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Reviews
The Breed (2001)
Interesting ideas
Essentially, it is set in a somewhat totalitarian future, where the vampires have just revealed themselves to the humans who outnumber them and greatly fear them. Two cops, one human and one a vampire, must stop a killer who threatens to disrupt a peace process between the two "breeds".
I liked this movie, even though I got tired of the silly flying effects, the accents and the artsy looking direction. Paul does a wonderful job of making his eyes look old, and Woodbine swears too much, but the ideas here are fun. I never had much sympathy for vampires until this movie. However, and this may be a small spoiler, see if you can catch when the Asian vampire says something she shouldn't know and no one seems to blink. Also, the references to vampire lore are fun. I think more could have been done to flesh out the world they live in, and this would make a very interesting TV series if done properly. However, the sets, makeup and such were excellent. I recommend this to anyone who likes vampires, as it may give you some new ideas about them.
The Shining (1997)
Same Story, Different Direction
I have to disagree with the other reviewer; I have very much enjoyed this series and can't wait for the ending. I will admit that the Overlook in the movie was far more frightening, and that the hedge maze was a nice touch. Also, the kid who plays Danny here is a little too cute looking. However, this series has much that I think is superior to the movie.
Let's face it, when you see Jack Nicholson, you immediately think "Crazy man", and he does it well. However, this ruins part of the suspense of his breakdown. In this series, you can see the degradation of the mind that the Overlook and his own pressures cause. Jack's drinking problem is much more emphacized here, as is his abusive background, making his collapse more understandable. Having watched "Wings", it was initially difficult to accept Steven Weber as a nutjob, but he does manage to convey a bitter anger appropriate to the character.
As for the wives, well, let's just say that spending the winter trapped with Shelly Duvall would have made me crazy too. Rebecca De Mornay, however? Let it snow! As for dropping elements from the novel, I believe that Kubrick in fact did the dropping, and here King is inserting them back into the story. In all, this is a pretty good series. Don't compare it to the movie, though. That's not fair to either of them, since their both stong in their own way.
Island of the Dead (2000)
Pretty wrapping but the inside sucked
I thought and still think the idea and setting for this film was pretty good. The views of the skyscrapers, the way the island looked (and the fact that it'a real place), the missing persons detective (usually homocide gets all the glory), all of these were good, and COULD have made this a good film. But it was not to be. The enemy was silly,and was never explained. So much potential, so wasted, much as in Evolution, which also could have been a good horror movie, but blew it.