20 UCW JAN. 27 - FEB. 2, 2010
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
If you've seen one vampire movie, you've pretty much
seen them all. The conventions change slightly from story to
story, but at the end of the day (haha) the vampires drink
blood and avoid the sun.
You can judge your vampire movies anyway you like, but
the preferred method is the originality of the mythos. 1979's
Dracula (just a random example) is a perfect representa-
tion of the classic Stoker vampire. In terms of innovation,
Children of the Night (stars Peter Deluise and I promise you
won't be sorry if you give it a shot) is right in the middle
of the spectrum, while The Hunger and The Wisdom of
Crocodiles (whatever flaws they may have) are examples of
more innovative takes on the legend.
There isn't much in the mythos that stands out, aside
from the central premise reversing the human to vampire
ratio (and the first version of Blade 3 covered most of the
same ground). They can rise during the day (provided they
avoid direct sunlight); they don't appear in mirrors but their
clothes do; they can imbibe liquids other than blood; and
mutations affect the population.
Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is a skilled hematologist attempting to devel-
op a blood substitute for Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). The human population is
nearing extinction, and the lack of plentiful human blood is upsetting the ruling
class. Edward is morally divided about his supernatural status, but still collabo-
rates in the subjugation of the human race.
Of course, the human resistance gets into the mix, led by Audrey (Claudia
Karvan). Audrey and her good buddy Elvis (Willem Dafoe) are trying to address
the blood shortage in their own way. They manage to enlist the aid of Edward,
only to make a million stupid mistakes along the way.
Inevitably, the plot unravels. It is hard to believe that a
successful human resistance would be stupid enough to gath-
er all the midnight snacks in one centralized location without
setting up a wide security perimeter. It is equally hard to
believe that such tasty little morsels would survive so long
when they seem to love breaking into Vamp City homes and
persist in conducting their rescue missions after dark.
Plot holes aside, there are loads of nifty little toys cus-
tomized for those who sunburn easily. Even if you can't
work up any enthusiasm for the acting, dialogue, or vio-
lence, you can enjoy the look of the film. Vamp City is filled
with nice details and budding sociologists can take turns
analyzing the revised social order.
Depending on how you look at it, Daybreakers (98
minutes) is either postmodern hyperviolence or a tired
retread of cliché after cliché. While the concept is innova-
tive on the surface, the central metaphor is more than a
little ham-fisted. On the plus side, editing and pacing keep
the audience from thinking too much about all the massive
plot holes and the preachiness is diluted with liters of bloody coffee. If there is
one thing the Spierig Twins are good at, it is distracting an audience with lots of
bloody good fun.
On the whole, the film is good for an afternoon's entertainment and doesn't
require much thought to enjoy (in fact, too much thoughtless
enjoyment). Much like the directors' previous film, Undead,
Daybreakers sacrifices sub-
stance for style.
BLADE FOUR: MERLIN VERSUS THE GREEN GOBLIN
Daybreakers (Rated R)
by HEATHER GRIFFITHS
HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or
editor@upandcomingweekly.com
The
Methodist
Monarchs
will
host
their
"Pink
Zone"
basketball
game
sponsored
by
the
Women's
Coaches
Basketball
Association
(WCBA)
Feb.
13
at
2
p.m.
to
benefit
the
Kay
Yow/WBCA
Breast
Cancer
Fund
and
Cape
Fear
Valley
Health
Foundation
Friends
of
the
Cancer
Center.
The
halftime
program
will
honor
breast
cancer
survivors.
Fans
wearing
pink
to
the
game
will
be
admitted
free
with
a
donation
and
can
buy
"Pink
Zone"
T-shirts
at
MU
basketball
games
or
online
before
the
event.
A
silent
auction
will
be
available.
For
more
information,
call
910.630.7283,
email
djarman@methodist.edu
or
visit
Pink
Zone
central
at
www.mumonarchs.com/sports/2009/1/19/pinkzone09.aspx?id=72.
