Connect with us

Entertainment

Netflix’s Sexiest ‘90s Thriller Makes Keanu Reeves Face Off Against Batman's Best Actor

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published

If we’re being honest, the quintessential problem with most vampire movies is that filmmakers don’t understand these captivating creatures, and they deliver a film that focuses on nothing but blood and gore. Vampires, however, are meant to be the embodiment of seductive evil, and their onscreen appearances should oscillate between terrifying and mesmerizing. Perhaps the one director who truly understands this is legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, whose sexy, iconic ‘90s masterpiece Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) is now streaming on Netflix.

The plot of Bram Stoker’s Dracula should be pretty familiar to any horror fan worth their fangs: it all begins when a young solicitor is given the job of finding a new home for the mysterious Count Dracula. But the bloodsucking fiend sets his sights on the young man’s fiancée, believing her to be the reincarnation of his own, long-deceased wife. The fiend’s obsession with her threatens to tear these young lovers apart, and his subsequent rampage may take all of London along with their relationship.

A Cast Of Hollywood’s Leading Lights

The cast of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is stacked with big names, including ‘80s icons Winona Ryder (best known for Little Women) and Keanu Reeves (best known for The Matrix). The film also stars Anthony Hopkins (best known for The Silence of the Lambs) and Cary Elwes (best known for The Princess Bride). In a truly inspired twist, the movie even features musical legend Tom Waits as Renfield, Dracula’s memorably maniacal servant.

But nobody is acting harder here than Gary Oldman (best known for The Dark Knight), who effectively plays several different incarnations of Count Dracula. We see him as a younger man forsaking God to become the embodiment of evil, and we see him as an older ghoul who needs to leech off the life force of others. We even see him as a dapper stud stalking the streets of 19th-century London, effortlessly reminding everyone of just how seductive evil can truly be.

It Was A Monster Smash

The outsized budget of $40 million showed just how serious Francis Ford Coppola was about creating a horror movie like nothing Hollywood had seen before. Fortunately, the film more than paid for itself: Bram Stoker’s Dracula ended up taking home $225.9 million, making it a truly monstrous hit. On top of its commercial success, Coppola’s success also managed to impress the critics, which is even more notable when you consider how much professional reviewers typically hate the spooky genre (at least, until “elevated” horror gave them a palatable excuse for highly ranking such films).

When Bram Stoker’s Dracula came out, it quickly sank its teeth into movie reviewers clamoring for a new take on the vampire genre. It has a 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the singular performances from Gary Oldman and other talented performers. More broadly, they also commended director Francis Ford Coppola for rescuing these iconic characters from campy, dusty interpretations by modernizing the aging Dracula tale and making it sleeker, sexier, and more stylish than ever before.

An Oscar-Winning Fright

Like its titular villain sweeping through London, Bram Stoker’s Dracula swept the Academy Awards, ultimately taking home three different Oscars. This included the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing, Best Makeup, and Best Costume Design. It was also nominated for Best Art Direction, but it lost out on that particular award to Howards End

To this day, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a singular cinematic achievement, one that never quite settles into a single genre. Sure, it functions perfectly well as a horror movie, and these lavish, scary visuals are sure to haunt you to the end of your days. But the movie also works as an unpredictably monstrous romance, one that is sure to have you sympathizing with its titular vampire long before the credits roll.

Speaking of lavish visuals, Francis Ford Coppola infuses almost every scene with over-the-top aesthetics that will leave you asking, “how did he do that?” again and again. From quiet scenes of a speeding train to the loud grandeur of the count unleashed, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the most visually sumptuous horror movie you are ever likely to see. Even if you start zoning out (hey, the Keanu Reeves dialogue will do that to you!), it’s undeniably difficult to tear your eyes away from a film that looks this freakin’ good. 

Dracula: Dead And Loving It

It’s not the best vampire film ever made; that honor still belongs to the 1931 Dracula, in which Bella Lugosi ushered horror fans into an unforgettable age of monsters. But Bram Stoker’s Dracula is definitely the most iconic film featuring everyone’s favorite bloodsucker, and it provides unforgettable chills and undeniable thrills from beginning to end. If nothing else, Coppola deserves credit for updating and elevating a genre that long felt like it had a stake in its heart. 

Will you agree that Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a bloody good time, or would you like to see this stylish, supernatural romp burn up in the sunlight? You won’t know until you find your remote (you left it next to the stake, remember?) and stream it for yourself on Netflix. Even if you’re not all that scared of Gary Oldman’s Dracula, you may find yourself chilled to the bone by the scariest part of the entire movie: Keanu Reeves’ accent! 


source

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on March 22

After several nights of near darkness, the Moon is finally illuminated enough that keen sky gazers can start to spot some features on the surface again. Keep reading to find out what you may be able to see tonight.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Sunday, March 22, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 14% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.

Tonight marks the return of enough of the Moon’s surface to see some exciting features. For example, without any visual aids NASA tells us you can spot the Mare Fecunditatis and the Mare Crisium. These are situated on the middle right of the moon, or middle left if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.

With binoculars or a telescope, you’ll see these and also the Edymion Crater, positioned at the top right, or bottom left.

When is the next Full Moon?

In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.

What are Moon phases?

NASA says the Moon takes about 29.5 days to orbit Earth, going through eight different phases. We always see the same side, but the Sun lights up different portions as it moves, which is why it can look full, half, or just a thin sliver. These changing shapes are called the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:

New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

source

Continue Reading

Entertainment

This $430 MacBook Pro deal wont stick around for long — act fast to save

TL;DR: Get a near-mint Apple MacBook Pro (2020) for $429.97 (reg. $1,999) — featuring a Retina display, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD while stock lasts.


$429.97

$1,999
Save $1,569.03

 

MacBook Pros are known for their performance and build quality, but they’re also known for their price tags. That’s why refurbished deals can be worth paying attention to, especially when they involve higher-end models.

Right now, a near-mint Apple MacBook Pro (2020) is available for $429.97 (reg. $1,999) for a limited time. With Grade A refurbished condition, it arrives in like-new condition, while delivering the same performance the MacBook Pro line is known for.

Key features:

  • 2GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz

  • 16GB RAM for smooth multitasking and demanding workloads

  • 1TB SSD storage for fast performance and plenty of space

  • 13.3″ Retina display (2560×1600) with Apple’s True Tone technology

  • Intel Iris Plus Graphics for creative work and streaming

  • Touch Bar for shortcuts

  • Touch ID fingerprint login

  • Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports

  • Up to 10 hours of battery life for working on the go

  • Optimized for the latest macOS

If you’ve been waiting for a reasonably priced MacBook Pro, this refurbished 2020 model is on sale for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999) while stock lasts.

Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

source

Continue Reading

Entertainment

6 AdultFriendFinder features other hookup sites lack

For 30 years now, AdultFriendFinder has quietly positioned itself as the internet’s premier adult dating site and a go-to destination for singles chasing casual flings and hookups. Their success hasn’t been an accident. They’ve stayed on top of the game, and even survived the emergence of dating apps, by forging a unique identity to help them stand out in an incredibly crowded and competitive field. 

If you’re looking to let your freak flag fly, AFF offers you the greatest variety of ways to do it — here are six features AdultFriendFinder has that you won’t find on any other dating site.

Credit: AdultFriendFinder

Naked content

One of the first things you’ll discover after creating an AFF account is that the site doesn’t shy away from hosting nudity, nor is it hard to come by. In fact, it’s extremely common for people’s profile photos to contain genitalia or full-frontal nudity rather than the typical headshot you’re likely to find on most other dating sites. 

Hookup apps for everyone


AdultFriendFinder


readers’ pick for casual connections


Tinder


top pick for finding hookups


Hinge


popular choice for regular meetups

The nudity isn’t confined to photos, either. You can host videos on your profile, including explicit videos, and there are webcam feeds live at any given time that feature amateur and professional models in various states of undress. 

If you find yourself distracted by all of the nudity or just want to browse the site in public without getting arrested, you can turn on the adult content filter by navigating to your profile settings in the top right of the screen, scrolling down to Content Filter and then selecting either No Nudity, Some Nudity or Everything (the default setting, naturally).

Live webcam feeds

There’s certainly no shortage of webcam sites on the internet, but it’s rare to find a dating site that hosts live webcam feeds, not only of professional models but also of regular men and women looking for connection. 

Navigate to the Live Action menu at the top of your AFF window and choose between either Member Webcams or Pro Models. Once you’ve made this choice, you’ll be able to create even more specific search filters, including by gender (Men, Women or Trans), Nude or Non-Nude, and even by proximity to you.

One thing to note, however: while free members can view webcam feeds (including more than one at a time), only Gold members and above can actually chat with models.

Discussion forums, blogs, and group chats

Unlike traditional dating sites, which only seek to match people in one-on-one interactions, AdultFriendFinder encourages group dynamics, especially in their Community section. Here you’ll find not only personal blog posts by AFF users commenting on their experience, sharing stories or posting queries, but also group discussion boards organized around literally hundreds of interesting topics. 

Many of these are sexual in nature (there’s a polyamory group, for example, and a “women who like older men” group), but many are organized around interests and hobbies, including politics, tech, travel, movies and music. 

Best of all, you can participate in these communal discussions without having to subscribe to AFF’s Gold membership, which helps to keep these places more lively than they would otherwise be if only paying members could access these spaces. 

Erotic stories

Fun fact: erotic fiction now accounts for approximately 25 percent of all fiction sold in the United States, so it’s hardly surprising that erotic writing (“literotica” for those in the know) would be a major draw. What is surprising, however, is how few online dating sites take advantage of it.

AdultFriendFinder members who wish to read or write sexy stories, real or imagined, can navigate to the Community menu and select Stories, where they’ll uncover a near-unlimited array of stories, novels, fan fiction and even erotic poetry. 

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can explore the stories at random, but AFF also deploys a clever tagging system that allows you to search by topic, with popular options including First Time, Sci-Fi, TSTV (trans and transvestite), and Voyeur. 

Popular stories achieve higher ratings and greater on-site visibility, and popular authors can actually build a large following on the site, so whether you’re eager to read more erotic fiction or aspire to write some, AFF has you covered. 

Contests

One of the more fun aspects of AdultFriendFinder is that it genuinely seeks to cultivate a sense of community and actively encourages its users to spend more time on the site, especially in the public-facing sections. Their on-site contests are a fantastic example of this in action. 

About once a month, the site hosts a themed photo contest, asking members to submit photos and then allowing the rest of the site to vote on which submissions best reflect or embody the contest caption. 

The most recent photo contest theme was “Velvet Secrets: Valentine’s Masquerade,” while prior contests include “Naughty & Nice” for the holidays and “Midnight Mischief.” Winners get a special badge they can display on their profile, as well as tons more profile visibility, so there’s a strong incentive to participate. 

To enter, scroll to the Community menu and then find Contests at the very bottom of the options list. If there’s an active contest and you are logged in to your account, you’ll be given the option of participating.

Kink-based profile search

Every online dating site or app has a profile section, where you can fill out pertinent personal information such as your sexual orientation, level of education, and whatever hobbies, interests or special skills you have that might make you stand out from the crowd, but AdultFriendFinder takes things a step further by offering members the opportunity to list their kinks.

If you navigate to your profile name in the top right of your AFF screen and then select Dating Profile and Edit Profile, you’ll have the opportunity to add to your My Kinks section. Popular options here include BDSM, voyeurism and cross dressing, but the full list is far more extensive.

Best of all, these kink lists aren’t merely decorative. If you have a premium account, you can actually search out other members by their chosen kinks, allowing you to find the people in your area who like exhibitionism or have a foot fetish, for example. 

There’s no shortage of online dating sites, and even no shortage of hookup-first sites, but when it comes to adult dating, AFF clearly separates itself from the competition with its wide array of kink-friendly features and accommodations. 

source

Continue Reading