That Bites

Courtesy of www.filmofilia.com

The thought of immortality has both fascinated and terrified people for thousands of years. Generally in folklore those who are immortal have to pay a price. For the vampires, the price is drinking blood and spending their existence in the dark. Being a night person, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have to spend my waking life at night, but drinking blood would really suck.

The movie "Daybreakers", now streaming via Netflix's Instant Play, imagines a world where vampires are the majority population. The vampire’s sustenance, human blood, becomes a rare commodity. Those that choose not to become a vampire either live in hiding or risk being “farmed” for blood.

 The story is about a vampire scientist (Edward) that is working on creating a “blood substitute”. He works for a large corporation that supplies blood, and begins to feel empathy for the humans being drained of their blood. Through a series of events he secretly works with humans  in order to discover a cure to the problem that now threatens both the human and the vampire race.

A fascinating aspect to “Daybreakers” was the vampire sub race. In the movie, if a vampire was deprived of blood for too long they became a ruthless animalistic type created with wings. When the blood supply decreased, since blood was produced by a private corporation the blood prices skyrocketed. Of course, not every vampire could afford to buy the blood so they turned into bat like creatures and began wreaking chaos throughout the city. When things got too out of control they were destroyed by being forced into the sunlight by the vampires. The reason I thought this scenario was interesting, is because it kind of represents how modern society works, in a less extreme way.

Overall, I found the movie’s plot to be choppy and inconsistent. The acting and characters were excellent, but the film tried to intertwine too many plots. The movie ending was left completely open to one’s imagination, nothing was completely resolved. There was also too much gore.  I can understand how some gore was needed to enhance the story, but some of the scenes went over the top. The concept behind Daybreakers had the makings for a great movie, but simply fell a little short.

Daybreakers was entertaining, but just wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. This movie, for the first time ever, made me thankful I am not a vampire......

Going Medieval on You!

Imagine a world without electricity, in which you can only bathe once a week, and must fight to the death if challenged.

Courtesy of nerdfighters.ning.com

Doesn’t sound exciting? Add magic, witches, and dragons to the mixture and you have the show Merlin now streaming via Netflix's Instant Play. 

Merlin takes place in the middle ages, and is adapted from "Arthurian Legends" that have been circulating for hundreds of years.

 “Merlin” focuses on the young adult lives of Arthur and Merlin and their relationship. In the show, Merlin is Arthur’s servant and devotes his life to keeping Arthur safe. Merlin has the gift of “magic” but can only use it secretly because King Uther (Arthur’s father) outlawed the use of magic. King Uther will put anyone that uses magic to death, so Merlin often worries about getting caught, but still uses his powers to “save the day”.

I normally avoid fantasy shows because they are often unrealistic and corny, but “Merlin” was fairly interesting. The characters in this television series were well developed and added an element to the show’s content. I also enjoyed the plot of “Merlin”. There were new challenges and characters in every show, in addition to many “exciting” moments.

Although I mostly appreciated “Merlin” a majority of the show was rather predictable and some of themes were over used.

*Spoiler* Merlin ALWAYS saves the day, and no one extremely important ever dies...

That being said, overall “Merlin” was worth watching for its fascinating interpretation on “King Arthur” Folklore.  The show is well developed and not a complete “train wreck” like some other fantasy programming out there.

Courtesy of  brainaudit.com

If you enjoy a little magic, or simply want to escape from your daily chaos to a time much worse than ours, this is the show for you.

Life's a Circus

When I was young and got into argument with my parents, I often dreamed of running away to join the circus. 

Courtesy of rightsideofthebrain.com

I never actually did because I really hated clowns, but the thought of being a part of such a festive environment was enticing.

 The documentary "Circus" now streaming via Netflix's Instant Play, is a six part series that hi-lights the lives of those performing in the Big Apple Circus. This miniseries shows what circus life really like including the difficulties and demands involved. I learned that amidst the excitement of the circus is a world filled with hard work and uncertainty. 

This miniseries was memorizing and extremely well done. Often when we see performances we do not see excruciating work behind each show. This documentary allows the viewers a sneak peek into the world of circus performers, and tells the story of how each individual involved embraces this eccentric world. 

Even though the circus has been around for hundreds of years, and is a worldwide phenomenon, traveling shows are struggling to stay afloat in this economy. These are tough times, and all of the circus performers understand that their jobs are not secure. Many of the performers have grown up in the "circus community" and would struggle making "ends meet" outside the circus. 

Courtesy of cgnews.com

Surprisingly, one thing that intrigued me about the film was the clowns. I often joked with others that if they fail school they can always go to “clown college”, but clowns have to accomplish difficult tasks while remaining “happy”. The clowns showcased in this film were real people with health problems and mood disorders just like the rest of us. They were not frightening and creepy like I remember them being.

I really enjoyed how artistic this film was, and the soundtrack added an exciting element to this miniseries. Although I am fairly certain a lot of footage was cut, I have gained a greater appreciation of the circus.

That being said, there were parts of this miniseries that were too focused on romantic drama, and "soap opera" like situations. Most of the six hours was entertaining, but some of it was monotonous. There is some strong language, but it wasn't very noticeable. All ages would appreciate this inspiring show, and will feel a little sadness when the circus "leaves town".

After watching this film I took a "What Circus Act Are You" quiz. According to this quiz I should fly on a trapeze (yeah right) I am curious to know what other's got?

Although I am still fascinated with the circus, and only slightly afraid of clowns I know that I will never join the circus, but I may visit the next time it comes to town! 

I Can Take It!

I want to know what you think!

I am interested in hearing your opinion about my blog. If you hate it, or think I am lacking in a certain area tell me!

I also want to know what to watch on Netflix's Instant Play. If you want me to watch, and write about a certain movie, television series, or documentary let me know!

Seriously, I will watch anything. Be forewarned that I honestly critique each thing I watch so be prepared for my blunt opinion.

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Can you take it?