The 3rd Eye (2017) - A Film that Does Not Know How to End

The 3rd Eye (2017) - A Film that Does Not Know How to End

So Rob and I watched a film last night, a ghostly horror film to be exact. In the middle Rob uttered the words: "We're going to have to watch something else after this before going to bed so I can sleep."

The film was very scary - I mean Ju-On - The Grudge level scary.

I was watching it through my fingers.

And then ... it totally lost all scariness, ending with a fizzle.

Turns out we didn't need to watch anything else because the film did it for us.

Now before I begin, I have to say, this is not a bad film - it is well worth a watch, just be aware it starts with a bang and finished with a sigh.

The film was The 3rd Eye (2017) aka Mata Batin - it's Indonesian and currently on Netflix.

Cast:

Jessica Mila ... Alia
Denny Sumargo ... Davin
Citra Prima ... Bu Windu
Bianca Hello ... Abel

Writers:

Riheam Junianti ... (screenplay)
Rocky Soraya ... (story)
Fajar Umbara ... (screenplay)

Beware - this post is going to have a few spoilers, although I'm not talking in detail about the whole plot.

It started strong with a scary opening set in 2005.

Then it had a totally throw away scene setting section (say that fast three times ;)) set in 2017, using a character that was literally only there to tell us all about how the lead characters' parents died and why they have to move back to their childhood home. I mean I've heard of throw away characters before, but he was literally just exposition.

It was all telling and no showing, but I can forgive that, because then it got scary again, and the plot moved on well.

The story is all about two sisters, the youngest of whom, Abel, is aware of the supernatural realm - her 3rd eye is open. She is attacked in their childhood home and wears headphones all the time so she can't hear the scary noises associated with spirits.

Abel and Alia in 2005 - The 3rd Eye (2017) aka Mata Batin

Alia, her older sister, seems to be a little sensitive, but not like Abel, and Alia goes off to Bangkok to spread her wings, only returning to Jakarta when their parents are killed in a tragic car accident. (This was not a subtle plot). Along with her comes her boyfriend Davin.

To help her sister, Alia asks the local psychic, Bu Windu, to open her 3rd eye so she can see what Abel sees.

Bu Windu, Abel and Alia - The 3rd Eye (2017) aka Mata Batin

The scenes where Alia finally realises that all the talk of dead people and ghosts is real is amazingly done. It takes us on the journey that Alia is having and does it brilliantly, because it allows us to suspect, before it throws us right in the deep end. The haunting scenes in the girls' childhood home are also fantastic. They could not have been done better.

It is brilliantly scary.

However, then it goes on too long.

The film finishes twice.

We find out more and more about the haunting during the film, and it only gets scarier with each part we discover. The ghosts are so well done and the eyes - OMG the eyes! However, eventually the plot starts to resolve and because of the way the film is structured we lose some of the fear. This would be perfectly valid if this was the end of the movie, but it's not - it has a whole 25 minutes left to go!

That's what I mean by it ending twice. It even technically changes antagonist. However, the second antagonist is never really a threat, so they aren't frightening.

It goes from tension-tension-tension to tension-even-though-it's-not-quite-as-scary to OMG-there's-how-long-left?!

Now I do love the twist at the end, but it is handled in such a clunky manner. It's like the writer couldn't figure out how to put it all together in one climax, so we had to have two, with a complete tension breaker in the middle.

I have to admit, I haven't watched many Indonesian films (we're getting to them on Netflix, but we've only seen 2), maybe this is how they like their horror movies - really scary and then with a chance to wind down at the end. However, it was a complete tension killer for me.

Also I think the lead characters would have benefited from the odd Valium. When the characters have been told to control their fear because their fear makes the spirits stronger, them running and screaming all the time gets old. It's like they're not even trying!

Anyway - to summarise - well worth a watch, but the ending is a bit of a let down for fans of really scary horror.

Have you seen The 3rd Eye? What did you think? Is it indicative of the Indonesian style of horror movie, or just this particular writer/director? Do you totally disagree with my assessment (and no, I won't mind)?

Nightflyers Review - Book to Big Screen to Small Screen

Nightflyers Review

Book to Big Screen to Small Screen

Nightflyers has had a special place in my heart since I first saw the 1987 movie some time in the 90s. It has spaceships and telepaths and telekinetics, so it hits many, many of my buttons where content is concerned. It also has Michael Praed as Royd Eris and Micheal Des Barres as Jon Winderman - 2 of my favourite 80s actors.

For many years I had no idea it was based on a novella, but when Game of Thrones came out and everyone was talking about George R.R. Martin I discovered it. Once again I enjoyed it, although not as much as the somewhat campy 80s film.

So when I heard that it was being remade for TV I was somewhat hesitant, especially given how I really don't like Game of Thrones. Hence, when it hit Netflix I didn't leap in immediately. However, I have to say that, mostly, my fears were unwarranted. Rob and I sat down to watch it and mainlined the first eight eps in one sitting, then went back for the final 2 last night.

The General Plot

The underlying plot of the story, and hence all 3 versions is, a group of explorers and scientists are investigating a space going entity called the Volcryn. Among their number is a powerful, slightly unstable telepath, who is supposed to help contact the entity if and when they find it. The ship is called the Nightflyer and her captain is a man named Roy(d) Eris who is very cagey about himself and his ship. The coordinator for the expedition is a genetically enhanced woman, and the scientist in charge is a man called D'Brannin. Things on the ship start going wrong and people start dying (what else would you expect from George R.R. Martin?).

The Novella

When it comes to the novella, I have to admit, I don't remember a huge amount of the details, I just remember it being close enough to the film to be satisfying, but different enough to be interesting, and that it ends with less finality. It's worth a read, but it did not stick in my brain. Hence this is about all I will be saying about it.

The 1987 Film

The 80s film is where my love of this franchise came from.

This is more of a grunge sci-fi than a shiny sci-fi, along the line of looking like Blade Runner rather than Star Trek. The Nightflyer is dark and industrial looking, except for the main lounge, and Royd appears as a somewhat scratchy hologram.

Michael Praed plays Royd, with his long 80s hair and dashing looks.

He's all mysterious and reserved, and fascinated by Miranda (Catherine Mary Stewart) the project coordinator.

The whole film is very, very 80s. Just look at Miranda (right) - can you get more 80s than mullet, shoulder pads and mirrored shades?

She is also the definition of "strong female character" as far as the 80s was concerned, in that she is stoic, strong, very, very fit and also a little bit mysterious.

And then there is Michael Des Barres as Jon Winderman, the unstable, often drunk telepath, who really doesn't seem to like anybody very much. As ever Michael Des Barres can be relied upon to be great as the character you know is going to go off the rails and be trouble at some point.

I always know I am going to enjoy a film if Michael Des Barres is in it, if not for just him.

Nightflyers is a movie that is going for dark and gritty and misses and ends up somewhere on the campy side. I love it, but it's definitely not high cinema. The characters are all somewhat stereotypes, but the actors seem to really enjoy themselves playing them, which comes across on the screen.

The plot moves fast, keeps us involved and entertained, and has enough gore and action to be exciting. It is sci-fi with a side of fantasy, because it pushes the whole telekinetic and telepathic parts a little too far too be scientific.

It is very much a movie that fit 80s sci-fi and, hence, I was somewhat confused as to how it could be remade thirty years later, let alone turned into a series.

The Series

As you can imagine the series differs from both the movie and the novella in some very significant ways, since it is basically going from a short tale format, to a longer story idea.

First big difference is the much bigger cast.

In the novella and the movie the Nightflyer is a ship with only one crew member: the captain, and the rest is run by computer.

In the series the ship has a whole crew, which gives the main cast so much more to play off of.

Roy Eris - Melantha Jhirl

Second difference from the movie - more diverse cast. Yay!

Third difference, it feels very much an ensemble cast with no one character being the main player. Different characters are important for different reasons. D'Branin is the impetuous behind the search for the Volcryn. Lommie is the somewhat naive heart of the team. Melantha is the strong, unshakeable team lead (to begin with at least). Roy is the mysterious, possibly dangerous captain. Rowan is the cynical but caring friend to D'Brainin. Etc, etc.

Roy Eris - Thale - Dr Agatha Matheson

Not gonna lie, my favourite character is Thale, the L1 telepath, and I very much like the conflict they introduced by making him quite so incompatible with other human beings at the beginning. It creates great conflict around him.

The work-around for this and how they move forward with his character is also beautifully done.

D'Branin, Rowan, Melantha, Auggie, Lommie

The whole look of the show is somewhere between shiny sci-fi and gritty sci-fi. This is not a ship that runs completely smoothly and is spotless like the Enterprise, but neither is is industrial grunge like many darker 80s efforts. It feels to me like someone took parts of the Nostromo from Alien and melded it with parts of the Enterprise and threw in some bits of a star destroyer for good measure.

There are habitat domes that remind me of Silent Running, a robot spider thing that makes me flash back to Tom Selleck's Runaway, and jacking into computers that starts off making me think cyberpunk, but moves a bit beyond that later on.

The ensemble cast means that the plot is never slow or boring, and all the characters have a development path that makes them more interesting. They are all very much not 2D.

Along the way there were a couple of eps that I found did not make a lot of sense in the scheme of things. It's the fact that there does not seem to be a why about them. I don't want to add spoilers to the main review, so I won't say what they were about, but there were two that stuck out as not like the others. One of them seemed to have nothing carried forward, and the other did have some consequences, but the reasons behind the plot of the ep just didn't hang together.

The ending was also a bit of a let down. It's clear they're going for a continuation, which left the end of this season not quite as exciting as the rest of it. Given that George R.R. Martin's name is associated with it, I will say, more people survived than I thought would ;).

There is one bit in the last ep that made me go "Seriously!" very loudly at the screen. I can't help wondering if it was a nod to Game of Thrones, but I also can't say anymore because that would be spoilers. If you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Mostly I found it a very cohesive and well plotted season. Please tell me it has been renewed because it's ends on one hell of a cliff hanger and I want more.

One last thing: it made me so happy to see Josette Simon in Nightflyers because I got all sorts of Blake's 7 feelings seeing her in sci-fi again - I only ever seem to catch her in police procedurals. Mostly I kept thinking, ooh Dayna is playing Servalan :).

Have you seen the movie or the series, or read the book? What did you think?

~*~

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Review: The House With a Clock in Its Walls #MonsterMondays

Review: The House With a Clock in Its Walls

Rating: 12A

Cast:

Jack Black ... Jonathan Barnavelt

Cate Blanchett ... Florence Zimmerman

Owen Vaccaro ... Lewis Barnavelt

Kyle MacLachlan ... Isaac Izard

Summary: A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.

I wanted to see this film when I caught the trailer, and I can very much say, I was not disappointed.

Apart from the superb cast, this film has everything we could want from am urban fantasy film. There's action, adventure, peril and a great bad guy.

The film is set in the 1950s in a small town in the USA. It's a great place for such a plot because it's a little claustrophobic where lots of people know your business, but it's also the kind of place where people might whisper about the eccentric people, but they would never say anything to their face. In fact it is the perfect place for Lewis' (Owen Vaccaro) uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) and his closest friend Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett).

Lewis is the slightly nerdy kid, with a very big brain, trying to fit in to a new school and deal with the tragedy of having lost his parents. He's the perfect protagonist for the strange magical world he is thrown into that starts to give him a place to belong and new things to learn.

Owen Vaccaro gives a great performance (mostly) and makes us believe every step he takes. There is one scene where he has to cry that felt like the worst stage school performance ever, but that was the only blip.

Jack Black is absolutely brilliant as Uncle Jonathan, eccentric, free spirited and in a superb game of who can insult the other better without being crude or horrible with Florence Zimmerman. He has a touch of the same self-doubt that Lewis carries with him too, and both of them overcome it together.

Cat Blanchett is as fabulous as always as Florence, with her penchant for purple and a spirit damaged almost beyond repair by the Nazis in WWII. She too has a journey to make from the beginning of the story to the end, which is nuanced and well conceived.

Then we have our baddie, Isaac Izard as played by Kyle MacLachlan, who is, in fact, dead at the beginning of the film. You would think this might cause issues with him being the big bad, but, like Voldemort, what is a little thing like death to a powerful warlock? He's evil and creepy and just as broken as most of the other characters, which makes him a sad character too.

This is a fill with layers. Every character carries something with them so they are far from perfect. Each could easily have swapped places and ended up with bad guy with what they have been through. The war broke some, tragedy and personal loss broke the others and they all put themselves back together in different ways, becoming more powerful within themselves as they do.

There is a lot of magical lore in this film, but it doesn't throw it at us like an encyclopedia, it does a great job of showing it instead. It leaves questions, but they are not troubling, annoying questions, they are spaces for the imagination to grow. The film has a great balance.

The only problem I had with it was some of the CGI. There is a bit at the end which just made me shudder, and not in a good way. I think they were going for freaky, but they mostly hit bad. I won't say more because it would be a spoiler, but it is very easy to spot. Given that the rest of the CGI is superb and it suggests it was a production decision mistake, not a reflection of the artists creating it.

So. all in all, a great movie. I have the blu-ray on pre-order and intend to watch it many more times. It is a film that is going to become one of my go to favourites I believe.

All images courtesy of IMDB.

Have you seen the film? What did you think? What was your favourite part? If you haven't seen it yet, have I convinced you to give it a try?

My Top 50 Vampire Movies

My Top 50 Vampire Movies

So it's not a secret I love vampires, I also collect vampire films and have lost count how many I own. However, I do know which ones I really like, so I thought I would share. I have a very simple system for rating films which has nothing to do with quality or ground breaking film making - it's just how much I want to watch them again :).

Synopses taken from IMDB - unless I thought they totally missed the point ;)

Here are my top 50 vampires films (titles are links to Wikipedia articles):

50 - 41

#50 True Bloodthirst (aka Night Breakers - Vampire Nation) 2012

This is an Andrew Lee Potts special - not the highest budget, but just has something which makes it watchable.

Set in a not-too-distant future in which a synthetic blood substitute, dispensed by the Romanian government, allows humans and vampires to potentially co-exist.

#49 Queen of the Damned 2002

Stuart Townsend makes a very sulky Lestat and Aaliyah is superb as Akasha - the Queen of the Damned. However, never watch this film thinking it is the book - it's one of those movies that take 'based on' to a whole new level. I enjoy watching it as if it is a stand alone film that just happens to use the same names as one of my fav books ;). It's a decent vampire flick, but Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned it is not.

The vampire Lestat becomes a rock star whose music wakes up the queen of all vampires.

#48 The Breed 2001

I have a big soft spot for Adrian Paul because of Highlander: The Series, so I was doubly excited he was playing a vampire. This movie is entertaining. I wouldn't say it's high art, but I do enjoy watching it.

In the future vampires have come out of the shadows and try to live among people as a special and peaceful breed. When a series of murders happens, a cop and his vampire colleague are assigned to arrest a dark figure who tears the throat of the victims and strains their blood off.

#47 Blood Ties 1991

This is clearly a pilot for a series that was never made, but it ticks my boxes. It's a kind of knock off Kindred: the Embraced, without all the depth that being based on Vampire: The Masquerade gives it. It basically fun.

Carpathian Americans are just like any other expatriate organization, they enjoy family get togethers, and share business opportunities. There is just one minor difference, the Carpathian Americans seem to have a predilection for drinking human blood.

#46 Van Helsing 2004

Hugh Jackman in a long coat with long hair and a cross-bow ... what, do I need another reason for enjoying this film? Okay, I love the whole thing Van Helsing and Dracula have going on too, and the plot is fun.

The notorious monster hunter is sent to Transylvania to stop Count Dracula who is using Dr. Frankenstein's research and a werewolf for some sinister purpose.

#45 The Twins Effect (aka Vampire Effect) 2003 (Chinese)

It's silly, it's fun, it has martial arts and Jackie Chan.

It's a high-kicking battle on the dark side when an ace vampire slayer and his beautiful sidekicks wage the ultimate martial-arts showdown with one of the most dangerous of the undead.

#44 I was a Teenage Vampire (aka My Best Friend Is a Vampire) 1987

This is an old favourite - I original saw this on Sky movies, I think, around 1991. Robert Sean Leonard is really good as the confused, conflicted Jeremy. It's a classic example of the 80s vampire genre.

After a sexual encounter with a beautiful client, a teenage delivery boy finds himself being turned into a vampire.

#43 Lost Boys 3 - The Thirst 2010

Lost Boys 2 is terrible, however, Lost Boys 3 is far better, much more fun and highly entertaining. I suspect this is what you get when the executives no longer care, Corey Feldman gets more of a say, and no one just tries to remake the Lost Boys.

In San Cazador, California, the clumsy vampire hunter Edgar Frog is evicted from his trailer. But the best-seller writer Gwen Lieber offers him a job to destroy the head vampire DJ X that promotes worldwide raves to increase his army of undead.

#42 Byzantium 2012

This is a stylish vampire movie focused on the female of the species. It has a lot to say with some superb ideas.

Residents of a coastal town learn, with deathly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought shelter at a local resort.

#41 30 Days of Night 2007

I'm not fond of the end of this movie, which is probably why I don't watch it as much as the others, but it has a fabulously interesting premise and some great characters.

After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.

40 - 31

#40 Blade 1998

Saw this movie in the cinema. It's definitely the grittiest of the Blade movies and it's Blade at his bleakest. Just the opening scenes are amazing. A must see for every vampire fan.

A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.

#39 Vampires Los Muertos 2002

I love this movie because it pushes my buttons - I can't say how, because of spoilers, but it's awesome. It also has Jon Bon Jovi :D

A vampire hunter, a half turned woman, and a priest fight a band of the walking dead in Mexico.

#38 Blade Trinity 2004

This is my second favourite of the Blade films, and yes I know, lots of people hate it, but I love it. Abby, Drake and Hannibal - great characters, especially since Hannibal is basically Deadpool without the invulnerability, oh and much prettier :D

Blade, now a wanted man by the FBI, must join forces with the Nightstalkers to face his most challenging enemy yet: Dracula.

#37 Dracula (aka Horror of Dracula)1958

Sir Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing - it's a classic - need I say more?

Jonathan Harker begets the ire of Count Dracula after he accepts a job at the vampire's castle under false pretences.

#36 Subspecies 1991

This is another one I saw on Sky in the early 90s, and I loved it. Good vampires, bad vampires and Eastern Europe - a match made in heaven.

The evil vampire villain Radu returns to his hometown Prejnar, after spending years in exile. He steals the precious blood stone which is said to be bleeding from all saints, from his father and kills him. Meanwhile two American schoolgirls team up with a local girl for work on Romanian culture. Radu becomes attracted to them but runs into trouble when his brother Stephan helps the girls.

#35 Dracula 2001 (aka Dracula 2000) 2000

I love Gerard Butler as Dracula in this, he is so very intense, and this is a film without the perfectly straightforward storyline. It uses Dracula lore, but twists it nicely.

A group of thieves break into a chamber expecting to find paintings, but instead they release the count himself, who travels to New Orleans to find his nemesis' daughter, Mary Van Helsing.

#34 Fright Night 2 - New Blood 2013

Now this is actually the sequel to the remake of Fright Night, kind of, except it isn't at all really, it's more of a different take on a remake of Fright Night and I love it. In this one we have Jaime Murray as Gerri Dandridge and she is awesome, and Will Payne is great as Charley Brewster. A fun romp much more in keeping with the original.

By day Gerri Dandridge is a sexy professor, but by night she transforms into a real-life vampire with an unquenchable thirst for human blood. So when a group of high school students travel abroad to study in Romania, they find themselves ensnared in Gerri's chilling web of lust and terror.

#33 BloodRayne 2005

This is a movie based on a video game, which isn't often a great way to start out, but, unlike the sequels, this is a decently made movie. Rayne is an interesting character and the plot skips along nicely. It's not Shakespeare, but it's highly entertaining.

In the 18th century, a vampire escapes from the freak show she once participated in and teams up with a group of vampire slayers to kill the man who raped her mother.

#32 From Dusk Til Dawn 1996

Now this is a classic - a movie of two halves, one a gangster flick, the other a vampire horror movie. It's typically Tarantino with overt violence in both halves and it has something enticing about it.

Two criminals and their hostages unknowingly seek temporary refuge in a truck stop populated by vampires, with chaotic results.

#31 Nick Knight 1989

This is the original pilot to Forever Knight with Rick Springfield as the vampire cop who want to be human. I think the show with Geraint Wyn Davies struck a better balance between the characters, but I still really enjoy this film - except the flying, the flying is silly ;).

Detective Nick Knight is investigating a series of murders in which the bodies are found drained of blood - but the most recent one doesn't fit the pattern. Instead it involves the cure that Nick has been searching for for decades, so that he himself can face the light of day. Later remade as the first two episodes of Forever Knight.

30 - 21

#30 Vampire Hunter D 1985 (Japanese)

This film is an anime classic and one of the first anime movies I ever saw. It is stylish, action packed and intelligent. Well worth a watch.

A young girl requests the help of a mysterious dhampir, a vampire hunter, to kill the vampire who has bitten her, and thus prevent her from becoming a vampire herself.

#29 Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1992

Before the classic series was born, there was the movie. A lot of people rag on this film, but it's a great romp. In places it's silly, in others heart-wrenching with lots of action and lots of fun. It has an amazing cast and deserves more recognition than it gets.

A flighty teenage girl learns that she is her generation's destined battler of vampires.

#28 Near Dark 1987

Another classic from the 80s, where as most of my other choices from the decade have an element of comedy to them, this definitely doesn't (probably why it gets more recognition from outside the genre). This is a gritty tale with nasty vampires who do whatever they have to to survive. It also offers an interesting take on how it might be possible to cure a vampire.

A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is turned on by a beautiful drifter.

#27 Underworld 2003

I love this movie for Selene and Michael and all the history and structure it gives the vampire and lycan societies. The world building for this film is superb, and the characters are awesome.

Selene, a vampire warrior, is entrenched in a conflict between vampires and werewolves, while falling in love with Michael, a human who is sought by werewolves for unknown reasons.

#26 Lair of the White Worm 1988

This is a film with some quite silly bits in it, although it is anything but silly when taken as a whole. It has dream sequences, flashbacks, snakes, vampires and everything you could want from a British movie without the highest budget in the world.

When an archaeologist uncovers a strange skull in foreign land, the residents of a nearby town begin to disappear, leading to further unexplainable occurrences.

#25 Dylan Dog: Dead of Night 2011

This is just my kind of movie, humans, vampire, werewolves, zombies all messing up a Southern town. There's action, there's backstory, there's plot and there's good special effects. There's also a twist in the tale, which it always fun.

The adventures of supernatural private investigator, Dylan Dog, who seeks out the monsters of the Louisiana bayou in his signature red shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans.

#24 Dracula's Widow 1988

This is another movie that tries to be a gritty horror, but it's hard to take it as seriously as Near Dark. It is, however, a great movie. The special effects leave a lot to be desired, some of the acting is a little off, but it's a really good story and I love Lenny von Dohlen as Raymond.

A shipment of crates bearing artefacts from Romania arrives at Raymond Everett's Hollywood House of Wax for a Dracula display. Inside one of the crates is Dracula's wife Vanessa who is enraged to discover that she is a widow.

#23 Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter 1974

This is a classic of the 70s Hammer vampire genre - Kronos is an ex-soldier and vampire hunter who comes to the aid of a community where young women are suddenly becoming old. It is a different take on vampires that is captivating.

A master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.

#22 Interview with the Vampire 1994

Melodramatic, full of beautiful music and fantastic imagery - Interview with the Vampire is lovely to watch and enthralling. The highlight for me is Kirstin Dunst as Claudia - she is simply brilliant.

A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.

#21 Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992

Another example of the 90s vampire movie, like IwtV it's melodramatic in places, and full of the most amazing imagery. The costumes are spectacular, especially Lucy's wedding dress, and the special effects are clever and engaging. This is Dracula, with a bigger backstory, and it is well worth a watch. If nothing else, Gary Oldman's performance is simply amazing.

The centuries old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker's fiancée Mina Murray and inflict havoc in the foreign land.

20 - 11

#20 Sundown - The Vampire in Retreat 1989

This movie is a little silly and a lot entertaining. We've got a town full of vampires trying not to kill people, a love triangle, a misguided vampire hunter and lots of action. It's a romp with David Carradine, Bruce Campbell, Morgan Brittany and more.

Reclusive vampires lounge in a lonely American town. They wear sun cream to protect themselves and drink synthetic blood, but their plant is having production issues. The inventor of the blood substitute and his family arrive, along with a descendant of Van Helsing arrives resulting in hilarious consequences.

#19 Vamp 1986

Yep, another 80s vampire movie, this one with Grace Jones as Katrina, the head vampire. This is a movie that combines comedy and horror as only 80s movies seem to be able to do. There are silly bits and horrific bits and it has such a great plot and great characters.

Two fraternity pledges travel to a sleazy bar in search of a stripper for their college friends, unaware it is occupied by vampires.

#18 Fright Night Part 2 1988

This is the direct sequel to the original Fright Night where Charley has moved on the college. In this one Charley is up against the mysterious Regine who is out for revenge. It is brilliant, and a case where the sequel is as good as the original, it would be further up the list if I didn't have so many favourite vampire movies ;)

Charley Brewster and Peter Vincent must face more vampires, out for revenge.

#17 Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust 2000 (Japanese)

This is the sequel to Vampire Hunter D, although it is not necessary to see the first one to understand this one. The reason I have it higher up my list is because I prefer the animation style. It is similar to the first, but not as stylised. It has lots of action and explains more about vampire and humans.

When a girl is abducted by a vampire, a legendary bounty hunter is hired to bring her back.

#16 Higanjima - Escape From Vampire Island 2010 (Japanese)

This is a live action manga with all the classic character types and the vaguely bleak outlook on vampires and their consequences. It's full of action and is highly engaging with a great plot. It is most frustrating that the subsequent TV show is not available with English subtitles!

Higanjima is an eerie island occupied by vampires, from where none has ever come back alive. When teenager Akira hears that his missing brother has been seen in the island, he decides to investigate with several friends.

#15 Vampires 1998

This is a film that takes no prisoners. It's gritty, full of cursing and there is not a whiff of sparkly vampires in this one. The vampires are cold blooded, evil and only out for blood. It has great characters, good plot and superb special effects.

Recovering from an ambush that killed his entire team, a vengeful vampire slayer must retrieve an ancient Catholic relic that, should it be acquired by vampires, will allow them to walk in sunlight.

#14 Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter 2012

It's a concept straight out of left field, and yet this film makes it work. This is no parody, this is a serious vampire film, with plot, action and special effects, where the hero just happens to be a young Abraham Lincoln. It's well worth a watch.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, discovers vampires are planning to take over the United States. He makes it his mission to eliminate them. (actually, that's only half the plot, but it'll do)

#13 What We Do In the Shadows 2014

This is a great, great, great film. It's hilarious for a start. It's done in a mockumentory style, totally deadpan and very, very funny. It has to be seen to be believed. Also Taika Waititi!

Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane - like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.

#12 LifeForce 1985

This film is a cross between a vampire movie, sci-fi and a zombie flick. The vampires aren't blood drinkers, they take the life force of their victim, and they come from outer space. I know, probably not a ringing endorsement, but this movie pulls it off. It is very of its time, so there are naked people wandering around for no real reason, but I have watched this more times than I care to count.

A race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, beginning an apocalyptic descent into chaos.

#11 Blade II 2002

The best of the Blade movies IMHO. I love the Reapers, and the blood pack and, well, everything about the film. The way the characters evolve, how they interact and the underlying plot are all brilliant. It's directed by Guillermo del Toro and it is superb.

Blade forms an uneasy alliance with the vampire council in order to combat the Reapers, who are feeding on vampires.

The Top 10 (with images, because they deserve it)

#10 Innocent Blood 1992

I love this movie - a vampire gets mixed up with mobsters and an undercover cop, which can only result in chaos. Marie is such a great vampire and this is not a movie that has delicately feeding vampires.

Marie is a vampire with a thirst for bad guys. When she fails to properly dispose of one of her victims, a violent mob boss, she bites off more than she can chew and faces a new, immortal danger.

#9 Rockula 1990

Now I don't expect many people to have heard of this one, although I have just discovered it's out on Blu-ray (the only copy I had before that was VHS!). This is half music vid, half vampire movie and it's very funny and entertaining. To start with the hero's name is Ralph, and his reflection (which he shouldn't have) gets more sex than he does.

A vampire cannot lose his virginity because of a curse imposed upon him centuries ago.

#8 Dracula 1979

This is my favourite traditional style Dracula movie (i.e. based of Bram Stoker). It is based on the stage play, rather than the book, so it changes a lot of things, but it still has the core feel of Dracula, and Frank Langella is super sexy as the count.

In 1913, the charming, seductive and sinister vampire Count Dracula travels to England in search of new hunting grounds and wider horizons.

#7 Moon Child 2003 (Japanese)

The only real way to describe this film is vampires and gangsters like a live action manga. It will make you cry and have lots of feels, but it will also make you laugh out loud. Lots of action, lots of emotion and lots of angst. It's awesome.

The story of love and friendship on the harsh streets of 2014 Mallepa, a small corner in Asia.

#6 Dracula Untold 2014

I love tales of Dracula, and this is a fantastically done take on how Dracula began. I love it from beginning to end and really wish there was a sequel as the last scene seems to promise.

As his kingdom is being threatened by the Turks, young prince Vlad Tepes must become a monster feared by his own people in order to obtain the power needed to protect his own family, and the families of his kingdom.

#5 Only Lovers Left Alive 2013

Only Lovers is a literary vampire movie. It has little action, some plot and lots of characters. It is visually stunning and it will grab your heart. It also has Tom Hiddleston as an almost terminally depressed vampire.

A depressed musician reunites with his lover. Though their romance, which has already endured several centuries, is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister.

#4 Let the Right One In 2008 (Swedish)

This is a masterful telling of a bleak story that is captivation from beginning to end.

Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.

#3 Underworld Evolution 2003

It ticks the vampire box, it ticks the werewolf box and it ticks the hybrid box, plus there is equal opportunities nakedness and lots of action. Wins all around.

Picking up directly from the previous film, vampire warrior Selene and the half werewolf Michael hunt for clues to reveal the history of their races and the war between them.

#2 The Lost Boys 1987

The movie that made me a vampire fan. Soph and I were just old enough to see it in the cinema. Went in vaguely interested, came out hooked. Also one of the gayest vampire movies ever, apparently, innocent little me totally failed to notice as a teenager, but now I see it ;)

After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.

#1 Fright Night 1985

This is most likely the vampire film I have seen the most times - so many, in fact, that I have lost count. It ticks all my boxes and hits all my buttons. All the characters are great and Chris Sarandon is so very sexy as Jerry Dandrige.

A horror-obsessed teenager discovers that his next door neighbour is a murderous vampire. He tries to convince the police, his family and friends but to no avail. Now, he must take matters into his own hands.



Let me know if I left off any of your favourites and what you think of my choices!

Let's All Go to the Movies - Another Blanket Box

Let's All Go to the Movies

Since last week's blanket box went down so well and no everyone can see Pillowfort yet, here is another one. This is all about films. I love movies, so this was the next one I picked.

Your favorite movie of all time

Start with an easy one why don't you! :) Oh heavens, how am I supposed to choose?

Given that this is from a horror loving, sci-fi watching, fantasy obsessed, vampire nut, this is going to seem odd, but:

A Nun's Story with Audrey Hepburn. I just love it, I always have and I can watch it over and over again. It is totally not what I usually choose, but it is simply a great film.

A movie you watch to pick you up when you feel sad

RED or RED 2 - they are both full of explosions and laughs and Helen Mirren being badass!

A movie that makes you feel invincible

Wonder Woman - it's an awesome film make with the female gaze showing a woman who can be anything she wants to be. It is simply brilliant.

Which genre of film is your favorite?

Vampires! What? you expected a different answer. I don't count them as horror movies because they just aren't scary and I love them. I have over 400.

A movie that scares you

Ju-on The Grudge - the Asian horror market is simply superb and the Japanese really know how to do movies that will scare the pants of anyone. And take no substitute - the originals are nearly always much better than the remakes. The only one I think that came close was The Eye.

A movie that makes you cry

E.T. - every damn time! With a special mention to Steel Magnolias, which also makes me cry every single time I watch it.

What movie is guaranteed to make you laugh?

Grosse Pointe Blank - I love it. John Cusack is brilliant at Martin Blank the hired killer, but my fav of all is Joan Cusak are Marcella, his secretary. The way she goes from chewing someone out for not getting her the right ammunition at exactly the right time to talking to someone else about soup is so perfect it's difficult to describe.

Your first R-rated movie

I think it must be Evil Dead II - I didn't see it in the cinema, so I have no idea what it was rated in the UK, but I saw it on VHS at a friends and it was the first real horror I ever saw. Scared me silly at the time - I'd only really seen Hammer Horror before that.

The first movie you remember seeing in theaters

Pinocchio, I think, on one of it's re-releases. I seem to remember it was on with A Spaceman in King Arthur's Court - which is apparently also called Unidentified Flying Oddball (because in those days there were b-movies before the feature) and I enjoyed the b-movie much more than the main film :)

The most boring movie you've ever seen

Now this is hard because I tend to erase such things from my mind. Don't think I can answer this.

What movie have you seen that you will never watch again?

Recently - Tom Cruise's The Mummy - OMG, it was so bad. It didn't even pass the Bechdel Test. I thought maybe Tom Cruise was getting over his I-have-to-be-the-only-thing-in-this-movie-that-matters stage, after the MI films started changing, but nope, apparently not. The film should be called Guy With a God Complexnot The Mummy. The plot doesn't even makes sense as far as character motivation goes, let alone a whole.

Also any of the Lethal Weapon movies, which used to be some of my favs, but I can no longer watch anything with Mel Gibson in it.

And Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil thanks to Kevin Spacey.

Your favorite documentary film

Diving Into The Unknown - on a dive in a cave in Norway, a Finnish dive team lost two of their number. The international recovery team deemed it too dangerous to retrieve the bodies and the authorities closed the cave to divers. The remaining members of the Finnish team, plus more of their friends, went back illegally to get their friends' bodies out. They filmed it all.

What movie did you love the most when you were a kid?

Jason and the Argonauts - they used to show it every year either at Christmas or Easter and I never got to see the end because we were dragged off to church, but I loved it nevertheless. Have never lost my love or Ray Harryhausen films.

One story you want desperately to see as a movie (can be a book, videogame, comic, etc.)

Wolf's Hour by Robert R McCammon - werwolves, the Russian Revolution and World War II - brilliant book and it was supposed to have been optioned for a movie, but I've heard nothing about it lately. I want this movie - lots!

What movie do you always recommend to friends?

Fright Night (1985) - it is a brilliant vampire movie that is often overlooked. I knew I would love it because when Barry Norman mentioned it on his film review program he hated it and I always really liked movies he hated ;) Sexy vampire, horror and comedy and Roddy McDowall - how could it not be amazing?

A movie series you love to marathon

Fright Night (1985), Fright Night part II (1998) and Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013) - and yes, I did deliberately leave out the Fright Night remake because it is a travesty!

Also the Evil Dead movies make a good marathon :)

Favourite superhero movie

I'm going to hell because I am a Marvel fan, but I have to say Wonder Woman, with The Avengers and Black Panther coming in at joint second.

Favorited movie based on a book

The Fellowship of the Ring - love that movie.

Favorited animated movie

Zootopia - now that is how to go 'racial profiling is a bad thing' and get the message across.

Free space: Mention any movie you love that you haven't talked about already!

*cracks knuckles*

The Mummy (1999) - there is nothing not to love about this movie.

Star Wars - all of them except Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Dracula (1979) - Frank Langela is so sexy!

Dracula Untold (2014) - best Dracula origin story I have seen.

The Lost Boys (1987) - it's a classic, everyone should see it.

The Breakfast Club - another classic everyone should see!

Um ... I had better stop - there are far too many more ;)

Do the Blanket Box Yourself

And also like last week, if you would like to do the Blanket box on your blog, here are the questions in easy copy and paste format. Drop me a link if you do so I can come take a look.

• Your favorite movie of all time
• A movie you watch to pick you up when you feel sad
• A movie that makes you feel invincible
• Which genre of film is your favorite?
• A movie that scares you
• A movie that makes you cry
• What movie is guaranteed to make you laugh?
• Your first R-rated movie
• The first movie you remember seeing in theaters
• The most boring movie you've ever seen
• What movie have you seen that you will never watch again?
• Your favorite documentary film
• What movie did you love the most when you were a kid?
• One story you want desperately to see as a movie (can be a book, videogame, comic, etc.)
• What movie do you always recommend to friends?
• A movie series you love to marathon
• Favorite superhero movie
• Favorite movie based on a book
• Favorite animated movie
• Free space: Mention any movie you love that you haven't talked about already!

Review - Moon Child (2003) [vampire, gangster]

Title: Moon Child

Summary: After Japan suffers a major economic crash, many Japanese move to mainland china, one of whom is the vampire Kei. On the verge of death he is found by an orphaned boy, Sho, and saves him from gangsters out to take revenge for Sho, his brother Shinji and friend Toshi, stealing to survive. Sho and Kei form a bond that endures through the ups and downs of Sho's mortal life.

Cast:
Hyde ... Kei
Gackt ... Sho
Leehom Wang ... Son
Tarô Yamamoto ... Toshi
Susumu Terajima ... Shinji
Zeny Kwok ... Yi-Che

So this film is part vampire movie, part gangster film with all the craziness of a live action manga. It was written by Gackt, Kishu Izuchi and Takahisa Zeze and it's engaging and has surprising depth.

Now I know what you're thinking, a movie part written by a musician (Gackt) and staring said musician and another musician (Hyde) who happens to be a good friend of his - it's going to be terrible, right? Wrong. This film is brilliant. It makes me cry every single time I watch it ... and it makes my husband cry too.

Let me give you the low down.

This is Kei (Hyde) and he's a vampire.

When Sho first meets him he's not doing so well and he looks like this:

At this point Sho is not Gackt because he's a wee thing and is played by Kanata Hongo (isn't he adorable):

Sho saves Kei's life and in return Kei deals with some bad guys who are after Sho and his little gang. Sho then grows up into Gackt, learning from Kei and pulling off daring heists against gangster types and generally being a little shit.

There's a whole love story going on (unfortunately not Kei and Sho) while Kei angsts about being a vampire and Sho grows up to be a big shot gangster himself.

There is angst (oh boy, is there angst), there is love (familial, romantic, it's all in there), there are amazing gun battles (don't worry about the physics ;)), there are themes of deep racial divide (Sho and Kei are immigrants in a country that doesn't really want them), there is hopelessness (the story has an inevitability in its journey), there is heartache (if you have a soul you will cry ;)), there is comedy (Gackt can be very silly when he wants to be), there are vampires (they just fit)—there is everything we could ever want from a movie. This is a film that has it all.

This movie takes us through Sho's lifetime and it feels as if we are there every step of the way. It makes us laugh with him, love with him, bleed with him, and then it gives us Kei too, who has just as much depth, as well as a plethora of supporting characters who become real to us.

This is a great film that doesn't get enough respect and I thoroughly recommend it.

DVD - Amazon UK | Amazon US

The Mummy (2017) - Did they have to? (Review with spoilers)

Title: The Mummy
Cast:
Tom Cruise ... Nick Morton
Russell Crowe ... Henry
Annabelle Wallis ... Jenny Halsey
Sofia Boutella ... Ahmanet
Jake Johnson ... Chris Vail
Summary (from IMDB):
An ancient princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.

I will start by saying only one cinema near us is still showing this and now I know why!

Firstly, the good things. The effects are superb and the stunts are really well done. There are exciting sequences in the movie and parts will get your heart pumping. I love the look of Ahmanet and the double eyes are fantastic. If only the plot had held up to the effects.

My favourite character in the whole film is Vail (Jake Johnson). He's basically the reimaginining of Jonathan from the original 1999 masterpiece and he's a lot of fun to watch. His timeline actually makes sense and his story conclusion is the only really good thing about the whole sequence of the film.

Sofia Boutella does wonders with what she is given as Ahmanet, but her character is so badly written that it just doesn't make sense. She a pretty good baddy, but since this movie should have been called Cruise, not The Mummy, she doesn't have a who lot to work with. Her physical acting is superb, if only the film had actually been about her.

There ends the good.

This film is basically an attempt to start a new franchise about monster hunters, only in doing that it fails to do the Mummy any justice whatsoever. The rest of this review is going to have spoilers gallor, so be warned.

The first thing that really annoys me is the lack of any indepth Egyptology. The 1999 movie might have been a little dodgy, but they tried to stay true to the genre. Frankly in this version she wasn't really a Mummy, didn't need to be Egyptian and they just used whatever bits of Egyptian history they felt like, most of which made no sense.

Let's start with Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) herself. She is the sole heir to the Pharoh and is being brought up to rule, but Daddy falls for a new wife who gives him a son. Was she just the eldest of a whole host of girls? Was is just because she was the daughter of the Great Royal Wife? How come it took him so long to have another wife? How is she the sole heir? I need more explanation. Women could rule in Egypt, but Pharohs took having heirs very seriously, so where are the others?

Then their is her whole plot. She sees the new wife and new son as her downfall because the baby will inheret. She wants the ultimate power so she makes a deal with Set to become a monster. She kills her father and her brother and her brother's mother. Yay, ultimate power. Oh, but wait, part of the deal was to bring Set into the human world and give him a body ... Hang on, so she's going to give away ultimate power to a man. Didn't she just kill everyone for that?

Makes no sense!

Then they mummify her alive for her crimes before she can bring Set to this world and erase her from history - only they helpfully still put her name and her whole story on her sarcophagus? Seriously?!!!

Oh, and if you didn't want anyone to bring up the sarcophagus, Ancient Egyptians, why did you leave all the machinary in place to make it easy? Oh, and why no boobytraps? Could it be possibly because the writers don't give two stuffs about the Egyptian tomb part and it's all a quick way to get the Mummy out of Iraq?

I also have a question to anyone who may know - did the ancient Egyptians really believe mercury would contain monsters? All I can find when searching is that they used it in cosmetics. The whole power over evil thing is not something I had heard before, but not being an expert I don't know if one of the writers actually did some research, or just made that shit up :).

So, on to our hero.

You know how in the original 1999 movie Rick is a bit of a rogue, but a loveable one? Well Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is just an asshole. I disliked him from the moment he first appeared and nothing in the film ever redeemed him to the point where I actually liked him. He made me want to throw things at the screen. I was really hoping for something good because I've enjoyed some Cruise movies recently (Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, the last 3 MI movies), but this is right up there with all those I have really disliked (first MI movie, War of the Worlds).

His story arc is so predicatable it's painful and when he actually becomes Set and end up possibly "the best hope" of the monster hunters, but of course only if he hangs on to his inherent goodness and does not give in to the evil, I was so not shocked. This film was not about Ahmanet or anyone else, it was all about making Nick a god so he can be the ultimate hero in the rest of the franchise. It's an ego trip.

We do have another female character in Jenny (Annabelle Wallis). Her first conversation in the film revolves around having had sex with Nick. I'll just let you guess what her character's all about for the rest of the movie.

The two female characters in the movie have one conversation together - just one. It starts off hopefully with Jenny speaking Egyptian to Ahmanet and asking about the old gods, of course it ends up about Ahmanet's chosen (Nick). So, yes, this movie fails the lowest bar possible for female agency in a movie the Bechdel Test.

They also Fridge Jenny to further Nick's plot - specifically to make him a god.

Then there is the whole Dr Henry Jekyll (Russell Crow) part. I believe my reaction was something along the lines of 'you have to be f***ing kidding'. They seemed to be trying to create a film that was of a cross between The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and The Mummy 1999 and it fell short of both. Given that I have never been overly impressed with tLoEG, that's not a high bar to try and improve on and they failed. I doubt they ever could have managed to match The Mummy 1999 though.

This film:

• is full of cliches, 
• has a plot that makes no sense, 
• has no characters that we, the adience, can really root for,
• fails its female characters spectacularly,
• and is a reboot of a franchise that seriously DID NOT need rebooting in the first place.

I sincerely hope they never, ever make a second one.