After the camp classic that inspired this otherwise pointless sequel, there is one thing that dawned on me: I might never want to be a bar fighting bouncer, but I sure would not mind being a DEA agent – at least in this movie universe. See, apparently a mere minute after making a bust, your sexy fellow agent, who posed as a stripper-waitress, reveals she has a bust of her own as she gives you an erotic lapdance in the same location. Now I’m sure nothing like that happens in real life, but this has the brand name of ‘Roadhouse’ slapped on the cover.
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The Bloodsuckers Binge: a series of reviews on vampire movies in all incarnations as I look for, and find, any vampire movie I can get my grubby little hands on. The classics, the culty, the really good, the really old and inevitably: movies that suck!

This film by director Michael Rymer is the sequel to Interview with the Vampire, combining the two subsequent Anne Rice novels (The vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned) into one story. Stuart Townsend replaces Tom Cruise as Lestat, and the Queen of the title, Akasha, is played by R&B singer Aaliyah. In Queen of the Damned Lestat, after a century of concealed sleep, becomes a rock star. The power of his music, besides infuriating other vampires, inadvertently wakes Akasha, ancestor to all vampires. Akasha intends to rule the world and she wants Lestat by her side.
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A few years ago, when the Academy Awards gave famed director Sidney Lumet a Lifetime Achievement award, the announcer said Lumet isn’t done directing movies yet. There was a brief behind the scenes snippet of Vin Diesel in a wig. Now after a limited run in theatres, here we are . I’m not disappointed, I can understand why few went to see this indie pic directed by Lumet. I’m not even sure if some people knew this film existed. Still, I have to give quite a bit of credit to those who chose to cast Vin Diesel in Find Me Guilty a mob courtroom comedy-drama based on actual events. After all, this actor’s main source for bread and butter has been action and sci-fi films. Diesel’s fine, but something must be said of three other actors who steal Diesel’s thunder.
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Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow is back in excellent comedic form as the driving force that makes Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) an enjoyable movie outing. The special effects do not disappoint, though admittedly, there are other things that did. Luckily Depp’s presence on the screen is more than enough to compensate for the shortcomings of this theme park ride turned film.
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It’s tough to find a good vampire flick these days. Most vampires in the cinema are masquerading in action movies such as Blade, Underworld and the awesomely awful Bloodrayne. Action is often substituted in the place of thrills. To find a good vampire story, you’re pretty much stuck with the past; The Lost Boys is like finding an old friend.
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With a star-packed cast of consummate professionals, this latest offering by Robert Altman seemed worth going to. The thing about these ensemble pieces from Altman is that they tend to either achieve sheer brilliance or fall disappointingly flat; lacking an “umph!” that we have come to expect from actors like Meryl Streep, who, let’s face it, is competent in her craft on a bad day. If nothing else, A Prairie Home Companion (2006) is an exercise in competent film making.

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A Day Without a Mexican could have been a great social satire. Although the concept of having the entire Latino population in California vanishing into thin air is a good one, the execution of the film suffers from the lack of money. Nearly every frame of the film displays the limitations that the cast and crew had to contend with. Equipped with a heavy-handed message, the entire experience feels like watching a long after-school special.
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