Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

Okay, I really only saw about one noteworthy movie in January and February, but I've no excuse for not having updated before now on the several decent films I saw during my greater amount of free time in March.

So, this is me catching up on my reviews . . . (sort of!).

( UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING [with minor spoilers possible] )

( THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY [no spoilers] )

( THIS MEANS WAR [no real spoilers] )

( AGENT VINOD [no spoilers] )

( JOHN CARTER [no real spoilers] )

And that's about all . . . for now!

I thought this show was going to be lame, lamer, lamest when it first premiered, but then it started to get better after a few episodes and became a guilty pleasure -- popcorn TV to watch when I had time on my hands, and then immediately deleted from the DVR.

And now I'm recording "The Vampire Diaries" on Thursday nights instead of "FlashForward" (I can only record two shows at the same time, and skipping "Bones" is still non-negotiable, even if I rarely feel inclined to re-view an episode of that series anymore). For the past three or four weeks I've even re-watched all or part of the new episodes of "Vampire Diaries" before deleting.

What's wrong with me? (As if I didn't know.)( Read more... )

Spike, of course, is still the ultimate 'little black dress' that goes with everything, as far as vampire characters go. But Damon is shaping up to be (perhaps) a rather nice pair of pumps that look sharp and have a lot of uncommon style but are surprisingly comfy for walking in (if indeed there ever was a pair of shoes like that!).

I can't wait to see who Damon snarks at, kills, and/or strangely befriends next!

Question: What is the chief end of the SyFy Channel?

Answer: The SyFy Channel's chief end seems to be to show some great shows, a lot more so-so programs, too many things that have nothing to do with science fiction, and a heckuva lot of truly sucky movies-of-the-week.

Question: When does a SyFy movie not suck?

Answer: A movie shown on the SyFy Channel may fail to suck when it was not made by or for that channel.

Question: What movie on SyFy didn't suck this week?

Answer: "Perfect Creature" entirely failed to suck on Sunday night.

Here endeth my irreverence (for now).

But seriously, if you didn't catch "Perfect Creature" (2006 vampire movie starring Dougray Scott and Saffron Burrows, made in New Zealand) on the SyFy channel two nights ago or haven't already seen the DVD released a couple of years before that, then you might want to seriously consider searching for it on cable, Netflix, Amazon, or your local video rental place. It's definitely worth a viewing . . . or two or three.

Yes, there were certain aspects of the history and culture of the alternate reality earth in which it was set which I wish had been more fully explored or developed. And yes, the ending did leave me wanting a sequel (though not an unsatisfactory ending, by any means).

However, any minor quibbles I might have are greatly outweighed by my sheer delight in encountering a vampire movie with such an intriguing and original take on the mythos. Plus, there's Dougray Scott, who takes his vampire character from remote-but-revered religious icon to passionate defender of humanity over the course of the movie without missing a step.

( some spoilers for 'Perfect Creature' and 2001 film 'The Breed' )

I admit, the film's intriguing spin on the symbolic importance of blood in the Hebrew Bible and especially in the Christian New Testament and religious practices is what really lifted "Perfect Creature" out of the realm of mere, "Ooh, cute vampire in a murder mystery! Well, that was nice while it lasted . . ." and into the land of, "Hmmm, cute vampire cardinal investigating a murder mystery that could undermine the faith of millions of believers! Let's see that again!" for me.

Definitely worth a look-see . . . especially if you're eager for something decent to wash the bitter taste of some recent SyFy Channel made-for-TV, CGI-monster-of-the-week suck-fest (in the not-fun meaning of 'suck-fest,' I need hardly add) out of your brain.

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Index of donnamour1969’s Moonlight fics (up to date as of 8/16/18): ( Read more... )