As Good As It Gets

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The most important thing to know about this film is that it really only gets going in the third act, both in terms of comedy and gore/violence. Before that there are some jokes and some blood but for the most part it is pretty tame and lame, although the story and characters remain solid throughout.As a movie it is definitely entertaining, it does threaten to turn into a cliché, especially in terms of the love interest having no redeemable features since they are used to garner sympathy for the main. However in the end that doesn't happen and the film is actually pretty refreshing in how it handles things in terms of plot and overall resolution. Although the end does feel a bit rushed, but not enough to mar the whole experience.Overall there is a lot more to like about this movie than dislike. It's unfortunate that most of the real laughs come two-thirds into the runtime, but as a whole the movie works and you could almost see it as a parallel for the breaking free of a corporate environment: things start off pretty generic and orderly and then gradually become more and more off-the-wall and original. I'm not sure if that's what the film-maker was going for but that's how it plays out; the first half is the dry tinder that fuels the fire of the second, so give it a chance and let it have room to breathe.

Meh! I didn't hate this movie but nowhere in the movie I burst out laughing or thought "wow that was a good one" when it came to dialogs or action.And this movie really tries VERY hard to be funny and clever. I enjoyed it but in the end, the vampires are generic, action is boring, protagonist is boring and so is the main villain. I guess the only interesting characters were the side characters.. but not that much.I liked the bloody kills, they were funny, but everything else during action was boring. Vampires themselves are the generic types you see in average vampire shows like Buffy or Angel. Nothing new going on with vampire lore, definitely nothing new going on with the office setting.In the end, it isn't a bad movie. I wasn't bored. I just wasn't entertained enough.

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)Rating: 4/5 starsHaven't we all become bloodsucking drones, clocking in countless hours of work to achieve that next (meaningless) goal just to keep the numbers crunching and dollars flowing (most of which the average worker won't see)? The horror of "Bloodsucking Bastards" is not found through vampire bites, but in stinging corporate satire that seems too smart for a horror comedy, and too damn real.Written by the L.A. comedy troupe Dr. God, "Bloodsucking Bastards" follows a struggling sales department in desperate need of revitalization. Evan (Fran Kranz) has hopes of one day removing the "Acting" from his "Acting Sales Manager" title, but his boss Ted (Joel Murray) appears to have other plans. Ted announces that Evan's college rival, Max (Pedro Pascal), will be overhauling the department in order to achieve new levels of success. Max is confident, slick, intelligent, and perfect for the job, but when the company's biggest slackers start disappearing or abandoning their mediocre ways for a more cutthroat approach to telesales, Evan believes something sinister is afoot. Like, everyone-in-the-office- is-a-vampire level of sinister.What we have here is a total package – laughs, chills, gore, and personality. The settings don't reach farther than an office supply closet, the sales floor, a file storage room, and the building's parking garage, but location restrictions mean nothing when working off of a tightly written screenplay. Quality is quality no matter what your budget is, as the (viscera-soiled) cream always rises to the top!The first act of "Bloodsucking Bastards" is a bit like a more grounded episode of "Workaholics", but as the vampire theme starts to slowly creep in, comedic elements don't wane in response. Action sequences are balanced dutifully with hilarious nods to anything you might learn in Management 101, like Max explaining to a vampire underling that it's important not to micromanage your employees while his vampiric workers are locked in a gooey battle with Evan and his team. It's a bit of horror comedy that would make Mike Judge ("Office Space", "Beavis and Butt-Head") blush, and it never backs down from keeping an ongoing connection between business ethics and ghoulish monsters.More importantly, "Bloodsucking Bastards" doesn't skimp on any of the bloodsucking…or bastardization. You'll be happy to know that Evan is forced to fight his way through now-turned former employees alongside his crush, Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick), and buddy, Tim (Joey Kern), but you'll be even happier knowing that each vampire explodes upon death with their blood splattering all over.As expected, many office tools are utilized when dispatching each vampire, from paper cutters to fire extinguishers, and never once does the bloodshed feel repetitive or mundane. As the action gears up, and the supply closet is raided for vampire-hunting gear, the film sinks its teeth into toxic elements of office culture, such as the trampling of individuality in favor of productivity, or simply how no one ever bothers to learn the janitor's name. Director Brian James O'Connell showcases the ability to make such a small film feel immensely bigger in scope, turning a no-frills office setting into your cleaning lady's worst nightmare. Horror fans are not ignored for cheap laughs, proving that Dr. God respects all their audiences equally.The trio of Fran Kranz, Emma Fitzpatrick, and Joey Kern are the glue that binds the film, but so many supporting talents ensure this collection of workers provides steady entertainment whether they're killing time or killing each other. Justin Ware and Michael Hughes embody every workplace's archetypal slackers, playing video games instead of crushing sales calls, but Joey Kern is their hilarious slacker lord.If there's one scene-stealer to point out, it obviously involves Kern, who couldn't be bothered by the vampire outbreak spreading around him. His lazy acceptance of this horrifying scenario is a special brand of comedy, transcending the levels of "fucks given" into a land well beyond "zero" – all he cares about is clocking out at 5:00 p.m. and blacking out at Kelly Clarkson concerts. If that's not a comment on how mind-numbingly complacent we've become while manning empty, unfulfilling duties, I don't know what is.While you'll probably be too busy laughing hysterically or cringing at each gross vampire explosion, there are plenty of other hidden treats throughout this sublime horror comedy worth catching a glimpse of. Do yourself a favor and take a look at the extra office workers who fill cubicles next to the main characters. I'm not telling you WHAT to look for, but I promise you'll get a few extra laughs given a keen, observant eye. These Dr. God cats thought of everything, and enhance the most mundane moments when you least expect it.Vampires are back, people. They might not be scaring us around every turn, but with movies like "What We Do In The Shadows" and "Bloodsucking Bastards", I'll take having fanged comedians over the young-adult-fantasy versions tweens dream about. Add in an office setting, because someone finally connected stereotypical, bloodsucking, upper corporate hierarchy with actual bloodsuckers, and you've got a pretty damn funny horror flick. Work sucks, but Dr. God elevates that statement to gleefully vicious levels of genre- smashing beauty.

In the same vein as horror comedies such as Shaun of the Dead, Bloodsucking Bastards tries to deliver laughs and scares but unfortunately fails to bring either to the table.From the beginning you can see exactly what the movie is trying to achieve. An overworked underdog is put into a situation where he has to overcome monsters, get the girl, and avoid impending death. This much is readily Apparent in the trailer and is an easy enough story line to follow for a fun B movie. Unfortunately... you have to care about the characters to actually pull off that story line.The comedic timing is off, and many of the characters are extremely unlikable, which can work in some cases, but in this case just doesn't due to the poor character development and the timing of the jokes.I would say, stream this if you're bored, but don't plan a night around it or buy it.