"Chernaya Molniya" (2009) aka "Black Lightning"

Producer: Timur Bekmambetov + Directors: Alexandr Voitinsky and Dmitriy Kiselev
Starring: Grigory Dobrygin, Ekaterina Vilkova, Viktor Verzhbitskiy

Lets start with "Russian superhero movie". Was there any question about whether or not I was watching this? Hint ... that would be a no.

"Black Lightning" is an interesting movie. Visually, it's an American-style SciFi/Action movie cut from the same cloth as "The Dark Knight", "Underworld" or "Spiderman". Timur Bekmambetov, who directed the 2008 movie "Wanted", obviously learned the style well while in Hollywood. Maybe a little too well.



This is the story of 20-year old middle-class college student Dima. For his birthday, his father gives him an old used Volga which he soon discovers can fly. The old car is the by-product of a forgotten Russian energy experiment from decades before. At first, he uses it for profit but after a tragic event he soon dedicates himself to protecting the innocent.

Sound familiar? It should. This movie is pulled right straight out of "Spiderman". I swear, there are entire scenes lifted, translated for a flying car and plopped into "Black Lightning". All you'd need is the Russian equivalents of Uncle Ben, Mary Jane, Harry and Norman Osborne. Wait, they are in there ... nevermind.

That's not to say it's a bad movie at all. It's entertaining and well made, I just wish it showed a little more creativity and put more of a Russian stamp on the superhero genre. It was interesting that in American movies, generally, the individual is literally the one with the power. Even Iron Man is a creation of Tony Stark's mind. While in "Black Lightning", the power is an object that is basically a gift of the state without which he's just ordinary.

Don't expect anything ground breaking and you'll have fun watching this. I'm surprised, for once my curiosity didn't have me wondering if bashing my head against a wall would make me forget the previous 2 hours. Bonus!

-=>D

Black Tower Temptation (2009) aka Temptation

Director: Catherine Taylor + Screenplay: Julianne White + Stars: Caroline Haines, Laura Evans, Rachel Waters

"A Vampire Heart Beats Forever"

That tag-line alone should have been enough of a warning ... apparently not enough of one for me.

"After a heavy night out with the girls, Isabel, a young and attractive professional woman catches an illegal mini-cab home. Things take a turn for the worse when the cabbie pulls into an ally and violently forces himself onto her, taking her life. From high above on the rooftop, an ancient female Vampire notices. Taken in by Isabel's beauty and innocence, she dispatches the cabbie and feeds Isabel a drop of her immortal blood. Isabel awakes with 48 hours to decide whether to embrace immortality, or kill herself before she becomes undead."

The British owe me reparations for one hour and twenty-five minutes of my life that I will never get back. I don't even want to talk about it. I can't even use the word "bad" to describe it. I'd have to invent a whole new word.

Tough way to start off a blog, that's for sure.

-=>D

My entire life, I have had the habit of watching, listening to, reading or playing things that I probably shouldn't have.  In my heart of hearts I've know that I should have just walked away but against my better judgement (see how I tied that in) I boldly went forth into the unknown.

Usually, no matter how bad I thought it might be it was invariably far worse.  Did that stop me?  No.  Will that stop me?  Probably not.  So where does that leave me?  As always, if I'm going down, I'm not going down alone.  I'm taking all of you with me.

And with that in mind, welcome to my blog.  Here you'll find a mix of movies, music, books, magazines, art, games and anything else that catches my fancy.  The only thing tying them altogether?  The fact that each and every one will have come to me against my better judgment.  Lets see where this takes us.  :)

-=>D