let the right one in

I picked up this book sometime this year when I was in the library doing researching for an assignment. I read the first few pages as the computer was setting itself up but then sat it down and forgot to borrow it when I left. Therefore I can't compare the book to the film but as a movie, it is superb and finely crafted.
I thought that the relationship between Eli and Oskar was beautifully rendered and the skill of the young actors themselves far outweighs many more experienced thespians.
I was magnetically drawn into this shabby, midnight world that reflected upon the grimier edges of humanity like wading into a clear lake and stirring up the mud on the bottom with your steps.Cold, still and at times breathless with despair, the horror of this film is the contrast between the beauty of the landscape and the dark acts perpetrated within it, just as the ethereality of Eli contrasts with her capacity for violence.This is one of those films that keeps you thinking about it for days afterwords until it actually becomes a part of who you are. And there are so many areas to think about such as childhood innocence, revenge, humanity, violence, the meaning of evil as well as all the other extremes and nuances of life and death that satisfying vampiric fiction explores.
I found that the film succeeded in being able to alienate me at the right moments than being able to create a profound sense of intimacy during others. For example, during the first murder scene, the numb-horror of the actions, the icy trees and snow that framed the shots and absurdity of the arrival of the poodle who interrupted proceedings meant that the audience felt distanced from the events.The scenes with Oskar and Eli begin in a similarly fracturing way but swiftly become increasingly close to the audience as we are reeled in by seemingly mesmeric forces.
The pool scene at the end as Eli disposes of the bullies while Oskar is submerged was a fantastically original way of showing action and gore without showing anything at all.
Atmosphere and intrigue are both things that are most pleasing and are two reasons why this film is so compelling.

Daybreakers

Yes, I know that some movies can usher in world peace and that others have the ability to solve world hunger. But, sometimes, I just want to be entertained. Daybreakers is pure, joyous and unapologetic escapism (ignoring the fact that the dwindling blood supply is an allegory for certain other resources in the real world of course).
When I saw the trailer for this film I knew that it would be more than just a 'forgettable genre piece' as one reviewer put it and was not surprised to find that I was right.
The Spierig brothers have succeeded in creating the dark broody world that you sometimes just long to be immersed in. The atmosphere evokes memories of Dark City and The Matrix yet the film succeeds in feeling and looking original. Considering how limited the budget was, the quality of this film is remarkable and the few constraints in the plot that are often cited I am attributing to constraints in the fiscal department.
The action sequences and the death scenes have always the right amount of b grade excess and humour. In particular, the failed blood substitute experiment was hilarious. An exploding head and gallons of rich, splattering blood - what more could you want from a movie?
The dialogue does not pretend to be shakespeare and that is where so much of the joy in this movie resides. Such as the first meeting between Ed and the humans...
"shoot him again!"
"no. dont shoot me again!"
"just shoot him again. do it!"
Very entertaining
Despite the prolonged scene of gratifying carnage towards the end and the fact that this is a vampire movie, this does not suit the horror genre so don't expect to be scared. This film is more like a sci-fi and is most pleasing in so many ways. But one way in particular is in the way it allows one to pick apart the poor American accents of all the wonderful Aussie actors.

Outlander

I yawl a resounding YES to Outlander.

Somehow this movie has been missing from my life until today. Though that is unsurprising really considering that it went virtually direct to DVD. Somehow the normal people of the world didn't take kindly to this viking/alien mash up. The acting really isn't that bad and nor were the special effects and as for the script well... As i was saying, the actors were not that bad and often they were actually quite good especially John Hurt and Jim Caviezel.

The thing is, I didn't enjoy this movie in a 'guilty pleasure' kind of a way or even a 'so bad it is good' way I genuinely found this film most pleasing. It is a must see for a certain kind of geek.

And maybe there are other closet fans out there afterall, the Moorwen looks remarkably similar to the Thanator from a certain other bigger budgeted member of the sci-fi/fantasy family.

Elric of Melnibone

I first came across Elric Of Melnibone when I was researching 'evil albinos' (yes there is or was such a page on wikipedia, no i am not prejudiced against albino peoples) a few years ago. By pure chance or synchronicity it so happened that a second hand bookstore had the complete series which I happily procured and so began a long love/hate affair with the sorcerous prince and his sentient blade, stormbringer.
The author (who has a ridiculous name which I can't believe he chose to publish his books under rather than create an awesome nom de plume) takes us to some fairly intensely fantasy nerd territories. And you would have to be a geek of that sort to truly appreciate the gravity of this series as well as the moments of levity.There are murmurings that a film is in the works and I hope that I live long enough to see it. I'm not really sure how the books could translate into film effectively and I'm certain that there will not be enough of a prospect for profit to actually get the film made. Nonetheless, someone got the (awesome but much ridiculed) plot-line of Outlander past the sentinels therefore there may be hope of a movie after all.
There is much love for elric among the right circles (though not necessarily the mainstream ones). I think that the similarities between prince nuada from hellboy 2 and elric are the result of an obvious homage...