ShadowGal

I think there are two target audiences for this movie: kids, and anyone who's a bit of a fantasy geek. This movie succeeds in catering to those two groups, and quite well, in my opinion.

The acting in the movie is pretty good. It's not quite at the level of some children actors I saw growing up--the Sandlot for instance--but it's better than quite a few of the kids' shows I've seen on television. The plot is basic enough: kid is bullied for being a geek, kid finds out that 'fantasy' stuff is real, kid goes on adventure to beat the evil bad guys. It's also well-executed, and there are a few really good lines in the movie that had me chuckling.

On the down side... The troll in the movie sounds like someone trying (and just barely failing) to do an impersonation of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and that bothered me--but only a little. And the CG in the movie is... Well, it's not horrible. On its own, it's pretty good, especially for such a low-budget film. The "low-budget" part is obvious once you realize that the cg animations have to interact with real backgrounds/places/people, and then it's just... Not as appealing. Not a big issue though, really.

Here's the bottom line: If you're a childless adult who's never been into fantasy games, TCG's, etc., then this probably isn't for you. If you're a parent who doesn't mind watching a slightly cheesy movie with an 80's adventure feel to it, then you'll be okay with the movie--you probably won't love it, but you'll have had worse ways to spend an hour and a half with your kids. Kids will probably love this one--especially younger kids and tweens. Anyone who's fond of fantasy, gaming culture, trading card games, etc. will probably get a kick out of this charming film--a fair amount of the humor and references are aimed at people like us.

Okay, folks, let's make it clear: this movie tells you in the title EXACTLY what you're getting when you turn on your DVD player. You have zombies, strippers, and zombie strippers. Some of the jokes work better than others, and a few of the actors teeter dangerously close to ridiculous over-acting. Having said that, I loved pretty much everything else about this movie. I watched it with my main group of friends, and we all enjoyed it. Granted, we're a bunch of goofy college kids, and there may or may not have been some margaritas and wine coolers involved... but that's honestly how I recommend watching this movie. Grab a bunch of your friends, as you'll over-think and over-criticize rather if you're by yourself, rather than just being able to kick back and enjoy this movie, ridiculous as it may be. If you like zombies, and you don't mind topless women, this movie's definitely worth a watch. You may be surprised how much you enjoy it.

This has to be my all-time favorite take on the classic "Dracula." The imagery, costumes, filming style--everything is a true delight to behold.

I've always been a big fan of Anthony Hopkins, and I wasn't disappointed by his performance here. In fact, I wasn't disappointed by anyone's performances--each actor or actress did a superb job in portraying their characters.

This is definitely worth watching in my mind. I've seen it multiple times, and have yet to tire of it. In fact, I'll most likely be watching it again within the week!