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Dance of the Vampires (1967)
Arguably the best parody movie ever!
I prefer to begin this review by referring to a particular scene so that we can better understand what this movie really is. In this scene, as it is the case with every other vampire movie, there exists a vampire, a female victim and the moments filled with romance right before the victim's neck gets bitten, all of which preceded by the chase scene between the vampire and his lover. However, this very scene in Polanski's parody of vampire movies involves a vampire that is homosexual, a male victim (who happens to be the protagonist as well) and the chase scene taking place on polished, slippery floors with the characters sliding! This was Polanski's directorial debut in Hollywood after "repulsion" was critically acclaimed. The movie makes you laugh and frightens you simultaneously and one could argue that it is the viewer's decision whether to laugh or be scared. The solitude of the protagonist, which is one of Polanski's most recurrent motifs in his movies, is superbly depicted here which of course is masterfully taken to the extreme in the dance of the vampires scene. "The Fearless Vampire Killers" is the epitome of comedy-horror genre which sadly didn't receive the kind of appreciation it really deserved.
Fright Night (1985)
Welcome tooo Frrright Night .... for real!
"Fright Night" starts with an absorbing and rather fantastic plot idea. A vampire, that triggers a pleasant association with historical tales of Count Dracula and his dark, creepy castle in the heart of Transylvania, here in the middle of an urban area undoubtedly leads to a fantasy undertone and manages to add a touch of humor every once in a while.
The first scene unconsciously brings to mind Roman Polanski's much underrated masterpiece "The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)" and with Roddy McDowall's remarkable resemblance to Alfred (Roman Polanski's character in the aforementioned movie), this comparison is further intensified. the movie begins with a comedy scene where two high school sweethearts are making love in the middle of watching a late-night horror movie. This scene is immediately followed by a horror one in which two men are seen carrying a coffin into the basement of the next-door house. This subtle shift of tones between comedy and horror has proved to be quite effective and as said before has a strong resemblance to Polanski's cinematic tour de force.
however, it goes without saying that "Fright Night" is hardly comparable to Polanski's flick in terms of the plot, humor and the incredible Transylvanian mood that the latter has to offer. But watching it at 2 o'clock after midnight was an enjoyable experience thanks to the spirit of America's 80's movies that never lets you down.
Prometheus (2012)
A worthy addition to the Alien franchise
Prior to watching Alien (1979) I'd had no particular interest either in astronomical concepts or movies associated with these hypotheses. Although the movie itself wasn't appealing by any means to me, I was amazed by the startling originality of the plot. The mere thought of a perilous journey across the universe and being all by yourself in the infinity of the space was absolutely spine-chilling. Now, imagine how amazing would it be if the theme of the movie was a perfect combination of two sought-after concepts: Creation of mankind and astronomical theories. That being said, I felt a bit let down by the overall view of the critics that the movie received.
The movie begins with a gripping plot idea: A man who appears to be an extraterrestrial life form (nicknamed "Space Jockey") is watching a spaceship departing from the Earth. Following the departure of the ship, he starts to drink a peculiar liquid that seems to be moving. As he's drinking, the liquid penetrates into his blood vessels and his body begins to disintegrate until finally he falls down into a waterfall. Although there is no concrete evidence as to who this hunky humanoid is or his intentions, one can assume that he was chosen to sacrifice himself for the human race to emerge from.
Throughout the movie we come across questions like this which for no definite answer is given which I believe was the right decision to make by the filmmaker. because as I mentioned earlier no one has the answer to these questions and everything else would be speculations. as a result what I provided with is the chance to entertain ideas about the story and the fate of the characters which happen to be extremely exciting in my case.
My only objection to the film is the incident towards the end where the Space Jockey savagely beat them up and didn't answer them in a civilized way. It felt like a little out of the place compared to the rest of the film.
All in all it was a fantastic experience to watch this film. I'm looking forward to the sequel.