Tag: Let The Right One in

Swedish Vampires! LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Midnights This Weekend at The Tivoli

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“I’m twelve. But I’ve been twelve for a long time.”

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LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is a 2008 Swedish horror film that tells the story of Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, who finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar young girl who happens to be a vampire. . LET THE RIGHT ONE IN has been variously acclaimed as ‘A Chilling Fairytale’; ‘Horror film of the century’; “Unforgettable Cinema”; “Instant Classic” etc. and (apart from the last which is a contradiction in terms!) deserves all the acclaim. But it is much more than just a horror story – it’s more like a coming-of-age story of first love – with vampires. Oskar is a lonely outsider, all but ignored by his separated parents and bullied cruelly by his classmates. When Eli and her ‘guardian’ move in next door his interest is piqued by the fact that she never goes out by day and the windows in her bedroom are all blacked up. For her part Eli is drawn to Oskar although at their first meeting she tells him “We can never be friends”. Meanwhile her guardian is out hunting for Eli’s latest feed: a batch of fresh blood.

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While there are a few frightening moments in the film it never sets out for cheap shocks. When Eli suddenly attacks one of her victims from above it isn’t just a sudden ZAP! but rather a silent swoop from the sky, making the scene all the more chilling. The horror of this story is in the setting not the action, it is in what Eli is rather than what she does. She is neither the Gothic nor glamorous vampire we are used to but rather a frightened little girl who will never grow up. Don’t miss the chance to see LET THE RIGHT ONE IN on the bog screen when it plays midnights this Friday and Saturday (October 2nd and 3rd) at the Tivoli. Admission is only $8

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A Facebook invite for the event cn be found HERE
https://www.facebook.com/events/915187141895838/

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The Tivoli’s website can be found HERE

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/st.louis/tivolitheatre.htm

Here’s the Reel Late at the Tivoli Line-up for the next few weeks:

Oct 9-10                                            WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

Oct 16-17                                         MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

Oct 23-24 and Oct 31-Nov 1    ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with live shadow cast with the Samurai Electricians.

The Tivoli Announces the ‘Reel Late’ Midnight Line-Up – FLASH GORDON, PLANET OF THE APES

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“Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”

Ted the talking teddy bear will be so excited! Another brilliant lineup of midnight movies for the ‘Reel Late at The Tivoli’ for the rest of the season. It’s a typically good variety of titles that will draw the late night movie buff crowd and a couple of retro surprises are to be found. The Midnight Movie experience has always catered to a college-age crowd and that’s the way it should be. FLASH GORDON starring the one and only Sam Jones kicks off the new schedule on September 18th and 19th. The oldest film this time is the original PLANET OF THE APES from 1968 and the most recent is this year’s WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, the vampire roomies mockumentary that I suspect will end up on a lot of Top Ten lists. Of course, we’re ending the season with ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with live shadow cast with the Samurai Electricians.

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Reel Late at the Tivoli takes place every Friday and Saturday night and We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman (that’s me!) is there with custom trivia questions about the films and always has DVDs, posters, and other cool stuff to give away. I can’t wait to write FLASH GORDON trivia! Ticket prices are $8 (except ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW which is $10). We hope to see everyone late at night in the coming weeks.

The Tivoli is located at 6350 Delmar in The Loop. Visit Landmark’s The Tivoli’s website HERE

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/st.louis/tivolitheatre.htm

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Here’s the newly –announced Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight schedule for the next couple of months:

Sept 18-19                                        FLASH GORDON

Sept 25-26                                       PLANET OF THE APES (1968)

Oct 2-3                                              LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

Oct 9-10                                            WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

Oct 16-17                                         MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

Oct 23-24 and Oct 31-Nov 1    ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with live shadow cast with the Samurai Electricians.

Review: LET ME IN

Vampires.  They have been a hot topic (no pun intended) the past few years.  With the unfortunate popularity of the Twilight film adaptations and television adaptation of the Sookie Stackhouse books from Charlene Harris in the HBO show True Blood, vampires seem to be the new popular villain – like zombies a few years back. Two years ago, I saw a Swedish film called Let the Right One In at the local film festival and fell in love with its rather subdued nature.  It was story about friendship and touched on the coming of age subject of love and interest in the opposite sex.  It was also a story about a young person needing blood to survive.  After the success of Let the Right One In, it was inevitable to remake the film for American audiences.  When I initially heard about the remake, I was up in arms.  I was mad.  I loved the original and new that the tone would more than likely not be duplicated.  However, Matt Reeves does bring some interesting things to the table.

If you are not familiar with the novel or its previous adaptation by director Tomas Alfredson, it is pretty by much the same in this American remake except the names have changed.  We are introduced to a socially awkward child named Owen (previously named Oskar) who is constantly bullied by his male classmates.  Shortly after the introduction of Owen, a young girl named Abby (previously named Eli) moves next door to Owen and a friendship forms.  Meanwhile, murders are occurring and one of them happened to be a former classmate – which is how Owen becomes aware to it.o  It is then learned that Abby needs blood to live and that these murders seem to have begun as soon as Abby and her father figure, played by Richard Jenkins, move in.

People who admire the quiet delivery of the previous adaptation might be put off by this film’s loud delivery.  However, I’m happy to say that the performances from the children in this remake and the direction by Matt Reeves are exceptional. There is one scene in the film that will have most movie geeks and maybe even general audiences talking about it after it is over.

Let Me In opens introduces a character, a detective, that was not in the original novel or it’s Swedish adaptation by director Tomas Alfredson who is played by Elias Koteas. My only issue with this was the fact the majority of this remake highlights and focuses on the children. Granted., that is the way it should be.  However, with this new version, you do not receive the same tragic feeling you received with the caretaker of the Abby character.  That is where the book and the original adaptation excel ahead of this film.  Koteas’ character is just there, just like Jenkins’ character which is unfortunate, but not that damaging to the overall film, as this is a story about Abby and Owen.

The film is beautifully shot and the direction is top notch.  The performances by Kodi Smit-McPhee & Chloe Moretz are what really carry the film.  Many people will mention the – soon to be infamous – car sequence, but don’t get the wrong idea that the film is full of visual gimmicks.  The drama is still there.  If you never saw Let the Right One In, this film is for you.  If you have seen it before, just know that you may or may not like this version better.  I saw it divide some fans at Fantastic Fest this year.

Win A MONSTERS Prize Pack

Man, do we spoil you or what? MONSTERS will be released in theaters on OCTOBER 29th, 2010, and will be available FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th on VOD, iTUNES, AMAZON.COM, Xbox MARKETPLACE and the PLAYSTATION NETWORK.

To celebrate, we are giving away a prize pack that includes: A MONSTERS T-SHIRT (PICTURED BELOW), AND BLU-RAY copies of MAGNOLIA TITLES: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, THE HOST, and THE SIGNAL.

If you are doing your math… that is 3 BLU-RAY’s and a cool t-shirt! NEAT-O!

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT.

2. Fill out your name and email address in the form below. (Your email address will not be shared.)

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

  1. What is your favorite Magnolia Picture?
  2. Why?
  3. What is your favorite thing about WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS? (Besides the contests!)

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM QUALIFYING ENTRIES IN A RANDOM DRAWING. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OF EXCHANGED!

The breakout hit of this year’s SXSW, Gareth Edwards’ groundbreaking new film (also a selection at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival) is as much a poignant contemporary romance as it is an epic science fiction adventure. Shot with just a five person crew and a cast of two, Gareth Edwards’ team traveled through Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, finding and utilizing their locations and supporting actors as they went. The result is a film as cutting edge as it is classically composed, as emotionally satisfying as it is visually stunning, and the bold announcement of a major new talent.

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and grow. In an effort to stem the destruction that resulted, half of Mexico was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain the massive creatures… Our story begins when a jaded US journalist (McNairy) begrudgingly agrees to find his bosses daughter, a shaken American tourist (Able) and escort her through the infected zone to the safety of the US border.

LET ME IN Gets a Teaser Poster

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Matt Reeves’ new adaptation of LET ME IN has begun production, and, today, courtesy of the film’s Twitter page, we have this nice teaser poster to offer you for sticking out the winding road the film’s pre-production has taken.  Not sure where or when this poster is going to hit theater lobbies.  It very well could not at all.  With the American Film Market going on right now, this could just be something Overture Films cooked up for the marketers there.  I do, however, like the way they have incorporated a general idea of what the poster for LET THE RIGHT ONE IN gave us:

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LET ME IN is set for release sometime in 2010.  Thanks to Arrow in the Head for pointing us in the right direction.

LET ME IN Begins Principal Photography

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It’s been a long and winding road for the US-based remake of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.  We’ve had name changes, child auditions, and concept posters, but it was announced yesterday by Overture Films that production on LET ME IN, directed by Matt Reeves, had begun in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

For those of you who don’t know, LET ME IN tells the tale of a young boy, played by THE ROAD’s Kodi Smit-McPhee, who befriends a mysterious, young girl, played by (500) DAYS OF SUMMER’s Chloe Moretz, who turns out to be an aged vampire stuck forever in childhood.  Matt Reeves served as screenwriter, taking the task of adapting John Ajvide Lindqvist original novel rather than remaking the Swedish, filmed version of the story.

Says Simon Oakes, President and CEO of Hammer Films:

This project is very personal to Matt as it is to the many passionate fans of the original story.  The brilliance of that story deserves to be seen by audiences on a wide scale and we are excited that the pieces are in place to make that a reality.

Production is intended to run until January.  No release date has been set.

What do you think?  Are you still troubled by the thought of Hollywood remaking LET THE RIGHT ONE IN?  Were you ever?  Do you think Matt Reeves will do a satisfactory job bringing Lindqvist’s original novel to the big screen?  Give us your thoughts in the comment section below.

Cast is set for LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Remake

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I’m a HUGE fan of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN and, at least until recently, I have been a HUGE critic of the remake. Surprisingly, perhaps to myself more than anyone, the idea is start to grow on me… just a tiny bit. Granted, I would still rather it not be remade, but if it’s gonna happen, at least the seem to be signs that it may actually get a decent remake. The film is being directed by Matt Reeves, who does earn some brownie points from me for directing CLOVERFIELD and writing THE YARDS.

That is… so long as it’s not going to be titled FISHHEAD!

Why am I starting to soften up a bit to the inevitable prospect of a remake? Two words… the cast! OK, sure… two of the three are child actors, but that’s the story. Kodi Smit-McPhee (ROMULUS, MY FATHER and the soon to be released THE ROAD) will play Owen, the character formerly known as Oskar in the original. Chloe Moretz (500 DAYS OF SUMMER and the soon to be released KICK-ASS) will play Abby, the character formerly known as Eli in the original. And, of course, my favorite of the three being Richard Jenkins (SIX FEET UNDER, THE VISITOR) being cast to play the yet unnamed equivalent character to Hakan from the original. Jenkins has experienced a late-blooming popularity, which is much-deserved.

Source: /film

‘Let Me In’ Concept Posters

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The Matt Reeves-directed, Overture Films remake of ‘Let the Right One In’ doesn’t even have its two leads cast, yet, but that isn’t stopping the marketing train from chugging along.   The boys and girls over at SlashFilm have gotten their hands on these nice concept posters for the film.   These were evidently created as an early effort to help get the film sold in foreign markets. Continue reading ‘Let Me In’ Concept Posters

What Exactly is the ‘Let the Right One In’ Remake Called?

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I am now getting a headache thinking about this Matt Reeves-directed remake of ‘Let the Right One In’ and what the movie is going to be called.   We announced back in early March that the title would be shortened, and that the remake would be called ‘Let Me In.’   Then, shortly after that time, news came out that ‘Let Me In’ was another film entirely and that this remake would keep the original film’s full title.

Now, the pendulum has swung back the other way.   Reeves sat down with the LA Times earlier this week, and it was said in the article that the new film would, in fact, be called ‘Let Me In.’   Smoke began coming out of my ears, and 6 pencils were snapped in frustration.

Then, I read a little bit more.   Evidently, when the original 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist was released in the states, the publishers believed the title to be too long.   In the United States, the novel is called ‘Let Me In.’   It wasn’t until the original film was released that an updated version of the novel with the original title was released in the US.

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This gives some clarity as to the direction Reeves is headed with his adaptation of the source material.   He has stated in interviews that he intends to “re-interpret” Lindqvist’s original novel as opposed to remaking the Swedish film.   Calling it ‘Let Me In’ just reiterates this fact.

So, evidently, the film is going to be called ‘Let Me In,’ but it isn’t as much of a sin as earlier believed.   ‘Let the Right One In’ is a better title, in my humble opinion.   It is more of a forewarning to someone about vampires, whereas ‘Let Me In’ sounds more like a command.

As far as more information goes with ‘Let Me In,’ Reeves says in the LA Times articles that he has no intentions of hurting the original film in the eyes of fans.

“I was just hooked.   I was so taken with the story and I had a very personal reaction. It reminded me a lot of my childhood, with the metaphor that the hard times of your pre-adolescent, early adolescent moment, that painful experience is a horror.”

“There’s definitely people who have a real bull’s-eye on the film, and I can understand because of people’s’ love of the [original] film that there’s this cynicism that I’ll come in and trash it, when in fact I have nothing but respect for the film. I’m so drawn to it for personal and not mercenary reasons, my feeling about it is if I didn’t feel a personal connection and feel it could be its own film, I wouldn’t be doing it. I hope people give us a chance.”

Reeves is currently finishing up the second draft on the film, which is now set in Reagan-era Colorado.   The film is scheduled for release in Fall of 2010.

Source: LA Times

Magnolia hates movie bloggers, likes ‘Let the Right One In’ subtitles

IconsOfFright got their hands on an email that was going around Magnolia about the subtitle situation on the ‘Let the Right One In’ dvd’s and lets just say whoever wrote the stuff below isnt very fond of “bloggers”. Going as far as to call us “rowdy” and having “bandwagon mentatlity” seems a bit far fetched just because they decided to change the subtitles   to something they call “a more literal translation”. You can read the email below:

Yes the bloggers are having a field day on this one. Normally they like to pick on the English Dub tracks, but in this case it’s the subtitles. Obviously online tend to get rowdy and bandwagon mentality without knowing all the details. The current subtitle track is not altering the context of the film at all, in fact it’s a more literal translation than any prior version of subtitles. It’s not a defective or faulty subtitle file. Just more literal and larger in size for the small screen. Both English and Spanish subtitle files were produced for this dvd release. Frankly it’s not all that uncommon to have the subs vary from prior releases, typically go unnoticed as subs are purely a translation of film dialogue. This wouldn’t have been a blip had it not been for one particular horror blog doing a side by side and claiming that they are wrong. They are not. We are not doing a recall or anything of that nature, again, these are not defective. Title came out two weeks ago and general public don’t notice and don’t care – bloggers are well known for jumping on something, making an issue of it and moving on. We have decided that based on the feedback that we will be making a running change, so that going forward (once inventories deplete), we will be making that subtitle version available. Options in set up will be; English Subtitles / English (theatrical) Subtitles / Spanish Subtitles†

Taking this stance shows very little love for fans of the movie that went out and purchased the dvd. It is not that bloggers jump on something and make it an issue, it is the fact that we are vocal about things we dont like on websites that get read by people. Just because you havent heard alot from the “general public” doesnt mean they didnt notice or didnt care, they might not go as far as we do because we know you read our stuff. Changing the subtitles to a movie to something that isnt really similar at all is almost like releasing a movie with completely different dialogue. Shame on you Magnolia.