(2013-06-10 20:25:22)

Blood & Chocolate

This review is from: Blood & Chocolate [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Great visual effects! If you like the Twilight Saga, then this movie is the same type for you.

(2013-06-10 04:44:25)

Garbage

Compared to the book, this movie is GARBAGE!!! It doesn't even follow the book, they just add the names of the characters. Viv doesn't work in some pastry shop, she goes to high school. Aiden doesn't choose her, she ends up with a member of the pack... this movie is so far from what it should have been I cannot believe that it was allowed to be released like this.

Anya Camille

(2013-06-08 02:24:14)

Beautiful & Entertaining

I adore this movie! True, I am a total sucker for werewolf/forbiddenromance/ridiculously good-looking tortured souls kind of movies, but Ithink we all are a bit. I loved the tough, strong-willed femaleprotagonist, the perfectly handsome and witty free-spirited artist, andthe gorgeous European setting they were propped up against.True, the plot is typical, the script sometimes lacks, and the specialeffects are not particularly out of this world. But that all reallydoesn't matter. It's a wonderful love story, with gorgeouscinematography and a killer soundtrack - I was crazy excited to hear"Cash Machine" playing for the first time in ages, and at such aperfect point in the film as well!My favourite scene is probably where our two leads are dancing throughthe fountains and falling hopelessly in love - I'm a total romantic,and this was perfect. They have so much chemistry, and the lightingwith the old buildings is so exquisite. I would love to give 10/10 butthe script really is a bit lacking, so I will settle for the 8. Grab abox of chocolates, sip on some red wine and enjoy!

jaimeenriquez

(2013-06-07 05:08:50)

A female werewolf falls in love and changes her destiny.

this movie was such a pleasant surprise. one of my concerns afterseeing it was I wish they would have had more funding for this movie torightfully produce it closer to the book as everyone has commented on.As someone who never read the book, I thought the movie was very goodand well told. Yeah some of the acting could have been better, some ofthe special effects could have been better and on and on, but theactually story gripped me and I followed it until the end of the moviewithout so much as a stir. I was happy for the wolf girl, happy for theboy who worshiped her and glad that in the end if you follow your heartlike the main character did. A 'new age of hope' can carve it's waythroughout our lives and affect others like hers did. I loved the factthat she was a wolf girl who was spoken for and resented the idea thatshe was and did not like the idea of being one of many wives to justone male. I liked the fact that human male who did fall in love withher, was a character that worshiped her like a goddess which I believeis what she wanted from a mate. Even though this flick was aboutwerewolves it really was about how love prevails. I like movies likethat. But then again, I like most movies.

(2013-06-02 00:51:21)

Nothing like the Book!

I fell in love with the book when I was 12. The movie would have been good if I'd never read the book as this movie shouldn't even hold the same name. It is nothing like the book. I realized this before even seeing the movie from watching previews! The only thing that is the same are the names of the characters and that they are werewolves. Everything else, including where the events are happening, are completely different. If you've seen the book, don't watch it. If you haven't read the book, this movie is pretty good. I just can't stand it because its nothing like my beloved book. They ruined it.

FatMan-QaTFM

(2013-06-01 10:40:36)

Simple plot, complex characters

I had no expectations for this movie, considering it's a teen werewolfmovie. I was pleasantly surprised though by not only it having areasonable plot, but the main characters were very endearing. AgnesBruckner did a great job being torn and sad, but still in love, andHugh Dancy shows a lot of promise as a young actor, although his lastcredit was multiple Razzie nominee Basic Instinct 2. Both will havegreat careers ahead of them.There was a bit of difference in the traditional werewolf stories here.It definitely had the Underworld feel with the werewolves being veryclose knit, powerful group. They didn't morph into weird beasts, butinto wolves instead. That was a bit cheesy (blame the digital artists),but I guess it worked well as a concept.Negatives: A bit cheesy in parts, but this is a teen movie. Thesoundtrack was disappointing considering how much I liked theUnderworld: Evolution soundtrack and was expecting the same. From afellow movie watcher, it does not follow the book at all. Not evenclose. So if you've read the book, don't go in with high hopes."Simple plot, complex characters" has become my new criteria forwhether or not a story is enjoyable, and this fit the bill well. Idon't know if it was worth seeing in a theater, but worth a look athome.

Dragos Bujor

(2013-05-31 11:25:56)

Just a little add-on to some of the comments that i have read

First and first you have to do a little research if you don't want tolook like a complete ignorant when posting a comment here. For that guyin Antarctica i know you're far far away from Bucharest but it's amatter of geography when you say that there were lots of "Hungariannights" in the movie..since Bucharest is in Romania.People are willingto confuse this city with Budapest since they're too ignorant torecognize the differences in the spelling, but whatsoever that is inBulgary so you are wrong again. There was another post that bugged mewhen someone said that he was upset because the Romanian people werespeaking English, even between them.It's not our fault that this maylook awkward since the American speaking actors couldn't learn fewwords in Romanian, but in our country there are many English speakers,and lots of them who are actors.So before complaining about this aspecttry reconsidering your opinion.I didn't saw any good comments about thewhereabouts of this movie, the beauty of the city, of the chapels etcbut few by few i consider that this movie deserves a 5 because it wasshot here, in my country

(2013-05-30 20:24:15)

love this movie

This review is from: Blood & Chocolate (DVD) The supernatural has always appealed to me and I found this movie a long time ago but it was stolen so I replaced it.

(2013-05-26 02:52:04)

MORE FANTASY-LOVE STORY THAN HORROR

This is not as bad a movie as some have claimed ( though it hardly compares to AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, or even THE HOWLING ). It is a bit sappy at times, and occasionally devolves into soap opera, but on the whole, the acting is decent, the camera work is atmospheric enough, and the story could be much worse. The transformation scenes are about the least convincing aspect of the film, but the two hunt scenes are fun. There is also, unfortunately, very little horror in BLOOD & CHOCOLATE.

loveballet12

(2013-05-25 14:53:00)

Not Too Bad

Date: 14 July, 2012 -First Time Watch- So, it was my younger sister'sturn to pick a movie for our family to watch. I usually dread thissince she always picks really bad movies and I thought this movie wouldbe no exception. Since, it seems to me, most werewolf movies are madeon low budgets. Even though it was produced by the same people who did'Underworld', which is good, I still thought it wasn't going to be thatgood. Surprisingly, I found the movie decent. The storyline is notspectacular by any means, to me it seems like it's been done before,but it was still well done. Not exactly a must see if you ask me but itstill provided some decent entertainment.6/10

(2013-05-22 02:15:31)

Book and Movie Don't Mesh

Have you ever read a book that you LOVE and then they turn it into a movie that just doesn't seem to match? That's what they did with Blood and Chocolate. The movie ruined the book, and that's all there is to it. I LOVED the book, and I had read it more than one time before I had heard that it was being turned into a movie. I was really excited, but then tonight I actually saw the movie.At the end, for the last 5 minutes, my eyes were open REALLY wide and my mouth was wide open because I couldn't believe what was happening. The ending was almost the complete opposite of the ending in the book...which I happened to like. If you like the book, don't see the movie.If you've seen the movie, read the book and then yell at the movie for being so different.

(2013-05-21 21:26:02)

TO SWEET TO BE SCARY!

i guess in an overall look at the movie it was good. had a few flaws and dislikes of mine, but minor details. the acting was very well done, as was the story of the wolves and the story of the love found. i liked most of it. oliver martinez dominated in this film. he wasn't the main character, but he had no errors, and made no mistakes. great actor, and beautifull accent. the leader of the pack, where they must all abide by their rules, and when vivian can't help but break them because she falls in love all hell breaks loose. what life will she choose. what man will win her love. is loyalty stronger than love. the fighting scenes on here are good ones, and when the chase is on it's very intense. it's the transformation from man to wolf that was a bit off for me. i expected them to be different looking, not normal wolves. there should have been a deeper story, a more of a challenge. overall okay, and i would recommend you give it a glance or two.

(2013-05-20 07:56:11)

Way, Way Off

I usually try to appreciate films based on books for their own merits. This film is visually appealing, but as I absolutely love the original story, I truly cannot overcome my horror at how badly the story was butchered to make this into a film. I don't even know WHY it was butchered so badly, as it certainly doesn't improve the story, which was fine as it was. Agnes Bruckner is good in the role of Vivian, as are the actors who portray the Five; aside from Rafe's penchant for the occasional murder in the film, these six characters maintain their essence in the adaptation, though no other character does. In the novel Gabriel is sexy, strong, and cool, not hateful and perverted. He is not Rafe's father, and he does not switch mates every seven years.Anyway, I was terribly disappointed with this film because I believe a film based more on the original novel would have been MUCH, MUCH better.

(2013-05-19 12:32:20)

Many Directions

Director Katja von Garnier directed "Iron Jawed Angels," an HBO movie about suffragettes lobbying for the right to vote in the United States starring Hillary Swank that was excellent. Her first film "Bandits" starred Katja Riemann who plays Astrid in "Blood & Chocolate." This film has a great gothic look, but perhaps doesn't build dynamically enough to the final climax, although Aiden's chase sequence is excellent.Ehren Kruger who wrote screenplays for the "Ring" movies & "Brothers Grimm" teams with Christopher Landon for this film. The screenwriting is probably the MOST controversial aspect of the film. We expect screenplays from books to sometimes telescope events, perhaps leaving out some scenes or even minor characters. Annette Curtis Klause's book had a strong following. So remaking Gabriel's character to have a darker aspect and eliminating Aiden's betrayal of Vivian radically changes the story, as does having Vivian's mother die and trying to blend all of her raising into Astrid's character. Probably, it would be a good idea NOT to let Kruger work on the final Harry Potter screenplay because fans of the book go crazy with as much dramatic license as Kruger has taken with "Blood & Chocolate."Agnes Bruckner plays Vivian Gandillon. Bruckner was nominated for Best Actress in the Independent Spirit awards for "Blue Car" in 2003. As Vivian, the audience never feels like they deeply identify with her. We get a TV-quality performance of a girl falling in love who has the complication of a crazy family. The fear factor and the seriousness of the consequences never play strongly. Her performance has more romance than horror, when both were needed. She looks very sweet as she works making chocolates. One of the DVD deleted scenes that is chilling has to do with a boy who comes into the shop. We think he's an ordinary customer until he casually comments that the "hunt" will be tonight.Former boxer Oliver Martinez, who made a big impression in 2002 in Unfaithful (Widescreen Edition) and was also in "Taking Lives" & "S.W.A.T.," plays the dark brooding leader of the pack. The film veers from the book where humans were not hunted to this limited-hunt version. Kata Dobo makes a stunning visual appearance as the bloodthirsty redheaded vampire at the hunts. One of the deleted scenes shows an unclad Martinez walking in the woods after he has switched back from his wolf form. Making the audience not like Gabriel is one of the contradictions that is hard for even a good-looking actor like Martinez to satisfy. How can you be charismatic enough to hold a pack together and romantic enough to earn Astrid's loving loyalty and also be a rather shallow jerk at the same time? Whether this is actor, director or screenwriter, it doesn't play well.Hugh Dancy plays the human artist Aiden Galvin. Dancy has been in "Black Hawk Down," played Galahad in King Arthur - The Director's Cut (Widescreen Edition) & was nominated for an Emmy for his work in "Elizabeth I." As the romantic lead, he probably is the most successful in the film. Yes, he becomes fearful when faced with Vivian's blood sucking relatives, but he comes across as a very nice guy that the audience roots for to win Vivian's heart.Bryan Dick's rooftop-hopping Rafe is pompous and repellant. As events unfold, the audience cheers his fate. Katja Riemann's Aunt Astrid is a complex nervous woman. She is in love and losing love at the same time. Riemann won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival for Rosenstrasse, a film about marriages between Jews & non-Jews during World War II. She is a nervous ball of energy in this movie, always moving in several directions at once. It is an excellent performance."Blood & Chocolate" works less well than its producers from "Underworld" might have hoped. The story goes in too many directions at once. It does have a great look. There is enough here to warrant an evening's viewing, then go find the book. Enjoy!

(2013-05-18 03:27:29)

filmed like eyecandy, but not the book

This review is from: Blood & Chocolate [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) having read and loved the book this was a complete and utter disappointment. The book being about a 16 year old girl coming of age and learning her feminine prowess, a process all girls go through if they are human or werewolf. This movie became the typical Hollywood girl meets boy story. finding myself so dismayed in the typical boring movie I have actually put it up for sale at amazon. I can say it was filmed with visual integrity, and my husband having not read the book was midily entertained.

(2013-05-17 19:33:23)

Excellent Film. Better Than Chocolate.

I watched this film with a modicum of hesitation because it is not really my genre. I was more than pleasantly surprised to enjoy what I consider the best cinematic offering for the year to date. It is a beautiful combination of a "Werewolf in London", the "Bourne Identity" and "Before Sunrise", with Romania providing an exquisite location for what essentially is a very poignant love story, and very tastefully executed, with finesse and class and Romance. The soundtrack is simply first rate, the acting is very capable, with the two very memorable and commanding leads, and the violence is the antithesis to gratuitous. An Avid and very astute reader stated that the film followed the book very well. However, you need not have read the book in order to find this film a truly well done film, with virtually nothing lacking, with the exception of more special features. As of late June, this is the best film of the year, in any genre. After seeing this film, Lace, Chocolate, Romania, the Colorado Rockies, not so much blood, will be all that more appreciated.

Darkanimetears

(2013-05-14 16:10:33)

This movie

So i haven't yet seen the movie but from what i saw in the trailer idon't care how well its made it is not worth my time to see. I've readthe book more times than i can count and i am in love with the book butthe directors ruined it they absolutely butchered it i can say nowdon't go see it its an abomination to the book, if you wanna see it,read the book don't see this horrid movie. On another note well thereis no other note, i mean in the book Vivian is in high school and meetsAiden there, hes a school mate, and Rafe, ulf and the other boys, saythat Viv is their cousin but really Rafe want her as does Gabriel butagain i haven't seen the movie so i don't know but from the trailer ican already tell it is not worth my time

monkius_stupidius

(2013-05-14 10:39:49)

Avoid at all costs

Never once have I seen a movie so drastically different from the book.The only things these two have in common are the name of each piece andsome character names.1. Aiden is a total tool in the book, not a over-glorified "graphicnovelist". He isn't courageous. He doesn't have any substantialfeelings for Vivian. From the film's perspective he comes off astotally hokey. Why would he care about some obviously disturbed youngwoman hanging out in closed churches? She obviously doesn't have athing for him (which later in the movie he asks her "Why didn't youmake me stop?" when she had made clear that she didn't want to talk tohim.) If werewolves were "hunting" me in Romania, I would flee thecountry as soon as possible, not hang around to be rescued by the girlI'm suddenly afraid of.2. Gabriel is tall, not old, and certainly not her uncle. His characteris very one-dimensional in the movie, where in the book he takes a moredeeper role. The accent the actor had was the only one in the moviethat actually seemed like it might have fitted in Romania, even asfaked as it seemed, whereas the rest of the cast either had misplacedBritish or American accents that the only reason I could draw from wasbecause they congregated in Romania from different areas. This fact notbeing presented in the movie, but only taken from my own desperateattempts to try and rationalize the movie.3. Who, with the exception of Goths, drinks absinthe? As a person thattraveled through Europe, the only bar or club I ever went to that hadabsinthe was a goth club in Leipzig and the only ones drinking it wereAmerican tourists.4. If they were at least to differ from the book, I had at least hopesthat they would maybe make the history believable. How can I say it,right...They had wolf-people in the stained glass in the cathedral! Anyhigh school student with the most brief of World History classes couldtell you that Europe went through a rather large movement that burnedwitches, werewolves, vampires, and the like. They did not revere themat all, especially not in churches. Heck, even the species of theEuropean Wolf was hunted to near extinction (even currently "criticallyendangered") because of this. In the movie they said that the humanskilled them but once in another scene they said that they had just"gone extinct" or something to that extent with no explanation. Theycould have at least blamed the plague and I would've been happier.5. The general character development of the entire movie was a sham.What a massacre of great characters. Someone earlier said that theydestroyed the message from the original book about knowing who you areand coming to terms with it. This movie completely compromised thatsince Vivian decided to run off with her "graphic novelist" and go to"the Age of Hope". Vivian had no depth other than "vague" and"defiant", for no apparent purpose. Apparently the makers of the moviedidn't even keep the author informed of the works in the movie and shehad to get all her info online.6. Why does everyone in this Romania speak English, even with otherRomanians, except for the one poor lady that worked in the chocolateshop? She must have a hard time getting around.Don't see this movie. Regardless of having read the book or not, its abad movie. It seems that the makers of Underworld couldn't sell theidea of Underworld 3, and so stole the name "Blood and Chocolate". Theytook vampire wars out of the picture, kept some of the names accurate,and the title to attract the book's previously established fan base tomake a quick buck.I'm going to go buy the book now, not the movie edition, and make sureI give some of my money to the real deal.

viviennecain

(2013-05-14 08:08:06)

Not like the book at all

The movie blood and chocolate is NOTHING like the book. The plot hastotally changed and whoever chose the cast needed to read the book.First the girl is not an introvert Aden is. Vivian was the one thatchased Aden. Her mother was to have survived and be the one afterGabriel. Astrid was the one that did all the murders along with Ralf anex of Vivian's. Gabriel is not old. He is old looking. And Aden DID NOTget Vivian in the end, Gabriel did. The title came from Viviancomparing kisses from Aden (sweet like chocolate) and Gabriel(deliciouslike blood). She picked blood because it promised more and heunderstood her more. That reminds me, Gabriel is not against humanslike in the movie. He just avoids intimacy with them because they hurthim in the past. Really the book is sooooooo much better than themovie. But if you want o see running, a dating montage, and a lot ofjumping. Then this is the movie to see.

georgebush

(2013-05-14 01:26:23)

better than expected

we went into this film because everything else at the theater seemedboring. The name blood and chocolate almost made me miss it. I expectedsome Spanish arty film with that name. IMDb writers said enough to makethe idea of seeing this film especially since most of the academy awardnominees seem like freak show films.The era of classic vampire and werewolf movies has been over for over20 years. Since than, we have seen a few, but those films were parodiesor desperately tried to be different. This film is more a throwback tothe old werewolf films. It is set in Bucharest, so the scenery isterrific. Nothing is too graphic. Many old classic, Gothic buildingsand rainy Romanian nights are shown. The special effects are good whenpeople turn into wolves, we see real wolves. The wolves are not thatscary unless they growl but the situations are tense at times. Silveris still the main protection against werewolves.The idea that the wolves hunt in packs add a new tense dimension towolf man movies.The 3 lead actors are fine. The first ten minutes with dance clubscenes seem as if this film may be a cheap sleazy type film but itquickly veers into a film with a story full of Eastern Europeanatmosphere. The major complaint by viewers seems to be that it was notlike the book. This was also the complaint for Eragon. For viewers whohad not read the book, this would not be a problem. This is not a filmthat pushes tolerance or some morality issues. It is just a werewolffilm and the werewolves are not entirely bad. The film obviously is nota major classic like the old Hammer American International films but itis worth a look! Is destiny or personal decisions the main point?Perhaps one says one thing but the evidence contradicts the statement.