Thread: Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter!?!

Stove pipe hat? Check
Donegal? Check
Ax? Check

This flick could be good (produced by Tim Burton/Directed by Timor "Night Watch/Wanted" Bekmambetov, who, if nothing else, is a pretty solid visual stylist); it could also be utter shite, especially given the tired nature of the whole vampire genre...still, the trailer is pretty slick.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/#lb-vi724476185

As awesome as that looks, I'm not sure the novelty is going to hold up for 90+ minutes.

Just got back from seeing AL:VH and I was entertained. It was neither better nor worse than I expected. I enjoyed the tweak on history, the CG wasn't annoying like so many other films of this ilk, the action sequences were pretty solid. Overall, decent popcorn fare. A buddy of mine who is an LA based film critic tweeted that "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is that amazing cross between Priest and Jonah Hex I'd always never been asking for." I would disagree heartily. Both of those films sucked. Priest was lifeless and Jonah Hex was like Wild Wild West with a worse cast. At least Timor Bekambetov (the director) made Abe visually interesting and the cast was pretty decent. Again, not a great film by any stretch, but I didn't feel completely cheated out of my $10.

Originally Posted by dookey67

Just got back from seeing AL:VH and I was entertained. It was neither better nor worse than I expected. I enjoyed the tweak on history, the CG wasn't annoying like so many other films of this ilk, the action sequences were pretty solid. Overall, decent popcorn fare

what's the tweak?

Critics have been savaging this thing.

Originally Posted by EarlyWood

what's the tweak?

That 'ol Abe was a vampire hunter?

Originally Posted by Benny Profane

Critics have been savaging this thing.

Not surprising. Dumbest sounding pretext for a movie I've heard of in quite awhile.

Originally Posted by Chainsaw_Willie

Not surprising. Dumbest sounding pretext for a movie I've heard of in quite awhile.

Actually, quite a popular graphic novel. Took a little explaining to me to get it, but, from what I read yesterday, it sucks as a movie. Besides, America won't go to see shit that needs a little pre plot knowledge.

I have a feeling that there is a certain demographic that will think this is a historical documentary...

when do vampires jump the shark for god's sake?

Originally Posted by spook

when do vampires jump the shark for god's sake?

Just FYI...jumping the shark jumped the shark.

Originally Posted by iscariot

Just FYI...jumping the shark jumped the shark.

i know. my brain has been curb stomped by popular culture.

Originally Posted by spook

when do vampires jump the shark for god's sake?

When girls turn 20.

Originally Posted by Benny Profane

Actually, quite a popular graphic novel...

Actually, that is an incorrect statement.

It was an epistolary-style book, not a graphic novel.

In terms of jumping the shark, as long as folks keep lapping up stuff like True Blood and the Twilight saga, vampires will continue to be relevant and successful as a topic in both literature and film. Ditto for zombies.

so what you're saying is that u.s. popular culture is stupid enough it could last quite a while longer?

Originally Posted by spook

i know. my brain has been curb stomped by popular culture.

We're all in the same boat...the difference is that some realize it.

Originally Posted by dookey67

In terms of jumping the shark, as long as folks keep lapping up stuff like True Blood and the Twilight saga, vampires will continue to be relevant and successful as a topic in both literature and film. Ditto for zombies.

Not willing to bite the hand that feeds you eh?

people lap shit up currently because there's nothing else out there it's a fucking desert.

I listened to the book on tape version of this. It's actually pretty entertaining. It's not something I would want to commit a week or whatever it would take to read, but it's enjoyable in the same way reading/ watching the Bourne Series is. Its nice to read something from time to time that is, well, dumb.

Originally Posted by Hugh Conway

Not willing to bite the hand that feeds you eh?

people lap shit up currently because there's nothing else out there it's a fucking desert.

HC: I've only seen about 15 minutes of True Blood in my life (when I was visiting somebody who had Showtime) and what I did see I found pretty bad, like bad below the standard soap opera level bad.

I've never seen a single Twilight film nor have I read the books.

So, perhaps I just nibble and gnaw on the hand that feeds me (i.e. I'm selective about the junk pop culture I partake in).

I'm in no way compelled to read the source material (or even sit through the audiobook version) of Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but the mash-up was novel enough and the trailers looked decent enough to entice me into the cineplex for a bargain matinee. And again, it was not more or less than I expected. No great, life-changing entry in the genre of horror, but entertaining enough to make me not feel like I had wasted my time or wanted my money back in twofold (which is more than I can say for The Avengers, sadly).

It ain't great, but I consider myself pretty discerning when it comes to genre (horror/sci-fi films), but I also have a pretty bugged out taste for those kinds of films, as well.

its a pretty terriffic book. especialy if you like historical fiction type stuff

honestly it sounds like an incredibly stupid idea, but i guess that's what's been happening for a couple decades now in the u.s. everything is a remake, a sequel, a prequel or some absurd conglomeration of completely unrelated crap.

Originally Posted by dookey67

AL:VH

I would be interested to hear whether this acronym could ever be deciphered out of context. I'm guessing, probably no.

Just finished the book, it was a fun read. I hear the author who wrote the book also did the screenplay and chose to take a totally different path with it.

Anyone like the movie?

Originally Posted by spook

some absurd conglomeration of completely unrelated crap.

I thought that was the (intentional) charm of this movie - kinda like having a Hello Kitty ring on the barrel of you AK-47. I haven't seen this (didn't even know about it til lately), but I saw the trailer on a DVD the other night and it looked pretty funny in an over the top way.

Is this supposed to be a 100% serious film?

good movie. i loved the premise and they pulled it off well. too bad some folks are so cynical that they can't let it go for an hour and a half and enjoy a movie.