Movie to Skip: Lost Boys: The Thirst
Although the first Lost Boys was fun when I was a
teenager, it hasn't aged well in my
opinion. This sequel doesn't take the 'series' any further. Instead of
honest to goodness 'movement' in the film,
we get 'meh' level rock music to fill in the gaps. That kind of gives
the movie a music video feel:
trite and forgettable. Corey Feldman is a little rusty, methinks, and
apparently hasn't learned anything about his
craft since he was a child actor. Adopting a pseudo-gruff voice doesn't
make a pasty wannabe an action hero -- neither
does lame dialogue and pathetic one liners. While there are plenty of
scantily clad sexy people, as is often the case
in vampire movies, it really doesn't quite add enough of a distraction
to make the movie any better... just like a music video.
There's plenty of window dressing, but no substance. In short... it's
lame. I was hoping for more, but frankly, I thought
it 'sucked.' Terrible pun intended.
Movie to See: Suck
This is a fun little vampire flick. Good music, funny dialogue, fun characters, and great
appearances by several rock legends (Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Moby, etc.). Visually impressive with a rock video feel,
this is an entertaining romp full of likeable characters and an original storyline. Ultimately this is a movie that
shows the parity between fame and becoming a creature of the night -- if such a comparison can truly be made: while
immortality and limitless power can be great, it can play havoc with your moral fiber and is woefully addictive with all
of the negative side affects of the most dangerous recreational drugs.
While this one isn't exactly Oscar worthy material, it is still a fun and entertaining movie. And hell,
why shouldn't it be? Not all movies must be paragons of creativity and be ready to stand the tests of time. Some movies
are fun for the moment and are entertaining for their own sake -- without a need to make an important social statement or
change the lives of their viewers. This is one of those. Watch this movie... for the fun of it.
The second movie, Suck, is, for all intents and purposes, ABOUT rock music. Yes, it literally has a rock video in it, but it doesn't fall prey to that rock video feel. This movie has an interesting storyline beyond "let's go kill the head vampire," and it tells the story in an amusing and original way.
You would think that someone that was trying to resurrect a cult favorite like Lost Boys would have put the same kind of effort and creativity into the making of the film that was found in Suck, but frankly, they don't appear to have cared to bother with such things. Lost Boys demonstrates to me the stupidity in Hollywood that believes slapping a name and a few decent visuals on screen will automatically make a hit. I don't know if it's just laziness or egoism (if they can't be bothered, or they believe that we're all just stupid enough to swallow whatever they feed us), but it does make me wonder what brilliant films could be produced if we could cut out some of the brain donors that seem to hold the purse strings.
