MaryAnn Johanson,
Oct 30, 2006
It's All Hallows' Eve Eve, and I'm sitting in front of the computer at home with one of the most hilariously titled movies playing on the Sci Fi Channel at this very moment: Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, which also happens to be one of the most unintentionally hilarious movies ever made, period. Look, I love Keanu more than he probably deserves, have seen depth in his work that others miss, and I still have to admit that he does not belong anywhere near period drama, or grim fantasy, or whatever the heck Coppola had in mind for this cartoon.
But that's not the point. The point is, while watching Winona Ryder try to emote her way out of a corset, I am also surfing Nathaniel R.'s Vampire Blog-a-thon at his Film Experience Blog. Nat is mostly known for being the go-to guy for serious Oscar goodies, predictions and interviews and reviews that focus more on the art than on the gossip, but every once in a while he hosts these fantastic blog-a-thons on topics of his pet interest (like last year's love fest for Nat's goddess, Michelle Pfeiffer).
I don't know how Nat manages it, but -- as of this writing -- he has rounded up 38 other sites to pay tribute to vampire flicks from across the history of cinema, links to which he has corralled at the blog-a-thon HQ. Some of it is quite serious stuff, like Gabriel Shanks' tribute to Klaus Kinksi as Nosferatu, and some of it is quite silly, like Gallery of the Absurd's imaginary poster for Interview with the Antoinette, featuring Kirsten Dunst and her eyeteeth. And hey, whaddaya know, there's even a serious appreciation of Coppola's flick by Nick Davis.
There's tons more ("when Hilary Duff attacks"? a "finger lickin' good" Bill Paxton in Near Dark?). If you're a fan of vampire movies, you owe it to yourself to check this out.
Oh, and my favorite vampire flick? Gotta be 2000's Shadow of the Vampire [my review], with cult faves Cary Elwes, Eddie Izzard, John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe ... It's horror as commentary on the cult of film, and it's brilliant.
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MaryAnn Johanson
author of The Totally Geeky Guide to The Princess Bride
minder of FlickFilosopher.com
