PernillaP

Once Bitten is a fun and enjoyable comedy vampire flick. Reveling on the alluring number 3 and hellbent on going all the way for a home run it stars the holy trinity of Carrey, Hutton and Little in humorous and lovable roles. The story revolves around the vampire Countess (Hutton) and her need for a blood transfusion from a virgin. No bite in the neck, but further down is required. She's guided and aided by the brilliant Sebastian (Little) with a certain feminine twist that makes for many laughs. Juxtaposed to this duo of (very light) darkness we find a trio of restless youngsters and the protagonist of the movie - Mark (Carrey) who is trying so hard to get to fourth base with his girlfriend but not getting anywhere. He tries to metaphorically go to third base at a drive-in movie when the gear stick gets in the way of the couple and he says "Here, let me put it in third...". That's all he manages to do tho and they sit and watch the movie while all the other cars around start to bounce one after the other. Frustrated and let down he is talked into going to town to get...sorry... 'meet' girls with his two comic relief friends and soon enough he meets the countess and she lures him into her Hollywood mansion to get the first of three blood transfusions in order to retain her good looks. From there on strange and humorous things start to happen to the main character. It's a definitive 80's movie for sure. It's lighthearted and fun and if you expect some serious vampire business and action you will be sorely let down but if you're expecting comedy, teen desires, Carrey and light entertainment you will have a very enjoyable hour and a half of pure 80's nostalgia with a twist and you won't regret seeing it.

Blueberry sets itself apart from other westerns as well as the original comic, but it also brings a new vision (in every sense of the word) that hits home as it leads the viewer through memories, doubts, fears and inner journeys.

The cast doesn't make for a convincing resemblance of the comic's characters but that doesn't really matter since this stands apart from the 4 decades of the awesome French comic. Cassel practices a decent and charismatic Blueberry and Lewis is perfect as a "desert flower". Kounen has made a compelling and stunning movie. The designs, photography and every minuscule part of the movie looks amazingly beautiful.

The storyline is simple but the twists and turns makes even this simple storyline interesting. The Indian presence is the strength of the movie and the setting and the times make sense and makes me feel comfortable with what I'm seeing. The adventures of Tsi-na-pah (broken nose aka Blueberry) and the guidance of the Chiricahua in this movie will never meet the standards of the comic, but on the other hand the sensitivity and the shamanistic take in Blueberry makes this film really take off in ways the comic never will or ever could.

It's a very good movie and a very different but definitely true hardcore Western - if you allow yourself to just go with the flow of the film.