 
ill tonic
09:44 / 29.01.02
gawd - i can't stand the eroticism of vampirism - I agree with the Anthony Hopkins line in Dracula about vampires being like rats and leeches - they are the lowest of the low, feeding off the blood of the living ... and, in my opinion, thats the way they should be portrayed ...

anyway, with that said --- I think NEAR DARK is the ultimate vampire movie (just for the spin they put on the legend) -- BLADE was good but they couldn't top their opening scene - which was a shame -- effin' good scene

has anybody read LIVE GIRLS by RAY GARTON - a trashy little number about vampires who run a blow job joint? I'd love to see that as a movie ... XXX baby
 
 
Molly Shortcake
09:44 / 29.01.02
quote:I see the Blade as cyberpunk idea and I think it's an idea that can work but didn't very well in Blade and the dialogue was awful. I think it may have had the same problem as innocent blood, when trying to mix genres one or both of the genres suffer, it's rarely done well.

The quality of the film is most certainly up for debate. It's genre is not. I'm confused by your language, 'idea' of cyberpunk?

....the menagerie of cultures, races and ideologies, shadow conspiracies ala the heirarchial corporate structure (and it's internal conflicts via the anarchs), the grassroots opposition armed with unconventional technology, paradise lost (Blades humanity), post-humans, viral infections, surrogate relationships....

For cryin out loud, the main character wears all black leather, body armor, sunglasses during the day, needs drugs to survive and is a homicidal, stoic anti-hero with a major identity problem.

And there are a couple of 'similarities' to a certain other cyberpunk film that came out a year after....... jumping across rooftop, bad guy dodging bullets in slo-mo.....video game violence..........humans as power source.....

[ 29-01-2002: Message edited by: Ice Honkey ]
 
 
The Monkey
09:44 / 29.01.02
Cronos.
 
 
Molly Shortcake
09:44 / 29.01.02
Had to look that one up. Nice way of putting it.

The other movie is a blatant retelling of Christian mythology and constantly beats you over the head with gnostic philosophy. Blade is far more ambiguious. The savior is alone, lost. The audience is not initiated, rather, propositioned:

"You'd better wake up. The world you live in is a dream, a sugar coated topping. There is another world beneath it, the real world - and if you want to survive, you'd better learn to pull the trigger" - Blade

[ 29-01-2002: Message edited by: Ice Honkey ]
 
 
videodrome
09:44 / 29.01.02
Watched Blade about two hours ago, and I think there's some reaching and self-justification going on here. I mean, if it works for you that's fine but I don't buy it at all.
 
 
Molly Shortcake
09:44 / 29.01.02
Hmmp. I guess I'll get to my point and leave it at that. Blade and Matrix are the same film. Blade presents a world of carnivors while Matrix presents one of vegetarians.

[Edit]
Never said any of that stuff was intentional, deep or well done; it's simply there. I find it fascinating. Other folks here and IRL have said as much. I don't see why this type of analysis should be exclusive to Momento and Lynch type films.

The cyberpunk conventions are beyond obvious. Really. IMO you should be smacked in the head several times if you think otherwise.

I'm actually not that familiar with White Wolf. Most of my Vampire knowledge comes from playing The V:TES card game (back in the day) where you assume the role of a Methusalah, an ancient vampire who controlles younger vampires through an economy based on, you guessed it, blood points.
[/Edit]

[ 29-01-2002: Message edited by: Ice Honkey ]
 
 
The Strobe
09:44 / 29.01.02
Japanese Anime series, currently going out and being distro'd round the web:

Hellsing

Hellsing organisation, UK, fights vampires. It has its own vampire acting as hunter... mainly because he owes them a debt, and mainly because he despises the unworthy, feeble excuses for vampires springing up. In the first episode, he saves a police officer's life by turning her... so now Hellsing have two caged beasts. As series progresses, you find that the government are fed up of funding Hellsing, the Vatican have a compeltely different outlook on things and send their beatified, indestrcutible human slayer to lob some throwing swords around, and that aritifical vampires, created by chips are being lobbed around.

Add lots of enigmatic backstory, some great use of cgi, 18-inch long handguns, lots of cod-Romero bits, and it's pretty good. It's also ridiculously over the top at times, but enjoyable. Episodes 1-7 around so far. And dodgy pun in the title. Nothing great, but an interesting take, and highly, highly stylish.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
09:44 / 29.01.02
Where can we find this wondrous 'Hellsing'?
 
 
Haus about we all give each other a big lovely huggle?
09:44 / 29.01.02
Is The Addcition any good? I've owned it for about ayear but have never gotten around to watching it....
 
 
Mr Ed
09:44 / 29.01.02
The Addiction is all right. Abel Ferrera does gritty well, I think.

Both Fright Night Movies: Yay. Lets blow 'em up. In the same catergory as Salem's Lot as far as I'm concerned (though salem's lot is scarier, Fright night just goes for the gross out)

Bordello of Blood is fun, but Demon Knight was better. Grail Knights and darkness beats breasts and blood anytime, in my book.

The Hunger is a pile of nonseniscal poo, lets face it. Bowie looks good though.

Near Dark is almost perfect, except for the Bram Stoker-esk blood transfusion.

Innocent Blood is quite fun, mostly because the mafia and vampires mix well, and partially because the voice over is quite sweet.

Ultraviolet was a great TV series and very gritty, but I can see why it didn't sell (child abuse, immigration etc. Hardly light viewing.)I'd love to see a sequel but the guy who played the priest refuse to do it.
Razor Blade Smile: Well the vampires look pretty, the ending is quite good, and uhm, that's about it. If all I wanted to do was watch a amaterish horror film with pretty women in skimpy outfits, I'd watch Pervirella instead. Either that or got very drunk and watch a pile of Jean Rollin movies (Vampyros Lesbos anyone)

Blade: The council of 13 and all that is ripped of White Wolf. (The tribes sound similar to the White Wolf clans) Whistler, the origin, the style, is pure Marvel. The mighty comics company tried ressurecting the horror comics charcters a "Midnight Sons" serie a while ago which featured Morbius the Living Vampire, ghost rider and of course Blade. It was fun while it lasted, and wrapped up the whole "vampiric verses" plot (Marvel vampires exist due to an evil magic book IIRC)
 
 
The Natural Way
09:44 / 29.01.02
quote:I see the Blade as cyberpunk idea and I think it's an idea that can work but didn't very well in Blade and the dialogue was awful.

True, not that cybery. "Awful dialogue"? It was amazing - he is amazing. See! See his stern head, body poised, ready for action! Rippling torso. Blade, give them justice! The justice of the stake!

Bloodmusclesweat!!!!!

You. Just. Don't. Get. It.

[ 29-01-2002: Message edited by: Sgunnice Runcheon 'n' ]
 
 
videodrome
12:56 / 29.01.02
Ice - I agree that Blade and The Matrix are pretty much the same film. But the cyberpunk part of Blade I see as trappings, incidental to what's going on. Kinda like, OK - we need to sell this to an audience, what will they respond to? I think that had the film been made a week earlier or later, the cyberpunk stuff could have been replaced with another aesthetic, and the core of the film wouldn't change at all.
 
 
rizla mission
15:21 / 29.01.02
What about anime vampire stuff (since their seems to be a distinct lack of live action ones left to talk about)?

'Blood: The Last Vampire' was brilliant, if stupidly short.

'Vampire Hunter D' was kind of brilliantly bad..
 
 
videodrome
15:32 / 29.01.02
I agree on VHD, but I missed the opportunity to catch the sequel, which played recenlty here in the states. Heard it was quite a bit better than the original flick, but, eh - guess I've really got nothing useful to add here, do I?
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
18:35 / 29.01.02
Jesus... all this 'cyberpunk' stuff you're trying to sell Blade on is so much horse-puckey. Check out the 'punk' tag, for fuck's sake - it was new, it was fresh, it was dynamic, almost revolutionary, and played with the zeitgeist. Blade is none of these things...

....the menagerie of cultures, races and ideologies...

True, if your idea of a 'menagerie' is a lame puppy and three flying ducks on the wall.

...shadow conspiracies ala the heirarchial corporate structure (and it's internal conflicts via the anarchs), the grassroots opposition armed with unconventional technology...

Really fucking reaching. Vampire hunting in any vampire movie is all about unconventional technology/weapons. Shadow conspiracies? Young charismatic dude kills all the old vampires and all of their generations-old henchmen with a bunch of psychotic friends. Yeah, there's a political action.

...paradise lost (Blades humanity), post-humans, viral infections, surrogate relationships...

All vampire stuff. Not cyberpunk stuff. It's been around for donkey's years. And the 'paradise lost' thing... Blade's human side was just a cheesy way to get rid of the whole 'how do we sell this guy as a hero when he's always going to be the bad guy' narrative dilemma. Angel has a soul, Louis was filled with self-loathing and doubt (the spirit of the age) - Blade's just a halfbreed... like being half-human is supposed to repress violent instincts. Bad vampire fiction has been using this pitiful fallback for twenty years.

Blade is a good action movie, and an excellent trad vampire movie. Nothing more. And:

"You'd better wake up. The world you live in is a dream, a sugar coated topping. There is another world beneath it, the real world - and if you want to survive, you'd better learn [i]to pull the trigger"[/i]

is a rehash of a rehash of a reheated piece of crap 'mean-whispering' anti-hero quote that's been going around bad action movies and good action movies since they were invented. Goodness! Is the world all nasty? Will I have to be a hardass to survive? Well, smack my pearly buttocks! Mr. Blade, you are truly hardcore and oh-so cyberpunk! Tossy. Want better antihero-action-movie-dialogue?

"Sometimes I think God hates me..."
"Hate him back. Works for me."

Lethal-fucking-Weapon, for fuck's sake. Even 'psycho-in-need-of-a-family-a-fuck-and-a-cuddle' Martin Riggs has more currency as a genuine anti-hero (although only in the first movie). Blade just looks good, does some high kicking, and whispers a lot.

Genuinely good vampire movies are not signposted as such, apart from the already touted Near Dark. I'd go for:

Kronos
Ravenous
The Addiction and
In The Company Of Men (to add something slightly controversial).

The Lost Boys is great popcorn fodder, and for those of us of a certain generation, essential. And I love Seven Golden Vampires just for being wildly over-the-top Hammer with a twist of whatever, but that's a matter of personal taste, nto because it's any good...
 
 
The resistable rise of Reidcourchie
07:57 / 30.01.02
Originally posted by Mr. Ed

"Near Dark is almost perfect, except for the Bram Stoker-esk blood transfusion."

Goddamnit I'd forgotten about that.

Ice Honkey chill, I was agreeing with your suggestion that it could be seen as a cyberpunk film, though I'm not sure I'd be so quick to suggest that people are stupid if they didn't agree with me.

7 Golden Vampires was also entertaining though it was a long time ago I saw it. I seem to recall that Christopher Lee was very out of place.
 
 
Molly Shortcake
02:10 / 31.01.02
Somewhere between incidential and unintentional. More provocative than anything else, my reading of Blade as such.

Jack, your view skews one way, mine the other. I'm looking forward to your deconstruction of the Lethal Weapon series.

Blade 2

SPOILERS

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uses one of the possible directions for the Matrix series. Every power structure is a microcosm of a higher power structure.

Mutation of the vampire virus, huge lovecrafteian, alien vampire suckers hunted down hive like tunnels by a special task foce ala (yet another distilled cyberpunk film) Aliens.

As for unconventional cyberpunk films, check out Aeon's take on Batman and Leon.

[ 31-01-2002: Message edited by: Lord Rugal Ultimate ]
 
 
Tamayyurt
13:31 / 31.01.02
Dracula 2000 (pffft) is the best vampire movie ever made.(hahahah)

That shit was like one long ad for Virgin.
 
 
gentleman loser
19:04 / 31.01.02
Crud. Someone beat me to recommending Innocent Blood:

A: The cops vs. mobsters vs. vampires plot was a good twist on an often tired theme.

B. How many vampire movies are set in lovely snowy Pittsburgh, PA?

C. Don Rickles makes any vampire movie better. The scenes with him and Robert Loggia are well worth the price of a rental.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the trippy Lair of the White Worm.

It's not a great movie but quite fun after a couple of bong hits.

[ 31-01-2002: Message edited by: gentleman loser ]
 
 
invisible_al
17:48 / 01.02.02
Ah Lair of the White Worm, Ken Russell doing his thing and Amanda Donohoe vamping it up like no-ones business.
The scene with boy scout in the bath is always funny, and that's even without mentioning the classic dream sequence, nuns and pencils heh.
 
 
Bear
18:25 / 01.02.02
Ken Russels new film is being showed on Sunday in London, he'll be there to answer questions....lets go ask him about Vampire movies

Has anyone mentioned the fact that the enemy in Blade 2 is one of the Bross Brothers .....whatsupwitdat?
 
  

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