tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post8304710315173246212..comments2023-03-31T06:55:42.398-07:00Comments on Dinner With Max Jenke: Shadow Of The VampireJeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-68689113354829535032010-10-25T10:09:12.034-07:002010-10-25T10:09:12.034-07:00James, thanks for the kind words - glad you like w...James, thanks for the kind words - glad you like what you see here! As for Let Me In, I think the consensus is that it was a really strong remake - it's just too bad that it didn't find a bigger audience in theaters.Jeff Allardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-66124230465023379402010-10-24T10:11:02.700-07:002010-10-24T10:11:02.700-07:00New reader (and already a big fan!) of your blog c...New reader (and already a big fan!) of your blog chiming in:<br /><br />Great review, Jeff! I'd agree with just about everything you said. I'd go so far as to say that the original film is one of my favorites of all time, but I loved the remake. Maybe even a tad more than you did -- there's things I think the American version improved upon, and things I think were better in the original. Still, I think compared to most remake this one's just about perfect. There's just the matter of that pesky CGI, as you mentioned . . . .<br /><br />I look forward to buying LET ME IN when it's released on DVD. So cool to see a remake handled with respect for the original film (and novel) that inspired it.<br /><br /><br />BTW: I also love Bob's comment about the director choosing to never show Owen's mom's face. That was really cool -- a brilliant way to show how distant Owen was from those who were supposed to be his true "loved ones."<br /><br /><br /><br />James:https://www.blogger.com/profile/10504825689909245851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-23726983398244066152010-10-05T13:44:50.812-07:002010-10-05T13:44:50.812-07:00It's nice to know this isn't a train wreck...It's nice to know this isn't a train wreck like the English-makeover of 'The Vanishing' or 'Pulse'... but I still think I'll stay away... for now. <br />I predicted to my friends that there would be some unnecessary CGI crammed in there... and the movie as a whole sounds less subtle. <br /><br />Am I wrong or didn't the previous caretaker in the original story have a different origin... didn't join Eli as a kid but was in fact something of a paedophile?<br />I'm curious also if they changed the nature of Eli's ambiguous sexuality (castrated boy in the story) for the sake of homophobic American audiences... at least excising the scene that reveals the scars.Timmy Crabcakeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14737954661234574830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-40852998706380300772010-10-04T09:00:07.394-07:002010-10-04T09:00:07.394-07:00I'm not too keen about Reeves' choice to n...I'm not too keen about Reeves' choice to not show the mother's face. I understand why he did it but it felt like a cutesy, overly "arty" decision. You know, it's a film school kind of thing - something to point out on the DVD commentary. But it's not a deal-breaker for me and overall I dug the movie.Jeff Allardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-7471908482635466142010-10-03T21:49:26.771-07:002010-10-03T21:49:26.771-07:00We are in pretty much complete agreement on this o...We are in pretty much complete agreement on this one. The CG is just so obvious that it disrupts the suspension of disbelief necessary in a serious fantasy film like this one. Other than that, I think Reeves did a good job, especially with tailoring some of the themes specifically to America. <br /><br />I also liked the deliberate choice never to show Owen's mom clearly (let alone his dad). They're like Charlie Brown adults, only in a darker, more real way. At least Oskar got to spend some time with his dad, and his mom seemed to care. Owen truly is alone except for Abby.Bob Igniziohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03630416222197419152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-88906923571905887632010-10-02T15:30:36.706-07:002010-10-02T15:30:36.706-07:00Thank you for the great comment, Chad! Your reason...Thank you for the great comment, Chad! Your reasons for Abby needing a caretaker/guardian are sound - although I would still argue that the CG is out of place and doesn't do the film any favors.Jeff Allardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-70751681198178953382010-10-02T14:23:05.843-07:002010-10-02T14:23:05.843-07:00Thanks for this review! I see your point about th...Thanks for this review! I see your point about the use of CG in Abby's killing scenes--I really wanted to like that part, but I guess it does stand out as CG. After reading the book last week and seeing the new movie yesterday, I think that the real need for the caretaker is because if Eli/Abby is allowed to kill on her own, she unleashes too much mayhem--she ends up creating other vampires that run amok in addition to the fact that she can't handle the everyday affairs while being vulnerable during daylight, so the adeptness at killing didn't contradict the need for the caretaker from my perspective, but I did find myself questioning why Abby couldn't clean up her own bodies. <br /><br />Thanks for this great review!Chad Helderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18160220034961113927noreply@blogger.com