kidchamp dot net

12.13.05

martin (++1/2). unquestionably the best-received dvd i've ever nominated for rental;* george romero's vampire movie got the nod from george, dave, and joe (the horror-hater). the title character is a foppy drifter (like anne rice's louis and lestat, but much less annoying) who wanders around during the day, brings meat to lonely housewives, and delivers most of his lines over the phone to a local radio deejay. romero isn't famous for subtlety in the context of his zombie** flicks, but he's crazy for it here; one could argue that martin (the fop) isn't a vampire at all, given that he trucks around during the day, is indifferent to religious paraphernalia, and was born into his condition, whatever it is. martin (the flick) is a pleasant hybrid of moog-drenched social commentary (a la the dead franchise) and revisionist vamp history (a la nadja and the hunger) and should be remade immediately.

*this will hold until my sister and her boyfriend arrive this weekend, at which point i'll brandish the gingerdead man (about a serial killer [gary busey] who becomes a cookie) and save christmas.

**speaking of zombies, urban dead ("a massively multi-player web-based zombie apocalypse") has been a source of great amusement in the down time since our most recent issue of the magazine shipped. down time remaining after wedding business and obsessive-compulsive holiday decorating, that is.