Editorials
Best & Worst ’10: THEO’S BOTTOM 5 OF 2010
If there is anything that I enjoy as much as a great horror film it is an entertainingly bad one. There is something charming, and often times engaging about a B-Horror film that is so outlandishly bad that it is, well, good. But unfortunately for the following 5 films on this list they were so mind numbingly, gut wrenchingly, and unapologetically bad that they couldn’t even achieve that status. You can paint a turd gold, but in the end it’s still a turd, and you can try and sell your movie with overly produced money shots in a series of halfhearted trailers, annoyingly intricate viral campaigns, or stuff it full of respectable industry icons…but ya ain’t fooling anybody. Your movie sucks. And I call B.S. Read on for the skinny…
BC (Best/Worst) | Micah (Best/Worst) | Keenan (Best/Worst) | Theo (Best/Worst)
Best One Sheets | Worst One Sheets
Most Memorable Moments | Top Trailers | Memorable Quotes
THEO’S BOTTOM 5 OF 2010
Back in 2007, when the film adaptation of Steve Niles’ illustrated cult classic “30 DAYS OF NIGHT” hit the big screen I considered it one of the best vampires flicks of the decade. The film was atmospheric, engaging, entertaining, and full of interesting character actors. (Here’s looking at you Ben Foster) But the 2010 direct to DVD follow-up was anything but, and the first red flag should have been the recasting of all of the first films key players. But instead of taking my own advice and avoiding the flick entirely I went out, got a pizza, fired up the Redbox, and took the surefire dud home with me. The results were plenty of eye rolling, my fair share of dozing off, and a healthy portion of “Why the fuck do I do this to myself?”.
I just about wish that I could leave this one off of here out of respect for Wes Craven alone, but when something is bad, it’s bad. I think that we were all hoping that the horror legends return (and debut in 3D. Yawn.) to the big screen with an original horror picture would be more akin to “SCREAM” than it would be “CURSED”. Unfortunately we weren’t so lucky, and if the terrible box office showing was any sort of barometer for the quality of the film itself, then it is safe to say that no one was buying into the hype. So now that only leaves one thing to be said: let’s just hope “SCREAM 4” isn’t as disappointing. Fingers crossed.
I’ll make the embarrassing confession that I actually spent money on not just ONE ticket to this incoherent mess from Misher Films, but TWO tickets as I blindly walked into a modestly inhabited theater one drizzly night this Fall with my girlfriend. I thought, as I bought these two tickets, “Hey, it has Ian McShane in it. He was in `DEADWOOD’. I loved him in that. How bad can it be?’. Boy, was I wrong. From the second we sat down there was not one 5 minute period that myself and my date didn’t look over at one another and contemplate ditching the wasted $20 endeavor entirely and going to the nearest greasy diner in order to hopefully blow an artery and forget the entire 109(!!!) minute long snooze fest. Sadly, we sat through every second. And THAT my friends might just be even more embarrassing a feat than spending the money on the tickets in the first place.
Oh Sam Bayer…what more can be said about your soulless, heartless, master class in how to butcher a fan beloved classic franchise that hasn’t already been said? I’ll be honest: you had me fooled. You actually had me sitting down in a crowded theater at midnight on a Thursday evening, (9 hours before I had to be into work I might add) with an overpriced combo #3, and my vintage Freddy t-shirt on my back, ready to watch what I thought would be a disappointing, but passable attempt to reinvent Craven’s 80s classic. Unfortunately what I got was shoddy FX, a mind numbingly boring Rooney Mara, and enough plot holes to make even the most embarrassed members of the BP board blush. You didn’t help yourself with your unapologetic comments about your clusterfuck mess of a film to fans afterwards, and I can honestly say that the ONLY good thing to come out of that theater going experience was buying both Fright-Rags `Dream Editions’ from my phone during the movie.
And then there is Afterdark Horror Fest’s stinker to rule all Afterdark Horror Fest stinkers – “THE GRAVES”. Everything from the high school drama club caliber acting, to the paper-thin `plot’, combined to make for one of the absolute worst Redbox rentals I have ever bared witness to. Never before have I regretted so harshly a decision to spend a hard earned dollar on a film that could have just as easily gone to buying a delicious double cheeseburger had I just walked the extra 20 feet to the counter at my local McDonalds. But alas, there was no going back, and even with a handful of cameos from some genre icons I simply cannot be any more harsh on this film. “THE GRAVES” sucks. Period. And if you find a copy of this at your local rental store or Best Buy I implore you to `drop’ it on the floor `on accident’ and treat it like you would a cockroach you found crawling around your pantry, because that is the only enjoyment to be had from this stinker.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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