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VAMPS
(directed by Amy Heckerling, 2012)
Vamps is a flawed but fabulous film. The pacing is way too fast for me. It's a manic vampire movie. In the beginning, things would happen that were important and I'd forget them because I was still trying to process it all. But I enjoyed this movie. I laughed some big laughs a couple of times and that's always good. Sigourney Weaver is in this movie as a vampire named Cisserus and she is funny and delightful, especially in her last scene. How could you not be intrigued by the idea of Sigourney Weaver as a vampire? It's a role that's been waiting for her. She does a good job, although she's only in a few scenes. In her first scene, she orders a pizza because she wants to drink the blood of the pizza delivery guy. I laughed and had to rewind the movie as we see her walk past a wall with her arms out like Nosferatu going, "Pizza Guy!" as the pizza guy rang her doorbell. I also had to rewind over and over again something else that happened to her later in the movie (I won't say what, but it involved a chainsaw).
At one point in Vamps, vampire Sigourney Weaver tries on a skeleton body.
Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter play two vampire friends who both have Sigourney Weaver as their master. Alicia's character, Goody, has been a vampire since the 1800's, but Krysten's character, Stacy, has only been a vampire since around 1992, I believe. Together, they hit up the night life and attend vampire support group meetings for vampires who don't like to drink human blood. They drink rat blood, instead. Miss Vicky would probably hate seeing Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter sticking straws into rats' bodies and sucking the blood out through them.
Krysten Ritter starts dating the son of Dr. Van Helsing (Wallace Shawn), a vampire killer, who happens to be married to 3rd Rock From The Sun's Kristen Johnston. Meanwhile, in a better subplot, Alicia Silverstone runs into an old boyfriend from the 60's (or 70's? I can't remember for sure), played by Richard Lewis. He immediately recognizes his old girlfriend immediately -- "You haven't aged a day!" -- but she lies and tells him that she is not her, but her daughter. "My mom died," she lies. Meanwhile, Cisserus (Sigourney) travels to Spain to make Gael Garcia Bernal (in a small cameo) fall in love with her.
At times, Vamps gives us little stories with short sequences that are set in the past, like history lessons. This is because Alicia Silverstone's character is talking about things she's seen in her time. This is the first vampire movie I've seen that made me expect Forrest Gump to pop up somewhere.
In the end, Vamps shows itself not really as just a movie about two party girl vampires, but a movie about aging and accepting the fact that everyone gets old. Along the way, we are treated to a lot of unusual fun, such as seeing cell phones lighting up as they ring inside coffins. The writer and director, Amy Heckerling, also wrote and directed the very popular 1990's movie, Clueless, which I've seen, but I haven't seen the whole thing really since it came out. Vamps is her story, I guess, for all of those who loved Clueless when it came out and have now aged just as Alicia Silverstone has. The vampire idea is a good way to tell a new story about young ladies, make it sort of like Clueless, cash in on the whole vampire craze of modern time, etc. I don't think Vamps can be another Clueless, but it was a nice try at another movie for Heckerling. I think most reviews for Vamps have been bad, and it certainly didn't get anywhere near as much exposure as Clueless, but I liked the movie. I don't think I loved the movie, but I recommend it if you're in the mood for a horror-comedy about girls who sleep in coffins with Michael J. Fox pictures posted inside the lid (a male vampire character appeared to have naked women on his).
Give Vamps a watch sometime!
(directed by Amy Heckerling, 2012)
Vamps is a flawed but fabulous film. The pacing is way too fast for me. It's a manic vampire movie. In the beginning, things would happen that were important and I'd forget them because I was still trying to process it all. But I enjoyed this movie. I laughed some big laughs a couple of times and that's always good. Sigourney Weaver is in this movie as a vampire named Cisserus and she is funny and delightful, especially in her last scene. How could you not be intrigued by the idea of Sigourney Weaver as a vampire? It's a role that's been waiting for her. She does a good job, although she's only in a few scenes. In her first scene, she orders a pizza because she wants to drink the blood of the pizza delivery guy. I laughed and had to rewind the movie as we see her walk past a wall with her arms out like Nosferatu going, "Pizza Guy!" as the pizza guy rang her doorbell. I also had to rewind over and over again something else that happened to her later in the movie (I won't say what, but it involved a chainsaw).
At one point in Vamps, vampire Sigourney Weaver tries on a skeleton body.
Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter play two vampire friends who both have Sigourney Weaver as their master. Alicia's character, Goody, has been a vampire since the 1800's, but Krysten's character, Stacy, has only been a vampire since around 1992, I believe. Together, they hit up the night life and attend vampire support group meetings for vampires who don't like to drink human blood. They drink rat blood, instead. Miss Vicky would probably hate seeing Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter sticking straws into rats' bodies and sucking the blood out through them.
Krysten Ritter starts dating the son of Dr. Van Helsing (Wallace Shawn), a vampire killer, who happens to be married to 3rd Rock From The Sun's Kristen Johnston. Meanwhile, in a better subplot, Alicia Silverstone runs into an old boyfriend from the 60's (or 70's? I can't remember for sure), played by Richard Lewis. He immediately recognizes his old girlfriend immediately -- "You haven't aged a day!" -- but she lies and tells him that she is not her, but her daughter. "My mom died," she lies. Meanwhile, Cisserus (Sigourney) travels to Spain to make Gael Garcia Bernal (in a small cameo) fall in love with her.
At times, Vamps gives us little stories with short sequences that are set in the past, like history lessons. This is because Alicia Silverstone's character is talking about things she's seen in her time. This is the first vampire movie I've seen that made me expect Forrest Gump to pop up somewhere.
In the end, Vamps shows itself not really as just a movie about two party girl vampires, but a movie about aging and accepting the fact that everyone gets old. Along the way, we are treated to a lot of unusual fun, such as seeing cell phones lighting up as they ring inside coffins. The writer and director, Amy Heckerling, also wrote and directed the very popular 1990's movie, Clueless, which I've seen, but I haven't seen the whole thing really since it came out. Vamps is her story, I guess, for all of those who loved Clueless when it came out and have now aged just as Alicia Silverstone has. The vampire idea is a good way to tell a new story about young ladies, make it sort of like Clueless, cash in on the whole vampire craze of modern time, etc. I don't think Vamps can be another Clueless, but it was a nice try at another movie for Heckerling. I think most reviews for Vamps have been bad, and it certainly didn't get anywhere near as much exposure as Clueless, but I liked the movie. I don't think I loved the movie, but I recommend it if you're in the mood for a horror-comedy about girls who sleep in coffins with Michael J. Fox pictures posted inside the lid (a male vampire character appeared to have naked women on his).
Give Vamps a watch sometime!