You would think this would be a difficult weekend to select just one recommendation out of all the movies being released, but really, the multiplex fare looks less then interesting, and the Indy fair while loaded with quality (Slumdog Millionaire and I’ve Loved You So Long), none compares to my selection this week, Let the Right One In. While most may not have much of a stomach for horror films, Let the Right One In is one I think that will appeal to people less then excited by the genre. It is more then a simple vampire film. It is more then a gore filled fright flick. In fact, most of the gore occurs off screen and the film is far from scary. This is a film reliant on atmosphere and character development. It is touching and moving and deeply and painfully honest. I can safely say I have never seen anything like it, and that it is far more then a genre masterpiece, it may be the best film of the year.

As for my DVD pick, it is a relatively easy one as well as Criterion has continued its quest to be Wes Anderson’s personal label by releasing Bottle Rocket this Tuesday. They also are releasing several other films as well on Tuesday, so be sure to stop in their store and checkout the selection. Oh yeah, I hear they are having some sort of fire sale as well.

As always trailers are after the break!

(more…)

After last week’s hijacking of the column in favor of hanging out with some old friends I knew this week I could have no excuse for not writing a review on Vampyr. Sure the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival opened this week but that wouldn’t get in my way. Yes, the multiplexes actually had a small handful of potentially decent movies for me to watch but that couldn’t possibly get in my way. And sure, I had a screening of the uncut version of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly that I simply had to go to and Manda Bala burning up my Netflix queue but those were mere distractions while I prepared myself for Vampyr. Awesome distractions to be sure but they shouldn’t do anything more then slow me down. Then Ben Folds had to go and muck up my whole plans.

You see my girlfriend bought tickets to go see Ben Folds in concert this past Saturday night but somewhere along the way both of us, along with a friend of ours, somehow mistook the concert venue of St. Peter, Minnesota for St. Paul, Minnesota. We didn’t really think much of it at first, but once we MapQuested it we saw the error of our ways. See St. Peter, Minnesota was over an hour south of the Twin Cities. Needless to say this had a rather large effect on our plans.

(more…)

Will I finally watch Vampyr? Yes, yes I will. This time I promise too. I will even write an actual review of the film rather then simply tell some boring story about my “glory days” that no one wants to read when they could be reading a kick ass review of an artistic vampire movie from the 30’s.

So since I have no trailer for next week, this week I am posting the music video for Nerf Herder’s released single for their new album Nerf Herder IV. Who is Nerf Herder? Only the awesomest band ever! You might know them for their only radio hit “Van Halen” from back in the day. Or you might know them as the writers of the theme song for the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They are coming out with their first album in 6 years at the end of this month and I am absurdly excited. You may not care, but I do, so you should.

When people think Carl Theodor Dreyer they think, “Who?” Which inevitably leads me to trying to mention The Passion of Joan of Arc to help them recall the name. A film which, let’s face it, the majority of people have never watched. So this week I dig up the Dutch filmmaker’s first “talkie”. Thankfully it’s about vampires, so it has way more appeal then any legitimate historical figure could ever hope to garner. And since their doesn’t seem to be a trailer for the film any where on the Internerd, I’ve decided that I will simply use Massive Attack’s video for Angel, which is set entirely to scenes from the film Vampyr, to act as the preview.