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This arthouse vampire film from the very talented Michael Almerayda is a wonderfully offbeat, loose retelling of the Dracula story, except that here, the focus is on the title character, the daughter of the famous Count. The setting is updated to New York's East Village, given a positively Transylvannian feel by the terrific black and white photography. Themes of existential identity questions, and dysfuctional, incestuous family relationships (both among the humans and vampires) run throughout the film, and there is a lot of clever, dry humor as well. The humor doesn't detract from the lush, earie atmosphere, though, or from the subtle and beautiful erotic mood centered around Nadja's relationship with a young, married woman, who's uncle-in-law, by the way, just happens to be a crazy, alcoholic who knows about vampires, and just happens to be named Van Helsing (Peter Fonda is terrifically wierd and funny in the part). The rest of the cast is superb too, especially Hal Hartley veterans Elina Lowensohn as Nadja and Martin Donovan as Najda's lover's befuddled husband. Galaxy Craze, an actress I'd never seen before, is mesmerizing as Nadja's human love, Lucy. "Nadja" is the best of Almerayda's films to date, but also worth checking out is his recent variation on the Mummy theme, "The Eternal", and his earlier film "Twister" (not the flying cows movie). "Nadja" is, by the way, my personal pick for all-time favorite vampire movie.
Not for everyone, but excellent choice for indie & vampire
This is a flick I'd recommend to two types: the vampire movie fan, and the indie movie fan. For indie fans, they have much originality to expect from the raw style and small budget of Nadja. It is shot with a simple digital camera and uses pixelated effects. The acting is solid. Elina Löwensohn, who plays Nadja, is brilliant. The script is fresh, despite the parallels with the original Dracula.
For vampire fans, Nadja is a must-see movie. That is, unless you prefer recycled goth-style renditions of the vampire story repeated over and over. Nadja is one of the few *modern* vampire movies that does not incorporate a form of martial arts fighting. There is a somber, crisp mood reflected from both the black and white digital film and the character script. It is a modern and fresh story which remains true to the character motives and rarely duplicated creepiness (though many have tried) of Bram Stocker's classic novel Dracula. You'll also find hidden humerous remarks throughout the film referencing aspects of 'dracula culture'.
Also, the dark theme of the music in the film (from such artists as Portishead) adds to the emotional effect the director has intended.
surprisingly good
Its a wild ride well worth watching. Hard work, but at the same time somehow natural in its communication. Dialogue thats beyond simple in places, in others, worth hours of contemplation. I haven't "felt" a film this much in a long time.
In 1885, the Lumiere Brothers perfected a hand-cranked movie camera that moved the world. This 100th year anniversary takes forty filmmakers to task with the same camera to produce a film less than a minute. It's not as interesting in its results as one might have hoped. It was a huge challenge and few really completed something of interest. Of those, David Lynch, Patrice Leconte and Alaine Corneau are the most intriguing, while well known directors like Spike Lee and Liv Ullmann are less so. However, this is subjective. Many of the directors are asked simple questions with the hopes of profound answers. "Why do you film" and "Is cinema immortal" get answers as mundane as 'climbing a mountain because it is there'. Film students will, however, be fascinated with this project and historians... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Ismail Merchant - Andrei Konchalovsky - Costa-Gavras - John Boorman - David Lynch DVD Release Date: Released the 14 January 1998 Usually ships within 24 hours
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Outside of devoted cult audiences, many Americans have yet to discover the extremely stylish, relentlessly terrifying Italian horror genre, or the films of its talented virtuoso, Dario Argento. Suspiria, part one of a still-uncompleted trilogy (the luminously empty Inferno was the second), is considered his masterpiece by Argento devotees but also doubles as a perfect starting point for those unfamiliar with the director or his genre. The convoluted plot follows an American dancer (Jessica Harper) from her arrival at a European ballet school to her discovery that it's actually a witches coven; but, really, don't worry about that too much. Argento makes narrative subservient to technique, preferring instead to assault the senses and nervous system with mood, atmosphere,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Harper - Bennett - Valli - Kier - Casi DVD Release Date: Released the 11 September 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate film, written by Anthony Shaffer (who also wrote Sleuth), this delightfully grisly little tale features an all-British cast minus star wattage, which may have accounted for its relatively slim showing in the States. Jon Finch plays a down-on-his-luck Londoner who is offered some help by an old pal (Barry Foster). In fact, Foster is a serial killer the police have been chasing--and he's framing Finch. Which leads to a classic Hitchcock situation: a guiltless man is forced to prove his innocence while eluding Scotland Yard at the same time. Spiked with Hitchcock's trademark dark humor, Frenzy also features a very funny subplot about the Scotland Yard investigator (Alec McCowen) in charge of the case, who must endure meals by a wife (Vivien... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jon Finch - Barry Foster Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock DVD Release Date: Released the 06 March 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Filmmaker Hal Hartley is something of an acquired taste. But if you can get on his oddball, deadpan wavelength, you can't help but enjoy his films--and this is one of his best. Isabelle Huppert plays a former nun who now works as a pornographer. She connects with Martin Donovan, playing a fellow who's lost his memory, but whose past may contain particularly nasty stuff. As they look for a way to get away from that past (which includes a couple of hit men who look like stockbrokers), the two discuss the meaning of their lives in hilariously vague ways. Hartley's dialogue is tart and concise, filled with acidic but low-key humor. And Donovan, who also starred in the director's equally good Trust, has just the right downbeat affect to give the film an unusual spin. --Marshall... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Isabelle Huppert - Martin Donovan (II) Director(s): Hal Hartley DVD Release Date: Released the 11 November 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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You are now entering Interzone, William S. Burroughs's phantasmagorical land of junk, paranoia, and crawly things. Best travel advice: "Exterminate all rational thought." In David Cronenberg's superbly shot, unnerving warp on the Burroughs novel, the novelist himself becomes a main character (played in an implacable monotone by Peter Weller), with elements from Burroughs' life--including the shooting of his wife during a "William Tell" game, and bohemian friends Kerouac and Ginsberg--added to frame the book's wild visions. This is, ironically, a somewhat rational approach to an unfilmable book (and it makes a hair-curling double bill with Barton Fink, another look at writerly madness, with both films sharing Judy Davis). Cronenberg is a natural for oozing mugwumps and typewriters... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Peter Weller - Judy Davis Director(s): David Cronenberg DVD Release Date: Released the 11 November 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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