EPISODE EIGHT
VAMPIRE
Films Discussed
Near Dark
Let Me In
What We Do In The Shadows
Runtime: 1:53:00
Link to Itunes: My Movie's Better
NOTES
Near Dark
| Near Dark | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | Kathryn Bigelow |
| Produced by | Steven-Charles Jaffe |
| Written by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by | Tangerine Dream |
| Cinematography | Adam Greenberg |
| Edited by | Howard E. Smith |
Production
company | |
| Distributed by | DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group |
Release date
|
|
Running time
| 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million[1] |
| Box office | $3.4 million[1] |
- Adrian Pasdar as Caleb Colton
- Jenny Wright as Mae
- Lance Henriksen as Jesse Hooker
- Bill Paxton as Severen
- Jenette Goldstein as Diamondback
- Joshua John Miller as Homer (as Joshua Miller)
- Marcie Leeds as Sarah Colton
- Tim Thomerson as Loy Colton
- Troy Evans as Plainclothes Police Officer
- Roger Aaron Brown as Cajun Truck Driver
- James LeGros as Teenage Cowboy
- Billy Beck as Motel Manager
- S.A. Griffin as Police Officer at Motel
- Neith Hunter as Lady in Truck
- Theresa Randle as Lady in Truck
- Leo Geter as Caleb's Friend
In her review for The New York Times, Caryn James wrote, "Ms. Bigelow's too-studied compositions – Caleb in silhouette riding a horse toward the camera – clash with her unstudied approach to the characters' looks".[8] Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader was impressed by Bigelow's first foray into big budget films with the "hillbilly vampire" movie, describing it as "beautifully shot".[9] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post said the intermixing of vampire legends, westerns and biker movies has an end result that is "both outrageous and poetic; it has extravagant, bloody thrills plus something else – something that comes close to genuine emotion".[10]
Let Me In
| Let Me In | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | Matt Reeves |
| Produced by |
|
| Screenplay by | Matt Reeves |
| Based on | Screenplay and novel Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Michael Giacchino |
| Cinematography | Greig Fraser |
| Edited by | Stan Salfas |
Production
companies |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release date
|
|
Running time
| 116 minutes[2] |
| Country |
|
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[4][5] |
| Box office | $24.1 million[4] |
- Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen, a 12-year-old bullied schoolboy, later Abby's boyfriend.
- Chloë Grace Moretz as Abby, a vampire who poses as Thomas' daughter, later Owen's girlfriend.
- Richard Jenkins as Thomas, Abby's adult companion.
- Cara Buono as Owen's mother.
- Elias Koteas as a detective investigating the murders caused by Abby.
- Koteas also provides the voice of Owen's father.
- Sasha Barrese as Virginia, one of Abby's victims.
- Dylan Minnette as Kenny, the bully who torments Owen.
- Ritchie Coster as Mr. Zorić
- Jimmy Jax Pinchak as Mark, one of Kenny's friends.
- Nicolai Dorian as Donald, one of Kenny's friends.
- Colin Moretz as Cashier
- Dylan Kenin as Larry, Virginia's boyfriend.
- Brett DelBuono as Jimmy, the older brother of Kenny.
- Chris Browning as Jack, one of Abby's victims.
n comparing Let Me In with Let the Right One In, horror website Bloody Disgusting wrote, "Ultimately, if the Swedish version is near perfection, Matt Reeves's version achieves complete supremacy. Masterpiece is an overused word, but it's hard to think of another so powerful. Let Me In is the new standard for vampire movies."[54] Acclaimed horror author Stephen King wrote "Let Me In is a genre-busting triumph. Not just a horror film, but the best American horror film in the last 20 years."[55] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal wrote that the film "is more than a respectful remake; 'Let Me In' is quietly stylish and thoroughly chilling in its own right."[56]
What We Do In The Shadows
| What We Do in the Shadows | |
|---|---|
New Zealand theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Plan 9 |
| Cinematography |
|
| Edited by |
|
Production
companies |
|
| Distributed by | Madman Entertainment(New Zealand) Paramount Pictures The Orchard (North America) |
Release date
|
|
Running time
| 85 minutes[1] |
| Country | New Zealand United States |
| Language | English German Spanish |
| Budget | $1.6 million |
| Box office | $6.9 million[2] |
- Jemaine Clement as Vladislav, aged 862 – a former tyrant with extreme powers.
- Taika Waititi as Viago, aged 379 – the uptight leader of the household.
- Jonathan Brugh as Deacon, aged 183 – the "young rebel" of the group who is fond of knitting, erotic dancing, and "being cool".
- Ben Fransham as Petyr, aged 8,000 – a Nosferatu-like vampire who lives on the bottom floor of the flat in a stone coffin and generally keeps to himself.[7][8]
- Cori Gonzalez-Macuer as Nick – an intended victim who is turned into a vampire by Petyr.
- Stu Rutherford as Stu – Nick's best friend who introduces the vampires to modern technology.
- Jackie van Beek as Jackie – a human and Deacon's familiar who cleans up after the vampires and connects them with potential victims.
- Rhys Darby as Anton – the leader of a local pack of werewolves.
- Ethel Robinson as Katherine – the love of Viago's life.
- Elena Stejko as Pauline – Vladislav's ex-girlfriend whom he calls "The Beast".
- Karen O'Leary as Officer O'Leary – an officer who gets called to the vampires' house.
- Mike Minogue as Officer Minogue – an officer who gets called to the vampires' house.
What We Do in the Shadows received critical acclaim and has an approval rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 163 reviews with an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. It is rated #68 on the website's list of Top 100 comedies of all time. The critical consensus states: "Smarter, fresher, and funnier than a modern vampire movie has any right to be, What We Do in the Shadows is bloody good fun."[19] The film also has a score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]
Fearnet called the film "a great vampire comedy".[21] Film School Rejects wrote a predominantly positive review, commenting that some of the film's broader moments fell flat but compared it favorably to similar mockumentaries such as Best in Show.[22] The film was warmly received by UK newspapers, with The Guardian's film critic Peter Bradshaw describing it as "the best comedy of the year",[23] while The Telegraph's Tim Robey found it "desperately funny".[8] Film International, in a positive review, commended the film for noting, with a double of Count Orlok locked in the vampires' basement, that the true vampire film tradition is repressed by the current craze.[24] Variety was more critical, writing that "Some genre fans who prefer the silly to the satiric may bite, but the anemic pic isn't remotely weird or witty enough for cult immortality."[13]
Comments
Post a Comment