Underworld: Awakening

 
  I don't have the best relationship with the Underworld franchise. I liked the first one, cannot remember if I saw the second and have no desire to see the third. But something about Awakening intrigued me enough to rent it.

   Awakening changes the movies to more of a Resident Evil format minus the zombies of course. It's the future and humans have turned on vampires and Lycans wiping them out and sending the rest into hiding. Selene having been frozen for the last twelve years escapes and goes on a search for Michael who has gone missing.

  Kate Beckinsale returns to the franchise and she is simply awesome. She is also surrounded by a strong confident supporting cast consisting of Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, and India Eisley. Eisley best known for her work on Secret Life is a gem. This is her first big budget movie role and she knocks it right out of the park. Scott Speedman doesn't reprise his role as Michael so archive footage was used for his brief scenes.

   Without Michael the movie is allowed to focus more on action and story lines instead of tragic romance. The special effects are well done and there are some great kills. Introducing humans as the new threat gave the movie a fresh new feel and better story line options. How long could they have really milked the whole Lycan/vampire feud before it got old?

    I recommend this movie to horror fans, even the ones who are lukewarm about sequels.

Lost Boys 3: The Thirst

  It's time to forget about Lost Boys 2: The Tribe (except for my fab review of course). The Thirst is the true sequel to the 1987 classic.

   The films reunites Lost Boys stars Corey Feldman and  Jamison Newlander as the now grown up Frog brothers. Edgar Frog is a destitute vampire hunter who is approached by a vampire romance writer whose brother has been kidnapped. Yes, the film pokes a bit of fun at Twilight but then again who wouldn't?

  Upon investigation, Edgar learns that a vampire DJ is using vamp's blood in order to create his own vampire army. With the reluctant help of his now vamped out brother, Alan, Edgar prepares to face the head vampire and save the world.

   Lost Boys 2 was okay but it seemed very loosely linked to the original. Lost Boys 3 is all about the original and not just with the actors. They quote the original film and tell you the fates of the characters of Michael, Starr, and Laddie. It's not only a movie but a kind-hearted tribute to fellow Lost Boys actor, Corey Haim who died recently. Numerous flashback scenes of him and the Frog brothers feature in the film. Yes, there is a version of Cry Little Sister in this as well, just not as cool as the original by G Tom Mac.

  This film doesn't have all the charm of the original but it's still fun. It's like Lost Boys with a bit of Blade and James Bond thrown in. It's action-packed and funny and a must see for any fan of the original film. I have seen a lot of '80s films given terrible straight to DVD sequels but The Thirst isn't one of them.

   I'll admit it, when the obligatory, tacked on, hinting at future sequel scene came on, I was excited. Based on how good this film is, I would definitely welcome a Lost Boys 4. And oddly I felt that long dormant teenage crush of Corey Feldman coming back again.

Suck

  Suck is a refreshing addition to the vampire genre. For way too long, vampires have been approached with just too much angst and not enough fun. Remember fun vampire films such as Lost Boys, Once Bitten and My Best Friend Is A Vampire?

  Suck brings back the fun of the vampire genre. It centers around a mediocre rock band who are (pardon the pun) dying to get their big break. Their big break comes in the form of bassist, Jennifer, who gets turned into a vampire. As the band slowly join the ranks of the undead, their career takes off and it looks like nothing can stop them. Except for a rabid vampire hunter (Malcolm McDowell) and the lead singer's choice of whether to make it big or stay alive.

  Suck is funny and intelligent with a lot of wonderful one liners. The music is awesome and the cast is one of the most top notch casts I have seen in a long while. Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, Moby, Alice Cooper, and Malcolm McDowell, how many other movies can boast that cast. Jennifer is played by Jessica Pare who was wonderful in Lost and Delirious and Matt Foley is hysterical. I was suprised to see Mike Lobel who I loved on Degrassi show up in the film as the band's drummer.

    To future vampire movie creators, take note of this movie. This is the way to go. Insert more humor, more vampire pride if you will. I think fans of the vampire genre have had their fill of whiny pretty boys who do nothing but angst and brood.  It's about time that we, the movie viewers get something that's dark without being depressing, or funny without resorting to repulsive body humor.

   Suck stays original even up to the very end, it doesn't portray vampirism as this awful horrible thing that most vampire films would have done. If you like intelligent comedy and want to go back to the days where vampire movies were actually fun, then Suck is definitely a must rent movie.

Werewolves, Werepanthers, and Werefoxes, Oh My!

Club Dead is the third installment to the Southern Vampire Mysteries and by far my favorite. It's a wonderful blend of action, romance, and comedy.

Club Dead introduces a new supernatural element to the series, the Weres. Weres are not limited to wolves but also include tigers, panthers, and foxes (oh my.) I find the idea of a Were Fox to be the most adorable thing ever.

The book follows telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse and her search of her missing boyfriend that leads her to Mississippi. She is accompanied by her bodyguard, Alcide, a werewolf forced to protect her by Eric. Some sparks fly between the two.

For the first part of the book I liked Alcide but the character is quickly revealed to be weak and indecisive. The love/hate relationship among him and his Were girlfriend, Debbie, slows the book down some. I did adore the snarky dialogue between Debbie and Sookie, though.

Eric and Sookie are sizzling in the novel and I am glad to see the connection among her and Bill fade some. Bill is unlikable in this book and shows signs of weakness as well.

Watching the current season of True Blood will be interesting. I watched the first two seasons with no knowledge of the books. If anything, reading the books have enhanced my love of the television series. Both Alcide and Debbie have been cast in Season 3 and I cannot wait to see them show up.

Bring on the cat fighting (pardon the pun.)

Dead Until Dark (Mild Spoilers)

I am a fan of True Blood. I am also an avid reader. So it made sense that I wanted to read the books that spawned the series. Thanks to the awesomeness of ebay I have received the boxed set of this series.

Now, sadly, I have to say that Dead Until Dark is boring. It's an awesome book but it turns out True Blood stayed completely true to the novel. Which would've been more awesome had I not watched the series first. The whole mystery plot of who was killing the fangbangers had already been spoiled for me.

At least it gave me a chance to see what they changed in the leap from book to HBO. For instance, no Tara in the first book. She is in the series but has a smaller role. For instance, Sookie's brother Jason has a smaller role, he's still a suspect in the murders but the whole vamp blood/Amy Burley storyline was made up for the series. Tara also does not appear in the first book and Lafayette's is more of a peripheral character.

Nothing against the character of Tara but having Sookie with nobody close to her made her isolation and loneliness a little more believable.

I actually like the book's portrayal of Sookie and Bill's relationship better than the television's. Sookie is just a little more accepting of Bill's dark nature. When she learns that he killed a couple who attacked, she's just a little uncomfortable. Unlike the series where she completely freaks out.

Essentially Dead Until Dark covers the entire first season of True Blood. All in all it was a great book. But I was disappointed that I didn't discover the book series before the television series. I still suggest True Blood fans read this book, despite the spoilers.