Blood: The Last Vampire

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: April 2, 2009 (Japan) / July 10, 2009 (USA)

DVD Release Date: October 20, 2009

Plot 411: A secret government group pairs up with a vampire to find and destroy demons.

Review: Saya (Gianna Jun) infiltrates a U.S. military base on the pretense that she is a typical high school student. But she is far from ordinary. She is the last vampire in the world and has teamed up with a secret agency whose mission is to kill demons. Through her work, she hopes to confront and destroy the demon who killed her father. I didn't realize that this was based on anime, but the cinematography made it clear from the start. The special effects were extremely exaggerated, which I found a little off putting. I'd prefer blood to look like real blood. But because Saya was killing demons, I chucked the notion of "real" blood and figured the chunky blood was purely a demonic phenomenon. If you're into a lot of samurai-sword wielding, this movie is great. Jun does a good job at using the sword to dismember and kill literally dozens of demons. It's a sight to see. She does it with flair and skill. Most of the other characters are inconsequential, even the main human character Alice (Allison Miller). It's like they're just set decoration. Even when their actions have a major effect on Saya, it doesn't really seem like a big deal. Somehow I couldn't get emotionally invested in this film and didn't find myself rooting for Saya. In my opinion, everything just unfolded disjointedly. I was also confused about the title of the movie. For the entire film, I thought that Saya was a demon too (even though she drank blood from a bottle several times). Somehow I just didn't connect it because she never actually bites anyone or shows off her fangs. That's slightly weird for a vampire flick in my book.

Watch It: If you're knowledgeable about the anime and TV series. This may squish the apathy I felt while viewing it.

Skip It: If you're looking for a really good plot about demons and vampires. This is more action oriented.

17 Again

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: April 17, 2009

DVD Release Date: August 11, 2009

Plot 411: A guy in his 30s regrets a lot of things in his life and is given the opportunity to go back to high school and change things.

Review: On the surface, this is just another remake of 13 Going On 30 or Freaky Friday where a character relives the past. However, surprisingly this movie is a lot more and is better for it. Zac Efron and Matthew Perry play Mike, a guy who gave up his chance at a baskeball scholarship to support his pregnant girlfriend. (There is no way Perry looked like Efron growing up, but I guess we're supposed to overlook that and several other things to make this film work.) Despite believing that it was the right thing to do, Mike still has regrets about the things that could've been. His wife (Leslie Mann/Allison Miller) is on the verge of divorcing him when he magically reverts back to his 17-year-old self and gets a do over. Yes, the transformation is pretty farfetched, but whatever. This is Hollywood. Even though this is a cheesy teen flick, I've gotta admit that it had more substance than most films of this genre. It deals with adult issues despite taking place in a teenaged world. The movie also deals with those weird interactions between the character who goes back in time (Mike) and the real teens of that generation (his children). I think that's a first. And for the very first time, I see what millions of teens and tweens around the world see in Zac Efron - well, besides the pearly whites and crystal clear blue eyes that is. He's really good in this role and is more than just man (boy) candy. I might just go back and watch all those High School Musicals because of it. If he could only get away from the mainstream Disney stuff and try his luck with some real indies, we'd get to see his full potential. Oh well, I digress.

Watch It: To learn of the true beauty that is Zac Efron.

Skip It: If you're so over his sweaty basketball-playing bod.