A couple of weeks ago, I was chatting with my friends and peers at Un:Bound, when we got on the subject of vampire television shows and movies.  The chat proved to be quite inspirational.  Fellow author C. M. Kempe beat me to the punch in blogging about some personal favorites, but after sitting on this for several days, I’ve decided I’m going to go ahead and post this.

Following is my list, in chronological order, of five vampire films and TV shows that are must-sees.  If you are a fan of vampire fiction, then you might be familiar with everything on my list.  If not, but you still enjoy a good horror, check out these five greats:
 
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Near Dark (1987)

A man gets pulled into a group of vampires—and their very dark world—after getting bitten.  He struggles to survive, the moral dilemma of “kill or be killed” weighing heavily on him.  He falls for the woman who turned him, learning that she is as much a hapless victim as he, while he works against the clock to reclaim his humanity.

Near Dark is a rare gem, with good dialogue, great acting, and an ending that will leave you with goose bumps.  The special effects are great for 1987, and the vampires’ mythos and lifestyle are both well conceived.  The story gives a terrifying look at the vampire’s point of view, without romanticizing or glorifying it.  These vampires are hard, gritty, and as evil as they come.  They can’t fly or control minds, but they are nonetheless scary.

Near Dark won’t leave you with nightmares, but it will haunt you.
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Forever Knight (1992-1996)

An 800-year-old vampire attempts to right the wrongs of his life by swearing off murder and becoming a police detective.  He becomes close friends with the medical examiner, who learns his secret and researches a way to make him human again.

Forever Knight is one of those rare guilty pleasures that I looked forward to every week.  The special effects are on par with other early ‘90s television shows: minimalistic, but effective.  The character dynamics are fun, the story is provocative, and the progression of the series is well crafted.  The lead character’s struggle to interact with and “be” human is fascinating. I still can see in my mind’s eye the recurring scene in which he watches the sunrise through live camera feeds while drinking blood from a wine bottle.  Brilliant!
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Kindred: The Embraced (1996)

A Police detective stumbles upon a vampire underground while investigating mob activities, finding the five secret clans on the brink of war.  He and the leader of the clans, who slowly falls for a human reporter, work together to keep order and prevent the truth about the “Kindred” hidden from the mainstream.  The series is based on the role-playing game, Vampire: The Masquerade.

It is unfortunate that Kindred: The Embraced only lasted for one season, as it had amazing potential.  The characters were well developed, the acting very good, and the storyline intriguing.  Tragically, the lead actor died in a motorcycle accident before another season could be shot.
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Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

This has got to be one of the most novel vampire movie concepts I’ve ever seen: A vampire plays a human playing a vampire in the silent film, Nosferatu.  The director finds it makes for a realistic horror film—but he also loses most of his cast and crew during the filming.

Shadow of the Vampire is artfully dark and delightfully smart.  The acting is phenomenal across the board, the character progression flawless (particularly the director’s descent into madness as he sees the repercussions of bringing a real vampire onboard accrue), and one of the best endings I’ve seen.  This movie is highly disturbing and equally provocative.
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Let the Right One In (2008)

A little boy befriends a little girl, who turns out to be a vampire temporarily living next door with her adult caretaker.  As the town becomes plagued with murders, the boy slowly learns his friend’s secret.

Let the Right One In has so many amazing qualities, it’s hard to know where to begin in describing it.  The dynamics created between the perceived childhood innocence in both lead characters and the bloodthirsty monster the little girl truly is makes this story both creepy and genius.  The friendship that develops between the two lead characters is deep and touching, but the moral dilemmas posed through the story’s progression are equally poignant—while also, at the same time, being absolutely horrifying.  Let the Right One In may be the last on this list, but it is probably one of the greatest vampire films ever made.

 
What do you think?  Is there a movie you think should be on this list and/or removed?  Do you think any of the more popular vampire movies are better?  If so, why?
 
 
My twin sister is a very humble woman.  As readers here already know, Erin and her family live on a private mountain.  They use solar power and heat their home with a wooden stove, and they don't quite have indoor plumbing.  They run a small store at the bottom of their mountain, where they have more facilities, and they also sell some of the wares of their small farm.  Erin dresses like someone who lives on a mountain, her daily life consisiting of much more manual labor than that of a typical American.  She is an amazing musician, a kind soul, and a generous spirit.  When I read the following, my heart sank:

"I went to the KOA on my way out of town like I usually do to fill up gas and propane. There was a line for both, so I opted to wait for the propane first. I parked and unloaded my tanks.

"Anyone who knows me knows that I have to make potty breaks everywhere I go. This is especially true of my last stop before a long drive. I usually go at KOA while they fill my propane. They keep the doors locked, so I always have to ask.  I asked the lady filling the propane if I could use their bathroom. She replied that they only let campers use the bathrooms. I told her that I really needed to go and I always use the bathroom, and that I am a regular paying customer. She was very short with me, so I proceeded into the office to find someone I knew. She yelled at me as I walked, "She'll tell you the same thing inside!" I ignored her.

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"Inside I said to the cashier, "Are you really not letting customers use the bathroom?" She gave me the same line about the bathroom only being for campers. I asked her to make an exception for a regular customer who really had to go. She agreed to take me to the bathroom and let me in.

"When I went back to my propane tanks, the lady told me to take my tanks elsewhere, that she wouldn't fill them for me. I asked her, "You won't fill my tanks because I needed to use your toilet?" She said it was the way I went about it. She just didn't like that she told me no, but I got to use the bathroom anyway, and she is the owner. She said that it was like "when Mom says no and you go ask Dad." No, not exactly.

"I said, 'You really aren't going to fill my propane tanks?' She told me that if I could come up with a million dollars to buy the place I could have whatever I wanted, but now I needed to leave.

"Then I saw the irony in it all. She turned me away because I drove an old beat up ugly van and was wearing my laundry-day clothes. Yes, I may have looked like someone who would steal a shower or write on the wall, but that is profiling and discriminating which is against the law.

"I will be making my weekly propane and gas stop somewhere else from now on. The lady that owns the KOA is really rude and I would encourage everyone to tell their friends.

"And if you need to use their potty, make sure to drive a BMW in and wear your Sunday best. I would bet a million dollars you would be allowed."

It's such a shame that some people can be so mean to others.  When I think about stories such as the one above, all I can ask is why?  Does a person wearing dirty jeans merit denying a person use of a public bathroom?  Does that imply that she is homeless--or that she might scare away other paying customers in some other terrible way?  I've seen my twin sister on a bad day, and she's not that scary....
 
 
In the ‘70s and 80’s, George Lucas changed the face of sci-fi film with the first three Star Wars features.  New technology needed to be created in order to make the movies possible, and that technology took special effects to a level never before imagined.  Moreover, the plot was exciting, heartfelt, and insightful, capturing the hearts of children and adults alike.  The movies defined a generation and made sci-fi fans of both males and females from all walks of life.

Avatar is the Star Wars of the 21st century.

I went into the theater already knowing that I would be witnessing history in the making.  Having worked with one of the digital imaging technicians for the film, knowing his attention to detail and his eye for perfection, I couldn’t wait to view the completed product.  I knew I was about to embark on an amazing journey—but nothing could prepare me for the breathtaking masterpiece I saw today.

Avatar is by far the most visually stunning film I have ever had the pleasure to watch.  The digital effects were flawless, the story was beautiful, and overall the work was brilliant.  The characters were believable, even the digitally generated Na’vi, and the scenery was amazing.  I have read criticism that has called Avatar “Dances with Smurfs,” and I can only shake my head.  All filmmakers know that there are seven basic plots; storylines and characters can change, but they will always fit into one of those basic plots.  James Cameron meshed the plot most associated with Dances with Wolves and The Last Samurai, placed it on an alien planet, and added an impeccable hero’s journey.  There are no Smurfs, here—Avatar is thoughtful, meaningful, and artfully executed.

I only have a couple of minor criticisms of the film.  If you have not yet watched Avatar and do not wish to read any spoilers, please do not continue.

Spoilers
ahead.


This
is
your
last
chance
to
turn
away.

My main criticism is with the plot dumps at the beginning of the film.  While I realize that Mr. Cameron was working under time constraints and had no choice but to use them, the dialog felt a little choppy: characters were telling other characters pieces of information that they should have already known, in ways that seemed slightly out of place.  A revision in those couple of pieces of dialog would have made a huge difference in the beginning of the film.

My second criticism is the “unobtainium.”  The name alone takes away from the serious realism the rest of the movie achieves, the play on words being just too obvious.  More importantly, we never see any characters actually mine the precious metal—and it is never made clear just why it is so precious.  Online searches reveal that the mineral is supposed to be a superconductor and powerful energy source, but we are never given this information in the film.  We are told that Earth is a dying planet; wouldn’t something life sustaining be more worth fighting over?  Why are the humans mining “unobtainium?”  Why is it worth so much?  Can it save lives?  Can it save our dying Earth?  Eliminating the unobtainium and making the planet itself the commodity would have eliminated the out-of-place plot dumps about the mineral.

Thirdly, but just as importantly, Mr. Cameron could have reallocated several precious screen minutes to better use by making the main character’s initial loss of his twin brother available through plot dump, as opposed to actual footage.  The film is nearly three hours long (which does fly, given its amazing content); the beginning would not have suffered had the cremation scene been cut and the information about the brother been offered through a few well executed lines.

Beyond those small criticisms, I have nothing but positive words to offer about Avatar.  I laughed, I cried, I gasped with awe, and I left the theater feeling as though I had just watched a top-notch live action movie.  I did more than that, though; I witnessed the beginning of a new era in digital film and I experienced a story that will stay with me for years to come.

And I didn’t even watch the 3D version.
 
 
As a writer, I deal with fictitious entities all the time--but no matter how unreal they are, they always have some type of base to reality.  My fiction does what the fiction of many authors does: it offers commentary and insight on our world by integrating reality in fiction.  The unreal becomes a tool to state what might be otherwise too sensitive or difficult to touch upon.  There are real monsters out there--they might not be supernatural or superhuman, but they do exist.

Rarely do I blog about issues that have nothing to do with my writing.  There are plenty of opinions out there and mine is but one of them.  However, upon reading the news today--and the responses to it--I could not hold my peace.  Today an NFL player, Chris Henry, was reported deceased.  The man, according to previous reports, had engaged in numerous criminal activities, including battery and destruction of property.  He died trying to pursue a woman clearly attempting to flee him.  Despite the man's history, fans are treating him like a fallen hero.  According to a Yahoo Sports commentary, Henry was a role model in waiting who simply did not have the chance to prove himself due to his untimely death.

This is nothing short of outrageous.  This man had a lengthy rap sheet, with numerous violent offenses.  As the survivor of domestic violence, I know how a domestic dispute can progress--and what measures a person will take to flee a real-life monster.  If Henry was anywhere near as violent a person as my ex, whom I left in 2001 (I am making no assumptions or accusations, here, just an innocent comparison for the sake of a point) then more power to the young woman who was behind the wheel of that fleeing truck.

When I finally left "Jeff" for good, it was with a cracked skull, torn rotator cuff, split lips, and bruises from head to toe.  When he was on a rampage and I tried to leave, he would block my way out--he even ripped the telephone cords from the walls, so I could not call for help.  He would truly become a monster: irrational, unreasonable, out of control, literally foaming at the mouth.  Had there been a time when I could have gotten as far as the car, I would have thrown him off the back if he had tried to pursue--and if that had resulted in his "untimely" death, then good riddance.  I know one of his exes had once tried to run him over with her car, forcing him into a ditch to keep from being killed; I don't blame the woman--actually, I applaud her--he was probably trying to block her escape.  Jeff is nothing more than a worthless, abusive bully who is so spineless that he has to pick on women half his size in order to feel in control of his life.  There are too many "Jeffs" in this world.

Why is it that people are so quick to defend and deify certain talented people, despite their horrific acts?  Does being a gifted athlete negate a person's rotten personal life?  Does one's physical prowess make up for his or her personal transgressions?  How is it that we live in a world where violent criminals who just happen to reach stardom are treated as saints, and those who might call them on being the monsters they are find themselves being branded as jaded and unduly judgmental?  What is wrong with society?  Where have our values gone?  Are most people so superficial that they really don't care to see a person for who he or she truly is--that the image is more important than the potential monster hiding behind it?

I just don't get it.