Film Bites [July/August/September]

So, there was not an exclusive July or August Film Bites, because I did not see that many kickass films. Now that September has come about, let me smoosh them together.

Fright Night

True Blood fans: drink deep. A good vampire story makes my heart flutter. Yet they are so hard to come by.  It is a remake of the ridiculously cheesy 80s flick by the same name. This time, the vampire is played by an inhumanly smooth and sexy Colin Farrell. Dr. Who’s David Tennant also makes an appearance. Basically, it’s a fun romp through the vampire genre. Good cast, good story, good action. It won’t earn Oscars but I had more fun with this flick than I have in a very long time. From the girl who hates 90% of vampire films: SEE THIS! It featured in my Daily Trojan column too. And as for Colin Farrell as the badass vampire…

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

WTF?! Everyone thought this movie would suck. Until it suckerpunched them all with a totally badass summer flick that has brought to light the inherent terror and creepy factor of apes. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Lord of the Rings, performs as Caesar, a hyperintelligent ape raised by his scientist-cum-father, James Franco. It’s still summer fun but it’s very very entertaining. A gorilla tearing apart a helicopter? Badass.

Elfen Lied

I watched this on Netflix after hearing so many mixed opinions. Some hate it, some love it. Count me in the latter. The characters are good but not groundbreaking. The action is nice and the art is decent but I don’t value those over plot. I believe it’s one of those series where I just fell in love with the idea. Basically, another humanoid race has some into existence  that has has enhanced telekinetic abilities but is considered to be psychotic and mass-murdering (which they often are). As such, the government captures and experiments on them. Until one breaks free. She’s shot in the head during her escape which gives her a split-personality — a childlike sweet persona, and her vicious and sociopathic true one. She comes under the care of a young man and his female friend, and things go crazy from there. Anyhow, it’s worth a look. Some of the characters are fascinating and it’s an interesting, scary look at the nature vs. nurture debate.

Mad Men

I watched all four seasons in two weeks. That tell you something? The show follows the rambunctious antics of advertising men in 1960s’ New York. It’s sumpteous visually but it also sports a fantastic cast, from Christina Hendrix as a sangfroid and alluring office manager, John Hamm as a ruthless but conflicted creative director, and Elisabeth Moss as a talented chick who wants to achieve a respectable profession in a male-dominated industry.

Drive

Do NOT see the trailer for this! It gives away everything and recasts the film as a high-speed car flick. Which it’s not. Instead, it’s a noir thriller that happens to have a badass yet frustratingly taciturn getaway driver. The car chases are impressive, but it’s the visceral mood of the story that really elevates the film. Watch this especially if you liked A History of Violence or Eastern Promises.

Dracula (1931)

This movie is older than you. It’s older than your car. It might be older than your house. And it’s still awesome. The music and atmosphere are delciously sinister, and the melodramatic script is giggle-worthy. But all of that pales to the smoldering sex pot that is Bela Lugosi as Dracula. Most people are only familar with his image, or his classic line “What music they make!” In the context of his performance, however, he creates an charismatic and very alluring Count. Things aren’t bad just because they are old. Except my cell phone.

Death Note

Death Note proposes a simple idea: what if you had the power to kill anyone? Criminals who have escaped justice? Those who give nothing to society but always take? Here, a highschool boy named Light finds a Death Note — a book owned by death gods wherein they write the names of all destined to die. Light decides he wants to purge the world of all criminals and create a perfect society. ut he’s also a megalomaniac, viciously intelligent bastard who soon causes a wave of death upon the world In his path stands an eccentric but brilliant detective, as well as a police team headed by Light’s unknowing father. The series is amazing in that the main character in incredibly unlikable. Moreover, most of the series is spent with him outthinking almost everyone who tries to stop him.

Red Dead Redemption

Psyche! Red Dead is actually a video game. But it’s told in such a cinematic manner that it feels like the player is injected into some algamation of every Clint Eastwood Western ever made. An ex-convict is shoved back into the world of gangs and savagery when the government blackmails him into tracking down his former gang members. From wrangling a stmapeding herd of cattle in a thunderstorm to playing both sides of a government overthrow in Mexico, it’s a wild, wild west.