Interview with a Vampire

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This is based off the novel, of the same title, written by Anne Rice (which was based off a short story also written by Anne Rice).  This film follows Louis de Pointe du Lac who tells his life story to reporter Daniel Molloy. Louis tells the story of how he became a vampire, and everything that happened after he was given the dark gift. 

This film was directed by Neil Jordan. I can't say how well this story held up to the novel, but it did manage to please Anne Rice in the end. This film is made for a specific audience. It's made for those who enjoy vampire films, and for the fans of the novel. The story follows the vampire instead of following the victim which was a great twist. It presents a more intimate and mournful picture of vampires that audience's could enjoy. Even though it present a different image of vampires, it still retains the horror feel of the monster genre. This film manages to present a timeless feel to it. The costumes, music, and background makes the world vampires feel realistic. This film isn't for young children, obviously. 

The cast worked together surprisingly well. Brad Pitt played the role of Louis de Pointe du Lac. He was amazing in this role. He gave his character the deep emotions he needed, and kept him from being overly whiney. Tom Cruise played the role of Lestat de Linocourt. He was amazing in this role as well. He created the villainous vampire that audience's could love and fear. Kirsten Dunst played the role of Claudia.  She was also great as a child actor portraying the un-aging child. Stephen Rea played the role of Santiago. He was good in his role creating the villain audience's wanted dead. Antonio Banderas played the role of Armand. He was amazing in his small role. He kept his character from disappearing. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It's a great vampire film that will scare you as much as it entices you.

Answer to last blog: Director Timur Bekmambetov also directed the film Wanted (as well as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter).

Que: What other vampiric film did actor Stephen Rea star in?

Underworld: Awakening

Dracula

Van Helsing

Salem's Lot (TV Film)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

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This film is based off the mash-up (a mixing of pre-existing text with a popular genre) novel, of the same name, written by Seth Grahame-Smith. This film follows the life story of Abraham Lincoln in a different light. The south is controlled by vampires who gain their blood from their slaves. Lincoln begins by learning to destroy vampires in order to avenge the death of his mother. He soon takes on the challenge of fighting against all vampires within the United States, and politically attempts to make America a country for the living. 

This film was directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Now, this film's story is not meant to be taken as historical fact, or a historical joke. The explanation is in the genre, Fantasy Action Horror. This is merely meant to present a fantasy horror story! However, the story does bring to light American history, and old American value's of freedom and honesty. The story as part of the monster genre was good. It created a new, dark image, for vampires. Shattering the image of the Cullen family. The story interjecting historical fact was combined into a gothic, and  satisfying, story. The story is moderately predictable, especially if you know you're history. However, the film itself hurt the story. There was an excessive amount of gore that could've been better spent adding more depth to stories emotional sequences. The film was done well cinematography wise playing with gothic colors, tons of computer animation, and colonial Washington. This film was shown more as an action film, and did its job at being a great action film. It was great watching the axe in motion. There was a lot of unnecessary computer animation, but it did work for the film. The weapons used gave the film its period fell, even if they weren't presented truthfully. The make-up effects for aging the actors was well done. 

The cast was good in this film. Benjamin Walker played the leading role of Abraham Lincoln. Now, Lincoln is a hard character pull off, because he had both charisma and presence. Unfortunately, Walker didn't give Lincoln the presence, or power, that was needed for the character. He was good giving Lincoln emotions, and was good at the action. Dominic Cooper played the role of Henry Sturgess. He was good in his role as the man who trained Lincoln to be a hunter. He needed to bring more emotion to his character, particularly when he talked about his past. Anthony Mackie played the role of Will Johnston. He was great in his role as a best friend. Jimmi Simpson played the role of Joshua Speed. He was great in his small role. There wasn't enough to make his character connect to the audience. Mary Elizabeth Winstead played the role of Mary Todd Lincoln. She was great in her role. She created the emotional wife, and gave the film its story. Rufus Sewell played the role of Adam. He was great as the general villain. Erin Wasson played the role of Vadoma. She did good in her small role. 

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! It's a great story, but it didn't transfer to film as well. It's a good action/horror film that brings evilness back to vampires. 

Answer to last blog: Actress Julianne Hough stared in the musical film Burlesque (as well as Rock of Ages). 

Que: what other film did director Timur Bekmambetov direct?

Cloverfield

Wanted

Hancock

Doomsday

Rock of Ages (2012)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

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Film Code Page!

This film is a film adaptation from the rock/jukebox Broadway Musical, of the same name, by Chris D'Arienzo. This film follows the story of 1980's rock music through various characters. Sherrie Christian comes to L.A. to establish her singing career. She gets a job at The Bourbon Room, the birthplace of several rock n'roll stars like Stacee Jaxx, where she meets Drew Boley. Drew Boley is also trying to establish his career in rock n'roll. Stacee Jaxx returns to The Bourbon Room for his final concert before starting his solo career. All the while, Patricia Whitmore (the mayor's wife), is attempting to shut down The Bourbon Room to clean up the city streets. 

This film was directed by Adam Shankman. This film is full of big named actors and popular 1980's rock n'roll music. The story for this film is very generic and not deeply engaging. It is a story that satirizes the rock n'roll industry. It does however, present an era in rock music history. It also presents an opportunity to remind audience's of why rock n'roll is great! The story is told through its music, and through its crazy adult humour. The humour is highly sexual and drug/alcohol oriented, so I would not recommend bringing small children to this film. There is also some gay humour that is great for the film. It was not too over the top, and it wasn't boring. The music was great, and the film sequences worked well together. It also felt as if you were watching a live concert. The music created the characters and the era. The costumes were highly eccentric, as they needed to be. The wigs finished that 1980's feel perfectly. Using The Bourbon Room as its main backdrop was great. It was a small popular club that housed several of the biggest stars. The story also focused on the complications that Rock n'roll face between women of ethical values, greedy managers, and studio executives lack of appreciation for the genre. This film was made for classic rock lovers and comedic audiences. 

The cast worked well together creating amazing characters. Julianne Hough played the role of Sherrie Christian. "Sister christian oh the time has come".  She was good in her role of being the naive rock n'roll girl.  Diego Boneta played the role of Drew Boley. He was good playing the naive rocker. Tom Cruise played the role of Stacee Jaxx. He was great playing the character role of a rock legend. He proves he's a much better character actor. Catherine-Zeta Jones played the role of Patricia Whitmore. She was great to watch in this film-even if the role is unexpected. Alec Baldwin played the role of Dennis Dupree. He gave the film som great humour as the club owner. Russell Brand played the role of Lonny. He gave the film great comedy without going to far. Paul Giamatti played the role of Paul Gill. He was great playing the sleaze manager. Malin Akerman played the role of Constance Sack. She was good in her small role of the reporter. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It does a great job in bringing back classic rock to modern audiences. It also provides great humour to a generic story. 

Answer to last blog: Enrico Casarosa, director of the short La Luna, was the art director for the Disney Pixar film Ratatouille. 

Que: What other musical has actress Julianne Hough starred in?

Chicago

Moulin Rouge

Nine

Burlesque

Brave (2012)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

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Film Code Page!

Princess Merida lives in 10th century Scotland with her parents and her three little brothers. Her mother, Queen Elinor, has attempted to raise Merida to be a lady like herself. After learning that her future husband will be decided on a contest, Merida challenges the traditions of her kingdom. Afterwards, she finds a witch in the woods who gives her a spell to change her fate. 

This film was directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell. This 100 minute film has a different a new feel form other Pixar films, because it has more of feminine perspective (having its first female protagonist and female bonding). It is also different because it is Pixar's first fairytale adventure film that harkens to Disney classic animated features. There is an opening short to this film called La Luna which was directed by Enrico Casarosa. The opening created a cute and magical opening for the film. This film has a great heartwarming story that focuses around mother daughter relationships. The addition of magic was subtle, but could've been explored a little more. The villain, Mordu, and the witch also felt unnecessary. Mordu was great for the story, but he could've been better applied. The story is also confusing in that it should have been more of a chick flick, and less about drunken men chasing a bear. However, all the elements come together for a great ending. The story didn't have that build up in tension and adventure that it needed to have. The film was adorable in several moments. The film's pacing was awkward focusing on the wrong parts of the story. It was however, darker and more realistic, than other Pixar/Disney films. For instance, there is some nudity and very subtle adult humour. There is some action in the film that compliments the story. The folklore music was a great compliment for the film, and the backdrop was also a treat to watch. The digital effects were great to watch in this film. It is truly impressive to see how far digital animation has come along-especially if you watch the realistic movements of the arrow. 

The cast was good together, and created decent heartfelt characters. Kelly MacDonald voiced the character Merida. She was great in this role. She created a tomboy princess which is different for Pixar films. She gave her character power and emotional depth. Emma Thompson voiced the character Elinor. She was good as the mother. It was unfortunate that she was over powered by Connolly. Billy Connolly voiced the character Fergus. He was a great comedic character that brought pure male personality to the film. He did tend to over power the other cast, but he was fun to watch. 

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! It is a good Pixar film, but it broke too much new ground that Pixar wasn't ready to break. It is a good heartfelt story, but it lacked appropriate pacing and focus. 

Answer to last blog: Actor Arnold Schwarznegger made a cameo appearance in the beginning of the film The Rundown. 

Que: What other Disney Pixar film did Enrico Casarosa work as art director?

Tangled

The Princess and the Frog

Cars

Ratatouille

look for the reviews of rock of ages and brave coming soon!

The Rundown (Welcome to the Jungle)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

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Film Code Page

This film follows Beck, a bounty hunter, working for a man he owes money to. He agrees to a final retrieval. He sets out to Brazil to find his boss' son, Travis Walker. Beck soon finds himself pulled into the search of el Gato Diablo (the devil cat, a golden statue).  Travis is the only person in El Dorado (Helldorado) who knows where el Gato Diablo is located. This makes him a target for Hatcher, a man who owns the mine and all other commerce in the town. It also makes him the target for the rebels fighting against Hatcher. 

This film was directed by Peter Berg, and is a comedic action film. This film was Dwayne Johnson's first true Hollywood role. This film was a good start for his career. The cinematography at times makes the film appear like a cheesy cartoon, as does its story. The story has a good premise for an action comedy film. The story as creates it as a generic action film, but it gives it some heart. At the same time the cinematography complimented the natural background of the jungle around the actors. The action was good in this film. Dwayne doesn't use guns in this film until the end. This allowed for some good basic action even if it was slightly glamorized by Hollywood effects. The physical action takes audiences back to Bruce Lee style films where one man takes down hundreds. This film, even though its an action comedy, is a very clean film. The film can get over the top in its comedy, but it does good in action. Children can watch it without being exposed to something too negative. (Watch out for monkeys!)

The cast worked well together. They kept themselves from going too over the top, and created a decent comedic action film. Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, played the role of Beck. He was good in this role. He let go of his pride and presented himself as more than just a wrestler. Seann William Scott played the role of Travis Walker. He was great in this film. He gave the film a lot of comedic timing. Rosario Dawson played the role of Marianna. She was good playing the female fighter. Christopher Walken played the role of Hatcher. He was an amazing villain for this film. He gave his character humour without lessing his villainous personality. 

 I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! It was a good action comedy film. It did get cartoonish at times, but it gave a generic story heart. 

Answer to last blog: Dwayne Johnson voice acted in the film Planet 51, and starred in the film Walking Tall. 

Que: Which action star made a cameo appearance in the beginning of this film?

Sylvester Stallone

Steve Austin

Bruce Willis

Arnold Schwarznegger

Walking Tall (2004)

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The Film Code Page

This film is a remake of a 1973 film, of the same title, and is based off the life of Sheriff Buford Pusser. Chris Vaughn has returned to him hometown in kitsnap County, Washington. When Vaughn returns he comes home to an unexpected surprise. The town has been over run with sex and drugs that remains linked to a casino owned by Jay Hamilton. After being attacked, Vaughn decides to take a stand and becomes the sheriff.

This film was directed by Kevin Bray. This film isn't an exact autobiography of Sheriff Buford Pusser. The character's name was changed, and he moved to a different county. It's obviously not like the original 1973 film. This film is more dedicated to his memory, as is its sequels (and yes there were sequels). The films stories are generally based around a sheriff who fights against drugs, vulgar sexuality, and gambling. So the story is very good versus bad making it a simple basic action plot. It's a generic action film, but the action is good. The action has a realistic feel to it. The cedar block of wood as a weapon was unique. It created controversy because director Bray wanted to use a bat instead of a block of wood. They just added a handle to it for a compromise. This did spend more time focusing on action than its story, and character build-up. Which isn't bad for a straight up action film. Surprisingly for a small town, and the main character's weapon choice, there was a ton of massive gunfire.

The actors worked well together, but the characters were too generic. Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, played the role of Chris Vaughn. This film really opened up his acting career in Hollywood. He was good playing the hero for this film. Johnny Knoxville played the role of Ray Templeton. He was good playing the comical best friend. Neal Mcdonough played the role of Jay Hamilton. He was an amazing villain in this film. Ashley Scott played the role Deni. She provides the film with its innocent sexuality in that she is rarely fully dressed.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It is a good simple action film. It's a great film to remind us that you don't need a gun to be an action hero.

Answer to last blog: Actor Wentworth Miller also played the role of Chris Redfield in the film Resident Evil: Afterlife (as well as Dr. Adam Lockwood from the film Underworld).

Que: What other film has Dwayne Johnson stared in?

2 Fast 2 Furious
Planet 51
A Dirty Shame
Timeline