geeksochic

...and I'm still watching this thing! I can't stop! I've already showed one of my suitemates and emailed it to two friends. By tomorrow night, everyone I know will have seen it. I've enjoyed my share of both teen romps and comics and I think "Fast Times At Hero High" has the best of both worlds. For an independent short, the acting's pretty good. I honestly can't pick a favorite part of this thing 'cause it's all good. I know the odds are against this becoming something more, but I would pay for this as a straight to video series or something. Honestly, I can see it making the rounds of Adult Swim, Comedy Central, or even Fox (though their habit of canceling promising shows is a bit discouraging).

I happened upon it by surprise while watching TV a few days ago. When it was over, I looked up the next showing time and set my VCR to tape it. And I don't waste tape on trash. I've been in love with Japanese culture for years and am all about anime and manga. But I'm not limited to either so I was happy to sit and watch this cute love story set in Japan. Plus it was an 80s movie and I usually like those. I was so drawn into the story and the characters...I just couldn't get enough of "Robert-san"! He was so cute in his initial ignorance of the customs! I didn't want it to end. Didn't help that the end theme's lyrics were "It's over!".

As of late, cinematic technology and supernatural mythos have reached new peeks. Together they have created some really unique and stylized films. Unfortunately, "Reign in Darkness" missed that train. The most obvious flaw is the look. Is it just me or does Kel Dolen's Michael Dorn resemble a hybrid of Wesley Snipe's Blade's clothing and Stephen Dorf's Deacon Frost? And while the production of Blade's duds remains convincingly off screen, the materialization of Dorn's leather and kevlar combo from thin air is simply too much. Second is the sound. The narration of they newly vamped Dorn is so emotionless and the dialogue (especially Chris Kerrison's) is very flat and unconvincing. All together the words are hollow and make the characters completely depthless. Last but not least is the action and the plot. Honestly, are we to believe that a guy can go from lab guy to gun-toting, sword swinging vigilante? Just because such transformations have worked in the past doesn't mean it works all the time. And then there are the shoot outs and redundant run-ins. Bad aim all around (except, of course, when the shooter's right in front of you). And in the new tradition of movie making, there is a car chase. If the director saw "Gone in 60 Seconds" or "The Fast and the Furious", he didn't take notes. Perhaps I'm spoiled. Not every preternatural movie can be "Brotherhood of the Wolf". Maybe the world isn't ready for "Reign in Darkness" and it'll be remade with Jonny Depp playing Michael. A girl can dream. Buyer beware. This baby's a rental, not one to sink your teeth into.