The Big Picture – Vampires & Greek Gods

In this Australian-American production a virus has turned the vast majority of earth’s population into vampires. Normal humans are farmed Matrix-like for their blood, but rudimentary mathematics indicates a catastrophic supply shortage is on the way. A vampire chemist played by Ethan Hawke runs into a band of free humans who have discovered a cure for vampirism. It’s not long before he has to pit himself against an undead tycoon determined to preserve the commercial advantage of controlling the last blood supplies. The current teen fascination with pointy teeth is likely to draw lots of attention to what is actually a very violent, gore-focused film. But underneath the blood is humanity’s enduring fear of death and the lengths we will go to in order to attain eternal life.
WARNING: Strong violence, partial nudity, coarse language.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
RATING:  G
DISTRIBUTOR: Fox
RELEASE DATE: February 11

A late children’s release just as Australia’s kids troop back to school, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is the cinematic version of a popular book by author Rick Riordan, the first in Riordan’s best-selling book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. A young boy discovers that his father is Poseidon and this revelation plunges him into the world of the Greek gods. He stands accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt even as his mother disappears. Percy must help Zeus regain his lost lightning bolt or face the wrath of the Gods of Olympus. As fun as this film is the ultimate result is to reduce the concept of god to a page from a fairy tale. They may be all-powerful but they end up with less than human status – after all, they need a boy’s help! As well, the Greek deities that make it on to the screen show all the peevishness and temper of particularly faulted humans. Be prepared to do a fair bit of cleaning up if you want your children to understand the differences between an ancient Greek god and our ancient Christian God.