It Could Have Been Epic... "Solomon Kane"

Solomon Kane (2009)

Rated R

Starring James Purefoy, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Pete Postelthwaite, Max Von Sydow, Jason Flemyng, Samuel Roukin,

Directed by Michael J. Bassett

The Story:

Solomon Kane (Purefoy) is a privateer who learns that he's been destined to join the Devil in the afterlife. Rejecting that, he vows a life of  pacifism. As he goes about his life, he is savagely attacked and left for dead, nursed back to health by some pilgrims. When they are attacked and Meredith (Hurd-Wood) is taken captive, Kane decides to do whatever he must to save her, even facing the wrath of Malachi (Flemyng) and the Masked Rider (Roukin).

That's a lot of story to try and condense into one little synopsis, and perhaps that's partly why the movie wasn't more successful.

The 2nd of author Robert E. Howard's greatest creations (Conan), Solomon Kane is a pulp movie eye candy that takes itself seriously enough to avoid the derision and scorn that greeted the likes of Van Helsing when it took itself less than seriously.

Perhaps Kane though is too dark, and that could also be a problem.

What isn't a problem, besides the look, sets, scenery, costumes, effects, etc. is Purefoy's casting as the lead character. I saw him in A Knight's Tale in 2001, and have been a fan of his ever since. Sadly, he doesn't turn up terribly often, but I guess that helps keep his appearances fresh and leaves us wanting more from him.

That definitely beats overexposure!

So not bad, but definitely a genre picture for a specific audience.

It seems like they planned on making it a franchise, but I'm thinking when it's almost a decade since the first one, those plans likely have fallen by the wayside.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Final Grade: C+

Love at First Bite? "Vamps"

That bites!

The Story:

Two vampires in New York, Goody (Alicia Silverstone) and Stacy (Krysten Ritter) mostly enjoy their night life.  Taking college courses at night and working as exterminators to catch rats and drink their blood.  Yep, they and many other vampires have shunned human blood and concentrate on the vermin of New York as their sustenance.  Ah, but when the Van Helsing family moves to New York, the girls' existence is about to get really complicated...

Following up the latest viewing of Clueless, I wondered whatever happened to Amy Heckerling?

Turns out she wrote and directed this one last year, and brought back Alicia Silverstone (and Wallace Shawn!) in the process.

I'm not sure if she gave up on Hollywood, or vice versa, but there just hasn't been very much Amy Heckerling product in quite some time.

She comes out of the gate in 1982 with Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and then enjoys success again in High School in 1995 with Clueless.

Other than that, her career is filled with long gaps from the Director's chair, and even longer since she's had a box office hit.

Vamps apparently didn't help her much, which is a shame, because it is a cute little movie.

Perhaps that was the problem?    It's nothing special that screamed "I must be a movie" instead of something that could have been made for tv.

Her cast is impressive, with Sigourney Weaver playing the stem vampire that turned both Goody and Stacy.  As it turns out, only stems can turn people into vampires, and if a stem is injured or killed, it will have repercussions on the entire line of vampires that the stem had created.

So you can see where the plot device is coming from.

Either way, it's still a better film than Twilight.

: )

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Mostly harmless fun.  Not Heckerling's best, but it's a  movie that I could watch again with no problem.