Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

I decided to give this a go one slightly hung-over Saturday morning. I expected to be out by the first commercial break (and as this was on Chiller TV, that was due to be really, really early) but I found myself pleasantly surprised and quickly engaged by a charming, capable cast and first-rate direction.The entire cast handled well the delicate balance of playing out an absurd premise with relatively straight faces, but you could tell they were having a good time. Ralph Macchio and Jeremy Sisto were a lot of fun in their smaller roles, but the leads were truly standouts. Jake Hoffman and Kris Lemche both have great timing and an easy charm while Devon Aoki, well, let's just say that when her boyfriend tells her that she's beautiful, he ain't lyin'.As Horace the Vampire, John Ventimiglia stole every scene he was in, and I'm embarrassed to say that this 'Sopranos' fan had no idea that it was Artie Bucco who was chewing up the scenery.Some of this brought to mind 'Repo Man' (and from me that's no small compliment)and while not a classic of that magnitude this was a lot of fun to watch. When I see it on the supermarket rack I'm gonna buy it because I look forward to seeing it again, sans commercials. I also see that writer/director Galland worked again a few years later with Ventimiglia, Lemche and quite a few others from this cast in 'Alter Egos'. I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.

The plot: A vampire infiltrates the off-Broadway community, intending to feed on the cast and crew, after putting on his avant-garde re-interpretation of Hamlet.When I saw the title, I figured this was going to be an unwatchable mess. Still, since I'm such a huge fan of Stoppard's play, I figured that I'd give it a chance. Hell, I've watched more Troma movies than anyone I know, so it's not like I have any right to say that I have standards.I steeled myself for lame theater puns and ironic references to the Stoppard play, but I was actually quite surprised. Yes, there are lame theater puns and a couple references to the Stoppard play, but this is more properly a parody of Hamlet and Dracula. Depending on your tolerance for unsophisticated humor, you may even find it funny. It's not really all that witty or intelligent, but it's stupid and wacky enough to be mildly amusing, much like Troma movies.6/10 might be a bit generous, but, for those us out there who are very easily amused, I think you could do worse.

ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE UNFUNNY. Despite a clever concept and one or two witty moments, the film (which deals with vampires, not zombies) isn't all that amusing. The good news is that the film is well produced with good production values all around. Bit parts are filled out by the likes of Ralph Maccio, Jeremy Sisto and Chip Zien (the Baker from Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS). But in place of comic bite, R&G delivers a muddled plot that wouldn't be feasible to the least lively corpse. I found it amusing that the lead character Julian Marsh shares his name with the lead character in 42nd STREET, the ultimate show-biz flick. But is this cleverness, or mere coincidence? I'm not sure - and therein lies 'the rub'.

I sometimes wonder if I am watching the same film as some of the major reviewers. Reuters,The NY Times,and many others have slammed this delightful indie film that is finally getting a release(it was shot in 2007).The quirky horror comedy with a NY Off-Off Broadway Theatre backdrop held my attention from the moment it started and when it was over I wanted to watch it again! The "True" story of HAMLET is finally to be told, and it involves vampires(having seen so many groups try to update/improve Shakespeare, by placing JULIUS CAESAR in space for example, the idea of a group having a bloodsucking Gloomy Dane seemed less far fetched to me!).The cast is wonderful (kudos Hoffman,Ventimiglia,Zien,and Lemche ), the jokes actually work, and the technical aspects are slick but not overly flashy (no quick cuts to make the film seem more exciting than it is ). As a working union actor and a long time horror fan(including working on SCARLET THE FILM MAGAZINE),I think I can offer an informed opinion to how well the film works as a satire on theatre and the ever-growing fright genre. Recommended to anyone who likes quirky original well acted cinema.