Vampire lore has existed in most cultures for centuries. The common theme was the concept of the dead coming back and plaguing the living with tricks or death. The idea of the current vampire was popularized in the 19th century, owing debt to John Polidori’s Vampyre (1819) and of course, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). There, the vampire became closer to what we recognize today, masquerading as the living and wanting to love, but needing to feed on the blood of the living to stay alive, and having weaknesses including sunlight, stakes to the heart, and crosses. Over the next hundred years, the rules moved in slight variations here and there, but the vampire became one of the most popular recurring monsters, that the public instantly understood. Powerful, seductive, and needing to feed on the living are all key elements to the vampire mythos.

photo credit: bbaltimore

Vampires are possibly at their most popular in the past few years. Anne Rice’s goth romance take on the material, and Joss Whedon’s kickass horror/action hybrid are arguably two of the most popular takes on vampires, informing the variations we have seen in recent years. What’s surprising is that while Buffy, the True Blood books/tv show, the Twilight books/films, and the current Swedish film Let the Right One In all offer variations on the theme for different target audiences, their similarities are surprisingly incestuous.

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire got the jump on the rest of the current crop by being published in 1976, when the only other popular vampire stories in pop-culture were the Hammer horror films starring Christopher Lee. The book got a huge resurgence of popularity with its film adaptation in 1994 starring Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, and Tom Cruise. Rice’s take played up the idea of vampires as decadent nobelmen and women. These vampires did not age, could not go out in the sunlight without burning up, and were killable only by decapitation or fire. They kept to themselves and remained hidden from the world, operating in secret and rarely making other vampires. They were content to amass their fortunes and seduce and kill at night, enjoying their own company. It’s also worth noting, that the stories are set primarily in author Anne Rice’s hometown of New Orleans.

photo credit: richmanwisco

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer landed shortly after as a popular tv show in 1997. The show had previously debuted as a film in 1992, but bares only a surface relationship to the show and hardly made an impression at the time of its release. The tv show was focused on a vampire slayer, an empowered woman once in a generation with the strength, speed, and destiny to destroy vampires (and other demons). The show introduced the idea of a powerful woman as the main character in a world of vampires. The vampires on the show were mainly thugs, rarely very smart, with strength and speed as their main abilities, as well as quick healing and an inability to age. Their weaknesses included crosses, needing to be invited into homes, stakes to the heart dusted them instantly, and sunlight made them burst into flame immediately. They did not reflect in mirrors or show up on camera. The rare vampire who would retain his or her intelligence and personality tended to become more powerful. Vampires in this world can look like ordinary people but when they are angry, aroused, or ready to feed, their face twists into a demonic visage with fangs and furrowed brows. Angel and Spike were two vampires who, through the course of the show, lived many centuries, and eventually got “souls” which meant they could actually feel compassion, guilt, true love, and other human emotions. Without a soul, the show said, vampires felt no remorse for anything.

Buffy had a seven season run on tv. Currently, its creator and executive producer Joss Whedon is writing a monthly comic book version of Buffy which continues the story, acting as a “season 8.” The big villain she’s fighting in this season is named “Twilight” which seems like an intentional reference to the popular books. Vampires are not known to exist by the world at large, but the U.S. government is aware of them and seems to be working with Twilight to end all supernatural threats.

photo credit: ibtrav

Most every take on vampires that has followed has used one or both of the two recent versions above to inform its take on the world of vampires. Marvel Comics released three very successful Blade movies featuring a hunter of vampires who was half-vampire himself. Similar to Buffy, he had super strength and speed and dusted vampires by beheading or staking them. Interestingly, his early comic book version did not have these same abilities. He was just a tough human who helped battle Dracula. Also added to the film version was a mentor character, Whistler. In Buffy, she has a mentor, Giles. Vampires in Blade have fully fleshed out personalities and motivations. While almost all of them are evil, some are “born” as vampires instead of bitten and changed and these nobles prefer to stay hidden to the world and not kill. They instead drink from blood banks. Blade was turned into a tv series for one season, but failed to make the impact that the films made.

photo credit: rwillia532

True Blood takes the idea of vampires and says not only do they exist, but they have “come out” to the world and now everyone knows they are part of their world. True Blood is based on a series of novels that follow the main character, Sookie Stackhouse. True Blood, like Buffy, focuses on a female protagonist. She even has powers. Sookie Stackhouse has the ability to read minds, but can’t hear vampires’ thoughts. Sookie has instant chemistry with an old vampire, Bill Compton. Bill is unlike most of the other vampires in that he is working hard to integrate into society. Others that we encounter are open to society, and even run businesses, but seem to have little respect for humans. Vampires in this world can heal quickly and do not age. Their blood can also help heal humans or get them “high.” Vampires can put a “glamour” on humans, hypnotizing them. Older vampires are stronger and there is a clear hierarchy, with older vampires treated as nobles and authority figures. They’re incredibly fast, but not necessarily superhumanly strong. Vampires’ weaknesses include silver, which burns them, and sunlight, which burns them up, though not in an instant burst like on Buffy. Instead they roast and melt like someone in a fire. They also heal quickly. If they get staked, they essentially melt and liquify instantly into a pile of blood and goo. When they get excited, a pair of fangs pops down from the front of the rest of their teeth. Most of them prefer to keep to their own for company, and make “families” or clans, though Bill’s case prooves they can also love humans. Bill must constantly be careful because he does desire human blood and there is always a temptation to feed on Sookie or other humans he interacts with.

photo credit: korafotomorgana

In Twilight, vampires also like to live in “families” but remain hidden to the world. Similar to True Blood and Buffy, the story’s central character is a girl, Bella Swan. She possesses no special abilities, but the main vampire, Edward Cullen, falls for her because he can read other people’s thoughts but not Bella’s. It’s an inversion of the Sookie/Bill relationship from True Blood. The vampires in these books and film, however, follow very few of the popular myths. For instance, while they feel a deep need to drink human blood, the main vampires have refrained from doing so for at least 100 years with no ill effects. In a somewhat obvious/clumsy metaphor for abstinence from sex, the Cullens simply don’t drink human blood (just animals) though Edward supposedly wants to. Also, sunlight just makes them prettier (it makes them sparkle). Crosses are no problem, nor is silver. They don’t age, and actually seem plenty happy with that. Edward goes to school and remains a virgin for over 100 years, seemingly with no problem. Similar to other vampires, they have great strength and speed. No fangs, though. Just normal teeth. They’re incredibly pale and cold. There are vampires that feed on human blood but you only see them for a few minutes in the movie, and one of the three (the father) actually tells the Cullens about the other two wanting to eat Bella, so they’re not much of a threat. How they are killed is a bit vague. The film seems to just toss the bad guy on a fire, but it happens in the background.

photo credit: …♥…Chicky Kawaii…♥…

Another recent film dealing with the romantic relationship between a vampire and a human is the new Swedish film (once again, based on a novel) Let the Right One In. In this film, Oskar is a 12-year old boy who is bullied at school. Oskar gets new neighbors, a girl his age named Eli and her father, Hakan. Eventually, Eli and Oskar become friends, but it is learned that Eli is a vampire, and Hakan is just someone who helps get her victims. Eli and Oskar fall in love, a common element across all of these stories. The vampires in this film do drink blood to survive (and they don’t discriminate on how they choose their victims) but seem otherwise very human in their emotions and day-to-day life. The vampires do not age in this movie. We only see two vampires in this whole film and the second is created by being bitten but not being killed. Sunlight roasts these vamps. They ignite like they’re made out of gasoline. They’re pretty strong, too. One of the most unique rules for vampire lore is one I’ve only seen in this film – cats hate vampires. They don’t just hiss, they full-on attack vampires if they see them. Oh, and if vampires enter a home without being invited, they begin to bleed out of every pore and orifice.

photo credit: urbisnauta

So what rules do they each follow or ignore?

1. Sunlight is deadly for the vampires in True Blood and Buffy and Let the Right One In (and the Blade and Anne Rice vampire movies, for what it’s worth), but not for Twilight.
2. All of the vampires need to drink blood to survive, but in Interview with the Vampire, True Blood, Buffy, and Twilight, they can all get by on artificial blood, animal blood, or blood from blood banks.
3. The vampires are fast and strong in all of the stories.
4. Vampires sleep in coffins or sealed areas or underground in all of the stories except for Twilight, where they live in regular houses.
5. Vampires in True Blood,  Interview with the Vampire, and Twilight both prefer to live in artificial families of vampires. In Let the Right One In, the vampire uses a familiar, like Dracula did with Renfield. On Buffy and in Blade, vampires often form “nests.”
6. Vampires fall in love with humans in all of the stories.

For all the variations on themes that each of these employ, I think they still share more similarities than differences once you closely examine them, even Twilight. It’s been theorized by many in the media, following the recent Presidential election, that culturally, zombies were the monster we responded to most over the last 8 years and that vampires will be the monster of choice moving forward. It seems like an interesting argument, one worth examining another time. But I think vampires have always been a fascinating metaphor for death and one that has been instead, slowly building a resurgence over the last decade or so, but has not yet peaked.

Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day, the musical is being released in three fairly short parts over the course of this week. Act One is available to watch now, Act Two comes out July 17th, and Act Three on July 19th. Midnight of July 20th (technically the 21st), the show will be pulled and later made available for download for a small nominal fee. Eventually, it’ll be released on disc.

Click image for a link to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

Now, beware. The site has been suffering constant crashes, probably due to the awesomeness of everything about it. If by chance you do manage to make it to the site, don’t expect the player to show Dr. Horrible without severely annoying choppiness. Which has me that much more excited for a BD version.

What little I’ve watched, before I got too annoyed with the Hulu player, I really, really dug. I think if you’re a fan of Joss’ silly stuff, then this is definitely for you. Expect a full review when the series is finished.

We invited Nathan’s sister to direct and my girlfriend to do the music and sound, since she’s studied it and is in a band. We met some great folks who helped us with acting, production management, directing, editing, and all sorts of stuff. We had a 9-member team and drew the “spy” genre on Friday night.

On Sunday, this is what we turned in (the credits don’t count as running time):

Click here to download the film in an iPod friendly format.

Here’s the details from Spike:

The Force is with Spike TV this April as the complete Star Wars Saga comes to basic cable. Airing Friday, April 4 through Sunday, April 6, and Friday, April 11 through Sunday, April 13, the two-weekend event includes the broadcast premiere of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and the basic cable premieres of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. Spike TV’s Star Wars presentation marks the first time that all six movies will be presented together on a basic cable network.

Spike TV’s presentation of the Star Wars Saga will feature digitally re-mastered versions of the films, shown uncut and presented in HD where available. Throughout each weekend, Spike TV viewers will be treated to special Star Wars features provided by Lucasfilm Ltd., including a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Spike TV will also premiere an exclusive clip of LucasArts’ highly anticipated new videogame, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which is scheduled for release this summer.

Spike TV’s Star Wars schedule is as follows:

* Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (1999, PG*)

Premieres Friday, April 4 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT; Encore Saturday, April 5 (5:00 – 8:00 PM, ET/PT) & Sunday, April 20 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT & 11:00 PM – 2:00 AM, ET/PT).

Stranded on the desert planet Tatooine after rescuing young Queen Amidala from the impending invasion of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi master discover nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, a young slave unusually strong in the Force. Anakin wins a thrilling Podrace and with it his freedom as he leaves his home to be trained as a Jedi. The heroes return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi contend with a deadly foe named Darth Maul. Only then do they realize the invasion is merely the first step in a sinister scheme by the re-emergent forces of darkness known as the Sith.

* Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (2002, PG)

Premieres Saturday, April 5 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT); Encores Sunday, April 6 (4:30 – 8:00 PM, ET/PT) & Sunday, April 27 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT & 11:00 PM, ET/PT & 11:00 PM – 2:00 AM, ET/PT).

Ten years later, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi named Count Dooku, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. When an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, twenty-year-old Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her. In the course of his mission, Anakin discovers his love for Padmé as well as his own darker side. Soon, Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan Kenobi are drawn into the heart of the Separatist movement and the beginning of the Clone Wars.

* Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (2005, PG-V)

Premieres Sunday, April 6 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT); Encore Monday, April 7 (4:30 – 8:00 PM, ET/PT).

Three years after the onset of the Clone Wars, the noble Jedi Knights have been leading a massive clone army into a galaxy-wide battle against the Separatists. When the sinister Sith unveil a thousand-year-old plot to rule the galaxy, the Republic crumbles and from its ashes rises the evil Galactic Empire. Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker is seduced by the dark side of the Force to become the Emperor’s new apprentice – Darth Vader. The Jedi are decimated, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Master Yoda are forced into hiding. The only hope for the galaxy are Anakin’s own offspring – the twin children born in secrecy who will grow up to become Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa.

* Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (1977, PG)

Premieres Friday, April 11 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT); Encore Saturday, April 12 (5:00 – 8:00 PM, ET/PT).

Nineteen years after the formation of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is thrust into the struggle of the Rebel Alliance when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived for years in seclusion on the desert planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan begins Luke’s Jedi training as Luke joins him on a daring mission to rescue the beautiful Rebel leader Princess Leia from the clutches of the evil Empire. Although Obi-Wan sacrifices himself in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader, his former apprentice, Luke proves that the Force is with him by destroying the Empire’s dreaded
Death Star.

* Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (1980, PG)

Premieres Saturday, April 12 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT); Encore Sunday, April 13 (5:00 – 8:00 PM, ET/PT).

Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, Imperial forces continue to pursue the Rebels. After the Rebellion’s defeat on the ice planet Hoth, Luke journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda, who has lived in hiding since the fall of the Republic. In an attempt to convert Luke to the dark side, Darth Vader lures young Skywalker into a trap in the Cloud City of Bespin. In the midst of a fierce lightsaber duel with the Sith Lord, Luke faces the startling revelation that the evil Vader is in fact his father, Anakin Skywalker.

* Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (1983, PG)

Premieres Sunday, April 13 (8:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT); Encore Monday, April 14 (5:00 – 8:00 PM, ET/PT).

In the epic conclusion of the Saga, the Empire prepares to crush the Rebellion with a more powerful Death Star while the Rebel fleet mounts a massive attack on the space station. Luke Skywalker confronts his father Darth Vader in a final climactic duel before the evil Emperor. In the last second, Vader makes a momentous choice: he destroys the Emperor and saves his son. The Empire is finally defeated, the Sith are destroyed, and Anakin Skywalker is thus redeemed. At long last, freedom is restored to the galaxy.

ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER PETER JACKSON AND NEW LINE CINEMA JOIN WITH MGM TO PRODUCE “THE HOBBIT”

PETER JACKSON AND FRAN WALSH TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE TWO FILMS BASED ON “THE HOBBIT”

Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, December 18, 2007) Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:

• MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.
• Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.
• Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.

Said Peter Jackson, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”

“Peter Jackson has proven himself as the filmmaker who can bring the extraordinary imagination of Tolkien to life and we full heartedly agree with the fans worldwide who know he should be making ‘The Hobbit,’” said Sloan, MGM’s Chairman and CEO. “Now that we are all in agreement on ‘The Hobbit,’ we can focus on assembling the production team that will capture this phenomenal tale on film.”

Bob Shaye, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO comments, “We are very pleased we have been able to resolve our differences, and that Peter and Fran will be actively and creatively involved with ‘The Hobbit’ movies. We know they will bring the same passion, care and talent to these films that they so ably accomplished with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy.”

“Peter is a visionary filmmaker, and he broke new ground with ‘The Lord of the Rings,’” notes Michael Lynne, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO. “We’re delighted he’s back for ‘The Hobbit’ films and that the Tolkien saga will continue with his imprint. We greatly appreciate the efforts of Harry Sloan, who has been instrumental in helping us reach our new accord.”

The two “Hobbit” films – “The Hobbit” and its sequel – are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of “The Hobbit” release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

The Oscar-winning, critically-acclaimed LOTR Trilogy grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box-office. In 2003, “Return of the King” swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the eleven categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The Trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.

For more information about “The Hobbit” films, please visit www.TheHobbitBlog.com.

Yahoo has the first five minutes of The Golden Compass here.

The Golden Compass is an adaptation of the first book in Philip Pullman’s spectacularly subersive children’s fantasy series, His Dark Materials. I read a lot of fantasy every year, and in my view, His Dark Materials is second only to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. Not only does it offer an imaginative take on alternate worlds, tremendous characters (Lyra is probably the most complex and best-written young female heroine in the history of children’s books), but it is also filled with a heavy atheist subtext. It’s always surprised me that Harry Potter drew so much fire from religious groups, because at its core it is infused with Christian values and themes. His Dark Materials, however, makes its central conceit that God and the Church are both a sham and a corrupt endeavor bent on controlling people’s lives. Pretty weighty material for children’s fiction.

Though the series has been largely free of protests, book burnings and the like, I suspect that will change once the movie is released and people begin reading the books. But beyond the potential for rabble rousing, His Dark Materials is a very entertaining story — and without that aspect to drive it, the subtext would be rendered meaningless.

Tina says that in many ways it’s an update of Bottle Rocket, and I think there’s some truth to that, particularly in the dynamics of the three main characters and the “size” of the film. However, it’s a much more mature film than Bottle Rocket, and its characters and relationships are more subtle and nuanced. In many ways, it’s less an excercise in film language than a genuine attempt to unravel the emotional lives of three characters.

Anderson played around with serious drama a bit in Life Aquatic, particularly in the sudden and surprising death of Ned. There’s a similar moment here, but it feels less like violence done to the film, and more like a natural part of the story. A sense of sadness stemming from family dysfunction has been a pervasive theme in all of Anderson’s films, but in Darjeeling it seems a lot less academic and a lot more real. Each of the brothers longs to feel connected to his siblings, but the emotional failures of their parents keep them apart.

I am admittedly a fan of all of Wes Anderson’s films, even Life Aquatic, so I’m not sure how unbiased my opinion really is when I enthusiastically recommend The Darjeeling Limited. It’s possibly the best film I’ve seen all year, and I feel the odd urge to return to the theatre for repeat viewings. Being a father now, that’s probably not going to happen, but I will definitely be watching it over and over again on DVD some day.

This, however, is the real Iron Man. Enjoy.