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Reviews
Once Bitten (1985)
"It's NOT a costume!"
Once Bitten is a fun and enjoyable comedy vampire flick. Reveling on the alluring number 3 and hellbent on going all the way for a home run it stars the holy trinity of Carrey, Hutton and Little in humorous and lovable roles. The story revolves around the vampire Countess (Hutton) and her need for a blood transfusion from a virgin. No bite in the neck, but further down is required. She's guided and aided by the brilliant Sebastian (Little) with a certain feminine twist that makes for many laughs. Juxtaposed to this duo of (very light) darkness we find a trio of restless youngsters and the protagonist of the movie - Mark (Carrey) who is trying so hard to get to fourth base with his girlfriend but not getting anywhere. He tries to metaphorically go to third base at a drive-in movie when the gear stick gets in the way of the couple and he says "Here, let me put it in third...". That's all he manages to do tho and they sit and watch the movie while all the other cars around start to bounce one after the other. Frustrated and let down he is talked into going to town to get...sorry... 'meet' girls with his two comic relief friends and soon enough he meets the countess and she lures him into her Hollywood mansion to get the first of three blood transfusions in order to retain her good looks. From there on strange and humorous things start to happen to the main character. It's a definitive 80's movie for sure. It's lighthearted and fun and if you expect some serious vampire business and action you will be sorely let down but if you're expecting comedy, teen desires, Carrey and light entertainment you will have a very enjoyable hour and a half of pure 80's nostalgia with a twist and you won't regret seeing it.
Blueberry (2004)
A new twist
Blueberry sets itself apart from other westerns as well as the original comic, but it also brings a new vision (in every sense of the word) that hits home as it leads the viewer through memories, doubts, fears and inner journeys.
The cast doesn't make for a convincing resemblance of the comic's characters but that doesn't really matter since this stands apart from the 4 decades of the awesome French comic. Cassel practices a decent and charismatic Blueberry and Lewis is perfect as a "desert flower". Kounen has made a compelling and stunning movie. The designs, photography and every minuscule part of the movie looks amazingly beautiful.
The storyline is simple but the twists and turns makes even this simple storyline interesting. The Indian presence is the strength of the movie and the setting and the times make sense and makes me feel comfortable with what I'm seeing. The adventures of Tsi-na-pah (broken nose aka Blueberry) and the guidance of the Chiricahua in this movie will never meet the standards of the comic, but on the other hand the sensitivity and the shamanistic take in Blueberry makes this film really take off in ways the comic never will or ever could.
It's a very good movie and a very different but definitely true hardcore Western - if you allow yourself to just go with the flow of the film.
The Notebook (2004)
a good story, well told
The Notebook seemed like a boring movie when I read the summary on the back of it, but after seeing it I must admit that the summary was the best lie ever told. The Notebook is a beautiful story of love and hope through the ages, and the contents of it peels of in different beautifully told layers until you understand the core of it, and then it turns so sad, so gruesome and so hopeless and spite of all this sadness the true story stands stronger and more powerful than before.
The movie begins at a home for the elderly where an old man reads from a notebook to an old woman at the home. It's in present day, South Carolina and as the man tells the story we're taken back to the 40's in a fictional town of Seabrook where Noah meets Allie at a fair and he falls head over heels for her. They begin a journey of love and differences that ends quite abruptly at summer's end, but still lasts for years. The setting tells nothing of the political issues in the 40's US south but it's not supposed to either, I think. It's a story of love between two people from two very different backgrounds. The photography is amazing and the detail of the time and place is astounding, you do feel like you've been tossed 60 years back in time, but the real deal is the chemistry between Noah and Allie - that's what makes this move tick and is enhanced by James Garner's and Gena Rowlands's performances.
Beautiful story, beautiful setting and extremely much worth seeing - over and over again. It makes an even greater impact the second time around when you have all the answers and new realizations appear.
SPOILERS: . . . . When you watch the movie you realize after a while that the old man, Mr Calhoun really is Noah and the woman he's reading to is Allie who suffers from Alzheimers disease. That alone is heartbreaking. He has loved her all his life and is now retelling the story of themselves and she doesn't recognize it, she doesn't even recognize her own family that comes to visit them. The final blow that really tore through my heart is the realization that SHE wrote the notebook for Noah to read to her so that she might remember something Their story takes place in the run down mansion that Noah vowed to rebuild for Allie, as well. The movie makes me hope that there are men out there like Noah, with uncanny patience and perseverance to love another no matter what the circumstances. Another fine symbol is the birds in the movie. It begins with birds flying towards the house, they come back when Allie wants to be a bird in her next life to which Noah replies "If you're a bird, I'm a bird.". He remembers this and later - when they meet again after seven years - takes her to a magical place to where swans and ducks come. Allie asks if the ducks stay there and Noah says no, they go back to where they came from - a semi-harsh analogy to Allie when she left that summer, long ago. Finally the birds return as the credits start to roll when we leave the mansion and a flock of geese take flight across the waters and reminds us of Allie's wish to become a bird in her next life.