Entries Tagged 'vampires' ↓
June 14th, 2009 — From The Feeds, script review, television, vampires
It's always hard to judge pilots, but there's a considerable amount of cheese wafting off the pages. Equal parts angsty teen soap and paranormal romance, "Vampire Diaries" disappoints at both. Starts off with a double-murder by supernatural means. Enter mysterious new (stud)ent with an obvious attraction to our female protagonist -- still mourning the loss of her parents. Throw in a jackass kid brother, annoying friends/frenemies, another attack and I guess we're supposed to be enthralled by it all. Did I mention the mind-numbing voice-overs when the two leads scribble in their journals?
We all know what the CW is trying to do here, but "Vampire Diaries" only succedes at making "Twilight" look like Romeo and Juliet. Not an interesting character in sight. Cringe-worthy dialogue at times -- surprising since Kevin Williamson is credited as a co-writer. With so many clichés coming at you left and right, you'll start to feel psychic. "Buffy" had the good sense to turn clichés on their heads, "Diaries" just hopes you're too young to know them.
Now I'm not the target audience, so maybe Tween girls will eat it up with a spoon -- casting did an excellent job. The books were enough of a success for someone to try and turn them into a series, which is all that seems to matter these days.
March 15th, 2009 — From The Feeds, vampires
It's rare when a film lives up to the hype, but this was pretty close. One of the better vampire films I've seen in quite some time. Can't go into detail without getting all spoilery, but definitely check this one out. There's an American remake in the works -- who would've guessed -- and I have serious doubts if they'll be able to pull it off. The tween leads might give audiences the wrong impression about the mature tone of the story -- which surprised me. No sparkly vampires playing baseball here.
February 6th, 2009 — From The Feeds, television, vampires
An example of the “Twilight†effect? The CW is developing a
series based on the novels about a girl caught up in a love triangle with two brothers who also happen to be vampires. Sounds like a good fit for their audience, especially with Kevin Williamson involved. My old pilot spec had a supernatural love triangle -- along with every genre cliche imaginable, but maybe it's salvageable.
January 27th, 2009 — babes, From The Feeds, vampires, werewolves
Fast fact: “Skinwalkersâ€, Rhona Mitra’s last werewolf flick, only grossed around 1 million in theaters (limited release), but made close to 25 million on DVD.
Solid showing over the weekend. Guess the lack of Kate Beckinsale wasn’t that big of a deal to audiences -- these films are driven by werewolf/vampire action, plain and simple. I wonder where the franchise will go from here: graphic novel, straight to DVD movies, anime, a TV series?
It's good to see that the action/horror genre is still alive and kicking.
December 9th, 2008 — From The Feeds, vampires
A sequel for a film made over twenty years ago... it certainly isn’t the vampire biker chick idea that Joel Schumacher was supposedly keen on a few years back -- with Britney Spears being the head vamp. Now that could have been “Showgirls†good...
I could have sworn the original was this huge box office smash, but it only made 32 million back in 1987. Probably got bigger on video. Anyway, LB: TT is a decent vampire flick that doesn’t have any lofty goals. Kiefer Sutherland is busy saving the world as Jack Bauer, so they got his brother Angus to play the baddie. He’s fine, along with the rest of the cast. Ironically, the guy with the most experience was the weakest link here. It seemed like the cast was in one movie and Corey Feldman was in another -- if you stick around after/during the credits, Corey Haim makes a “surprise†appearance.
There’s not a lot to say about the story. It’s basically a low budget rehash of the original, except the siblings are brother and sister. I’m not sure why the vamps are surfers or if it matters -- probably not.
November 23rd, 2008 — From The Feeds, underworld, vampires
I’m guessing there’ll be other posters, this one is kinda... meh. Still, with the phenomenal success of “Twilight†over the weekend -- 70.5 million, expect to see more vampire flicks. I’m not a big believer in chasing trends, it’s fool’s gold. What’s hot now, might not be so hot 6-8 months from now.
October 27th, 2008 — From The Feeds, vampires
When this was on my “On Demandâ€, the artsy trailer and premise of this Swedish film didn’t exactly grab me -- a bullied boy’s relationship with a girl who turns out to be a vampire -- but a couple of genre sites have given it favorable reviews; to hear them tell it, “Let the Right One In†is far superior to the overhyped “Twilightâ€. I’ll have to check it out at some point...
October 24th, 2008 — From The Feeds, vampires, werewolves
I think I'm starting to suffer from "Underworld" fatigue, because the new trailer isn't doing a whole lot for me. Still, from spec script to full blown trilogy is quite the accomplishment.
September 8th, 2008 — From The Feeds, true blood, vampires
Wasn’t the complete train wreck that I was expecting, but nobody is going confuse this with “Six Feet Under†or “Buffy†any time soon. The accents were more than a little grating and the tone was all over the place. And how about throwing in a couple of ignorant Yankees to spread the offensive stereotypes around? I suspect the show might have been a little too over the top for a lot of viewers. Still, I’m curious enough to see where things go...
September 3rd, 2008 — From The Feeds, twilight, vampires
Read the script over the weekend. I’m sure the target audience will be more than satisfied, but it’s a bit bland for us non-Twilighters.
I was expecting something with a lot more bite. There’s a heavy chunk of script that involves Bella and Edward just feeling each other out. Does he hate her? Maybe she should hate him back? He smiled at me! What does that mean? Does my hair smell? Standard teen stuff.
“Twilight†isn’t trying to be “Romeo and Juliet†-- or Buffy and Angel for that matter. There’s not a lot of plot and cheesy dialogue runs rampant. The story works because of Bella. She’s at an awkward age and her vulnerability comes through. The idea of a magical protector coming to her rescue and also desiring her, is the sort of wish fulfillment that probably appeals to most fans of the books.
I know “Moonlight†got the axe last season, but I think there’s a big audience for a teen vampire show. “TruBlood†looks too weird to fit the bill.
July 30th, 2008 — From The Feeds, underworld, vampires, werewolves
Rhona Mitra looks pretty badass in her armor, but can “Underworld 3†really deliver the goods? Think about it. They’re taking out a lot of the things that worked in the first two films: the modern setting, hybrids, gunplay, Kate Beckinsale in latex, etc. and replacing them with what looks like a costume drama. Obviously there’s going to be action, but the budget will limit what they can do. I suspect we’ll see the occasional skirmish but no bloodbaths on the battlefield. And we already know how Sonja and Lucian's relationship will turn out. I'm not seeing the audience grabber...
July 23rd, 2008 — From The Feeds, true blood, vampires
HBO is pulling out all the stops for True Blood. Postcards with Sumerian text sent to horror fans, pseudo news reports with real reporters, vampire social networks, etc. But does all that stuff really work? How about more emphasis on the story, characters and relationships?
Vampires are tailor-made for soapy dramas, but no one has been able to pull it off since “Dark Shadowsâ€. “Kindred: The Embraced†and "Ultraviolet" (UK mini-series) had some potential.
There are some talented people behind this, but it could go either way...
July 4th, 2008 — From The Feeds, vampires
One of these days, I’m gonna do an entry about the things I know now, but wish I had known when I started screenwriting -- probably a good idea for a meme. Here’s one of those lessons: Most people aren’t receptive to genre stuff and it’s next to impossible to win them over -- unless it’s a big budget spectacle. Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi speaks primarily to a niche audience. “Battlestar Galactica†will never have “Grey’s Anatomy†type ratings. Most folks couldn’t pick Joss Whedon out of a line up. And just because “Iron Man†made over 300 million dollars, it doesn’t mean that comic book shops across the country are now flooded with throngs of new customers. Although tiny, this audience is a huge component when it comes to creating buzz. Genre fans will sift through a lot of crap, in the hopes of finding a gem and let everyone know when they do; but the temptation to take them for granted and “broaden†the appeal of a film often leads to failure.
Vamps without fangs? A change like that alienates the people most likely to see the film. The casual viewer probably doesn’t care one way or the other. To be fair, it worked in “The Hunger†and “Ultraviolet†(the UK mini-series) but the tone of those films were much different. “Rise: Blood Hunter†is basically “Kill Bill†with vampires, minus a whole lot of style, action and substance. Reporter gets too close to a story about a vampire club and gets turned. Reporter vows revenge. See Lucy Liu beat up and interrogate a vamp, hate what she's become, repeat until closing credits --- oh yeah, the guy from “The Shield†shows up and helps her take out the head vamp. That's the movie. Seriously. Maybe there’s some great material in the unrated version, but I won’t be checking it out anytime soon. My point isn’t that we should ignore casual viewers/movie goers but to find a happy medium. Have a good idea of what the core fans like before making changes.
May 24th, 2008 — anime, From The Feeds, sci-fi, ultraviolet, vampires
Looks like our prayers have been answered. That sexy hemophage rebel with the change-color-at-will-wig-and-outfit is coming back in a twelve episode anime! Seriously, who saw that one coming? Even though Kurt Wimmer’s vampire/sci-fi/action flick tanked in the States, it had a pretty decent run in Japan -- grossing around 2.8 million, more than “Underworld†(1.6 mil), “Underworld: Evolution†(1.9 mil), or “Hellboy†(586k). I’m guessing that life on DVD eventually put the 30 million dollar production in the black. What if the series drums up enough interest for a sequel? Hey, stranger things have happened.
May 22nd, 2008 — From The Feeds, movies, twilight, vampires
I’m not the target audience but I hear the kids are really into the books. There hasn’t been a good angsty vampire flick in a while. Let’s see how this adaptation goes.
