When White Wolf Game Systems sued the makers of “Underworld
” for ripping off their world, with its highly social and politicized vampires who sleep for eons and their violent emnity with werewolves, it was assumed it was because they were trying to cash in on WWGS’ World of Darkness.
Yes and no.
“Underworld” is theoretically about vampires and werewolves, but honestly, it mostly ends up being leather-clad people shooting fancy guns at other leather-clad people. In other words, it devolves into the worst sort of World of Darkness game, with angsty gun-toting idiots killing other angsty gun-toting idiots over something that probably made sense at the beginning of the evening, but eventually just becomes an excuse for posturing and gunplay.
In the DVD extras, one of the creators of the film says “Underworld” might be one of the best vampire movies ever made. This might be true if no other vampire movies ever had been made. As it is, it’s not the worst ever — the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie holds onto the left end of the bell curve with a death grip — but this confused, muddled and ultimately pointless film isn’t much better than mediocre, at the end of the day.
Vampire fans are advised to check out “Near Dark,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “From Dusk Til Dawn” or even “Fright Night” or “Lost Boys” for a better vampire experience.
A rental at best. A recommended buy only for the most diehard World of Darkness fans.
The trailers for “Idle Hands” implied the film was a madcap horror comedy when, in reality, the filmmakers created something more along the lines of “An American Werewolf in London.” Granted, they don’t come near the high water mark of that film, or even the later “Fright Night” or “The Lost Boys,” but “Idle Hands” has genuine moments of horror along with its comedy, although neither element is particularly memorable.
From the icky premise to the icky undead friends acting as Greek chorus to the hot babe inexplicably drawn to the protagonist to the dark finale, “Idle Hands” bears the mark of the creators watching “American Werewolf” over and over and over again while creating this film.
Of course, it’s not as though “An American Werewolf in London” is difficult to find at your local video store. For those looking for those sorts of thrills, stick with the original, as well as “Fright Night” and “Lost Boys.”
“Idle Hands” is a recommended rental for fans of Seth Green or Jessica Alba, but other horror fans should give it a miss.
There is, throughout Terry Pratchett’s “Sourcery,” a somewhat sorrowful tone being struck amidst the high spirited comedy and dramatic saving the world (again) sorts of action.
Because, at the heart of this story of how a most magical being, one whose very existence could unravel the fabric of the universe, is a scared and cruelly tormented little boy. That Pratchett keeps this in mind, and indeed, makes his salvation just as important as saving the world, is a credit to his skills as a writer and heart as a person.
The eighth son of an eighth son is a wizard. And the eighth son of a normally celibate wizard is a sourcerer, a living font of magical energies. But it’s slightly more complicated than that: a father with a grudge against the magical establishment, a magical establishment (the cast of Unseen University, alternately pathetic and for once frightening) that’s hungry for power, and a chain of events that quickly gets out of control all hurtle this story towards disaster.
Along the way, we get introduced to the daughter of the greatest hero in Discworld’s history, who just desperately wants to be a hairdresser but finds that some things are just in her blood. We also pick up a very unlikely barbarian hero and a literary minded monarch and his fabulous pleasuredome. And, of course, the magic-less wizard Rincewind and his animate Luggage make a triumphant (well, as triumphant as Rincewind gets) return.
“Sourcery” is Pratchett’s most heartfelt novel to date, and he puts the characters ahead of plot or jokes — although there are plenty, especially concerning Conina and Unseen University — and it makes for one of the best Discworld novels to date.
Strongly recommended.
My favorite Sheryl Crow record, without question, is her eponymous title of a few years ago, wherein she indulged in Liz Phair-style whimsy like “Maybe Angels.”
That sort of spirit — as well as Phair herself — shows up at times on this new album, but for the most part, “C’mon, C’mon” feels like a somewhat downbeat party to which Crow has invited her all-star friends. For the most part, they blend in invisibly with Crow and her back-up performers, and don’t bring much to the party. It’s nice to know Stevie Nicks is staying out of trouble, but she doesn’t add much to the album, for instance.
When Sheryl Crow one day assembles a greatest hits album, “Soak Up The Sun” and “Steve McQueen” will make it onto that album, but the rest of this work won’t get a second look.
This is a good album for ardent Crow fans, but those new to her music would be better advised to pick up her debut album or her aforementioned self-titled work.
I was expecting “Dracula 2000” to be a giant disaster of a film, but was pleasantly surprised by it. This film doesn’t have the ambition of, say, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” but it still takes the genre seriously and does right by it.
In many ways, the movie is extremely faithful to the original book, just presupposing that Dracula wasn’t able to be killed at the end of Stoker’s story, and was just sealed away instead, waiting for some idiot to free him from his imprisonment …
I don’t want to say more, but vampire fans will find a lot to like in this. There’s some nastiness with leeches that is even cooler when explained, nice dream sequences, excellent stuff with Dracula’s three new “brides,” solid acting by all involved (although no one in the cast is going to be up for an Oscar, they act to the best of their ability, and Vitamin C is surprisingly good — those interested in seeing the film for her might want to know that she’s the star of the film’s brief nude scene) and some good stunts and action sequences. There’s also a nifty Biblical origin given for vampires that I quite liked.
There’s one or two goofy bits — are we expected to believe streets in New Orleans’ French Quarter are EVER totally empty during Mardi Gras, any time of the day or night? — but overall, it was a nice lightweight vampire flick. Nothing brilliant, but not maddening in its stupidity like “John Carpenter’s Vampires.”
I’d rate it better than “John Carpenter’s Vampires,” but below just below “Fright Night” and a littler further below “Lost Boys” and “From Dusk Til Dawn” in terms of lightweight vampire flicks. A solid rental choice.
|
|
