It's Been QUITE a While.....

But life got REALLY busy there! Work just kinda came out of nowhere and took over my life. But, it's slowed down again, and I'm still watching movies. Most recently, Tristan and Isolde and Bloodrayne.

Tristan + Isolde was wonderful! A great retelling of an ancient love trinagle predating the more popular Arthurian legends, the filming was beautiful, the acting passionate and poignant. There were very few inappropriate scenes, although the handful of love scenes are a bit more than I would let my 10 year old view. Not because they're explicit, just a little.....much. The battles are intense with lots of action, but the blood and gore that could have been used were not. very tastefully done, so that the focus is on the importance of the battle rather than the violence itself. Over all - I loved it!





Bloodrayne, on the other hand, was just horrible! Understand, I am an avid computer/video gamer. I have no problem with excesses of violence in certain genres, and I completely understand the world in which this film operates. So, my problem is not a stereotypical "you just don't understand these fantasy worlds" problem. It's a "what happened to this awesome story, and what 1980's sepcial effects reject did this film?" problem. The acting, coming from some pretty well-known people, was shoddy. The blood and gore was over the top for even video game effects - not to mention sub-par in quality. And, while the nude scene with Meatloaf *might* be passed off by some as a necessary way to show the debauchery prevalent in that particular setting, it was still a bit much. And finally, the sex scene between Rayne and Sebastion came out of practically nowhere without building much in terms of a relationship between the two, and then lasted way longer than necessary. It came across as just a random gratuitous pr0n scene thrown in for the prepubescent boys (and the prepubescent boys in men's bodies). There could have been a real good movie there, but in the end, it barely rates as a modern B-movie. And it is most certainly NOT kidsafe in any way!