Nadja

Hurry! the dead travel fast!

Hello fellow readers, since Halloween is around the corner what about a vampire movie made in the alternative rock peak years? yes, I'm talking the early 90's! 1994 to be exact. Enter, Nadja a unique take on the vampire myth.  Like any "good" horror story it works on different levels. Like the Zombie films of George Romero there's an underlying message to this film that has nothing to do with it's horror exterior. But you have to think about what Michael Almereyda is trying to say with this story. This isn't just true of this film, but of all good horror. Dr. Jeckyle and Mr.Hyde-Addiction to substances, Frankenstein-Man playing at being God, Dracula-Hate poisoning the mind and soul. The main theme of this film is wanting to change your life but not being able to escape your old habits and break loose. It's even mentioned outright several times during the film by different characters. There's a lot of philosophical discussions by different characters on this through the film.

This film has black humor, meaning of life philosophy, camera work that serves a purpose to enhance the story and heart felt dramatic performances by all of the actors and actresses. 

One of the things that I really like about this film, (and one of the things that many people didn't understand or like) was the use of the toy camera pixel-vision effect. I found it to be a perfect way of economically expressing the intoxicating effect of being under the influence of a vampire.

If you watch the film and think about the scenes where it's employed it will be obvious. It isn't just a random attempt to be arty as many of the reviewers seem to think. It's a visual depiction of the impaired state of mind that you might experience if a vampire was psychically manipulating a mortal. And it enhances the film it doesn't detract from it. Whether you like it or not, film-making is an art. Just like painting, drawing, writing or any other form of expression. Some filmmakers just don't have any sense of art, they only wish to mindlessly entertain. That's why people say things like TV rots your mind. Well, I guess that if you watch anything in a mindless manor that could be true. But film that has something to say, something to think about is a worthwhile use of time and intellect.

Pixel Vampire Death!

it's OK for vampires to smoke.

I have a fairly large collection of "horror" films and "Art House" and I can tell you that Nadja is one of my all time favorites. Every time I watch it I see something new, get a different little joke or notice different connections that I didn't get before. I also enjoy many of the "Mindless entertainment" variety of Vampire films,and so a quote from the writer David Goyer who wrote the screenplays for Blade, "Sometimes you just want to see somebody kick some ass!".

Most people don't realize how huge the genre of Vampire Cinema really is. Dracula is the definitely the most filmed character in film history, and the greater tree of Vampire films in world cinema is so big that it almost impossible to accurately list. Of the Art House and Vintage, comedy and Vampire Hunter categories I would recommend checking out some of my favorites. Many Vampire films are a hybrid of two or more of these categories,but they all have different points that I find attractive,humorous, exciting, entertaining and thought provoking. Again, I haven't seen but a small selection of the huge list of Vampire cinema, so it's likely that I'll be leaving out many excellent selections and maybe some of your favorites in this list. I'm giving this list because the film Nadja could very well be enjoyed if you like some of the films that I like and have been entertained by.

Daughter of Dracula.

Art House and Vintage: Nosferatu 1922 (The original granddaddy Vampire film from the silent era. The Kino Version is worth paying for with an excellent soundtrack option featuring musicians from Art Zoid), Nosferatu the Vampyre (Werner Herzog), Shadow of the Vampire (a fun comedy-fictional story based around the making of F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu-1922), Vampyr (Carl Theodor Dreyer's atmospheric masterpiece, even though part's of the film were created by accident!),Dracula (1931), The Hammer Dracula series (featuring the great Christopher Lee), Dracula-Pages from a Virgin's diary (a modern silent film of a Canadian Ballet company filmed by Guy Madden), Blood for Dracula (also known as Andy Worhol's Dracula), Immortality, Ganja and Hess, Habit, Near Dark, Salem's Lot (Based on the novel by Stephan King-the original mini-series, I haven't seen the newer remake) Bram Stoker's Dracula (The love it or hate it classic by F. Coppola). 

Some of my favorites from the Vampire Hunter sub-genre: The Blade Series (Again one of those "Love it or hate it" series for some.), John Carpenter's Vampires (This one is hard to classify, lots of comedy too.), The Captain Kronos-Vampire Hunter films by Hammer studios, The Forsaken, and the British TV series "Ultraviolet" (an X-Files type mini-series). Also worth mention is the Japanese-Anime films Vampire Hunter D-Bloodlust (You'll forget that you're watching a cartoon, the story's that good!), and Blood-The last Vampire (A short but well done film that eventually became an animé of its own).

Count what?!

Nadja is one of the jewels of my collection because it is truly a multi-faceted piece of film-making that defies categorization.

Here's the movie trailer:

Bonus tracks for the excellent soundtrack provided by My Bloody Valentine! What a great record did they make with "Loveless" 

"Lose My Breath"



"Soon"

Prom Night

If you're not back by midnight...

"Prom Night" emerged at the beginning of a decade, which also marked a decade for the rise and fall of slasher films as we know them. Along with "Terror Train" and "The Fog", "Prom Night" is one of Jamie Lee Curtis's most well-known returns to the genre after "Halloween", though it still remains fairly obscure to many horror fans and general audiences. The plot centers on Kim Hammond (Curtis), daughter of her high school's principal (Leslie Nielsen). She's popular, well-liked, and seems to have it all. Unfortunately, Kim and her family are haunted by the mysterious death of her younger sister, Robin, who died after falling from the top floor of an abandoned building ten years prior; the police blamed a schizophrenic child predator on the crime, but little do they know, there were four children who were there and whom were responsible for the incident. Those four children are now high school seniors, classmates and friends of Kim; it's prom night, which is incidentally the ten year anniversary of Robin's death. Kim will be crowned prom queen. Some won't live to see it.

Prom Night Killer.

Time to die.

If the "Prom Night"'s plot set-up sounds familiar, that's because it is. Though the film was fresh twenty-some years ago, its originality has been obstructed by the plethora of slasher films that followed in its wake, which may leave some viewers bored and running the numbers; but if you can look past this, "Prom Night" is an extremely fun film. It has a little bit of everything going for it: an elusive killer, odd phone calls, probable motives, sassy high school girls, disco dancing, a ski-mask, and, most importantly, an axe. Team up the carefree high school environment with five teenagers' dark secret, and accompany that with a hellbent murderer on prom night, and you've got yourself a straightforward, suspenseful piece of slasher cinema.

Evil kids.

And... it's gone.

Granted, the film is dated, and the disco dances and funky hairdos of the day may be distracting to some extent, but the nostalgia of that era is in every frame. Paul Zaza's score is appropriately ominous and ignites a feeling of being under watch by... someone, and at all times. Director Paul Lynch also does a fine job here, showing us just enough, but not too much. Nice establishing shots of the high school's hallways at night set the stage for the action that ensues as night falls and the prom begins, and several impressive instances of cinematography abound (the slow-motion throat slash murder which only shows us a close- up of the victim's facial expression, followed by a fade-in to the red punch bowl being one example). There are several surprisingly artsy shots in the film, and the camera-work is, for the most part, clever. The film has a rather bright, hazy look to it as well, which, whether intended or not, gives the movie another sort of texture.

Did you fart?

I think I'm on my period guys.

Performance-wise, we've got a surprisingly decent cast of 20-somethings playing 18-year-olds. Nonetheless, most all involved give commendable performances, Jamie Lee Curtis included. Leslie Nielsen's role is minor, but he's great, and Eddie Benton does a good job as the jealous rich girl of the school (and might I say, she has one of the best chase scenes I've ever seen in a horror film). Though the film takes roughly an hour before all the mayhem ensues, the build-up is worth the wait— the final 15 minutes of the film are incredibly fun (almost as fun as the hokey disco dance scene with Jamie Lee Curtis and Casey Stevens, ala "Saturday Night Fever"). The killer himself is eerie and has an interesting choice of weapons (a shard of broken mirror), even though his whispering "now!" upon each murder might sound funny. The revelation at the end of the film may or may not be expected, depending on the viewers' familiarity with these types of films. Either way, it's pretty poignant for a slasher movie.

Head chop.

Blood on the dance floor, literally.

Although it has some good qualities and was moderately successful when first released, the movie is bloodless in almost every respect, plus the murders are so murky and dimly lit. Jamie Lee Curtis, playing Kim, the older sister of the murdered young girl, is good as the popular student who wants to be elected prom queen. But she, unfortunatly, is not one of the four students targeted by the masked ax-weilding killer. In fact, she frequently becomes a suspect along with her father the school principal, as well as her younger brother Alex, the creepy school janitor, and the school bully. But the identity of the killer is fairly obvious. But so much time is spent on establishing red herrings that more than two-thirds of the movie pass before any of the killings begin. The production values are also good, but the film is starting to show its age.

Contents: Six killings, scant blood, one decapitation, Jamie Lee Curtis as prom queen, no nudity, no real suspense, no pace, lots of disco music and dancing.

Ass!

Prom night sex.

Overall, "Prom Night" is a wonderful example of slasher prototypes. It was early enough to not be considered a total rip-off, and it's got a lot of interesting things going for it, no matter how by-the-numbers it seems today. It's suspenseful, sometimes spooky, and genuinely fun and lively. Factor in some wonderful murder scenes, a budding scream queen, an eerie score, and a full-fledged disco blood-bash, and you have yourself one of the most memorable slasher films of the 1980s. Besides, watching this film will allow you to say: "Scream & I Know what You Did Last Summer suck!"

Here's the movie trailer:

Amityville 3D

Deadly house in 3D.

Horror movies had their golden years in the 70's & 80's. It is of no surprise to anyone than most of the films made in those years are today either considered as classics or as influential films. Even the most obscure films made in those years did have an impact on how late 90's and 2000's directors would tell their stories. Today's entry is of course one of those influential films. 

Amityville 3D is the second sequel to the supposedly fact based thriller The Amityville Horror is a worthy installment in the otherwise wretched series of shockers. Richard Fleischer, a Hollywood veteran brings a skill to the proceedings that were conspicuously absent from the original film, which was more notable for the laughably bad performances of James Brolin and Rod Steiger than it was for inducing chills. The performances in "Amityville 3-D," or "Amityville: the Demon" as it is known on television, didn't deserve Oscar consideration, but they are professional and, in the case of Candy Clark's suspicious photographer, almost inspired.

3D opening titles.

Yes kids, 3D started long before you think.

The movie opens in typical haunted house fashion: a seance is being held in the notorious Long Island house where, in earlier films, toilets backed up (shudder!), marching bands played in the dead of night (shudder again!), and a giant red-eyed pig named Jody roamed the premises and engaged in small talk with children (Babe in an early role?). The seance produces mysterious apparitions and odd noises, all of which are exposed by two of the participants--a reporter and his photographer-- as a hoax. The realtor denies any involvement in the souped-up spookiness and explains to the reporter (Tony Roberts on holiday from Woody Allen's repertory company) that the house's infamous reputation is such that he's willing to sell it at a bargain rate. Roberts, newly divorced and eager for a peaceful environment in which to write his great American novel, buys it, all the while ignoring the warnings of his less courageous colleague, the delightful Miss Clark. Soon after he buys the house the former owner is found dead by Baxter himself inside the house. Although Melanie tries to convince Baxter that his death had to do with the paranormal, he still thinks that the credit people gives to the house about being haunted is something of no real importance and that the former owner's death was a mere coincidence. No more, no less.

Baxter, schepctical of the story behind the house makes the place his home in little time even inviting her daughter Susan to pick a room for whenever she feels like paying a little visit to her dad's. Strangely enough, Susan chooses the room in which the former owner of the house was attacked by hundreds of flies. Later, every single one of Baxter's guests do experience a random paranormal activity. Sadly, her daughter Susan is the one that gets the worse. Although it is not clear if her death (by drowning in a boat trip with her friends) has something to do with the spirit that haunts the house, we are led to believe she becomes trapped within the spirit that lives in the underground well. 

Melanie the photographer at her best.

Forgetting about his scheptical point of view about the paranormal, Baxter calls the group of "experts" that work with him in his paranormal activity magazine to aid him in the search of her daughter's soul (Remember, the conection between her death & the house spirit is not quite clear) So, we have to assume Baxter decided her girl's death by drowning was somehow connected to the house because her wife "saw her" going upstairs to her room completely wet (no, not that kind of wet you kinky pervs) seconds after her friends rescued her from falling to the river. Suddenly and for no clear reason, all of the experts are not surprised of seeing Susan's ghost talking to her mother and telling her to follow her downstairs to the underground deep well. Baxter stated himself in earlier scenes that he and his crew have never found anything when searching for haunted houses in their past so why would you feel so comfy seeing an actual ghost for the first time in your life? man, I wish  I could be that professional when facing uncharted territories for the first time!  

After the ghost does show his true colors he swallows one of Baxter's helpers and the house goes wacko starting to kill every single crew member of the poltergeist event at ease. Of course, Baxter and his wife eventually find a way out of the house that his freezing like the north pole and voilá! it burns and explodes!!

Despite all the plot holes, some talented performers are on view in this film, and if not for their admirable abilities to keep a straight face, the movie would be a lot funnier than it's supposed to be and sometimes is. Roberts is his usual non-plussed self, refusing to accept any supernatural explanations for the bizarre circumstances taking place around him.

This is the ideal house for a divorced men looking to fuck bitches.

I don't want our daughter around that house while you fuck bitches.

The special-effects are adequate, but they do the trick, and probably worked better in 3D, which is the way the film was presented theatrically. The process is evident in the use of so many scenes in which hands are extended toward the camera and, in one scene, a frisbee is tossed directly at the audience.

To purists Amityville 3D will never take its place beside the greats of the horror genre, but neither will its two predecessors. However, unlike those failed shockers, number 3 succeeds on its own modest terms, providing, amid the occasional unintended chuckle, a few moments of genuine suspense and a thrill or two. It's a satisfying spook show on the same level as the William Castle flicks of the late 50s and early 60s ("The Tingler," "House on Haunted Hill," et al). 

However, the film does try to deliver some of the elements that would make a classic horror movie a classic. For instance, the background music plays its own part during most of the movies, turning non scary scenes into the something's-about-to-happen type of scene. Also, a very unique item is introduced in these kinds of movies for the first time which is, if you are meant to die your picture will have your face distorted. Yeah! what some thought for years was a brilliant original idea from japanese director Hideo Nakata and his Ringu trilogy did happen in 1983. By the way, do you remember how Ringu's Sadako was thrown into a deep well? Well, Amityville does have an evil well as well. In fact, it is hidden in the underground floor just like Hideo Nakata's Ringu well was. Coincidence? steal? inspiration? your choice. 

The Ouija game.

The misteryous well & 2 afraid girls.

The acting as stated before may not be award winning quality but it is quite good for the kind of film anyways. Meg Ryan does an early impersonation of a slutty girl who seems very interested in the story behind the house and the new owner (yeah, the clichéd daughter's best friend horny for daddy) But her part is just a minor role. The rest of the cast do a convincing job with a very hard to be convincing kind of script. 

Susan's spirit bubblegum.

The presence that haunts the house.

Anyways, if you are forgiving with a few aspects of the minimum standards of filming & producing movies, this film will entertain you. Just remember it was 1983 and the special effects were very limited in those days (yeah, I'm talking about the well monster scene) 

Here's the movie trailer:

The Trial of the Incredible Hulk

The many trials of David Banner.

The Trial of the Incredible Hulk is the 1989 TV movie sequel to the previous Incredible Hulk Returns TV movie, Featuring for the first time ever the Hulk and  Daredevil team up that joins forces to defeat Wilson Fisk, AKA, the Kingpin. As was the case with The Incredible Hulk Returns, this television movie also acted as a backdoor television pilot for a Daredevil series. However, this information is only based on rumours rather than in factual evidence so I can no guarantee you this actually happened. Maybe someday Stan Lee will tell us the truth about this irrelevant relevant issue in the world of comic books fandom.

On the run again after the events of the previous TV movie, David Banner (Bill Bixby) is working up north under the name David Belson. Disenchanted and at the end of his rope, David makes his way towards a large city with the hopes of renting a room and staying buried. Unbeknownst to him, the city he arrives in is under the control of a powerful underworld kingpin named Wilson Fisk (John Rhys-Davies) but is also protected by a mysterious black-clad crimefighter known as Daredevil!. When two of Fisk's men come onto the commuter subway train after having committed a jewel robbery, David witnesses an attempted sexual assault by one of the two Fisk's men onboard the skytrain, so, he kinda dislikes the situation and transforms into the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) to ask them nicely to leave the girl alone. A short while later, David is arrested by the police and wrongfully charged with the crime.

While awaiting trial, blind defense attorney Matt Murdock (Rex Smith) is assigned to David's case. David is uncooperative but Murdock has faith that he is innocent and is determined to prove so. One night while fast asleep, David has a nightmare about his upcoming trial and dreams about transforming into the Hulk on the witness stand. The stress of this causes him to transform in reality and the Hulk subsequently breaks free of the prison.

 I knew I shouldn't have eaten those Tacos.

Hulk teams up again.

Subsequent events see David Banner team up with Daredevil who reveals his identity as Matt Murdock. Matt tells David about his origins which David has trouble accepting at first. Daredevil also reveals that he has an ally on the Police force who provides him with information relating to criminal activity. As Daredevil, Matt goes to investigate a tip provided by his informant. The tip turns out to have been planted by the Kingpin and Daredevil is badly hurt in an ambush by the Kingpin's men. David rushes to save Matt but he is too late to help, becomes angry, and transforms into Hulk. The Hulk, in turn, smashes in and saves Matt and Kingpin and his men flee. Matt who is barely conscious, traces the Hulk's face as he transforms back to David, thus learning his secret.

Kingpin, in the meantime, has the witness to events on the subway kidnapped from protective custody in order to have her killed but she is saved by the Kingpin's assistant who finds her attractive. The Kingpin is also planning a major meeting of underworld crime lords in order to propose the consolidation of their operations into a big syndicate with himself as chairman.

David who is trained as a medical doctor, treats Matt's injuries and spreads the cover story that Matt got hurt falling down the stairs. Matt's self-confidence is seriously shaken. David's confidence on the other hand has been restored by seeing how Matt has embraced his unique gifts also caused by exposure to radiation. After a little coaxing from David, Matt begins to recover and retrain his body. Soon enough, the two return to work and go to save the captured woman. The two engage the Kingpin and his men and ultimately succeed in beating him. Kingpin and his assistant escape and the prisoner is freed. The two part ways as friends and allies with David planning to head in search of a cure for himself and Matt will stay in the city and protect it.

Original promo art from 1989.

the man without fear.

Did you know?

This movie was the first live-action Marvel film or television project to feature a cameo appearance from famed creator Stan Lee, as the jury foreman in Banner's imagined trial. During this scene the Hulk also wears his signature purple pants, the first time the Bixby/Ferrigno Hulk did so.

Rhys-Davies would later appear with Lou Ferrigno on the animated Incredible Hulk series voicing Thor, whom Ferrigno allied with in the live-action movie The Incredible Hulk Returns. However, due to the lack of a Hulk-Out from Banner in the final act, this marked the first time the two really worked together. The two characters would not be seen on screen together again until the Marvel Cinematic Universe versions of the characters appeared in the 2012 crossover film The Avengers.

In Sweden they changed the name on the movie to Den otrolige Hulken i New York (The Incredible Hulk In New York) even though the city in the movie is a fictional city and not New York City, although in the comics the Daredevil does works out of New York City. In 2003 the Swedish title was re-changed into "Hulken och Daredevil" ("The Hulk And Daredevil")

The movie is titled The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, being a metaphor for Banner's trials and tribulations in the film which represent those in his entire life. Literally, Banner never stands trial except for in a dream.

Long live Vancouver!

The Canadian city of Vancouver's then newly-built rapid transit system, SkyTrain, made its first formal cinematic appearance in the film. Shots were done both on a train, as well as the penultimate Burrard Station on the westbound platform and this is the most important fact because I live in Vancouver and usually go through that station whenever I go to Gastown!

Here's the cool movie trailer:

The Incredible Hulk Returns

Hulk smash!!!!

Hulk may not be one of the most well written characters in the world of comic books. In fact, the two poor attempts at bringing him to the big screen have proven that even world class film makers such as Ang Lee can not deliver the essence of the character as good as it is delivered on its original source which brings us to the following questions: Does Hulk lack the personality to turn him into a blockbuster movie? Is he just too fictitious to make his way out of a comic book? or are the people that have had the mission of taking him to the movies world fully and utterly uncapable of doing such job? Maybe.

Hulk, like most Marvel Comics characters is not a demi god entity who is always admired by saving the day properly leaving no casualties/damage behind. Hulk is a monster, a thing you would not wish to be. An error, a terrible error, and behind him there is a suffering brilliant mind that can not get rid of his "Mr. Hyde" persona as easy as 1,2,3. Now, there are many other comic book characters that go through the same unfaithful burden and have gotten a much better impersonation on the big screen. 

You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

This is a deluxe team up!

Hold your horses mister know it all! what about Hulk in the Avengers movie? 

Everyone knows in 2012 who Hulk is so, as a secondary character it is not so difficult to actually picture him in our minds as a strong entity but, can he make it as the lead role? Of course he can! the problem is not the character! the problem is the whole film making industry who is viciously obsessed with CGI and special effects of all sorts! we already have one Avatar movie! Why do every motherfucking comic book wannabe producer/director see the Hulk as a triumphant oportunity for the latest CGI crap? The answer is very simple: They lack imagination and talent, and they are overpayed.

Let's get on my De Lorean time machine and set our course to the late 70's, a time in which entire families around the globe would gather around the tube to watch the misadventures of Dr. David (Bruce) Banner on his neverending crusade to find a cure to his unique illness. I'm not biased or anything but, believe me, the people who worked in the Incredible Hulk TV series DID know how to work out characters & plot with little money and even little or no special effects at all. Unfortunately, the show didn't age like wine and was cancelled in 1982...

Genius!

Out of the way!

...After six years since its last prime-time show (June 1982) Stan Lee and Nicholas Corea brought back Marvel Comics' strongman the Incredible Hulk. Though this time David Banner has become the closest ever to be cured. He has a new girlfriend,bumped into a old colleague,and well into his medical career. Unlike in the past he worked odd jobs until his alter-ego was summons. But David banner in this movie has a new life were he doesn't feel he has to runaway anymore. Till an old colleague sneaks into David's job and his trouble begans. David's colleague tells him a story that during his journey up north he discovered a hammer that can summon an old viking hero. As the old viking hero appeared David mis-judged his well-being as being destructive which forced him to become the hulk...

Of the three reunion films they made, I felt Returns is the closest to the series for the following reasons: 

1. This movie started with the intro of the original series with the colored lettering added. And by the way, it was not Edward Platt who did the narrative in the intro, it was the late Ted Cassidy (Lurch from the Addams Family). 

2. Nicholas Corea was one of the head honchos along with Bill Bixby and served a director of the movie.

3. The famous slow motion from the series was used in this movie. 

4. Jack Colvin returns as Jack McGee. This is the only reunion movie he was in. Why he was not in the others I will never know.

These are the reasons this movie gets my vote for being closest to the series. However, what separates it from the series is the lack of continuity. Lou Ferrigno talks about this in his book, "My Incredible Life As the Hulk". The reunion movies were filmed by that cheesy cheap company, Roger Corman's New World Productions instead of Universal and Kenneth Johnson had no involvement in it. Otherwise, I'm sure the continuity goof would have been corrected. The biggest continuity goof for me was that Jack McGee was back to pursuing the Hulk (and not even running into him once), but he'd forgotten all about his "John Doe". 

I'm a god & I rock!

Lemme out!

Bill Bixby once again delivers nothing short of superb excellence in his performance as Dr. David Banner (or David Banyon to everyone around him). Lou Ferrigno was bigger and bulkier than ever as the Hulk and gave an outstanding performance. I enjoyed seeing Jack Colvin one more time as Jack McGee, but only wished he had been in there more. Lee Purcell has got to be one of the most beautiful women that ever appeared on the Hulk as Dr. Maggie Shaw. Her relationship with David and her residence at that beach house gave me flashbacks to the Married episode.

Noteworthy villains were Tim Thomerson and veteran Hulk guest actor Charles Napier. Lance Rubin was the right man to succeed Joe Harnell in the musical score and gave it a more technological late 80's sound. 

What I didn't care for was the addition of Thor and Donald Blake. This movie did not need that. But for what it's worth, Eric Allen Kramer was fun and amusing as Thor, the Norse God and Steve Levitt's Don Blake was pretty much a geek. It was like the Geek and the Jock as best friends.

Dr. Banner's girlfriend.

I would definitely recommend this reunion movie to anybody who has never seen it. Even though it's a little more comic bookish in story than the old series, it's still worth watching. I give it two thumbs up.

Here's the made for TV trailer: