Let The Right One In vs. Let Me In (minor spoilers)

In 2008, a Swedish horror movie came out called "Let The Right One In". I didn't hear about it until it was released on DVD. By the time I was able to Netflix it, it had developed a cult following here in the U.S. As soon as I finished watching it, I could see why.

The movie tells a simple story. A young boy is being bullied at school. A mysterious girl and her "father" moves in next door. Then, murders start to take place. The boy and girl strike up a friendship, then the boy discovers the girl is a vampire. Mayhem, mayhem, mayhem. Girl exacts revenge on the bullies. The end!

What I liked about the movie was it's simplicity and it's theme of loneliness. The mood, the setting and the two main characters told the story so well, that when I heard they were remaking the movie for American audiences, I had my doubts. Why remake a movie that was perfect the way it was? I had decided that I would have no interest in seeing what would for sure be a disaster.

Then, I found out they cast Chloe Moretz from Kick Ass as the vampire. That's when I thought this might end up being a pretty good movie. As long as they didn't dumb it down or shy away from the sexuality and the violence, I'd be up for seeing the movie. Once the positive reviews started pouring in, I changed my mind and decided to see the movie. I wasn't disappointed. While Let Me In isn't as good as the original, I would still recommend the movie.

What I want to write about is what didn't work for me. The only way to do that is to compare the two. And while the remake can (and does) stand on it's own, it is the differences that, for me, were the weaknesses.

The most striking difference between the movies was the score. In LTROI, there was very little score. To be quite honest, I can't even remember if there was one. (I'd check my DVD, but I lent it to a friend.) During LMI, there was so much score it was often distracting. I felt the score took away from the movie. In movies, television and plays, score is used to tell the audience how to feel or convey emotion. LMI didn't need it. Sure, some well-placed music would have been fine. But there was almost continuous score throughout the whole movie and quite honestly, it didn't need to be there. In LTROI, the lack of score worked so much better than the score in LMI.

Another main difference was the use of CGI. In the original, when Eli (the vampire) attacks here victims, they look like they're actually being attacked by a real creature. The actress (or stunt double) is actually performing what you're seeing. In the remake, when Abby (the vampire) attacks, the CGI is so apparent, it takes away from the scene. You (the audience member) can tell that the actor has been replaced by a cartoon and it's almost laughable. I don't mind when CGI is done well. But so often it's not done well, and you are taken out of the moment because you know it's all animated. In the movie Kill Bill Vol. 1, when The Bride (Uma Thurman) is fighting the Crazy 88, it's so much more exhilarating to watch because it's her doing all her own stunts against the other actors. The only CGI used was to erase any wires used. In movies like Spider-Man and The Matrix, the CGI is so obvious that sometimes it's laughable. So while there was minimal CGI used in LMI, it was still noticeable. The attack scenes would have had more of an impact had a real actor/stunt double been used.

But, there were some differences that did work for me. In LMI, the bullying scenes were much more graphic and intense. The bullies were more menacing, so you felt more of the dread Owen (the boy) was feeling and the pain inflicted on him was more real. Also, a couple scenes humanized the bullies better than in the original.

In LMI, a detective is investigating the murders and added a sense of "cat and mouse" tension that the original didn't have. By adding that character, there was more urgency in events that took place.

Not surprisingly, some of the ambiguous sexuality that was portrayed in the original was taken out of the remake. Without giving too much away, the relationship between the older man and the vampire was much more mysterious in the original. You weren't really sure what their relationship was in LTROI. In LMI, it is explained somewhat thoughout the course of the movie. And while the situation in both movies is pretty dark, it is the relationship in LTROI that is more disturbing because of what isn't explained and only hinted at.

So, there you have it. While I liked both movies, it is my opinion that Let The Right One In is the better movie. And regardless of which one you see first, please see both and compare for yourself.

Why "The Kiss" on Modern Family matters.

Wow, 2 posts in 2 days. I'm quite proud of myself.

Ok, so last night, on Modern Family the audience finally got to see Mitchell and Cameron kiss. What's the big deal? Well, let me tell you what the deal is.

You see, about 1/2 way through MF's freshman season, we gay viewers began to notice that, for a committed couple, Mitch and Cam were never affectionate with each other. Not that the 2 straight couples were banging in every scene, because this is a "family" show. But the fact that a gay couple with an adopted child is featured as main characters on a prime time network show was, dare I say, revolutionary. So for many gay viewers, this lack of physical contact bothered us.

Let's look at some examples of gay characters getting neutered:

The first show that featured two gay characters in bed together was Thirtysomething. In a 1989 episode titled Strangers, two gay men were shown, post-sex, in bed. The actors were forbidden to even touch each other, even though these characters had just made love. This episode was so controversial, that ABC lost advertisers for that particular episode. ABC even pulled the episode from being rerun.

Another example of a gay character not being able to show affection happened on...Melrose Place. Can you believe it? On the original Melrose Place, every (heterosexual) character slept with multiple people and bed-hopped like there was no tomorrow. But what about Matt, the token gay? While Matt did eventually get a few boyfriends, it was the kiss that never happened that caused a fuss. In an episode where Matt goes out on a date w/ Billy's best friend (who is unaware his friend is gay) right when Matt goes in for the kiss good night, the camera cuts away to Billy, watching from his apartment with a shocked look on his face. Originally, the kiss had been filmed, but Fox caved in to advertisers' pressure and decided not to show the kiss.

What this all boils down to is gay male sexuality being threatening to the main stream public. Have you ever heard someone say something like "I don't mind gay people, just as long as I don't have to see it"? Most people in today's society are still afraid of two men showing affection towards each other. Over the summer, I saw on Zap2It.com an article titled "Is True Blood too gay?" Then, on CNN there was an article asking "Is TV too gay?" WTF!!! Are you kidding me? It's 2010, people. On the TB article, someone posted that they "loved the show but hate the gay stuff". (Google "Is True Blood too gay?" and you'll find the article). Can you imagine if gay people stopped watching shows like Grey's Anatomy because it was too straight?

So, when a Facebook campaign popped up, calling for Mitch and Cam to kiss on MF, the creators of the show downplayed it, saying that they had an episode in mind that dealt w/ Mitch (the uptight one) and his uncomfortableness with PDA's. I don't think that was the case. I believe the creators tried to ease into displays of affection because of the mainstream appeal of the show. For people to care about these characters, the public has to like them. And for the public to like them, they have to be non-threatening. And because affection between gay men is threatening, it's easier for the public to accept the characters if they know them and like them, which is what the first season of the show was able to accomplish.

It stands to reason that, by easing the mainstream public into caring about these characters, that eventually they'll understand that gay couples are just like straight couples. And like straight couples, gay couples show affection towards each other. What the creators of the show could have done is just start showing Mitch and Cam being affectionate and not addressed the issue at all. But by addressing the topic head on, hopefully it opened peoples eyes. If mainstream America can welcome this gay couple into their homes every week, then maybe people will be more accepting of gay couples in real life.

Why the "Britney" episode of Glee sucked

Ok, so it's been awhile since I've blogged. Andy has teased me about the fact that I don't post as often as I should. So, I decided to rant about the latest Glee episode.

Let me start off by saying, I'm not a Britney fan. Seriously, she's awful. Ok, so I like "Womanizer", but that's about it. And it's not just her music that I don't like, I don't like her either. I don't think she can sing (which is why she lip-syncs all the time) and while she's not a big 'ole mess like she used to be (i.e., the K-Fed years) she's just annoying.

But, this isn't a rant about Ms. Spears. This is a rant about Glee. To be honest, I was actually looking forward to seeing this episode. Mr. Murphy and the Glee cast did a great job w/ the Madonna episode, so I thought they would be able to pull it off.

Sadly, they did not.I felt like the entire episode was an entire waste of time, disguised as a tribute.

Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when being asked about the famous musical episode of BtVS, said the reason people break out into song in musicals is to propel the story forward. Sure, he could have done a musical episode anytime during the seven yeas BtVS was on the air, but he didn't want to do it until the time was right. The songs and the storyline for "Once More With Feeling" fit the idea of a "musical". That is where Glee failed miserably.

The songs featured in "Britney/Brittnay" (how original a title) really did nothing to move any storyline along or address any issues. The Madonna episode "The Power of Madonna" used the idea of Madonna and her songs to deal w/ issues of misogyny, feminism and of course, sex. At least 4 of the songs were relevant to the story lines addressed in that episode.

Now, because this is Glee, I know that there are some songs that are sung just because they're fun songs. But, in the "B/B" episode, most of the songs and images used were pretty much just recreations of Britney Spears videos. Much like Jane Lynch's rendition of "Vogue", Heather Morris' rendition of "Slave 4 U" was awesome. But did we really need to see "Hit Me Baby" and "Me Against the Music"? And in the entire Britney catalog, couldn't Ryan Murphy choose songs that fit into the story lines being dealt with? Arnie's cover of "Stronger" was probably the only relevant title that worked. And "Toxic" was Glee-ified, which I thought they did a good job. But, let's not forget to point out that the final song wasn't even a Britney song. (It was a Paramore song).

Other non-Britney related issues:

1. The creepy Jewish kid: I know in the Glee universe, the viewers are supposed to suspend disbelief because, let's face it, this is a musical world where kids break into song. But, this guy is caught by Sue, masturbating in school. The guy would be expelled, end of story. But then he's at the assembly, practically cumming during the "Toxic" number. And the fat girl, opening creaming her panties over Will. Seriously annoying. Those two characters should be excised from the rest of the series, period. These characters are not funny. They're disturbing and offensive.

2. Sue Sylvester has gone from funny bad guy to a parody of her former self. This character has always pushed the envelope in terms of someone you love to hate. But now, she is so over the top there's probably no coming back. Her role in the "B/B" episode was a caricature of what the role should be.

Ok, so there is my Glee-centric rant/blog. I will still watch Glee (I am looking forward to their Rocky Horror episode), but my patience is wearing thin. And, should I give up on the show completely, you know I'll be blogging about it.

3 Things

Hello, Blogosphere:

So, I'm trying to get in the habit of writing at least once a week. And, as I sit here trying to think of something to write about, I realize that there are lots of things to write about. Andy, my husband, always gives me a hard time about how much time I spend on the Internet, scouring for information about gay politics, pop culture, etc. And it's true, I do waste spend a lot of time checking my favorite websites for news about what's going on in the world. So, if I plan on doing a podcast about things I'm interested about, I need to get used to writing about them too.

Target & Best Buy Boycott

So, for the last few weeks, Target and Best Buy have been feeling the heat for contributing to MN Forward, a political group that endorses anti-gay, super-conservative Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. Normally I scoff at boycotts, because usually it's right-wing conservatives that want to "send a message" to pro-gay companies like Disney. But in situations like that, it's only the super-conservative, politically-aware, anti-gay groups that take those boycotts seriously. The mainstream population who might be conservative, but not to the extreme, usually don't pay too much attention to boycotts.

But when the shoe's on the other foot, I really don't know what to think. I have stopped shopping at Target and Best Buy, because I feel that by not shopping there, I am sending a message. Also, I think it's important the Target and Best Buy really look at the damage that can be done by endorsing politicians who deny gays and lesbians equal rights. Both companies have been supportive of the gay and lesbian community in the past, and we do acknowledge this. Both companies have stated that the reason for their donations is because Tom Emmer supports tax cuts for big businesses and other economic reasons. But when Tom Emmer (and other anti-gay politicians) uses his power to do harm to gay and lesbian Americans, it's wrong.

True Blood

True Blood has got to be one of my favorite shows ever. Alan Ball is a genius. Yes, he took the characters and some of the storylines from the "Sookie Stackhouse" series of books by Charlaine Harris. But by making them his own, he has really raised the bar on the vampire mythos. At the time of this blog entry, there are 3 more episodes left in season 3. And, I'm not a spoiler-junky like I used to be. (The last 2 seasons of Buffy were ruined for me because I couldn't keep my eyes off of spoiler websites.) I'm happy to state that I have no idea how the season will end and that's how I like it. For all those nay-sayers out there who are burnt out on vampires because of the Twilight series, I just gotta say you're missing out on one of the most fun, exciting and sexy shows in a long time.

But, one of the main reasons I enjoy TB is because of the multitude of gay/bi characters on the show. The fact that some characters are gay/bi/sexually-fluid are just matter-of-fact and it's never an issue. I watch a lot of television (just ask my husband) and it does bother me that there aren't a lot of gay characters on mainstream shows. I'm not saying there have to be major gay characters on every tv show, but some gay supporting characters would be nice.

Prop 8

So, Prop 8 has been overturned. (Yay!)

But there is a stay, so gays and lesbians can't get married...yet. (Boo!)

But the appellate court will review the case and fast-track it to be settled this December. (Huh?)

While I'm sad that gay and lesbian couples won't be able to get married yet, I'm happy that the court is taking this seriously and getting to the case as soon as they can. And, I'm scared because as much as I'd like to think that we (the gay community) will win and justice for us will prevail, I'm realistic in the fact that this might not go our way and that our rights will once again be taken from us. I still can't believe that in this day and age, there is so much misconception and hatred towards gays and lesbians. People still use the Bible to justify their ignorance instead of opening their hearts and minds and seeing us as people.

Well, that's all I got for now. Thanks for reading and check in next week.

The Musings of a Procrastinator

Wow!

Let me just start off with that. I didn't realize that it's been almost 6 months since I've updated. I knew it had been a while, but I didn't know it had been that long. Well, better late than never.

Let me explain while I'm finally updating. A few days ago, I had mentioned to my husband Andy that I was interested in starting a podcast. I'm addicted to podcasts and listen to quite a few on my Ipod while jogging, driving to work, etc. Some of my favorites are Feast of Fun, Savage Lovecast, After Hours w/ Heidi and Frank, Double Murder and Sugar and Cyanide. I started thinking I could possibly do one, talking about some of my favorite things: pop culture, gay topics, etc. My dear friend Avery does Sugar and Cyanide, so I'm thinking about picking his brain and finding out how to do one out of my house.

So, I explain my podcast idea to Andy, who says "Yeah, it can be a companion piece to your blog". OUCH!!! But he does have a point. I started this blog 6 months ago and am now just doing my second entry. You see, I have a tendency to procrastinate. A lot. I had planned on reading a lot more this year. It was actually one of my New Year's resolutions. I started out great and read quite a few books in early '10. Eventually that tapered off. I just recently started reading another book, but it's been months since I read my last book.

I don't think my problem is that uncommon. How many people have great ideas, yet never get around to them. They put them off because other things "get in the way". So, I made a deal w/ myself. I would like to start blogging once a week. Just to talk about general stuff that I think about, stuff in the news, pop culture, and other things that might be of some interest. If I can keep blogging once a week, then eventually this might very well be a companion piece to a podcast. Not only will my motivation be to prove Andy wrong (which is my duty as his husband), it will prove to myself that I have some follow-thru w/ ideas that I have.

So, look for another exciting post next week. There will be lots to write about.

Until then,
C

My First Post

So, one of my New Year's resolutions was to start a blog. Ok, I know, it's Feb. 26th, 2010. So I'm a little late. I guess you can say I procrastinate. But I've decided that if I want to do this I need to be disciplined. If I can write for an hour or two a week, I'll be off to a good start.

What is this blog going to be about, you might ask. Well, I know there are thousands of blogs out there. How am I going to make mine different? How am I going to make it stand out? That's the dilemma. In order to make mine worth reading, I'm going to write about stuff in pop culture: movie reviews, thoughts on TV shows I enjoy, stuff that annoys me, stuff I find interesting, etc.

I'm probably not going to bring up stuff in my personal life because, let's face it, my life is pretty boring. I'm married to a wonderful guy, have a dog, work, live in Pasadena. There's not a lot of drama with me and my family and if there was, I doubt anybody reading this would be interested. I'm not so self-involved or delusional to think that my life is important to anyone but me and my family.

Quite frankly, that's the one major problem I have with "reality" shows. The Kardashians, Jon and Kate, The Housewives of Fill-in-the-Blank...need I go on? This manufactured, so-called reality really frustrates me to no end. The idea that people are famous for being famous (Paris, I'm looking at you) is really so annoying, so ridiculous, that it makes me want to shoot my television. But, if I did that, I wouldn't be able to watch Lost, so I deal with it.

My point about that little rant is that I'm not going to be blathering on about my life. I just want to share my opinions about entertainment and such. That's all. If a little incident about my life happens to make it to my blog, you can read it or not. But there won't be many of them, I can assure you. But if you want to read a review of a new movie or DVD, what I think about RuPaul's Drag Race, or how Sarah Palin's an idiot, then stick around. Hopefully you won't be disappointed.


Until next time, this has been Lilrthquak's Thoughts.