That's still late for me. I usually go to sleep at 10 because homework, but I get tired at like 7 because I'm a swimmer.

Will we just be doing the chat or will we be doing the meetings thing still?

For me, chat works better. With the meetings thing, I can see/hear everyone else, but I can't participate. Kinda like being a stalker.

I should be around for tonights viewing. ::cool::

Wellllllllll - Potentially bad news... I'm out and not sure I'll be back by 5:00... It may come down to the wire orrrrrr I might need to start it at 6! Sorry!!! ::sad::

OK Boys and Ghouls - I'm cued up and ready to watch Vampyr!

I have never seen this film and I am psyched out of my mind.

Here is the meetings.io link - Please ping me if you'd rather chat via FB message.

http://m1.io/fw3MhCepLGk

Cheers!

Hey! I just saw someone join meetings.io - The connection seems AWFUL tonight - Can you see the chat button?

That was a fun.... was good chatting with you both. Shame we didn't get a bigger turn out. I'll try and make the Tuesday night Dracula too, its been a few years since I've watched it, and absolutely love that flick, so might have to pull a late one. Need to sort out why my mic wasn't working tonight too. ::confused::

Yes, that was a blast! I think the biggest turnouts so far have been:

• Frankenstein '31 (with you, Mett, HF, Villain, & my friend Mike)
• American Werewolf in London (four friends at my place plus HF & Mett online)

I think that Sundays are hard with American football and I know that Tuesdays and Thursdays are difficult too - But that's OK! I'm pleased that folks are showing up at all.



SO - I've updated this week's poster...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ps362732b0.jpg



We started with Vampyr (1932) and, in short, I need to watch it again.

I decided to rent it streaming from Amazon and it was not a very good version at all (Mett had his webcam on and the version that I could watch on his computer was MUCH BETTER than what I had in my home. I think I'll have to buy the Criterion version because this movie was amazing. The images were striking and quite horrifying - A couple of things stand out to me:

• The coffin POV as his body is being carried (dizzying and horrifying!)
• And Léone's face when she wakes up and stares around the room
• The shadow play throughout
• The Vampyr book itself.

Really really compelling but I was ultimately distracted by the version I was watching (which had odd occasional dubbing) and messaging with Mett & Straker (that's on me; I should hold off on that until the end of the movie).

The POV shot I especially found incredible and ahead of its time.

I'd really love to hear other folk's thoughts - Thoughts on Vampyr... Thoughts on Nosferatu... Thoughts on early vampire flicks -

If you had three vampire movies to watch this week, what would you watch and why?

The shots in Vampyr are quite good. I see why it's notable. But I think it's not easy to watch - ya have to be wide awake, can be hard to get into and follow. A bad copy can jump around a bit too.

I was looking forward to Interview. Only saw it once, and maybe only part of it (wasn't my video).

With Bram Stoker... I really like all the Neo in the Drac' castle scenes. Coppola does a masterful job with those -- such amazing lighting, colors, shots and effects. I got really excited about the film there.

It's like two different films.

Everything else in the film really misses for me. I really don't like anything in England, nor do I like the entire ending. Drac is so different in England, & the two characterizations just don't link up at all for me. I even rather disliked all the interactions between Rider, her redheaded friend and Drac. I know he's the undead, but there was no life there for me. Besides the castle scenes, the story & heart just really seems to get lost.

The Brood
Interview with a Vampire
Martin
Salem's Lot

If you haven't seen this, I highly recommend:
Daybreakers - modern day, Ethan Hawke, good quality, bit sci-fi

@ Sculpt: Unless you're talking about a different 'The Brood' then its not a vampire flick, did you mean 'Rabid'? ::confused::

Anyway as for Vampyr I really like it. I think you need a good quality copy to appreciate it though, as its really all visual. The narrative is very disjointed and awkward to follow at times, but I think that just helps create that dream like flow. It all works together really well. But, its such a visual story that you really need a good copy to take it all in. I watched it on youtube last night and while it wasn't that bad, I would've much preferred to be watching Mett's version myself.

That's right, I mean Rabid, not The Brood. They're both 'symbolic social commentary', but Rabid is one I meant for vampire.

On - I actually thought you meant The Breed. It's been a while since I've seen that one but I recall finding it atmospherically interesting.


Yeah, I recall Neo DEFINITELY being the weakest part of Dracula (then again, I think I was too busy drooling over Gary Oldman - true story)... It'll be interesting to see it again. I remember it definitely having different tones from humorous to overdramatic - Either way, should be fun!

I have Interview on my queue, so hopefully I can check it out either Wednesday or next weekend (I also want to get Magic to participate with Villain).

I haven't seen Martin but I've been meaning to for a LONG time... And as for Salem's Lot I really loved the book - I'd actually like to read it again before seeing the movie.

Daybreakers was good, but uneven - I more liked the world they lived in than the actual story (and what the heck was Willem Dafoe doing there and what was he wearing???)

Those are solid choices! I'll toast you a bucket of popcorn!!

The Breed looks interesting. Sounds a bit like DayBreakers.

I even like Reeves in the Dracula Castle scenes. I thought he worked as the straight laced character. Reminiscent of his character Dangerous Liaisons.

Is Interview with a Vampire in Netflix?

I've been meaning to see it too. Directed by George A. Romero with very high reviews.

I really enjoyed it start to finish. Thought it was high quality, interesting with good actors.

Reeves acting is shockingly bad in Dracula. The most hammy, over the top acting performance of his career. It's a thing of beauty. The whole movie is just filled with excess. Acting, colours, camera work, set design, costumes. Every single detail is a step too far and really shouldn't work, but when you put it together its absolute class. It can go from being genuinely creepy to laugh out loud funny without missing a beat. The love story blends beauty and tragedy with something that you could barely get away with in a cheap midmorning melodrama. The whole movie is a contradiction and that's part of what makes it so special.... Looking forward to watching it. ::cool::

Yes, I agree. It was very enjoyable, it's always cool to discuss with others that have the same passion as I for horror. Hope to see you then (which is today). I am glad to find someone else who really enjoys Bram Stoker's Dracula. By the way, I was curious where do you live? I was curious because I know that your time zone was off.


Yeah, sometimes these things have good turnout, sometimes they don't. It's still cool that at least some people will be able to show up. I will probably be one of the more faithful watchers. And, I absolutely detest football and really most any sport.

As for Vampyr, I was literally so distracted by everything going on at my house at the time, that I cannot really comment on it. The only thing I really remember was the POV shots at the end. They were very well done. Definitely need to watch it again this week. Yeah, my version was really good, like we discussed, Criterion releases usually are. They don't have a blu-ray release yet of this film strangely.

It has been a while since I have seen the original Nosferatu, so I cannot go into great detail on that, but I remember being highly impressed by it. It had a beautiful atmosphere and Count Orlok was quite creepy even by today's standards. Both the acting by Max Schrek and the direction by Murneau were high-quality. Definitely a must-watch and it is on Netflix Instant.

If I had to choose three vampire films to watch this week they would be, Dracula (1931), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), and Near Dark (1987). The first two chosen because of my love of them, the last chosen because it is a different take on vampires that is still high-quality. It's hard to go wrong with Henrikson.

Yeah, Interview with the Vampire is certainly a quality film, though there are certainly better films. I do love the living through time idea that features prominently in the film. In addition, I like how the film meaningfully explores the idea of the vampire perspective.

I love all the castle scenes as well, they are not only stunning, they are also appropriately creepy and atmospheric. I completely disagree with the rest of what you said though, I feel the film worked quite well. I have always loved the London scenes and the contrast of old Dracula versus young Dracula. Oldman plays that very well. The film is also pretty faithful to the original novel, while also taking it in its own direction. I really liked that.

I still have not seen Martin or Salem's Lot. I really need to. I actually own Salem's Lot.

Never heard of Daybreakers. Will have to watch that too.

Yes, it was certainly a good version. Like I said earlier, I really need to watch it again with no distractions. I still need to see Rabid, by the way. I should probably order it soon. I do love Cronenberg.

Yeah, I was a little confused when I saw the Brood. I was like, I would not really call that a vampire movie. That makes more sense.

I know many people say that Keanu Reeves was especially bad in this, but I did not really think he was all that bad. Yeah, he was a little overdramtic, but it was not too bad. A number of people also mentioned that they did not like his English accent. Maybe I don't know what an English accent is supposed to sound like, but it sounded English to me.

I really did not think his acting was all that bad. Sure, it was far from his best performance, but it did not really bother me. It certainly did not seem that out of place. The only place that it really came out to me was when he first sees Dracula in London. I can definitely see that, in fact, Mel Brooks spoofs that in his film Dracula: Dead and Loving It. I suppose that is part of the film's charm. That is very true, I especially enjoy the scenes with Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. That one scene with the vampire women near the end of the film really creeps me out. I hate the sounds that they make. I totally agree though, it does sometimes seem that the film should not really work when it actually works quite well. It did have to grow on me though. It took a few viewings before I could really appreciate it.

I'm in England, so 5-8 hours in front of you guys I think?

Anyway, I should be there for tonight's viewing although it will be a late one for me so I might have to duck out early depending how I feel.

Streaming, unfortunately No. I ordered the DVD and it should come in tomorrow. ::cool::


Oh man. I used to be in LOVE with Keanu Reeves circa 1994 (Speed of course!) - Imagine my shock when I finally realized that he might not be the most skilled actor. ::wink::


Oh, wow, I keep forgetting about Near Dark! I need to see it again; I think it was one of those movies that I watched when I was sick so I can't really count it as something I've "seen."



OMG - Don't ask me to do timezone math right now. Everyone should be on 'MERICA time. ::stick out tongue::


...


All right folks........ Now as for TONIGHT:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ps868ee6ca.jpg


I am VERY excited about tonight's viewing of Bram Stoker's Dracula! It's been AGES since I've seen this movie, one that I've OBSESSED WITH since middle school!

Tonight - Let's try convening with SKYPE - If you'd like to join, Skype is free and you just need to download it. It supports both text chat and video chat so I'm hoping that it'll be a happy medium (and have better connectivity).

Please find me - My User Name is Chronogrl.


Showtime starts at 7:00 p.m. EST. Be there or be SQUARE!!

And my Skype user name is Hammerfan59

OH "bollocks" as Straker might say... According to the Googles I can't start a group chat from my iPad (but one of you guys can!) - I'm so frustrated that it won't let me do what I want to do!! ::mad::

Aaaaactually - I'm trying with WebEx - You should be able follow the link below - HF and Mett are in!

https://emcsoftware.webex.com/sc0701...JS&I=294684921

So no Skype?

Yeah, I was having issues - In short, I can't install it on my work laptop and it's not letting me create or join group chats on my iPad. LAME. Sorry for the trouble! Beyond frustrated!!

My favorite is the meetings.io. Wish it would work!

Last night was fun. Dracula still holds a special place for me. There's so much to love about the movie and I think as long as you don't take it too seriously I think its a lot of fun. I talked/ typed way more than I normally would during a movie, and I was trying to work out this morning if that was down to the company or the movie itself, and I think the movie plays a big part in that... Parts of the movie really draw you out of the moment and you cant help but have 'did you see that?' type of reaction. Reeves and Ryder are so hammy at times, you cant help but laugh.

That said, its still a really cool film. The sets are insane and the colours give everything so much depth. Everything seems oversaturated and that spills over into the performances of the actors which are equally excessive. Hopkins' ridiculously bold interpretation of Van Helsing is a great example of what Coppola was trying to achieve, I just don't think all of the actors were up to the task. The whole movie is just a great piece of theatre, its excessive in just about every way imaginable and while I totally understand why so many people would hate it, it never fails to put a smile on my face.

It's one of those movies that I love to hate and make fun of! Obviously, from my comments last night! ::stick out tongue::

I watched bram stokers Dracula a few days ago. It was quite good.

Wow.

So it was an interesting experience watching Bram Stoker's Dracula again. As I've mentioned before, it's probably been 20 years since I've seen it and when I was a 'tween, I was really obsessed with this movie as well as with Interview - I really loved it unquestionably - And I think last night I might have figured out why...

One of the things that really struck me about the movie was the portrayal of Dracula, who comes in many forms (literally):

• There's the count at the castle. Up until I had seen this film, my Dracula experience consisted of Bela Legosi and Frank Langella, so seeing the very very old, very wrinkled count with the long fingernails and bizarre hair really struck me as something completely different. I remember finding him infinitely creepy, especially when we see him crawling down the side of the castle.
• Then there's the Count in London - The very handsome, very sexy, very romantic Count that seduces Mina - It's that version of the Count that stuck with me through the years (I have a feeling that my pre-teen self might have felt something -ahem- special about him without really knowing what that meant ::wink::)
• Then there are the monsters - The wolf that has sex with Lucy (WOW how did I forget that incredibly disturbing scene??), the disgusting and horrifying bat creature (CRAZY good makeup there btw), and the Monster that we see peaking out of the Dirt...

When I had seen Coppola's Dracula, I just hadn't seen those portrayals of The Count before - I remember the beginning - His Origin - Particularly blowing my mind (Oh, THAT is why he can't do crosses or holy water!)...

Now, watching it 20 years later, here are my thoughts...

What I LIKED about it:

• Still loved The Count. He can take me into his candle room any day!
• Loved the sets, especially the insane asylum.
• LOVED Tom Waits
• Really love all of Drac's makeup. Seriously. The Bat Monster was horrifying.
• I like the color that the Suitors provide, but I recall enjoying them more 20 years ago...
• Lucy. Lucy, Lucy - While the actress may not be the best, I loved Drac seducing her, I love her sickness - I really love the way that they portray her transition from human to undead
• The quote, "I just want to tear out her heart and cut off her head."
• Gary Oldman, Gary Oldman, Gary Oldman. He really made the movie for me. Scenes without him or without Dracula in his various forms really dragged for me (with the exception of the rainy maze scene - Always loved that)

Where I struggled:

• Keanu. Winona Ryder. *sigh* - They were really awful, especially the former. I think the only reason they were cast was because Coppola wanted to make a popular movie and, well, those two were incredibly popular in the 90's. But, really. Keanu was just particularly terrible. Ugh.
• Anthony Hopkins - So he wasn't bad, per se; I just didn't think he was as epically awesome as I remember. Then again, as I mentioned above, I was mostly interested in Drac-related scenes.
• This movie could definitely be cheesy at times - I mean, how many red flags does Drac need to fly before Jon Harker sees something wrong??
• It ran a little long for me this time around; The montage where the suiters, Harker, & co are chasing after Drac lost me a bit

When I first saw this movie, I probably would have given it a 5 MILLION out of 5...

But this time around, maybe a 3.75/5? It's really too bad about the acting front; this could have been a LOT better.

Regardless, it was enjoyable and something I would watch again, probably in a couple of years.

If I remember correctly, the reason Coppola used Winona Ryder is that she was supposed to be in The Godfather III in the role that Sofia Coppola ended up playing. And he owed her a movie.

OMG, really? Wow. That's... Kinda frustrating.

Tom Waits is a natural for Renfield. He did an excellent job. Although they didn't pick up his carefully crafted mumblings very well. I didn't think the main Renfield scene was particular dynamic. I'm not sure Coppola really apprehended what Renfield was in his film. I thought Tod Browning's (Dracula 31) Renfield scenes were better in every respect.

I don't really get the crushing of Reeves in this role. Maybe he's an actor I naturally perceive better than others do, but I was able to read his feelings & thoughts quite well. He's playing a very reserved and pious character. meh.

Beautiful Mina/Ryder on the other hand, she was really hard to grasp. I don't know who she was.

I think I miswrote what I liked about Lucy... Not the acting or writing per se, or even her character development - I was more interested in what happened to her character in the movie (does that make more sense?) - I was interested in how she was directed as she went through the illness to her biting and spurting blood to those ridiculous dresses that she wore...

That wedding dress was hideous!

I'd agree with that, but I'd also say its a pretty brutal comparison to make... Dwight Frye is just about the best character actor the genre has ever seen and Browning is up there with the best directors. Its a tough act to follow!

I'm sorry, I meant Mina/Ryder, that's who I never understood in the film. Lucy the redhead was done well. I agree with you. I think she was portrayed as sensual & materialistic, thus animalistic, lacking "higher" faculties, and thus easily conquered by Drac. She played that well.
Definitely, that is a hard act to follow. Dwight Frye stole the show. And Browning shot those scenes really well. I thought Coppola's beginning Harker/Drac scenes (letter scene) were masterful, better than Browning's even. So I think Coppola could have done it better, or cut Renfield out completely.

Oh, definitely!

Both times I've seen the movie I found myself, So what is Mina's motivation here?

I honestly couldn't tell if she was hypnotized by Drac to fall in love with him OR if she had legitimately fallen in love with "her Prince" - And that has always bugged me too. I don't think that it was mean to be "open for interpretation" - I just think she's a terrible actress.

Ya, Ryder has never blown me away as an actress. I thought she was good in Heathers, Girl Interrupted, Lucas & Edward Sissorhands, she was able to achieve some nakedness. I don't remember her sucking in Age of Innocence, but I don't really remember her performance either.

You know, Lugosi hated Dwight Frye... he's quoted as having said he was "the worst Renfeild I ever worked with." (Having worked with many actors in the stage version.) Of course it could have been more of Lugosi's jealousy coming through..

Speaking of the Langela Dracula- Back in my wee days when I was acting in children's theatre, the first three plays I was ever in were directed by a fellow named Bob Hall. He later moved to New York and directed the first stage version of the Dracula adaptation that later became the Langela movie. He then went on to draw for Marvel comics...

I now await Chrono's comments when she finally watches a Chris Lee Dracula movie...

I've a feeling she won't like most of them...::roll eyes:: [::stick out tongue::]

I'm not going to be that negative. The things she liked about Coppala's Dracula- the sensuality of Dracula, the amazing color palate... rich costuming... were all taken from the Hammer style.

For me, Frye is one of the best. I think as a character actor he could've turned his hand to just about any part. Its a shame his filmography isn't a little deeper. Even considering his premature death, he never really seemed to get the opportunities he deserved, but the ones he did, he sure made the most of.... I wonder if any of the off screen rivalry your talking about held him back at all.