February Review

February has been a month of watching a TV series from a book that was written by Tanya Huff’s Blood Series. Also watched 47 Ronin during the beginning of the month which you can see the below post for its review. As February closes and March is already well and good in by five days(depending where in the corner of the world you are). Anyway, I watch more movies also but they are too many to name in this review but I’ll try to do so.

Blood Ties

Details

Where to watch – Viewster
Year – 2006, 2007-2008
Filmed – Canada
Director – Peter Mohan
Cast – Christina Cox, Dylan Neal, Kyle Schmid, Gina Holden, Francoise Yip  and more
Minutes – 1320 (Seasons 1 and 2)
Age Restrictions –  Not stated

Plot

Vicki Nelson(Christina Cox) an ex-cop has opened as an Private Investigations Agency which she meets up with Henry Fitzroy(Kyle Schmid)who is following an evil. Vicki has a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa which is an inherit disease which affects the retina and blindness is the end result. Henry is a four hundred and seventy year old vampire who is the illegitimate son of King Henry the VIII. Together they join up after Henry tries to make Vicki not remember his appearance. Because of her disease it didn’t help Henry and there she ask his help and from there they become partners in cases of the weird and the supernatural. Her last partner police Detective Mike Celluci become involve in Vicki’s cases because she has a romantic connection with her former partner and the vampire. A demon, a great lord of hell has plans of taking Vicki because he has marked her.

Overview

Blood Ties was aired around 2007 and 2008 on Canadian Television for two seasons which I watched in February.  I seem to remember this show at that time which was view for a short while and then was canned. Okay maybe it was short lived here in Australia or I may have seen it in my dreams. Seriously I seen this at that time and I’m sticking to this. Anyway I seen this again and if you like horror detective stories this is one good one which could be compared to Forever Knight which also was done by Canadian television and then canned. Unlike Stargate universe which is also a Canadian production, I seem to like these pictures which seemed to propel me in like a bait for fish.

Okay getting to Blood Ties actually seemed to be what this TV series tends to explain the whole 22 episodes of two seasons. As you get to know Vicki and her Friends, you might get to understand that blood plays an important part to the supernatural cases. The pilot episode Blood Price start with a victim being killed and Vicki just happen to see it be in the wrong place at the right time. Before she could understand what was happening , she follows the case and meets Henry. Well it like a girl meets a dark stranger and everything happens from there. Okay horror is not like Hannibal or even Being Human; yet occult or dark magic encompass this TV series than Forever Knight which was a straight crime drama with a vampire to make it exciting. Where as this had demons and dark magic in it – it still had an intriguing story. I found it a cross between Supernatural and Sherlock Holmes. Why Supernatural and Sherlock Holmes? Looking at the occult and dark magic thing which Supernatural encapsulate the vision, where demons and dark magics are used against supernatural things; and the mystery in solving the cases is like Holmes taking on a case which has some significance. Vicki Nelson also states a line that the famous detective say(I let you find it on your own.).

I did mention that the Blood Ties is based on a series of Blood Books by Tanya Huff. I haven’t read the books and yet I must, but I need a few weeks to do so. However the review about the TV series is a good story which actually draws you into the story. The vampire is similar to other vampires and the only thing that is different that has two extra fangs. It looks like this vampire is different from others. Lets not get me started with fang-less and shining vampires. The vision for this vampire has another thing that is also different which is they are territorial(you’ll see when you watch the series.).

The first season is twelve episodes of dark magic and occultist Hebe Jibe and it continues in season two with ten episodes. Viewster dot com is a place where you can watch free movies and TV series for nothing and it has commercials, and also if you sign up, you can then rate the movie or TV series.  Well each episode has different themes which could be watched with a few hours on a weekend. The underlying plot of all the episodes is the love triangle between Henry, Vicki and Mike.

Overall its a nice watch at fangs that bite.  ♠♠♠

Movie review from Viewster dot com Summary

The Way of the Vampire, Vampire Vs Zombies , The Monster Maker, Invasion of the Bee Girls, Dark Awakening and High Stakes were movies which I watch in February with the overall theme of horror. The first two were short stories by Bram Stoker and Sheridan Le Fanu.

The Way of the Vampire focused on Van Helsing more than Dracula. It was very unusual for a story to enfold it took to long to get to the nitty gritty of the story but when it does it is a good enough to watch. ♠♠

Vampire Vs Zombies is a complicated story which jumps from one scene to another without some continuity and not knowing whether the virus was from the vampire or an disease from a scientific lab. One thing was it had a recurring character Camilla. ♠

The Monster Maker was a classic black and white movie, which had a story about a virus – Acromegaly which could make the head and the hands look bigger and hideous like the elephant man.  The story of a mad scientist who thought he seen his wife reincarnate in the daughter of a concert piano player. The doctor obsession with the daughter  plagues him with odd behavior. ♠♠♠

Invasion of the Bee Girls was called Graveyard Tramps made in the early 70’s is a science fiction horror,  a murder mystery; part from the mixture of its genre, for me it is a Speculative fiction movie. The main character a woman from space which we didn’t see infiltrated the lab and town and bringing earth woman and changing them into Bee Girls. This was for the sole purpose of finding a queen. The story-line is plausible enough but also over the top. ♠♠♠

Dark Awakening is a psychological horror and looks at the abuse in a family structure. The story is told by the main character of an abused child who became a man and haunted by his fathers madness. We get to understand that a story enfold is more than what it seems. The detective whose on a case of an assault outside a restaurant comes face to face with an old case.  ♠♠♠

High Stakes is a British movie about vampires and poker. There is two types of vampires, one group hungry for the kill and bloodshed; and the other group found their souls and live in protection in a church. Unusual type of vampire movie but it was a nice movie especially when it has poker as the center piece. A poker card shark and falls out with mafia type leader of vampires is overall a good movie to watch. ♠♠♠½

Rental or On Demand Movies

Mama is one hell of a ghost story which travels with you well after it concludes. It is a story about a man who couldn’t deal with life, kills his wife and proceeds to kill him and his children in a car accident. However he and kids do not die and they walk within the forest until they see an abandon cottage which looks run-down with neglect. Here the story enfolds to the twin brother of the man who killed his wife. Excellent ghost movie I like better than Paranormal Activity franchise movies put together. ♠♠♠♠½

My Soul To Take is a horror movie about a ripper who was chased and was killed. From there on the same night his soul inhabited one of seven children born on the death of the ripper. One of the seven is the son of the ripper but he didn’t know until the end and he becomes the hero. This is a teenage “coming of age” type of story with horror themes. ♠♠♠

Cockneys vs Zombies is set in a suburb in or near London where an outbreak of attacks come from an new building site which two workers open an old crypt of zombies. This new building site looks on an old retirement home which is set for decommission. An veteran army officer, his two grandson  plan on robbing a bank to save the old retirement home for their grandfather. Unbeknownst to the two cockneys and their friends are bombarded by police and then chased by zombies. This is a comedy horror and one scene really made me laugh so loud that I almost chocked. Imagine the old man with a walker without wheels and a zombie behind him. Hilarious! ♠♠♠½

There was another which I can’t seem to remember because it was not as joyful as the ones I stated above.  Well wait for this months view with the two I watch lately just wait for it with anticipation.