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The Miseducation of Patrick Ripoll: Near Dark

post #1 of 31
5/9/07 at 6:36pm
Thread Starter 
"We keep odd hours"

File this under "could have been great". The first two acts are AMAZING. But I feel it would have been a lot better if the two families meeting in the hotel room were the climax of the movie. It was a great "oh shit" moment and I feel it wasn't handled the best way it could have been. And while the ending is cool, it feels so derivative and false compared to the originality of the first two acts.

And the music needed a definite upgrade. A movie like this deserves better than standard Sci-Fi channel fare.
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post #2 of 31
5/9/07 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll
And the music needed a definite upgrade. A movie like this deserves better than standard Sci-Fi channel fare.
You've certainly cast an irresistable bait for Tangerine Dream lovers with this one.
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post #3 of 31
5/9/07 at 6:51pm
I fought for the South. A great line from that movie.
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post #4 of 31
5/9/07 at 7:23pm
How can you forget to mention the scene in the bar when talking about Near Dark?

"Well, I'm be goddamned -- shitkicker heaven!"
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post #5 of 31
5/9/07 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
I wasn't summarizing the whole movie, just a couple parts I really liked. I REALLY liked the scene in the bar (though it was a little slow to ratchet up tension, even after they kill the waitress) but the sequence was too long to pick just that. I'd say my favorite part of that whole scene (besides Paxton chewin up the scenery) would be Lance Hendrickson's dispatch of the waitress. It's MEAN and INTENSE, yet still understated and it works on every level it should.

The horror/western combo also can be linked as an influence to The Devil's Rejects. Both families had a similar feel to them.
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post #6 of 31
5/9/07 at 7:31pm
Yeah, I love that scene. I agree that the ending fails to live up to the first two acts, but the bar scene makes the whole film worthwhile to me.
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post #7 of 31
5/9/07 at 7:34pm
Didn't Vasquez... I mean, Diamondback take care of the waitress?
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post #8 of 31
5/9/07 at 7:40pm
Thread Starter 
Maybe? Lance was holding her and after her throat was cut, he lowered her down and filled up a jar with her blood, but Diamondback was holding the switchblade.

That shoot out in the bungalow was really really cool. The fact that they didn't mind the bulets but the light streaming in was really innovative. All in all, it's a very good movie, but it could have been GREAT.
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post #9 of 31
5/9/07 at 7:43pm
I've been meaning to check this out, better add it to the queue list.
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post #10 of 31
5/9/07 at 7:49pm
Your opinion of the film mirrors mine exactly. I felt like the screenplay painted itself into a corner and then climbed out the window. The ending is beyond weak. And don't even get me started on Tangerine Dream. Those people should have been made to disappear before they ruined as many eighties films as they did.

It's a movie with a lot of great moments, but the story needed serious work.
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post #11 of 31
5/9/07 at 8:11pm
It's my favorite vampire movie of all time, and a huge influence on me as a writer, but yeah, that third act is some weak fucking sauce. It's a concept and a bunch of amazing character in search of a story as killer as they are.
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post #12 of 31
5/9/07 at 8:44pm
I think one of the best things about Near Dark is that, despite the fact that vampires are a huge part of the film, it doesn't really feel like that's the main focus of the film. It gives the impression that Lance and his family are better described as old western style outlaws, but in a more recent time period. The way I see it, the fact that they are vampires is intended as an explanation as to how they've ended up as outlaws.
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post #13 of 31
5/9/07 at 9:22pm
Tangerine Dream rules
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post #14 of 31
5/9/07 at 9:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by le Stephanois
Tangerine Dream rules
I knew somebody had to.

Honestly, as musicians making their own albums, I might be okay with them. The problem is that, as film composers, they never serve the film. They serve their own style and sound. Every time you hear a Tangerine Dream score, you hear Tangerine Dream, not the sound of the movie. That irks me.
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post #15 of 31
5/9/07 at 10:02pm
I liked their score, but I think the ones they did for FIRESTARTER and THIEF were better.
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post #16 of 31
5/9/07 at 10:25pm
And Sorcerer.

I like Near Dark, and while the ending is contrived, it has some terrific moments. I think Tim Thomerson talks about it in the latest Shock Cinema.
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post #17 of 31
5/9/07 at 11:51pm
In THIEF it's all about the score whatchu talkin' bout.
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post #18 of 31
5/10/07 at 12:18am
Those Tangerine Dreams some bad mutha. . . .
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post #19 of 31
5/10/07 at 12:22am
Shut your mouth...
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post #20 of 31
5/10/07 at 12:46am
Is great

'cuz Jenny Wright is in it.
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post #21 of 31
5/10/07 at 1:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uth Vaspetad
Shut your mouth...
He's only talkin' bout Tangerine Dream
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post #22 of 31
5/10/07 at 3:09am
Thread Starter 
Bill PAxton's had a hell of an interesting career, looking back at his films. I really should catch up on him, as I'm the opposite of a Bill Paxton scholar. I've seen Apollo 13, Near Dark, Aliens, True Lies and...really that's about all. I haven't even seen Twister!
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post #23 of 31
5/10/07 at 3:40am
Start with Weird Science. Seriously. Might be my favorite performance by him. Then watch One False Move, A Simple Plan, and Club Dread. Have yourself a Paxton weekend.

Guy is great in pretty much everything.
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post #24 of 31
5/10/07 at 3:48am
Definitely go with ONE FALSE MOVE and A SIMPLE PLAN. Also check out TRAVELLER, it's a decent con man movie with him and Mark Wahlberg.

And of course TRESPASS.
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post #25 of 31
5/10/07 at 7:28am
Not one mention of Joshua Miller? Man, he was creepy as a kid.

Have to agree with most here, this is a film I worshipped in my adolescence, then rewatched when it hit DVD a few years ago, and that third act seriously undermines the whole picture. Still good stuff, and like Matchstick said, cuz Jenny Wright is in it.

Gotta love any vampire movie that never once uses the word vampire.
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post #26 of 31
5/10/07 at 8:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith Fordyce
Not one mention of Joshua Miller? Man, he was creepy as a kid.

(semi-spoiler)

The final scene with him caught on fire was a great piece of 80's special effects. I remember saying at the time I'd doubt I'd ever see him again as It really looked like they just doused him gasoline and lit him on fire. I would have been correct, as he's only had a few B flicks and TV appearances since that film, but as it appears he's in the upcoming "Wizard of Gore" remake, I will see him again.
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post #27 of 31
5/10/07 at 8:16am
Agreed that the ending is... iffy, to say the least, but it's still among the best vampire films out there (along with Cronos and Nosferatu, say).

I'm also pretty certain it was an influence on Preacher.
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post #28 of 31
5/10/07 at 9:27am
Weird Science is quintessential Paxton.

I remember this came out the same year as Lost Boys, but never made it to a theater in my area. I caught it on video that year and was righteously pissed that it didn't garner a fraction of the success and popularity Lost Boys did.
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post #29 of 31
5/10/07 at 10:33am
Thread Starter 
All of those catching fire effects were fantastic, along with the make-up that accompanied them. Does the special edition of this have any featurettes on that? The rental copy I got didn't even have subtitles.

And, by the way, Joshua Miller REALLY kicked ass, and was probably my favorite character, but he sucks at smoking.
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post #30 of 31
5/10/07 at 11:33am
I gotta agree with everyone that the ending is pretty weak, but not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the rest of the film. I absolutely love Near Dark, and it's one of my favorite vampire flicks of all time. The cast is great, with Paxton and Henrikson being the standouts, and the effects were pretty godddamn good considering the budget. Yeah, the score kinda sucks, but again, it's not enough to overshadow the great stuff that's going on throughout the film's running time. Overall, this is just a fantastic little flick.

And Patrick's right...Joshua Miller really does suck at smoking.
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post #31 of 31
5/10/07 at 3:40pm
All this talk of Bill Paxton, and no mention of 'Frailty'?
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