Cup of My Blood

The story is not believable.

The acting is not believable.

The horror techniques have long since grown old and boring.

The result is that it's not scary. That is the primary problem. I never felt surprised or shocked. I didn't care about the characters. In fact, it was more like watching a poor zombie film where you simply can't wait for the next body to get ripped apart simply to keep you amused.

Lucky for everyone, this has been a good year for zombie and gore films, so you can check out Land of the Dead instead. Or even a better than average ghost film like Dark Water. Or a spookier, more brutal than average super-hero film like Batman Begins.

The entire story was so confusing and illogical that at one time in the film I just decided to stop trying to understand it. Enough said, there is a Holy Grail, a special breed of people that can see the Grail and not die called Protectors, some weirdos that want to help the Protectors (let's call them the Geeks) and some other weirdos that want the Grail for some unholy business. They all kind of shoot each other, full of Faith and all.

The beginning is pretty well done, with tensionate soundtrack and graphical to gory moments. But it just continues like that. There is no sense of anything after a while. After really dumb dialogues and scenes, where even the girls that come to pose for porn sites look bad, the whole thing degenerates into a mindless bloodbath. Lots of fake blood and then, the end. A final scene that shows what is going on after 77 years. Why 77? What was the purpose of the movie? No answer, really.

Conclusion: almost bad and totally boring.

I saw this on a dvd which I own. The title on my dvd is The Da Vinci Virus. I am willing to trade my dvd with any 80s horror film. Even the bad 80s horror film is better than this lousy film.

Aft the death of his wife, an artist loses his inspiration and his faith but he takes adult pictures for a mobster against his wishes. A wounded man from a car accident gives the artist a box asking him to protect and never open it. Wow man, jus wow. It has very annoying photography, the plot is awful, the film looked more like a bad softcore n ther is nothing scary or horror about it.

I was lucky enough to attend the Chicago premiere of this spooky epic and it really delivered the goods. Director/Writer Lance Catania has rewoven the elements of the horror genre into a commentary on modern society and the power/creepiness of religion. Plus it has some saucy gore and sex!

Pornographer Jack Fender (Daniel Patrick Sullivan) has accidentally(?) come into possession of a religious icon. Within his wacky, underground world he must come to understand why he must, by any means, protect the icon. Looking to separate him from his holy possession are a strange group of brutally surreal characters. Jack, while trying to figure out why he was chosen, also is in the unenviable position of not being able to trust anyone.

Catania has a way with an intriguing story, plus he displays a love for the "money shots" of the blood, guts and flesh. Playing like a tragi-comic opera, the broad scope of Fender's predicament also allows for the occasional (and sometimes nervous) laughter. As a director/writer of this original story (shot on location in Chicago), Catania displays a passion for the subject in every frame. But even through the exploration of his interesting and complex themes, he never forgets the reason why horror films have their wild appeal (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).

Satan, may I have the next dance?

Rating ***1/2 stars

The film centres around Jack, a photographer who lost his faith three years ago when his wife went mad and disappeared, without her his talent for art has gone too and he makes a living taking naked pictures of women for a website called 2ndcumming ( a play on words as we discover later). Jack finds himself in possession of the holy grail, which it is believed that any who look upon it will die, however he appears to be immune to it's powers, but nothing is what it seems in this excellent horror/thriller.

The movie is very slow, and is all the better for it, do not expect fast paced action and buckets of blood in this one! The start of the movie reminded me of a Lynch film as the dialogue and actions of the characters is slow and methodical, the whole film has a Lynch like feel to it and moves along as if we are getting nowhere, even the climax of the film is no Hollywood wham bam explosive type ending. The characters in the film all pretty much have something to do with the plot, there are very few incidental characters and the acting whilst a little wooden at times, keeps well in time with the pace of the movie, especially good as it is a cast of unknowns. Clearly influenced by some of the more creepy Japanese horrors that have come out in recent years, this relies heavily on chills and fear to give it it's edge, I was honestly shocked to see such a film coming from America. Throughout the film I was genuinely spooked and on edge, no particular jump out of your seat moments but the atmosphere of the movie keeps you unnerved throughout.

I highly recommend this if you don't mind your films slow and steady, do not expect the pace to pick up to Hollywood action speed at any point, this is a movie about atmosphere and emotion. A good American film for those who prefer the chills of Japanese horror movies and are looking for something a little more then blood and guts.