My Sucky Teen Romance

Wow, I'm shocked at the other reviews. I also saw it at SXSW and feel like I'm the one taking crazy pills after reading those negative reviews. Part of getting asses in seats is some kind of hook no matter what the budget of the thing is, it's some great story that peaks your interest. Sure I went in wondering what kind of a film could a 17 year old make and that got me in, but that thought completely fizzled out after about five minutes into it.

The movie's fun regardless of whatever budget they were working with (I could care less). I absolutely found it charming, quirky, and the fact that a kid who can't even order a beer yet made it just impressed me more. There are moments where I thought "Hmm, I'd approach that differently," but I don't think it has anything to do with age/budget - I just think that's how the director wanted to go about it, which isn't to say it's bad just different. Would I give anyone in this an Oscar? No. Do I think they're going for an Oscar though? No. I think they set out to make a fun flick with goofy characters and vampires tossed into the mix and I absolutely think they succeeded.

I don't know when or how this thing's coming out, but I've talked my friends ears off about the flick and can't wait for the DVD/BluRay/whatever.

The movie's fun. If you can, check it out.

After getting off work, a young woman decides to follow her friends to a local sci-fi convention being held in the area which introduces her to a vampire she falls for, but when she gets turned by the vampire must rely on her friends to help adapt to the situation and keep her human.

This was a fairly solid and somewhat likable indie feature with a lot to like. Among the better elements here is the strong storyline that manages to offer up the kind of lighthearted approach this type of subject matter feels quite at home with. Looking at the initial motivation to get them to the convention and get out into the floors of the meeting where this one can revel in its love for the kind of sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fare that would normally be present in such a convention allows the meet-cute to have a semblance of heart to it. The shenanigans featured there, involving the costumes, the film screenings, the dance contests, and general revelry used here, means that there's a genuine admiration for this type of scene that helps to allow the rest of the interactions to have a charm to them aided along by a lot of comedic touches between everyone in here. That lets the film go through a wholly enjoyable and entertaining series of exploits with the group trying to ensure the vampire tendencies they believe she has won't come to the surface. With the initial discovery of the bite marks and how she's going around displaying some of the early warning signs of being turned into a vampire, there are some immensely fun moments to be had here treating the various symptoms as if they're items on a checklist which gives this some fun times. Also, once they know the full extent of their mission in tracking down the real vampire that turned her and use that to get her back to human while taking place in the middle of the convention, there's a slew of fun to be had here as this takes a bit more serious the various interactions and tactics used to get them together which gives the film a fun energy that is quite enjoyable overall. There are a few small issues to be had here. The main drawback to this one, which isn't even that much of a drawback anyway, is the film's lighter tone and approach makes the horror aspects here leave it pretty lacking in this area. While that's to be expected given the target audience for the characters which explains a lot of the interactions found here, the majority of this one keeps itself focused on getting an understanding of what she's going through and the friends trying to help her. This is a fun time but leaves the horror confrontations few and far between so it's got a generally light setup that could put some off rather easily, and with the film's obvious low-budget limitations that pop up are the issues with this one.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

With all the vampire movies being released it is really hard to find one that feels new and worth your time. Director Emily Hagins burst onto the scene at 12 years old with her film Pathogen that won the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund grant from the Austin Film Society. Her latest My Sucky Teen Romance tackles the popular teenage vampire genre, but throws in a comedy twist in an attempt to create something new and fresh.

My Sucky Teen Romance follows a 17 year old girl and her friends as they attend a local sci-fi convention. There she is accidentally bit by a vampire and forced to not only come to terms with her transformation, but try and stop the other vampires before they go on a killing spree. Make no mistake, this is a low budget film and it shows on a lot of levels. That being said, if you watch it for what it is and just enjoy it, it is actually a pretty entertaining movie. It has the vibe of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy on a much smaller scale in both budget and acting quality, but you can see everyone here is doing what they can to deliver a fun film. The story is pretty simple and while nothing all that original, Hagins adds just enough of a twist in the idea to make it still feel different than most of this genre. The acting is average at best, with a few of the performances a bit silly, but if you look at the budget and the fact that this is an unknown inexperienced cast, they actually did pretty well. There are some great jabs at the Twilight films as well as some other pop culture genres that will appeal to the convention audience.

This is actually a fun film if you can put aside the fact that it is on a lower budget scale. It looks like someone set out to make a fun vampire teen film and succeed with little to work with. If you are looking for something a bit different in this genre then give this film a chance. Worse case you can see the early works of Hagins who will probably surprise people once she is given a bigger budget and star power.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

I wasn't expecting much and found myself captivated...give it a chance. It's a group of young people poking fun at the whole vampire craze going on right now....very tongue in cheek. It's a fun little jaunt through the more intelligent teenager's perspective. The director is young, modest and hopeful. The cast is engaging and very likable. Think an independent version of scary movie, but a lot smarter and more subtle. The director has a raw, organic talent that eschews the traditional training from film school. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of her work as she matures. Some day, those who've worked with her will be look back on the experience fondly.

I had the chance to watch this flick during a hot Saturday afternoon in London, in a floating cinema (2013) and I had a good time for two reasons:

-The film is directed by a young and smart teenage girl who has seen many vampire movies. -I could ask her a question through a Skype interview. She told me she was influenced by classic vampire movies such as The Lost Boys and mostly Near Dark. That is a plus because clearly she knows her references very well.

The gore is minimum but very well done and you can say that she likes blood in her stories.

I give it a 5 because it is a naive film oriented for a young audience.

Let's keep an eye to this girl, she may do good things for our genre in the near future.