I went to check out Van Helsing Frday night. It was a decen movie, I guess, but I wasn't that impressed. Actually, I had to fight the temptation to leave in the first 20 minutes; there were just a few scenes that were ripe for parody. In particular, a scene where Dracula and his three wives watched as Dr. Frankenstein and his monster were presumably killed in a fire. The three wives were bunched together, crying, with their arms outstretched. It looked like acting, and direction, from a silent movie. It was kinda pretentious and pathetic. I think it somewhat redeemed itself in one of the battle scenes when one of the wives tossed a cow through a second floor church window. I guess flying cows are funny.

The castle was sufficiently gothic, so that was cool. But, overall, the movie was bloated. A better movie may have gotten me to reread Dracula and Frankenstein, but I think for the moment, I'll just keep them on the shelf.