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Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I'll skip the review of the regular stuff and jump right to what makes this movie unique. First off, we get a parade of cameos from legendary alt-rockers We have Alice Cooper as the headmaster vampire (not far from his real life persona), Iggy Pop as a hopelessly old school studio engineer, Henry Rollins as a hilarious loud mouthed DJ, Alex Lifeson (guitarist extraordinaire for Rush) as a creepy border crossing guard, Carole Pope (80s punk icon) as a club bouncer, Moby as an arrogant rival band singer, and who knows, probably a few more I missed."Suck" relies on these cameos to give the audience a little wink. So if you're unfamiliar with these people, you might miss out. It's never too late to look them up on youtube though. There are other little inside jokes too; for example, there are a number of visual homages to famous album covers (if nothing else, you'll recognize Abbey Road). Digging deeper, there are funny ironies such as Moby playing a character named "Beef" whose gimmick is to play with raw meat on stage. In real life, Moby is a strict vegan... and it's hilariously obvious that the "raw meat" is nothing more than some strips of rubber with red food dye.A lot of this stuff comes at you fast, and even the most hardcore fans will probably miss a few gags. So don't worry if you have to watch the movie multiple times.OK, all that aside, the story itself is pretty basic but with an interesting metaphorical spin to it. As other reviewers have pointed out, it's not a movie about vampires as much as it's about the vices of success... whether we're talking about drugs, glamour, or "selling out". How far will a struggling musician go to win fame? And at what cost? That's basically the only serious part of the film, and the rest is totally tongue-in-cheek. Don't expect realism. In its place expect absurdist humor (such as the fact that nobody gets caught for murdering people in the open, or live on national radio). Again, this may be a metaphor for the fact that many famous musicians never got caught for their extravagant drug habits even though they flaunted it in public. With that in mind, "Suck" becomes a biting satire of not just the fame-seeking rock stars, but also of the mindless fans who will condone and glorify anything.I saved one of the best performances for last. Malcom McDowell plays an ominous character with a fetish for flashlights. He brings his usual larger-than-life presence to the screen but with a nice comedic air. Check out the outtakes on the DVD and you'll see that he had a great time playing the part.Even if you have no idea who some of these famous cult musicians are, you'll still find the movie entertaining, funny & interesting from start to finish. Similar films include the Australian flick "Garage Days" by Alex Proyas, "Thunderstruck" (about a bunch of AC/DC obsessed fans), and on the more serious side, "Sympathy for Delicious" which tells a great rock'n'roll metaphor.But like I said up front, this film's power lies in its ability to connect with "cult audiences" using cameo appearances to create quirky characters. In that respect I'd compare it to "Coffee and Cigarettes" by Jim Jarmusch (featuring Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, The White Stripes, etc). If you recognize at least 50% of the people I've mentioned, then don't hesitate to see this flick.

...and, pretty much, "It does," despite its probable best of intentions. Writer/director/co-star, Rob "Phil the Alien" Stefaniuk, has simply bitten off far more than he or his co-star, Jessica "Wicker Park" Paré , are able to chew, let alone digest. Despite the presence of rock'n'roll notables like Alice Cooper (and daughter, Calico), Iggy Pop, Carole (Rough Trade) Pope, Henry Rollins, Moby, Alex Lifeson, and comedian, Dave "The Kids in the Hall" Foley, along with yet another paycheck-grabbing appearance by Malcolm "Cat People" McDowell, this purported rock'n'roll horror comedy is virtually bereft of horror, sadly emasculated vis-a-vis rock'n'roll (most of the music is lame in the extreme), and at best mediocre in terms of comedy. Mr. Stefaniuk is a likable enough whitebread lead, and Ms. Paré shows promise; in fact, I don't particularly fault the acting at all. It's the script & storytelling that fall flat on their face. The album cover homages are mildly amusing, the lampooning of Coppola's "Dracula" is briefly quaint, but the piece in its entirety lacks focus and tension. It feels like loosely linked skits and bits, utterly unsatisfying. Back to the drawing board, Mr. S. Putting a bunch of "names" into your cast does not a movie make.I've actually rated this a point lower than it likely deserves, mostly because it seemingly promised so much and failed to deliver. I'll make special mention of the horrendous casting of the ostensible "bad guy," whose coiffure totally destroys any sense of menace or majesty he is otherwise meant to convey. Late-night boredom viewing only, and preferably as cheaply as possible.

For those not into the Twilight genre of pretend vampire movies, this is an interesting film from Canada.The band sucks, and so does someone else. The second sucking will cure the first.Rock legends Alice Cooper, Moby, and Iggy Pop contribute to the fun, which also includes cartoon scenes interspersed throughout.And, what would be a vampire movie without Van Helsing. Malcolm McDowell fills that role splendidly. More yucks than gore. So, it is really a very soft R, almost a PG-13. Put drugs in a film and it overrides everything else.

Candy-colored(particular emphasis on blood red)cinematography and a bang up cast highlight this vampire satire on the travails of an ailing Canadian rock band, struggling still after ten years on the road, rejuvenated when one among them is turned into a bloodsucker after a gig one night.Joey's base guitarist(and ex-girlfriend), Jennifer(Jessica Paré), decides to accompany a "queen vampire" to a party which is essentially a gathering of the undead, decadently attired as if from the Victorian period. When Jennifer returns a vamp, the band's stage show actually attracts a fervent following, word of mouth about them spreading across the internet like a firestorm.Well, soon members of the band(Paul Anthony and Mike Lobel)coerce Jennifer into turning them into vampires as well hurling Joey(Rob Stefaniuk, the writer, director, and star who also wrote most of the music!)into a crisis as numerous victims start turning up while on their road tour to New York City for the "big show", supposedly to contain "movers and shakers" who might can finally give them some much needed success.Alice Cooper(as a vampire bartender who attempts to convince Joey that vampirism is the way to go), Iggy Pop(as a tired former rocker, whose studio Joey uses to record Jennifer's new song she has written, warning of the dangers to come for this band), Henry Rollins(as an insulting, loud-mouthed, self-absorbed DJ who speaks of himself in the Third person and belittles bands who enter his radio station paying the price for his rudeness)and Dave Foley(KIDS IN THE HALL; as the band's manager who dumps them, a leech who returns, of course, once they gain a reputation)all have supporting parts which will draw interest to SUCK from horror fans. Moby, of all people, portrays the lead singer of "the biggest road band in Buffalo", the "Confederates of Steak", whose devoted fans pelt their stage at shows with bloody meat(!), an egotistical and foul type of wannabe rock god who doesn't ingratiate himself to the Winners(the name of Joey's band)with much class. His fate is more than a bit ironic considering the persona of his band. Malcolm McDowell, as Eddie Van Helsing(Hell yeah!), is good fun as a vampire hunter(afraid of the dark!)with an eye patch following the Winners so he can question the whereabouts of the one who turned Jennifer, Dimitri Coats(known simply as Queeny), responsible for supposedly killing his gal back in the 70s.Some funny dialogue derives from munching on body parts(and a groupie!)and blood sucking, not to mention the unfortunate trials of life on the road with a band who have become weary after a long time of disappointment. Some interesting art direction and stop motion animation; a superb neck slashing and the use of a guitar to impale a vampire(!)are included. To tell you the truth, SUCK is mostly a series of music videos, shot in slow motion and bright colors, intercut with dialogue scenes. My favorite scene, which doesn't involve Cooper or Pop, is the hallucinatory music number where Joey falls under the spell of "magic pills". The names in the cast aren't just throwaway cameos which is nice, and they actually contribute even more on the interview documentary of the film on it's DVD. Paré is striking even in pale skin and strange eye contacts, often shot in slo-mo up close to capture her allure and Gothic beauty. Coats, albeit in a smaller part, is quite a creepy presence when he does appear on screen.