> Have you seen any of the Nightwatch movies? I read the
> book the first one was based on and was impressed in a
> "cool! Vampires in the Moscow metro!" kind of way, but
> haven't seen the two films that have so far come out.
Just rented the first one (Austin has the coolest video stores). It was the original Russian version with the non-enhanced subtitles, as I learned later, though apparently the American release isn't too different. I think I was expecting a moody Tarkovsky thriller. Little did I know... I popped it into the DVD player. The next sound was this giant "clunk".
That was my jaw, which hit the floor -- and stayed there.
Rock 'em, sock 'em, bullet-time action goodness, with terrific acting, an electrifying script, sympathetic characters and a genuinely subversive storyline. What was most amazing was its visual sophistication -- there are a metric ton of inside references to the Soviet-era media (e.g. Repentance, Freeze - Die - Come to Life, etc.), lots of external citations of Hollywood sci-fi thrillers, plenty of Peter Jacksonisms, and a minor demonic horde of Euromedia/Asiamedia cues (including the videogame culture). But the director, Timur Bekmambetov, is a true video artist, who transforms every citation into something fresh and new.
Astounding. Apparently, it was all done on a budget of $4 million, with the help of rotating teams of Russian programmers, who pitched in to do the CGI. Can't wait to see the sequel...
-- DRR