Turok: Sone Of Stone, a 2008 animated movie, is based on a comic book. Western Publishing created the first comic in 1954 and that series ran 130 issues. In the 1990's Valiant Comics did their version and that ran about 50 issues. They changed up the story, and I sure didn't like it when I looked at them in the comic store when they were coming out. Valiant did a new version of Magnus Robot Fighter that I also didn't like. I thought it was real crap. Then Turok video games followed and they were pretty popular. I haven't seen or played the video game. I read the 50's Dell/Gold Key comics back when I was a kid and I have a couple or three up in the attic. I never collected them. In the original comic the story line has two pre-Columbian Native American's get trapped in a lost valley filled with dinosaurs and other crazy stuff. They have adventures as they try to find their way back home. The movie stab's it up a notch by killin' just about everyone who wonders into the picture. It's non-stop mayhem until the end. I shouldn't say 
non-stop, occasionally someone get knocked out, or they stop to bleed for a few moments. Heads roll and people get large pieces of wood thrust through their bodies. The people aren't animated very well at times, some of the animals look wooden and move awkwardly, and the backgrounds bother me. I didn't like the colors very much, and they seemed fuzzy for no reason. I didn't care for the story line much, but plenty of other blood thirsty savages did, it gets a 6.5 on the IMDb. If you like the gore level to be high then maybe this is for you. I thought the banishing of Turok and the whole revenge thing with the other tribe was kind of lame. Surviving in the land of the dinosaurs is more than enough story. Just not great story telling when all is said and done. I certainly don't need to see this over again. I'd re-read the comic if I had 'em. Dark Horse is reprinting the original comic series in hardcover but they are 50 bucks a pop, so I'm not rushing out to buy them, even at the $33 price tag on Amazon. There would be 22 volumes and that's a $726 investment. From the looks of it the comics are going to cost a lot more, though I see lots of them for sale on ebay at under 5 bucks each. Dilligence and time could get you a nice set of the original comics relatively cheap. Of course you could wait until some guys scan them all in and pass them about the internet. It could happen.
Horror of Dracula is a 1958 Hammer movie based on Dracula by Bram Stoker. It's called Dracula in England, the title was changed for the US market. I did read the book, more than 30 years ago, and haven't really wanted to go back and read it again. I doubt that I even have a copy anymore. Christopher Lee stars as Dracula, and boy, he sure isn't in the movie enough. He's a energetic vampire, taking those stair two steps at a time with a woman in his arms. He's also got a great screen presence. Sexier and more virile than the classic Dracula by Bela. Compared to the 1931 movie it's all very over the top. Peter Cushing is Van Helsing and he's running about tryin' to save everyone and 
occasionally stabbin' vampires. The Jonathan Harker character is now a vampire hunter and he's gone to see Dracula. He gets caught up in vampire madness and Van Helsing has to hammer a stake into him. The movie was one of several Dracula films that Hammer did. Joe had picked up a 4 pack of Hammer Dracula's for 10 bucks at Target. It's the same price on Amazon. The movie looks pretty darn good, perhaps this is the recently restored version, appearently there is one. Very colorful, no matter which version, and there are some great sets. I think I have seen some in other Hammer horror films. The horror fans dig it, a 7.7 over at the Imdb, and lot of web pages devoted to the movie. There are significant changes in the story from the book. Renfrew is dropped and the story is set in Romania and Germany. Probably so they can return to Dracula's castle and keep the set building down. It's not a great movie, some of the make up effects are pretty poor, but it's mostly entertaining. I was never a big Hammer fan but I have come to enjoy the odd one now and again. I have a feeling that the others in the 4 pack are not going to be as good. I'll let you know if I find out.
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