Just thought I’d put up a quick post on the movies I watched this past weekend……..

Lifeforce (1985)

Quite clearly, this is a nonsense movie. The plot is lovingly confused but basically involves naked space vampires – unwittingly brought back to earth of course – turning the London populace into marauding zombies. Despite it’s dire reputation and the fact that the whole film is sodden with over-acting, there are flashes of Tobe Hooper’s directorial flare and some enjoyable melodramatic visuals of London to get your teeth into. The plague scenes more than foreshadow 28 days later but the highlight for me is both Frank Finlay’s mad-scientist and an unintentionally comedic script. They don’t make these sort of films anymore; nothing more than campy entertainment gold.

hotdog rating: 6/10

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

Set during the filming of horror masterpiece Nosferatu (1922), this movie alleges that actor Max Shreck really was a vampire, only agreeing to star in the picture if he could have ‘the girl’ on the film’s completion. John Malkovich plays the deranged director who will stop at nothing to capture a real-life vampire on screen. Willem Dafoe is electric as Shreck and the supporting cast includes a nervous Eddie Izzard and a ruthless Udo Kier as the film’s producer. The film looks great and all the performances are noteworthy. But there is something missing, maybe it’s Dafoe’s vampire, who as the film goes on seems to lose his sense of menace…and by the end of it all, the true monster is Malkovich and his insane crusade in search of the ultimate cinematic experience. It’s still very good but it could have been fantastic.

hotdog rating: 7.5/10

Flesh and Bone (1993)

Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan play a dysfunctional couple slowly falling for each other before Quaid finds out that Ryan is the sole survivor of a burglary-turned-killing spree that he and his sadistic father (James Caan in terrifying form) carried out 30 years ago. A dark, heartfelt and majestic drama. The first set-piece is one of the most touching murder scenes I have seen on screen whilst the philosophical ending brings justice and raw sadness.

hotdog rating: 8/10