Change Your Image
andy3-2
Reviews
Nadja (1994)
Unforgiveably stupid writing, sadly amateurish production
I cannot believe how lame this movie is. The acting is terrible, and seeing as all these performers have a decent repertoire, one can only blame the writing. Cliches abound: a pet tarantula named Bela (oooh--you're soooooo Goth), ridiculous Romanian accents with forced ESL dialogue (e.g., "Why you show me this?", pathetic Philosphy 101 ruminations ("We've lost touch with God...I don't mean the man with the beard, the father, the punisher, but the Source"---oooh, deep), etc. My personal favorite laugh comes at the title character's large black hooded cape. Her description of her birthplace (I won't ruin the one true comic gem of this film) is similarly laughable..I had to rewind twice...
Was this project the brainchild of high school Goths, creatively malnourished and trapped in their under-stylized 80s haze? It truly looks like the directorial efforts of a novice who desperately wanted to update "The Hunger" for a new generation of bat-cavers. Too bad, cuz it doesn't hold a candle.
The video box describes two vampires hiding in the NY afterhours scene, but all we see of that potentially exciting "scene" is a quick montage of some fake club and a tiny bar with one other customer. Perhaps the most annoying attempt at hipness is the use of a highly-pixelated camera to show "vampire vision." DORKY!!!! The lack of consistent perspective makes this tool useless--whose vision is this? Nadja's? Her vampire brother's? God the Punisher's? LAAAAAAME...
I love the blood that spews forth from one actor--thicker than hershey's syrup and about as convincing. Things pick up a bit in the ending, but good luck making it that far. I can't stress enough how bad the writing is. It almost has to be seen to be believed, but why waste your 90 minutes?
The Last Days of Disco (1998)
if you've ever had a secretly vindictive "friend", check this one out!
Kate Beckinsdale delivers what may be the best "bitch-in-disguise-as-a-best-friend" performance since the lovely trio of lasses in "Muriel's Wedding". or "Heathers" for that matter. She epitomizes the destructive, selfish and spiteful nature that exists in a lot of of friendships. Some other recent films ("All Over Me", "whatever") touch on this topic, but none with the acerbic bite of "last days". Highly recommended.
Videodrome (1983)
disturbing picture of social trends and self-destruction
Virtual reality, snuff films and hi-tech gore collide in this 1983 gem. Debbie Harry turns in a fantastic performance as a kinky s&m freak, and James Woods is good as the tv show host she seduces into a world of bloody sex, paranoid fantasies and conspiracy plots. The story is unique and way ahead of its time, the visuals are incredible (especially for the era), and Cronenberg taps into a lot of our primal fears regarding technology, self-exploration, and the essential coldness of society. Highly recommended for sci-fi buffs, horror freaks and fried psychology students.