The Movie: Blood and Chocolate, directed by Katja von Garnier
Recommendation: Broomie.
Reason: It looked to be a really bad werewolf movie.
Well, that's exactly what it was. The werewolf subgenre doesn't have a lot of good movies associated with it...in fact, I think I can count six (Ginger Snaps 1-3, Wolfen, An American Werewolf in London and The Howling 1). There are a few key factors in making a werewolf movie work, and like so many others, Blood and Chocolate didn't quite make it.
The single most important factor, in my not-so-humble opinion, is the plot. Aside from the usual concerns like 'making sense' and 'not being boring' (Blood and Chocolate failed those points), werewolf plots that deal with a certain narrow range of themes tend to work the best. The horror of transformation (Ginger Snaps) and the fear of the wild (Wolfen) are really the best to play with, because the werewolf as a monster opens up so many new and interesting doors when applied to those scenarios. Though Blood and Chocolate touches on both, it instead decided to be a fuzzy version of Romeo and Juliet, right down to a visit to the apothecary. This could be a personal preference, but I imagine a werewolf romance would have to be handled...differently. These are very visceral creatures, judging by the myths surrounding them. If you want a werewolf 'romance', for lack of a better word, Ginger Snaps 2 should provide you with everything you're looking for.
The second most important consideration for a good werewolf movie is special effects. Transformations are a crucial part of understanding the monster, really getting a feel for the creature's state of being. Whether the werewolf is intentionally malicious or under control, we like to see how it gets there. American Werewolf in London has the best, hardest to watch transformation sequence I've seen yet. Blood and Chocolate had...really bad special effects. I understand how expensive prosthetics or transformation sequences would have been, given the number of werewolves in the movie, but I'm certain a better choice could have been made. The monster itself is another thing many werewolf movies have to consider-like Wolfen, Blood and Chocolate's werewolves transform fully into wolves, probably a good idea considering the subject matter.
Lastly we come to the usual suspects, the things everyone wants to see in a good movie. The acting in Blood and Chocolate was alternately flat and overwrought, the effects...well, see above. The set was gorgeous, but eastern europe generally is. The story was confusing and a little dumb. This just wasn't a very good movie.
-143/365 down, 222/365 to go
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