Halloween recommendation #2: Near Dark

Another gem of a movie that is in the works for a remake, and most likely will suck [pun intended]

This vampire Western cult movie is not for everyone. In the past, I've tried to recommend this to coworkers and I get responses of " Slow" or "Dated".

So if you haven't seen this then let me start off by saying that if you want to see fangs and fast flashy special fx, a movie/video game hybrid --then check out the crappy bloated Van Helsing.

This movie focuses on a vampire "family" and their way of life. How they feed and get around : by driving across the open desert and sneaking in and out of small towns. They take out the drifters and low lifes that no one will miss. Looks like they've been getting away with it for God knows how long. Now in my own travels to Yuma & parts of AZ to visit the Donovans, I passed through dusty El Centro & Brawley, and saw miles and miles of nothing... and ya know, the film's concept of gypsy vamps works for me. Before I didn't think much of it, but now : a new appreciation.

So, the family's good life comes to an end when young cowpoke Caleb gets bit and is forced to join their clan. He is played by the always good Philly boy Adrian Pasdar. Also known from his role as the cinematically neglected Chipper from "Top Gun', husband to one of the controversial Dixie Chicks or maybe all, and now is on NBC's Heroes. [He's the best thing about that show in my opinion.]

As I mentioned, there are very little special fx. No fangs. But for me, the lack of fangs during a feeding scene made me extremely queasy. More damage to my stomach than any gore/horror movie I've seen. Director Kathryn Bigelow & co add in a bit of ripping sound fx for the flesh biting scenes. That, with shots of real saliva and belching from the actors....man, I have to tell you just writing about it makes me want to upchuck. Blaaaah.

What I like best: the vamps' backgrounds are not fully explored. There's just enough bits of info to keep you wondering and fascinated.In the dvd featurette, Aliens' alum Lance Henrikson & Bill Paxton talk about how much fun it was coming up with their backgrounds. Paxton had a great description : "Vampires with a Bonnie and Clyde lifestyle". They even talked about wanting to do a prequel. Unfortunately it never happened. But you can really see their enthusiasm in this flick. My favorite scene is when Caleb asks how old the leader, Jesse is. His answer: "I fought for the South. We lost".
What a great line to say.

The movie does have some flaws. My biggest complaint is Paxton's ending. Kind of anti-climatic. Paxton's characters have an over the top appeal, and he is also responsible for that "fire in Chicago", so I expected him to do a lot more damage. The Aliens cast really does an excellent job with the material and I gotta mention Jenette Goldstein, 'cause she is so cool as the mother figure "Diamondback".
All hail the Alien cast trio, because they made these characters memorable.





Later in the week: Proposition Keegan #1115. Vote Yes!



photos: amazon.com. wwwfxsmith.com