NBC's Dracula

From the people who brought us The Tudors and Downtown Abbey we get Dracula on NBC starting Jonathan Rhys Myers as the man himself.

Here's the synopsis NBC has written Series introduces Dracula as he arrives in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he hopes to wreak revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier. There's only one circumstance that can potentially thwart his plan: Dracula falls hopelessly in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife. Written by NBC

It will air in the fall when the new line up starts. I don't have high hopes for this show, but I could be surprised. Myers does a good job in his roles, but I worry that since it has people from the show The Tudors behind it he'll come off too much like his role in that TV show. That's my biggest worry. The second is that they will some how add to the already discredit of vampires by doing something to change the legend. I hope it's like the old movies where we fear vampires than want to have sex with them.

I'll watch it when it comes out, but I won't be excited until I see it for myself.

Bates Motel Pilot Episode

If you know me, you know that one of my all time favorite horror movies is Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock. So when I heard they were doing a TV show and all based on Norman and his mother I was a little unsure about how I felt about it. I'm not always a horror purist, but there are some things I think the horror genre lately has been ruining and that's with the remakes, sequels and overall bad bad choices.

The pilot episode of Bates Motel was on Monday March 18th and I was able to find the full episode on A&E's website.

Synopsis:
Norman Bates and his mother Norma move from Arizona to some small Oregon town near the coast. They buy a home with a motel. This is starting over... again for the two of them. Norman seems to hit it big with the pretty girls in school despite being a bit awkward. His language arts teacher is his advisor as well and seem really into him finding his place and there's a bit of awkwardness between the two.





The former owner of the house and motel start harassing the Bates because he lost his property and decides to come claim it and everything inside including Norma. He kills the man and has Norman help her move his body to the motel to hid in a tub. To cover it up they start taking the carpet out to show that they are remodeling it so it doesn't look suspicious. They dump his body in the lake and the episode ends.

Review:
Overall I have no idea how I feel about this show. One episode isn't enough to really judge it, but its not enough to make me fall in love with it. I'm a little confused on why Norman and his mother dress like its 1950s yet it's clearly present day. I don't know if its some kind of throw back or what. Just seems odd. Yes there are people who dress in vintage clothing but this does not see like the answer.

I also don't understand why they are in Oregon. The Bates Motel is in Arizona where they say the Bates are from just outside of Scottsdale. I get that it's a wink to those who know Psycho but just doesn't make sense.

I will watch more to see if its going to be worth it. I will say that the acting is good it's just the writers and directors part that I'm a little lost on.

The Walking Dead Season One Episode Six

Episode Six: This episodes start with what Shane saw at the hospital when Rick was still in the Coma. The military is killing people left and right and Shane tries to get Rick out, but is unable to and is unsure what to do. All the power goes out and Rick appears to be dead, so he lives Rick behind and gets himself out.

The group meets the doctor asks for a chance of survival not sure to trust each other. They must submit to a blood test so he can make sure none of them are infected. This is the first time we see the group letting go and enjoying themselves. They even let young Carl try a sip of wine. Except the doctor, who seems unwilling to enjoy the company.

They group gets their own quarters and hot water to shower in. We know that when things are tough a nice shower is always one way to make things better.  Of course not everyone is enjoying the safety. We know there’s an over looming cloud of danger. The group all seem to be heavy on the booze enjoying the taste of… goodness.

Shane is drunk and goes to Laurie trying to tell her, he really thought Rick was dead and that he wants her.

The next morning the doctor shows the group a brain of a human and then what happens when they become a walker. The subject, who allowed the doctors to track the process, turns out to be the doctor’s wife.  The process reanimates the body, but just what controls the movement.

He admits that he doesn’t know what this is that is affecting the world. Nor if anyone else is alive or if any part of the world is kept normal. They learn that the generator is about to shut down and the entire place will destruct.  In desperation some of them men check to make sure he’s no lying.

The rest of the group is not happy with things starting to look worse; they have 30 minutes before the place goes. The group tries to leave, but the doctor has everything shut down and won’t let them go.  He tells them that when the power runs out they place will explode and burn all living things inside.

Unwilling to accept death this the men try to axe the door open and the doctor tells everyone who Rick knew it was going to be the end of everyone he loves. They plea with him that they are not going to die like this, the doctor has long forgotten what it is like to want to live.

Rick gets the doctor to open up and how his wife asked him to get going as long as possible. Rick asks the doctor to let them do the same, go as long as they possibly can. They have a right. He lets them go, but the outside is in lockdown and he cannot open it. As they leave the doctor whispers something to Rick and not everyone is going to go with the group. 

Andrea isn’t willing to go and Dale tries to convince her to go. He decides if she doesn’t go, neither will he. On the top the men are trying to hack their way through the glass to get out. Nothing works, but Carol remembers that she took a grenade out of Rick’s pockets when she washed his cloths. It blasts the window and they run out.  With seconds to spare Dale and Andrea escape and the remaining survivors shoot their way to their vehicles and drive away with the CDC crumbling behind them. 

Review: This was a great way to end the season. You are left hanging with knowing the group got out alive, but where will they go now? A good show gives you something to hold on, but wanting more. They did this with this show. You are satisfy that they got out, but are wondering where are they going?

I can see why this show has got the following and the praise it has gotten. It is well deserved and I hope that the second season follows in the same direction.


Closing Notes: Well, that is the end of The Walking Dead Season One recaps. I hope you enjoyed them. I wasn't sure I was going to get them all done before Season Two started, but I did. If you are wondering when it begins, it's right around the corner. Season 2 starts on October 16th, which is today at 9/8 central time on AMC. Check your local listing for the exact time in your area. I won't be home to watch it, but I will try to find it so I can review it by Monday.

The Walking Dead Season One Episode Five

Episode Five: This episode starts with Rick on his radio trying to get a hold of Morgan letting him know not to get to Atlanta, that it is dangerous. We also see Andrea mourning the loss of her sister and having to killer her. The men of the group are making sure all the walkers are dead and burn them.

 We see Glenn get emotion about not burning members of the group who were attacked by walkers. Jim appears to be bite and this sets the group on edge. The group tries to decide where they are to go and get help from Jim. They decide to head towards the CDC, since they should be well armed, have food, shelter and other needs.

 Shane and Rick are still at odds with each other. Trying to figure out who is alpha male in the group. Even so the group still moves on towards the CDC in hopes of safety. The RV cannot go any further and Jim is getting worse. He cannot take the ride and asks to be left on the side of the road. The group talks about whether to honor Jim’s wish or not. After they leave Jim, we meet a Doctor who leaves his own videos on his experience. He seems to be working for the CDC and trying to understand the virus that has the whole world mad.

 The group makes it to the CDC finally and finds walkers everywhere and no access to the CDC. They have to walk quietly in order to get to the doors. At first they are not allowed in, but after Rick pleas with him, the doors open.

 Review: This episodes really plays on the human emotion. Loosing love ones, how to deal with someone who is clinging on to a dead love one and how to keep surviving when so much is going wrong. To be honest I would never think of going to a place like the CDC, but maybe if I knew it was a virus or something biological I might. I guess if it was mentioned on the radio and whatnot, it would make sense. I think this episode builds up to the end of the series very well. We know that things will never go simple. Murphy's Law as we know always plays into affect in situations like this.

The Walking Dead Season One Episode Four Recap

Episode Four:  We left off with Daryl angry that Merle is not on the roof and instead of killing everyone like he wants to, he take Merle’s hand to preserve if when they find him. Merle is nowhere to be found, but he seems to have gotten out alive.

Back at camp one of the members of the group, Jim is digging a lot of holes and that worries everyone. They try to stop him and they have to force him to stop. Meanwhile back in the city Glenn comes up with a plan to get the bag of guns. As we know nothing goes right for them. A young boy confronts Daryl and he is beat up while Glenn is taken.

The men try to get the boy to tell them where they took Glenn so they could get him back. Neither is willing to back down so Rick has to come up with what can be spared. A huge fight is about to break out, when an old woman comes in and stops everything. Turns out that the gang bangers stayed in an elderly home to take care of the people who were left behind. Ricks gives them about half their guns and ammo and walk back to where the truck was left and it is missing. They assume Merle took it and heads back to camp take his vengeance on the group. So they must hurry back.

The group is having dinner and enjoying freshly caught fish. No one is really concerned with the missing men or anything else around them. Walkers have invaded the campsite and both Ed and Amy have been attacked. The 4 men are approaching the camp when they hear Shane’s gunshots and rush towards the camp. Panic strikes everyone and no one knows where to go or what to do. The men come and kill as many walkers as they can while everyone else heads towards the RV.

The episode ends with Andrea crying over Amy and the group stunned. Jim remembers why he dug the holes.

Review: I enjoyed this episode, it's pretty fast moving and there are a few surprises that come up. I really like how the group of thugs were not what they appear to be. Okay some of them were, but it showed how, eve though the world has gone crazy people still victimize the weak. There are not changes, just the situation got dire. People would of course blame their actions on things other than who they are. 

 The whole Jim thing seems a bit... odd. It's not really a guy who has a crazy dream that turns real, even though that's what we see. It just seems like a weird idea that just didn't play well for me.

The Walking Dead Season One Recap Episode Three

Episode Three:  The episode opens with Merle still stuck on the roof, obviously has lost it. He’s still trying to get free because zombies have made it to the roof and he’s close to becoming one himself. As he lies there praying he sees a hacksaw and we can assume what he’s going to do.

Our group of survivors is making their way back towards the camp, while Shane offers to teach Carl how to catch frogs to feed the group. Of course Glenn arrives in the Charger still with the alarm going off.  We now see the family reunion Rick and Lori never thought they would get. Later on that night Rick tells everyone what it was like waking up with out knowing what was going on. 

Of course not all is good and happy at camp. There are still problems between people, too many alpha males in the camp. There is also talk about how to tell Daryl, Merle’s brother, what happen to him.

The next morning all seems fine until the children scream as they find a walker eating deer that has been shot down with arrows. The men use weapons to kill it. In comes Daryl who has just returned from his hunting trip. The guys break it to Daryl about his brother and he tries to fight Rick and Shane. Rick explains what happens and that he’s planning on going back to get Merle. Shane and others have an issue with this, but Rick, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog decide to go.

While the four men are back in the city to get the guns and Merle, Shane teaches Carl how to catch frogs and the women talk about doing all the work around the camp and al the things they miss. Ed, who is your typically controlling husband, has to but in he tries to control the women and Shane steps in and beats Ed’s ass. Also, we have Lori and Shane arguing about their evolving relationship and how she doesn’t want him around her family.

 

The men get to the store and instead of finding Merle all they find is a severed hand and the tools. And we have the end of the episode. 

My Opinion: I like this episode because it introduces probably my favorite characters and actor on the show, who for some reason is overlooking. I guess he started out as a guess actor, but I think of him as an important main character. That would be Daryl Dixon played by Norman Reedus. I guess it's because he's in on all time favorite movie, which is not a horror film, Boondock Saints. 

I think what this episode does is shows us the kind of men both Rick and Shane are. Rick is your hero, who sacrifices everything to make sure everyone has a fair chance. Shane on the other hand is all about staying together, even though in the trailer for the second season it appears that he might leave the group. It shows how a like, but different these two friends are. 

I am not a fan of the love triangle, well if you even want to call it that. It seems stupid and I am not sure how much time most women would be willing to give themselves before they get involved with another man. I just don't know. 

I also cannot stand Lori when it comes to big emotions. She has these wide open deer in the headlight eyes that just seem to be one of her few emotions. You see it in just about every episode when something terrible, shocking or scary happens. 

 My last thought is I wonder if they will ever find Merle and/or Morgan, or if they are just forgotten now. I am not sure what to expect, it doesn't seem like there's too much talk about these characters returning, but I could be wrong. 

The Walking Dead Season One Episode Two Recap

Episode Two:  This episode lets us meet the group of survivors.  We see that some kind of relationship between Lori and Shane have taken place, though it’s one of lust. We also start were episode one left off, Rick being stuck in the tank while a voice from the radio helps him make an escape plan. Once Rick is free and meets a separate group of survivors who are not happy about Rick’s arrival.

Now our group is trapped and has nowhere to go.  Plus, there are already tensions between the members of the group. We meet Merle Dixon who cannot leave his racist opinions to himself and he suffers for it. Rick handcuffs him and he gets left behind. The group tries to use the sewers to escape. Glenn, our mystery voice and another survivor inspect the sewers while everyone, but Merle keep an eye out on the main level for walkers.

The walkers break through and the sewer is closed off.  So Rick, being the hero he is and coming up with crazy plans decides that in order for them to smell dead they will cover themselves, from the neck down of course with walker… pieces. They test it walking to the construction site to get a truck and it works pretty good… until it starts to rain.  They make it to the truck and come up with another plan to get the walkers away from the store. This of course means hot-wiring a Dodge Charger with the theft alarm sounding off.

In a hurry to meet the truck they are torn with whether to let Merle free or not. The key is dropped and Merle is left behind with walkers closing in.  They do chain the door so that hopefully Merle will not have any walkers find him on the roof.  The group pikes into the truck with seconds to spare and flies down the road back towards the camp. The episode ends with Glenn Driving the Charger back to the camp enjoying the ride. 

My Reaction:  This episode I like a lot because of the action of it. Who would think to take a walker chop them up and then slather those pieces on them so they do not smell like a human? I've seen shows or movies where people will tried to act like a zombie to get by, but never this. 

I also like how Rick is always coming up with ideas to get the group out. You can see how he is trying to get out so he can see his wife and son again. No one seems to know that his family is part of their group back at the camp site. 

I will say to go from the 90 minute season premiere to the 50 minute second episode is kind of a let down. I know shows do this a lot, but when you watch it episode by episode it takes something away. I didn't notice this the first time I watched this, but we watch the entire season is on sitting. I am doing it episode by episode so I can write these recaps. 

So this is a good episode, with some crazy gore and scary walkers. The scenes with the group back at the camp site seem a bit pointless, but I think there is a point to them. It gives you an idea of what people are doing when they are not face with the threat of walkers. 

The Talking Dead

I'm going to copy what AMC has on their blog, but I think this is a cool idea. I have to use the power of the internet to watch this show, so I hope this after show discussion will be online as well. That would be cool to add to my reviews and recaps when season two starts up. 

AMC announced today Talking Dead, the network's first live after-show that serves as a platform for discussion for AMC's series, The Walking Dead. The half-hour episodes are produced by Michael Davies' Embassy Row and are hosted by Chris Hardwick (Nerdist; G4). Talking Dead" premieres immediately following the encore presentation of The Walking Dead on Sun., Oct. 16. Then beginning on Fri., Nov. 4 the series follows The Walking Dead's encore presentation at 11 PM | 10C.

Talking Dead features Hardwick spending time with fans, actors, producers and tv enthusiasts, recapping that most recent Dead episode, and taking questions and comments from viewers. Fans may continue to engage with the after-show following the on-air conclusion, online, at amctv.com for more conversations, questions and trivia.

"As an ENORMOUS fan of both The Walking Dead comic and television show, I pretty much begged for this job. I'm fairly certain I slobbered on the phone while doing it. Dissecting the moves of Rick Grimes and the remaining survivors after every episode is something I would be doing with my friends anyway, so the fact that AMC is actually paying to do so is a bonus," said Hardwick. "This half-hour after-show gives fans the opportunity to nerd out about the story in a very public forum: what they like, what they don't like, or what questions they may have. Additionally, it will better inform viewers on making intelligent decisions when faced with the zombie apocalypse, which will probably happen sooner or later."

"Fans of The Walking Dead are incredibly engaged with every aspect of the show. They tweet, blog, and post comments in very large numbers, and we wanted to give them an opportunity to interact with the show in a way that they don't currently have — a kind of live water cooler," said Joel Stillerman, AMC's SVP of original programming, production and digital content. "And, we knew we needed a great host, and are thrilled to have Chris Hardwick on board. He is genuinely knowledgeable about the genre, and truly entertaining."

Michael Davies is the executive producer of Talking Dead for Embassy Row. Jen Kelly serves as co-executive producer.

What do you guys think about this?

Source: AMC Blog

The Walking Dead Season One Episode One Recap

Episode One:  This episode shows us the aftermath of whatever madness has happen to this small town in Georgia. We meet Rick Grimes and his best friend and partner Shane. We see the desperation people went through trying to escape and survive. Rick wakes up after being critically injured after being shoot twice while trying to capture a car full of suspects, to find things are not how they use to be.

The hospital is empty and what he does find is tons of bodies. Unsure of what has happen Rick flees uneasily towards his home to look for his wife and son. While trying to understand what is going on when his wife and son are not home he meets two survivors, a man and his son. They treat him hostilely, since they are unsure if a walker or something else wounded him. Once he has convinced them he just woke up and have no idea what has happen he realized things are very wrong.

He learns that lights and loud noises attract the walkers and not to let any of their blood get on his face. He takes the man and his son to the sheriff’s station where they take a shower and load up on guns. They part ways, Rick heads towards Atlanta, where there is suppose to be safe refuge and the CDC, and the man and his son go back to the home where he tries to cut ties with his wife who became a walker.

We meet other survivors who are outside of Atlanta with Shane. They receive a radio transmission, but are unable to communicate with Rick, neither Shane nor Rick’s wife recognize his voice due to static. There is a fight between Lorie and Shane about putting signs up to let people know that the city is not safe. Lorie and Shane obviously have a romance going on, but it seems to be out of need rather than love.

Rick comes across an abandon home, where he finds a grim situation; it appears that the homeowners killed themselves so they would not turn into walkers. Rick finds a horse at this house and uses it when he is out of gas in his cruiser. As he approaches Atlanta everything seems deserted like the town he just left, but of course the town is full of walkers. 

Seeing a chopper in the air Rick rides through the city trying to find it and let them see him, when he rides right into a huge crowd of walkers. He becomes surrounded and is knocked off his horse. He retreats under a tank, where he is cornered and has to shoot to give him a way out. As he seems to attempt a quick suicide he climbs through a hatch into the tank, where he kills a walker and because of the close quarters starts to go deaf from the bullet bouncing off the walls and creating a ringing noise. Now that his bag full of guns is in the middle of the walkers Rick is stuck in the tank. Again suicide seems to be his only option, when a voice comes over the radio. Who is this mysterious person?

My Opinions:   It is easy to see that while this is the first episode, it is not that exciting compared to the rest of the season. The reason is it has to set up the madness and what Rick goes through as he first finds out what happens while he was in a coma. With that said the walkers in the episode are still pretty cool, bicycle girl and the little girl are two that stand out in the episode. If you have the DVDs for season one watch the special features, they show you how they did bicycle girl. You will be impressed. 

What I liked about this episode that it did take it's time, as does this season explaining things to you. Some shows rush everything in 20 or 50 minutes, this show does not  d this even when the first episode is 90 minutes long. Trust me I rather them take the time to do things that rush through it and you feeling like it was too short of a ride. 

Another thing this show does well, especially with this episode and the next is using simple things to pull out emotions. When you see Shane and you assume at least two of the survivors are Rick's wife and son you hope he finds them. It's simple, but you are left with the hope that something good will come out of this madness. 

Season 2 30 Second Promo For Walking Dead

This looks amazing!!! I cannot wait for this to start back up. Enjoy the clip. 

Supernatural Season 7

Why am I wanting to add this show to this blog? Well this show is more than a crappy CW show that preteen Twilight fans love. It was out before this teen paranormal love festival began and has really set the bar for shows about the paranormal or... the supernatural. This show not only has comedy, cheesy moments, myths on just about everything, even ones you've never heard of, lots of weapons, cliff hangers, heavy metal, and death. There's a lot to it and I think it does a good job.

If they are doing an episode about... a banshee, they look at all the myths and sometimes changes it, but not in the vampire sparkle in the sunlight kind of changes. It's like vampires can go outside during the day, but if they do, they get a very nasty 3rd degree burn or something. They give respect to the myths and are not afraid to make fun of themselves.

Here's what season 7's premiere is about and the trailer. If you are interested then get the first season on DVD and watch it. It is the best season, but the rest are pretty good as well.

Supernatural Season 7 Premiere

CASTIEL TAKES ON HIS NEW ROLE AS GOD - Castiel (Misha Collins) doesn’t kill Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Bobby (Jim Beaver) but warns them not to interfere in his business. Assuming his new role as God, Castiel sets out to right some of the wrongs in the world. Dean decides they should bind Death (guest star Julian Richings) and order him to stop Castiel, but the former angel is one step ahead of them, leaving Dean to face a very angry Death. Meanwhile, Sam struggles to deal with the broken wall in his head. Phil Sgriccia directed the episode written by Sera Gamble (#701).

American Horror Story

If this image doesn't 1) scare you or 2) make you turn your head to the side and think WTF  then you must be blind. I found out about this show from looking through one of the websites I get my news from. The title alone caught my attention and by trying to research what it was about... I found nothing. It seems to be your basic family moves into a haunted house type of movie, but the clips that are floating around make you think there's more to it.

I am not sure if I will enjoy this or end up rolling my eyes on this show. Show here are the videos and you judge for yourself. We'll have to wait until October 5th to find out all about American Horror Story on FX.