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bluemeanie
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Posted: October 5, 2008 at 12:00am
When was the last time you saw a truly amazing vampire film? It's been a while, hasn't it? Most people say that "Nosferatu" is the masterpiece to end all masterpieces, but you have to give some credit to Christopher Lee's interpretation as well as Coppola's version, as well. However, you just don't find truly solid vampire films anymore. "Let the Right One In" comes to us from Sweden, and it's one of the best vampire films ever made. However, it's not just a film about vampires. It's also a film about young love and fitting in. I had heard great things about this film prior to the festival, and it was just announced it was getting a Hollywood remake, God help us. Not only was this film the best motion picture I saw at the festival this year, it was also one of the best films of the year and the best film I have ever seen at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.
The film tells the story of Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), a 12-year-old Swedish boy. Oskar is picked on and bullied at school, is shy and introverted and just doesn't seem to fit in. One night he meets Eli (Lina Leandersson), a young girl who lives in his building. At first, the two are stand-offish, but they soon start getting to know one another. Here's the problem - Lina is a vampire. She lives with an older man who goes out at night and hunts for blood for the girl. As Lina says, she's twelve-years-old, she doesn't know how long she's been that age. Oskar and Lina develop a strong relationship in the film, as people start disappearing around the two. Oskar finds, in Lina, someone who will listen to him and someone who will love him. Lina finds, in Oskar, someone who does not judge her for who she is or what she has to do to survive. More than anything, this film is about young romance and about how one person can change your life forever, for good and bad.
This film is immaculately shot and conceived from the first frame. Based on a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, it is directed by Tomas Alfredson, who deserves an Academy Award nomination for his incredible work. It took over two years to cast the two young leads, and it was well worth the wait as they tackle material far advanced to their years. The cinematography is gorgeous and some of the shots are just so brilliantly composed, it brings tears to the eyes. The score is haunting and the pacing of the film is absolutely in keeping with what it needs to be. It felt like John Hughes had made a film about vampires. It's a horror film...a comedy...a romance...a drama. How many films can work so many genres into a picture with this kind of ease? I want to go ahead and throw in my Academy Award suggestions: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Editing. That should do it.
Keep an eye out for "Let the Right One In" - it's a very special film. It's a horror film with heart and those are a rare occurrence these days. The film is receiving a limited theatrical release very soon and then will probably find a DVD release soon thereafter. The American remake is slated for next year, though I am sure they will just fuck it up. "Let the Right One In" is one of the best films of the year, hands down, and might be one of the best films I have ever seen. I need to think more on it and see it a couple more times before I can officially make that distinction.
10/10.
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Chad
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Posted: October 5, 2008 at 7:20am
This one hasn't even started its theatrical run in its native country, and Hollywood has already announced a remake. Awesome.
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Tristan
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Posted: October 5, 2008 at 10:22am
I've been wanting to see this forever. Thank God it's a good one.
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Norman S. Wolfe
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Posted: October 6, 2008 at 2:03am
In what language is it?
I like to keep my reading and seeing separated...
Why such hostility to remakes? Most are far better then the original, specially the Japanese/Korean ones...
Now, I am going into my bunker, waiting out the bombardment, so that I don't have shell-shock, and can actually hear my movies in English, they are supposed to be...Fire away...
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Ginose
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Posted: October 6, 2008 at 2:21am
Okay, I'll cut short to summerize the base reasons to be hurled at such an assinine statement:
The films rarely stay true to source material.
Acting gets worse (9 times out of 10).
There's a lack of quality to the products (normally).
They do too much to appeal to a market rather than actually make the movie better.
Dumbing down of themes and points from the originals.
etc. etc.
Now, to point, this move looks fantastic, been trying to keep up with it for awhile... looking forward to it.
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bluemeanie
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Posted: October 6, 2008 at 2:39am
Yeah...I dread this remake...and by Matt Reeves...\"Cloverfield\". Yuck.
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Chad
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Posted: October 6, 2008 at 3:10am
Remember how when you were a kid, you'd see a certain action movie and go reenact it out in your backyard with a couple of friends? Yeah, it was fun, but it's not something that you would commit to film and send out to theaters because nobody would want to see it.
Nine times out of ten...
That \"action movie\" = the original version.
Your backyard fun = the remake.
It's like some asshole in a suit sees these movies, misses the bigger picture, and hires some hack to remake the cool scenes for us dumb Americans. Take a look at The Host: will the remake incorporate all of the subtle references toward pollution, government involvement in the people's lives, and American's involvement in foreign events? Nope, it'll be the fiftieth Godzilla remake, and speaking of Godzilla... well, compare the original Japanese version and the original American remake / reedit.
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grain of sand
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Posted: October 6, 2008 at 7:51am
Also been keeping up with this one for some time, can't wait for the dvd.
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moviefreak87
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Posted: October 6, 2008 at 3:08pm
yeah that sucks about the remake, hopefully it won't be on a shakycam like cloverfield. I just hope the other movies in the six shooter series are this good. Special, Timecrimes, Eden Log, Big Man Japan, Donkey Punch. They all look pretty freakin awesome
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bluemeanie
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Posted: October 6, 2008 at 3:28pm
I am about to be posting a review for \"Timecrimes\". Expect it soon. Also an amazing film.
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BuryMeAlive
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Posted: October 7, 2008 at 8:04pm
I'm a Swede and haven't seen it yet, as MvMMDI said, it's not even out here yet.. :(
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waxtadpole3657
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Posted: October 7, 2008 at 11:42pm
This one hasn't even started its theatrical run in its native country, and Hollywood has already announced a remake. Awesome.
That sounds pretty much like the remake of [REC]. The movie had been out for like 2 fucking weeks in its native country, and it was picked up for a remake with a stupid name (Quarantine). And, based on the trailers and TV spots, it looks like the most pointless damn remake ever. It looks EXACTLY the same. They even went as far as to ruin the damn money shot of the movie in the trailer (for those of you that haven't seen the original, the scene where the girl gets dragged away into the dark...LAST shot of the movie).
Anywaaaaaaay...enough rambling about remakes. Yeah, I heard about this movie a little while ago, and it sounds absolutely fantastic. I'm really want to see this.
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Norman S. Wolfe
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Posted: October 8, 2008 at 4:35am
OK, but there are some good ones...
What about the language problem? Anybody have difficulty following a movie, and enjoying it, when you don't understand the native language, specially if there is a lot of dialog???
Any thoughts on dubbing the original, would that be the best way to keep true to the original while not alienating people like me, who don't like to read and try to view the movie at the same time?
As for the movie, I love the ambiance Swedes manage to imprint on their movies and books, so I'll be looking out for this one. Any Amazon.co.uk release date??
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Crispy
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Posted: October 12, 2008 at 1:36am
Be honest with you Wolfe, Kaiju aside, you're in the vast majority when it comes to the subbed vs. dubbed argument. The truth is, most people prefer subbing, and since that's a hell of a lot cheaper, that's the way they usually go.
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Crispy
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Posted: October 12, 2008 at 1:39am
Obviously, that was supposed to be 'minority'. Bear with me here folks.
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bluemeanie
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Posted: October 13, 2008 at 3:26pm
Yeah, dubbed films make me sick. They distract from the movie watching experience. Subtitles are ALWAYS the way to go, unless you're blind. I don't understand preferring dubbing over subbing. Just doesn't compute.
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Greg Follender
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Posted: November 5, 2008 at 5:45pm
I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing this over the weekend...
I haven't been this excited over a vampire flick since the quasi-vampiric \"The Reflecting Skin\" many years ago.
Incidentally, if you can locate the aforementioned film on VHS anywhere, it's well worth your viewing time;)
No DVD release yet... utterly confounding...
Oh... and I whole-heartedly agree on the whole sub versus dub debate... dubs are the bastard child of the illiterate!
All humor aside, they truly do distract (and detract) from the quality of the film's casting choices. I can't even really listen to dubbing in my kaiju films anymore... it's only tolerable for occasional kitsch factor.
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Greg Follender
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Posted: November 8, 2008 at 11:31am
OK... I caught the midnight screening of this film at the Angelica downtown yesterday evening... and I must say, even though I have been anticipating this film since I first heard about it through the cinemaphile grapevine, i really had no idea how terrific this little movie would be!
Aside from a few unfortunate uses of CGI (none of which were actually needed for the film's storytelling proper), the tale is almost perfectly told through spare dialogue and beautifully austere cinematography. All the actors acquitted themselves admirably (I think... though I'm no expert on Nordic expression). Both of the lead actors were extraordinary in the way that they both embrace their respective characters. In a weird way, I almost wish that the young actor's roles were reversed... but you'll just have to see what I mean when you watch the film yourself.
While the reviewer has certainly done the film's content justice, i'd like to explore another fascinating aspect of the film... it is the first time in vampire cinema that the faithful acolyte's right of passage is on full display. I'd always wondered how and why Renfield became the original Count's impassioned thrall... and this films exploration of the inevitable fall of the old and initiation of the new acolyte is incredibly compelling. It even adds a new aspect to the film's cryptic title...
A brilliant example of the concept that less is more, this quiet storm of a film keeps the viewer enraptured throughout and leaves them fully satisfied at it's finale. A true rarity among the usual fare in this genre.
Go see it. You won't regret it.
And I can almost guarantee that the American remake will retain almost none of the otherworldly charm of this fine film...
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grain of sand
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Posted: November 10, 2008 at 5:14am
WOW.. Fucking beautiful. I haven't felt this way after seeing a film in awhile.. I wanted it to keep going.
The expressions on the kids faces were a big deal, the girl actually looked like she was older inside.
Great story, I can't wait to own this. There is no way in hell Hollywood could recreate this sort of thing.
10/10
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waxtadpole3657
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Posted: December 5, 2008 at 6:45pm
I'm about 1/4 of the way through the novel, and I cannot fucking wait to see the film. It's opening next week in Hartford. It's about a 45 minute drive, but totally worth it. I have a DVD screener (which I have yet to watch), but I'd prefer to see it in the big screen.
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