What We Do in the Shadows is a new vampire mockumentary that brilliantly straddles the line between accessibility and quirkiness. The pitch-perfect black humor is tempered by a surprising level of tenderness, as well as some sharp observations about the stylized nature of “reality” television. It’s easily the funniest movie of 2015, and seems destined to join the ranks of other classic mockers like This Is Spinal Tap and Best in Show.
Dracula Untold is one of those misfires that’s not even memorably or enjoyably poor, just a monotonous distraction for an admittedly brisk hour and a half. The revisionist Maleficient-like interpretation of Dr. Acula as a heroic figure just doesn’t work with material like this that’s so miserably solemn and lacking in any stirring entertainment value. Only in one brief part of the final act does the film gain some goofy spark, and it’s fittingly when the film actually embraces its horror roots as a fully vampire Vlad turns a bunch of his people and they all go sharp-toothed upon the Turk forces. Of course, that’s all for naught as Gary Shore’s feature debut goes back to neutering Dracula’s bite in making him the lone ‘good guy’ among his suddenly all evil people, and concluding with a likely far too optimistic franchise tease: ending a film with “Let the games begin” almost feels like mockery when there’s been so little incentive offered to come back and play.
Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s vampire trilogy The Strain has captured the imagination of horror fans since its 2009 release. Adapted as a comic by writer David Lapham (Stray Bullets) and artist Mike Huddleston, Dark Horse has just released the hardcover collection of the first 11 issues comprosing the first part of the trilogy. Working in close collaboration with Del Toro and Hogan, the comic book is not merely an illustrated novel but rather a visualization that captures the spirit and content of the book. This is an adaptation in the true sense of the word, building off the existing material and adjusting it to fit an entirely new medium.
Vdrome is my favourite new discovery. The online platform offers regular, high quality screenings of various films and videos during a limited period of time. What makes Vdrome so special is their selection of videos, all of which lie in-between contemporary art and cinema, and directed by visual artists and filmmakers from around the world. …
Issues: 1-11 Story: Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan Script: David Lapham Artist: Mike Huddleston Colours: Dan Jackson Now that the filth of Twilight is behind us, horror fans can peek out from their enclaves and reclaim the vampire genre from the greasy clutches of angst-ridden tweens. With Veritgo’s American Vampire taking a hiatus this …
The Vampire Diaries, Season 4, Episode 5: “The Killer” Written by Michael Narducci Directed by Chris Grismer Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW Every now and again, The Vampire Diaries does something to remind viewers of its less-than-stellar beginning. Earlier this season, it was the reintroduction and prevalence of the high school. Here, …
The Vampire Diaries, Season 4, Episode 4: “The Five” Written by Brett Matthews and Rebecca Sonnenshine Directed by Joshua Butler Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW Once again, The Vampire Diaries poses questions and teases only to pay them off immediately, rather than string along the audience for weeks waiting for answers. This …
The Vampire Diaries, Season 4, Episode 3: “The Rager” Written by Brian Young Directed by Lance Anderson Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW After last week’s intense and character-driven episode, it was nearly inevitable that this week’s installment would feel like a downtick. While this turns out to be the case, “The Rager” …
The Vampire Diaries, Season 4, Episode 1: “Growing Pains” Written by Caroline Dries Directed by Chris Grismer Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: Bonnie gets in too deep, Elena transitions, and there’s a new Pastor in town Last season ended with one hell of a cliffhanger. In …
The Fearless Vampire Killers Written by Gérard Brach and Roman Polanski Directed by Roman Polanski USA/UK, 1967 Roman Polanski’s comedy was his first foray into both Hollywood and colour filmmaking, and, whether intentional or not, feels like a deliberate parody of the Hammer studio’s brand of gothic horror. Polanski’s film has similarly striking castle locales, …
The Vampire Diaries Review, Season 3, Episode 22: “The Departed” Written by Julie Plec (Teleplay), Brett Matthews and Elizabeth R. Finch (Story) Directed by John Behring Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: Bonnie makes her play, Elena makes her choice, and the writers make a bold season-ending …
The Vampire Diaries Review, Season 3, Episode 20: “Do Not Go Gentle” Written by Michael Narducci Directed by Joshua Butler Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: Mystic Falls High continues its tradition of terrible Decade Dances, Ric pulls a Bill Forbes, and Bonnie can not catch a …
The Vampire Diaries Review, Season 3, Episode 19: “Heart of Darkness” Written by Brian Young and Evan Bleiweiss Directed by Chris Grismer Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: Jeremy’s back, Rose’s back, Tyler’s back, Esther’s back. It’s a big ol’ Vampire Diaries reunion. For many, the highlight …
The Moth Diaries Directed by Mary Harron Written by Mary Harron U.S.A., 2011 Mary Harron is one of those directors whose names is tossed into the hat when people want to discuss the top directors working in North America today, and her name definitely comes up whenever the topic is female directors. What might strike …
The Vampire Diaries Review, Season 3, Episode 18: “The Murder of One” Written by Caroline Dries Directed by J. Miller Tobin Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: Rebekah has fun with Damon, Ric gets his Hyde on, and Finn and Bonnie have really bad days With only …
The Vampire Diaries Review, Season 3, Episode 17: “Break On Through” Written by Rebecca Sonnenshine Directed by Lance Anderson Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: Jamie’s a bitten boy, Damon’s a bad boy, and Ric’s a dull boy. After last week’s mediocre episode, this week things are …
The Vampire Diaries Review, Season 3, Episode 16: “1912” Written by Julie Plec and Elisabeth R. Finch Directed by John Behring Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: It’s brotherly tough love for Stefan, Rebekah does some tree-related sleuthing, and Elena has a heart-to-heart with Matt. After several …
The Vampire Diaries Review, Season 3, Episode 15: “All My Children” Written by Evan Bleiweiss and Michael Narducci Directed by Pascal Verschooris Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: Elena can’t keep her mouth shut, Bonnie can’t stay out of vampire business, and Ric really does have horrible …
The Vampire Diaries Review, Season 3, Episode 14: “Dangerous Liaisons” Written by Caroline Dries Directed by Chris Grismer Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on the CW This week, on The Vampire Diaries: It’s party time in Mystic Falls, which means ladies in beautiful dresses, men in fabulous tuxes, and self-destructive behavior and scheming galore. After …
Over the past few seasons, while True Blood became HBO’s #1 show and serialized storytelling hit creative highs with Breaking Bad, Justified, and Game of Thrones, one network series has quietly become a go-to for fans of intelligent, well-made serialized genre television. The Vampire Diaries may not be a perfect show, but it carefully avoids …
Supernatural Review, Season 7, Episode 11, “Adventures in Babysitting” Written by Adam Glass Directed by Jeannot Szwarc This week, on Supernatural: Sam goes to help a friend of Bobby’s and Dean teams up with Frank to follow up on Bobby’s final message. One of the problems serialized shows run into in the American network TV …
True Blood Review, Season 4, Episode 12: “And When I Die” Written by Raelle Tucker Directed by Scott Winant Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO This week, on True Blood: Marnie gets revenge, Holly summons the dead, Gran saves the day, Terry and Arlene have unexpected visitors, the Sookie love polygon continues, Eric and …
True Blood Review, Season 4, Episode 11: “Soul of Fire” Written by Mark Hudis Directed by Michael Lehmann Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO This week, on True Blood: Sam, Marcus, and Alcide show their character, Debbie pokes the bear, Andy has an encounter in the woods, Eric and Bill make sacrifices, Pam decides …