Blood Ties ( Review )

Name : Blood Ties
Status : Completed
Number of seasons/episodes : Two seasons
Year : 2006-2007
Genre : Supernatural, Mystery, Crime, Romance, Action
Director: Peter Mohan
Main Cast : Christina Cox, Dylan Neal, Kyle Schmid, Gina Holden

Based on : Blood Books by Tanya Huff
Warnings : hot vampire, butt-kicking chick, charming policeman, evil lurking around every corner

Review :  Yes, yes, I know - this is an old TV series that's been over years ago and has probably been forgotten by those who've watched it, not to mention that many people have probably never heard of it. But being so disappointed in almost all the shows I'm watching at present, I suddenly felt a strong need to see something decent and ended up rewatching this old favourite of mine, Blood Ties. Then I could not but share my excitement over the TV series with you!

The show tells the story of Vicki Nelson (Christina Cox), former police officer turned private investigator after being diagnosed with failing eyesight. A police investigation headed by her former partner and love interest Mike Celluci (Dylan Neal) leads her into the world of the supernatural and into the life of Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid), a graphic novelist who, by the way, happens to be the First Duke of Richmond and illegitimate son of Henry VIII. In other words, a 500-something-year-old vampire. Little by little, Vicki gets involved into the investigation of supernatural mysteries with the help of Henry, and Mike cannot but stay close to watch over his partner while refusing to believe that things like vampires, demons and zombies exist.

All right, I admit the story is not super original, especially from today's point of view, after so many TV series and movies have exploited the topic about vampires and all that is supernatural. It is the essence of the show that makes it so appealing, at least to me. First, there are the characters, each one with his unique personality: Vicki is tough both physically and emotionally, yet vulnerable when it comes to matters of the heart;  Mike is calm and trust-worthy, someone you can always count on when there's a monster wanting you for dinner; Henry is charming and seductive, but when it comes to action his punches don't miss their target and he can be very, very mature and serious when he has to (especially when he's got a deadline for his graphic novels!). And since the actors chosen to play these characters are spot-on (says I who haven't read the books), they really make the above-mentioned personalities look realistic and "come to life", so to say.


Secondly, there is the interaction between the characters. Big applause to the team that has selected these talanted actors for the roles of Vicki, Henry and Mike! They play great both on their own and together on screen. The chemistry between the trio is electrifying and makes it even more difficult for us to decide whether Vicki should be with Henry or with Mike. A proof how good the actors play their roles and interact with each other is that despite the age difference between Cox and Schmid, them being together does not look unnatural (or, as Vicki Nelson puts it in one of the episodes, "If you and I start hanging out together, people might say I'm robbing the craddle").


Then there is the dialogue. It's simply fantastic. No sign of the wooden and forced dialogues so typical of today's shows (take Beauty and the Beast, for instance). Here there are jokes, witty remarks, self-turned sarcasm, word play...It's just such  fun to listen to what the characters are saying that you don't long for any action to take place!


Finally, let' not forget what makes this show what it is: the mysteries! Each episode covers a different crime that Vicki has to solve and which throws her deeper and deeper into the supernatural world. I have to admit that the mysteries are not always very complicated and that every now and then you can guess what the evil creature is or who is behind a given murder. Yet, the show does in no way fail to deliver suspense. Not being a big fan of crime series, this one managed to get me hooked so that's certainly something!

In conclusion, I definitely urge you to give Blood Ties a try if you haven't seen the show before. If the first episode does not get you addicted, wait at least until episode 3 before unliking my review ;)

I recommend it to : people fond of supernatural crime mysteries, mature fans of vampire romance
I do NOT recommend it to : Twilight fans


Favorite Scenes : Vicki dreams of a man being with her in bed and once she wakes up, realizing how real the dream felt, she runs to Henry's flat in the middle of the night to ask him: "Were you just over at my place, you know, somehow, like, in bed with me, running your hands all over my body, that kind of thing?" And when he says no she's like "Are you sure?Oh, ok, ok, good, now that's a load off." "Disappointed?", Henry asks. "No, no, releaved." "You don't look releaved!" "Oh, no, this is my releaf face!", she says not very confidenlty. Henry goes on: "Because finding me in your bed, running my hands all over your body, would be....horrible?" She smiles lightly before saying: "Well, unless you're invited..." "I'm all ears," Henry smiles back. "Now here's the catch," Vicki explains," you're a vampire, I'm a half-blind private investigator. These stories always end up tragic!"

Favorite Characters : Vicki, Henry, Mike

Favorite Quote :
Vicki: I'm trained to notice details.
Henry: So am I...Like your heart beating faster...
Vicki: Too much coffeine.
Henry: If you need to relax I can quote you some poetry...
Vicki: You could try...
Henry: Apparently it works! [leans closer]
Vicki: If you wanna know what works... [He leans even closer, bare inches from her lips]...You can get the garbage on your way out!

What I liked the most : Hmm, it is hard to pick only one out of the many things I like so much in this show. Maybe it's best to say that the combination between characters' interaction, witty dialogues, and supernatural mysteries is what got me into this series. In other words, all those things that are so difficult to find in today's tv series!

 What I liked the least : The creators left the TV series unfinished! Maybe they were expecting Blood Ties to be renewed but it never was. I'm not familiar with the reasons for the show getting canceled but whatever these were, the result is still the same: the last episode of Season 2 left us, the fans, unsatisfied. Of course, it could have been worse - to finish the episode with an even bigger clifhanger, such as somebody dying or being in mortal danger. Either way, it is sad that we didn't get a proper ending. This being said, I'm not going to give any more spoilers about the series' finale :)

RATING 

Review by : DeeDee 

 photos from :  vampirecafe.livejournal.com , zap2it.com

Disney and Lucasfilm - a StarWars fan's comment

I had avoided to write about this subject for some time but I decided to  finally say something about it. Trust me I am trying to force myself to be as brief as possible.

I am a fan of Star Wars since I was 10 years old. I discovered the movies thanks to the 20th  STARWARS Anniversary when a special edition of the movies was released.
It was a good moment to become a fan because soon after that , the new episodes came along so the world was filling up with “galactic” excitement.

Being a kid and a  fan of Star Wars means that I have watched the movies too many times , have collected figures , magazines , bought all the DVDs and so on – but above all it means growing up with those characters and getting very attached to them.

Lucasfilm seemed to be something special for me . It was Lucas’s creation. I have always though that after he retires he will leave the company to some of his colleagues from the company to run it .
I consider him to be very good business above all else .  I have though that he would like his company to remain independent as long as it is possible. But maybe being a good businessmen for him meant to do this final deal with Disney .

Lucas said that he wants to give STARWARS a future . But I wonder : Can’t StarWars have a future of its own ? Can't Lucasfilm produce and make their own movies even without Lucas?
Apparently not . Hollywood becomes more and more monopolistic …. but the monopole of the filming industry  (and not only )  is another topic that I wont talk about now.

Ok , so Disney buys Lucasfilm . With StarWars in one pocket and Marvel in the other , Disney now gets the loyalty of millions of fans from some of the biggest fandoms in the world . By loyalty I mean that those people WILL watch their movies , no matter if they like them or not . Add to this all those curious movie-goers and you get a very big number of audience .
As long as this loyalty exist and as long as it brings profit more movies will be done from the same merchandise . It is as simple. It seems only fair that Disney will want to earn from its StarWars investment  by making the most of it – new movies .

Now let me be honest - I was disappointed and surprised with Lucas selling the company but  at the end of the day I am ok with it . Nothings is to be done. Nevertheless,  I am still not sure  how I feel about any future StarWars movies being done .

To have more StarWars movies could be really great idea but of course only if the movies are really good or at least good enough .
It is useless to say , that  NO new movie will EVER bring the same feeling and atmosphere as of the old StarWars because of many many  reasons .( I'm doing  you a favor for not listing them all … it will take me pages - but if you want me to - I will  ) .  Even though it will "never be the same" for the old fans the new StarWars  might however win new followers - those who are not emotionally attached to the old series . But I am an old fan so I have my doubts .

Let me share a few of them :

1. the characters – I really deeply and sincerely hope that they wont re-cast Luke , Leia and Han . They are emblematic characters and I feel it is too soon for them to be re-casted .
For sure many people who are new to the saga won’t have a problem with that but I would definitely feel bad about it ! Even if the new actors are great or whatever I just don’t want the image I have of them to be destroyed … or changed. As far as those original  characters go ,  I am a nostalgic and stubborn fan . I am very open-minded for anything else .

It is because of the nature and origin of the characters .  If we talk about Batman or even Dracula – those characters who have been created by book or a comics,  no matter how one adaptation of them could become emblematic , still  they are free to be reinterpreted .

In the case of StarWars the movie characters are the original ones – it would look like a fake to copy them and it would lack continuity to reinterpreted them . It could be such a tremendous risk for Disney to try to revive those characters now.

I hope the story will deal with their children or even distant relatives , decades after what happened in the previous movies. Reference can be created between the episodes but I prefer that Disney would choose to start something of their own , something new and exciting that can make people love those new characters . No one will compare any new characters to the old ones in the same way as inevitable will happen if there is a new Luke Skywalker. I am sure that 80% of the StarWars fans will already hate any potential new Luke before even know who will play him – this is how many fans react . You cannot create something almost "sacred" for someone and then easily alter it as you want– it just won’t be “sacred “ anymore …. But what do I know ? Maybe re-casting Luke , Leia and Han will be Disney winning card … ( hope not )

2 – My other preoccupation is the possible “infinity” of the Star Wars project .
The problem is that if those 3 movies are successful they will keep making more until … someone is watching them .  Over-stretched stories are never too good. I hope they make this new trilogy complete in itself.  But lets not look too much into the future now

3 - How about one thing that really annoys me – labels . Something like  “Star Wars fits Disney because it is perfect family entertainment movie “ ….. how about some more dark and twisted and “advanced”  StarWars ? Noooo ,  it has to be watchable by everyone , it has to be just entertaining , it must fit the formula …This is the keyword I am afraid of . To stay true to a story is one thing , putting a story into " a frame" is another .
This is how StarWars might lose most of its initial charm – if they try to make it fit to any kind of standards and expectations. Maybe this same reason made the recent StarWars Episodes to suffer a little in quality . Any future StarWars movies are already creatively limited by such labels. Limited by the fact they will be turned into a product that is to be released every few years on an exact schedule ... Some may thing this is a good thing ..It works with other movie franchises. In any case , it  lowers my personal expectations to be really amazed by Episode 7 , so I just can hope to be entertained by it at least . I don't blame Disney -  it is only understandable that any company that invest a lot in anything has to be sure it will sell .

When StarWars was made it was revolutionary movie for its time , it was different , made with  enthusiasm by young  people who wanted to explore new possibilities … now it will be just the next in line blockbuster . I am afraid of it becoming too closed and confined in its own shadow ….

Said all this , I can assure you that I will go to watch Episode 7 and  I might even like it  but this would never be that StarWars of before , the one I loved . I can watch something with the  mind of 10 years old kid just ones . That StarWars that I saw back then is forever part of my and my childhood and nothing can ever ruined it for me - because it is a memory . I hope the new StarWars can become such kind of a memory for the nowadays 10-years-olds ...but something makes me doubt that it will . Please , Disney , prove me wrong  !

In the end of the day , the StarWars "re-birth" makes me thing of a kind of sad pattern I notice about Hollywood – they don’t want to take risks , they prefer to invest in projects that will bring a secure profit .
I believe they are a lot of people full of ideas about new worlds , new characters and new stories – many of which maybe more relevant to our own time and society but those often remain unnoticed .

It is true that most great stories are universal and they are going to be retold many, many times for generation to come . But which are  the great film stories that our own generation has to tell and to leave into history ? I refer to those special stories that last in time – those with characters you remember, created with visual imagination that amaze you , stories that relate to everyone.
Even “new stories” as Twilight or Harry Potter had a chance to be produced as movies only because they had attracted people’s attentions as books.
Can filmmakers be given a chance to make something big out of an original idea ? I don’t say original movies don’t exist but they seems to be too few . And please do not talk to me about Avatar ! It had the most unoriginal story ever ! It was about special effects and even those couldn’t make me think of this movie as something revolutionary or at least special ( note:  I am not  anti-avatar ... the movie  had its moments but too much expectations leads to no good in my case ) . I went out track as usual and started a topic that  is very long so I stop here .

Just if I could I would suggest to the producers in Hollywood to give a chance to new stories to come to live  because I do not really want to spend my life as a movie fan only in waiting  episode after episode to come out ….

written by Viki 

photo source : www.cinefish.bg