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Yes, you read that title correctly Dear Readers. It has been widely reported that an Embrace of the Vampire remake is in the works courtesy of CineTel Films, and honestly I can’t help but think "WTF?! Why?" This old 90s flick is pretty well known and it’s not because of superb acting or a riveting plot, it’s because Alyssa Milano is naked for a good chunk of the film. That is its only claim to fame – frequent nudity.

The 1995 original  best remembered for the pre-Charmed Alyssa Milano and her totally bare breasts as Charlotte, a wholesome Catholic schoolgirl whose virginity is threatened by the emergence of a vampire (Martin Kemp) who believes her to be the reincarnation of his long-dead love. The vampire will only be able to retain his powers of eternal life if he can seduce Charlotte before she turns 18 – which only gives him three days. To weaken Charlotte's resolve, the vampire sends her naughty dreams and also arranges for Sarah (Charlotte Lewis) to introduce her to the pleasures of lesbianism.

Yeah, it’s not the most brilliant of plots. I really wonder why CineTel Films is remaking Embrace of the Vampire. But then they are the same folks that remade I Spit on Your Grave, so maybe they just like remaking bad old movies into even worse movies.

So far there isn’t any other news on this project beyond the concept art pictured on the right and the following brief synopsis, which sounds almost identical to the original: "Charlotte is a timid and sheltered girl trying to forget her past. But she’ll soon discover that her future and her past are forever linked to a dark and dangerous truth." Sounds like the same movie to me. All CineTel needs now is a hot young actress to strip down and participate in some naughty girl on girl action and we’ll have the same exact movie.

What are your thoughts on this Embrace of the Vampire remake? Are you excited about a new sexy vampire movie? Or do you think that this old film should have stayed forever buried?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. The Vampire from the Being Human Remake… Meh?
2. ‘Dance of the Damned’ Remake on the Way
3. Eddie Izzard Lands Vampire Role in The Munsters Remake

After a fantastic run in theaters, Underworld: Awakening is finally coming to DVD, Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray on April 24! The fourth and most successful of the Underworld franchise (grossing over $150 million worldwide) reignited everyone's love for the world of vampires, lycans and sexy women in leather body suits. Along with watching all of the kickass vampire on lycan on human action again, fans also get a movie packed full of awesome bonus features. Check out the details below!

"UNDERWORLD AWAKENING brings a stunning new dimension to the epic battle between Vampires and Lycans, as the first film in the franchise to shoot in 3D. 

Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species."

Unfortunately, the DVD version of Underworld: Awakening will only come with the filmmakers' commentary and no other special features. Booo! But the Blu-ray, however, comes packed full of awesome. Check them out below:

•     Cracking the Underworld: Picture-in-Picture Experience
•     Filmmakers' Commentary
•     Selene Rises
•     Casting the Future of Underworld
•     Resuming the Action
•     Building a Better Lycan
•     Awakening a Franchise, Building a Brutal New World
•     Blooper Reel
•     "Heavy Prey" Music Video by Lacey Sturm feat. Geno Lenardo

I really hate when they give the DVD nothing and the Blu-ray everything! Ah well, either way, those are some spectacular bonus features, they definitely make the Blu-ray price worth it.

I'm pretty excited about this badass vampire flick finally coming out on DVD. Sadly, I wasn't able to watch it in theaters. Poor me. I have been dying to give it a watch since I absolutely love Underworld. Finally, on April 24, I can see the film I have been so excited about!

Who else is picking up a copy of Underworld: Awakening?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. ‘Fright Night’ Coming Soon to DVD and Blu-ray
2. ‘Let Me In’ Coming Soon To DVD and Blu-Ray
3. BBC’s ‘Being Human’ Season 3 Coming Soon to DVD & Blu-ray

This film will go into limited release April 20, but in the meantime is available SundanceNOW, Cable VOD, Amazon Streaming, iTunes and XBox ZUNE.

The Moth Diaries debuted at the Venice Film Festival last year to lukewarm reviews, an adaptation of Rachel Klein's debut novel.  Given how highly that novel stands in my eyes, my expectations were perhaps too specific.  On the other hand, that remains a habit I seek to break.  For those who don't know, the film centers on a Rebecca (Sarah Bolger) a 16-year-old student at a boarding school in Canada.  Two year earlier, her father committed suicide and she still struggles to deal with that trauma.  Returning to a new year at school, she gleefully re-unites with her best friend Lucie (Sarah Gadon).  But across the hall a new student moves in.  Ernessa (Lily Cole) is tall, thin, intense and mysterious.  She meets Rebecca at a time when Lucie has just emerged from one of those huge bathtubs with claw legs in the bathroom the girls share.  Lucie wears nothing but a huge white bath towel, almost a bath blanket.  Ernessa notices.  She notices everything.

As the school year progresses, Ernessa and Lucie grow close while Rebecca finds herself awash with jealousy.  She notes odd details about her rival, including how the young woman never seems to eat.   About this time in her gothic literature class she begins reading Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.  Her reaction echoes things from her own life.   Slowly, as Lucie grows weaker and weaker, and as other tiny details add up, Rebecca comes to suspect Ernessa is in fact a vampire.

Let me make something clear.  The novel rambles on quite a bit, in a way that works on a printed page but would make for a serious problem when translated to a screen.  Make no mistake the screenplay does much to rectify this, and the overall film highlights rather neatly some of the more difficult-to-fathom details (like the title).  Other bits are made more visual and some additions generally improve the forward nature of a film.   Also, the cast give uniformly excellent performances.

I have three major criticisms of the film.

First, about the theme.  The book recounts a terrible crisis in a young woman's life in which she suffers a nervous breakdown.  But the film re-imagines it as this same girl finding an enormous personal strength in the wake of tragedy, saving herself and eventually others.   Having seen interview after interview with the actors who refer to the story's ambiguity, I must wonder what they're talking about?  Klein's novel seethes with ambiguity, so much so that at its end we don't really know if Ernessa really was a vampire or not.  Some readers walk away not entirely convinced the girl even exists!  Not so here!  We know Ernessa is undead.  Rebecca (unnamed in the novel) may have gone through hard times but she certainly doesn't need hospitalization.  She's quite sane, very much in control.  We feel no sense she may be wrong.  True, this film captures an enormous amount of nuance about the lives of Rebecca and Lucie and others -- but we never wonder if any of this is delusional.  Without that ambiguity, the story suffers.

Second, the film fails to create an atmosphere appropriate for the story.   I would personally have liked a feeling of gothic mystery, but more importantly there's no very strong sense of place.  Nearly the entire story takes place in a school, one that used to be a hotel long ago.  We see all kinds of little details about the school, but it never comes alive as a place.  Teachers are only barely present.  Hallways and architecture never assume a personality of their own.   Interplay between teachers and students, students and other students, between teachers and teachers never gives us a sense of the whole.  In the book, for example, Rebecca is subtly made to never forget she is Jewish.  Students constantly sneak around and hide from the teachers--who play favorites.  Virtually none of this can be seen.  One side effect is the film remains too short!  Less than an hour and a half!  Without taking the time (another twenty minutes maybe) to establish this place both physically and psychologically, we the viewers lack a context with which to respond.

Finally a few words about the climax.   Consider the setup.  Rebecca, by now convinced Ernessa is a vampire and a murderer, notes the other girl goes into a locked room in the basement.  At last Rebecca finds a way to open the door.  In a corner of the room is an old steamer trunk, with Ernessa's faded name on one of the stickers. Within the trunk is a bed of leaves and a diary.  She reads it.  She learns Ernessa committed suicide in this hotel all those years ago, in despair over her own father's suicide.  Rebecca has a horrified revelation!  She's been told a vampire wants someone to be hers forever.  Ernessa didn't come here for Lucie!  She's here for Rebecca!

So far so good.  But what happens next?  Rebecca goes and gets a can of something flammable, returns to the basement to find Ernessa asleep in the trunk.   Rebecca then douses the trunk and strikes a match.  As the trunk burns, Ernessa stands and screams.  Rebecca just watches.  She leaves the room, finishes writing in her diary while the fire department comes and willingly accompanies the principal when told the police have a few questions.

There's more to it than that (some of it quite cool, let us be fair) but notice what's missing?  Conflict.  Drama.  Obstacles.  Rebecca simply sets the vampire alight who doesn't even try to defend herself.  She doesn't even have to sneak around, figure out how to do it, get away with stealing kerosene, etc.  She shows neither doubt nor hesitation as she sets another person on fire--so no internal conflict either.  Nor does she show any regret, any trauma for having done this.

Here is the greatest weakness in what remains overall an interesting vampire tale overall.  It is as if James Bond defeated the bad buy by pressing a button in his car.  Or if Wonder Woman walked up behind The Joker, hit him over the head with a bottle and end of story.  Without some kind of tension, conflict surrounding the climax then that moment--the one we've been waiting for all along--becomes a dud.  How much more exciting (for instance) if Rebecca was a little unsure of herself, and could barely bring herself to light the match?  And as Ernessa screamed in agony, Rebecca ran away tears streaming down her face?

I'm not sorry to have seen this film.  And there are moments genuinely praiseworthy.  But in the end I was disappointed.

Related posts:

1. The Moth Diaries Review
2. ‘The Moth Diaries’ Trailer & Poster Finally Revealed
3. The Moth Diaries

Tis’ the season for conventions, and what do film makers do at Cons? Well, they don’t get their cosplay on and geek out over comics, no, they promote their films. That was the case at WonderCon 2012 this past weekend where the folks behind Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter showed new footage of the film and held a panel where they answered the crowd’s questions. Check out the panel recap below, but first, here is recently released second Abe Lincoln trailer!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now for the WonderCon panel! The Abraham Lincoln panel started with Seth Grahame-Smith introducing a new sequence from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the film Grahame-Smith adapted from his novel of the same name. The virtually-wordless action sequence focused on the president (played by Benjamin Walker) on a train heading to the battle at Gettysburg and tormented by a horde of vicious vampires. The clip also featured two characters that Grahame-Smith later explained were created solely for the film: The film’s central vampire villain (played by Rufus Sewell) and Lincoln’s trusty right-hand man (played by Anthony Mackie). They all battle on the top of the train as it races over a wooden bridge that has been lit on fire, Lincoln using a handy contraption that’s half ax, half rifle. Gunaxe!

"So basically, just like we learned in school," Grahame-Smith joked after the footage was over, right before welcoming director Timur Bekmambetov and star Benjamin Walker to the stage to take questions from the crowd.

Here’s the summary of the panel:

• When asked about how Grahame-Smith came up with the idea of combining Abraham Lincoln and vampire hunting, he joked that he just gets really drunk by himself and throws darts at a wall until he hits two words that are completely unrelated. Truthfully, he said that the idea came from a book tour he was on for his novel, 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.' Since it was during Lincoln’s 200th birthday, book stores had Lincoln biographies on display, right next to displays of the Twilight novels. This triggered him to research Lincoln and mix vampires into the tale.
• Walker spoke on the Gothic tone of the film, and how strangely historically accurate it is (bringing up the unexplained death of Lincoln’s mother), calling it a “period Lincoln movie that just happens to have vampires in it.”
• When asked about how he felt about his role as Lincoln, Walker called it "badass" and added, "It’s an honor as an American. I want to know that my leaders are strong and can make tough decisions…and cut some heads off."
• Bekmambetov, Grahame-Smith and Walker all chatted about Tim Burton’s support in wanting to take an aggressive, all-out approach on the film. Bekmambetov also said that while they changed a few things from the book, the overall tone of the novel and the structure around Lincoln’s life is still present.
• On vampire comparisons, Grahame-Smith said the following: “I’m not a Twilight-hater, but I’ll say this…our vampires don’t sparkle.”
• Bekmambetov also joked that it’s important to note that movie is being released on shortest night of the year. Adding that they worked hard to ground the vampires in reality, noting that the vampires could be seen during the day since sunscreen was invented in the 19th century.
• When asked if President Obama would make a good vampire slayer, Grahame-Smith responded smoothly that “he’s tall, he’s athletic” and could be ok. When asked what Obama’s weapon of choice would be, Walker cleverly quipped “Diplomacy. Maybe email.”

Haha. I wish I was at that panel, sounded like it was good fun and full of info.

What are your thoughts on the new trailer and the panel?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. First Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Trailer Released!
2. No Director Yet for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Film Adaptation
3. Tim Burton to Make “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” Movie

We have been talking about Adam Sandler’s vamptastic animated comedy Hotel Transylvania for some time now, and at long last we have been given pictures of the upcoming flick! Sandler voices Dracula in this family film, opening September 28. Check out the pictures below!

"It's refreshing to go back to the beginning of Dracula — and then have Adam Sandler put his spin on it," says director Genndy Tartakovsky. "There will be no sparkling skin. But there are a lot of jokes."

The jokes come from a huge list of fantastic actors and actresses, such as Selena Gomez (Mavis), Kevin James (Frankenstein), Fran Drescher (Frankenstein's wife Eunice), David Spade (Griffin the Invisible Man), Steve Buscemi (Wayne the Werewolf), Molly Shannon (Wanda the Werewolf) and Cee Lo Green (Murray the Mummy).

The monsters all come together at Dracula's beastie-friendly resort, Hotel Transylvania, for the coming-of-age birthday of his daughter Mavis, who is turning 118. In the vampire world, that signals the time to break out from the sanctuary.

"The motto of Hotel Transylvania is that it has been human-free since 1898," says Tartakovsky. "This is a place that all his friends can come without being persecuted by humans. They are just trying to live their own lives.''

But all that changes when 21-year-old backpacker Johnny (Andy Samberg) discovers the hotel and falls for Mavis. Dracula disguises Johnny as just another partying monster, called Johnnystein, and then tries to sneak him out to avoid alarming the guests.

"They stumble upon a female skeleton taking a shower as they try to get out," Tartakovsky says. "Dracula is really apologetic."

Producer Michelle Murdocca says Sandler was attracted to the project as the father of daughters Sadie, 5, and Sunny, 3. "It's a story of an undead dad who is overprotective, and Adam can relate to that. Even now, he's right in the thick of it."

It was also monstrous fun to see Sandler work with his comedian friends, says the director. Tartakovsky encouraged the stars to do their voice work together.

"I said we need that chemistry to show these monsters are a family," Tartakovsky says. "When those guys were together in a room, it was just an explosion of energy."

This movie already sounds hilarious! I love cartoons, and this one gets bonus points for having vampires in it. I can’t wait!

What do you think of Hotel Transylvania so far?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. First Look at Miley Cyrus as a Vampire in ‘Hotel Transylvania’
2. BIG Vampire Diaries Spoilers and Lots of Sneak Peek Photos!
3. Adam Sandler joins Vampire Movie …as Dracula?

It looks like another comic will be heading to the big screen, a vampire comic titled Undying Love. It was recently reported that Piranha 3D director Alexandre Aja is in negotiations to direct a Warner Bros. adaptation of Undying Love, a film based on the Image Comic mini-series of the same name. Originally created by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman, Undying Love tells the tale of an ex-soldier who falls in love with a vampire, but in order to be with her, he must destroy her creator.

Official Image Comic Undying Love synopsis:

"A horror-action tale, equal parts vampire mythology and Chinese folklore, set in modern day Hong Kong. Ex-soldier John Sargent has fallen for a beautiful Chinese woman named Mei. The only thing keeping the star-crossed lovers apart: Mei's a vampire. To free Mei from the curse, Sargent sets out to destroy the vampire that made her. The only problem: Mei was turned by one of the most powerful vampires in history..."

It sounds like a pretty unoriginal vampire love story to me. I find it strange that they are in talks with Alexandre Aja to helm this film since he is known such horror films as Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha 3D. But I guess the comic is filled with horror as well, so it may be a good pairing.

Personally, I had mixed feelings when I heard the news of this upcoming film. The story really doesn’t sound like anything special to me. It appears to be the same old romantic action flick we have seen a hundred times before. Which is why I looked more into the comic, and lucky for me, the Kindle Fire has a free preview of Undying Love in their Comic app.

The preview was mostly what I expected – a love-struck man in love with the mysterious and secretive vampire woman. The preview hinted at the vampiress having ulterior motives and hiding something from her human love. Yeah, nothing unique there. A manipulative vampire chick… it’s been done to death. However, what was fresh and new was the Chinese folklore and history mixed into it. The preview only touched on this, but it did pique my interest.

Will the fascinating touch of history and lore save the movie from a cliché plot? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

What do you think of Undying Love being made into a movie?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. No Director Yet for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Film Adaptation
2. LGBT Vampire Film Suprises at Film Festival
3. Upcoming Vampire Film ‘Vampires on a Plane!’

It’s time for another rant! Today I am bitching about the Castlevania movie, or rather, the lack of a Castlevania movie. If you are a long time reader then you may remember that this is not the first time I have pissed and moaned about this movie. Well, I’m doing it again, two years later. Why?  Because while scanning the interwebs for upcoming vampire films I came across Castlevania… again, and it is now slated to be released in 2014. Ugh!

Castlevania is one of the greatest video game franchises out there, so when it was announced WAY back in 2005 that a Castlevania film was in the works, fans of the games were beyond excited, myself included. Well, our excitement died over the many years of new producers, new directors, new writers… etc. Every time we think the film is actually getting made, the whole project is halted again for the billionth time. So seeing Castlevania back with a new 2014 release date does NOT make me happy, it pisses me off. They’re a bunch of filthy teases, and no one likes a tease.

Personally, I give up on the Castlevania movie. I don’t think it’s ever getting made. They keep pushing back the release date and not giving us any information at all. It angers me.

But if you’re one of those rare hopefuls that actually thinks this movie will come one day, well then, here is the totally outdated movie synopsis:

"The land of Transylvania has been at peace for 100 years now, and the peasants and villagers have begun to purge their minds of the memories of the times when the lands were dominated by chaos and shadows, and when the undead walked the earth...However, there are those that remember that the evil Count Dracula returns every 100 years to plague the land, bringing with him the forces of Hell...Thus, one evening, the King of Darkness rises and returns to Castlevania, his ancestral home, calling forth his minions to purge the world of human flesh. The people cry out for a hero — someone to defend them from the evil desires of the count.

Thankfully, they don't have to look very far, for within the land of Transylvania the Belmont line still lives, as Simon Belmont, great-grandson of Christopher Belmont, takes up the legendary whip called the Vampire Killer, and sets forth on his journey through the darkened countryside to the dark lord's castle...Upon arrival, the young man fights his way through legions of zombies, gigantic bats, and even faces Death himself, but in the end, he makes it to the Count and in a battle to end all battles, he comes out the victor...The price? The evil master places a curse of death upon Simon, which will lead him into a long and dangerous journey in the near future."

What are your thoughts on the Castlevania movie? Do you think it will ever be made?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. Castlevania: The Movie
2. Castlevania
3. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow