[WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screens Friday February 19th at 7, 9, and 11:00 pm at the Case Western Reserve University Strosacker Auditorium.]
Review by Wayne Richards
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
is a brilliant new comedy from the creative minds of two of New
Zealand’s finest and funniest performers. Jemaine Clement (the
bespectacled bassist of Flight of the Conchords) has teamed up with
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Taiki Waititi (Two Cars, One Night)
to make this unrelenting chuckle fest centered on the dilemmas of the
modern day vampire. Together, Clement and Waititi have written,
directed and starred in a movie that is on par with anything in the
pantheon of the great improvisational, mockumentary-style films of
Christopher Guest.
A documentary crew
has been granted access to film the everyday lives (if you can call it
that) of four vampires living together in a flat in Wellington, NZ. The
taskmaster is Viago (Waititi), an 18th century dandy who can be quite
fussy when it comes to housekeeping. Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) is a
slovenly brute, incapable of completing the simplest chore. Vladislav
(Clement) falls somewhere in between the two; once known as Vladislav
the Poker, he has softened a bit over the years and his once-cherished
torture chamber is rarely used. Peter (the eldest at 8,000 years old),
is a spitting image of Murnau’s Nosferatu; devoid of speech and dwelling
in the basement amidst the scattered skeletons of his numerous victims.
They are observed in the months leading up to an annual gathering of
an undead secret society, culminating in a celebratory bash known as The
Unholy Masquerade. While most vampire flicks focus on glorifying the
supernatural aspects (don’t get me wrong, WWDITS pokes fun at the
genre with plenty of levitation and hissing), this film looks more at
the human side of bloodsuckers; dealing with overlooked household
responsibilities and a lack of common courtesy among roommates are at
the heart of the hilarity.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
also brings to light how vampires can spend their down time (between
feeding on and killing innocent humans) with meaningful and artistic
hobbies. Sculpting, knitting, hallway archery, and exuberance for
showcasing a surprisingly poor set of skills at various musical
instruments play a large part in the daily existence of these fanged
fiends. Also of great importance is the vampire’s appearance, a subject
the directors delve into fully in inspecting the difficulty of carrying
out the vampire’s supreme duty of looking sexy. At one point Viago
quips, “One of the unfortunate things about not having a reflection is
that you don’t know exactly what you look like.” Choosing victims with
decent fashion sense and a similar frame apparently results in
stockpiling a proper wardrobe. A run-in with a pack of sensitive
werewolves (led by the phenomenal Rhys Darby), a pair of clueless cops
and an inquisitive zombie add to the fun.
Although
we get buckets of blood and gore o’ plenty, production values are classy
and the violence comes off as not being campy or cheesy. There are also
angles explored in this movie that have been previously overlooked in
the vampire genre . The outcome of improper fang placement on a victim’s
neck, the difficulty of persuading bouncers to gain entry into a club,
the vampire counsel’s procession of shame and what stressing over an
ex-girlfriend can do to a vampire’s complexion are all examined here in
truly hilarious fashion. I can only hope that this is the first of many
comedic collaborations with the writing/directing/acting tandem of
Clement and Waititi at the helm. This is essential comedy. 4 out of 4
stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We approve all legitimate comments. However, comments that include links to irrelevant commercial websites and/or websites dealing with illegal or inappropriate content will be marked as spam.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.