A pink taxi

A pink taxi

September 9, 2010

True Blood


Aren't you always impressed when you meet someone who is born the same day as you? I know one or two celebrities (Sophie Marceau the actress for example) who share my birthday, and get along very well with two that are born a day before me! But imagine celebrating your birthday on the same day as your spouse! I know an amazing couple who share a birthday, and I dedicate this posting to them. Their birthday is tomorrow....


When I asked to borrow True Blood from this same lovely couple, I was looking for a similar experience as Twilight, but as a TV series. I thought taking a TV series to Geneva to watch on my portable DVD player, would be a good idea, while my kids monopolize summer shows on the TV and I am not reading a novel or writing for this blog.


Last summer, I carried with m in my suitcase, one of the seasons of  "Gossip Girls" and I loved it. It took me back to Beverly Hills 90210, and Melrose Place. I used to watch those live in the 90s, while I lived in Boston.  Nowadays in Dubai, we get spoiled with the boxes of  complete seasons of "24", "Lost", "Prison Break" and "Desperate House Wives", some more guilty pleasures than others. I never got into "Mad Men" or "Heroes". I know someone who has watched one of the seasons of "24" in 24 hours straight! I, on the other hand, prefer to space my episode watching,  one per evening. Sometimes, like most viewers, I feel that urge to watch two in a row.

I also love scary movies. I don't enjoy the silly, campy  B rated horror movies but I find incredible enjoyment in watching a thrilling movie, with very scary scenes. I think I saw "The Blair Witch Project" twice. Nothing comes close to the thrill you feel in that last scene of the movie. It's plain spooky! And that movie was very good because it had no actual witch in it (just the fear of seeing her) and no blood. Just spooky shots and a lot of suspense. I know a couple that went to "The Blair Witch  Project" on their first date and they are happily married today. I had higher expectations for "Paranormal Activity", which was also an indie low budget horror film, but instead it felt like recycled spookiness without the thrill of the unknown. I preferred laughing about it with a group of close friends at a Pakistani hole in the wall restaurant afterwards.


When I started watching "True Blood" I expected it to be like "Eclipse" and "Twilight", which are romantic and beautiful movies about Vampires. "True Blood"  is quite the opposite. No panoramic landscapes, no unconsumated vampire love affair. It takes Bill a long time before he bites Sulki. The romance exists but this series is made for adults and the sex scenes are numerous and graphic. In fact it almost reminded me more of "Rome", another amazing TV series, but with no allusions to horror.

"True Blood" is set in Louisiana and the "middle of nowhere feel" is reminiscent of the film "Fargo" (which is in a cold middle of nowhere). I didn't care much for the gory or sexy scenes, they are done in a caricature like way. The humor and suspense and mystery abound. The main actress is none but the little girl who acted in The Piano! It took me two episodes before I could recall her familiar face. She remains a good actress.


In this series, things are reversed and humans want vampire blood, while vampires drink synthetic blood and live in the open,  but only at night.

I will not say more except that I am looking very forward to viewing the next season. I need some V! A good friend of my sister and brother-in-law, Jason Zinoman, writes a weekly blog on the subject for http://www.slate.com/ about True Blood's Season 2. If you are interested, and are huge True Blood fans, here is one of his entries:

http://www.slate.com/id/2262515/

Also, here attached below, is the soundtrack for "True Blood" by none other than Depeche Mode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohhiiVSY5yQ

Watch and Enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. Who are the amazing couple? Kat and I would love to meet them one day! If only you'd come back at some point in this lifetime and introduce us ;)

    I certainly cannot go with you in advocating Twilight and Eclips but I admit I liked True Blood for many of the same reasons you mention here. When i was watching it, i was actually 'saving' episodes, watching one episode a day, so they don't finish. There is also something hypnotizing about intro clips and song.

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  2. I've been keeping season 1 of True Blood under wrap all summer like a good little boy on Christmas eve! Can't wait to start it when I get back to Dubai!! Yeah!

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  3. I finally watched True Blood Season 1 during the Christmas Holidays! I wasn't as disciplined as Mo. I watched the entire season over a weekend. What a yummy Christmas treat! I really enjoyed the implicit and explicit messages about America. It's full of symbolism. Vampires are the "Others." Americans don't understand the Others. Americans fear the Others. Therefore, they instictively hate the Others. The sign outside the church "I hate fangs" in the opening credits sums it up! The Vamps are amongst us, they live with us, they go to our bars, and they are sleeping with us. If we don't watch out, they will take over our way of life!

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  4. It took me a long time to get my hands on this series of episodes,but it is never too late to keep up with the interests of the 40 something generation.
    I got so many political messages ingrained in the different episodes,showing how the heart of America is bleeding,to show the realities of life.Did you know that demography has been moving into these states away from the liberal New England and California States?I wonder how many tea party members come from there,and whether Palin will become one day the Governor of Louisiana?

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