Well, as we approach yet another
Halloween around the corner, it’s come that time to wrap up our third year of
13 Nerdy Nights of Horror. But that begs the question, what film do we cap this
year off with? I thought long and hard about this one, and I think the best way
for me to cap this year off, is by talking about one of my favorite vampire
films, and one that’s celebrating its 20th anniversary. And that
film of which I speak of would have to come from Quentin Tarantino.
I’ve talked plenty about Quentin
Tarantino in previous reviews, stating him as my favorite film maker and all
that jazz, so I’ll keep it as brief as possible. If you remember my “Top 7
Quentin Tarantino Movies,” you might recall me saying that I only included the
films he directed, as opposed to anything else. Well, I figured to make up for
that, I’ll be discussing one of those films that didn’t make the cut, and is
celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. And it goes by the name
of “From Dusk Till Dawn.”
After the success of “Reservoir
Dogs,” a few people in Hollywood took a sudden interest in Tarantino, and one
of them was Robert Kurtzman. Kurtzman at the time had written out a story of
two outlaw brothers who get roped into a fight with vampires, and had hired
Tarantino to write a script based on that idea. When the script was finished,
Robert Rodriquez was given the task of director and editor, the cast was
assembled, and on January of 1996, “From Dusk Till Dawn” was released among the
public.
While the film wasn’t a big hit at
the box office, nor was it as well received by critics, especially compared to
Tarantino and Rodriguez’s previous works at the time, the film still managed to
find new life as a cult classic. One of the aspects that make it differentiate
from Tarantino’s other films and how they all connect with one another, is that
“From Dusk Till Dawn” is a movie within the Tarantino universe, and the only
other film that shares it in that regard is “Kill Bill.”
The main thing that everybody
remembers is the finale at the bar, where the brothers and the family they’re
holding hostage go to war with the vampire tribe that resides there. However,
it actually turns out to be the film’s biggest drawback. For most of the film,
we’re focusing on these two brothers who are trying to get to Mexico, while
holding a family of three hostage, and then to suddenly go into this
supernatural B-movie, makes it feel like they spliced two different movies. That’s
not to say both sides are bad, as they truly are so much fun to sit through,
but I feel like the film needed a bit of foreshadowing to ease the audience in
better.
That, and some of the special
effects can be a little cheap looking. I mean, the make-up and practical
effects on the vampires do look neat, but when the film utilizes CGI,
especially with transformation scenes, it looks pretty bad. Then again, it was
the mid-90’s, and CGI was at the height of its exploitation.
Aside from that, the film is exactly
what it needs to be, and that’s be a fun cheese-fest. What Rodriguez and
Tarantino were obviously trying to do was pay homage to the grindhouse films of
the 70’s, something they would do again in 2007 with “Planet Terror” and “Death
Proof.” The over-the-top action, the memorable one liners, and the cast of
characters are all memorable, even the ones who show up at the third act with
not that much screen time still manage to leave a good impression on you.
Now what can be said about the tv
series reboot that’s out right now. Well…I don’t really have an opinion on it,
because I haven’t seen it. Although, I am aware that the first season is
basically a retelling of the movie, so maybe some of the problems that I had
with the film are handled better, being presented episodically with more to
build off of. But maybe one day I’ll get around to it.
As for the film, I do recommend that
people give it a watch. Of course, you’d have to be in the right mindset to
enjoy the film, because it isn’t a film that is going to settle in with
everyone. It may not be written as clever as “Reservoir Dogs” or directed as
slick as “Desperado,” but it’s not trying to be. It’s a B-movie, and a fun one
at that. Whether you go buy the blu-ray or go see the 20th
anniversary screening this Nov. 6 and 9th, it doesn’t matter. As
long as you give the film a watch and come out with an opinion on it, that’s
all that matters.
Rating: 8/10
Now with that said and done, all I got
left to say is thank you to all who have stuck around for the end. It’s been a
blast looking over these films and sharing my thoughts on them with you guys,
especially for the third year in a row. Luckily, I had more good films to talk about
this Halloween season than bad. Of course, there were more films that I hated,
but I’ll save those for a little later. With that said, hope you all have a wonderful
night of horrors, and enjoy the festivities whatever way possible, in whatever
fashion you so choose.
Happy Halloween,
everybody!
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