Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Director: F.W. Murnau

Starring: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schroeder

Rated: Not Rated

Genre: Silent, Horror, Mystery, Fantasy

Runtime: 94 minutes

Other Versions: Dracula (1931), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Dracula (1992)

Nowadays, when you ask someone about a good vampire movie, you’re more than likely going to hear titles like Interview with a Vampire, Dracula, or (God forbid) Twilight.  In my experience, though, I’ve found that the older, “classic” films are usually the best.  And Nosferatu certainly proves this point.  True, it could easily be construed as a bit corny in today’s society, but the iconic nature of this film should absolve it of that scarlet letter.  Personally, I’m a huge fan of classic horror films.  The Wolfman (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925) are among my favorites.  And I have a feeling that Nosferatu is going to be making its way onto my shelves at home as well.

When Harker (Wangenheim) receives the assignment of closing a real-estate transaction with Count Dracula (Schreck), he is thrilled with the prospect.  Leaving his wife Nina (Schroeder) at home in England, he goes off to seal the deal, little suspecting that he would become the prisoner of a horrifying vampire.  Nina, meanwhile, is sent to stay with Westenra (G.H. Schell) and Lucy (Ruth Landshoff), who are friends of her husband.  Things go from bad to worse, however, as Harker discovers Dracula’s secret and the Count escapes for England.  Meanwhile, Nina and Harker’s boss Renfield (Alexander Granach) start to suffer from mysterious conditions, characterized with sleepwalking and insanity respectively.  Will Dracula be stopped before he causes too much damage?  Or is England doomed to become a feeding-grounds of a horrifying monster?

One thing I loved about Nosferatu versus the other cinematic vampires was just how creepy he was!  There is nothing attractive about this vampire, which makes him even more unsettling.  Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula was handsome, as was Gary Oldman’s. And apart from his dumb haircut, I’d even say that Edward Cullen has his own level of attraction.   While there is some danger with all of these vampires, Nosferatu reminds us that the original vampires were not so much golden-tongued incubi, but rather, demonic monsters that were supposed to frighten, and not attract.  I’d be far more frightened to find Max Schreck’s vampire standing at my bedside at night than Gary Oldman; that’s to be sure!

I love the use of shadows in this film.  Besides providing an eerie atmosphere, it gives a wonderful added depth to the character of Count Dracula.  Not only does he possess physical power, but he is also able to command shadows; his shadow almost acts as its own powerful being.  In one scene in particular, the shadow’s grip seems almost as powerful as if Nosferatu had used his own hands.  There is little doubt in my mind that this creepy shadow play must have inspired some of the shadow play in both Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), and the highly comedic Mel Brooks spoof Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995).

Shockingly, Nosferatu is one film that should not exist today.  The plot “borrowed” heavily from the plot of Dracula by Bram Stoker, but failed to gain permission to use the plot.  Because of this, various aspects of the plot were changed, including the ending, and various character names.  A few examples are in order…so, listed here are several of the characters, with their names from the original Bram Stoker novel, the original German movie names, and the English adaptation names:

·         Jonathan Harker/Hutter/Harker

·         Mina Murray/Ellen/Nina

·         Rensfield/Knock/Rensfield

·         Count Dracula/Graf Orlock/ Count Dracula

The film survived because a couple of copies were pirated away and hidden until the copyrights were up.  The other copies were rounded up and burned.

I enjoyed this film because I love silent films, old horror films, and vampires.  Max Schreck delivered a deliciously creepy performance, and even though he was only on screen for a very short period of time, I couldn’t help but love his performance.  As with any silent film, it was a bit slow, and a bit corny (especially by today’s standards), but I will say that this Count Dracula had to be the scariest vampire I’ve seen in a long time.  And I don’t mean scary because he was gross or gory; Schreck achieves a certain level of terror just by his appearance and actions.  Too often today, vampire films rely on blood and gore to scare their audiences.  It’s far more difficult to achieve a level of fright by one’s presence, rather than by blood.  I don’t like slasher films, but I love horror films.

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 9 out of 10

Director: Marc Forster

Starring: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Runtime: 113 minutes

Harold Crick (Ferrell) lives a normal, almost mundane existence, where every day is exactly the same as the last.  However, things get very weird very quickly, when Harold realizes that there is a woman narrating his life, but only he can hear her.  Desperate to find out what's wrong with him, and terrified by a new revelation of the voice, saying that his death is imminent, Harold seeks the consul of literary expert Jules Hilbert (Hoffman).  Meanwhile, famous, reclusive, and eccentric author Karen Eiffel (Thompson) is having troubles of her own.  She's almost done with her first book in ten years, but she can't figure out how to kill of the main character....Harold.

When I first started this movie I was totally expecting a straight comedy (maybe a romantic comedy....maybe).  I mean, the starring role is Will Ferrell!  He always stars in comedies!  I wasn't expecting a drama to unfold, and I never realized how powerful it would be.  When a man knows that he is going to die, what will he do to make sure that he can truly live?  And how far will he go to change his fate?

Will Ferrell completely surprised me in this role.  Up until now, I had always seen him in comedies (Elf, Blades of Glory, etc.).  And although Stranger than Fiction is a comedy, its also a drama, and Ferrell tackles these parts with surprising (for me at least) passion, and emotion.  His character was awkward, shy, and totally adorable :)

As a writer, it was fascinating to see a movie about a book about a man's life.  It was a fascinating look into how a book is written, and what would happen if the characters became aware of what the writer was doing.  I thought that Harold's "book" was very well-written, and if it were ever published, I would run over to the library/bookstore and read it right now!  It kept my interest with all its little details, without going overboard and gagging the storyline.

The ending was very interesting, to say the least.  I can't say much without spoiling it, but I will say that it was powerful and thought-provoking, although, as a writer, I'm not sure if totally agree with how Harold's story closed.  Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it over all.  A very good movie, and must-see.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 9 out of 10

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieren Culkin

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance

Run Time: 112 minutes

Scott Pilgrim's (Cera) life is great: he's 23, dating a cute little highschooler named Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), mooches off his gay roommate Wallace (Culkin), is part of the awesome band Sex Bob-Omb, and has just met the girl of his dreams--literally!  He first sees Ramona Flowers (Winstead) as she skates through his dreams, and when he sees her at a party (confirming her existence) he decides he needs to go out with her.  There are just a few issues.  The first is Knives, who has just pronounced her love for him.  The second is Ramona.  To date her, he first must defeat her seven evil exes.

This is a fun-filled action movie that's great for gamers.  Besides being filled with video game references, sound effects, and soundtracks, all of Scott's battles are choreographed as though he were in a video game, with really cool attacks and tough boss levels (ie. the exes).  The whole movie almost seems to flow like a comic book, with various sound effects such as doorbells not only sounding but flashing across the screen (ie. DINGDONG).

The evil exes were incredibly creative, from Matthew Patel who has magic powers, Todd Ingram the psychic-powered vegan, and the Katayanagi twins with their almost "other-worldly" musical talent.  Must be seen to be believed!

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie with a little bit of everything.  Like action?  The fight scenes are definitely action-packed.  Like drama?  How about Scott having to juggle two girls because he can't just tell the one "no"?  Romance?  This guy like a girl so much he will fight her seven evil exes just to go out with her!  Sounds good to me :)  There is also a ton of comedy (more visual than anything else, so a little hard to describe and still sound funny), and the premise is totally fantasy genre.  Basically, if you like action, romance, fantasy, drama......well, then you might just enjoy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World :)

My Brother's official rating is a 12 out of 10 ^_^