Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Vampires in Havana (1985)

The premise sounded intriguing (animated Cuban film about vampires battling over a serem that allows vamps to walk in sunlight), but I didn't expect to get a frickin' masterpiece. Clever, witty, rude and lively, and with some great music too. I'm sure there's allegorical significance if you care to look for it, but when a film is as wholly entertaining as this one, such deconstruction is unnecessary. Only thing to complain about is the primitive quality of the animation; even so, the art itself is stylized and charming enough to compensate for the less-than-fluid motion. Animation buffs, take notice -- this one's a keeper. Well worth digging up.

Grade: A