Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor: The Dark World (2013)
As I wrote in my Iron Man 3 review I am a fan of the Marvel Studios movies. My least favorite movie of the series was Thor so I wasn't too excited about this one. I held out hope that Thor: The Dark World would be an improvement over the original but found it to be a lateral move. Director Alan Taylor has mostly done TV work but I guess his Game of Thrones credits helped get him this job. The only other thing I've seen from Taylor was the pilot for the TV show The Playboy Club. I didn't care for it but thought the premise could've made for a good movie. Taylor's next film will be Terminator: Genesis.

The best part of Thor: The Dark World, like the first Thor movie, is Loki. Tom Hiddleston puts in yet another dynamic performance as Loki and does a great job drawing from his background as a Shakespearean actor. It's kinda funny that Loki is a more interesting and nuanced character than Thor, who is supposed to be our main character. But since Loki has been portrayed so well I can't really complain about this. I'm also not sure if there was much more to the Thor character in the comics as I have never read them. While Chris Hemsworth has a nice presence as Thor, he's not the greatest actor. However, he has a good chemistry with Hiddleston and their scenes together are not just the best in the movies of some of highlights of the entire franchise. Thor's companions, the Warriors Three along with Heimdall (Idris Elba) and Sif (Jaimie Alexander), get a bit more screen time in The Dark World. I particularly liked the scenes where they plan to break Loki out of prison and how each one kept telling Loki not to betray Thor, or else! I thought the humor worked in Thor and it's just as good this time around. Another strong point of the film are the stunning visuals ranging from the Aether to alien planets and even creative portal battles.

The Dark World has Loki and great production values but there are several flaws. The weakest part of the movie is the bad guy, the Dark Elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston). Malekith's motivations aren't strong. He once battled Thor's grandfather, Bor, over a powerful weapon called the Aether. Bor defeated Malekith, gained the Aether, and hid it in safe place, but Malekith is able to escape into suspended animation. Malekith wakes up due to the release of the Aether and wants it back. Malekith doesn't even get that much screen time which is odd since he is supposed to be the main villain. We should've gotten to know this character and his motivations much better as it would've made the conflict and final battle more meaningful.
The relationship between Thor and the human Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is phoned in again. It doesn't help that Portman is one of the least convincing scientists I've ever seen in a movie. While Loki is trying to discover who he is and what his place is in the universe, Thor's biggest decision is whether his love interest should be Jane or Sif. This brings in some conflict but is basically dropped as the story progresses to include Loki more.

Also like in the original Thor movie, the scenes on Earth aren't as good as the Asgard and cosmic scenes. While it made sense for Thor to be on Earth a lot in the first movie, this time there is too much time spent on Earth that could've been used to play up the fantasy elements.
Some people found Darcy (Kat Dennings) annoying in Thor but I thought she was fine as the comic relief and at the very least had more of a persona than Jane. This time I just didn't find her schtick funny except for one joke that was a callback to the first movie and the fact that she has her own intern despite being an intern herself.

The Dark World brings us a little more into the cosmic aspect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but not much is set up for Phase 2 outside of the after credits scene. I've been watching the TV show Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and there was an episode, "The Well," which followed up on the events of The Dark World. I would've liked a stronger tie-in to the movie such as a cameo appearance but the Asgardian Beserker staff made for a cool MacGuffin.
I don't need another Thor movie (honestly I'd rather have a solo Loki movie or give a new Marvel character a chance) but Thor 3 was recently announced thanks to the success of the first two as well as the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. Next up for Marvel Studios is Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which will be released in April 2014.
6/10

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3 (2013)
As a fan of the Marvel Studios movie since I first saw Iron Man in the theaters in 2008, of course I was going to see Iron Man 3 the weekend it came out. Iron Man 3 was the first Marvel Studios movie to follow the huge 2012 blockbuster The Avengers so even though it was highly anticipated, this was one of those movies that was going to make a lot of money regardless of quality. Iron Man 3 was the top grossing movie worldwide in 2013 (second in the USA behind The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) making over $1.2 billion internationally. Coming in to Iron Man 3 I was just hoping it would be on par with Iron Man 2. Iron Man 3 met my expectations, though the movie is pretty different than the last two films in both story and tone.

Jon Favreau directed the first two Iron Man movies but was replaced for Iron Man 3 with Shane Black, who gives the film a noticeably different feel. I found this a refreshing change of pace as Black puts his own sense of style and humor into the picture. I found the comedy to be the film's strong point as I was already in stitches as soon as Eiffel 65's "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" started playing over the opening credits! Robert Downey Jr. is hilarious as usual in these movies with some great snappy dialogue. Downey tends to ad-lib a lot and there are some hilarious moments where he is basically riffing the movie with references to A Christmas Story and Westworld. I laughed more throughout this movie than I do for many straight-up comedies, though to be fair I tend to find humor can work better in non-comedies simply because it's not expected as much. There is more to Iron Man 3 than just comedy as there are some cool action sequences such as the "monkeys in a barrel" scene. It's also interesting to see Tony Stark out of the suit for the majority of the movie since he is Iron Man and the question is raised if he more than just a guy in powerful battle armor. This also allowed supporting characters Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, and War Machine/Rhodey to be more involved with the story.

Besides directing Iron Man 3, Shane Black also has a writing credit on the film. I discovered that
Black also worked on the screenplays for The Monster Squad and Last Action Hero which is evident in this one with the meta humor and way the kid (Harley played by Ty Simpkins) was handled. I liked the portrayal of the Mandarin and the tacked on kid sidekick as a satirical commentary on more serious superhero and action movies. I wonder if the Mandarin was intended as a parody of Ra's al Ghul and Bane in Christopher Nolan's Batman films. I'm guessing it was probably playing off them a little but was more of a riff on movie villains in general. Either way I liked the take on the Mandarin and thought it worked well here, but can see why fans of the Iron Man comics (which I never read) would've preferred a more traditional approach.

Despite the clever and witty writing there are some issues here. For example, what are Aldrich Killian's motivations? I understand his beef with Tony Stark but we're supposed to believe that he turned evil just because Stark, an idiosyncratic playboy, didn't show up for a meeting one time? I know this incident was supposed to be the last straw for Killian but it simply doesn't work. If we saw Killian pushed to the edge before meeting Stark or if he was truly wronged by Stark it would've been fine but it seems that he's only bad guy because that's what it says in the script. This is an odd incongruity given the meta stuff in the rest of the movie which you'd think would parody something like this. I'm guessing Killian came from the film's other writer (Drew Pearce) or they just ran out of time to develop Killian more.

I think the Iron Man trilogy may be a bit underrated as a whole since it is part of the Marvel Studios franchise and most people focus on the first one. I still think that the original Iron Man movie is the best of the three. To be fair though I need to re-watch that one as it's been a while since I've last seen it and I've watched the other two more recently. I had a ton of fun with Iron Man 3 in the theaters and it held up a second time, which is great given the film's surprises and emphasis on humor. Iron Man 3 is neither as consistent as the first nor as thought provoking as the second, but despite some plot and pacing issues it's a still fun ride that is always entertaining
It will be interesting to see how exactly Iron Man will come back for Avengers: Age of Ultron since Iron Man 3 felt like an ending story, especially with the montage over the closing credits. Will Tony Stark return to the suit or contribute to the team in a different way? We'll have to wait until May 2015 to find out.
7/10

The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers was the first movie I saw released in 2012. However, the first 2012 movie I wrote about on this blog was actually Jersey Shore Shark Attack! I saw the The Avengers a couple of weeks after its huge opening weekend. The Avengers has now made over $1.5 billion worldwide and even when you factor in rising ticket prices and the cost of 3-D that is quite an accomplishment. I guess this post is a little late as most people have already seen it!

The Avengers, not to be confused with the crappy 1998 film adaptation of the same name based on a great 1960s British show, is the sixth movie made by Marvel Studios, part of the Walt Disney Company. While I never read the comics these characters come from, I have enjoyed all these movies since I saw Iron Man in the summer of 2008. While I need to re-watch all the Marvel Studios movies when The Avengers hits Blu-Ray later this month, it is currently my favorite of the series.

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this review, I just want to say that Alan Silvestri has always been one of my favorite composers (Back to the Future, Predator, Forest Gump, Captain America, and many more) and came up with a brilliant score for the film. I also enjoyed the song Soundgarden contributed to the soundtrack, "Live to Rise."

I have to give Joss Whedon a lot of credit with the directing and writing. There was a high degree of difficulty with this project in balancing all these characters. Like with Whedon's show Firefly (I never saw Buffy the Vampire Slayer but have heard good things), he did a fantastic job. It is a lot of fun to see all these characters together and interacting with each other. The dialogue and banter is witty and each character has their own unique arc. All the previous movies and characters are tied in without feeling forced. This creates an epic free flowing universe that hasn't really been done before in film and is right out of the comics.

Coming into The Avengers I was afraid it would essentially be Thor 2 since Loki is the villain or Iron Man 3 because Robert Downey Jr. is so popular right now. However, I was pleasantly surprised that no one character dominated the story. Apparently there was a lot of deleted footage, said to be mostly scenes with Captain America, which will be interesting to see even though I don't think another cut of the film is necessary. I loved the job they did with the Hulk as The Avengers team needed the help of Dr. Bruce Banner and not the Hulk. Mark Ruffalo replaces Ed Norton who did a good job in 2008's The Incredible Hulk though I actually preferred Ruffalo's take on the character.

As I mentioned earlier, Joss Whedon directed the movie and wrote the screenplay. Whedon was a fan of the source material, has actually written comics, and it clearly shows that he cared to make the best possible film out of it. While I don't think that The Avengers is the best movie based on a comic book, I think that is is the movie that feels most like a comic book. I could practically see the panels and dialogue bubbles appear on screen. Loki is a true comic book villain, and the movie truly embraces the fact that is is trying to be like a comic book. Much has already been said about the the final long action scene, which is simply amazing. The camera work there truly feels like you are flipping through pages in a comic and staring in amazement at the artwork of a giant two page spread.

Marvel's The Avengers is a blast to watch and perfectly balances its action, drama, and humor. The Avengers is the perfect summer popcorn movie so its no surprise that it dominated the box office this year. The two after credits scenes were awesome as well and I'm looking forward to what Marvel Studios has in store next!
9/10

This is my 100th post! Here's to another 100!

Weekly Wrap-Up (7/24)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
After my the advance screening on Wednesday I saw this again over the weekend with my Dad and brother who both really liked it. Captain America was just as good the second time around! Before The Avengers comes out in May 2012 I want to marathon all the Marvel Studios movies like I did before the final Harry Potter came out. I'll probably do the same with the Batman movies to get in the mood for The Dark Knight Rises.
8/10

The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
I love time travel stories so I had been seeking out this movie for awhile. The Philadelphia Experiment is loosely, and I stress loosely, based on actual events of an attempt during WWII to make a battleship invisible. The lead actress is Nancy Allen, who played Officer Anne Lewis in Robocop. The aerial shots were done very well although the time travel special effects were cheesy even for the time. Sure it didn't have a large budget, but neither did The Terminator which came out the same year, and this is the main visual effect in the movie. Like Back to the Future which came out a year later, there is a mandatory "Ronald Regan was an actor" joke! I liked the future shock of a man out of time, although it has been done better before and since. While I think this movie has a cool concept, it would have worked better as a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode since several scenes felt like filler and the plot was a little too thin.
The Philadelphia Experiment is not a bad movie, its just not a particularly good one either. If you like time travel movies you will enjoy it.
5/10

Stand by Me (1986)
Stand by Me is based on a Stephen King story. Although I haven't read it, according to Wikipedia it seems to be fairly close to the source material. There were a lot of  kid-centered adventure movies made in the 1980s (E.T., The Goonies, The Explorers, The Monster Squad, etc.) and while I haven't seen many, I think this is the best one I've seen so far. The cinematography (especially in the forest) and the acting were both great. I was especially impressed with River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton. There are a bunch of familiar faces (Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman, Richard Dreyfuss, John Cusack, etc.) in this film and no weak performances. The movie also features a great example of Chekhov's gun! I didn't really like Richard Dreyfuss' narration but I guess it was necessary to tie things up. I didn't really get the pie scene as it was a showstopper in the middle of the movie that had nothing to do with anything, but I guess the point is that in real life kids would tell a campfire story like that. I had Stand by Me recommended to me awhile ago, so I am glad that I finally got around to watching this film.
8/10

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Directed by Joe Johnston
Starring:  Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell
IMDB: Captain America

Why I wanted to watch it: I never read the comics and didn't know much about Captain America before watching the movie, but I have been enjoying the Marvel Studios films so far. A close friend was mine scored tickets from the local Preston and Steve radio show so I was able to see it yesterday, Wednesday 7/20! It was pretty cool to watch the movie a day before it showed at the San Diego comic con and two days before the general release.

Plot Synopsis: After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into the superhero Captain America.

Thoughts:
When the comic book character Captain America was first created in 1941 he was essentially propaganda. The cover of the first issued featured Cap punching Hitler! Coming into this movie I was curious as to how it would address the propaganda aspect, especially since it was set in the WWII era. It would be easy to ignore this part of the character's past in a movie meant for modern audiences, but Captain America's past as a propaganda tool is not only admitted, but embraced as a part of history. The fantastic mock-propaganda scene in the movie was brilliantly written and the perfect way to handle this issue and then move forward with the character. While Captain America still fights Nazis, his real nemesis is Hydra, a division of the Nazis which rises against them and tries to take over the world. I loved retro 1940s setting (and costumes!) and it felt like a throwback to the adventure serials of the 1930s thru 1950s, in the same vein of Star Wars or more appropriately in this case, Indiana Jones. With Nazis after ancient supernatural artifacts, it felt more like an Indiana Jones movie than the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull! Oh an I even noticed a Wilhelm scream! Director Joe Johnston did special effects work on Raiders of the Lost Ark and the original Star Wars trilogy. Johnston also directed the retro action movie The Rocketeer as well as several others such as Jumanji and October Sky.

I liked the cinematography, especially the scenes shot in the mountains. The acting was good by the entire cast, and they hit the perfect tone as the film is humorous yet never silly. Tommy Lee Jones does his best John Wayne as the Colonel! Unlike most comic book movies, the most impressive special effect in Captain America was not in an action scene but that Chris Evans was really made to seem like a short 90 pound weakling. This was a great contrast to his tall, muscled self after the transformation. Alan Silvestri, one of my favorite film composers, conducts yet another solid score.

Captain America does a good job of show don't tell. We learn about the character mainly through his actions such as getting the flag and jumping on a (fake) grenade. This told us about the character by watching him in action. His call to serve is because of the death of his parents, although this isn't told directly but inferred. There was a scene where the scientist tells Steve Rodgers about the Red Skull's back-story, but its need to know information with some cool imagery, and not everything is given away at the moment.
                          

Besides the propaganda, I was curious as to how the movie would handle Bucky, Captain America's teenage sidekick. I won't give any spoilers, but the film re-invents the character in the clever way. The love interest, Peggy Carter, was perfectly integrated into the plot. Unlike in Thor, the romance did not feel thrown together like an afterthought and made you care if they would get together or not. Tony Stark's father, Howard Stark, is a minor character in the film. Like Peggy, he fits into the story perfectly and isn't just put in to please the fans. Stan Lee has yet another good cameo which I won't spoil, so keep an eye out for it! Overall Captain America puts its characters first and action second, which all good action movies should do. You truly care for the characters which raises the stakes for the action scenes. The Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) is an interesting villain since he makes the Nazis not seem quite as bad(!) and to some extent is the dark version of Captain America.

I saw Captain America in 3-D. I didn't have a choice since it was a free advance screening. I am guessing that it was in 3-D to prevent people from recording the showing. Apparently it was converted from 2-D but the visual effects were filmed in true 3-D. This makes sense as after awhile I forgot I was watching it in 3-D. However, I did flinch when Captain America threw his shield because it looked like it was coming right at me! Other people in the theater said they flinched at that part too. While the 3-D was fine, it was unnecessary for this movie. If you get the chance to see it, watch it in 2-D. Since I saw this in advance there was no after credits scene which was a bit of a disappointment. Apparently the general release will feature the scene so wait until after the credits! Edit: I saw it again this weekend and the scene is there. Enjoy the teaser for The Avengers!

While I really liked the movie, there were some things I didn't like or felt could have been improved. The opening scene should have been placed where it would be chronologically in the film. I can see why it was put at the beginning, but this made the final act of the movie less tense since you kinda knew what would happen.
This is kind of nit picking but the female lead is British yet in the U.S. army. This is acknowledged in the movie so I know its not a goof, but it is never explained. I know that this is Steve Rodger's story, but I thought it was going to have something to do with the plot. I felt like this was set-up for a reason and was expecting a pay-off that never came. Since her being British was never followed up on, why make her British at all? I am guessing that this was explained in a deleted scene.
The cosmic cube wasn't explained enough and I only know its name because I asked a friend who knew what it was from the comics. Apparently the cosmic cube is going to play a huge role in The Avengers (2012) so I can understand why the cube wasn't discussed much, but I think a little more explanation would have been nice.


Score: 8/10
Closing Thoughts: Overall Captain America is the perfect set-up for The Avengers, but also stands alone at the same time. Right now I would say that Captain America is the second best Marvel Studios movie behind Iron Man and ahead of Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Thor.

Summer Movie Round-Up Part 1 of 3

This will be the first of three posts covering the movies I have seen so far this summer. Each post will include 8 brief reviews. At the end of this post I'll go over my scoring system. Tomorrow (Saturday) will be my first film topic post, which will be a weekly feature. On Sunday I'll continue with Part Two.

Joel Schumacher's 1987 vampire flick, The Lost Boys, is a lot of fun. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the soundtrack. It was hard to believe that this movie was directed by the same guy who made Batman & Robin. The acting wasn't anything special, but just what was called for as this is a horror film geared toward teenagers that features plenty of humor. My favorite character was Grandpa (Emmy Award winner Barnard Hughes) who was hilarious and should have had his own movie. I saw this with a group of friends, some of whom had seen the movie before, and we had a blast. However, when it comes to 80s vampire movies I still prefer Fright Night (the remake starring Colin Farrell is coming soon!) and Near Dark (which is also reviewed in this post).
The Lost Boys bites into a 6/10!

The Untouchables, also released in 1987, is the second Brian De Palma movie I have seen. The first you ask? Well it is hard to believe, but this is the same guy who directed the mediocre at best Mission to Mars! Luckily this is much better as well as a much more enjoyable film. The Untouchables is based on the true story of government agent Eliot Ness as he tries to bring down the gangster Al Capone. Although there are some historical inaccuracies, it doesn't matter since the film is engrossing and makes you want to know more about the real story. Sean Connery is fantastic as Jim Malone, an older cop who helps Ness in his quest to defeat Capone. This role won Connery an Oscar (his only) for best supporting actor.  
The Untouchables shoots its way into 8/10!

At the moment Thor is the most recent movie I have seen in theaters, and I was lucky to see it with a group of friends which made for a fun experience. Thor is based on the Marvel comic book character which is in turn based on the Norse god of thunder and Norse mythology in general. While I was not too familiar with either before watching Thor, I enjoyed it. Sure there is a bit too much CGI and the romance between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Jane (Natalie Portman) felt forced, but overall Thor has a solid blend of action and humor. Director Kenneth Branagh put his Shakespearean background to good use by giving the movie shades of King Lear, while the villain is not a one-sided bad guy but a complex, tragic figure. Thor is more on par with Iron Man 2 (which I still liked even though it was a bit of a mess) than the first Iron Man, but so far Marvel Studios has only made good movies. Hopefully this trend will continue with the July 2011 release of Captain America as well as the highly anticipated The Avengers in 2012.
Thor hammers a 6/10!

When Spike TV first started it would air two Jean-Claude Van Damme movies over and over again. One was Bloodsport (1988) and the other was KickBoxer. The movies share the same star, were filmed around the same time, and are both martial arts movies so you can understand why they always blended together in my mind. Luckily I got to re-watch this with a group of friends which is the best way to watch this flick. The fighting scenes are done well and Van Damme's facial expressions alone make this one worth watching. Don't expect much of a plot, even though it is supposedly based on true events. Donald Gibb is hilarious in a supporting role as Van Damme's friend who competes with him in a deadly martial arts competition. Bloodsport may not be a good movie, but it certainly is entertaining which is not something all movies can claim.
Bloodsport kicks and punches its way to a 5/10!

I first heard about Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) from my Dad, who told me it was a movie he had seen as a kid. We watched it together and even though he had seen it before, it was so long ago that we both did not know what to expect. I was guessing it would be cheesy and campy but it was not. Instead the film is an interesting sci-fi adaptation of the Robinson Crusoe story with a quiet atmosphere as the main character (Paul Mantee) simply tries to survive while spending most of the film by himself. It is an older film but still looks stunning on the Criterion Collection Blu-ray released. Adam West appears in a minor role as one of only four characters in the film, one of whom is a monkey! The film was directed by Byron Haskin who is most famous for directing Treasure Island (1950) and The War of the Worlds (1953). This makes sense as Robinson Crusoe on Mars is sort of a combination of the two since it is a version of a classic adventure story as well as science fiction. The science used in the story is dated, but Mars is portrayed close to the science of the time and not simply as pure fantasy.
Robinson Crusoe on Mars blasts off into a 7/10!

I am a big fan of Predator and I liked Predator 2 so I had been cautiously optimistic about another Predator movie. And no, I don't count the Alien vs. Predator series as real Alien or Predator movies! Although we didn't get the Arnie cameo that all Predator fans wanted, this was an enjoyable sequel with some nice twists and turns. There are still no bad movies in the Predator canon. Adrien Brody is cast against type as a bad-ass soldier, but somehow it works. Topher Grace on the other hand is totally out of place, even when the true nature of his character is revealed. I loved the concept of having an alien planet as a game preserve and it was fun watching these dangerous characters having to work together. However, the jungle setting, as well as a few other aspects, tend to rehash the original a bit too much. The relationship between Royce (Brody) and Isabelle (the female lead, played by Alice Braga) worked, but felt too similar to that of Hicks and Ripley in Aliens. There were even some direct references to that movie such as the line, "If the time comes, I'll do us both" and the fact that at the end of both movies the characters finally share their names with each other. I still enjoyed it, but I just wish Predators spent more time being Predators instead of trying too hard to be Predator and Aliens. Predator 2 often gets ragged on, but at least it tried to do something different with its "urban jungle" setting. Considering how some sequels turn out, Predators is not bad at all though still the weakest of the series for me. I'm not counting the Aliens vs. Predator movies which I haven't seen.
Predators hunts down a 6/10!

Before the Roger Corman Blogathon kicked off, Nate told me to watch X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963). Starring Ray Milland as a doctor who gave himself x-ray vision, this was actually only the second Corman movie I had ever seen. While I obviously still need to see a lot more Corman movies, this is so far the one I consider to be his best. The acting is perfect for the tone and there is some great directing. My favorite scene had to be the dance party in which Dr. Xavier sees everyone naked thanks to his x-ray vision! It was fun to see some familiar faces (Harold J. Stone, John Hoyt, and Don Rickles) who appeared on my all-time favorite TV show, The Twilight Zone. "If thine eye offends thee... pluck it out!"
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes has the vision to get a 7/10!

Before Kathryn Bigelow won an Oscar for directing The Hurt Locker, which also won best picture, she made a fun little movie set in the American West about... bloodsuckers. You know, people who bite others and stay up all night. I'll stop, but the point is that Near Dark (1987) is a movie about vampires that never uses the dreaded v-word! Unfortunately this movie got overshadowed by The Lost Boys which came out the same year and was also about teenage vampires. However don't let success at the box office fool you, this is a better and more interesting movie. Jenny Wright puts in a haunting performance as Mae, a young female vampire who "turns" Caleb (Adrian Pasdar), a farmhand who works for his father. The other vampires are played by the cast of Aliens. I'm not kidding, we have Bill Paxton, Lance Hendrickson, and Jenette Goldstein as the older vampires. I guess it makes sense since Bigelow was married to James Cameron at one point. In addition to those actors, Joshua John Miller plays Homer. He appears to be about twelve years old and therefore the youngest in this group of vampires. However, since vampires can live forever, it actually turns out that he is the oldest with the other characters referring to him as an "old man." The synthesizer score by Tangerine Dream felt out of place, but I don't think it significantly detracts from the movie. This gritty vampire flick is criminally underrated and the perfect antidote for those Twilight movies!
Near Dark doesn't suck, as it gets a 7/10!

Here is how I do my rating system: It is not rocket science but merely a combination of how much I enjoyed the movie plus how well I felt it was made (acting, directing, writing, cinematography, etc.). A 10/10 would be a movie I absolutely loved and felt was incredibly made, a 5/10 would be about average in both respects, while a 1/10 would be totally boring and utter crap. Actually for this blog I'll make that a 0/10 although IMDB only goes as low as 1/10. I might also do .5 ratings (ex: 7.5/10) on this blog since I can't do that on IMDB. I don't give out 1's and 2's easily and 9's and 10's are even more rare. My ratings can change a bit over time, especially when I haven't seen a film in a while. I feel that the content of the review is more helpful and important than any number or grade, but I'll still include my rating for each movie.

On Sunday I will post Part Two, in which I review a Hitchcock film, another Corman flick, and three movies released in 2010!