Side 1 Of Led Zeppelin 4

April 3, 2010 by Editor
Filed under Mondo Archive

Orlok The Vampire 3D (2010)
Directed By: Keith Cooper

Review Written By: Justin Bozung
Mondo Film & Video Guide Co-Founder

Sigh…. This is just a bad idea right out of the gate. I walked into this really really with a positive attitude. I really did. I popped it into my DVD player, set up the 3D according to the menu put on my 50′s style white paper 3D glasses, and focused my chi!

Let me just tell you, that focusing your chi, is gonna need to be done about every 30 seconds while this is assaulting your eyes! I’m not gonna rape this release. I’m not. I just saw it raped, and raped brutally in a nationally circulated Horror magazine, that’s pube-lished in Canada. So I won’t go there. I am gonna tell you the good things about it.

Orlok the Vampire, is a newly restored and cleaned up version of the F.W.Murnau immortal silent classic, Nosferatu. Murnau’s film has always been considered a classic, it’s eerie, mysterious, and ground breaking. Adding to that, it’s the mythos of the lead actor, completed by German actor, Max Schreck that makes this film what it is. Over the years, it’s been commonly written that Max Schreck, especially his last name is just German for “Fear.” And there is the myth, that he wasn’t an actor, but he really was a vampire! Remember, the 2000 film, Shadow Of A Vampire? Clever.. Yeah, pretty much..

If you haven’t seen Nosferatu for a while, or you’ve been stuck on the 1979 Werner Herzog remake, like I have, all these years. It’s really nice as a cinephile to go back and rediscover this treasure again. It’s wonderfully paced, and the special effects are brilliant, especially since they are all just simple camera and physical film editing tricks. It’s a great film. So that being said, here is what makes this particular release, just not work.

Why the hell is this called, Orlok The Vampire? And why is the director’s name changed from the rightful F.W. Murnau to Keith Cooper. I know, I understand it, but I just don’t get it. Clearly, Cooper has a passion and interest in this silent classic, and I respect that. But you don’t take something and fuck around with it. This is probably one of the most foolish re-toolings of any cinema effort since Van Sant tried to dazzle us with a shot for shot remake of 1960′s Psycho. Yikes.. I remember that, and I just puked in my mouth. As a honest and real fan of 3D film released on home video and DVD. I do appreciate the effort here. But Cooper just took what is an fair and fun idea, and corrupted it. He added these CGI effects, new title cards, a strange pointless 1960′s Batman TV homage, and these horrid sound effects like are a constant “hee hee, ummm, ah ha, oh… tee hee.” I get that it’s supposed to be funny, but it’s not. And sadly, what if Cooper didn’t intend it to be funny? The only real thing that kills Orlok The Vampire, are these hideous new sound effects. If you are a real fan of 3D, you’ll be able to appreciate this title. All 3D movies are super fun! And you can fix this issue with Orlok the Vampire, if you turn down the volume of your TV, hit play on the DVD remote, and also put on side 1 of Led Zeppelin 4. Any Fast Times fans out there?

Justin Bozung is the Co-Founder of The Mondo Film & Video Guide. You can email him directly at justinb@mondo-video.com