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The Lost Boys (Two-Disc Special Edition)

The Lost Boys (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The vampire movie of the 80's on a great 2-Disc set!
Review:
A mother (Dianne West) with her two boys ( Jason Patric and Corey Haim) move in San Carlas California, but one night while the two boys check out the amusment area of the town, Michael ( Jason Patric) whom is the older brother joins up with a gang of vampires led by David ( Keither Sutherland). He is then turned into a half-vampire whom can walk the daylight but must wear sunglasses, he gets help from his young brother with two comic book experts ( Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) to battle the bloodsucking undead.

This just happens to be the best vampire movie of the 80's next to "Fright Night" and is directed by Joel Schumacher ( Trust me folks, this is one of his only good movies). The casting is good, plenty of terrific make-up, vampire and gore effects by Greg Cannom, great performances and it's a wonderful, bloody and comical horror thriller that does a different kind of spin on vampires. The DVD here is definitely worth owning with it's great picture, awesome sound quality, nice extras like commentary, featurettes, trailer, deleted scenes, documentary and more which makes this a must own movie for fans of horror and vampire flicks cause it's truly a class act movie of it's genre.

Also recommended: Vamp, The Forsaken, Blade, Blade II, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Fright Night, Fright Night 2, Evil Dead II, Demons, Shaun of the Dead, Re-Animator, Bordello of Blood, Demon Knight, Rabid, From Dusk Till Dawn, Ghost Ship, Freddy Vs. Jason, Bride of Chucky, Dracula ( 1931), Vampire Hunter D, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, An American Werewolf in London, Ginger Snaps, The Craft, Wolf, Dead Alive, The Toxic Avenger, Blood: The Last Vampire, Cemetery Man, Buffy The Vampire Slayer ( Movie and TV Show), Underworld, Blacula, Blood and Doughnuts and Children of the Night.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Death by Stereo
Review: A Joel Schumacher early classic. Joel Schumacher up until Lost Boys had made St. Elmo's Fire, and DC Cab. Since Lost Boys he has made Flatliners, A Time to Kill, and 8MM. This is still my favorite Joel Schumacher movie.

It helps that Mr. Schumacher was working w/an all-star cast, which included Corey Haim, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Dianne Wiest (The Birdcage, Edward Scissorhands, Cookie, Parenthood, and Footloose), and Corey Feldman. This young cast gelled so nicely on camera, and only made you wish you were part of the show.

I always have a hard time choosing between Lost Boys and Silver Bullet as my favorite 80's horror movie. I can't really say one is better then the other, they both have great casts, great stories/plots, and fabulous character development.

Lost Boys is a must have in your DVD collection. You can definitely buy this movie before having viewed it (though you should be ashamed of yourself if you haven't seen this movie).

Grade: A+


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not Just Ordinary Vampires
Review: As one of two teenage vampire movies released in 1987, (the other was the miserable "Near Dark")"The Lost Boys," is a hip, modern retelling of the vampire myth set in a Southern California setting. Brothers Michael (Patric) and Sam (Haim) are the newcomers to the small seaside town of Santa Clara, which is known as the murder capital of the world due to the mysterious disappearances of many town residents.

At the town's amusement park, Michael gets himself involved with a gang of vampires, who appear as normal street punks. Meanwhile Sam, meets the Frog Brothers, who run a comic book store at night, but are vampire hunters by day. After Michael himself becomes a vampire due to drinking the blood of a vampire, he is determined to find a way to save himself, the girl he loves, and his family from the impending danger that lurks them.

Directed by Joel Schumacher ("Batman Forever," "Batman & Robin," "Flatliners," etc.), the film's appeal to teenagers is due to its young cast, great soundtrack, and great, yet campy storyline. Dianne Wiest is excellent as Michael and Sam's mother, and Kiefer Sutherland in one of his first major roles is wicked as David, the leader of the gang.

Keep an eye out for a pre-"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adveture" Alex Winter as Marco, one of the vampires. This film also marked the first collaboration of the two Cories, Cory Haim & Cory Feldman, in a string of movies they made together in the 1980's ("License to Drive," "Dream A Little Dream," etc.) that capitalized on their teen-idol status. Reportedley, Jason Patric (who is Jackie Gleason's grandson) hates it when fans mention this movie as one of his best works, but the truth is it still remains one of the late 1980's cult classics.

If you like a funny, yet scary movie in the same tradition as "Scram," then check out this movie. It gave me many memories watching it on DVD as it did when I first saw it at the theater.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Now you know what we are,now you know what you are.
Review: Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander as the Frog Brothers;a pair of teenagers who run a comic book store,who also happen to believe in Truth,Justice,the American way,and Vampires! Enter Sam (Corey Haim) streetwise,just scoping the store,-he does'nt beleive in Vampires.Sam's Brother is Michael (Jason Patric),he believes,in Star (Jami Gertz).Star believes,in David.David (Kiefer Sutherland),believes.A cool Rock Soundtrack,performances with attitude,stuffed animals by Grandpa,Vampires on bikes,beaches,and Jami Gertz is Star,this adds up to something cool.1987,now memorable. Warner have transferred "The Lost Boys" to DVD in it's original aspect ratio-2.35:1,and the picture is stunning,to say the least.Pin sharp throughout,never has "The Lost Boys" looked so good,and the sound quality also,does justice;The Fairground ride noises,the motorbikes,even the Vampires flying through the air,crystal clear.The only thing really missing from this DVD is some cool extras;maybe Warner Bros.and Joel Schumacher will surprise us,soon.Overall,Excellent entertainment,picture and sound quality to match,and reasonably priced,4/5.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Bloodsucking Fun and Big Hair
Review: I don't think I was old enough to remember this film hitting cinemas, but I discovered it before I got too cynical and still have a deep affection for it. It combines horror, forbidden romance, comedy, and touches on issues of peer pressure, loss, divorce and the importance of sticking by your family (even if your brother is a vampire).
A mother (Dianne Wiest) and her two sons (Corey Haim and Jason Patric) move from Arizona to sunny Santa Carla and in with their formulaic "crazy granpa" (you know the type I'm talking about) as a result of divorce. The eldest son Michael (Patric) quickly falls in with the Wrong Crowd by accidentally moving in on Head Honcho's girl (the lovely Jami Gertz). Things take a turn for the worse when Michael discovers these aren't your average bike punks, but a gang of wild vampires. Indeed. It's all up to bratty little bro Sam (Haim) and his new allies the Frog Brothers to save the day, and stop his mother from getting too cosy with a new guy who doesn't just run an appliance store (a nice performance from Edward Herrmann who seems to pop up everywhere).
Kiefer Sutherland is a treat as David, leader of the biker vamps, I still marvel at how he can make a peroxide mullet look cool. He plays this role as a sort of seductive bully very well.
Corey Feldman (because 1 Corey is never enough) also puts in a nice turn as Edgar Frog, plus you'll spot Alexander Winter of Bill & Ted's fame as one of the gang.
It's better than any recent vampire movie, has a great 80's soundtrack (Cry Little Sister, you know you love it) and a greasy saxophone man in purple pants. It's fun, there are a couple of scares and a nice hint of splatter (the Surf Nazi attack is like something out of Peter Jackson's Bad Taste). I give the bare-bones DVD package 3, but the movie 4. And fear not, there will be a special edition very soon with retrospectives, making of and tons more stuff, keep eyes peeled!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Frogg Fan
Review: I first saw this when I was fourteen and it completely blew me away. Great cinematography (Unforgettable opening sequence with the boardwalk and rollercoaster at night), hot actors and funny lines.

I recently watched the DVD version again and was expecting to cringe in embarrassment. Instead, it was still as entertaining as the first time I saw it, despite the dated clothes (but seeing that the 80's are back again, not that bad)and the greasy saxophonist (that was possibly the worse part of the movie).

The acting is still sharp and the vampire lore precisely identified and employed. It's amazing to think that Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric were only just 18 when they did this -- they've got incredible screen presence. I'm hoping for better things to come from these two.

Also, this movie only serves to show that teen movies then were pretty damn good. Today, that genre has just become so banal, with jokes veering left of the "beeatch" category without so much as a ha-ha (case in point, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen). Also note how thin the acting has become (Hilary Duff??)Can Lizzie Maguire The Movie stand the test of time like Ferris Bueller or The Lost Boys? I think not.

What I also like about this movie is that they didn't compromise on the vampire lore. It's a copout for scriptwriters/writers to bend the rules and have their vamps withstand sunlight and garlic. it's much harder for them to work within the rules and still come up with something fresh which is something this movie has done. I suspect it's partly the reason why it was so successful.

Great, great stuff. This movie deserves a giant rave like this one!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The vampire rules plus the comedy bits just do not work
Review: I have two major problems with "The Lost Boys." The first is that I know way too much about vampires, a data base of knowlege gained from not only watching all those Dracula movies, reading Anne Rice novels, and consuming everything having to do with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but from having read pretty much everything in "The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead." So when Sam Emerson (Corey Haim) not only discovers that his brother Michael (Jason Patric) has become a vampire, but that there is a way of undoing his being undead, I am no longer willing to suspend my disbelief. I should add that this idea runs into one of my standard pet peeves from the "Star Trek" universe, which is that while I believe "X" can cause you to mutate from human to something else, reversing the process should never be as easy as it is. But the idea here is that if you kill Vampire A who created a Vampire B, then Vampire B can stop being a vampire (sort of a twist on the Anne Rice theory of vampires). There is a caveat: you have to do it before they take their first victim. Sure, it sounds simple, but it sure flies in the face of well-established vampire lore.

The second problem I have with this 1987 film is that it is supposed to be funny, but it just is not. Sam is aided and abetted in his efforts to save his brother by the Frog Brothers, Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan (Jamison Newlander). The boys work for their doped out hippie parents at the local comic book shop, which sounds like a great idea. Who better to know how to fight the undead they kids raised on comics? But Feldman is trying to do some sort of impersonation of Sylvester Stallone and Newlander goes for something more taciturn, and it just does not work. The comic slapstick smacks of something really juvenile and just turns this into "Mommy, My Brother's a Vampire!"

On the plus side is Keiffer Sutherland. If you thought he was a bully in "Stand By Me," then you will enjoy every moment he is on the screen as David, leader of a group of "teenage" vampires. This is a pretty good idea, talking "Interview with the Vampire" and crossing it with the "Wild Bunch." But Sutherland ends up being a bit player in the proceedings while we deal with domestic comedy situations, such as Sam's mom (Diane Weist) trying to date a nice local guy (Edward Herrmann), and the romantic subplot between Michael and the young lady vamp, Star (Jami Gertz). There are a few good ideas thrown in here (e.g., think of a cave as being a giant coffin), but with all the misfires they come across as nicks rather than palatable hits. Cinematographer Michael Chapman provides the appropriate mood, but director Joel Schumacher's story is too complicated and the attempts at comedy too feeble to save this one. However, the less you know about vampires the more you might like this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my favorite vampire flicks
Review: I love "The Lost Boys". It is one of my favorite vampire films of all time. This is the one movie I can stomach watching both Coreys at the same time. Michael (Jason Patrick) and Sam (Corey Haim) moves to Santa Clara with their mother (Dianne Wiest). What they don't know is that Santa Clara is home to a bunch of blood-thirsty vampires. Sam meets up with a couple of vampire hunters one of them is Corey Feldman. Michael on the other hand hooks up with Kiefer Sutherland and his gang of blood-sucking vampires, and he really gets close to a young Jami Gertz. Yeah this movie has every cheesy stereotype about a vampire known to vampirekind but in a good cheesy kind of way. "The Lost Boys" is a comedic, horror film. Michael ends up getting tricked into the vampire lifestyle by Kiefer Sutherland. That was my favorite moment in the film when Michael was muching on what appeared to be Chinese food. The music for this movie is timeless. I especially love the Roger Daltrey song. I loved Bernard Herrman (of "The Gilmore Girls) and Kiefer Sutherland in their perspective roles. The special effects may be a bit on the dated side but I still find myself watching this movie around this time of year every year. It's camp classic in vampire mythology.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great 80's movie
Review: I recently saw this movie again after having seen it in high school when I was 15. It's amazing how differently you experience it 16 years later when you're all grown up, but yet it's still very enjoyable to watch. The first time around, I thought the overall coolness/hip factor was through the roof (rehabilitated high school geek. Sue me), with the music and the humor and attitude. This time around, the kitch (sp?) factor was what kept me glued to the set, while the cinematography still held up. This movie still has a great visual presence all these years later. Casting seems a little odd when you think about it today. To see actors of the caliber of Kiefer Sutherland, Diane Weist, and Jason Patric in a movie with the two Coreys and that guy who played Bill in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" seems like a weird mix, but back then they all had a good screen chemistry together, believe it or not. Although the movie was revered for it's soundtrack, which had a great mix of songs, I don't know if I would have chosen some of those artists for a rock and roll horror movie. The setting for the movie had more of a punk/metal/goth/glam look and feel to it, which I don't think Elton John really fits well with. Also, in one part of the movie, you see people headbanging to some poppy saxaphone music act led by a muscle-bound oily boy with a ridiculous looking super-mullet who looks like Michael Bolton on steroids. All I could think was that it should have been someone like Glenn Danzig or Corrosion of Conformity or somebody who fit the whole vibe/setting a little better. Also notice later in the movie that when they take Michael to make his first kill in the campfire scene, they have punks and skinheads dancing around a bonfire to a Run DMC remix of Aerosmith's "Walk this Way." I think in the real world if you were punk or skinhead and you were caught listening to rap music, they would confiscate your doc martens and make you walk home naked, dragging the stone of shame behind you (d'oh!). heh-heh-heh, good times....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Classic Vamp Tale
Review: In a genre not know for quality (Blade, Bram Stokers Dracula), The Lost Boys actually manages to stand out as one of the better Vampyre flicks. In his campy vamp time capsule of Eighties chic, Schumacher uses a cast jam-packed with Bop bigshots along with gory comic book goofiness to tell his story of hip nightstalkers in the fictional "murder capital of the world" Santa Carla (real-life Santa Cruz). For these wayward cool kids of the night, it's all mesh tops and mousse, long hair and leather jackets (plus one dangling earring). But equally as interesting is looking at these actors in terms of their career tracks: Watch then-unknown Jason Patric debut his with then-cool Kiefer Sutherland; watch Jami Gertz in her brief stint as a screen siren; watch the two Coreys at the 14-minute mark; and who knew Dianne Wiest was in this thing? Unlike more complicated takes in the vampyre canon, Lost Boys maintains a fairly blue-collar attitude toward the mythology: It's just holy water, blood sucking, and stakes through the heart. Highly recommended Vampyre entertainment.


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