DVD of the Week: True Blood Season One

Just to let ya'll know. A lot, probably most, of the "DVDs of the Week" won't be brand new DVDs. They'll just be DVDs I have either watched recently or a favorite of mine.

Well, I decided to start off with a show I recently got REALLY into.

Week One of my DVD of the Week Post is....

**WARNING: Spoilers for those who havn't seen the show**

The plot summary as which the show is based upon is...Following the creation of synthetic blood(Tru Blood), vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a telepath and waitress at Merlotte's in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), a shapeshifter—though this secret is kept hidden. One night, Sookie meets Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old vampire who has returned to Bon Temps following the death of his last remaining relative. As she cannot hear his thoughts, she finds it easy to be in his company and, over the first season, the two become romantically involved.

When True Blood first came out, I watched an episode or two, but never really got into it cause I was watching them out of order and had no idea what was going on. And it's kinda hard to stick to a show on HBO when you're parents don't order HBO. blah. But still, this weekend I'm going to Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia and on their website site it has listed that all the True Blood actors will be there. So I figured, what the heck I'll watch the first season and see what happens.....and you know what...THIS SHOW IS FRIGGIN AMAZING!!!! Seriously, from the very first scene of the very first episode I was hooked. For one, the vampires don't sparkle. Also, this is how vampires are supposed to be like, the show is dark and creepy and just superb. The whole cast is amazing. Anna Paquin, who played Rogue in the X-Men series, is just the best. True Blood is nothing without her, Stephen Moyer(now married to Paquin), Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, and Rutina Wesley, who plays Tara, my favorite character in the show. :)

And I was so clueless about the show that I thought it was strictly about vampires. But noooo...episode ten, Sookie finds out Sam is a shapeshifter and he tells her that there are werewolves and "many other things" out there. So, hopefully I get to see some more of True Blood REALLY SOON...especially with that season 1 cliff hanger. ughh. True Blood is most definitely going to be around for many more years, seeing that each season ratings have increased...viewers: season 1 average 2mil, season 2 average 4.28mil, season 3 average 4.93mil*as of 8/31*. Which is good for all of us True Blood fans out there. :)


The season one box set comes with some good extras like commercials for Tru Blood, vampire dating sites, vampire-friendly hotels, and lawyers for vampires who feel discriminated against. They are very corny and hilarious. There is also a public service announcement for both pro- and anti-vampire rights. They were all an added bonus to this awesome dvd set.

Word of advice...if you do decide to go out and purchase this dvd set, Wal-mart, Target, and Bestbuy prices are all around FORTY BUCKS..and that is OUTRAGEOUS...buy it on Amazon.com where you can get it for half that and, even though it's used, it's still in amazing condition.

Lastly...this blog is 

PRO-VAMPIRE RIGHTS.

you don't like it, then go away. 

"Vampires were people too."

Favorite Movies

So, while editing my profile I came down to the question "Favorite Movies?". And, well....that dinky, little box wasn't big enough for me to talk about my favorite movies in greater detail. There are eleven main film genres(types) and from those eleven there are dozens and dozens of sub-genres, many of which overlap with multiple main genres. I'm going to give you my list of favorite of the year in each since 2000 in each of the MAIN genres. Maybe if I'm bored some other time, I'll give you a list of my favorite films in the hundred or so sub-genres. Most of the films for 2010 are all on my poll I have posted at the bottom of my home page...go vote for your favorite.

1) ACTION & ADVENTURE

• 2000: X-Men*
• 2001: The Fast and the Furious
• 2002: The Tuxedo
• 2003: Underworld
• 2004: Spider-Man 2
• 2005: War of the Worlds
• 2006: Underworld: Evolution
• 2007: Transformers
• 2008: Wanted
• 2009: District 9
• 2010: Iron Man 2

2) COMEDY

• 2000: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• 2001: Monsters, Inc.
• 2002: Scooby-Doo
• 2003: Finding Nemo*
• 2004: White Chicks
• 2005: Fun with Dick and Jane
• 2006: Night at the Museum
• 2007: The Simpson's Movie
• 2008: Role Models
• 2009: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
• 2010: Despicable Me 

3) CRIME AND GANGSTER

• 2000: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• 2001: The Fast and the Furious
• 2002: The Transporter
• 2003: 2 Fast 2 Furious
• 2004: Starsky & Hutch
• 2005: Fun with Dick and Jane
• 2006: The Da Vinci Code
• 2007: We Own the Night
• 2008: Mad Money*
• 2009: Fighting
• 2010: **No films have yet to be released in Crime and Gangster Category for Central Illinois**

4) CULT

• 2000: X-Men
• 2001: Planet of the Apes
• 2002: Spider-Man
• 2003: X2
• 2004: Spider-Man 2
• 2005: Fantastic Four*
• 2006: Superman Returns
• 2007: Spider-Man 3
• 2008: The Dark Knight
• 2009: Watchmen
• 2010: Iron Man 2

5) DRAMA

• 2000: Remember the Titans
• 2001: Monster's Ball
• 2002: 8 Mile
• 2003: Rugrats Go Wild
• 2004: The Aviator
• 2005: Jarhead
• 2006: Pan's Labyrinth
• 2007: Zodiac
• 2008: Changeling*
• 2009: The Blind Side
• 2010: Charlie St. Cloud

6) Epics/Historical

• 2000: Gladiator
• 2001: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring*
• 2002: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
• 2003: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
• 2004: Troy
• 2005: The New World
• 2006: Letters from Iwo Jima
• 2007: 300
• 2008: 10,000 B.C.
• 2009: **None for 2009**
• 2010: Clash of the Titans

7) HORROR

• 2000: Scream 3
• 2001: Thir13en Ghosts*
• 2002: The Ring
• 2003: Underworld
• 2004: Shaun of the Dead
• 2005: Boogeyman
• 2006: The Covenant
• 2007: I Am Legend
• 2008: The Strangers
• 2009: The Final Destination
• 2010: Daybreakers

8) Musicals/Dance

• 2000: The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
• 2001: Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
• 2002: Return to Neverland
• 2003: The Cheetah Girls
• 2004: The Phantom of the Opera
• 2005: Mulan II
• 2006: High School Musical
• 2007: Hairspray*
• 2008: Mamma Mia!
• 2009: Fame
• 2010: >>None Released 2010<<

9) Science Fiction

• 2000: Digimon: The Monster
• 2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• 2002: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*
• 2003: Freaky Friday
• 2004: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• 2005: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• 2006: Penelope
• 2007: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• 2008: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• 2009: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• 2010: Daybreakers

10) WAR

• 2000: Gladiator
• 2001: Black Hawk Down
• 2002: Deathwatch
• 2003: The Last Samurai
• 2004: Fahrenheit 9/11
• 2005: Jarhead
• 2006: Pan's Labyrinth*
• 2007: Charlie Wilson's War
• 2008: Rambo
• 2009: Brothers
• 2010: >>Only movie released is Green Zone, and I havn't got a chance to watch yet<<

11) WESTERNS

• I'm sorry...but Westerns don't really interest me. The only ones i have seen have been with my grandparents, and I only really half watched those. I own a few, but havn't watched them. So, no top ten for this category. However, I do plan on seeing Cowboys and Aliens (a science fiction western starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Noah Ringer) when it comes out next summer. If you got a favorite western, comment below and maybe I'll go out and watch it and maybe eventually I will have watched enough to make up a top ten. 

FAVORITE MOVIE: 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

*My favorite film in the Category

A Bust of a Block

When's the last time you went into Blockbuster? My answer...I don't know. And I'm sure that that's the same answer for quite a few of you, as well as many MANY people throughout the world. And this is probably one of the reason Blockbuster, INC has decided to file for bankruptcy, but the main reason being that, since 2008 they have lost OVER 1 billion(yes, billion) dollars. Amazon, Family Video, Best Buy, and an occasional stop in Wal-mart's movie department are the top four places I, personally, go to for movies and TV box sets.

Blockbuster is planning on closing anywhere from 500 to 800 stores across the world. But they do plan on opening more kiosks (already 6000 around the World). So, maybe Blockbuster will become an all kiosk company, and end up closing all of their stores to save a bit of money.

How often do you go to blockbuster? And will this effect you Central Illinois people if the Blockbuster in Danville and/or Champaign are closed?






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The bomb of Summer '10

There were a lot of great movies that came out during the summer of 2010 and there are still more to come since there's a little under four weeks of summer left. Movies like Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me, which have earned almost 1 billion and almost 300 million, respectively, that got the entire family to get up and go to the movies. However, when most people left the movie theaters after watching Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me, they were more than happy, as I was after seeing Despicable Me. But one movie that has had OVERWHELMING negative reviews, would have to be The Last Airbender. I am a DIE HARD Avatar: The Last Airbender(cartoon) fan.  This post is going to be the one and only time I EVER mention the movie version of The Last Airbender. I want to get this out of the way so I never have to speak of it again.

**For those of you that have never seen the movie here is a link to the IMDB database for the film's plot, cast list, ect. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/

Okay, so, for a moment here, I'm just going to rant about how p.o.ed I am about this movie and and list all the things M. Night screwed up. So, bare with me. *****WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS***** Ready? Okay...

**Cartoon Aang: Happy the moment he stepped out of the Iceberg...Movie Aang: depressed throughout the movie, and constantly looks like he wants to cut his wrists. There was no personality to the movie Aang. The whole cartoon series revolves around how Aang wants to keep the world happy and peaceful. Well, I saw no happiness from Aang in the movie.

**WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO KATARA'S HEALING POWERS?????????? ummm....she kinda sort of needs those when Aang DIES at the end of the second movie, or are you going to take that EXTREMELY important part out too M. Night?

**And here's the most obvious problem: the acting sucked. But personally, I put 100% of the blame on M. Night Shyamalan. Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, ect. had very little to go off of, since the script was absolutely outrageous.

**The plot line jumped all over the place. Yes, in the cartoon they traveled all over the place, but in the movie it was waaay to fast. And yes, I know M. Night didn't have 8 hours worth of material like the first season of the cartoon did, but he could have made it much smoother.

**Appa had such a demon-like personality. He was the fluffy, cuddly, lovable beast that we all know and love. In the movie, he just looked obnoxious and like he didn't belong.

**Of all the characters cut from the film...why King Bumi????? HE COULD HAVE AT LEAST BEEN MENTIONED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ba-sing-se was mentioned like 5 times in the film, you could have at least said something about Omashu and mentioned him. That would have at least satisfied me.

**And we never actually heard anyone say "Master Pakku", we saw him, we heard him speak. But not once can I recall his name ever being mentioned. This little detailed made him seem much less important in the film.

**I was very upset by how Commander Zhao(in the cartoon he was promoted to Admiral) was drowned. That part was actually hard to watch in the film. In the cartoon, when Aang goes all superpowered in his attack on the fire nation, the ocean spirit ends up taking Commander Zhao...and it was just implied that he drowned in the cartoon. In the film, we had to watch him die, really slowly as well.

**M. Night said in that nickelodeon interview that he felt the fire nation should be limited to bending, as all the other benders are. That's why only the best benders can make their own fire. THAT IS IDIOTIC!!! The fire nation is supposed to be terrifying and deadly, and when they could make their own fire in the cartoon they seemed that way. In the film, it just made them look like pansies, good job with that M. Night.

**I hated how Aang only scared the fire nation with that giant wave, I WANTED TO SEE SOME AWESOME SPIRIT WORLD DISTRUCTION, in the cartoon he blasted some ships back and everything...but NOOOO, M. Night had to take the best action from the cartoon out of the film.

**And the thing that ticked me off the most(here comes the die hard Avatar: the last airbender fan)...THEY REFERRED TO GRAN GRAN AS GRANDMA, NOT ONCE DID THEY CALL HER GRAN GRAN!!!!!!!!!!! M. NIGHT IS SERIOUSLY EFFED UP IN THE HEAD!!!

Okay, I'm done ranting about all the movie's flaws. I will say, however, that the CGI in the movie was spectacular. I loved how Appa and Momo LOOKED. And the set designs were just amazing, I was in awe of the set the whole time. Also, James Newton Howard's music never disappoints(to say the least) So far The Last Airbender has made a little over 225 million, and it just started premiering in overseas markets a few weeks ago. So, I'm expecting, and really hoping, that the 2nd movie gets greenlit. YES, even though I have a huge list of things wrong with the film, I'd still really like to see how the 2nd movie goes. For the cartoon series, each season got better. So, hopefully the same will go for The Last Airbender. 

Now, here's a list of suggestions I think SHOULD be in the 2nd film...

**M.Night needs to fix Aang's personality in the 2nd one so that we don't see the same dull, boring Avatar that we saw in the film.

**Keep Toph's personality and background the same (blind, rich, overprotected earthbending GIRL).

**Ba-Sing-Se better still have its great wall and the dai li agents.

*Ty Lee and Mai still better make an appearance and still have their awesome chi-blocking and steel star throwing skills.

*Do more w/ momo and appa



*Give Katara her healing powers, even though it was supposed to be in the first film.



*Aang better still die and break the avatar cycle at the end.

*The kioshi warriors, bumi, and katara's dad should make a late appearance as well.


*Toph BETTER LEARN METAL BENDING

*I wanna see some sand benders and the giant owl from the great library, mentioned many times in the film.

*And there better be some lightning from little miss Azula(who I think looked AMAZING in the film) =) 

So, this is it for my first blog. And like I said, as soon as this is posted, out of respect for the cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender, I won't even mention this dreadful movie. I had to post this so that I can get on with things. 

Down below is a quick clip from one of the best action sequences of the movie. **I do not own this video, all rights to this video belong solely to Paramount Pictures** Another good thing about the movie, was the long CGI shots...one of which, is shown in the video.

Also, quick suggestion to Paramount....FIRE M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN, DO NOT EVEN LET HIM THINK ABOUT WHAT TO PUT(er, more like leave out) IN THE NEXT MOVIE!!! GET SOMEONE NEW!!! ANYONE IS BETTER THAN HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!