True Blood is the new HBO series about Vampires in Louisiana from the creator of American Beauty & Six Feet Under.
It sucks.
I'm sorry.
It sucks.
I'm sorry.
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
Yeah, I tried to watch five minutes of it this past weekend while I had an HBO preview, and I couldn't get through it.
HBO's curse of "Mad Men" continues. Showtime is the new daddy. -
True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
Well, to be fair HBO is the 1970's Steelers and 1980's 49ers. Showtime is the 2000 St. Louis Rams and 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Paquin is obviously good. She reminds me of Billie Piper as Rose i Doctor Who, in her ability to instantly set the emotional aspects of a script on fire. Only the problem is this is basically a story about Rose without the Doctor. Her co-star is unbelievably awful, and the filmmaking is plagued by that stupid fast-motion shit that the vampires had in Blade. Blade came out in the 90s. It's time to update.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
Really? I watched the first episode of True Blood and quite liked it. I hope to see more, but I don't have HBO so I guess I'll have to rent it when it's available. It's an interesting take on the vampire fantasy and Anna Paquin's character is appealing (as is Anna Paquin, in my view).
The first episode sets up the mysteries well - what's up with Sookie's psychic ability? Who is her new vampire friend? What's up with her brother apparently strangling that woman he was doing? Who was the vampire in the homemade porno they watched? What does the new vampire (name escapes me) know about the Civil War that might drive the plot?
For me, it's much more entertaining than Mad Men.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
I don't find Mad Men to be very entertaining either.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
The only saving grace is that Alan Ball has historically started slowly. The first episode of Six Feet Under was absolutely horrible. It wasn't until Episode 4 that it really started heating up. However, the critic for the Star Ledger said that this series goes downhill from the "excellent" first episode. Hopefully it'll have the Bizarroworld Effect on me.
What I Didn't Like:
- The mawkish CW/WB character intros.
This Alan Ball likes to have his characters do something "outlandish" to establish them as "wild and crazy." They "push the envelope" with their "sexually-charged dialouge" which shows how "wild and crazy" they are. As the British might say, "Piss the fuck off."
We get it, Sookie is a prude and a "lady". Her friend is "foul-mouthed" and is two snaps and a headbob away from "oh no she dih-ent." Everyone whose thoughts she "hears" all think as caricatures. Shit, these people have Shakespearan soliloquies in their heads. If I thought as many words as these people do, I wouldn't be able to speak.
-The Politics.
Uh, is it all that wise to do a Southern civil rights story about a race that feeds on humans ? I mean, blacks were known to eat white babies if they ever rebelled and took over the Plantation, but come on. Granted, I don't know how legitimate my complaint is (as reed might say, as soon as racism is talked about someone is going to find it racist,) but maybe if Ball showed some balls and had a vampire of a race other than Caucasian, maybe it would've brought out the "New South" vs "Old South" aspect a little better.
-The Misé en Scené
As much as Showtime is better now, the Showtime shows of the past always looked crappy. This show looks crappy. The outdoor shots look cheap. The "rescue" scene was poorly staged and looked stodgy. The camerawork sucks. For a "haunted" Southern Gothic locale, there's no mystery or intrigue. There's no threat or fear. And there's no fuckin' swamps. I mean give me some cypress trees pokin out of the water and Spanish moss for Chrissakes. Let's get the art director and cinematographer from The Gift.
Then we get the stupid baldheaded vampire fucking in fast-forward. And the stupid intro with great Southern clichés such as baptisms, gospel choirs, police setting dogs on people and bubbas sitting on porches with that stupid fast-forward "unsettling" jumpcut shit. Goddamn, HBO was all about doing original shit. I mean a story about a New Jersey mobster with a wacky mother, a story about 6 girls who love fucking, a story about Baltimore drug dealers. True Blood has the right body and chassis, but the wrong engine.
-The Acting
Paquin is obviously great. But who the fuck picked the bozo lead. Why is she interested in him (other than the slow-motion walk she has because the script says that she is "infatuated" with this "mysterious undead man.") I'm sick of these fucking vampire stories where the guy is "hot" and has a "spell" on women. Let's get a nerd vampire, a socially retarded vampire, an autistic vampire, something...anything other than these bullshit retreads of Anne Rice.
-the Implications for Vampyr Tours in New Orleans
I have to deal with these assholes in capes and goth-looking clothing in the French Quarter telling stupid stories to all of these goofy tourists from Kansas who realize they're 20 minutes past being hoodwinked about the historical New Orleanian vampires. Yeah, they're called the family of US Congressman William Jefferson.
-The Civil War Aspect
No, I don't need when Paquin and the Vamp have sex, for him to tell her "I AHM YOUR grandFAAAATHAAAA"Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
I didn't get that from the story at all. She had no trouble showing off her magnificent boobs to get better tips.Sookie is a prude and a "lady".
She and her friend aspire to more than what their small town offers, but I don't think that makes her a prude or a Southern Belle. She thinks her brother is a dick because he is.
The first scene sets up the dark swamp vibe a bit, but I think it goes out of it's way not to be Swamp Thing or to play into too many southern cliches. I don't think it's supposed to be "haunted" voodoo-soaked swamp. It's supposed to represent the "real" south.The "rescue" scene was poorly staged and looked stodgy. The camerawork sucks. For a "haunted" Southern Gothic locale, there's no mystery or intrigue. There's no threat or fear. And there's no fuckin' swamps. I mean give me some cypress trees pokin out of the water and Spanish moss for Chrissakes.
Although I agree the intro needs work. It was ok for the first episode because it sets the scene, but now they need something else.
I think her fascination with the new vampire is more about her interest in the exotic and something more interesting than her hick town. That seemed like a very natural aspect of her character, not just the stereotype of the hypnotic vampire.I'm sick of these fucking vampire stories where the guy is "hot" and has a "spell" on women. Let's get a nerd vampire, a socially retarded vampire, an autistic vampire, something...anything other than these bullshit retreads of Anne Rice.
But even so, vampire stories are inherently rife with sexual innuendo - penetration and all of that and there's often the subtext of buttoned up Victorian women exploring their sexuality. That's pretty much unavoidable.
I thought the scene of the monster vampire giving it to that woman on the tape was well done. It sets up one of the mysteries of the story - vampires are now trying to show they aren't monsters, but that guy on the tape sure looked like a monster. So what's the deal?
The main vampire hasn't done much already, but give it a chance. Note that the first vampire to appear in the show was the exact opposite of the stereotypical vampire. That was the whole point of that scene, to set up this world where vampires are everywhere and everyone. And note the vampire that was on Bill Maher's show. She wasn't very stereotypical either.
I think if they're trying to do a civil rights metaphor, it's not about black vs. white, but perhaps about rights in the south for gays or perhaps non-Christians. Or maybe the author is just likes characters that defy the common stereotypes about southerners - her protagonist is a young woman who is pro-vampire rights and interested in stuff beyond her town. Her best friends are a young black woman who reads Naomi Klein and a gay black cook.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
Points taken, I'll continue watching. Should've paid more attention to the "God Hates Fangs" sign.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
If I were from Louisiana I'd be really pissed off. It seems every single movie or TV program set there must feature heavy doses of all that voodoo/vampire crap.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
Well the voodoo/vampire crap (99% voodoo, 1% vampire in that equation, but together totalling about 10% of the total reason) was one of the reasons I moved here. And judging by all of the vampire tours and voodoo shops, I don't think anyone is up in arms, either.
But points taken. And don't forget Confederacy of Dunces bringing up the rear. There's a statue on Canal Street commemorating some homeless guy from the book who'd dis everyone's clothes.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
Now you're talking!And don't forget Confederacy of Dunces bringing up the rear.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
I caught up with this (8 episodes so far) on HBO on demand at my parents house over the weekend.
It does drag at times, but every time I think "Ok, I'm done with this show." Something happens to pull me back in. Is anyone else watching?Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
Remember when I said "Points taken, I'll continue watching" ?
I lied.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
Howard Stern and Robin Quivers still rave about it however, to the point of Howard calling it "the new Sopranos."Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
He probably loves it because it's a chance to see Anna Paquin's boobs.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
I'm hooked. It grows on you, for sure. They touch on far too many of the vampire cliches, and the opening credits promise a far more dark and intriguing show than that which actually arrives, but I'd still call it a good watch. However, it's no Sopranos.Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
I like it's application of the Vampire cliches. It uses just enough so that viewers come into it with some expectations and understanding of what they're supposed to be all about, but then it refutes some common bits of vampire lore just to keep you guessing.
SPOILERS
I does a good job of throwing in some "background mysteries" which then pay off a few episodes later. For example, from the very beginning, I've wondered "what's the deal with that dog?" and then the dog would just appear here and there with no explanation until the last two episodes, where it's fully explained.
At this point the unexplained bits include
1) Who murdered the two younger women and Sookie's grandma and are they trying to murder her too?
2) How exactly does one become a vampire? One bite is obviously not enough. The end of the last episode suggests that is about to be clearly explained.
3) What's the deal with the Iraq war vet with PTSD? He seems to know something.
4) What's the deal with Amy? Is she really a psycho or some kind of specific monster?Comment
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True Blood, Louisiana Vampires, & Anna Paquin.
I've sort of watched this in half-assed way up until but it's tightened up the last few episodes and gone from "watchable waste of time" to "Oh, darn I missed it" on my personal viewing meter. Great credits too (another thread).Comment
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