Vampira The Movie
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.60 You Save: $7.38 (49%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Vampira The Movie
Movie Review: Vampira
Summary: 5 Stars
In my review of Vampira I would first like to say that Count Smokula's
Music Video in the "Special Features" took me back to the '50s and '60s
when pop music was in. I enjoyed it but for one thing, the count read
his lines and it was so obvious that it did damage to it's greatness.
As for the movie:- When I first saw and heard Maila Nurmi she reminded
me of another great actress - Katherine Hephburn when she was at an
older age. I taped an interview of her not long before she passed on.
In many ways they are both characters. What really got me was the size
of Maila's waist, just can't imagine how she lived with it.
I came to this movie as a virgin to Vampira as I have never seen her
in my life. I grew up with "Elvira", "The Munsters" and "The Addams
Family".
My intrests are many and varied, and was attracted to Vampira because
she reminded me of Elvira in some ways, and that it is more a documentry
of her life than a straight out movie. If this had been a movie I would
have been disappointed as I would like to know about her before I watch
her movies. (I plan to watch "Plan 9 from Outer Space" next to see if
it is true to label as the "worst film of all time").
It is a shame that the studio decided to axe Vampira for the Addams
Family as I may have seen her when I was Young. I now wonder what Maila
would have been like as Lilly in The Munsters (after seeing "Plan 9 from
Outer Space" I don't think so), as I will not put The Addams Family in
the horror genre as it is more a comedy than horror. Why I call it a
comedy is not up for debate in this review.
Glad I watched this movie for an insight into Maila, but I would have
named the dvd "Vampira - A Documentry" instead, as some people may
misunderstand the movie part of the title. I did when I clapped eyes
on the picture before I read the product description.
I don't know how to rate this dvd as it not a horror movie, it is a
documentry. The only thing I can do is to rate the dvd with 9 stars,
but deduct 3 stars for the misleading title and cover, so I give it
6 stars. It is a pity as it is a GREAT dvd for anyone's shelf who
is intrested in the historical side of Vampira and Maila Nurmi.
Movie Review: This Is a Goldmine
Summary: 5 Stars
I was blown away by how much you get for your money with this documentary of extremely rare and vanishing information on Maila Nurmi a.k.a. Vampira. One thing you would never expect--and the disk is worth it for this alone--is the many sage lessons in life that Maila shares. The documentary holds a tight weave of deep insights from those who knew her before her fame, and tributes from her horror host "descendants," almost none of whom have ever been coaxed to talk before. But the main star, as it should be, is Maila herself, breaking new ground in fresh interviews, and never-told stories.
Just like when any cult hero gets honored, we can only be amazed by how many stalkers and frauds with an axe to grind come out of the woodwork to say they should been the ones interviewed instead of the celebrities on film. But what I notice is that the documentary doesn't try to be the be-all and end-all encyclopedia on the subject. I'm thankful for that because it doesn't get caught up in the repetition you might expect. The truth is it is packed with anecdotes and analysis that obviously doesn't exist anywhere else. The documentary is also worth it for the extras alone, mostly Count Smokula's hilarious tribute song "Vampira." The packaging of the disk itself adds to the mystique, perfectly capturing her life and times, and helping to make it a must-own collector's treasure.
Movie Review: A chat with Vampira
Summary: 5 Stars
This video contains a full-length interview with Vampira: the elusive (some might say reclusive) Maila Nurmi. Her thoughts, her memories, her experiences as Vampira and afterward. I don't think this kind of footage exists anywhere else. It also includes segments from Vampira's short-lived but legendary TV show, which I had thought lost to the fog machines of time. These two elements alone make this film worth having for any fan of Vampira, or collector of Vampire lore and legend. Rather than tearing down the director for technical problems, real or perceived, I think he should be congratulated for managing to get Ms. Nurmi to sit still for his camera in such a relaxed and informal way. Some of the critical reviewers make good points, but I'm happy that I have this video so I can watch the parts with Ms. Nurmi over and over again. She is such an interesting person, and the fact that she inhabits such a strong, quirky and artistic persona at the age of 85 is truly inspirational!Movie Review: Vampira: The Movie Best Ever Horror Documentary
Summary: 5 Stars
Vampira: The Movie is the Best Ever Horror Documentary. Featuring stars such as Vampira (Maila Nurmi)herself, along with Forrest Ackerman, Sid Haig, Count Smokula (My personal favorite) and Jerry Only, among others. This movie is a hot commodity as it is the last documentary about Maila before her passing in January 2008.This showcases how caring and loving Maila Nurmi was as a human being and as an artist. RIP MAILA ELIZABETH NURMI.Movie Review: Subtly hilarious
Summary: 4 Stars
There are so many great lines in this film, most of them said completely deadpan. It took a while for the hilarity to sink in, but once it did, I really appreciated this movie. Maila "Vampira" Nurmi is very well-spoken in her eccentricity, as are horror luminaries like "Toxic Avenger" director Lloyd Kaufman and actors Sid Haid and Bill Moseley. It's also a treat to see horror hosts both classic (Elvira, Zacherley) and new (who knew there were so many? Each with their own entertaining "schtick"). One of my favorite parts shows Zacherley split-screen, as he is now (still as cool as ever) and as he was in the 1950's. But I think my favorite thing about this documentary is what's not said: Maila "Vampira" Nurmi repeatedly states that her main goal was always to be an evangelist, but she never explains why (although one gets the impression that it may be due to nothing more than a love of doing monologues) -- and really, *could* she explain why? Is there any possible logical reason that the "goth-mother" (as one of the young horror hosts puts it) of horror somehow *just* missed an alternate career path as an evangelist? No, there isn't. Likewise there's no explaining Maila's casual assertion that she was known as "the first woman in California to wear backless shoes," and other dubious claims. I was surprised to see some other reviews that faulted the filmmaker for not doing more to research and verify Maila's various surprising claims. I think anyone who expects this film to be some kind of hard-nosed investigative journalism is kind of missing the point. What it's good for is learning about Maila's personality, her life and career as she understood them, and the influence she's had on horror and popular culture in general. If I were a goth, I'd be thrilled to hear her say that she loves seeing a beautiful goth!
It's clear that this was not a big-budget production -- the footage looks distinctly digital in spots, and there are occasional peculiarities with the editing. Oddly, the editing seems to get better as the film goes on -- was this a learn-as-you-go project? Still, it's also clear that care was taken -- there's none of that annoying herky-jerky camera movement I associate with low-budget documentaries, and overall the lighting and sound are good. The instrumental score by Ari Lehman (Jason from Friday the 13th) is interesting, and makes some of Maila's monologues sound like spoken-word performances. (With Maila's wacky lines and Ari's jazzy noodlings, I bet someone could remix these into a really cool dance hit . . .) There are also a few great indie rock songs (as an independent musician myself, I'm always glad to see filmmakers supporting independent music!).
The extras are uneven, but again funnier than they appear from a cursory look. Like, the one of the director speaking in front of a German audience seemed kind of boring until the subtitles came in, and they had me ROTFL. I don't *think* that was an accurate translation of the German?!?!? I especially liked the one of Ari talking about how he composed the music. I should note that what's described on the box as "music videos" really aren't -- one is the aforementioned Ari "making of"-type clip, and the other is Count Smokula singing his song "Vampira" live -- it's an entertaining song but not a "music video" per se.
So despite its flaws (which are no greater than that of any other low-budget doc, and maybe less so), I recommend this film to anyone interested in Vampira, the world of horror, or just interesting eccentrics in general.