Renfield

Hello, hello!
Today I have a movie that is *very* tonally different from what I talked about last Friday. With Renfield, we’re going to check out a horror comedy that – to be honest – I didn’t really have high hopes for…

The Plot (according to Rotten Tomatoes):

In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men franchise) stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Oscar® winner Nicolas Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.

Renfield on RT

The Rating:

I’m going to be honest with you. When I saw the poster for Renfield I fully expected this movie to be hot trash. It still looked like a fun time, so off I went to watch it. What can I say, the movie actually isn’t half bad! I am shooketh.

I was prepared for a very bad very cringy movie. Obviously, this isn’t some highbrow Oscar-winning film but it’s definitely to terrible either. Yes, it is somewhat stupid at times. But I had a lot of fun with it. The action scenes are delightfully over the top (that is to say batshit crazy at times) and well done.

The overall story is somewhat nuts but it does make sense (somewhat) in the whole Dracula framework. I really enjoyed the spin with the support group setting. Renfield recognizes that he is in an abusive relationship with a severe power imbalance and that that’s not good for him. As weird and ridiculous as the movie is at times, I think there’s a good message in there. And some actually helpful advice. Who’d have thought?!

Dracula (2020): Season 1 – A Review

Hey guys!
This year Netflix in collaboration with the BBC graced us with the uptenth adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Let’s see how the latest take on the familar story turned out!

The Plot:

This version of Dracula details his exploits through the ages. Right up until today…

The Rating:

Okay. Well, this was interesting. Dracula consists of three episodes, all of them movie-length.

The first episode which focuses on Jonathan Harker’s experiences was transfixing and interesting. I was immediately hooked and curious for the rest.

TV Show Spotlight: Penny Dreadful

Hey guys!
I finally got around to checking out Penny Dreadful which had been sitting on my list forever! Was it worth my excitement?

What is it about?

Victorian England is threatened by supernatural forces. So the medium Vanessa Ives, scientist Victor Frankenstein, explorer Sir Malcolm Murray and the American Ethan Chandler band together to keep those forces at bay…

Should you check it out?

Most definitely!
I watched all three season during one weekend. It’s hell of a gothic Victorian ride and you won’t be able to stop watching.

Penny Dreadful is a dark and enticing mixture of just about every famous piece of literature set during that time. Frankenstein, Dracula, Dorian Grey, just to name a few, will keep you entertained.

Movie Mania: Dracula Untold

Hey guys!
It’s time for another review. Today we’ll look into Dracula Untold, the 2014 take on the story of the Transylvanian prince. Let’s see how it turned out!

 

The Plot:
In short: Dracula Untold focuses not on the bloodsucking vampire but on the man Dracula was before. We find out how he finally became one of the most iconic creatures of horror literature and film…

 

The Rating:
I had pretty high hopes for this one as the trailer seemed very promising.
But, boy, this turned out to be so crappy. First of all, I don’t even know what it is supposed to be. It’s not really dark enough to be a horror film. Then it’s also too sentimental to work as action flick. And for a historical epic it’s too glamorized. Within the first couple of minutes you can already tell that the movie makers tried hard to create a hybrid of some sort but definitely failed the attempt.

Movie Mania: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Hey guys!
It’s time for a movie review! Today I’ll write about a topic that has been adapted quite a few times already. One of those adaptations is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1992. Let’s see whether this version is any good!

 

The Plot:
It’s 1897. The solicitor Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to meet with one of new clients, the rather weird Count Dracula. However, Harker soon realises that there is something very wrong, while his fiance Mina has an interesting encounter back in England.
Dark powers are at work here and only few know how to battle this kind of evil…

 

The Rating:
I’ve seen my share of Dracula adaptations ranging from the classic Nosferatu to Wes Craven’s modern take on the story. This version is certainly one of the better takes on the story.
The cast is chosen very well, except for one role. While Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins excel in their roles, Keanu Reeves simply does not work as Jonathan Harker. During the whole movie he just doesn’t seen to fit in. He’s most certainly no match to Gary Oldman, his performance seems rather weak and becomes even more pale in the scenes Reeves shares with Oldman.