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The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys

List Price: $14.98
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Lost Boys... Not Lost on Star Power!
Review: THE LOST BOYS is probably one of the hippest vampire movies in film history. It's a shame that the title mirrors the current situation of two of its major stars. Corey Haim's and Corey Feldman's acting careers have somewhat stalled due to personal problems brought on by the Hollywood lifestyle. Apart from that, this is a pretty entertaining film by Joel Schumaker (who ruined the Batman franchise). A divorced Mom, Lucy (Diane Wiest) moves to Santa Carla, murder capital of the world (according to graffitti on a billboard...it's actually Santa Cruz,CA), with her two teenage sons Micheal and Sam (Jason Patric and Corey Haim). She finds a job...and they find vampires. A group of young vampires headed by David (Kiefer Sutherland) want to recruit David and try to initiate him to the undead. Sam finds out and with the help of the Frog Brothers (Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander) a couple of comic book fanboys-vampire experts/busters, go out to destroy the vampire menace. Some great action sequences, humor, gore, blood, and a few classic lines ("Holy ****!, It's the attack of Eddie Munster!"), its a fine film on many levels. Great cast of newcomers and veterans including Barnard Hughes as the hip, pot smoking Grandpa, Edward Herrmann as Max, the head vampire, and Jamie Gertz as a would be vampiress. Look for a pre-BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, Alex Winter as one of the teen vampires.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Must for Vampire Fans
Review: Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric hit big with Joel Schumacher's vampire cult classic from the 80's. Already proving himself as a talent for the cocky bad-boy, Sutherland delivers a solid performance as the teenage leader of the vampires. And Jason Patric in his second and arguably best film plays the role of Michael. Michael, his mother, and younger brother are the new family in a town full of vampires. Michael falls for Star(Jamie Gertz), a female vampire. In turn, Sutherland's David instead of killing Michael changes him into a vampire. The story revolves around Michael struggling with becoming fully vampire and his younger brother's quest to save him with help from Edgar and Alan Frog, the former played by Corey Feldman, who are self-proclaimed vampire hunters. While some may consider the script and acting a bit juvenille and quirky, this movie captures the attention of any vampire fan and holds it until the end. I have thouroghly enjoyed this movie for several years and fully recommend adding it to your collection.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?"
Review: Recently divorced Lucy Emerson (Weist) and her two sons move to Santa Carla, CA, and move in with her father. The two teens soon find things to keep their attention. For Sam (Haim), it's the local comic shop, run by the Frog Brothers (Feldman and Jamison Newlander). Michael (Patric) finds a teen girl named Star (Gertz) to hold his attention. However, he soon finds that she spends her time with a group of teen bikers, led by a guy named David (Sutherland). After a couple encounters with the gang, Michael is invited to join them.

What he doesn't realize until too late is that these teens are all vampires, and he unwittingly drinks some of David's blood (he is told that it's wine). This has the effect of turning him into a half-vampire. He acquires the attributes of a vampire, such as the ability to fly and superior strength, but he will not become a true vampire until he makes his first kill. He also discovers that Star is in the same situation as he is.

Meanwhile, the Frog Brothers tell Sam that Santa Carla is crawling with vampires, which he doesn't believe. But after discovering that Micahael's reflection is fading, and a near attack by his brother, he is convinced they are telling the truth. He teams up with them to rid the town of the blood-suckers, and with the help of Michael discover where David and his friends hang out (literally).

There are a lot of really good things about this movie. The script is well written, the acting is above-average, and the effects are really well done. Another thing I liked is the inclusion of some vampire mythology. Especially the part where the gang is eating Chinese food in their hangout, and David uses his power to convince Michael that the rice he's eating is maggots, and that the noodles are really worms. I also liked the fact that they could actually fly without having to turn into bats.

Everything worked well in this movie. There was a little bit of gore, action, humor, drama, love story. And believe it or not, I actually enjoyed "The Coreys" being in this movie together. Good call on the casting department to cast both of these guys together, and for getting Sutherland to play David. I thought he was the best actor in this movie. Go pick this movie up and enjoy it, and if you've seen it before, see it again. It's just as good as you remembered.

THE LOST BOYS could be viewed as an early example of the Hollywoodization that would come to plague the horror genre in the 90's. It's flashy, it's funny, it's got a few name stars in it, and it was heavily promoted. As far as a horror movie goes, it's really about average. But the overall movie is so watchable (and re-watchable) that it gets a well-deserved four on my horror scale.

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: Sleep All Day; Party All Night. It's Fun To Be A Vampire.
Review: Let's just get started by saying that this one is a vampire movie with a difference. In other words, do not expect to see something like "Bram Stoker's Dracula" or "Interview with a vampire". "The Lost Boys" is just a purely entertaining teen horror flick. The plot is quite simple: mother & 2 sons move to Santa Clara to start a new life. Michael, the oldest son, begins to hang out with a group of guys who later turn out to be vampires. Weird things begin to happen to poor Mike until, guess what?, he becomes a vampire himself. To be totally honest, this movie is NOT frightening at all, so if you enjoy watching horror movies just because you like to get scared I don't advice you to watch this. As a matter of fact, there are also various points of humour throughout the movie (as when the 3 boys enter a chapel, steal some holy water and put it in their water-pistols; an excellent and alternative source of ammunition to fight vampires). In addition, the soundtrack is quite literally brilliant; particularly the songs "Cry Little Sister" by Sisters Of Mercy and The Doors' "People are strange". The huge Jim Morrison poster in the vampires's cave was also a cool idea. I really can't imagine anything more cool than a bunch of rocker vampires :). Anyways, if you're looking for horror,humour, and rock and roll embodied in 1 movie; just watch this!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Great lines, some of he best acting of the decade and just one hell of a movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: THE BEST VAMPIRE MOVIE EVER
Review: When this movie came out in the eighties, I dont think many people realized that it would become a classic film from that decade. Its not just a good vampire movie, its a good movie...period.

Jason patric and Corey Haim are brothers whos mother has moved them to be with their grandfather. Their new home is Santa Clara, otherwise known as the murder capital of the world. While there the older brother Michael (Patrick) meets a gang of teenagers who just happen to be vampires responsible for most of the murders. The younger brother Sam (Corey Haim) runs into a couple of self professed vampire killers. The fact that they are twelve doesnt douse their intensity. Michael appears to be on his way to becoming a vampire and the only way to stop it from happening is to kill the head vampire (The identity of which is revealed at the climax of the movie)

The movie flows nicely with a good script. The acting is good, the effects are good, the music is great. The humor throughout the movie adds some chuckles without forcing it. It all gels together into the best vampire movie I have ever seen. (My humble opinion).

The movie is one of my top ten favorites, but I was a little dissapointed with the DVD. There are very few extras, just a trailer and some production notes. Still worth adding to your DVD collection, but I have my fingers crossed for a collector's edition.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Half-hearted horror for the teen crowd
Review: Joel Schumacher's teenage horror movie "The Lost Boys" attempts to have its cake and eat it. There's plenty of thrills, but the dramatic narrative is constantly undercut by lame attempts at humor. Jason Patric is the eye-candy hero who moves to Santa Carla, California, with his family and is immediately recruited by Kiefer Sutherland's band of predatory vampires. Michael Chapman's location photography is stunning and Schumacher builds plot and characters with effortless grace, but Corey Haim's witless comic relief (as the beleaguered younger brother) is a constant itrritation, and the introduction of the 'Frog brothers' (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) - the teenage proprietors of a comic book store who also moonlight as vampire hunters (!) - will cheapen the entire film for a sizable proportion of the audience. Still, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann and Barnard Hughes provide value for money as the token grown-ups, and Bo Welch's production design emphasizes the film's modern Gothic ambitions.

Despite the presence of dot-crawl, Warners' DVD is the best rendition of "The Lost Boys" on home video to date. Whereas the previous widescreen laserdisc was poorly framed at 1.95:1, this anamorphic (2.35:1) disc reinstates the complete Panavision frame. The Dolby Digital track is clean and forceful, and there's a theatrical trailer which completes the package. A full-screen/pan-scan version of the film is included which provides beautiful closeups of the good-looking cast, but is otherwise worthless.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thou Shall Not Kill
Review: When a single mother (Dianne Wiest) and her two kids (Jason Patric, Corey Haim) pack up and move from Phoenix to southern California, more specifically, Santa Carla, "the murder capital of the world," they have more than a little bit of adjusting to do. The two teens and their mother move in with their quirky but loveable grandfather (Barnard Hughes), who has an inkling that there is more to this town than meets the eye. At first, things seem different but manageable, until Sam meets the "Frog brothers" at the local comic book shop. They hand him a horror comic about vampires and tell him to think of it as a survival manual. Are these two merely kids with an over-active imagination, or is there some supernatural cause for this odd little coastal town's nickname?

When the older brother, Michael, goes into town for a live concert, he runs into a rather attractive woman named Star (Jami Gertz). Star introduces Michael to her friends, who just happen to be vampires, and they decide to invite Michael to be one of them. Unbeknownst to Michael, he drinks the blood of David (Kiefer Sutherland), the leader of a band of motorcycle riding teenage vampires, thus giving Michael this supernatural dark gift. However, he must make his first kill before becoming a true creature of the night. Only one thing can save Michael from an eternity of bloodsucking. The head vampire must be killed. But who is the head vampire, and can he be found before Michael gives in to temptation? Will Sam and his newfound friends be willing and able to help Michael before it's too late?

This film is a classic, light-hearted 80's foray into the horror genre, complete with horrible wardrobe, glam rock, goofy humor, and a stellar cast performing a great screenplay with a cohesive plot. There are indeed some great lines in this film that are quite memorable. The Frog brothers, in particular, serve as some cute comic relief. The effects and make-up are outstanding, and this is really noticeable in the final, knock-down, drag-out fight in the end of the movie. The cinematography is also really well done (for example, the aerial shots when the vampires are flying towards the house).

This movie is not meant to be taken very seriously, and it is certainly not Anne Rice or Bram Stoker by any means, but it is some great old-fashioned weekend entertainment. Overall this is a great movie that everyone who grew up in the 80's should definitely own. Moreover, it's a great addition to anyone's vampire or horror collection. If you can enjoy a light-hearted romp through vampire mythology, then definitely pick this film up!

A small downside to this DVD is that there are few extras. If you merely want a great movie at a low price, then pick up this DVD. Otherwise, there is a two-disc set coming out soon that should be worth checking out!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Lost Boys! My favorite
Review: This is the movie that started it all for me. Vampires into rock n roll, and the lead actor looking like Jim Morrison who can ask for anything more. I loved how the culture of the 80's was brought out in this classic horror film. The Big Hair, the tight pants, the rock n roll, and vampires all in one, who could ask for more. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who wants a scare.


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